Exercise 4 (Due on before December 13, 2010, 1pm)

Identify and discuss Trends and Opportunities in convergence (at least 2000 words with image/s)

Identify and discuss Trends and Opportunities in convergence (at least 2000 words with image/s)

First, let us discuss first what is convergence. Convergence is the merging of distinct technologies, industries, or devices.

Technological convergence is the tendency for different technological systems to evolve towards performing similar tasks. Convergence can refer to previously separate technologies such as voice (and telephony features), data (and productivity applications), and video that now share resources and interact with each other, synergistically creating new efficiencies.

Today, we are surrounded by a multi-level convergent media world where all modes of communication and information are continually reforming to adapt to the enduring demands of technologies, changing the way we create, consume, learn and interact with each other. Convergence in this instance is defined as the interlinking of computing and other information technologies, media content, and communication networks that have arisen as the result of the evolution and popularization of the Internet as well as the activities, products and services that have emerged in the digital media space.

Technological convergence is the trend of technologies to merge into new technologies that bring together a myriad of media. While historically, technology handled one medium or accomplished one or two tasks, through technological convergence, devices are now able to present and interact with a wide array of media.

Example, each entertainment medium had to be played on a specific device. Video was played on a television by using a video player of some sort, music was played on a tape deck or compact disc player, radio was played on an AM/FM tuner, and video games were played through a console of some sort. Similarly, different communication media used their own technologies. Voice conversation was carried on using a telephone, video communication briefly used high-end video phones, facsimile copies used fax machines, and e-mail used a computer.

Technological convergence in the last few years has resulted in devices that not only interact with the media they are primarily designed to handle, but also with a number of other formats. For example, the XBox video game console has as its primary purpose the playing of console games, but it is also able to play back video and music and to connect to the Internet. Similarly, most modernDVD players are capable not only of playing DVDs, but also of playing music CDs, displaying photos from photo CDs, playing encoded video in formats such as DIVX or VCD, and playing DVD music.
Technological convergence also leads to devices that are designed specifically to replace a number of different devices. The AppleiPod, for example, while originally conceived of as a portable music player, is now touted equally as a portable video player, photo album, and radio tuner. Cell phones, as well, have moved far beyond their beginnings as simple voice communication devices and now offer the functionality of personal music players, digital cameras, and text messenger systems as well.
The Internet is perhaps the most widespread example of technological convergence. Virtually all entertainment technologies – from radio to television to video to books to games – can be viewed and played online, often with greater functionality than they have in their primary technology. Communications technologies, as well, can be used, with the Internet replacing fax machines, telephones, video phones, and the postal service.

Technological convergence gives consumers the convenience of having many devices all in one, saving on both size and cost, there is an initial tradeoff in quality. When technological convergence first gives birth to a new multi-technology, the various technologies it is comprised of are usually at a slightly lower standard than independent devices. Usually within a year or two, however, this disparate quality is reduced to a virtually unnoticeable level.

Some of us can remember when telephone, print media, film, radio, TV, phonograph, photographs and computer data (what little there was) were treated as separate or "stovepiped" technologies. Over the last several years, technology convergence has resulted in a new generation of multimedia and multimode communication products.

Through technology convergence, the blending of markets, the effective use of standards, and increased bandwidth, geospatial data and service providers can deploy more comprehensive solutions that allow the user to access, query and visualize geospatial content from many distributed sources. New applications allow the user to merge - or fuse - the geospatial content in numerous ways. For example, mashups are all about integrating and fusing content from multiple sources into new applications. Fusion is all about combining different types of content, such as traditional 2D digital maps, GPS, satellite imagery and sensor observations, into information that is tailored for specific users of the information. The same content can be fused in different ways to solve different problems. Those who speak of information fusion speak of decision making models, human factors and heuristics. These apply in varied ways in different market sectors.

Technology convergence, market horizontalization and information fusion are very real phenomena, and powerful determinants of the future, in the geospatial domain as in other domains. Consensus standards organizations provide a key vantage point for observing these trends, and a fulcrum for shaping them.

Technological convergence is the tendency for different technological systems to evolve towards performing similar tasks. An often used example is when separate technologies such as voice, data and video come together to share resources and interact with each other.

Convergence Technology is The blending or integration of voice, video, data and image into one flexible network. It is the bringing together of products and capabilities of multiple vendors so that they provide services the customer wants.
Technological convergence is often defined in a very generalized and simplified terms as a process by which telecommunications, information technology and the media, sectors that originally operated largely independent of one another, are growing together. Technological convergence has both a technical and a functional side. The technical side refers to the ability of any infrastructure to transport any type of data, while functional side means the consumers maybe able to integrate in a seamless way the functions of computation, entertainment, and voice in a unique device able to execute a multiplicity of tasks.


Technological convergence if appropriately managed can play an important role in national economic and social development of every nation, it is an opportunity. Governments can capitalize on the opportunity to stimulate market development and meet previous unmet society communication needs.


Convergence can increased market competition has lowered barriers of entry to the market for new operators and service providers. The emergence of new market players intensifies competition, giving consumers an extensive pool of providers and services to choose from and lower communication costs. Additionally in a technological convergent environment industry boundaries become blurred, allowing service providers to offer services in multiple markets. For example, besides access to television, cable operators can also offer voice telephony and internet services. Content providers can now easily access consumers with no need to own the distribution network. For example, a company may produce TV content and distributed it through cable networks without having to own it.


Established companies will find in convergence an opportunity to operate more efficiently, increase returns on technology investments and realize other business benefits through development of new services and rapid market expansion. Convergence opens up new sales markets for companies, a case observed in mobile operators. As the market saturates, they look to non-voice services, such as video streaming, portals, messaging, information services, and gaming, to drive future revenue growth.
New applications have given rise to new ways of entertainment (i.e. online gaming) and socialization (i.e. chat rooms). The convergence of voice, video and data gives consumers new ways of communication as we can all talk, send text and video over one single network, using one single application at much lower costs than before.

In device level, consumers find in convergence an opportunity to enjoy the convenience of having
many devices all in one, saving on both size and ownership costs. For example, a single mobile phone device can receive television programmes and play videos, thus enabling simplicity and convenience in device ownership as one device can be used to access multiple services.

Technological convergence has raised a number of issues of adjustment to the new environment by
telecom operators, service providers, policymakers, regulators, and users. The combination of services over the same platform is challenging common perceptions about the best means to license and regulate providers. Traditionally, regulatory frameworks were designed for an era when clear functional differences existed between services and infrastructure, but these regulations are increasingly inadequate for dealing with today’s world. At first glance, interoperability, interconnection, consumer protection and universal access appear as the most relevant challenges.

Existing interconnection mechanisms focus basically on interconnection of telecom networks based on circuit switching technologies, while for instance broadcasting networks are either unregulated or subject to different types of regulation. Additionally, in a convergent environment, which relies greatly on packet switched networks, circuits are neither connected nor provided. In this way distance and time become less determinants as cost factors, requiring adoption of new units of measurement.

Convergence gives rise to new services and applications, which are bandwidth intensive, requiring an existence of broadband infrastructure. Only with broadband access is the use of complex services (e.g. multimedia services) attractive or possible in the first place. While developed economies may not face a bandwidth shortage dilemma, the same may not be said about most of the developing economies where telecommunication infrastructures are still relying on narrowband technologies. These countries face the challenge of having to upgrade their infrastructure or miss on the benefits of the technological convergence. In meeting this challenge, as it was in the past, financial constraints will continue to be a problem.

Today, as the society becomes an increasingly interconnected and dependent of ICT networks, cybercriminals continue to invent increasingly cunning ways to exploit human and computer vulnerabilities to their malicious benefits. This, challenges operators, service providers and users to take measures to minimize risks of network intrusions, attacks and viruses. In a similar way, as technologies and systems become complex, the higher is the risk of their instability. Product designers, manufacturers and operators are challenged to guarantee the reliability of these new technologies.




3 forms of Convergence:

The first form of convergence is used in terms of technological tools. In this way, most of useful (and even useless) electronic devices are now integrated in smartphones. In fact, most smartphones include (or will include) features of “traditional” cell phones, but also, devices like cameras, computers (desktop or laptop), electronic agendas, GPS, MP3 players and video game consoles. Moreover, it seems like a matter of time (but perhaps lots of time) before everyone has its own smartphone.


The second form of convergence is translated by the increase in the number of technological tools and transportations that converges to the Internet. Nowadays, it is possible to have access to the Internet in any transportation vehicle (airplanes, cars, boats and trains), as well as via many technological tools (cell phones, computers, interactive digital televisions, interactive kiosks and smartphones). Linking this second form of convergence with the first form leads me to predict that the convergence in terms of technological tools in smartphones will also result in an explosion in the number of smartphones kit available for any type of other technological tool, similar to the iPod car kit.

Finally, the third form is the convergence of the content of media to the Internet. Thus, more and more media such as advertising billboards, magazines, newspapers, radio stations, SMS, and television networks, produce content that includes an expression such as “visit our website at …”, that refers to a specific Internet website. By linking this form of convergence with the other two, media such as advertising billboards, radio stations, SMS, and television networks, will be able (in a near future) to instantaneously converge to the Internet by using smartphones. In the case of magazines and newspapers, it is still hard to predict what will happen, but the decreasing number of subscribers who actually read them will tend to convey those two media to concentrate their effort towards niche markets.


In conclusion, Technology convergence offers massive opportunities for the development of new value-added services, convenience, efficiency and the expansion of markets and consumer choice. It also raises a number of issues of adjustment to the new environment by telecom operators, service providers, policymakers, regulators, and users.

It is said that nothing is definitely permanent in this world. Change will eventually take over come the right time. What is new and stylish now will become old and dull in the future. Reminds me of the tale of my laptop. By the time I bought it (my parents actually did) I was very much elated not just because it was my first laptop (and I never thought I would have the chance to own one) but also because it was one that could boast sophistication because of its top-level specifications that were still fresh in the local market on that time. But, after a few weeks, when I strolled into the mall the sight of new laptops with better features and specs than the one I bought sprouted. And with pretty much the same price as mine. Go figure out what I felt. If only I knew that it will only take a short period of time before those more powerful laptops would be in the stores I would have waited for them even if I'm itching to have one already. See, how fast change strikes?

Wonder why I am highlighting change on my introduction? Because that is what this post will be all about. Change is the main protagonist on this episode. The change I will be pondering about here pertains to the trends and oppurtunities that is brought about by technological and marketing convergence.



The last time out, in our Technopreneurship class, we discussed about how the landscape of the marketing world has evolved through time. And the most significant agent that caused this evolution to take place is convergence. When we say convergence it is the act of coming together or somewhat the fusion of two or more things. The exponential growth of the World Wide Web since its birth is one of the great reasons of the marketing and technological convergence. From the conventional print, radio, and television media, the field of marketing and advertising has now found a wider and more versatile channel in the world of internet.

