From feminine product jokes to the insane media hype, the iPad was definitely the talk of the office on Thursday. Just hours after Steve Jobs presented the oversize iPhone, twitter was flooded with comments and opinions, and mostly negative ones at that, illustrating what it might be lacking (flash, a camera, the ability to have two apps working at the same time, ect.). Others commented on the downfall of books and the publishing industry.

Of course, our thoughts went right to advertising. This device has the power to change advertising in a positive way. It allows ads to be more focused and tailored to the consumer; something beautiful and interesting rather than the annoying banners that currently run across websites. Founder of CreativeFeed, Arthur Ceria’s thoughts were quoted in MacLife.

Publishers and Developers Talk iPad–Mighty Industry Morphin’ Time?

Steve Jobs billed his latest creation as “the most important think I’ve ever done.” With so much hype built around it, does the device live up to expectations?

After much anticipation, Apple’s latest device, the iPad, was finally revealed this week. The device blurs the line between smartphone and laptop, functioning like a smartphone with the size and basic capabilities of a laptop. Built on the success of its App Store, the device offers 140,000 of apps ready to use on the device.

There are many ways to look at the iPad: oversized iPod Touch, simplified netbook, a beefed up e-reader, etc. One thing is for sure, the iPad is a multimedia device capable of viewing different types of media whether its web, print, music or video.

The iPad is essentially an all-in-one device that speaks to many people; who wouldn’t want that? The device is a wide canvas full of possibilities. One notable possibility is the emergence of the e-magazine. It remains to be seen how magazine publishers will utilize the device. With the magazine industry looking to digitize magazines, the iPad comes closest to fulfilling that goal. Its array of features and capabilities can offer an experience unrivaled to the plethora of e-readers available. Is the device on many peoples wishlist? Surprisingly, after speaking with many people about the device I kept hearing a lot of the same comments: its fun, cool, nice to have around, but I don’t know what to do with it. That last part was very interesting to me. Unlike the iPod Touch and the iPhone, the iPad doesn’t seem to have the same demand of people flocking to buy it.

The device in many ways lives up to its hype but at the same time keeps consumers wanting more out of it. The potential is there for the iPad to be much bigger than initially received. There are so many questions waiting to be answered about this device but until its release we can only speculate at this point. However one thing is certain of the iPad, it has the power to change the way we consume media.

Remember when a car was just simply a box with wheels that took you from point A to point B. Soon after, car companies added innovative features such as cup holders, seat belts and the radio, forever changing the standard for cars.

As we become more and more tech savvy, it’s only natural that we incorporate a computer into a car. Fast forward to 2010 where the legendary Ford Motor Company has recently unveiled the highly touted myFord Touch, a digital in-car display with a touchscreen interface, internet access and its award winning SYNC technology.

The myFord Touch is quite simply the combination of car and computer. The car display is built around the SYNC system, which allows mobile devices to connect to the car as well as utilize voice commands to control many of the cars entertainment and information functions. The touchscreen dash is the key to making it all work. It allows the user access to a variety of controls and information such as the navigational system, climate control, web browsing, and making phone calls. A major feature of the Touch system is the ability to sync apps such as Pandora, Stitcher, and Open Beak (a Twitter client) which integrates the cars voice command. In addition, the dashboard of the car contains two 4.2-inch screens which serve as a menu and car diagnostic display. The car is also equipped with a media hub located in the console containing RCA input ports, two USB ports, and a SD Card slot.

The myFord Touch is truly a melding of car and technology, revolutionizing the way we interact with cars. While Ford isn’t the first company to release this type of technology, it is however one of the most developed systems out there. With a wide range of customizations and features, there’s plenty of room for this technology to grow. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an app store in the future containing a multitude of car related applications similar. While this all looks good on paper, it remains to be seen how consumers will embrace the Touch system.

The myFord Touch will debut this year at the Detroit Auto Show and will be included in the 2011 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX followed by the 2012 Ford Focus.

It’s no secret the magazine industry is hurt by this shift into the digital space. With magazine content becoming so readily available online there continues to be a  decline in magazine purchases.

