Sunday, September 5, 2010

The "Physical Web"

It's the future of the web. It's happening now. You might be using it.  What is it?

Read this story:
Physical Web: How Apps Can Move Atoms and Bend Time

Download and watch this short PowerPoint:
Physical Web by Shasta Ventures

Ubercab, Nike+iPod, Webkinz, Gowalla  are four examples of Physical Web applications.

Your blog entry this week is to pick a physical web application.
NOTE: You may pick one of the examples above, but no one can duplicate an entry.  So you will have to read the blog entries before you!


1. Describe a physical web application and how it works relative to this equation:


2.  Describe how you or someone you know would use it specifically.

3.  What is your apps potential to grow, expand services over time?  How do you think it will happen?

As always, please number your comments.

20 comments:

  1. A few years ago, Nike+iPod was debuted by Apple as a attempt at a personal training kit built in to your iPod and shoes, acting together to record your workout stats. It has never really caught on to many people using it, but in my experience, it works great and is a very cool idea. The iPod records, for example, your steps, speed, and distance. It keeps track of times, speeds, and distances run or walked. When working in tangent with the new iPod nano (a pedometer is built in) it can be the ultimate workout tool. Since it debuted, there have been very few updates to the original idea. It did start out as a simple add-on to any new iPod, but in the new iPod Touches, and Nano's, the connectivity hardware and software is built right into the device. It has sustained simple UI improvements but the app as of now is probably at a stand still. There just isn't very much that can be added to the kit.

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  3. 1) The Eye-Fi card is a SD memory card that can be used in every standard camera but has a built in wifi card. This allows you to connect the memory card to a home network, office network, or any other place. When the card comes in range of the network all photos are wireless downloaded to the media sharing sites you use.

    2) This type of device would be very useful for media journalists that take pictures often. Instead of wasting time uploading them manually before adding them to the article. This allows writers to be more productive and not have to worry about mundane processes.

    3) This type of service could be expanded to video easily in the near future to speed the process of importing. A longer range would help make it even more mobile. With the inclusion of a GPS system pictures could automatically be tagged with a location the moment they are taken.

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  5. 1.Ubercab is the next generation of cabs but it's so easy to use, you never have to call in a cab order again. This works directly from your iphone, and no cash is needed because you are charged from the app. You get a quick response from your driver and the best thing about this is you can give feedback about your experience and the driver so the service is constantly improving. To top it all off, ubercab is proved to be about 1.5x the cost f a normal taxi cab.
    2. Both f my parents travel quite a lot and sometimes I'll even go with them. It's very hard to find a reliable taxi in the big bustling city, but with ubercab its so efficient you don't have to wait long. When using the iphone, which my dad has, it determines your general location, then you simply find your EXACT point and direct answers from your own driver in that area are sent.
    3. Ubercab is currently in San Fransisco, a very busy place, one that many families go to. I believe this has the potential to expand greatly over the next few years spreading to different states. It's in the app store, iphone's are incredibly popular that i'm sure this app will get noticed and people will start to see the magnificence of this service.

    real world (actual cab service)+internet (built in w-fi on iphone or SMS)=physical web

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  6. 1. Epocrates Rx is an iOS application for doctors. It allows doctors to have a pocket reference for the illnesses, patients, and drugs they prescribe on a daily basis. It uses a constantly updated database of drugs and their ingredients in order to assist doctors in prescribing the correct amounts of the right drugs to their patients.

    2. My mom is a doctor in the Emergency Room who uses Epocrates to quickly look up interactions between medicines as well as alternatives to medicines for patients that are allergic to certain types of medication. It works more quickly than relying on pharmacists to identify and describe different types of pills and other meds.

    3. Epocrates is on the forefront of the technological revolution in the medical field along with other software/computer systems that attempt to document and describe the full set of human illnesses and reactions to the environment. As more and more doctors switch to using technology, Epocrates will grow even larger and will likely have patient-facing software to describe symptoms and contact a doctor, like a mash-up between WebMD and Ubercab, except it saves peoples' lives instead of just calling rich guys who don't want to walk cabs.