We started out with our discussion by identifying the trends of the market before. Long ago, it was the agriculture field that was lording the market. People with huge area of agricultural land or simply people who worked in an agriculture field such as farmers, were the ones considered as the well-off people. Then came the reign of industrialization. It wasn't about the crops or the land anymore, it was about buildings, factories, and establishments. The birth of the industrialized world has dominated the market. But now, another paradigm shift has occured. The trend has tilted towards the Informations and Communications Technology backyard. Many thanks to Tim-Berners Lee. Now, with the torch handed to the field of ICT, many opportunities have arisen and significant effects and changes have been felt by several other fields globally. And two of those fields are the marketing and advertising ones.

With the convergence of Information Technology and Communication Technology (or Telecommunications) the marketing and advertising fields found a precious medium to channel their goals. And that milestone proved to be the starting point of the death of the consumers. Its not that there were mass-killing of consumers like Hitler's genocides philosophy, but the death of the consumers meant the gradual restructuring and reconfiguring of how a consumer should be; how they act, how they demand, how they respond, and generally how they see things. Now how did that happen? Let us dig into that a little deeper. The venture of marketing to the internet wilderness has provided endless possiblities and ideas not just for the advertisers but also to the customers. The advertisers for example, have found a place wherein they can converge the conventional advertising platforms such as, newspaper, radio, and television to come up with a better and more effecient way of communicating their products to their customers. Moreover, in their aim to furhter discover ways of taking advantage of the usefulness and the versatility of the internet, they have come up with several innovations on their marketing process.

Identify and discuss Trends and Opportunities in convergence (at least 2000 words with image/s)

CONVERGENCE

“Never look at the doors closing behind you or you'll miss the ones opening ahead”, Cyril Magnin.

The short quotation above denotes that there are many opportunities coming for us to accommodate individually, we must be open-minded and observant to see things ahead and imagine impossible things that we might think that is probably useful to human kind and to the revolution of the world.
Nowadays, in this new facilitated generation of ours. Almost all of the things have changed and evolve as much as possibly done. From older trends to more implicit one, all of this comes in one simple way which is called CONVERGENCE. Convergence defined in Encarta as “a coming together from different directions, especially a uniting or meeting of groups or tendencies that were originally opposed or different”. By simply looking at the definition given, we can say that this called “convergence” conquer the unity of different things. This was the one whose broke the wall settled in between of those things. These convergences occur in everyday life, especially in Political, Economics, Sociology, Technology, and Environmental which is commonly known as PESTE aspects. Some old age group believes that all things already exist must be change because that its nature. But for me, as one of the IT people, it should be change – change for good not for worst. Instead, those things that already have existing will be our target one to be innovating more and apply deviations as much as we could. I believe that everything in this world change, we must not incubate things only to each individual nature. And we must not stick on what we already have because opportunities never stop as long as there are still people alive. The thought of convergence can be easily define as a collaboration of Coffee, Creamer and sugar – which is very common to us as a “3 in 1 coffee mate”. Originally, the three ingredients used in making the 3-in-1 was work individually. From that very simple example, we can define that convergence is simply producing a thing that is made coming from the different things.

As the world revolves on its axis, trends and opportunities of convergence also revolve. We can see opportunities and trends existing in different aspects of humanity. We seen different faces of innovations and the fact is we, almost of us humans using it every now and then. Those opportunities come when something wrong ones come, we can see chances and prospect business to have when we saw latest updates and happenings experienced by ours. Those opportunities and trends open the doors of convergences that once we think as very impossible to have. With regards on the opportunities offered everywhere, it must jive on the present trends that are commonly seen on these days. Maybe so, many people are not aware on the thing convergence although they were already experiencing it much. Simply seeing the normal lives we have, in schools and offices. We noticed that in some universities and colleges, the college of education already do have in their curriculum a fundamentals teaching about the simply usage of computers like MS WORD, and a presentation using technology. From that current scenario, we can say that the Institutes of Computing and Colleges of Education apply the trend of using technology based machine to work faster and much easier. We can see that the emerging of the two makes the education world manage there teaching styles and tactics in a very simple and presentable way. And most importantly is the unity that emerge when both two applied the available resources that each of them acquire. That was one of the many convergences evolving today. Below are some examples that can be considered as a movement of convergences that already exist.




In terms of economic aspects, we can truly say that world really involves money. Like in the field of banking, I can site examples of making use of internet of some banks in providing easy services to their clients. They jive to the trend of using internet, so they came up to the point of providing online transactions or which is most common to us as ONLINE BANKING. They take the opportunity of providing services to the busy people whom don’t have enough time to go and visit their location. That is why they formulated the online banking. Through this, they can now endow and grant one click services to their prospect clients. They meet the needs of the people through using the most common thing which is internet. They had seen that lots of people are now already influence by the thought of internet. So they came up to that project.



Looking the same to the field of sociology, we see a different study that applies technology. Like of the Bio-Technology and Electronics Convergence, it’s Trends and its Opportunities. Its pretty much amaze when I discovered that Bio-Technology and Electronics unite to make a one aim for the goodness of the nation. This proof was taken from the article of Silicon Valley Technical Institute. The merging of the two gives advantage to the innovation of providing the human scanning and sensors used in health facilities. The article said that “the merging of Electronics with Bio-technology promises the advent of a totally new class of devices such as sensors and actuators (MEMS&NEMS) with applications in diagnostics, responsive drug delivery, bio-compatibility, self-assembly etc”. Just looking unto it, we can conclude that truly the world of technology and medicine meets halfway to serve and give the best for the people as much as possible. Even me, myself was very glad on that thing because the health aspects that we have right now have evolved so much. The opportunity of making the two as one provides responses that it is really needed by the people. We can’t deny the fact that the people involve in Bio-Technology and Electronic can’t do the innovation without the help of each. That was the trends we were talking about. Both parties sees that the trends needs to be meet with something to be done, so they came up to the things of Scanners and sensors for X-rays and diagnosis and also for the goodness of the medicine field. The both team saw the need of the people so they come to formulate a solution for it.



While in technology basis, we have seen different gadgets that merging some features of computers and cameras to the mobile phones to make it as one. Before, mobile phones are used only in texting and calling but now as technology evolves; mobile phones are can also be use as a hand help computers. Some mobile phones nowadays already have Operating System inside like what the computers have. And also is the characteristic of cameras to be capable of producing images and videos, playing music and many more. The theme of the convergence of this was the product of the trend of the explicit usage of computers of almost all of the people. They seen it is helpful to the needs of the people to produce a ALL IN ONE gadgets which is can be consider as a hand held device and easy to have with. It takes the opportunity offered by the people of aiming a “something” device that is useful to daily living. The example I gave here is just one of the many convergence made in terms of technology facilities.


In terms of foods and leisure, the convergence of Food and Internet. Practically, these kinds of business already exist. Even in side walks and beneath the facility of schools and universities. Like what I have realized and noticed in one of the internet in town that offering both food and internet café services. I can say that this was really implying the thought of convergence. Historically, internet café before fairly offers only internet services to their customers; but as time goes by, I see it now differently. Though we see that they still offer the same services but the fact of innovating and improving it by providing another strategy which is by though the food services makes it converge. It only presume that the internet café cant work alone and stay as plenty profit as what they have before when they don’t do something that could probably improve their business.


The next one is Convergence of opportunities and interests in pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. The convergence of the two focuses on the strategic focus of both parties. Basically, the business interests of pharmaceutical research/manufacturing companies have taken a different path than those of biotechnology companies. This only means that they came from a different point of view in terms of their business strategic focuses.
In the field of environmental status which is the evolvement of some helpful devices for easy farming. Some farmers now are using different machineries that are very useful for the rapid producing of their respective products. Currently, one study now focuses on the easy farming by the use of sensor. This sensor will identify if the land that is planted is needed a water. By this, I can say that the opportunities really never stop. This is only one proof why convergence seeks the places of improvements and innovations.


In convergence, there are things that must be involved. Convergence may also involved marketing convergence. The marketing convergence defined in the site www.nextmark.com, as a the orchestration of information technology, marketing and design required to ensure that companies present an integrated, consistent, clear and interactive message across all the media they use. This is the kind of convergence in which the paradigm switches into the act of presenting products and services over the internet. This strategy of businesses will increase the probability of profits that will come. This can be done through navigate the minefields of online, and make interactive to the clients and customers. And just by looking through the generations we have right now, I can articulate that the online strategy styles of the businesses certainly give impact to the businesses. I believe that the Internet really doesn’t change everything even the paradigm we are talking about, instead it does create a major shift in how customers behave and in turn how business must operate. The impact of the Internet on business doesn’t eliminate more traditional forms of marketing, but as the professionals proclaimed “participation in a networked market changes people fundamentally.” The power of the new technology creates fundamentally new possibilities for consumers and companies. If we begin to look beyond the either/or view of the world, we see a rich and complex set of opportunities.

Convergence also evolved in the field of digitals, the new trends for advertising. Like of any field of marketing, also advertising changes fast and quickly. In the area of advertising convergence, and more appropriately digital convergence as stated in one of the articles in the internet that refers to a growing trend for using computer technology to deliver media programming and information. For instance, the convergence of internet and televisions, before television is just used for viewing and watching TV shows. But now, as what we can see, new released television are now capable of producing radio which was only radio appliances can do. Even as the networks and TV stations who provides films to enable to perform by the television, but as many expert says that convergence is not just limited to just television. Many media outlets are experiencing convergence as can be seen with print publications that now have a strong web presence. The future holds even more convergence opportunities. That only means that opportunities never stop as long as people are capable of jiving to the new trends that are currently introduced by those who are in the profession. Someday, we will just amaze on the new faces that will come unto our ways and use it as an essential ones. The challenge is sorting through the interactions between consumers and technology to find these opportunities. The greatest opportunities are through a fusion of the old and the new, physical and virtual. That is how convergence works.


references :
http://www.knowthis.com/principles-of-marketing-tutorials/advertising/advertising-trends-digital-convergence/
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Convergence+of+opportunities+and+interests+in+pharmaceuticals+and...-a0159076715
http://www.caneval.com/downloads/Information_FMI2601.pdf
http://mmadou.eng.uci.edu/PressArchives/BioTechnology.pdf
http://business-video.tmcnet.com/news/2010/11/19/5148604.htm
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-9717743-1.html

Trends and Opportunities in Convergence

Convergence is a non familiar word for me. What is convergence by the way? Why trends and opportunities in convergence? As we go along on this discussion we will find and get the answer out from that question.
When our instructor discusses to us the second model on the SEED model which is the Environment Mastery, our instructor introduce us about the Convergence of a business. When we say convergence it means a mixture or a merging of a certain thing. There are so many kinds of convergence discussed to us but our instructor gives the Trend and Opportunities in Convergence for us to give a learning and reflection about it.

