Surf the physical world

The mature version of MySpace

Nifty after fifty

OurStory brings groups together virtually

McDonald's transforming PlayPlaces into R Gyms


Surf the physical world

If you hear "point-and-click" and immediately think mouse or a track pad, it's time to update your definition, because location-based services are enabling consumers to take point-and-click offline, effectively transforming the world into a giant, real-time Web-enabled user interface. Location-based services have established footholds in automotive, travel and outdoor adventure sports like hunting and hiking where consumers are accustomed to personal navigation devices and satellite services. Travelers are turning to a range of GPS-enabled electronics, from handhelds like the Nuvi to PDA software like Earthcomber/Mobil Travel Guides, to help them decide where to go and how to get there. In-car satellite services like OnStar, Sirius and XM are moving way beyond their seminal offerings—directions, Stern, Dylan—to provide GPS-powered real-time, geo-specific concierge services from restaurant recommendations to parking spot suggestions. Street-level guerrilla markers set out by savvy locals and offered through underground programs like YellowArrow or peer-to-peer mobile geoblogging like Geotag on Navizon offer a wiki-like insider's view of what's right in front of you. Dodgeball and other mobile social software facilitates face-to-face for friends (and crushes!) within a specific geographic area.

By generating dynamic information at the "I want to know" point, these technologies help consumers cut the guesswork and make plans on the fly. Real-world search technologies like GeoVector are set to enable consumers to use the world like a browser window. Point a GeoVector-enabled phone at an object or a building like you'd move a mouse to a hyperlink. Click. Pertinent messages are delivered to the phone. Location-based, smart to-do-list concepts like Place Mail propose to let consumers use their GPS-enabled cellphones to set space- and time-specific reminders for themselves and their loved ones. Dynamic, location-specific, on-demand information at the point of purchase empowers consumers so they can plan as they go, from the frontline. If locative media—social networking enabled by GPS and wireless—is the glamorous starlet of location-based services, then the Real-World Wide Web is locative's hard-working sister, poised to simplify and energize decision-making, purchasing, finding your way, learning a new place, all by providing pertinent info when and where it's needed.

Eons.com takes MySpace-style social networking to the Boomers and Matures crowds. The social networking site from the founder of Monster.com even includes a death alert, so members know when online buds have kicked the bucket. The site boasts all the functionality of kids' networking sites, including the chance to blog, join groups and meet people. So what's Eons got that MySpace doesn't? A Longevity Calculator, obit alerts, a group dedicated to walking and a daily jigsaw puzzle to keep mature brains booking. Eons says life begins at 50 and claims that 22% of its new members are between 60 and 70 years old. Social networking can mean a lot of things, but it isn't a fad. Online connectivity is a must-have for many consumers, whether Millennials, Xers, Boomers or beyond. Social networking is evolving beyond hooking up and consumers seek online connections that land them jobs, find them stuff and keep them entertained as time marches cruelly forward.
Nifty after fifty

Matures already have a department store, convenience store and pharmacy designed for them. Now comes Nifty after Fifty, a senior wellness center offering physical and mental exercise routines, a driving-skills program, physical therapy and social activities like movies, dances, makeovers and lectures. First-timers are evaluated by a fitness coach and physical therapist to determine overall fitness and create a custom routine featuring elements like low-impact aerobics and strength training. A Virtual Driver simulator helps Revive Your Driving participants tone their behind-the-wheel skills. And brainercises do the mental strength training in the Rewinding Your Minding program. The bingo-playing senior centers of yore don't fit today's active Matures lifestyle. Remaking the concept into a whole-health center keeps seniors independent, self-sufficient and socially connected.
OurStory brings groups together virtually

Scrapbooking meets social networks on OurStory.com. The site torques scrapbooking by taking it online and allowing groups to add to and edit the work. Using the site, groups of friends—even the wider public—can add to an online collection of words, digital photos, videos and audio. To help participants get their stories out and organized, the site maintains a question and answer library. Once stories are compiled, OurStory members can capture their final products as hardbound books, DVDs or broadcast-quality media. Scrapbooking is togethering. Virtual wiki-scrapbooking offers the chance to connect with far-flung family members and share memories, too. Social networking that's purpose-driven, and that produces a more tangible end result than a buddy list, gives tech-phobic commemorators a reason to get online.
McDonald's transforming PlayPlaces into R Gyms

McDonald's would like to remind everyone that playgrounds used to be called jungle gyms. In an effort to fitten up America's kids, the fast-food giant is rolling out the R Gym-first in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Orange County, California—with 20 more to open in SoCal by 2008. The "gym" is divided into five areas: The Toddler Zone develops motor skills in 3-year-olds; the Active Zone draws 4- to 8-year-olds; the Sports Zone promotes aerobic play for 9 to 12s; the Parent Zone provides comfy seating for monitoring; and the Dining Area is meant for family-friendly noshing. We presume that "R" stands for Ronald, and we're waiting breathlessly for his new official costume to include Richard Simmons-style gym shorts. Fitness is fun! Just as parents have to sneak veggies into their kid's diet, today they have to trick their computer-obsessed charges into getting some exercise. McDonald's does damage control post-Super Size Me and -Fast Food Nation. In the age of childhood obesity, more fast-food companies are having to shake up menu choices and demonstrate a commitment to a balanced lifestyle.

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Published monthly by ISM in partnership with Iconoculture.