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The Ditch Meets the Valley– Technology Superstars Multiply in East London
Posted by Lucy Houghton December 1 2010 04:30pm
At the start of the month we saw UK Prime Minister David Cameron pledge his support to transform London’s existing Silicon Ditch into “one of the world’s greatest technology centres”. Despite the success of the area north of the City and centred on the old East End district of Shoreditch and the Old Street roundabout (now, of course, renamed `Silicon Roundabout`) in spawning a myriad high technology-based businesses, it is already only one of England’s many technology clusters.
West of London, The M4 corridor – the UK’s `Silicon Valley` – is by no means as glamorous or as trendy as the bohemian Silicon Ditch , but it proves that substance can be greater than style as it is the hub of the British IT and telecoms industry – but why? Excellent motorway and rail networks, easy access to London’s Heathrow airport and the English tongue attracted the early American investors looking for a toehold in European market and so the cluster grew.
North-east of London, `Silicon Fen` has seen the emergence of innovative and influential technology companies based in high-technology zone in the flatlands surrounding Cambridge. These include ARM and Autonomy and inward investment in the area has come from the likes of Microsoft and Google, which are keen to employ graduates and post-graduates – grabbing a slice of the intellectual property that the world-famous University generates. Native entrepreneurs too have not only benefitted from the brains trust but also by being less than an hour away from London, one of the world’s centres for early-stage finance.
And there are many other high technology hubs dotted around the UK – such as Silicon Glen, the area in Scotland between Edinburgh and Glasgow yet The Economist dubs London’s Silicon Ditch as a particular success and already in the second division of hubs behind the original Californian technology Mecca, Silicon Valley. It is incredible that without government support, direct associations with universities or excellent transport links and an overtly entrepreneurial culture that Silicon Ditch has been able to generate so many hot start-ups.
One of these forward thinking, leading UK technology companies is Holition, already the international leader retail augmented reality. Holition is backed by an experienced team with an in-depth understanding of luxury, technology and innovation. It was recently featured and recognised by Forbes in its recent tour of Silicon Ditch, as a forward thinking brand which is not only prepared for the future but also pushing the boundaries of the consumer experience. Its Innovation Lab is situated in the heart of Shoreditch and houses augmented reality applications that allow consumer to ‘try on’ in real time a virtual product in full 3D from an internet-enabled computer or in-store. It has already developed augmented reality campaigns for luxury brands including global projects with Tissot, Tag Heuer, De Beers and Boucheron to really help them stand out from the crowd.
In this way, Holition epitomises Silicon Ditch’s specialised technology companies. Although its target audience is predominantly the luxury retail sector, Holition is constantly developing new approaches to expand its market and enable the connection between retail and digital campaigns to enhance brand interaction with consumers to create a richer brand experience. One example is the Holition 3D Face Tracking augmented reality application which enables consumer to virtually ‘try on’ glasses online in real time, simply by standing in front of a webcam without the need for mouse clicking or adjustment.
So it seems that in each hub of success there is a pattern of reaching critical mass, in talent, infrastructure and in investment. Silicon Ditch clearly has the talent and will shortly benefit from Crossrail, which will link it directly to Heathrow and the M4 corridor. Now it has the backing of no less a person than the Prime Minister it can only be matter of time before a new wave of entrepreneurs and investors prepare to circle the Roundabout.
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“Check-in” – Google Hotpot another lost opportunity?
Posted by Mo Elnadi November 16 2010 08:47pm
Posted by Mo Elnadi, Reptile Group head of digital
This week has now witnessed the second event in what looks like the beginning of an important chapter in the battle for Social Media leadership.
Following yesterday’s announcement of “Facebook Messages” – the integrated social media messaging platform that was dubbed “Gmail-killer” – it was only a matter of time before we heard a similarly ambitious announcement from its biggest rival for Social Media domination – Google.