Based on my own idea and learning in the Trend and Opportunities in Convergence is that the Trend and Opportunities are merge together in the business area. The best examples of this are the online ticketing and online ordering systems on the internet. In our generation today that they called as the information era it is because if you have lot of information that is gathered and studied you’re not behind of others. We all know that most of the teenagers as well as the kids today are already hooked on the internet. So we can’t argue that internet is now invading our world today not only on social networking but as well as on the business side. These days, lot of business ideas are now scattered in the internet for the reasons that it is now in demand or shall we say it is the trend nowadays so that the Technopreneur or the entrepreneur are taking the risk to invade the internet world for them to get more people entice with their business. It is one way also to improve and change the lifestyle most of the people through this a Technopreneur may be innovative and have a creative mind for them to stand out over the million businesses spread out on the internet.
Trend and opportunities in convergence, why is this so? When we say trend is a current style or fashion and opportunities it is a favorable combination of circumstances so if it will be converge it will turn into a favorable combination of circumstances out of the current fashion. It is the reason why many of the entrepreneurs are now come into sight to establish a business on the internet. For example, changing consumer habits and improvements in mobile technology are driving investment in the region’s telecoms infrastructure. For a long time, media convergence was a case of traditional media adapting to the online world. But increasingly, the chosen platform for convergence is mobile devices. Convergence can refer to previously separate technologies such as voice, data, and video that now share resources and interact with each other, synergistically creating new efficiencies. In this instance, it is defined as the interlinking of computing and other information technologies just like us, media content, and communication networks that have arisen as the result of the evolution and popularization of the Internet as well as the activities, products and services that have emerged in the digital media space.
Why they are invading the internet it is because it is a globalized network and for the brief history it was launched in 1969 and over the past 40 years its role has changed rapidly from being used mainly for communication, and easier, faster access to information for Universities and various other educational institutions. Internet is an important tool used to reach various audiences around the world. That’s why many have been constantly trying to create more ways over the internet for it to be useful in more ways than one. So now, here comes the idea of converging the trend and opportunities in the business just to adopt the concept in which old and new media intersect.
The trend for today’s generation is focus on the gadgets and high-technology machine which is used now throughout the industry. Media convergence is the best example of this. Media convergence is not just a technological shift or a technological process; it also includes shifts within the industrial, cultural, and social paradigms that encourage the consumer to seek out new information. One of the examples for the media convergence is that the Wii it is not just only a game console, but also a web browser and social networking tool. Another example for these is the mobile phones which now incorporate with other different tool for it will be have an edge over the other, now the mobile phones have a digital camera, mp3 players, camcorders, voice recorders, internet media and other devices. These kinds of devices are now very in demand to the consumer for they want to have more features in less space for a certain gadgets. iPhones are also one of these convergence for its implies the primary function for a mobile phone that can perform many different tasks, but does not feature a traditional numerical pad to make phone calls. Instead, it has a features touchpad, which some users have found troublesome compared to a conventional phone. Today, we are surrounded by a multi-level convergent media world where all modes of communication and information are continually reforming to adapt to the enduring demands of technologies, “changing the way we create, consume, learn and interact with each other.
These paradigm shifts are greatly affect to all of us consumers for it’s the change of lifestyle. From time to time it may occur the technology may create a better devices evolves which it can may help to us consumer. Through this paradigm shift, broadcasting is increasingly being replaced by the internet, enabling consumers all over the world the freedom to access their preferred media content more easily and at a more available rate than ever before. In the digital paradigm shift presumed that old media would increasingly replaced by new media in which convergence takes place and it’s currently emerging suggests that new and old media would interact in more complex ways because of change in this industry tends to be incremental and far more subtle because we wanted to open with some of our thoughts about “what’s next” in the digital lifestyles industry. In these areas, we can see lot of opportunities may take place for its may hired some people to work for any of the company or shall we say that any one of us may see a place where we can create a business and use our own creativeness and passion and use it to make a business. As what I have always said to my previous output is that it’s up to you on how can find and grab the opportunities that comes onto you. Opportunities in consumer technology continue to impress us as certain applications and solutions has become more relevant each year.
Another insight into trends and opportunities is in the convergence in communications. Knowing that the competitions in services nowadays are very rich just like on the delivery which includes the voice, video and other services offer they will drive providers to innovative in how they blend services, and we see opportunities here for communications and entertainment convergence. Giving an examples of these is a voice mail on the TV, unified messaging with access to voice services through different devices, videoconferencing, and remote monitoring, which could be used in health applications such as keeping tabs on elderly family members. This kind of set up is a great help for any Technopreneur to their business and to improve the services they rendered already so they might get more attention to the consumer. There also an idea of a prosumer concept where in the consumer has their right to demand whatever they like to change or to customize on product which they buy from your store. In this concept it’s originally originate from the consumer idea but have the twist that they may demand not just like the old ways that what is in already in the market is what we can buy. For this generation the consumer are so very choosey in terms on the product, they want their gadgets or things may unique and have the edge over the other and also for the fashion purposes why they want to customize their own things. Changing consumer habits and improvements in mobile technology are driving investment in the region’s telecoms infrastructure.
For this convergence especially on the media convergence was a case of traditional media adapting to the online world. But increasingly, the chosen platform for convergence is mobile devices. In the business world today, convergence was greatly affect for it’s a process by which the futures price and cash price of an underlying asset approach one another as delivery date nears. Convergence allows one media outlet to take advantage of features and benefits offered through other media outlets. For instance, in many areas around the world television programming is now delivered digitally via cable, telephone or satellite hookup. This delivery method uses the same principles of information delivery that is used to allow someone to connect the Internet. The convergence of television and Internet opens many potential opportunities for marketers to target customers in ways not available with traditional television advertising. For example, technology may allow ads delivered to one household to be different than ads delivered to a neighbor’s television even though both households are watching the same program. But convergence is not limited to just television. Many media outlets are experiencing convergence as can be seen with print publications that now have a strong web presence. The future holds even more convergence opportunities. These include outdoor billboards that alter displays as cars containing geographic positioning systems (GPS) and other recognizable factors (e.g., GPS tied to satellite radio) pass by or direct mail postcards that carry a different message based on data that matches a household’s address with television viewing habits.

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Convergence? So what is convergence, it is defined in the internet as:
• the occurrence of two or more things coming together
• the approach of an infinite series to a finite limit
• overlap: a representation of common ground between theories or phenomena; "there was no overlap between their proposals"
• he act of converging (coming closer)
wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

So convergence is the merging of things to make it better. For example, the death of consumers and the existence of prosumers which most country now adopting. So what do I mean of the death of consumers and replaced by the prosumers. In the past generation customers are only depending on what businesses are producing for them, customers are demanding on what they really want even if they were paying for it. Like when you’re buying a food, you are paying to eat a food in there own desire not in your own desire. Unlike now, people or specifically customers are now demanding; they are paying for what they really want to have; and most customers now are not get easily satisfy on products that business are producing. They are called prosumers because they are the one who demands on what they are paying for not the businesses that produces it. Like in some fast food chains like Mc Donald’s in there past years since they were started, they are just producing foods on their own imaginative mind, now Mc Donald’s are offering free customizing of their products base on what the customers wants and desires. In this case they were able to make more profit because of changes they made.

In this generation many convergence trends and opportunities are existing and some of it is new technologies, new services and new business strategies and market strategies. Business services, some services nowadays offer customizing in your own desire, online ordering, and others. Business strategies, businesses now are creating and imagining new ideas and strategies to make their businesses more productive, like online selling. There are also business adopting and implementing a kind of business strategies like virtual communication by the boss and his or her employees in the company to update the status of the company. Technologies now are playing a big part in the business industries to produce world call products in the market. We can also trends in convergence the making of products to make it more convenient to customers, like what happen in some products now, the existence of instant drinks, instant foods, and others. There are also trends in advertising, as a matter of fact I have search trends in advertising by the Nielsen company.

Though the overall advertising environment in 2009 was glum by most accounts, a number of trends are nonetheless continuing to take hold as the industry evolves to meet new marketplace realities, according to The Nielsen Company.

Most notably, Nielsen said, advertisers are beginning to look at the media mix more holistically and to take seriously the increasing need for accountability beyond simple “click-through” metrics. They also are starting to embrace burgeoning social networks and consumer-generated media as advertising and branding platforms that can help them bring consumers closer to a product or brand.
Nielsen’s advertising trends for 2010:
1. Optimizing media convergence will become top priority: Continued corporate mandates and pressure to measure ROI will lead to a better understanding of media convergence and how various media work together. The ability to accurately measure activity and link online ads to offline purchasing behavior will be critical.
2. New models will emerge to take advantage of smartphones: Accurate mobile measurement will be required for advertisers to stay head of the snowballing growth of that media platform.

3. More cross-media ad campaigns will surface: The massive growth of online video games played and shared online is leading the way for more successful interactive and cross-media advertising campaigns to appear. Growth in the adoption of such advertising across screens and activities will increase.
4. Commercialization of social networking hubs will increase: Social media will provide a new sales channel for establishing product awareness and commercializing brands to better support traditional advertising or text-based ads.

5. More interesting and interactive online ads will appear. Increased use of more creative advertising and content models online such as video, attention-seeking page takeover ads and mechanisms for greater interactivity will drive the next era of web development.

http://www.marketingcharts.com/interactive/convergence-at-heart-of-top-2010-ad-trends-11461/

Opportunities in convergence are been realized because there many things needed to be developed especially in marketing. They seen many problems that occur in marketing,; people are not satisfy on what products they have; and people are demands on what they really want and they are willing to pay for it worth. We have also an opportunity in the development of agriculture with the help of technologies. There are still many improvements needed in the agriculture industry to maximize the productivity of it. We can also minimize their problems in their manual managements to lessen the hassle that they may encounter. By the help of technology in agriculture industry, we may able to help them increase their profit and developed their marketing strategies when they will sell their goods soon. We can also do online promotions of products in some social networking sites. Some social networking sites now are not just for meeting and gaining many friends or to communicate with love ones far from you, now it is also used for online selling and promotions of products, it is also used for campaigned to communicate to many people. Start up businesses can also adopt this kind of strategy because by this you may promote you products to everyone, and by that you can gain more profit in that strategy you apply for you business and we can consider that as an opportunity I convergence because you have able to change your strategies form manual or offline promotions to online promotions. There are also opportunities in mobile applications or the development of cell phone or smart phones. We might think of what improvement needed in the smart and cell phones nowadays, although most cell and smart phones are high-tech because most of it are almost alike to computer, it can access internet access, you can search for information, we can watch TV through our mobile phones and it can also store electronic books. It’s really hard to think of new development in mobile phones but still we can improve the performance of it to make it better because I believe that technologies like mobile phones still needs improvements to make it better. There are many opportunities in some country that are not trying convergence especially in marketing. There are also some who are adopting it now and change their marketing strategies from manual to technological type of marketing strategies like in social networking sites.

