Alfa Bravo

The news I want, when and where I want it.

Executive summary:
Today’s news services are about one-way centralized channel control, “one size fits all” and constant repetitions.

“The New News” is based on a personal news profile that tracks my actions and is updated automatically. It is stored in a central database which only I and my media players have access to. This means that I am exposed to news only once wherever I watch or hear them, based on my interests, location and the time of day.

This is no distant future scenario, most of the technology needed for this already exists. But the existing media players tend to stick to their old models as long as possible, and there are of course also copyright and privacy issues.

- - - - - - The scenario - - - - - - -

Sven takes one last glimpse at his mobile before leaving the office.

The display offers some news headlines:

“My business news for Feb 21, 2007. A-list:3, B-list:6”
“Stockholm traffic: Heavy”
“My weather”

He taps the business news and finds three A-list stories, short headlines of importance to his business. He taps them and selects to hear the in-depth versions while he glimpses through the B-list news text headlines. Sven marks one of them for later reading and then taps the traffic report.

A Stockholm map appears with highlighted traffic flows. He taps the button “Best home route” to get an optimized itinerary to his home, based on today’s road conditions.

As Sven is approaching his home, the mobile, sensing that it is in the car, reads out the local news for his neighbourhood and collect some offers from the local merchants.

Relaxing at home, Sven watches some sports on the television. When the game is over, he calls up the news. He also updates his news profile, adding Barcelona as a location since he will soon go there on his vacation. This means that he will be notified of events and things to do in Barcelona based on his interests, and when he gets there he will be presented the local news.

Sven then decides to see the video version of the business B-list news he saw earlier. It turns out to be important to his firm, so he takes out his mobile and emails it to his colleague. He is then also assured that his profile is automatically updated so that similar stories will be put on the A list.

Sven is interested in computer games and the environment, so he is presented with the latest news in these fields. One story about an upcoming Playstation game catches his interest, so he asks for an expanded version and is presented with a log list of other stories about the game, as well as blogs and forum discussions that he can choose to subscribe to.

He has paid a small fee to avoid direct commercials, instead relevant commercials are collected for him to see when he wants. The fee is reduced for every commercial that he chooses to see, so he goes through most of them when he has the time.

“It’s great to be in control”, he thinks. “Just think of when I had to sit through a whole half-hour news show with mostly stuff of no interest to me. Not to mention the radio, with the same news blaring every half hour. And no more tampon ads for me either, thank God”

Henrik

“The future belongs to those who prepare for it today. “
- Malcolm X