My top 3 innovations of advertising and media technology in 2010:
—Tablet devices. I’m not singling out just the Apple iPad, but also the Samsung Galaxy and Blackberry Playbook.
—Facebook targeting tools. The “business side” of Facebook became much more robust this year for advertisers.
—Social buying and dealmaking: Groupon, LocalTwist, Swoop, etc.
My Top 3 innovations for 2011 in advertising and media technologies:
—Addressable TV. Google announced recently that Google TV will not be going into production, but I still think we will see a much more robust market for searchable, addressable, Internet-enabled TV. It could come from Apple, Comcast, or some new player.
—Smart human interface devices. The new Microsoft Kinect and the recently unveiled Plantronics Voyager earpiece show how physical devices will become even smarter when it comes to interacting with natural human motion.
—Augmented reality. QR codes, augmented reality apps, and devices represent a variety of methods that are making it easier to combine the digital world and real world. My bold prediction is that augmented reality will go mainstream next year.
[Editor’s note: This is part of a series of posts from Xconomists and other technology leaders from around the country who are weighing in with their thoughts on the leading developments or surprises in the past year or things to watch in the coming year.]