Changing the habits of the consumer may improve the mobile technology and it will driving invest to the region’s telecoms infrastructure. For a long time, media convergence was a case of traditional media adapting to the online world. But increasingly, the chosen platform for convergence is mobile devices. More time is spent using data services such as internet browsing, social networking, instant messaging, gaming, mobile TV, video on demand and navigation-based applications. The quality of the data experience has become just as, if not more, important than the voice experience. Convergence allows one media outlet to take advantage of features and benefits offered through other media outlets. For instance, in many areas around the world television programming is now delivered digitally via cable, telephone or satellite hookup. This delivery method uses the same principles of information delivery that is used to allow someone to connect the Internet. The convergence of television and Internet opens many potential opportunities for marketers to target customers in ways not available with traditional television advertising. For example, technology may allow ads delivered to one household to be different than ads delivered to a neighbor’s television even though both households are watching the same program. But convergence is not limited to just television. Many media outlets are experiencing convergence as can be seen with print publications that now have a strong web presence. The future holds even more convergence opportunities. Many experts view this as simply being the tip of the iceberg, as all facets of institutional activity and social life such as business, government, art, journalism, health, and education are increasingly being carried out in these digital media spaces across a growing network of information and communication technology devices. Also included in this topic is the basis of computer networks, wherein many different operating systems are able to communicate via different protocols. The Television, Radio and Newspapers are the world's main mediums in accessing news and entertainment. Now, all 3 mediums have converged into one and people all over the world now can read news on the Internet. Convergence of media occurs when multiple products come together to form one product with the advantages of all of them, also known as the black box. Converging technologies seems to be squashing many types of demanded technologies into one. Mobile phones are becoming manufactured to not only carry out phone calls, text messages, but also hold images, videos, music, television, camera, and multimedia of all types. Manufacturers are now integrating more advanced features such as video recording, GPS receivers, data storage, and security mechanisms into the traditional cell phone. Media convergence in reality is more than just a shift in technology. It alters the relationship that already exists between industries, technologies, audiences, genres and markets. Media convergence changes the rationality in which media industries operate and also the way that media consumers process news and entertainment. Bearing in mind that media convergence in reality is essentially a process and not an outcome, there is no single black box that controls the flow of media into our homes and workplaces.
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Convergence
What is convergence? According to the English dictionary of Microsoft Encarta, convergence is a coming together from different directions , especially a uniting or merging of groups or tendencies that that were originally opposed or very different. According to Henry Jenkins convergence represents a paradigm shift. A move from medium-specific content toward content that flows across multiple media channels, toward the increased interdependence of communications systems, toward multiple ways of accessing media content, and toward ever more complex relations between top-down corporate media and bottom-up participatory culture. For me convergence is turning the world upside down, combining or mixing the opposed sides. Here are some trends and opportunity in convergence.

Marketing convergence has five C’s that are important to business success and these are:
Customerization—Convergence of customized and standardized offerings and messages
Community—Convergence of virtual and physical communities
Channels—Seamless convergence of call, click, and visit
Competitive value—Convergence of new and traditional competitive value equations and pricing models
Choice tools—Convergence of new search engines and decision tools for consumers and company-provided advice

According to Karen V. De Asis there are five steps for the era of marketing convergence.
1. Know your market; identify an emerging market. Know who are your target beneficiaries or your future customers. Come into sights markets that are appropriate to the segment of market that have not yet fully explored. Create products or services that have not yet offered to that portion of population. Make consumers co-creators of the value offer by discovering unarticulated or latent needs.
2. Maximize people creativity. At present time, marketers are challenged to develop new, disruptive products and services responsive to market needs. New marketers has the capability to think of new products and services that has not been offered to the market yet and give them birth and life.
3. Even retailing is not exempt from the phenomenon of convergence. It is not exempted as the time passes by the “retailing” part will developed into a much better business than trading. You can make new services aside from retailing.
4. Technology as an enabler. The Internet has allowed marketers to bring their brand to anywhere around the world. For instance, Godiva, a local skin care manufacturer uses an online storefront and e-commerce to reach global consumers. By the use of technology you can gain more consumers.
5. Sustain co-creation by anticipating the market’s evolving needs. Develop your product according to the changing needs of the market. Do not settle to just that that, develop your services or products to endure the constant changes of the consumer’s needs. This kind of persistent forward thinking is one of the key factors that push a company towards success. Convergence allows marketers to widen their minds farther resulting in revolutionary products and services that answer present and future needs of the market.
Technological convergence is the propensity for different technological systems to evolve towards performing similar tasks.
Convergence can refer to previously separate technologies such as voice (and telephony features), data (and productivity applications), and video that now share resources and interact with each other, synergistically creating new efficiencies. These days we are surrounded by multilevel convergent media where all modes of communication and information are constantly improving in order to adapt the continuing changes in technology, “changing the way we create, consume, learn and interact with each other”. I remember what Guy Kawasaki said let the thousand flower blooms. It means that if the consumer uses your product in other way that it should be used then do not panic take it as an opportunity to develop your product into far better than the previous one. For instance, the customer uses the moisturizing lotion into an insect repellant. Then the customer gives you an idea on other uses of your product. Also included in this topic is the basis of computer networks, wherein many different operating systems are able to communicate via different protocols. This could be a prelude to artificial intelligence networks on the Internet eventually leading to a powerful superintelligence via a technological singularity.
Internet is an important tool to reach the audiences around the world. Its users have been continually trying to create new ways in which internet can be useful in other ways. Television, radio and news paper are three different media in delivering information. But now these three media are now rolled in to one and put in a cell phone to make it more portable and comfortable to carry everywhere. And news now is not only read in news paper but also in the internet. They can also watch videos, Television Shows, listen to music, download and upload pictures, music and videos. One doesn't have to wait until the next day to hear the latest in news, fashion and music. The Internet is so easy to access that should anything happen, it would be displayed to the whole world within minutes.
Convergence of media occurs when multiple products come together to create one new product with the advantages of all of them.
Advertising Trends: Digital Convergence. Before the company only advertises their product and the consumer just buy it without any demands, the company promotes the product that they developed for the consumer. Not like now that the company advertises their product according to the demand of the people. Just like marketing, advertising changes rapidly. Several individual argue that changes have affected the advertising more than any other marketing function. Nowadays many different media outlets are available for communicating the customer; the problem here is in the ability to distinguish the right media outlet due to the convergence of different media types. In advertising and more suitably digital convergence, refers to a growing trend for using computer technology to deliver media programming and information. Convergence permits one media outlet to take advantage of features and benefits offered through other media outlets. For example, in many part of the world television programming is now delivered digitally via cable or satellite connected. This conveyance method uses the same rules in distributing information that is used to allow a person to connect to the internet. At present, product advertisements are not only seen on television but also on the internet. With the use of the internet as media outlet for advertising not only in that particular area with the same television cable can see the product endorsement but also in other parts of the world. Many entrepreneurs now uses internet as the medium in delivering information about their products but not just that the customer can also order online products. By doing this many customer can visit your business and order without any hassle. Using internet in your business can lessen the expense in promoting your products.
The convergence of television and Internet opens many possible opportunities for marketers to aim customers in ways not available with traditional television advertising. For example, technology may allow ads delivered to one household to be different than ads delivered to a neighbor’s television even though both households are watching the same program. But convergence is not limited to just television. Now there are televisions that can connect to the internet. Many media outlets are experiencing convergence as can be seen with print publications that now have a strong web presence. The future holds even more convergence opportunities. These include outdoor billboards that alter displays as cars containing geographic positioning systems (GPS) and other recognizable factors (e.g., GPS tied to satellite radio) pass by or direct mail postcards that carry a different message based on data that matches a household’s address with television viewing habits.
Convergence improved also the quality of endorsing (they combined music and pictures)such putting music in an endorsement that is what we call music marketing they make ear catching jingles to gained more consumer.

Environment trend. The environment trend has been from place to place and been a great effort for many companies such as automakers and electronics trying to take advantage of on the green awareness. Many companies abuse the environment by using machines, chemicals and other stuff that cause a fatal effect to our green environment. Caring for Mother Earth is still a big concern of the society. This trend can foresee opportunity by creating business that could reduce the use of oil and gas and developed new form of technology such as using wind and solar power as source of electricity. A Filipino inventor see this trend as an opportunity to him, he invented a device that could convert water to gas. Also, look to companies helping companies reduce energy consumption with new forms of energy saving products. For example, one small business is profiting from installing energy efficient shipping doors for corporate shipping operations.

Convergence is important to the success of the business because it allows every marketer to be innovative, jump to curves, break barriers and create new ideas that could twist the world make it a better place for every consumer. Before the relationship is only between company and the consumers and previous consumers are very passive but because of convergence or paradigm shift the relationship become a three-way-relationship of company , technology and consumer that is now changed to prosumers (these are active consumers or consumers that demand what product they need.)
References
FT Press Financial Times
brandchannel
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In the pass meeting we have watched the video clip or a documentary presenting facts and information about the start up business of Guy Kawasaki that compose of interesting topics just like make a meaning. That topic have three subtopics such as increase the quality of life, right a wrong and prevent the end of something good. In line of this our instructor follow up some of discussion about the marketing convergence, under this discussion we have the subtopics like death of consumer, internet marketing magic and venture to eCommerce. In addition the highlight at that time was the trends and opportunities in convergence this was under the model where introduce to us the SEED model, E stands for “Environmental Mastery”.

So if you can hear the word convergence what are the things or how can you state or describe clearly? If we talk about convergence it means coming together from different directions, especially a uniting or merging of groups or tendencies that were originally opposed or very different. However from the site where I surfed the convergence means is a process that entails a lot of innovation and new ways of thinking out of the box. Gary Hamel once said, “The greatest rewards go to companies that create new business models, spark new ideas, new markets, new sources of revenue based on changing technology, demographics and consumer habits.” C.K. Prahalad, added “Today’s customers are more informed, networked, active and global. The writer deliver the quote to us that the new market characteristics have led to a new form of value creation, where value is co-created by the both the company and its customers.” These two great strategists have underscored product success only when customers are involved in their development.

From the meaning it is all about both customers and the companies. Thinking new ideas or they say a new business models for tall the consumers are like an award from Oscar that have a great impact from one company. Today the businesses are not only for creating their wants but also the consumers where they can make and had some ideas or the customer is always right. It means the consumer can customize their own style or what they want. Today many changes in our industry for some improvements so that they can provide the wants and needs of consumers. Since the new era or the style of living today have different way in growing more capable one. Not like in the pass years our industry of business are common and ordinary business, like producing such product that they made then sell it to the market. The consumers can choose only a different color or even a shape. They can’t customize their stuffs on their wants and needs. Can you imagine? The old era of our business can’t give our satisfactory not only our self but also our money expending much of it. Readymade products that can’t be customize and can’t be change according to our wants and needs, it is satisfying to you? Some are satisfied on what they offer. But what if we change it from new era that the consumers can create and change according to their style or we called it wants. The new era improve the marketing today.
Introducing the “Marketing Convergence” How the Leading Companies Are Profiting from Integrating Online and Offline Marketing Strategies will enable you to market your products and services more effectively using the Internet. You will increase your organization’s profitability because you’ll know how to navigate the minefields of online, interactive, and traditional marketing. You’ll have the key strategic insights into integrating your marketing across all media, and you’ll know how those strategies profitably—the way they have been used by some of the world’s smartest marketers. By: Susan K. Jones and Edward J. "Ted" Spiegel. From above discussion for me it is all about the convergence of two factors in earning money, the online marketing and offline marketing strategies. In that way the consumers can market through using online. These strategy has advantage too because several people today used an internet for their communication purposes but in that communication they can advertise of market their products. Services and products are more effectively using online, for example the much known social online communication today the Face book. These we called the technological era. We can see several account in face book that advertising there products even their services. The company or business increase there profitability in the sense of navigating or surfing from internet way, interactive and traditional marketing strategy, so they can have their insights into integrating the marketing across all media. Inline of these there are few sections to have the marketing strategy convergence.
Section I helps you identify the key signs to watch--and watch out for--including:
• The most profitable ways of “marrying” marketing and technology for greater market reach, brand building, and profitability.
• The truly critical components of successful convergence and integration.
• How to zero-in on the new savings—and avoid the new costs—of the new media.
• Rediscovering the power of testing through Internet “speed-of-light” testing.
• Maintaining the all-important human touch in all marketing and media channels.
• Putting profitability, community, and “stickiness” into proper perspective.
Section II gives you the inside stories of the leaders of marketing convergence—the smart marketers who avoided the hype and capitalized on the substantial benefits of integrated marketing strategies and tactics. Some are well-known, others aren’t. But they share one thing: They used the strategies in this book to tailor their marketing programs to profitably meet the online and offline needs of their customers.

