iphone | Nourhan N. Beyrouti

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Beyrouti 05:35:11 am on September 24, 2013 | 0 | # |
Tags: apple, Branding, creative, geek, geekery, ipad, iphone, mobile operators, speck, speckproducts, stc, tech, telecom

How being a tech geek makes you a better brand custodian.

Im my years of Creative Branding, Mobile Media & Communications. Ive learned that being a tech geek has helped a lot. Especially in the tech industry.

Mobile operators in the Middle East have great people, but some have no geeky side to them. I’ve met a few and especially senior ones, you can say they are good at theoretical marketing but are not marketing power houses. As displayed in my picture, I believe no one at STC from the CEO down to the tea boy would ever know that the image on the main page is taken from a product called Speck and that the super imposed image they used was not rightfully used or authorized neither by Speck or Apple ( in this case as the Speck Case is for the iPad 2 – PixelSkin HD )

Because I am creative branding professional, a marketing communications nut bag and tech geek to the bone. I immediately saw it, picked it up and just had to communicate about it. This is not the first time I come across this, once upon a time a multi-national award winning American advertising agency tried to pitch to me a Google I/O campaign that was for Google Maps in Europe. During the presentation as they finished, I said ” this is wonderful work ” in a very excited tone. They agency guys were all going to wet themselves with joy. Then I said the statement of doom ” Did the campaign do well for Google? ” turned my iPad and started to flick the various images i found on Google Search. I didn’t get a response from the agency as each one scrambled to a phone a started calling in a frantic manner. Not their fault, they are just account managers, very spineless and no tech creativity.

Here is what I saved the company, a disaster from bloggers who will eventually pick up the copycat campaign, our reputation will go down the drain also the product credibility will be forever shattered. People like me are perceived as the “A holes” excuse my language. However being that has made me better at what I do and more creative than the monkeys with no competency.

In all cases, this is still the problem with corporate culture, HR who have no clue who and how to hire, and management who can’t take being shown how incompetent they are. I would rather look like an idiot, than be fired and look ruined.

Good Luck STC, you need creative branding people who are tech geeks.
Beyrouti 06:02:40 am on August 12, 2013 | 0 | # |
Tags: iDoorcam, iphone

iDoorcam

I’m all for new technology, and I am always the first in line to get my hands on tech that’s cool and makes life “i” compatible. However my eye on detail because of my work in branding, geekiness, and absolute love for Apple perfection has made me catch things.

The iDoorcam is a marvelous piece of technology, and on the cool level its absolutely cool. However I picked up a little tech flaw and I could be wrong just to be clear.

While watching the promotional video of the iDoorcam I noticed an inaccurate angle or view of the camera. Where the iDoorcam is placed the person has to be directly facing the camera to be seen. If the person is standing normally on the door you’ll get a view of their stomach and shoulder perhaps.

Knowing small cams, the wide angle would not give you a clear image of the person on the door. At least not how its placed in the video. So the iDoorcam promotional video is a clear misrepresentation technicality of the device. iDoorcam’s marketing people should clearly indicate what the camera’s view angles are and where it should be optimally placed.

On another note, yes the iDoorcam is internationally compatible, however unlike the US, doorbells in most of the world are connection kill switches with no power at the connection. So the ideal way to illustrate the connection requirements is to indicate that the door switch should have a power connectivity if 110/220 v AC outlet in order to provide continuous power. On that note, not all countries have 24 hour electricity, does the iDoorcam function as a conventional doorbell if there is no power? That truly gives it an edge internationally.

On an over all scale from 1 to 10 I give the iDoorcam a 8 on tech and coolness. It’s a must have device for the new home combined with an electronic lock like August, Kevo or Lockitron. These technologies will surely make the first step to your iHome.
Beyrouti 03:54:04 pm on April 1, 2013 | 0 | # |
Tags: apple, creative, enlighten, instacool, instadubai, instagood, instapic, iphone, selfportait

Eye Phone 😉 #iphone #apple #selfportait #instapic #instacool #instadubai #instagood #enlighten #creative (at Shakespeare & Co. شكسبير أند كو)
Beyrouti 06:53:46 am on August 24, 2012 | 0 | # |
Tags: apple, arab, fail, iphone, news

Okay, here it is … Al Arabiya the Arab News Channel that’s credibility is quite solid when it comes to covering bad news, torture, genocide, and plain simple death and bad news. Unfortunately when it came technology all that credibility went down the drain.

Let’s teach Al Arabiya the 101 of journalism, wait hmmm i know nothing about journalism nor have i studied it so i shouldn’t claim that i can teach it right. :P, So let me teach them the 101 of Tech and Gadgets.

