LEVEL Studios Company Blog

Google TV and Logitech Revue | A Review

On the eve of The 2011 International CES and in the wake of bad press for Google and its latest adventure into the consumer electronics space, I thought I’d write a little review of the Google TV and Logitech Revue.

In early Q4 of 2010, Google sent out invitations for developers to apply for a free Google TV in hopes they would begin to think about porting their apps over to the platform and begin thinking about the medium in a different way. Well, just like every other developer I imagine, I applied. As the unluckiest person on the planet, arguably, I was shocked to actually win one. It was sent to me in early December. I admit, I was excited to open it up. The packaging on the Revue was well designed and maybe that alone made me want to crack open the box to see what was inside. I did and was pleasantly surprised. The product looked to be of quality, a well designed form factor and sleek.

That day was a Friday. The next day, the first thing I did was rip open my media cabinet and began the installation. It couldn’t really have been easier honestly. Plug the Revue into your DVR or Set Top Box, plug it into a router for internet or you can use the built-in wi-fi, your tv gets a cable to the Revue and voila. Welcome to Google TV! A quick step by step process to detect the keyboard provided, wi-fi if needed and you’re up and running.

What is Google TV really? It’s designed to be a middle-man. An integration point for the Internet and your cable. There are a set of native applications that come with it out of the box like Google Chrome, Twitter, Netflix and Pandora as well as a set of “Spotlight” applications that are really web apps, designed specifically and laid out to use on a wide screen television and to work with the input device. A full keyboard with mouse and keys to access all of the key functions of your DVR remote.

So, like all consumer products, it has to do what it’s supposed to do right? Despite some of the bad reviews it’s received, it actually does. Twitter works great with the keyboard. Netflix is as good as ever. Pandora rocks. Search? Search is awesome. After all it is a Google product. Whether browsing the internet on Chrome or watching your favorite prime time TV show, hit the search button and you get an overlay ready to search for whatever you need. The results are grouped by type. TV Shows, Internet results, applications. Now, yes it needs more applications. It’s missing all kinds of things that would make sense to me, but I guess that’s why they sent it to me eh? Yah, the browser isn’t great. Yah, the trackpad on the keyboard could probably be better and obviously there could be more apps but hell, I can tweet from my couch on my TV. That’s gotta be worth $275 right?

Is Google TV for everyone? No. But, if you’re into cool tech and some of the latest technology in consumer electronics out there. It definitely has its place. As apps get better and more advanced and developers start building cool stuff for it. It will be part of our future. I’m very interested to see what comes next for the line of retro-fit boxes and Google TV enabled HD TV’s over the next few months. I’m going to go build something now. Enjoy!

CES Plug: Want to collaborate on creating effective total user experiences across branded content, technology platforms and connected devices? Visit our website and let us know you’d like to learn more about meeting with LEVEL at CES (MP25177).

Posted by Chris Guthrie on 1/5/11 8:05 PM

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An Agency’s Perspective on Mobile Applications

When asked if I’d like to speak on the Anytime Anywhere Entertainment & Communication – Mobile Applications panel at the CONNECTIONS Summit at CES, my answers was – of course! I’m excited to discuss the LEVEL approach to guiding clients though the challenges that many brands face today when navigating mobile applications. Representing the only digital and marketing agency on the panel, I’ll bring a unique perspective to the discussion while highlighting specific work we’ve done across four important areas of the mobile application ecosystem: partnerships with developers and content providers, testing/approval process, marketing/discovery of content, and the device experience. I look forward to bringing current and topical examples to a conference best known for its forward thinking character. See you there!

The panel will be held Thursday, January 6th from 2:45 – 3:45 PM. Want more information? Check out the details as well as the full LEVEL lineup at CES in our press release.

Want to collaborate on creating effective total user experiences across branded content, technology platforms and connected devices? Visit our website and let us know you’d like to learn more about meeting with LEVEL at CES.

Posted by Matt Carinio on 1/5/11 2:30 AM

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Q&A | How Will Touch Technologies Innovate for B2B and B2C?