The days of gaining instant riches online with no thought to the basics are gone. So are the days of broken promises, alienated customers, and disillusioned stockholders. The tools and hard-won experience chronicled in Marketing Convergence can make profitable integrated marketing a reality for you and your every company.

Those sections are stated also by Susan K. Jones and Edward J. "Ted" Spiegel. The objective of there theory was to give knowledge of those people who building there own marketing convergence and have some improvement of their won idea. The two writers want us to avoid in the hard sell and capitalized on the substantial benefits of integrated marketing strategies and tactics. The market today have change the characteristics that can led to the new form of assessment conception, the objective is to combine the two factors of marketing the consumers and the company. The market today can offer some value that can create by the both of their company and its consumers. These new market characteristics have led to a new form of value creation, where value is co-created by the both the company and its customers.” These two great strategists have underscored product success only when customers are involved in their development. But there are some of disadvantages because not all marketers and organizations can effectively handle or initiate disruptive innovations. It means some of the new company handles the new era of marketing products are not suited to their skills and those are can lead to the failure of business. We all know that in the life of business or technopreneur has two faces the success and the failure. It will cost a big experience to handle the difficulty of creating and developing completely new ideas and make it to the market and introduce it to the people what are the changes of the products. Under this situation there are tips on how to manage successful, market-driven innovations. It is the steps introduce are timeless marketing principles that recreate to suit new age marketing in a convergent market. I surf it from the internet some steps that the new age of marketing is in convergent market. These include: identifying and knowing the target market while discovering emergent markets; recognizing unarticulated needs and making customers co-creators of the value offer; maximizing people creativity; using technology as an enabler; and sustaining co-creation by responding and anticipating the evolving needs of the market while maintaining functional relevance.

So much for that there are also a trend of marketing convergence it is depending on the demand or result, needs and wants of the community. Century ago and many years grown up from the old era, now we are now in the era of technology the demands or requests of the human beings are more growing and growing according to their wants and needs it is increasingly high. A convergence of technology has a result that gives the consumers the convenience of having a changeable or they can customize according to their wants and can give there needs according to the style of living. When technological convergence first gives birth to a new multi-technology, the various technologies it is comprised of are usually at a slightly lower standard than independent devices. Usually within a year or two, however, this disparate quality is reduced to a virtually unnoticeable level. Technological convergence if appropriately managed can play an important role in national economic and social development of every nation. Governments can capitalize on the opportunity to stimulate market development and meet previous unmet society communication needs.

As a newly born technopreneur, I am not fully aware of what marketing convergence can bring benefits to my business. However, I already have some facts and hints on this area. One of the best methods on how this convergence can be imparted is through the online internet. That’s how great and powerful internet is. Buyer is not anymore “Consumer”. They are now called to be a “Prosumer”. One of the advantages of being a Prosumer is they can demand and request products and services from the company. And I guess it is better to be prosumer nowadays. Customers will still respond to more traditional marketing approaches, but increasing- ly they are better informed, more skeptical and more resistant to a company’s messages. These customers will seek information for themselves both on and off your site and will want to communicate to the organization directly not simply through a corporate channel. The human capital era or knowledge economy demands forward thinking, highly intuitive, reflective and creative thinkers while making obsolete mainstream thinking. Today’s marketers are challenged to develop new, disruptive products and services responsive to market needs. New age marketers are capable of imagining products and services, new markets and entire industries that do not yet exist and give them birth and life. This we call convergence help those company to improve and produce a better product and services to the goods of the consumer. Prosumer are those people who are not fully satisfied what are just available. But also they are the one who choose and decide what’s that they think it would be the best for them. As a student, I prefer to be what prosumer than to be a consumer. It is because prosumer can do better and more than consumer can. In fact I had read from the internet article that says “Customers want to call, click or visit with seamless interaction across online and offline channels, in person, by phone, on the Internet or through wireless”, say the authors of Convergence Marketing. From this line, this is more concern to the easier and fast access of communication to the company they want to have orders. A target market can be any segment of the population. Today, there are several emerging markets in the world. Emerging markets pertain to market segments that have not yet been fully explored but show a lot of promise Companies need to design strategies that combine the strategies to address them all.they should be more idealistic and realistic to what people need. Today, for example, press releases should be written for both online distribution and web site optimization, sent out to different editors and written and distributed in very different ways. Advertising is one of the example that suite to the need to a simple and uncomplicated showing or proposing products and services to customers. Even though I am a certified user of internet, I still have the gradual knowledge of earning money from it. And I believe that convergence is about maximizing people’s creativity.

References:

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Convergence+of+opportunities+and+interests+in+pharmaceuticals+and...-a0159076715
http://www.caneval.com/downloads/Information_FMI2601.pdf
http://mmadou.eng.uci.edu/PressArchives/BioTechnology.pdf
http://business-video.tmcnet.com/news/2010/11/19/5148604.htm
http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-9717743-1.html

Convergence

One recurrent theme in the discussion about the features of the new economy is the claim that due to an increased rate of technological change and widespread deregulation, markets like telecommunications, computers, and entertainment are converging. After clarifying what is meant by market convergence, four different broad patterns of market convergence and their impact on industry dynamics are analyzed.

Marketing convergence is the soul of the success in businesses and especially in the industry. Since the technopreneurs have initiated convergence, the performance in market leaves a great legacy in the industry. During this time, the market has gained a breakthrough in introducing their products to the people. In convergence, it also show us a picture of meeting of all capitalists all over the world sharing their ideas, planning for a strategy and making action in order to implement the concept that they have discussed. It is here also where can identify trends and discover opportunities.

Two of the components of Environmental Mastery are the trends and opportunities in convergence and marketing convergence. This time the discussion will be focusing on these two components on how it affects a lot to the growth of industry. Along with the discussion, we will be able to understand the direction of trends, and recognize trends and opportunities as well as the big contribution of convergence to the market. There are lots of changes in industry because of these two, and they go together hand in hand. After many years, the industry has experienced prosperity and the main reason is convergence. Not only industry has benefited that much from convergence but also the people especially those who are seeking for a job.

If one is interested in a definition of market convergence, it is useful to reflect about what is actually meant when talking about industries and, especially, markets. From an economic viewpoint, a market is a locus of exchange. In order to understand the formation of prices in a particular market, the relevant suppliers and demanders have to be identified (Stigler/Sherwin 1985). Dictionaries define convergence as the movement towards the same point or the meeting of two elements. Applied to our discussion, this means that at least two existing markets have to be effected by market convergence. Since markets can be defined by demand or by supply factors, we can distinguish supply sided technological convergence from product convergence on the demand side. Technological convergent markets produce different goods and services with similar sets of technological capabilities. Convergent markets on the product level, on the other hand, offer substantial substitute or complementary product characteristics, but employ different technologies. Thus, markets can also converge either as substitutes or as complements. Technologies can be substitutes and complements, too. In the former case, an existing technology is replaced with another, while in the later case two formerly unrelated technologies are used together.

Convergence in the first place was described as the existence of unordinary ideas and concepts about the improvement of the industry. It is also the beginning of existence of all innovative products of technology in the industry. Convergence also emphasizes that industry has a big chance to keep out from being doomed for the past years. The concept of convergence is very helpful to everyone especially to technoperneurs because through these they will be able to make better decision on how to restore the big loss of the industry. It is true that many heads is better than one. It means that industry will prosper only if there is a convergence among the technopreneurs in the world. When it happens, definitely there would be advancement in the performance of everyone.
Convergence in addition is the start of change in the market industry. This is where the new exist products were meeting together in the market. Moreover, it has a great contribution in the marketplace for it brings the market into a higher rank basing on its products. As it prospers, grows continually and persistently spreading worldwide, many opportunities occur from lifestyle changes as well as evolutions of styles in business are developed through convergence. As an example, let us consider the use of information technology and communication, development of GPS, development of handheld computer and mobile phones and the emergence of outdoor cinemas. These are only some of the proofs that convergence is really working and as we observe it really changes the set up of the world.

The start of convergence was when the industry realized that there are still lacking and that they are not satisfied of what is present in the market. They have seen that the products in the market are not enough to make the life of the people more convenient. Due to the longing of the industry to provide a more intensive service towards the consumers, they arrived at this point where a new economy was introduced. This new economy is bringing the trends of a remarkable ways and strategies in introducing their products in the market. Convergence also talks about the evolution of marketing strategies. It challenges the very essence of the traditional marketing strategy. It compares the past and the present approach of the products in the market. In the present, the industry make used of the internet to advertise their products and introduced it to the consumers. Not only in the marketing strategies that marketing convergence talks about, it also gives us an idea in producing several opportunities using technology. The technology is now a popular means in providing ways to the people on how and where to seek for a job to become a source of income. The internet is widely used to explore the world of business opportunities. This is also the medium that technopreneurs uses in order to gain more consumers from the different places in the world.
Marketing strategy in a business is very relevant because it is the one that gives life to the business and it is the one where you can find challenge in handling a business. Since at the beginning, marketing strategy is already present and are already applied in the industry, without this one industry cannot move forward from where it is originated. Various strategies exist but it is important to choose and to use the best. In order to identify which strategy is most capable, the approval of the majority of the investors is necessary to validate the decision. These strategies will serve as a guide of a business and it will also give an edge to an investor from the other competitors. When a business establishes a perfect strategy, it will give them a merit through the outcomes that a business may give to them. The outcomes will be identified in the revenues at the end of time as the business was being evaluated. The effectiveness of the strategy can be measured through the demand of the products that is produced by the market and the investors will observe changes in the flow of money in the business.
Sometimes we need to become a nerd. Nerd people are those who think differently from ordinary people. They go through the deeper meaning of something. The same with technopreneurship, it is an advantage to a tecnopreneur if he or she has a mind of being a nerd because he can go beyond the limitation of his thinking. Many have tried to become nerds in taking the action of building strategies to make their business known to people and they succeeded. They think unpopular, meaning they think unusual things that a person with a shallow understanding about business cannot figure out. They have tried something different that will probably catch the taste of the consumers. They also find a way that all of their consumers will become convenient with the services and products they are introducing in the market. If in the previous years the technopreneurs are all limited with their ideas in introducing their products, now, they are ready to try more methods because they are already aware of the needs of the people in a society. They let the people give them the ideas and from those ideas they supply them with their demands.
If we trace the trends between the past and the present, it has a big difference. Before, the market is not really excelling in the industry. The products they are selling are not that known to everyone because also of the marketing strategy that they are applying. Until such time that evolution in market started where various business minded people decided to start convergence. We can see that there are changes happening within the industry. Every years, there are differences occurred in the market. There is an evolution of products and methods in marketing. Simple products were converted into more flexible and usable for the people. The evolution of trends in the industry especially in the market brings the life of the people into simple and convenient.
The main purpose of convergence is the emerging of new ideas and concepts about the market to arrive in a more comprehensive means of earning. In order to hold a more competitive and advantageous position compared with their investors, carriers today are looking for evolutionary approaches to maximize their revenues from existing infrastructure while minimizing both the life-cycle and operational costs of their networks. This balance calls for technology and solutions that can offer simple network operations, reduced capital and operational expenses, as well as scalability, flexibility, and quality of service capabilities.

