Apple Inc. has announced its new multi-touch iPad will be available for sale in March of 2010. The tablet-style computer will have print, video, photo, multimedia and Internet browsing capabilities, and can also run most iPhone apps.

At just 1.5 pounds, it’s more portable than a laptop, and the 10-hour battery far exceeds the typical laptop experience, which drains after a couple or three hours. It’s even thinner than the super-thin Macbook  Air.

CEO Steve Jobs is touting the iPad as a fantastic web browsing device. “iPad offers the best web browsing experience there is-way better than laptops,” Jobs says. Yet, it didn’t take long after the oohing and aahing for the criticisms to roll in, and most of them are focused on what the iPad can’t do: can’t take pictures, no video chat, no Flas, etc.

Why are some people downright giddy with excitement over the iPad while some are saying “pish-posh?” Because it’s not for everyone, and therein lies the genius of the iPad. Apple has had the forethought to make a product specifically for the group of people who need it, tapping a niche market in the process.

Sure, there are things an iPad can’t do –things a computer already does. A large number of people around the world daily are using a piece of equipment that is expensive, complicated and cumbersome, and they’re using it to check their Facebook status and watch YouTube videos.

It’s like using a bazooka to kill a gnat.

Consider toast. If all you want is toasted bread, it would be silly to buy a toaster oven. It would be a waste of money to be talked into a wide-slot bagel toaster. You just want toast; you just need a toaster. Period.

Car manufacturers are doing the same thing when they target specific audiences with specific features, and its a brilliant way to market. Lately, you’ve probably noticed a lot of car commercials touting innovative stereos. You may have even thought, “Hey, that looks handy.” At the same time, some folks are sitting on the couch grumbling that they don’t care about the stereo when they’re buying a car.

When a company markets specifically to a niche group, it’s naturally going to alienate those who don’t fit in.

Apple itself is focusing on the iPad’s use for emails, browsing and photos, and for a lot of consumers, that’s exactly what they need and want. Do you think that doesn’t sound like enough? Then the iPad isn’t for you. Move on.

For those who just want toast, though, this is one helluva toaster.

By Elizabeth Kelly

While Oozil is busy gathering the greatest creative minds in the country, we’re taking the time today to remember one of the greatest minds –and greatest men– in our country’s history. It’s been more than four decades since Martin Luther King Jr. shared his wisdom with us, but his words are still relevant today in an America that has made huge strides, but still struggles with its identity.

His words also tell us not to give up hope, whatever our personal obstacles, and to persevere with hope, kindness and intelligence.

Martin Luther King Jr. in his own words:

“Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.”

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

And, the words that could almost be the Oozil motto: “Almost always, the creative dedicated minority has made the world better.”

Thanks, Dr. King, for making the world a better place.

By Elizabeth Kelly, with generous assistance from Dr. King

At the beginning of a new year, it seems like everyone puts out a list of “best ofs” for the previous year, and 2010 is no exception. No need to sift through every single one, though: Oozil has compiled the best lists for you, so you can skip from “Best 2009 Exhibits of Byzantine Mosaics” and “Best Sound Effects Editing in Romantic Comedies” to get straight to the good stuff.

Time’s 50 Best Websites of 2009

This website roundup gets extra kudos for variety: Time has included nifty choices for cooking, crafting, silly video-watching, and time-watching in addition to top choices for networking, news, research and trend-spotting. You’ll find a few here you never heard of (California Coastline? Visuwords?), so be prepared to spend some time cruising the links.

Time’s 25 Best Blogs of 2009

Things get a tad more serious with Time’s blogroll, with news sites Talking Point Memo and Huffington Post topping the chart, but there are some fun gems to glean as well, like Said the Gramaphone and BoingBoing. Don’t miss Time’s picks for “Most Overrated Blogs of 2009.”

Roger Ebert’s Best Films of 2009

Every list of film bests inspired argument and controversy. Ebert nips some of it in the bud by separating picks for mainstream movies and independent films. See if you agree with his choices, and get ready to rent some of his under-the-radar choices.

Publisher’s Weekly’s Best Books of 2009

The book industry magazine has come up with a refreshing book list, choosing titles believed to be the actual best rather than merely the biggest-selling. You won’t find Twilight, but you will find plenty to convince you that good literature isn’t dying.

Gizmodo’s Best Gadgets

The smart folks behind Gizmodo know their gadgets better than anyone in the biz, and this list proves it, covering everything from phones, computers, audio and video, to more-overlooked items like vacuum cleaners and chairs.

Project Censored’s Top Censored News Stories of 2009

You already know what the biggest news headlines were –they were everywhere. But what about the stories you never got to read? Project Censored fills you in on the stories your paper wasn’t allowed to run.