It is often said that the best form of defence is attack and today, Google retaliated by launching a new location-based service “Google Hotpot” http://j.mp/cvkjTs. This combines maps, reviews and sharing to compete with Facebook’s Places and other fully dedicated geo-social services such as Foursquare and Gowalla – a logical move from Mountain View given Google’s dominance in the maps market.
The fact is that in a slow economy, the market is booming for location-based services as more and more consumers are prepared to sacrifice their privacy in exchange for relevant tips and special offers.
In this market, Search indicates what a user wants, Social graphs reveals who they know, and Status updates highlight their interests. However, it is Checking-in that uses location to connect the physical to the virtual to communicate, “I am here. So what have you got for me?”
Through these ‘intent-driven declarations’ consumers are sending clear signals that could help brands engage more effectively with their ‘Likers’ – at the right moment – and, over time, to build intimacy, trust and value.
It looks to me, though, that Google may be making yet another misstep. It should already have bought and incubated young start-ups like Flickr and Facebook when it was still possible, instead of trying to crush the emerging competition by building the comparatively less successful PicasaWeb, Orkut or the short-lived Lively.
It now risks history repeating itself by choosing to build “Google Hotpot” from scratch and so gain traction in an already-congested market. And Google should know better. It made a brilliant move when it acquired Keyhole (now Google Maps), and a youthful YouTube instead of overdeveloping Google Video. After search, these are now its most successful businesses. Moreover, it still has a chance to acquire Foursquare or Gowalla – or even both.
As any student of military history will tell, you cannot win by fighting on too many fronts. In addition, with Google trying to stem current rates of desertion with pay rises and other incentives I believe it’d do well to think again.
Whatever happens I am really looking forward for another episode of this compelling social soap opera.
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Facebook’s Gmail-Killer Waves Goodbye to Google – social media strategy
Posted by Mo Elnadi November 15 2010 11:15am
Posted by Mo Elnadi, Reptile Group head of digital
Following today’s Facebook announcement, it seems to me that we are witnessing the official beginning of a significant chapter in the Facebook/Google war and the battle for social media leadership.
Many think email has had its day, being replaced gradually by other real-time methods of communications. But, right now, given the increasing amount of time people are spending on their Facebook pages and with email continuing to be the backbone of mainstream serious web communications, to have a “Gmail-killer” is a powerful way to extend its reach and a serious statement of Facebook’s intent before its anticipated IPO.
But it’s too easy to get fixated on email. What I think social media users are really missing is not just a new inbox, but better many-to-many communication and co-creation methods to complement email. This would allow them to collaborate smoothly in a social, user-friendly virtual environment when organising social events or working on a project – especially if the team is scattered across different time zones. This is a market niche that Google Wave should’ve owned but it wasn’t allowed to gain enough traction before it was discontinued, I believe prematurely, by Google.
Unsurprisingly Lars Rasmussen, the driving force behind Google Maps and Google Wave, recently defected to Facebook. So, expect to see more strategic focus on co-creation and geo-location tools from the social media company that one might label “Wave 3.0”, maybe combining group chat, location-based services, live screen sharing and even VoIP in an integrated collaboration solution. Looking at Microsoft – who appear now to be Facebook’s new best friend – maybe integration with Microsoft’s Office Live too? Such a solution would add real value to many individual users as well as SMEs, especially if it integrates smoothly with new “Groups” functions announced in October, and has the potential to replace many expensive enterprise applications.
In the same way that Microsoft, the desktop company, ceded leadership to Google, the search company, through miss-stepping on its internet strategy, Google, despite the endless cloud services giveaways it produces to secure our ongoing attention, should be very worried that it will be usurped by Facebook in the new social media network-based shift. The sustainable traction that thrives on the daily collaboration amongst Facebook’s user-base of nearly 600 million can deliver buy-in success for Wave 3.0 in a way that Google failed to do.
Hold onto your virtual hats, 2011 will be a very interesting year for the web and particularly social media. Can’t wait.
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