As we observed today, we can conclude that convergence is really effective. The products and services that we are enjoying today is a result of convergence. We observe today that everything are done and acquire instantly. Most of the products introduced in the market are products of the effective techniques of the technopreneurs in the industry.
In evolutionary economics, Sahal (1985) and Dosi (1988) have developed similar

conceptions of technological convergence. They argue that certain technological paradigms spread their effects over a range of industries and induce innovative activities in once stagnant markets. An example is digital electronics and its impact on both the computer and telecommunications industries (Hagedoorn/Duysters 1998, Rao 1999). From this perspective, an important consequence of technological convergence is the broadening of the technological base of large established firms (e.g. Cantwell/Fai 1999, Fai/Tunzelmann 2001). In order to be able to adapt to technological change, large firms have to digest technological knowledge increasingly developed in other industries but which has an impact on their businesses. Furthermore, firms could use their broader technological base as a springboard for entering new technologically convergent markets (Teece/Rumelt/Dosi/Winter 1994). Since 3technological competencies can be utilized in more than one industry, diversified firms possibly have competitive advantages over their more focused competitors.

Not surprisingly, this idea figures prominently in the management literature on corporate strategy and market convergence. Important early authors are Porter (1985) and Hamel/Prahalad (1994), who argued independently that technological innovations and political deregulation of product markets “blur” the boundaries of traditional industries. Technologies (Porter 1985) and core competencies (Hamel/Prahalad 1994) can be exploited in formerly different industries. At the same time, different existing products are becoming close substitutes, since their functions are increasingly unified and bundled in innovative products (Katz 1996, Yoffie 1997, Collis/Bane/Bradley 1997). Thus, from this point of view, industry convergence not only implies the convergence of technologies but of products at the same time. Furthermore, industry convergence can also lead to a convergence in complements. In this case, previously unrelated products became complementary and tend to be used together (Greenstein/Khanna 1997). The strategic response to this “new competitive landscape” (Bettis/Hitt 1995) is an increased reliance on corporate networks and strategic alliances (Gomes-Casseres 1996), and the migration and diversification of firms into new markets (Reve 1990, Wirtz 2001).










[b]

ramcisolanobero_bsit3day

After a very inspiring and outstanding words of inspiration and wisdom or Mr. Guy Kawasaki, another inspiring and great ideas that I will be discussed over this post. This is not just plainly showcases about the question but it also consist of some related ideas that interconnect about the said and given question.
Marketing convergence, hmmm “what a word”, I was just happy and glad that I was able to know and to be exposed not just in technologies and companies with this subject Technopreneurship1 and Technopreneurship 2 but I was also able to know and even encounter new words like Marketing Convergence. At first when we were told by Mr Randy Gamboa about “what is marketing convergence?” I was not able to recognize at first about the new word, but later of the discussion I was able to recognize and even generate not just great ideas but above all I was able to generate and recognized great opportunities. And that’s the essence of Technopreneurship2; recognizing ideas and opportunities, imagining to innovating.


Just a little discussion about what Guy Kawasaki has told and taught, that in establishing a business or a company, we not just for see about the profit that we will be gonna receive or take, but we should look and go forward with it meaning. Business without meaning is useless and I guess worthless.
When we say Marketing convergence, it involves technology, business, industries and community products. In the case of technological convergence, unrelated product markets become related from a technological point of view, because they begin to share the same technological capabilities. As already mentioned, two principal causes for technological convergence can be distinguished: technological substitutes and technological complements. In the case of product convergence, established markets become related from a demand point of view. They begin to share similar or complementary product characteristics, leading to a convergence in substitutes or complements.


The objective of Marketing Convergence is to understand the direction of trends, ad able to recognize trends and opportunities, and even to cite Technopreneur ideas. Marketing showcases about selling good, advertising and promotion of products in the market; not literally in the market whom you can see vendors, veggies (vegetables) but what I mean is showcasing, advertising, and promoting goods and products to the people in any forms of selling. We can also say the convergence of opportunities and trends; It could be online and others. In convergence, it tells us union, meeting, combination, merging or idea products, good to people. In convergence, it also show us a picture of meeting of all capitalists all over the world sharing their ideas, planning for a strategy and making action in order to implement the concept that they have discussed. It is here also where can identify trends and discover opportunities. So marketing convergence is the union of technology, business, industries and social and community products.


Marketing convergence also involves related topics like the death of the consumer, internet marketing magic and lastly ventures ecommerce. We can also say Marketing Convergence = Trends and Opportunities. In relation to this, there is also what we call Convergence of Technologies, which means the industries are coming together and merge several technologies. This is the union of different technologies to promote their inventions and even help others to impart knowledge about the business. In a definition of market convergence, it is useful to reflect about what is actually meant when talking about industries and, especially, markets. Dictionaries define convergence as the movement towards the same point or the meeting of two elements. Applied to our discussion, this means that at least two existing markets have to be effected by market convergence. Since markets can be defined by demand or by supply factors, we can distinguish supply sided technological convergence from product convergence on the demand side. Technological convergent markets produce different goods and services with similar sets of technological capabilities. Convergent markets on the product level, on the other hand, offer substantial substitute or complementary product characteristics, but employ different technologies. Thus, markets can also converge either as substitutes or as complements. Technologies can be substitutes and complements, too. In the former case, an existing technology is replaced with another, while in the later case two formerly unrelated technologies are used together.


In marketing convergence, we can say that customer can participate and can demand now. This generation most of customers demands and not satisfied of what business and even producers offers. The superiority now belongs to the customers, that even they can just demand, any I think and in my own viewpoint, I guess it is very advantage that now customers are now involve in producing technologies, products, good because above all, customers will be the one who will use and even will utilize those products; And a funny idea of “the customers now is always right” (n_n) this is also to help customers make things simplified and very convenient for them. From this perspective, an important consequence of technological convergence is the broadening of the technological base of large established firms. In order to be able to adapt to technological change, large firms have to digest technological knowledge increasingly developed in other industries but which has an impact on their businesses. Furthermore, firms could use their broader technological base as a springboard for entering new technologically convergent markets. Since technological competencies can be utilized in more than one industry, diversified firms possibly have competitive advantages over their more focused competitors.


Traditionally, markets are defined by the substitutability of the traded product. it should be treated as substitutes if they satisfy the same want. A product as a bundle of multiple product characteristics. Consumers do not derive their utility from the product as such but from the embodied mixture of product characteristics. Substitutes are products that share common characteristics, even if the exact mixture or specification of the characteristics varies.
Consequently, the boundary or width of a market is determined by grouping products with similar characteristics. Moreover, to derive or increase the utility of certain products it is required to jointly use other products,


The idea marketing convergence:

COMPANY
CONSUMER TECHNOLOGY

And below of the structure are:

Customerization, this means the involvement now of customers as what I have discussed above. That they can participate in generating ideas to create product. A customer knows best!

Community, we can also say that community could also be mean and considers as the customers.

Channel,

Competitive, the effectiveness and competitiveness.

Goals, the aims, objectives, its purpose and target


And what I learned from Mr Randy Gamboa, and now practices by most people and business:

TRADITIONAL MARKETING
(new)
PRODUCT ========== CUSTOMER
PRICE ============= COST
PROMOTION ======== COMMUNICATION
PLACE ============= CONVENIENT

This new paradigm is now and most people practices today because of the demand of the customers.


