The phones of the future.... if only we could find the battery of the future

Relinquish if you will ten years previous. A time when all the talk was about the latest skin cover, the latest 2 mega pixel game, the first full colour screen. Battery life seemed to last a life time, although the scope of operations was limited we could still send messages, make calls, play games like Snake and Tetris. Fast forward a century and we are lucky if we get a day out of latest smartphone.

Smartphone usage has grown significantly in recent years, whether your a blackberry user or an Iphone or   HTC user most of us has one or know of a friend who has. We have become a nation obsessed by App's so much so that this has become the biggest selling point of the smartphone, being able to download the latest version of Angry Birds, was not something you could have done ten years ago. Maps and navigation have made the idea of a one fit personal device put the Sat Nav to rest and document options such as writing emails and creating spreadsheets have made the laptop become almost obsolete. 

Yet, whilst the providers are creating the products like there is no tomorrow and mobile phone providers forced to tighten their contracts due to the unforeseen nature of the product itself, limiting the scope of unlimited internet for example has left a huge burden upon operators shoulders such as O2 and Orange. Operators have realised that with the latest smart phones built for the future, they can entice you in with 24 months contract, out are the 12 month deals, with latest version of Android OS and Apple OS available and within easy reach, users can upgrade firmware to keep there phones modern, up to date and trendy with the latest crowd. 

Batteries of yesterday are powering super-computers of today

We live in a technical revolution where everything is powered by our mobile phone; checking emails, checking the weather, checking the latest sports page, reading a book, playing angry birds, checking emails (Blackberry obsessed users take note) the list is endless, yet the batteries have failed to catchup to speeds with what we are doing. Displays have become more powerful, screens suck more juice from our battery (approx 80% of our battery usage comes from the display). 

Whilst the technical revolution of the phone is great, it seems that most people are still frustrated that we can never be too far from a plug socket or a cigarette lighter. Mobile phone manufacturers need to realise that whilst the revolution is necessary, we also need to be able to do more things on the move, for this to happen we need the battery life's to increase. 

PM tightens media correspondence

The case against the News of the World has uncovered numerous amounts of information, allegations about some of the most powerful people in world media today. It seems however that the PM has decided to tighten up controls of controversial uncovering of interviews with newspaper editors and newspaper journalists.

Instead of allowing MPs to hold meetings with any paper, they must now publish quarterly reports of who they have held meetings with and who was present. Whilst this may be clear on paper, it maybe difficult to control in practice. The media circus in the UK has become far reaching than ever before and in light with continued demand for on-demand information, it is making it even more difficult to protect information escaping. Furthermore whilst meetings are being recorded, emails are a crucial tool in the exchange of information and may slip through the net, maybe escaping a untrained eye which may lead to more information being released about the Royal Family or the UK Government. 

The whole scandal against the News of the World and News International has opened a whole can of worms, restricting newspaper editors to scheduled interviews is only going to create mere I say it 'boring news' as everyone shares the same front story, no under cover journalist  will be able to arrange secret interviews with celebrities and politicians alike, broadsheets may even become more transparent with each other. On the other hand it won't stop newspapers such as the Sun publishing rumours about what might happen in the weeks and days to come. 

Boycott of the Brands: Should advertisers restrict who they associate their brands with?

As news breaks of the uncovering of phone tapping of senior politicians and celebrities by journalists at News Corporation a subsidiary of News International and its newspaper brand News of World, advertisers are considering their positions with the brand itself and questioning should they be associated with such a reputable brand such as News of the World.

According to the Newspaper Marketing Agency, News of the World costs just £1 to buy and attracted a readership following of just over 7.4 million per year in 2009 with a typical readership age of 35 to 44.

Likewise its sponsorship deals not only benefit the paper to make it a commercial success but also help the advertiser reach that captive audience which would have made it difficult to aspire to alone. This is what is known as an ingredient product. Furthermore it could be highlighted that the advertising schemes run by many organisations complement the newspaper. For example on its advertising website it states that readers of the Sun and the News Of the World redeemed 2.75m in vouchers worth £5 each in Tesco & Morrison’s. This suggests that people buy this paper not just to read about the daily news but also for incentives that it offers inside. Removing crucial advertisers such as Boots, Specsavers and Reckitt Benckiser could halt these readership figures.

In similar circumstances the Tiger Woods affair in late 2009 prompted a similar response by advertisers to boycott sponsorship deals with the golfing professional including Gatorade and Accenture all pulling ties. However key deals still remained including Tigers long term sponsor Nike. It showed a strong deal of character by the sports brand and only time will tell whether or not similar events will unfold in the News of The World’s story.

The brands that still associate themselves after the story has unfolded will be the ones that show a great deal of character and loyalty. Whether the uncovering of crucial information was intentional or not it could jeopardise the future of not just the News of the Worlds’ reputation but its sister papers too including The Times, The Sunday Times and The Sun.