Have mobile audio guides revolutionised the way we travel?

Travelling can be a nerve-wracking experience and because of this, people often turn to their friends and family for travel advice. What airline did you use? Which hotel should I stay at? How much spending money do you think I’ll need? We’re constantly looking for ways to make travel easier, cheaper, and more worthwhile.

Modern technology has most certainly stepped up to the plate in this regard. Most travellers will spend at least a little bit of time online nowadays to organise some aspects of their holiday. This could be something as simple as checking your flight times before you arrive at the airport, or looking at reviews of restaurants near your holiday accommodation. WikiTravel and Google Maps are just two examples of websites that have been incorporated into many travellers’ everyday lives.

Here at Hummba, we believe that the rise of the smartphone is in itself causing a travel revolution. There are quite literally thousands of applications available on iPhone, Android, and Blackberry smartphones. From audio travel guides to flight booking and maps, there’s an app available that caters for every travel need.

That’s why we’re putting so much attention into our intelligent Hummba audio guides. We’re looking to take some of the guess work out of travel and provide you with a personalised tour guide for your smartphone. The Hummba app is available on the Android and iPhone, and features hundreds of tourist destinations from all over the world.

Find out more about the famous museums of Paris as you walk along the banks of the River Seine, or figure out your evening plans in New York City with a guide to the famous bars and clubs of the Big Apple. Hummba’s mobile audio guides use smartphone GPS technology to give you information relevant to your location, wherever you are in the world. The app also features offline maps, which means you’ll be able to figure out where you’d like to go next without the added expense of being constantly online.

We agree that one can very easily arrive at a destination without a plan and still have an incredible time; many people actually prefer this type of travel. But a little time and effort put into organising a holiday can often be the difference between a stressful two weeks away and the trip of a lifetime. Hummba’s mobile audio guides let you organise your holiday while you’re on the go. They’ll also point out places near your location that you might otherwise have missed.

For more information about how Hummba is changing the world of the mobile traveller, or to download some of our intelligent audio guides that speak to you, visit www.hummba.com.

The convenience of technology has drastically changed the way we travel

There’s no denying that the way we travel has changed. Making holiday arrangements, which used to take days, weeks or even months, can now be done in an instant. The reason for this is quite simple: travellers are embracing the convenience of technology.

The internet has led the charge when it comes to innovations in travel. Booking your flights, accommodation and vehicle hire online are common occurrences. The fact that you can do all this from the comfort of your own home, outside normal working hours, has only added to the method’s popularity.

But now the mobile phone has entered the fray and there’s no need even to have access to a computer. There are hundreds of Android and iPhone applications specifically designed to help travellers and at Hummba, we’re doing just that.

With Hummba, you can download free audio guides directly onto your mobile phone. We’ve got informative guides for hundreds of tourist attractions all over the world. Our location-based technology means you’ll get the information you need, when you need it most.

The Hummba app uses your phone’s GPS location to point out interesting things to see and do nearby. Your mobile phone can be your own personal tour guide as you take a walking tour of New York or Paris, for example.

With Hummba, you can also share your travel experiences, as they happen. Create a travel route and tag pictures along the way. It’s the perfect way to keep your friends and family in the loop while you’re on the move.

Visit Hummba.com to find out more about our free audio travel guides for your mobile phone.

Oops.....

With technology rapidly taking over the world in the 21st century, there are bound to be some bumps in the road. But who knew that Jury Duty would be one of them? There is an outcry in the US because Jurors are causing mistrials, exclusion of jurors, and imposition of fines because of their techno savvy and claiming that there is nothing said to prohibit them from using the net, going onto facebook or even tweeting during a court case.

Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon challenged her misdemeanor embezzlement conviction after discovering five jurors "friended" one another on Facebook during the trial. This is only one of the many instances of techno Jurors causing havoc with the system. New restrictions will have to be put in place to ensure that when you have a juror, they are as objective as possible. Personally I believe that this shouldn't even have to be said, but apparently it does.

Social networking and the internet has become so ingrained in our day to day lives that it's become routine. Tweeting or updating your facebook status is almost an unconscious action but when it comes to the issues of the law, awareness is what is needed and breaking the habit for the allotted amount of time is imperative. Objectivity is the name of this game, and adding fellow jurors as friends on your facebook account is hindering this important process. Take it seriously, how would you feel on trial with a bunch of tweeting jurors?

Travelling Light

What can you do without? Technology wise. I think for many, the novelty and goal of gadgets and modern technology is to minimise the amount of effort that regular activities require. The electric pepper grinder, the car keys that whistle, and the very coveted motorised ice cream cone. Yes, you heard me. The ice cream cone that allows you to take in every Vanilla Fudge calorie without having to exert yourself by twisting and turning your wrist to prevent your melting ice cream from dripping anywhere but in your mouth.

Now before you start thinking that the contraption that makes bits of old soap into a brand new bar is so five minutes ago, consider one of the top ten winners of this years Landfill Prize...a motorised fork. Mmmhmm. It will turn your spaghetti when you just can't face doing it yourself.

Don't look at me like that, the Landfill Prize was John Naish's idea. He's an environmental writer who's pretty fed up with useless consumer inventions. The public was invited to submit their version of pointless, wasteful consumer candy. A panel of judges made the final call though and the motorised ice cream cone came out tops.