images

What is marketing convergence?
So first let us discuss what is convergence. Convergence is the merging of distinct technologies, industries, or devices into a unified whole. There is also this technological convergence.
Technological convergence is the tendency for different technological systems to evolve towards performing similar tasks.
Convergence can refer to previously separate technologies such as voice (and telephony features), data (and productivity applications), and video that now share resources and interact with each other, synergistically creating new efficiencies.
Today, we are surrounded by a multi-level convergent media world where all modes of communication and information are continually reforming to adapt to the enduring demands of technologies, "changing the way we create, consume, learn and interact with each other".
Convergence in this instance is defined as the interlinking of computing and other information technologies, media content, and communication networks that have arisen as the result of the evolution and popularisation of the Internet as well as the activities, products and services that have emerged in the digital media space.
Many experts view this as simply being the tip of the iceberg, as all facets of institutional activity and social life such as business, government, art, journalism, health, and education are increasingly being carried out in these digital media spaces across a growing network of information and communication technology devices.
Also included in this topic is the basis of computer networks, wherein many different operating systems are able to communicate via different protocols. This could be a prelude toartificial intelligence networks on the Internet eventually leading to a powerful superintelligence via a technological singularity.
The rise of digital communication in the late 20th century made it possible for media organizations (or individuals) to deliver text, audio, and video material over the same wired, wireless, or fiber-optic connections. At the same time, it inspired some media organizations to explore multimedia delivery of information. This digital convergence of news media, in particular, was called "Mediamorphosis" by researcher Roger Fidler, in his 1997 book by that name.
The Internet is a globalized network and was officially launched in 1969. Over the past 40 years, its role has changed rapidly from being used mainly for communication, and easier, faster access to information for Universities and various other educational institutions. In today's world, it is an important tool used to reach various audiences around the world. Its users have been constantly trying to create more ways in which the Internet can be useful in more ways than one. The Television, Radio and Newspapers are the world's main mediums in accessing news and entertainment. Now, all 3 mediums have converged into one and people all over the world now can read news on the Internet. They can also watch videos, Television Shows, listen to music, download and upload pictures, music and videos. One doesn't have to wait until the next day to hear the latest in news, fashion and music. The Internet is so easy to access that should anything happen, it would be displayed to the whole world within minutes.
Convergence of media occurs when multiple products come together to form one product with the advantages of all of them, also known as the black box. This idea of one technology, concocted by Jenkins, has become known more as a fallacy because of the inability to actually put all technical pieces into one. For example, while people can have e-mail and Internet on their phone, they still want full computers with Internet and e-mail in addition. See Concentration of media ownership for the similar sounding phrase of media convergence.
convergence is a concept in which old and new media intersect; when grassroots and corporate media intertwine in such a way that the balance of power between media producers and media consumers shifts in unpredictable ways. According to Henry Jenkins who is a highly respected media analyst and one of the foremost leading experts on the convergence culture paradigm, as well as former DeFlorz Professor of Humanities and the Founder and former Director of the Comparative Media Studies Program at MIT states that,
"the flow of content across multiple media platforms, the cooperation between multiple media industries, and the migratory behaviour of media audiences."
Media convergence is not just a technological shift or a technological process, it also includes shifts within the industrial, cultural, and social paradigms that encourage the consumer to seek out new information. Convergence, simply put, is how individual consumers interact with others on a social level and use various media platforms to create new experiences, new forms of media and content that connect us socially, and not just to other consumers, but to the corporate producers of media in ways that have not been as readily accessible in the past.
For example, the Wii is not only a games console, but also a web browser and social networking tool. Mobile phones are another good example, in that they increasingly incorporatedigital cameras, mp3 players, camcorders, voice recorders, and other devices.
This type of convergence is very popular. For the consumer it means more features in less space, while for the media conglomerates it means remaining competitive in the struggle for market dominance. With the advance in technology comes the ability for technological convergence which Rheingold believes alters the "social-side effects" in that "the virtual, social and physical world are colliding, merging and coordinating"
However, convergence can have its downside. Particularly in their initial forms, converged devices are frequently less functional and reliable than their component parts (e.g. a DVD may perform better on a traditional DVD player than on a games console). As the amount of functions in a single device escalates, the ability of that device to serve its original function decreases. For example, the iPhone (which by its name implies that its primary function is that of a mobile phone) can perform many different tasks, but does not feature a traditional numerical pad to make phone calls. Instead, the phone features a touchpad, which some users have found troublesome compared to a conventional phone. As Rheingold asserts, technological convergence holds immense potential for the "improvement of life and liberty in some ways and (could) degrade it in others" He believes the same technology has the potential to be "used as both a weapon of social control and a means of resistance”
Regardless, an ever-wider range of technologies are being converged into single multipurpose devices.
Since technology has evolved in the past ten years or so, companies are beginning to converge technologies to create demand for new products. This would include phone companies integrating 3G on their phones. In the mid 20th century, television converged the technologies of movies and radio, and television is now being converged with the mobile phone industry. Phone calls are also being made with the use of personal computers. Converging technologies seems to be squashing many types of demanded technologies into one. Mobile phones are becoming manufactured to not only carry out phone calls, text messages, but also hold images, videos, music, television, camera, and multimedia of all types. Manufacturers are now integrating more advanced features such as video recording, GPS receivers, data storage, and security mechanisms into the traditional cellphone.
These paradigm shifts are ongoing in the media, and often occur from time to time as the technology to create better devices evolves. It was predicted in the 1990s that a digital revolutionwould take place,and that old media would be pushed to one side by new media. Broadcasting is increasingly being replaced by the Internet, enabling consumers all over the world the freedom to access their preferred media content more easily and at a more available rate than ever before.
However, when the dot com bubble of the 1990s suddenly popped, that poured cold water over the talk of such a digital revolution. In today's society, the idea of media convergence has once again emerged as a key point of reference as newer as well as established media companies attempt to visualise the future of the entertainment industry. If this revolutionary digital paradigm shift presumed that old media would be increasingly replaced by new media, the convergence paradigm that is currently emerging suggests that new and old media would interact in more complex ways than previously predicted. The paradigm shift that followed the digital revolution assumed that new media was going to change everything. When the dot com market crashed, there was a tendency to imagine that nothing had changed. The real truth lay somewhere in between as there were so many aspects of the current media environment to take into consideration. Many industry leaders are increasingly reverting to media convergence as a way of making sense in an era of disorientating change. In that respect, media convergence in theory is essentially an old concept taking on a new meaning.
Media convergence in reality is more than just a shift in technology. It alters the relationship that already exists between industries, technologies, audiences, genres and markets. Media convergence changes the rationality in which media industries operate and also the way that media consumers process news and entertainment. Bearing in mind that media convergence in reality is essentially a process and not an outcome, there is no single black box that controls the flow of media into our homes and workplaces. With the proliferation of different media channels and the increasing portability of new telecommunications and computing technologies, we have entered into an era where the media is constantly surrounding us. Believe it or not, today's modern society is already existing within a convergence culture.
Media convergence requires companies operating within the scope of the media to rethink existing assumptions about media from the consumer's point of view, as these assumptions affect both marketing and programming decisions. Media producers have to respond to these newly empowered consumers in today's society to reinvent existing concepts to keep them up to date with emerging trends. Consumers these days do not just want to be on a one way transmission model where they simply receive information. They want to interact with it. They want to create it. They want to participate within it. Media convergence has allowed that to happen and as the proliferation of new communication technologies continues to occur, this trend is here to stay.
So in the internet lot of opportunities and trends rise up. Just imagine if you have one million people whom you share the same interest and if you just costthem 1 penny then you have earned a million penny.
Because of a lot of things that has risen in this world a lot of things have evolved, and one of those things that has evolved is the business world. How? There has been a convergence of technology and the business. Because of this growing world most of the things that surrounds us are trying their very best to cope up with the changes that has been happening. When the business has evolved into a different angle all of the business did their best to catch up with the new trend. Now is the computer generation, a generation where techy people arise and innovate continuously. So for the business world to catch up with the new trend that the techy people has set they have mixed technology and business together. Now a day’s wherever you look you can see technology and business working together in harmony. Mall uses escalators, cash registers, security cameras and a lot more. There are also business which are really dependent on technology, like those ecommerce. Internet has conquered the world, out of ten people nine of it has internet connection. This has gave the business owners the idea to put their business in the internet of even advertise their products through the internet.
In the discussion last meeting there are a lot of things that has been taught to us by Guy Kawasaki on the video we watched. There he had sited some points on what is marketing convergence. It is the turning of tables, making things happen in a different way. Being unique. It is jumping over the curve. Convergence simply means the gathering, meeting, emergence, union, combination, and the blending of different aspects or factors like technology, market, the industry and the ideas also. These things are being delivered to the people. So marketing convergence also involves connected topics like the death of the consumer, internet marketing magic and lastly ventures ecommerce. We can also say marketing convergence is equal to the trends and opportunities. In connection to this, there is also this thing which we call the convergence of technology, which means the industries are coming together and merge several technologies to create a new idea. This is the union of different technologies to promote their inventions and even help others to impart knowledge about the business. In a definition of market convergence, it is useful to reflect about what is actually meant when talking about industries and, especially, markets. The dictionary defines convergence as the movement towards the same point or the meeting of two elements. In connection to our topic, this implies that at least two existing markets have to be affected by the convergence of markets. Technological convergence market produces different goods and services with similar sets of technological capabilities, like when you go to different malls they use almost the same facilities. So in convergence market on the product level offer substantial substitute or complementary product characteristics, but uses different technologies. Thus, markets can also converge either as substitutes or as complements. Technologies can be substitutes and complements, too. In the former case, an existing technology is replaced with another, while in the later case two formerly unrelated technologies are used together. So to be able to compete with the growing business or market world we have to jump into the idea of convergence of these two elements, the market and the technology. So because of the evolving world of technology and the market there has been a death of consumers. Yes, sad to hear but that is the truth. Due to some factors we are now called prosumers. Active consumers and demanding consumers; that was the main reason why consumers died and has given a way to prosumers to live and rule. Because of the rising technological market, consumers now learned to demand, they now actively participate with the market. As prosumers we now demand the design, the way the food is to be served and more. So typically what we understand of a market is that they present to us consumers the products, they just tells the consumers that they buy this things. So in this generation consumers participate in generating new ideas to be catered for the consumers.








Reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_convergence
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/convergence

convergence
In general, convergence is a coming together of two or more distinct entities or phenomena. Convergence is increasingly prevalent in the IT world; in this context the term refers to the combination of two or more different technologies in a single device. Taking pictures with a cell phone and surfing the Web on a television are two of the most common examples of this trend.
Convergence may influence consumers to accept new technologies. According to some studies, people who aren't computer literate are more likely to embrace the Internet, video-on-demand, and so on if they can -- at least initially -- access these technologies through their televisions. In general, TV is familiar and non-threatening. Displays are large and TVs are easy to operate, requiring almost no training. Personal computers, in spite of their graphical user interfaces ( GUI ) tend to be more text-oriented, highly interactive, oriented in terms of purpose and content toward business and education uses. Displays are smaller. Computers can be very challenging to use and usually require formal education or a certain personal learning curve.
Computer-television convergence is already underway with WebTV , which pipes the World Wide Web to a slightly-modified TV set with a set-top box from an ordinary phone line and provides a degree of interactivity. A number of interactive games designed for the TV environment can also be played over the Internet. Broadcasting companies such as NBC have partnered with computer companies such as Microsoft for TV program content.
A major barrier to more rapid convergence is the large investment required to bring cable TV to households, both by cable access providers and individual households. Satellite wireless service is another approach that is only beginning to bring its subscribers access to the Internet. Digital Subscriber Line ( DSL ) technologies offer the possibility of sufficient bandwidth connections over ordinary phone wires for streaming video to TV sets.
These paradigm shifts are ongoing in the media, and often occur from time to time as the technology to create better devices evolves. It was predicted in the 1990s that a digital revolutionwould take place,and that old media would be pushed to one side by new media. Broadcasting is increasingly being replaced by the Internet, enabling consumers all over the world the freedom to access their preferred media content more easily and at a more available rate than ever before.
However, when the dot com bubble of the 1990s suddenly popped, that poured cold water over the talk of such a digital revolution. In today's society, the idea of media convergence has once again emerged as a key point of reference as newer as well as established media companies attempt to visualise the future of the entertainment industry. If this revolutionary digital paradigm shift presumed that old media would be increasingly replaced by new media, the convergence paradigm that is currently emerging suggests that new and old media would interact in more complex ways than previously predicted.
A consortium of leading computer and telecommunication companies including Compaq, IBM, and Microsoft are working toward common standards that will help speed up convergence and hope to sponsor a standard for a relatively low-cost digital TV . They have endorsed a subset of the recommendations of the Advanced Television System Committee (ATSC) that would speed up a transition to digital TV and so that personal computers could have the ability to receive digital video and data.
Global megatrends are overarching global forces that stem from the past, are shaped in present and will transform the future. These forces impact developments in various areas such as our geo-political, social, cultural, economic and technological surroundings, and they influence consumers' lives across countries, industries, social classes and age groups. While megatrends are neither mutually exclusive nor completely exhaustive in terms of explaining future realities, they provide authoritative insights into how companies can prepare for the future. Progressive corporations use systematic analysis of megatrends to build and improve market scenarios, and develop strategies that help them anticipating and leveraging future business opportunities. The capability to comprehend megatrends can make all the divergence between taking advantage of new business opportunities as they arise, and chasing competitors for next best, often times short-term ideas. Technological convergence is the trend of technologies to come together into new technologies that bring together a countless of media. While in times gone by, technology handled one medium or accomplished one or two tasks, through technological convergence, devices are now able to present and interact with a ample array of media. “Technological convergence” is a fancy name for a simple idea: that over time, different technology systems will evolve to let you do similar tasks. Looking at mobile, device convergence means that if you can do something with a particular phone right now, you would expect to be able to do it on ANY phone before too long.
For years, mobile device convergence faced tremendous obstacles. But finally a real solution is emerging: an important technology called HTML5. Let me explain.
An app made for the iPhone cannot run on a Blackberry, and vice versa. In general, native mobile apps have to be remade for each platform, more or less from scratch. This gets tremendously costly very fast. It has proven a giant obstacle to mobile device convergence to date.
In other words: Making just an iPhone app is straightforward and affordable enough. But to remake it for Blackberry, then again for Android, then again for Windows Mobile, etc., adds up fast. The cost can total many tens, even hundreds of thousands of dollars.
For organizations with very large IT budgets (think Fortune 500), that's fine. For the vast majority of companies, though, developing an app for every platform is not realistic. So in practice, only one or two platforms will end up being supported. Only those device types will be part of the full corporate IT stack.
Enter the solution: HTML5. HTML5 allows IT to create rich, high quality web applications that behave much like native "apps", doing most of the things a regular app can do. The difference is that an HTML 5 app only has to be created once. If engineered well, the app will run on any modern smartphone, and is likely to automatically work on most new phones over the coming years.
iPhone one and Android support much of HTML5 now. The next generation of devices from Blackberry and Nokia will also, and makers of other mobile device platforms (including Microsoft) are working hard to catch up. By the end of 2011, expect the vast majority of new devices to ship with strong support for this technology. Convergence gives rise to new services and applications, which are bandwidth intensive, requiring an existence of broadband infrastructure. Only with broadband access is the use of complex services (e.g. multimedia services) attractive or possible in the first place. While developed economies may not face a bandwidth shortage dilemma, the same may not be said about most of the developing economies where telecommunication infrastructures are still relying on narrowband technologies. These countries face the challenge of having to upgrade their infrastructure or miss on the benefits of the technological convergence. In meeting this challenge, as it was in the past, financial constraints will continue to be a problem.