A new concept by Bonnier R&D & their design partners at BERG “illustrates one possible vision for digital magazines in the near future.” Their concept hangs on the idea that the digital reading experience should be just as engaging and natural as reading a print magazine. The experience doesn’t inundate users with a multitude of interactivity, videos, and options however the concept is designed to be minimal and instrinsic. One such way of doing so is eliminating the use of graphical page turns by placing articles on one page and swiping the page to get to the next article.

We here at CF think this is a great concept by Bonnier R&D and BERG. The concept incorporates the nostalgia of reading a magazine on a digital platform with a natural navigational feel. Lets hope the reader becomes a reality in the near future.

Check out the video to see the concept in action.

Mag+ from Bonnier on Vimeo.

Google kicks off the new year in a super way with its official unveil of the Nexus One by HTC. Check out any tech site today and the stories have all been about the new phone from Google.

Billed as the “Superphone,” Google vice president Mario Queiroz doesn’t define the term, however suggests that the phone is much more capable than today’s existing smartphones. Loaded with Android 2.1, the phone is touted as a more polished Android 2.0. Nexus One is filled with features making it stand out from the current Android market. What you’ll find in the Nexus One is a GPS system in Google Maps with turn-by-turn navigation, an accelerometer, virtual keyboard, compass, 5-megapixel camera, Wi-Fi and a multitude of voice command options. An interactive wallpaper is also a fun, new feature on the Android in which the wallpaper reacts to the users touch.

The phone is currently being sold unlocked for $529 and on the T-Mobile mobile service for $179, with plans to be sold in CDMA on the Verizon network.

This is a huge step forward for Google, launching its first consumer electronic device. While it’s partnered with various cell phone makers, the company is not exactly a newcomer to the mobile phone arena. With a partnership with HTC, Google has made it right with its latest creation. However, it remains to be seen how much of a marketing push mobile phone providers (T-Mobile & Verizon) will be giving the phone, as it competes with an established line-up of Android based devices.

If you aren’t sold on the Nexus One yet, then check out the ad Google released below.

Wine.com has recently released a free iPhone app for wine enthusiasts on the go, allowing users to access listings, varietals and recommendations from everywhere in the world! Okay, maybe not everywhere, but wherever there’s service at least.

The new app lets you research and buy from Wine.com’s vast database of 45,000+ wines, with the ability to save wines in your “Cellar,” keep track of your favorite bottles, and even create wish lists. The app also serves sort of as a mobile encyclopedia of wine providing ratings and reviews on the go. This is a great step forward for the website, especially with the growing number of wine enthusiasts out there. I see this as a very practical app especially when you’re out trying to order wine, noting a great wine you want to buy later, or trying to figure out the best wine to buy under a budget. While the functions are fairly limited at this stage, Wine.com is expected to include more features in the coming year such as food and wine pairings and integration of your Wine.com profile. While Snooth and Corkd have their own iPhone apps, Wine.com’s app stands out from the rest with its ability to buy bottles on the go from its extensive list of wines.

Google continues to dominate headlines on tech blogs whether its the highly touted Android, rumored Google Phone, or some type of new app in beta release.

This time around its Chrome, a web browser released by Google, which has many people talking. The browser is on its 4th release and is currently available on both the Windows and Mac OS platform. Chrome really sets itself apart from the pack with its list of impressive features.

Introduced as the new way to see the Internet, Chrome gets it right, borrowing features from market leading browsers and combining it all into one simple program. One of its best features is its stability. Frozen tabs and crashes no longer affect other browsers, allowing for continued browsing without losing all that data. I can already see this becoming very useful for me since I love to utilize tabbed browsing but theres always that link that causes the browser to crash. Another interesting feature is the Incognito mode, which borrows from Apple’s Safari, allowing users to browse the internet without any recorded traces.

Google really stepped up its marketing for Chrome, releasing a fun little video outlining the various features of the browser, and fortunately has paid off for the search giant. As of today, Google has overtaken Safari, is currently ranked as the number 3 browser, with Firefox a distant 2nd, and Internet Explorer as the top browser.

Only a year into its release and Google has already established a 4.4% market share while narrowly beating Safari. Google’s success has translated well over its various products, the browser has a long way to go to gaining a significant slice of the pie.