When it comes to working out, there are questions that come up time and time again:
- We all know we SHOULD work out, what can be done to make sure I DO work out?
- How can I find the time to work out on a crazy schedule?
- How do I keep from getting bored with my workouts?
- How can I keep better track of my results?
- Why do personal trainers cost so much?
- How do I see results once I’ve reached a plateau?
And for the Apple fans out there…
- My iPhone can do just about everything, but can it make me look better naked?
On this week’s podcast, I spoke with Nick Gammell, the CEO and Founder of Gain Fitness in his attempt to answer all of those questions.
He comes from a good pedigree of brains and brawn… a lifelong athlete and former college football player to address the workout side of things, and an analytical brain with experience at Deloitte consulting and a little tech company named Google to fuel the technology side.
After chatting for just a few minutes, it became clear that I was the perfect demographic for his product.
- I enjoy working out but don’t have a lot of time
- I generally do the same workouts so need variety to get out of a rut
- I like to track my progress and see results
[Disclaimer: If you despise Apple products, you may want to skip this post. But there should be something in here for everyone.]
Oh man, it’s like Christmas. I can’t contain my excitement. After weeks and weeks of deliberation and research, I just bought a new computer. And since I’m the guy that many people turn to for advice, I’m going to give you every piece of knowledge that I have.
Why should you trust me? It’s in my blood. I’m a geek. I used to buy and read something called The Computer Shopper. Do you know what that is? It’s a magazine that lived from 1979-2009 — with a peak in the 80s and 90s — that advertised computers. That’s it.
To call it a magazine is an understatement. It regularly topped 800 pages! There were probably 5 articles. It was the size of a phone book and just page after page after page of ads. Glorious ads for the latest and greatest computer parts and peripherals. This article by Jason Scott tells more.
So I urge you to listen to my advice – but then make sure you are making the right decision for you. Two reasons. In February 2009 I wrote a curious blog post about buying a netbook and was just as excited, although reading it again now, you can tell right from the title that I was caught up in the hype, not making an informed decision.
Secondly, I decided to buy a desktop. A guy at work that I trust that talks computers with me bought a powerful desktop awhile fairly recently and says he rarely uses it and now regrets it. Apple says that more than 70% of their sales are laptops. Am I living too much in the past? We’ll get to that.
Today I tackle a new change at Apple that could affect you in several ways.
Download the podcast from iTunes, or play it below:
A great off-the-cuff podcast today looking at the changes to Apple’s subscription policy.
First, I do two quick points:
1) I learned a new buzzword via Forrester Research on AdAge: T-commerce
- There is E-commerce on the web
- Then M-commerce on the phone (good for research, but not big enough to shop)
- T-commerce is now happening on the tablet
- Many retailers report that over 50% of their mobile traffic is now coming from the iPad
- These are not incremental sales, says Forrester, but T-commerce will largely grow by capturing and cannibalizing traditional PC-based retail traffic
2) Turbo Tax: Love ‘em or hate ‘em?
- I’ve talked before how they should not be on Twitter
- Just 4,600 fans
- Not the best place for complicated private questions, and who loves doing taxes?
Sample tweet: Filing your taxes tonight? Take a look at these awesome videos on tax basics we’ve got going on.
Today I interview the amazing Rana Sobhany, and we talk about her new book and how to market iPhone and iPad apps.
Download the podcast from iTunes, or play it below:
Trying to keep up with Rana Sobhany is sort of like trying to gather up a handful of ball bearings after you’ve dropped them down a steep hill. While wearing mittens. And rollerblades. We were introduced at the opening party of the 2007 Wired Store, and since then there are many words I’ve used to describe her:
- Friend
- Former podcast guest (Episode 38)
- Guest speaker in my NYU class
- Entrepreneur
- Former tennis star
- iPad DJ
- World Traveler
- Speaker
And now Author.
And in fact, fellow author. In the podcast I do a quick reveal that I have signed a book deal and will be developing my own iPad app. But more on that in a future episode.
In this super fun and energetic podcast, we focus the first part on how she got the book deal, and the rest answering specific answers to the question: How do I market my iPhone or iPad app?
The ideal customer is not only one that keeps coming back, but that buys more expensive items over time.
Is Apple the best in history?
Download the podcast from iTunes, or play it below:
We are winding down the end of the year, just a few podcasts left to go. As we hit the holidays,
I bet there are a lot of Apple products on people’s lists:
- I’ve been predicting all year that the iPad is going to be the #1 tech gift of the season (along with the Kindle)
- iPod music players are always in demand
- The laptop elite will be lusting for the Macbook Air
- Digital entertainment geeks might long for the $99 Apple TV
Today’s interview brings together so many things that I love about this podcast… meeting cool people, digging into the mix of marketing and technology that created a successful project, and hearing a great story of an entrepreneur that worked really hard, and with a little luck, some great decisions, and the help of social media, achieved his goal.