Trends
An aspect of technical analysis that tries to predict the future movement of a stock based on past data. Trend analysis is based on the idea that what has happened in the past gives traders an idea of what will happen in the future.

There are three main types of trends: short-, intermediate- and long-term.
Trend analysis tries to predict a trend like a bull market run and ride that trend until data suggests a trend reversal (e.g. bull to bear market). Trend analysis is helpful because moving with trends, and not against them, will lead to profit for an investor.





Opportunities
“OPPORTUNITIES” in Technological Convergence. Whenever there is a trend in technology, there will always be an opportunity. As we face the advent of touch – screen mobile phones, the screen manufacturer’s sees this as a lucrative opportunity. Not all mobile phone makers makes their own screen display, they have other manufacturer that manufactures the screen display for them. As the demand for touch screen mobile phones rises, their manufacturing output also rises. This creates more jobs to meet the demands of the consuming public.


reference:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/convergence
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trend
http://www.adb.org/opportunities/

The world experiences a fast-changing technology evolution. This includes the convergence of technology which refers to the trend of various technological systems to progress towards executing similar tasks in a more integrated manner. This corresponds to the originally separate technologies previously which now became a general purpose gadget, machine or equipment such as smart phones, refrigerator, computers and many other electronic devices, which are made more efficient, productive and interactive, but more expensive.
Smart phones previously are just mainly used for texting and calling people situated in the remote areas. But, due to the technological convergence, smart phones now are made handy, smarter, sophisticated and interactive. These are now used for calling, texting, capturing images, recording voice and video, locating someone (via GPS), retrieving electronic files, playing games and even connecting to the internet. Likewise, the computers do the same. They almost do similar tasks, in only varies with the cost, speed and portability an electronic device can offer.
During our previous discussion, it has been said that convergence occurs due to several factors. These include customerization, community, channels, competitive value and choice. Part of the business strategy is offering something much more interesting products at an affordable and a reasonable cost. Most of the customers today, or let us say, the “prosumers”, depend on the use of technology disregarding the age. So, the technopreneurs tend to make it a challenge on how to satisfy their prosumers’ needs and demands. The new trend today is not anymore about having products displayed and letting the costumers just run out of choice but just either take it or leave it. It is rather about answering what the prosumers generally need to make a good market out of their product. However, not only the prosumers are greatly benefited with the technological convergence but also the technopreneurs. Because of convergence, people are having a much easier way of connecting to the Internet and we all know that there are a lot of opportunities available over the net. These include the fast, easy, effective and free way of advertising products which is really a great advantage to the technopreneurs’ view.
The scenarios mentioned above are just instances of making meaning out of your business. As what Guy Kawasaki said, the core essence of technopreneurship is making meaning out of your business to make money rather than making money out of your business without making meaning which is not possible. He also stressed that making meaning corresponds to changing the world and making it a better place. In addition to that, he cited some techniques on making meaning. First, your product must be able to increase the quality of life. We are not blinded by the fact that most people would rather go to a product which mobilizes their work at an affordable cost. With this practical mindset, your business shall motivate the world to make people more creative and productive so as to increase the quality of life. Second, your product shall right a wrong.

Convergence is the merging of distinct technologies, industries, or devices.
Technological convergence is the tendency for different technological systems to evolve towards performing similar tasks. Convergence can refer to previously separate technologies such as voice (and telephony features), data (and productivity applications), and video that now share resources and interact with each other, synergistically creating new efficiencies.
To discuss the advantages of convergence over the old fashioned one, here is some of it on a list:
• Convenience – let’s put again the online shop as an example for this. Convenience simply because it is less hassle. Clients or prosumers rather may surf through the internet, finding for what they want and purchase them. Less effort, in a much more service. Skipping the idea of going outside to search and canvas for a product. Another example of this is some specific products, which had evolved into a convenient one which are handy or instant, wherein people would surely prefer them than having the odd way.s
• Saving – for the clients’ side: time is a deal here, as what they had been always saying, “Time is gold”. Maximize your time and save more money, that’s the thing! Commonly, people would waste their time in shops, but now they could save it through proper use of technology. For the company’s side: having fewer workers to be paid, for they would surely need some who will maintain the site and the business.
• Security – lots of tragedy might happen as you where roaming on the street, let’s say a car accident, a thief might stole the purchased product or some burglar businesses, through using the online shops you could easily avoid these plus they will provide you the security you would surely like such as; confidentiality, avoiding those said tragedies and etc.. Although things like eavesdropping or theft might be present, but just secure your information at any cases.
• Accessibility – this came after convenience, to avoid web traffics clients on the shop have intervals in purchasing items but to sure you that it is not as time consuming compared on waiting for your turn on the market to bought items over the cashier. One of the conveniences the technology could offer among us is the accessibility of these shops which. And note that accessibility is also a component of saving – time saver.
• Income – for businesses, they would certainly grow their income rates after applying such changes.
To interpret or discuss further, here is a topic about the new trend of business modeling and technopreneurs, which had caught my attention while searching for an idea: Internet technology is totally re-defining how businesses are being modeled and how business strategies are being implemented. The residues left behind by this rapid rate of advancement however are small businesses and entrepreneurs who are not equipped and unwilling to embrace new technologies, mainly attributed to the fear of the unknown. Technopreneurs has provided the latest information on new, emerging Internet technology trends, sifting the hype from business reality. You will get the inside track on all things Internet technology that will impact your business tremendously. Business and technology are almost always entwined. Evolution of technology inadvertently leads to evolution in business. The one who spots technological trends and learns to use it, gains an upper hand over their competition. Because Technopreneur makes it a point to stay ahead of the game, you will receive the freshest, most relevant hindsight ahead of time. This will save you time, which you would better spend at what you already do best at – making money. Technopreneur is your blog, so make the best use of it by posting your comments or thoughts, exchanging ideas and airing your doubts. And by the way, to read the whole topic, here is the link of the page http://technopreneur.wordpress.com/about/ .
The next thing is, is there a disadvantage about the evolution of the marketing lifestyle? Is there a disadvantage over these convergences? I had been searching but failed to found something, but had generated this idea: since these convergences had simplified some of the things to help people change their lives, having too much of it would result on laziness… they would much prefer having these shortcuts than being stressed. How would it all end up? Hence, making balance would do the measurements. Sometimes being neutral is a good way of exercising an individual’s creativeness, so don’t rely too much on these technologies because old ways had just evolved and had never been replaced. They had been proven through the years, and the basis of all what we got today.
To summarize it, convergence on the marketing processes or the merging of marketing ways (applying the technology through marketing strategies to enhance or develop the way of engaging to the clients) and the technology had change the world, had made several changes over our lifestyles and also, had opened some opportunities to be grabbed. The start of having so called prosumers which emphasizes the meaning of giving the clients the trend to apply modifications, enhancements or requests on the purchasing products (to ensure a satisfaction guaranteed). Having numerous of advantages, we could conclude that the said convergence is really successful, and as the technology arises, people would grasp on the upcoming changes over the developments.


3 forms of Convergence:

The first form of convergence is used in terms of technological tools. In this way, most of useful (and even useless) electronic devices are now integrated in smartphones. In fact, most smartphones include (or will include) features of “traditional” cell phones, but also, devices like cameras, computers (desktop or laptop), electronic agendas, GPS, MP3 players and video game consoles. Moreover, it seems like a matter of time (but perhaps lots of time) before everyone has its own smartphone.
The second form of convergence is translated by the increase in the number of technological tools and transportations that converges to the Internet. Nowadays, it is possible to have access to the Internet in any transportation vehicle (airplanes, cars, boats and trains), as well as via many technological tools (cell phones, computers, interactive digital televisions, interactive kiosks and smartphones). Linking this second form of convergence with the first form leads me to predict that the convergence in terms of technological tools in smartphones will also result in an explosion in the number of smartphones kit available for any type of other technological tool, similar to the iPod car kit.

Finally, the third form is the convergence of the content of media to the Internet. Thus, more and more media such as advertising billboards, magazines, newspapers, radio stations, SMS, and television networks, produce content that includes an expression such as “visit our website at …”, that refers to a specific Internet website. By linking this form of convergence with the other two, media such as advertising billboards, radio stations, SMS, and television networks, will be able (in a near future) to instantaneously converge to the Internet by using smartphones. In the case of magazines and newspapers, it is still hard to predict what will happen, but the decreasing number of subscribers who actually read them will tend to convey those two media to concentrate their effort towards niche markets.

The trend for today’s generation is focus on the gadgets and high-technology machine which is used now throughout the industry. Media convergence is the best example of this. Media convergence is not just a technological shift or a technological process; it also includes shifts within the industrial, cultural, and social paradigms that encourage the consumer to seek out new information. One of the examples for the media convergence is that the Wii it is not just only a game console, but also a web browser and social networking tool. Another example for these is the mobile phones which now incorporate with other different tool for it will be have an edge over the other, now the mobile phones have a digital camera, mp3 players, camcorders, voice recorders, internet media and other devices. These kinds of devices are now very in demand to the consumer for they want to have more features in less space for a certain gadgets. iPhones are also one of these convergence for its implies the primary function for a mobile phone that can perform many different tasks, but does not feature a traditional numerical pad to make phone calls. Instead, it has a features touchpad, which some users have found troublesome compared to a conventional phone. Today, we are surrounded by a multi-level convergent media world where all modes of communication and information are continually reforming to adapt to the enduring demands of technologies, “changing the way we create, consume, learn and interact with each other.


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