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  7. 1. Webkinz is an interactive online game where younger kids can own a virtual pet. The catch to this is, however, that you must buy a plush doll of your pet, before you can use it in the game. Each Webkinz doll has a specific code. When this code is entered into the online game, you now acquire that pet. These pets range from the simple dog, to the abstract alligator, and is a way of giving kids something they love, plushies, and combining it with the power of technology.

    2. My sister, and my friends sister, both used this Webkinz system. It is a good way to get kids into online gaming, in a simpler way, while Webkinz also scams your money. It is, however, an excellent gift for the younger kids, and is a good way to introduce them into technology, and even teach them with learning games. My friend's sister herself learned her abc's through the use of Webkinz.

    3. Webkinz could be used in the future as a way to teach kids even more things, in a new and fun interactive way. In an age of advancing technology, a simple update to Webkinz could cause them to be used nationally, as maybe a kindergarten or 1st grade teaching tool, to assist teachers with their lessons.

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  8. 1. The physical web application I found is called Edocrab, and it's an application for the Blackberry. Edocrab is barcode spelled backwards, and once you start it up the app will ask you to take a picture of a barcode. Once you do that the app will figure out what the product is, look up customer reviews on the product, find online price comparisons, and show you images and videos of the product, all from just a picture of the barcode.

    2. If I'm walking around a store and I see a new pair of headphones for what I think is a good price, I can pull up customer reviews and price comparisons for the headphones all without knowing the brand and exact model of the headphones. This will help me save money and buy products that are well made.

    3. The app has lots of potential to grow. Since it is run through the internet, it can keep up with all of the new products introduced each day. And as time goes on, more and more customer reviews will be available, giving you even more information from the consumer.

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  9. 1) A few years ago, Nike+iPod was debuted by Apple as a attempt at a personal training kit built in to your iPod and shoes, acting together to record your workout stats. It has never really caught on to many people using it, but in my experience, it works great and is a very cool idea.

    2) The iPod records, for example, your steps, speed, and distance. It keeps track of times, speeds, and distances run or walked. When working in tangent with the new iPod nano (a pedometer is built in) it can be the ultimate workout tool.

    3)Since it debuted, there have been very few updates to the original idea. It did start out as a simple add-on to any new iPod, but in the new iPod Touches, and Nano's, the connectivity hardware and software is built right into the device. It has sustained simple UI improvements but the app as of now is probably at a stand still. There just isn't very much that can be added to the kit.

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  10. 1. The physical web application I found was Taxi Magic. It is available for the iphone, android, blackberry, and Palm. It is the first free online taxi booking service, that is directly integrated with taxi dispatch systems. You can book your taxi from the web or from your handheld. Track the arrival of your next taxi. Pay for the ride with your credit card. Then get an E-receipt. Everything is online!

    2. I would use this app a lot. When I travel to different cites, i could just pull out my iphone and call for a taxi around the city. This would be very useful for me because my family travels a lot, and it would be great to know that a taxi is on its way rather than trying to find one around the giant city.

    3. This app has a huge potential to expand, it can add more cab companies and it can be integrated in every device, i actually look forward to how this app can expand, the best of all its free.

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  11. 1. The physical web application I found was Taxi Magic. It is available for the iphone, android, blackberry, and Palm. It is the first free online taxi booking service, that is directly integrated with taxi dispatch systems. You can book your taxi from the web or from your handheld. Track the arrival of your next taxi. Pay for the ride with your credit card. Then get an E-receipt. Everything is online!

    2. I would use this app a lot. When I travel to different cites, i could just pull out my iphone and call for a taxi around the city. This would be very useful for me because my family travels a lot, and it would be great to know that a taxi is on its way rather than trying to find one around the giant city.

    3. This app has a huge potential to expand, it can add more cab companies and it can be integrated in every device, i actually look forward to how this app can expand, the best of all its free.

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  12. 1. The web app that i used was Gowalla. You can use it on the iPhone, Android, Blackberry and the Palm OS. It is used to update your location with a pin point on a map for your friends and family to keep a tab on you. It is used as a replacement for updating your whereabouts on Facebook or Twitter. It is also used as game application. The game aspect is kind of like an expansion or founding land type thing. You can use it to drop objects and use it for Geo-cashing.

    2. One way I could use it is so my mom can always know where I am and I don't have to always call her to let her know. One person I know who could possibly use this is Mrs. Morgan. Her and her husband always like to go Geo-cashing and they could easily use it.

