According to the research firm Nielsen, about two-thirds of tablet and smartphone owners use their gadgets while watching TV. They tweet, they post, they check-in on what‘s referred to as their “second-screen.”  Marketers are thrilled! Imagine the possibilities for Super Bowl XLVI!  It was only a few years ago when Super Bowl viewers would excitedly wait to view commercials, which were kept highly confidential until the game.  The ads came, the ads went and people would talk about it for a few days. In recent years, marketers have been trying to get their money’s worth with pre-Bowl buzz. Many commercials to be featured on the big day have been building suspense with teaser ads.  For instance, here’s the teaser for a Star-Wars themed Volkswagen ad that will be featured on game day.

Some commercials have even been released in their entirety in hope to cash in on the pre-Bowl buzz. Will you watch early? Or will you resist? Haven’t we been conditioned for years and years to wait patiently for the commercial to be aired during the Super Bowl? Isn’t that part of the excitement of the Super Bowl?

Mike Sheldon of Deutsch L.A., the agency that created this year’s VW commercial, explains that viewers “like to be let in on the joke, let in on the story, early.” By doing this, viewers know which ads to look out for and pay close attention to.

In addition to traditional TV commercials, there are a slew of apps, promotions, and incentives allowing viewers to take their Super Bowl experience to the next level. Both USA Today’s Ad Meter and YouTube’s Super Bowl Ad Blitz let game-watchers vote for their favorite commercial. Ad Meter, which was started in 1989, is finally allowing participants to submit votes through Facebook.  NBC has partnered up with YouTube to bridge social media gaps through their Super Bowl Ad Blitz. For the first time, viewers will be able to vote on nbcsports.com as well as the YouTube page.

Chevy’s Game Time app will provide viewers with trivia games, polls and prizes (granted they pay close attention to the Chevy commercials that air during the game.) NFL Pro Tweets will let Twitter users follow players and sports- media outlets throughout the game.  Other apps will keep game-watchers up to speed with the happenings of their favorite Super Bowl team, learn the history of the Super Bowl and view old Super Bowl commercials.

How will you watch the Super Bowl? Will you be using any apps this year? Will you sneak a peek at commercials before game day? Tell us how your Super Bowl viewing experience will change this year!

In light of this recent controversy, Harvard Law professor Johnathan Zittrain proposes a way for cell phone users to stay informed. Why not find a way to track what is tracking us? Zittrain says that our phones should include a function to show where any collected data is going. What a great idea! I hope cell phone manufacturers and carriers take a cue from Professor Zittrain and push for keeping cell phone users more informed!

To learn more about cell phone carriers’ use of Carrier IQ, read this article from CNN Money.

Hashtags can clarify a message by putting it into context. People frequently communicate with text; Twitter is no exception. However, there is a small problem in communicating via words on a screen. There is a lack of non-verbal cues! Although it’s disputed exactly how much of an impact tone of voice, facial expression and body language have on communication, it’s safe to say these actions help with interpreting a message. How many times have you received a text and are not sure if it’s meant to be sarcastic or sincere? Hashtags can clear up the confusion.

The words in a hashtag hint at the real meaning of the message or reference a trending topic. Whether it’s Hollywood gossip, a political jab or a personal reflection, a hashtag can clarify the information being conveyed. For instance, “I love missing the bus #badday.” Who knows? Someone may actually like missing the bus. It may give them time to relax before work. Perhaps there is a nice view at the bus stop. But with #badday attached, there is no misinterpreting what is being said.

In addition to putting words into context, hashtags can track how an idea grows by creating a digital trail. The origin of a trending topic is easy to pinpoint when it’s categorized with a hashtag. For instance, an article featured on technologyreview.com shows how #OccupyWallStreet spread through Twitter. You can track the movement from it’s humble beginnings to what it is today.

What are some other uses for hashtags?

1. CBS Sports Bracket Manager – If  you’ve organized a few friendly wagers among your family, friends, or coworkers this season, then you should definitely check out the CBS Sports Bracket Manager. This site allows you to register your entire group, and even gives you your own private URL to access your brackets and other information. The Bracket Manager is also outstanding in the sense that it allows your group to set its own rules. Once you register with the site, and load your information and participants, you can sit back and relax and enjoy the games while the site does all the hard work for you. CBSSports.com also allows you to interact with all users through communal message boards where you can trash talk all you want.
2. NCAA.com – NCAA.com is a great source for up to date information regarding March Madness stats. Not only will the site be constantly updated with the newest scores and other information throughout the tournament; it will also stream nearly every March Madness game for free. The extra features on NCAA.com will surely satisfy any March Madness fan. The site features extras such as player and coach interviews, the Westwood One radio broadcast of every game, and featured videos such as the 10 Greatest NCAA March Madness Games of the Decade.
3. ESPN tournament Challenge – If your friendly ventures won’t prove to be rewarding enough for your tastes this season, then the ESPN Tournament Challenge may be worth checking out. Not only does this site let you load your brackets to compete with friends and other fans, ESPN.com gives you an extra incentive – $10,000 in cash. The Tournament Challenge will crown one first prize winner (the individual who acquires the most points over the course of the tournament), who will walk away with the grand prize, and another second prize winner who will take home $5,000. The site also contains a number of fun interactive features, as well as live updates, which will keep you in the know throughout the series.
4. March Mania App – If you’re planning on leaving your couch or computer at any time during March Madness, then the March Mania App is definitely worth downloading. Compatible with the IPhone and the IPod Touch, this app is a simple and concise way to keep track of your brackets on the go, and it is constantly updated with the latest tournament news and scores. Last year’s most popular March Madness app, March Mania promises to be even better than it was last year. As long as you download the app and make your picks no later than 5 minutes before the opening game, you will be able to track your scores whenever you may be.
5. Joost.com – Joost is an Internet TV service that allows you to watch television, movies, music, and more anytime on your computer. This year, the site has teamed up with CBS Sports to bring March Madness fans a quality live stream of the games, absolutely free of charge. Joost has successfully streamed March Madness games for the last few years, and promises to continue to deliver quality live feed to its users.

This month, Orbis Solutions is proud to celebrate its tenth year in business. It’s a big milestone for us, and it would not have been possible without the help of many people. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to work with great customers who trust us and treat us like valued partners, not simply vendors. We are equally fortunate to have an exceptional team of employees who are always willing to put in the extra time and effort to provide our customers with the high level of service they truly deserve.

A lot has changed since 2000 and many more changes are in store for the future, but our focus on helping our customers to operate more efficiently and effectively through the use of technology remains the same. We are extremely grateful for everyone who has helped us over the past decade and look forward to an exciting future together.

Thank you for your continued support,

Chris DiPiazza

Alex Yee

Another exciting element for this year’s medals is that, for the first time in history, each medal awarded  will be different, engaging an independent section of a much larger master image created by Canadian designer and artist, Corinne Hunt. For the Olympic medal design, Hunt drew inspiration from the orca whale for its beauty, individual strength, and loyalty to its community. To create each medal, the matte orca is lasered onto the front face of the medal, and within this design is a delicate wood grain pattern that can be viewed up close. Canadian industrial designer and architect Omer Arbel used his extensive knowledge of materials and fabrication processes to create an innovative undulating design to the medals, which is meant to illustrate the rolling hills of the Canadian landscape.

The 2010 Olympic medals prove to be a refreshing new example of how necessary it is to constantly reexamine the way we recycle. Instead of allowing discarded old ipods, desktops, cell phones, and televisions to pile up in a landfill like some bizarre island of misfit gadgets, we can instead melt them down, spruce them up, and again put them to good use.

Click here to take a closer look at the 2010 Olympic Medals!