Videogum’s Best Viral Videos of 2009

It’s getting harder and harder to know how we got through the stress of everyday life before YouTube. Videogum has compiled the best viral videos of the year into one, with handy links to the full versions of the ones you missed. Expect plenty of cats, lip-syncing babies and moronic newscasters. (As is typical of viral videos, there is some language.)

Oozil wishes you the very best of 2010.

By Elizabeth Kelly

With the economy in the dumps and unemployment looming around every corner, you might think it’s a terrible time to try and sell yourself. Au contraire.  When sales are down, businesses need creative minds more than ever, as they seek new ways of generating buzz for their brand.

If you’re a freelancer, or any type of creative worker at all (illustrator, graphic artist, jingle writer, etc.), 2010 can be the year you get more gigs than ever. Here are seven easy ways to get your name out there and generate some buzz of your own.

1. Social Network, Social Network, Social Network

Even the big companies are doing it, so why aren’t you?  With a cost of nothing you should be using social networking sites for all they’re worth to establish your reputation as a go-to source for whatever you produce. Only have a personal page? Set up an account today for your work persona.

2. Print Some Business Cards

If you tell yourself “I’m just a guy who draws pictures” or “Writers don’t have cards,” you’re selling yourself short. Business cards are cheap to print these days (check out Vistaprint), and you don’t have to be a bigwig to carry them. Give them out anytime you find yourself in conversation about your work.

3. Volunteer

Some people fear giving their work away for free, feeling that it devalues what they do. In fact, the opposite can be true. Donating work creates the idea that your work is worth donating, and serves as an example of what you can do. Design brochures for a local charity or write copy for a political campaign –and make sure you leave them with plenty of business cards.

4. Take a Break from Creating

It may seem counter-intuitive, but far too many creative types spend so much time creating that they never take time to market themselves. You may have a stack of paintings a mile high, but the bills are even higher. Take time off –whether it’s a week, a month, or even a year– and devote that time exclusively to selling your product. You won’t lose your mojo, and you’ll gain real work.

5. Teach a Workshop

Whatever skills you have, there are kids who would love the chance to learn from you. Offer to teach a workshop at a community center, school or church. You can even charge a small fee while you pass on your know-how about photography or screenwriting. The upside: those kids all have parents who will now know your name, and equate you with being an expert on the subject. (Pass out those cards!)

6. Join Oozil.

It’s free –and it’s right here. While you’re on the site, take the time to sign up for the forums. With Oozil matching clients to providers, you can go back to doing what you love most: creating content.

2010 will be your year. I can feel it.

By Elizabeth Kelly

At year’s end, a flurry of articles surface with predictions about the hottest trends for the upcoming year, and the cusp of 2009/2010 is no exception. These are some of the well-spotted trends we can expect to impact our lives in 2010, chosen by those who have their finger on the pulse.

Embedded Generosity

The minds at trendwatching.com recently released their list of “10 Crucial Trends for 2010,” including the concept of embedded generosity. Noting that it was huge in 2009, they predict an even bigger boom in 2010, as consumers look for painless ways of making a difference. Examples inlclude Tom’s Shoes, the company that donates a pair of shoes to a needy child for every pair sold, or Pampers diapers, who donate the cost of a vaccine for each package purchased.

Local Pride

Also on the list at trendwatching.com is what they call “urbany”: city-specific products and services that are already cropping up in bigger cities across the country. Its already been tapped by companies like Absolut Vodka, who launched a mango and black pepper-flavored vodka inspired by the city of New Orleans (and later a flavor custom-made for Boston), and Guerlain perfumes, who sell city-themed scents at Harrod’s. In London, some bank ATMs have an option to receive your instructions in Cockney rhyming slang.

Real Time

Pete Cashmore, the founder and CEO of Mashable’s social media blog, wrote at CNN that “the real-time trend has been to the latter part of 2009 what “Web 2.0″ was to 2007.” Facebook and Twitter updates are just the beginning of a burgeoning public desire for immediacy. Consumers can expect a tidal flow of applications that only increase the ability to share now. (And don’t forget real-time collaboration, either. The Google Wave phenomenon is just beginning.)

Cloud Computing

2009 made cloud computing a buzzword, but expect to see it around even more in 2010. The ability to use virtual servers available over the Internet to make data accessible from anywhere will continue to fuel collaborative projects around the world. Cashmore says we can also expect the cloud trend to see “a major leap forward in the first half of 2010 with the launch of “Office Web Apps,” free online versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote released in tandem with Microsoft Office 2010.”

Social Networking, Marketing Edition

Sure, social networking isn’t just coming, it’s here. But, Stuart Parkinson of VCCP  says that 2010 will be the “the year that people get to grips with marketing on social networks.” This past year, we’ve seen companies using Facebook and Twitter campaigns to enormous success (and also several that are completely fumbling with it.) Expect businesses to start mastering social media –for better or worse– in the upcoming year.

