Dorothy Poon.com

Social Media: Shifting from software to hardware?

28 March 2009 2 Comments

One of the things I feel about social media, is that it’s tools have been largely software driven. Most of it is accessed by a web browser, either on a PC or mobile device, but still, largely confined within a rectangular screen. You could have a Twitter account, but will you update from T-Whirl? Twitterfox? Tweetdeck? What you can do, and how efficiently you can do it, really depends a lot on the software that you have installed.

Looks like all that is about to change. What will the future be like, when social media applications become integrated into other types of hardware? Like….your car?

OnStar is a GPS-like system (and more) that isn’t in Singapore, but is in some of GM’s vehicles in the USA and Canada. The concept of GPS is nothing new, but what’s exciting is their newly touted Twitter integration. Seems like the days of being a potential road hazard for drivers who are also compulsive Plurkers or Tweeters are somewhat over. Onstar is going to have the technology that can convert voice into text, so that you can send and receive Twitter updates in your vehicle, hands-free. Pretty neat!