Quigo

While Google and Yahoo have been competing to decide which one is better suited to become the top advertising source, Quigo Technologies has stolen some of their business. Quigo prides itself as being an alternative to the giants. Media sites like ESPN.com, FoxNews.com and Cox Newspapers' 17 sites have stopped using Google and Yahoo and signed up with Quigo. Unlike Google and Yahoo, Quigo gives advertisers the list of specific sites where their ads have appeared, and also the opportunity to buy only on specific Web sites or particular pages on those sites. It also allows media company sites like ESPN.com and FoxNews.com a chance to manage their own relationships with advertisers. Quigo Technologies is still far behind in the race of becoming the top ad source though: contextual ads generated $2 billion in revenue last year and about 60% of that money went to Google.

Cell Phone Ads

With new technologies galore, traditional advertising is a thing of the past. The newest great idea for ad placement is on cell phones. Cell phones are like a pocket-sized billboard. The phone is now being called "the brand in your hand" because you're never more than a foot away from it. According to industry watchers, the cellphone ad space is predicted to grow. Start-up companies are already being developed to postion themselves as middlemen who bring brands to the screen. There are carriers who are hesitant to turn the cellphone screen into ad space though because of concerns over privacy and consumer patience.

Waterproof Cellphone

A new phone is coming out that is totally waterproof. It's called the Fujitsu F703. You can completely submerge it in water without any damage. Price and launch date haven't been determined yet, but pretty soon all cellphones will have to be made more durable in ways such as this. This idea of a waterproof phone didn't come about from lack of durability though. Research has proven that cellphones are dirtier than toilet seats, so the idea was to create a cellphone that was washable. It would be nice to not have to worry about water damage to your cellphone anymore. Sometimes people just get stuck in the rain or thrown in a pool, so I think a waterproof cellphone is a good idea. Somehow it interests me more than cutting edge technology being implemented in cellphones like mp3 players and video capabilities.