My chapter in an academic book

I am really over the moon. A chapter which I co-wrote with my supervisor has been published in the "Handbook of Research on Digital Media and Advertising: User Generated Content Consumption". It is published by IGI Global and edited by Matthew S. Eastin (University of Texas at Austin, USA); Terry Daugherty (The University of Akron, USA) and Neal M. Burns (University of Texas, Austin, USA).

The Handbook of Research on Digital Media and Advertising: User Generated Content Consumption" bridges the gap between professional and academic perceptions of advertising in new media environments through defining the evolution of consumerism within the context of media change. Containing findings from international experts, this Handbook of Research provides coverage of practical issues related to consumer power shifts, economic issues related to media exposure, and definitions to understand the dynamics involved with consumerism.

The handbook costs $265.00 for the print version on the IGI Global site. However, you can get it slightly cheaper on the Amazon site here in the UK for £150.38 (approx. US$234.878522). Just follow the link below:
Handbook of Research on Digital Media and Advertising: User Generated Content Consumption

Top 3 Dell Laptops

Laptops are now a key part of everyday life for millions of consumers worldwide. From business people emailing financial information and keeping up to date with events, to students conversing with others and studying on the move, laptops are now a key part of our life.

This post looks at three laptops from Dell - which are in my opinion, the best Dell Laptops currently on the market You can take advantage of Dell Discount Codes to get them at affordable prices.

1. Dell Inspiron 1545

The Inspiron 1545 is an affordable all-rounder. The notebook is one of Dell’s stockier laptops; this can be an issue if mobility is an important factor to you, as moving the notebook constantly can often be troublesome. However, for people who are rarely on the go, the notebook is an excellent choice. The product features a 15.6" screen and features two Intel® Core™ Duo Processors. All in all the Notebook is a good all-rounder, but what makes it one of the top laptops is the price, with an RRP of £298 this laptop is an excellent example of value for money as well as boasting some great features.

Dell Vostro 3300

The Vostro is a perfect laptop choice for business users. Weighing 1.94kg, it is the perfect option for mobility. The laptop sports an ultra thin body and features a 13.3" LED backlit screen. The overall slim design and matt finish makes the laptop feel extremely sleek, perfect for the business environment. This model has been packed with Windows® 7 and is equipped with dual-core Intel® Processors. The laptop offers medium graphic support, perfect for displaying presentations and graphs, but lacks the speed required by the average PC gamer. With an RRP of £510 the laptop is a great deal for the features it supports.

Dell Alienware M11x

The Dell Alienware M11x is the perfect laptop for the mobile gamer. It has an 11.6" screen, which is perfect for playing the latest games. The Dell Alienware features DDR3 memory and amazing graphics thanks to its GeForce 335M combined with 1GB of video memory. The battery life is also impressive; perfect for the gamer on the move and with such a high-spec CPU speed, it may come as a surprise that the battery life is as good as it is. The design is sleek and smooth and is portable for the true mobile gamer. We also feel the RRP of £750 is a fair price. This excellent laptop has amazing hardware, which is vital for any gamer who wants to keep playing - even when on the move.

Dell Laptops are some of the most affordable on the market and the price doesn’t have to be an issue as there is a variety of Dell Discount Vouchers available on the Internet. With excellent support, hardware and software, Dell laptops are a perfect choice for anyone on the move.

The Nokia N900 saves the day

I recently attended European Conference of the Association for Consumer Research 2010 which was held at Royal Holloway, Egham from the 30th June to the 3rd July, 2010. My presentation was on the 2nd of July and I intended to go through my paper on the train from London to Egham. However, in my hurry, I forgot to print out a copy and I had not brought along my laptop either.

I had a copy in my email and tried to access it using my Samsung Galaxy Portal. Unfortunately the Samsung could not read the Word document. Moreover, the battery was dangerously low and I didn't want to drain it searching for an app on the Android market.

I suddenly remembered that I had the Nokia N900 and that it had the "Documents to go" app which could be used to read Microsoft word documents. Found out that I would have to download the app which I promptly did - I signed up for the 30 day trial version and was set to go. You can't imagine the relief I felt when I was finally able to go through my paper.

I have been testing the Nokia N900 for a few weeks now (thanks to WOM World/ Nokia)and I only realised how useful the phone was on that day.




The conference venue had free Wifi access and the connection to the net over the N900 was surprisingly fast. I also found out that there were a few Twitterers attending the conference and we came up with a tag for the conference - #eacr2010. I did ultimately get to meet some of the Twitterers in person. It's interesting how social connections over the net can crossover to real life.

I had forgotten to pack my camera as well and again the N900 came to my rescue. I have to admit I am really impressed, as the results were really good. Just take a look at some of the pictures I took at Royal Holloway and I am sure you will agree as well:









Really good pictures even in low lighting and I like the fact that it has a lens cover to protect it from scratches. Open the cover automatically puts it in camera mode.

(BTW, The pictures of the phone were taken by another N900 as well.)

As I went home after the conference, I was thinking to myself how this wonderful device had truly saved the day.

On the downside. I hated that fact that the phone came pre-loaded with only the bare minimum software and I had to search and download apps which is standard in other phones. For example, to my annoyance I found out that it doesn't come with a voice recorder. However, I later found out about the Recaller app on the Mameo site which can also be used to record phone conversations. I would have loved to have an app that would enable us to edit documents on the N900. Documents To Go is only a document viewer and doesn't allow editing. A friend pointed out that there was another free viewer called KOffice which is totally free.

Overall, the Nokia N900 is an amazing mobile phone. I did have to do a bit of searching around and there are some great apps out there for free. I am just thinking about the full potential of this phone and I have barely scratched the surface.