Meteor's Christmas

There is so much going on with Meteor at the moment I'm not even sure where to start. Not only have Meteor fully embraced their new mantra of "your social network" with vigour and enthusiasm through there impressive product range and new business focus on data packages, but the mobile network has also made some serious inroads into bringing their services to the heart of Facebook.

So first up I'd like to mention the two new services that Meteor have added to their Facebook Page; their Facebook Top-up Service and Online Store. Both services sit directly within Facebook and allow users to take care of their mobile needs directly within the social network. In themselves both services are great examples of development work but more so it is the customer service element that I think is most important. While other operators are concentrating on driving visitors to their own sites, Meteor have recognised a core service that users should be able to access where they want to.

Next up is the two new Meteor ads for Christmas. Meteor have moved completely away from last years very popular series of ads and characters, and made this years theme all about the 'power of suggestion'. The ads show two sides of the same story and link up to create a brilliant little narrative. If interested, I have the storyboards here and here, but the best thing to do is to just watch the two ads...

Once upon a time with LG Optimus

LG have just launched a brand new campaign to highlight their two new mobile phones, the LG Optimus One and LG Optimus 7. The campaign features a brilliantly animated ad that pays homage to a kaleidoscope of Hollywood blockbusters.

Check out the ad here...

The campaign also features a Facebook element, calling on fans to tell their own mobile stories - http://www.facebook.com/#!/LGMobileHQ

As for the phones themselves; For the Optimus 7, LG have partnered with Microsoft to create a windows powered mobile with an expansive 3.8 inch WVGA LCD display (800x480 pixels) and 16GB of internal memory. It also features an extra large 1500mAh battery for extended online and realtime activity. The Optimus One has been developed based on the consumer insight that first-time smartphone users have a strong want for advice and insight into the best apps to get. As a result, the LG Optimus One focuses on offering instant information search and versatile application packages such as the LG App Advisor, which recommends 10 highly rated applications every two weeks.

In other LG news I was lucky enough to recently get invited to an LG roadshow to view and demo their latest 3D TVs and home entertainment systems. Following this I was even more lucky to get asked if I would like to do a home demo of one of their systems. Needless to say I jumped at the chance. Stay tuned and I'll have a full insight for you into just what it's like to use a 3D entertainment system.

QuitWithHelp.ie

QuitWithHelp.ie, the online resource from Pfizer to help people quit smoking, has announced that for this week (Monday 8th - Friday 12th), smokers across Ireland have the opportunity to avail of an online GP ‘surgery’ for free. The GP surgery is open each day from 12.00-15.00 and 18.00-21.00, and is staffed by GPs to give instant professional advice on quitting smoking. During the online surgery, the GPs will answer all your questions via a private Instant Messaging service – no one else is able to view the exchange.

So basically it's like going to your GP except from the comfort of your own home/wherever you are online and, of course, it's free!

The campaign behind the online activity is fronted by former Munster and Irish International rugby player, Mick Galwey, and follows recent research commissioned by Pfizer which found that 90% of smokers believe they are addicted or would find it very hard to quit smoking. The research also found that smokers have actively tried to quit a number of times, with current smokers citing an average of almost four (3.95) quit attempts.

Mick said; “I never smoked and am very glad for that. As a sportsperson we are constantly reminded of the importance of health and fitness to reach your full potential. Smoking can really hold you back from achieving that potential; it affects your ability to be as good a sportsperson as you can be. If you smoke it’s never too early to stop to improve your health. This online surgery is a great idea as you can get the professional advice you need, in the comfort of your own home.”

Dr. Ronan Donohoe, one of the GPs involved in the online surgery, commented; “Many smokers recognise the harmful effects of smoking and want to stop, but stopping smoking is a very difficult thing to do and can often take several attempts. I urge people to avail of this free service and seek professional advice on how to quit, as it has been shown that getting help from a doctor or other healthcare professional can double a person’s chances of beating nicotine addiction.”

As well as the free online ‘surgery’, the site also allows visitors to follow the real life quit journey of Eddie, a member of the public who has successfully quit with the help and support of a GP. Eddie also features in the ‘Quit With Help’ public awareness campaign that is running on tv, radio and certain online media.