In this case, the story is about Matt Rix, a Canadian Flash developer working full-time, that learned how to program on the iPhone, sketched out a puzzle-style game called Trainyard, topped the popular game Angry Birds at one point in iTunes, and by next year, will leave his full time job in order to pursue his dream of developing games and other apps full time.
Along the way, he gives great insight on:
- The evolution of the game
- How he tapped the international market
- The importance of a tutorial in his game
- The best day to launch an app
- How to leverage social media to launch a successful app
- The key turning point for his success
Download the podcast from iTunes, or play the full interview it below:
Below is a full transcript of our conversation:
Jim Hopkinson: Welcome everyone, this is Jim. Today on the phone I have Matt Rix who is a Canadian developer. And the reason he’s on the show is kind of a success story – bit developer, bit entrepreneur, and he’s used Social Media, and the App Store, to develop a game that ended up beating Angry Birds and making some money on the side and he’s going to tell us the story today. So welcome, Matt.
Matt Rix: Hey, how’s it going?
JH: Great, great. So what part of Canada are you dialing in from today?
JH: Excellent, and so, you work fulltime for a company called Indusblue, and there you do iPhone app development, as well?
MR: Yeah, I do iPhone and iPad app development; usually not directly for ourselves, but for big name clients, like TV channels and stuff like that.
JH: And so the main story, though, is you’ve had this kind of whirlwind tour of an app being successful and everyone likes to hear these success stories. Have you been interviewed by any other media outlets or any fame, or just nerdy podcasts like me?
MR: Yeah, just a couple things. There’s been a couple blogs and sites that have done written entries and stuff, but nothing too much yet.
JH: Well, give us little bit of your background, how did you get here, did you have a computer background coming into it, and any kind of entrepreneurial spirit; what led you to this point?
It’s the talk of the town: iPad. Tablets. eReaders. The future of publishing. Let’s see what the headlines are saying.
Download the podcast from iTunes, or play it below:
As an employee of one of the world’s largest publishers, Conde Nast, the owner of an iPad, a soon-to-be author assessing my options for digital publishing, and a lover of all things new media, I’ve become obsessed with the eReader evolution.
I’m going to share a little routine with you. Whenever I come across a great article, be it in a newsletter, my daily reading of blogs, through friends, or on Twitter, I hang on to it.
How do I do it?
Very simple. I have a Google Doc spreadsheet bookmarked that I can access instantly from work, from home, or for that matter, anywhere I can get to the internet. It’s a very fast process of opening it up, then pasting in the headline and the link. Done.
While it’s not 100% official, both the Wall Street Journal and TechCrunch are reporting that the long-rumored story that Apple will produce a CDMA version of the iPhone for Verizon, starting in Q1 2011, is true.
As an iPhone owner on AT&T, what will it take me to switch to Verizon? Let me write an open letter to their management and marketing team.
Download the podcast from iTunes, or play it below for maximum ranting entertainment (recommended):
Dear Verizon
Congratulations! I hear that you’ve convinced Steve Jobs to build you your very own iPhone for your CDMA mobile network. You must be soooo excited. I read that an analyst said it could mean 10 million more customers for you.
I also saw that you have about 27% of the smartphone market, while AT&T has 38%. That’s a pretty decent lead to make up.
However, here’s the good news for you. Nearly 7 out of 10 of the smartphones that AT&T customers have are iPhones. So if you can get those people to switch, those numbers might change in a hurry.
I have a few suggestions for your marketing department. First, let me tell you a bit about myself.
- I’m 41, live in Manhattan, and have a Bachelors of Science in Computer Information Systems. I have been around technology all of my life.
- I work for a website called Wired.com, teach a social media class at NYU, and with the money I have left at the end of the month, I often buy gadgets like the iPad and high end digital cameras.
- I also have my own blog and podcast, and am very active on Facebook and Twitter. Not to brag, but I’m pretty connected and a lot of people come to me for tech advice.
In short, I am your dream customer.
Let me tell you what the mood is right now in case you missed it. For the most part, people HATE AT&T. The best way to describe it is we tolerate them, because we’re such fans of Apple and love the iPhone so much.
Jim can see the next big trend, and he’s not going to let it go by.
Download the podcast from iTunes, or play it below:
I get asked the following question quite often: “Jim, what’s the next big trend?”
Sure, the internet is always growing, and social media, Facebook, Twitter, geolocation, group buying, online video, and mobile are still at the top of everyone’s list. But I think there’s something bigger. Am I qualified to guess at trends? Sure, why not.
On this week’s podcast, I spoke with Nick Gammell, the CEO and Founder of Gain Fitness in his attempt to answer all of those questions.![[del.icio.us]](http://thehopkinsonreport.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/delicious.png)
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