MBA Geek

Here’s an interesting blend of technologies. OnStar, the GM in-vehicle technology for car-person integration is supporting integration to Twitter, allowing car drivers to Tweet from the comfort of their cars using voice recognition. I personally have a Garmin GPS unit in my car, but it doesn’t even do voice recognition.

It’s a great geeky use of technology, but to me it also represents a car manufacturer using technology to try and differentiate it’s offering from that of it’s competitors. This will attract two segments; those who really love technology and want to play with it; but also those those who respect the fact that GM is looking for ways to enhance their driving experience.

Great work from GM .. I love seeing companies innovate where no one else has innovated before.

Interesting development today as SanDisk try to breath new life into the dying record sales industry. They have come up with slotMusic: an offering that uses MicroSD cards to distribute high-quality DRM-free MP3s and are touting it as an “immediate, tangible, and high quality alternative to CDs and digital delivery”

Personally I don’t think the idea will go very far. I tend to agree with Om Malik who lists 5 reasons why the scheme will fail, and I think the biggest issue is that people just aren’t interested in physical media any longer. Streaming and downloading are just so much more convenient and in this case, available for free on the the same devices SlotMusic is trying to target: mobile phones (although they won’t work in an iPhone). It’s interesting to see attempts to extend the life cycle of physical media, but I believe this will go the same way as the cereal box record, a last-ditch attempt to revive an ailing industry that refuses to change it’s business model.

Image coutesy of Tutor2u.net