About Quit with Help
Quit with Help is a public awareness campaign developed and funded by Pfizer. The campaign aims to encourage smokers who are serious about stopping to seek help and support from a Doctor for any quit attempt.

In Ireland it is estimated that 7,000 people die from tobacco use every year costing millions of euro annually to the healthcare system for treating tobacco-related illnesses. Smokers have an increased risk of cancers, heart disease, strokes, low birth weight and many other diseases. Smoking is the single most important preventable cause of illness and death and can result in people losing an average of 10-15 years from their life expectancy.

The Script Talk About The Arthur Guinness Fund

In just a short week's time applications will have closed for The Arthur Guinness Fund for 2010. The Arthur Guinness Fund has already pledged up to €1 million in funding to projects that are making a positive impact on their community, including the great work that I already posted about. So with only a week to go, do you have a project happening or even just a great idea which could fit benefit from the fund?

To see how The Arthur Guinness Fund could help you, click here (before Wednesday November 10th). For now though check out the guys from The Script talking about the great work social entrepreneurs do...

The Carphone Warehouse 2010 Appy Awards

Last night saw the inaugural Appy Awards take place at the Gibson Hotel at the Point Village in Dublin. The awards celebrate innovation and creativity in the app development industry, rewarding its best practitioners for their hard work and business achievements. The Appys are the only dedicated awards programme in Ireland for app development and design, and are open to anyone who developed or paid for the development of a mobile app, on any platform (iOS, Android, Bada, Symbian, Ovi, etc.). The awards featured 17 categories ranging from Best Branded App to Best Travel/Tourism App, as well as a Grand Prix to the best overall app from the last year.

The first ever Grand Prix winner from last night was the RTÉ News Now iPhone app. RTÉ, who were up against a host of innovative and creative apps, were judged to be the best app out of 170 entries.

“I’d like to congratulate RTÉ and the agency that developed the News Now app, DRG, on the Grand Prix win,” said Stephen Conmy, editor of Digital Times and co-founder of the Appys. “The competition for the top prize was quite fierce, there were some great apps entered and most of the apps that made the shortlist show the creativity and utility now abundant in the Irish app sector. I’d also like to thank all our judges for the hard work they put in.”

The full breakdown of category winners was as follows:

Category App name Company Best Augmented Reality / Location Services app Daft.ie iPhone/iPad App Daft Media Ltd Best Branded app Paddy Power Mobile Paddy Power Best Business Solutions app Smartgrid Redwind Software Best Consumer Experience / Retail app Betfair for iPhone Betfair Best Entertainment / Gaming app Movie Challenge Redwind Software Best Media app RTÉ News Now DRG Best Medical/ Healthcare app Pocket Heart eMedia Interactive Ltd. Best Social Networking app Absolut Fringe eightytwenty/interactive Best Sports app RTÉ GAA Furious Tribe Best Tourism/Travel app Ireland's Blue Book Ireland's Blue Book Best Education / Learning App FIS Training Furious Tribe Best use of the Irish Language in an App Greann Gaeilge Miranda Corp Best Developer Daft - Ciaran Maher Daft Best Andriod app Today FM Communicorp Digital Best Bada app Munster Rugby iMobile Best OVI app Mowbli's Halloween Axonista Best Apple app RTÉ News Now DRG GRAND PRIX RTÉ News Now DRG

While each app was judged on seven different attributes including design, relevance to target market, utility and innovation, Des Doris, founder/organiser of the Appys and MD of Alchemy Events said, “We’ve been really impressed with the standard of entries for such a young media sector, and the app sector is a media sector in its own right now. While this year we’ve concentrated on mobile apps, next year we'd like to see tablet apps, social media apps and even Web TV apps entered. The app sector is changing the media landscape and the way many companies do business and the Appys with The Carphone Warehouse aim to showcase the best Irish apps and their developers.”

Edward Conmy, event director and co-founder, commented: “We’re extremely happy with the response, not just from all those who entered but also from our sponsors and the general digital media/marketing community. The app sector in Ireland is thriving and we hope the Appys will shine a bright light on this creative and energetic media sector. Well done to all those who made the shortlist, who won their categories and of course well done to the Grand Prix winner. For those who are a little disappointed on the night, there’s always next year.”

A huge congratulations to all those who were nominated and especially to all those who won.