Qwiki.com - Interesting audible search engine.
With the recent announcement of the integration of Siri into Apple’s iPhone 4s, we’re entering a new era of computing. An era where understanding the timely cognitive engagement of the consumer helps define the kind of interaction we can leverage to reach our audience. For example, when you’re cooking, you’re visually engaged, but not necessarily aurally engaged. I call this media modality. Siri’s not the only one redefining the way we interact with digital content. Here are two other brands defining the way we can leverage aural computing.
Zazu – The Smartest Damn Alarm Clock
One of our former interns, Marc Held, actually developed an application for Android, iPhone and even Blackberry that leverages the time between your alarm going off and heading off to start your day. It’s called Zazu. Essentially, when you use Zazu’s app as your alarm on your phone, it wakes you up with a soothing voice telling you the things you’d like to hear as you’re getting ready. Maybe you want the weather, or the traffic for your route for your first meeting. Maybe you’d like Zazu to read you the latest entries from your favorite blogs. Zazu suddenly becomes more than an alarm clock, it defines your morning content consumption. Zazu’s looking into connecting to your coffee machine so your brew starts as soon as you wake up.
Qwiki – An Audible Search Engine
Aural computing doesn’t just have to be thought of as something designed to be utilized for mobile devices. Rebecca Garnick Ast sent me an intriguing link to a new kind of search engine called Qwiki. Qwiki.com bills itself as an “information experience.” Essentially, Qwiki creates a short story complete with animated imagery, statistics and a soothing voice-over for any topic you search. Here’s a demo from TechCrunch of what they call the “Information Experience.”
Try my search for Las Vegas History and see what you think. (By the way, their iPad app is really nicely executed.) Qwiki’s slick interface and nicely orchestrated story-telling approach allows you to listen and view a specific topic as if it were a short documentary rather than a long Wikipedia entry -let’s say. I haven’t been using Qwiki long enough yet to know where this fits in my media modal day, but I’m sufficiently intrigued and trying it out.
Thinking about Cognitive Engagement
So as Siri and the iPhone 4S come to market, I imagine we’ll see more app developers like Zazu and Qwiki trying to understand how aural computing can better define the time and place you’re expected to engage with a specific technology. As marketers, I’m sure we’ll see more time-targeted, media adaptation designed to reach consumers in micro-dayparts using aural computing as a smart way to engage your target audience.