Lesson 1: Don’t speculate a name of a product before the maker announces its public name, meaning don’t claim that the device that Apple will release next is called the iPhone 5. Apple has not officially said anything stating that as a fact. I believe editors in chief should be fact checking before mass broadcasting such false information to the public, especially now when 99% of the arab population is stuck to the news.

Lesson 2: When broadcasting such information, I believe cross checking it with world references like Engadget, Gizmodo, 9to5Mac would actually help you make your claim credible. Relying on a junior, amateur, or very highly incompetent person sitting all day reading email forwards or WhatsApp / BBM broadcasts will not make news or a scoop.

Lesson 3: Broadcasting to the world a viral video made for fun and imagination and claiming to the entire Arab population that what they are seeing is true is harmful to the reputation of the channel itself. On what planet do you believe a technology maker of devices would put an explosive device built-in for security incase you type in the Passcode incorrect several times?

Note: I would like to ask the CEO of Al Arabiya, would he carry a device in the front pocket of his pants knowing it has a built-in explosive? I would like to ask the Chairman of Al Arabiya another question, when he watch this clip did he slightly believe that when he buys this new device he will be allowed to fly first class to any destination on the planet?

Lesson 4: Never wish for something bad to be like another bad. Never let your anchor say for example ” I wish all explosions can be like that explosion ” ( captioned from the ending part of the video)

Lesson 5: Last but, not least. Always go back out there and fix the broadcast with credible tech news about the device you intended to report about and say that the previous report was wrong. This will make your channel more compassionate and people will look up to Channel for more than just bad news, but news of tech and future devices. ( This will never happen in this region, because we are light years behind in that sense of journalism ), I think, I could be wrong and micro-blog post can be magically be updated to positive.

Last note: If this Al Arabiya report was ever broadcasted in the US … I don’t think i would have had enough milliseconds to even write this post. I would just live blog and start with, ” All Rise ” 😉
Beyrouti 08:18:00 am on July 2, 2012 | 0 | # |
Tags: apple, du, emirates, entertainment, innovation, ios6, iphone, passbook, UAE

Will the UAE adopt Apple’s Passbook as fast as their construction?

Since Apple showcased the Passbook App, a marvelous feature on the new iOS 6. My head immediately started to see it being used in the UAE. First I saw my favorite operator in the UAE “Du” using it as a way to recharge prepaid lines, points redemption, and so many great services Du can add to this platform. Being in the telcom industry that was the first thing i thought of, I even emailed Du’s Chief Strategy Office about the possibilities. Then came to my attention my favorite airlines, of course Emirates Airlines. Turning around from the already known feature of boarding passes, which could take regulators a while to approve, Emirates would bank in on using the feature for its lounges and vouchers, and probably many more services other than Boarding passes.

Then I started to realize this would be all possible if in the near future, Apple introduces us to the world of NFC and these Passbook tickets could be easily used as a virtual wallet helping companies like the RTA ease the life of the passengers and help the ever growing concern towards the enviroment. Imagine how many RTA cards can be minimized and help conserve the environment. That being said, print and waste is always an issue to people who need to organize events and make sure people enter a concert or facility securely and efficiently, which made me think … ThinkFlash. Here is a very successful entertainment company, putting the UAE and AbuDhabi on the map. Events and Concerts that are ground breaking and spectacular. So your ticket will be purchased via your mobile ( Paid from your Du Account probably ), and placed in the passbook all to be validated by NFC via a single entry electronic gate. The Advantages, fully automated system ensuring efficiency, no paper print of tickets ensuring conservation, and of course on an operational side the reporting and analysis can be measurable accurately to top management

Being the tech geek i am, and my addiction to electronics i could never forget my favorite electronics store in the SharafDG. I usually give gift cards to friends for presents or occasions so that they can get themselves something electronic. What ore can i ask for if i can buy it and have it delivered to my friends passbook app and they get a notification that I just sent them a SharafDG gift card. I hope in the very near future i will get to see this happening in our region and I truly hope we become the benchmark on Passbook, NFC, and so many innovative technologies that are being made.

Last i would like to share with you a scenario of passbook that could happen. Let’s go back in time when the Madonna concert was going to be done in AbuDhabi. You buy your ticket online and it’s going to be placed in your PassBook with 4 additional passes from partners of the event, buying a ticket is not enough for customers and partners involved so your first destination going to the concert is a free lounge voucher from Emirates Airlines in the airport, then you land in the UAE and Du has also placed in your Passbook a 15AED voucher for a Pay as you go SIM. After your SIM purchase, and still in the outbound duty free, you head into a SharafDF kiosk and redeem your 25AED voucher for a memory card, because you know you’ll be taking so many memorable pics. You head outside and you find yourself walking to a RTA bus that is going to the concert. You pull out your phone, click on the free shuttle voucher in your Passbook and tap your phone on the NFC reader.

Life will be great and business will flourish with Passbook … Trust me 😉