So, SXSW created a lot of buzz, but unlike the other big shows this
year, it is more of an incubator for ideas and about forming new
companies than doing the big reveals. We
were very pleased to see that they have FINALLY developed Instagram for
Android, and have touted that it’s better than the iPhone version. Which
is rare!
There was a distinct lack of Apple alternatives in an audience full
of tablet users. Although these are the tech guys, this is pretty
telling of the wider problem. Today Nokia became the next player to suggest that they might be working on a competitor. Good luck.
While we were there, perhaps one of our favourite start-ups, a
blogging site founded by a boy in his bedroom in Scotland made front
pages in the UK as it is reportedly being sold to CNN for $200 million.
From humble beginnings, Mashable’s owner Pete Cashmore has become the
Brad Pitt of the blogosphere. Probably beyond every geeky kid’s wildest
dreams. But why not?
Despite little more than gimmicks coming from the event, you could
get a worse job than one that involves you meeting people, partying and
having dinner. And the subject of gainful employment was actually the
thing that spurred the most controversy at the trade show – ‘Homeless
Hotspots’.
BBH hired
people who were sleeping on the streets of Austin, Texas, to wear
wireless routers, giving connectivity to the wealthy and, fully-homed
audience. At the very least it sparked controversy, which I’m sure it
was designed to. But hearing that a man, Clarence, who lost his house
during Hurricane Katrina, was one of those who’d been recruited, was
really saddening.
Although highlighting the plight of homeless people to a rich crowd
might not have been one of their aims, it certainly gave us something to
think about upon leaving one of the world’s most indulgent cities.
Written for Somo and first published here: http://www.somoglobal.com/news/our-week-in-mobile-sxsw/
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