    3. I do not see the expansion of this application taking off at a large rate. It is really cool but does not seem that necessary to daily life. Given that GPS is used and there are already phones that have this feature already built in that comes with Sprint. I think that people will use it when it has a little bit more to offer.

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  13. 1. The app I choose is called "Yelp." "Yelp" is nice app to have for example say you want to eat somewhere with someone special you can use Yelp to get a review before you go. Not only that it has many more features if your car were to break down all you do type what city you are in and it gives u numbers of place to call and a review.

    2. Well I would use it for like if i was on date to impress her. I would not want embarrass myself. I want take them somewhere special to look like I class. Nevertheless a food critic can use this app to visit these food services. He'll probably go to the ones that have bad reviews.

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  14. 3. This app can grow by tourist using it in ares they are not familiar with. The businesses can grow if they have great reviews to. If their place is at the top of the list they are bound to have a lot more business.

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  15. The app I found is not really an app at all but is the king of the physical web, and we all know what it is. GPS is the master of the physical web because it helps you find anything and there are hundreds of apps that use GPS, or maybe if you want to go simpler then that you could use an online map ( A simple GPS ).

    Now if you were going to use a GPS to find something, you may first want to think of something you cannot find with a GPS since most of them incorporate maps, most maps, then anything you can find with a map you can find with a GPS. Ok lets say you want to oder a pizza, then you would type in the name (On Googles GPS system) to find the nearest locations and phone numbers, the you would call the closest one and order, Odds are that they (The pizza people) are going to use a GPS to find you in order to deliver it to you, thus you have the physical internet.

    This has already grown from hand drawn maps, and there is no potential for it to fail, unless people learn directions... Pretty much everyone's phone has the potential for GPS and everyone has an address, because the main idea of the GPS is to just know where things are maps are included and anything they end up using to help find some place. The neat thing about it is that it is almost a philosophy and because of that cannot fail, it can change though. perhaps people get implants at birth, or you are required to carry some form of tracker if you are a convict, cars may use GPS to drive them self's, who knows...

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  16. 1. The new Samsung televisions are unique in that they also utilize the web and are able to work similarly to iTouches in that they can use apps. According to my research, all new tvs have that capability. The equation fits in by how the real world (television users) can access applications such as Blockbuster apps and facebook using the internet (internet) creating physical web.

    2. Say someone wanted to access their Blockbuster account so they can watch a movie. However, they are bedridden and could not access their computer. Using the Blockbuster application on their television, not only can they access their account, but they could also watch movies directly from the comfort (as much as possible due to being bedridden) of their own room.

    3. With time, this physical web will branch from Samsung to all television companies. And with this will come a need for more tech savvy people. People will adapt to the tvs with apps just like they have adapted to every other form of technology, and this could lead to things such as watches that can have an app or 2 in addition to time and date, or PDAs with more efficient app systems. With the advancement of the television app program set up by Samsung, more and more common pieces of technology will come to take advantage of apps.

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  17. Wow, reading through this information I was immensely impressed. Todays society has evolved quite a bit from the average office/paper pusher worker to the modern day Technical Assistants that now populate the "market."Jobs exist that 30 years ago never existed, Its an economy evolving to the wants of the society instead of the overall needs. This is due to a concept called the "physical web." Although many people would argue against this concept and say " the web isn't physical, its all numbers and letters flying throughout he air invisible to our eyes" its true, but can the web really be physical? Yes it can. A new product called the "Eye-fi" this product allows the average camera user to use a standard sized (2 GB) SD card with a wi-fi card built into it. Combining the two allows for the instant upload of pictures to FaceBook, Twitter, or even just a home computer. And what may I ask is that called? Thats right, Its an example of the "physical web."

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  18. Did your car break down? Are you stuck in the middle of no where?Do you need a lift? Ubercab is here to help! Using a phone to call a cab is so yesterday! Now with the help of ubercab you can ride in style with a touch of a botton! Simply go into the app ubercab and press "pick me up".

    This application is usefull for anyone that is left on foot when there car is failing on them, and the best part is that its almost the same price ass an ordinary cab.

    i think this app will grow but it will take time for that to happen for the reason that everybody these days drives.

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