The inventor made one fatal mistake in their designs though, they didn't include it on a cell phone. Mobile applications have allowed people to move away from the PC, still enjoy all the benefits of modern day distractions and social networks without being tied to any one location. Its like a global version of Nintendo Wii only the game is Life. Its survival of the fittest and people were just getting fat and going blind behind computers. Mobile solutions proved to be the antidote.

Mobile technology have made it possible to be anywhere and be at the office. Or better yet, just be anywhere. Travel has, in the last hundred years, become one of the most coveted human experiences. Not for everybody mind you, but for a lot of us. Minimising your luggage/baggage is also now in order and never, never travel without your cell phone.

I went on a trip to a "third world country" this year and was shocked to discover that the person I was travelling with left their mobile phone at home - on purpose and every time the rickshaw driver would pull over, he'd have to get out his Lonely Planet and scour the index for the appropriate page and information. Wow. That was travelling old school.

There are no lonely planets is some solar systems, hummba.com in particular. If your mobile phone is GPS enabled, with WAP capabilities, well then the world is your schmorgen board. A passport, a few visas, working credit card and your cell phone and you're good to go. Now, don't get me wrong, I love the traditional travel resources and will continue to use them but isn't it time we lightened up a little? Our load I mean. Keep it a little more simple and a lot more enjoyable.

Cell phones by design have a very short life span. They last usually for the standard duration of your contract...2 years. That's 14 in dog years and a lifetime in the technology age. After two years, technology has travelled light years to something smaller or bigger (depending on fashion), better, faster and simply more cool. Cell phones have become the new smoking. and that is the truth. It was cool to smoke before, not so much anymore. Cell phones also put you in a certain cool category, but already the social monster is rumbling, commenting on cell phone etiquette or at least, the lack there of.

The good news is that mobile applications are being churned out as fast as phones are. And their lifespan is somewhat longer. Sure, they will evolve and change to meet market demands but they will exist and have even become the motivation to advance mobile technology. So take it from me, never judge a mobile by its cover, always check the applications inside. So, again, what can you live without? The digital electronic jumping rope? Check. The air guitar that actually plays music? Check. You mobile phone and all its applications? Um, no, that one is here to stay.

Visit www.hummba.com to download their application onto your GPS enabled cell phone. Its travelling light at its best.

Its not what you know, its where you heard it.

Location based marketing is all the rage. Since mobile technology has changed the way we disseminate information, more and more companies are making themselves accessible to the public by incorporating mobile options in their strategies. Location based marketing has one very distinct advantage...a captive audience.

Although the traditional "take-aim-from-the-hip" marketing approach has become as refined as possible, there is still a grey area between the marketing message and the recipient. Its the filter between the billboard and the person stuck in traffic. Again. That's the challenge for any good marketer I suppose, minimise the grey. That's one of the big draw cards for location based marketing, you're talking to prospective clients when they need a talking to.

The other advantage for a location-based marketer is that you've created something of a hostage situation. Its like you have a whole host of money clutching, grumpy children under ten trapped in the sweet-lined aisle on the way to the tills. There's no way out. Suddenly, the impulse buyer in them grabs the assortment of "happiness is" messages and there you go...Sold! To the sticky, whiny two eyed monster/consumer junkie at the back of the queue!

Now, its not that simple I will admit, but then again, nothing is. Most companies and consumers actually do want to give and receive quality services, products and messages. Location-based marketing shouldn't be thought of as "trickery" but rather saying the right thing at the right time. Its challenging but necessary, to maintain the boundary between useful marketing messages and invasive, "Drinks Specials at Some-Sh*tty-Bar. Come and get your apple sours shooter." Whatever. Messages like that make no impact on me, firstly because they send that mass sms on Tuesday mornings when I'm at Pilates, secondly, I am never anywhere near the said bar. Apple sours? I'm not their target audience.

Now, if I was driving along the Atlantic Seaboard, wondering where I should meet a pilot and have a Saturday night cocktail, I might get an sms from a local hotel bar telling me that it is, indeed, happy hour. I had signed up once with the swanky hotel bar after staying there a couple of nights. What are my options? Stop and have a drink. Or head to the other place with an endless supply of apple sours.

The way to avoid bombarding prospective clients with messages they don't want is to get them to "opt-in." There is a little residual hesitant opting in but on the whole at least you are more assured of talking to who you want to talk to than not.

In short, location-based media (LBM)is the vehicle that will deliver your message when you need it delivered. Apart from the advantages of impulse, it has the drive of immediacy. The technology age means that we're constantly engaged in the transmission of information - usually by cell phones. The other side of it is that our tolerance for time has lessened. So now, we want it when we want it.

An explanation published on Wikipedia had this to say..."Media content is managed and organised externally of the device on a standard desktop or laptop. The device then downloads this formatted content with GPS coordinated triggers applied to each media sequence. As the location-aware device enters the selected area, satellites trigger the assigned media, designed to be of optimal relevance to the user and their surroundings."

Location based media allows for the enhancement of any given environment offering explanation, analysis and detailed commentary on what the user is looking at through a combination of video, audio, images and text. The location-aware device can deliver interpretation of cities, parklands, heritage sites, sporting events or any other environment where location based media is required.

The content production and pre-production are integral to the overall experience that is created and must have been performed with ultimate consideration of the location and the users position within that location. The media offers a depth to the environment beyond that which is immediately apparent, allowing revelations about background, history and current topical feeds.

With a host of LBM options available to businesses of almost every size and nature, the possibilities are once again endless. Visit www.hummba.com to see how your business can benefit from location based marketing.