I sat down with Pete Peralta, Technology Director for LEVEL | LA, to chat with him about his upcoming panel at the Smartphones & Tablets Conference at CES. He’ll be speaking on the TouchIt! – iPad-Tablet-SmartPhone-Gaming – Roundtable on the Immersive Consumer Experience panel and addressing how touch technologies will innovate consumer experiences.

Q: How will touch technologies innovate for B2B and B2C?

The question shouldn’t be about how the technology will innovate, but rather, what business/consumer objectives do we need to solve? Emerging technology such as touch or gesture adds another layer of user interaction with content. The challenge, however, is evaluating the cost-benefit of that additional layer. In leading with technology, you run the risk of not acknowledging what’s really needed. I’m not saying the technology isn’t a major factor, rather it’s big piece of the solution. It simply cannot lead the process though.

Anyhow, to the question, anywhere we can enhance the user’s experience and therefore the brand’s equity, we’ve innovated. In the case of touch technologies, one opportunity for continuous innovation will come from the contact data collected and then learning from that data and using it to continuously improve the experience. It’s not a new notion really, but nevertheless, a great opportunity for innovation.

And I’m sure there’s a lot more where that came from. Come hear Pete’s perspectives, as well as the other panelists from Metaio, Verizon, Synaptics, PrimeSense, Intel and NVIDA at the panel Wednesday, Jan 5th from 4 – 5 PM. Want more information? Check out the details as well as the full LEVEL lineup at CES in our press release.

Posted by Alexandra League on 1/4/11 5:15 PM

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Top Five Digital Trends CMOs Need to Act On in 2011

While finishing the last of the holiday eggnog, we’ve also been cooking up some New Year’s resolutions for CMOs. Today, LEVEL Studios announced its Digital Outlook 2011 and President and CEO, Tom Adamski, shares his viewpoint on five trends marketers should act on in the year ahead. Some of our key predictions:

01. Transformational marketing is less about new creative strategies and more about organizational structure. Today’s CMOs and CEOs need to think about their business holistically with an organizational design sensibility versus a traditional MBA outlook. Organizations – and agencies – that break down silos and bring disparate, and oftentimes competitive, internal teams together will succeed. The coming year will require technologists, creatives and marketers to integrate tightly with shared objectives and metrics.

“Silos are self-defeating obstacles especially when internal groups are serving the same customer. We’re helping our clients across industries overcome these internal hurdles with tools and processes that encourage collaboration and communication, and we’re seeing results.”

02. Marketers need to be technologists. Software is the new ad medium. While the potential for marketing is tremendous, the complexities that come with it are just as big. Today’s marketers have to be technically savvy and curious about using new technologies online, offline and on mobile platforms.

“With the fast-pace of business demanding we do more faster and with less resources, CMOs no longer have the luxury of lengthy training and development programs. Today, it’s all about hiring the right people who are agile, quick learners and who can develop technical skills on the job.”

03. Today’s “wow” is tomorrow’s “so what?” Consumers are trending so fast technically that it’s challenging for marketers to keep up, let alone stay ahead. While R&D has never been as important as it is right now, large organizations are also experiencing tremendous tension between margin pressure and the cost of innovation. In this fast-paced environment, it’s critical for CMOs to continue to invest in short-term experimentation, even at the expense of the bottom line.

04. It’s not always about the corporate website. With new ways of consuming content from ads to apps, digital will be less about driving consumers down a funnel to a website and more about engaging consumers where they live and on what device. The evolution of technology from the use of 3D, to augmented reality and gesture and voice-based commands, will create new and exciting possibilities for engagement. Marketers need to be nimble and responsive to consumer behavior, even at the expense of traditional web traffic.

“Cross-device strategy is about fulfilling customer needs in the moment, which creates unprecedented opportunities for marketers to add real-time, tangible value to their customers. Being everywhere all the time is also very challenging and is going to drive more focus on measureable channel impact.”

05. Execution is the big idea. Winning in digital is no longer about the big idea; it’s the execution that counts. Brands and their agencies need to leverage new technologies to drive superior and precise execution, distribution and results, in addition to delivering great creative.