The new trends in 2010 haven’t just appeared out of nowhere; they’ve been building over time. Have you seen it all coming? If you’re the kind of person who keeps their eyes in the future, welcome to Oozil. We’re going to get along just fine.

What trends do you see making an impact in 2010? Share your ideas in the comment section.

by Elizabeth Kelly

On Thanksgiving Day, millions of Americans will take a break from their daily grind for food, family, and the subsequent Tryptophan-induced nap. But you? You’re an Oozil person.

That means you’re always working, even on a day off, as that big ol’ brain of yours constantly generates new ideas and finds new inspiration everywhere you look. With that in mind, here’s a mini-break for you, in the form of five clever Thanksgiving-inspired commercials.

#5) A Little Turkey with Your Butter?

If you think the food industry goes too far today in trying to market the use of their products, check out this Thanksgiving ad produced by the American Dairy Association in 1956. Ingredients: 1 turkey, 10 lbs. butter, 1 shroud.

#4) Take That, Uncle Randy

It’s not just your family that puts the “dys” in “dysfunctional.” Teenage Sarah does what every brooding adolescent dreams of, and turns the tables on an annoying relative, XBOX-style.

#3) “You Talkin’ to Me, Turkey?”

It’s not every day you see actors like Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal wear ridiculous get-ups for a TV commercial-sized paycheck. Looks like even icons have the holiday spirit.

#2) Cavity Dig

Jennie-O has a whole string of clever ads produced over the years to market their oven-ready turkeys. This one capitalizes on every homemaker’s shared disgust at the act of removing the giblet bag from a grocery store turkey.

#1) Brotherhood of Manly Turkey Carvers

One humble guy with an electric carving knife finally becomes a real man, thanks to one serendipitous choice.

Happy Thanksgiving from Oozil.

By Elizabeth Kelly

In the creative world, standing out from the crowd is usually a good thing. Every marketing student knows that having unique ideas is what separates the winningly successful from the ho-hum.

But standing out can also be the kiss of death if you don’t know how to use the concept effectively. An ad campaign that aims to attract attention by being distinctive can sometimes have the opposite of the intended effect, turning off potential customers in the process.

A bad concept is a lot like that guy at the office. You know the one: the guy with the wacky tie who thinks he’s really shaking things up, fashion-wise. He cracks terrible jokes constantly, thinking he’s the funniest guy in the building because of the nervous laughter he receives from a couple of co-workers trying to be polite.

The saddest think about wacky tie guy is just how clueless he is. A comical tie isn’t a forward-thinking fashion concept. It’s still a tie after all.  In fact, the most creative guy at work may be wearing no tie at all.

Bad jokes don’t make you funny either. The funniest guy in the office may not even tell jokes: he cracks everyone up with his hilarious way of describing everyday events.

The problem is, a lot of ideas are the creative equivalent of the wacky tie. They stand out from the rest, but not in a good way. When used car salesmen first started shouting in commercials, they probably startled people into noticing.

Those commercials are certainly different from others, but if having a fat guy in a bad suit yell out car prices was effective, you can bet the big auto makers would be doing it in national ads.

Do you want an ad campaign that stands out like a bad tie or a screaming salesman? Or do you want something that makes people stop, think, and say to themselves, “I’ve never seen that before.”

Creative thinking is organic. It comes from deep within. You can’t put it on like a Looney Toons tie. The good news is, if you can spot the difference between a bad joke and a good joke, or a good campaign versus an annoying campaign, you’ve got an ear for it. If you can’t, you may be guilty of trying too hard.

At Oozil, we’re looking for people who know the difference. People like you, with standout ideas. You can even work at home. That means no tie is necessary (especially not wacky ones.)

By Elizabeth Kelly

At Oozil, our philosophy of collaboration, creativity, and commerce means we love gadgets –especially gadgets that help us collaborate better, create more inventively, and earn more. After all, that’s why Oozil was created in the first place.

The iPhone is not just a toy for techies. With the right apps, it can also be a tool in your arsenal of creativity. We’re not talking about virtual lighters here, but real tools to organize you and inspire you. These are some of the best:

Print & Share

Our favorite part of this iPhone app is the “share” part.  With this handy tool, users can easily print out information from their iPhone to a printer. Anything from your phone contact numbers to web pages and photos can be printed out straight from your phone itself, to get it into the hands of potential clients ASAP.

Photogene

The iPhone can be tricky to shoot with, so if there’s anything a photographer needs it’s a photo-editing application. Photogene has a huge range of editing tools, and it scores points for being easy to use, so even if photos are your sideline, you can edit like a pro.

Brushes

If you doubt that anyone can do any real, serious creative work on an iPhone, you need to read about Jorge Colombo. Colombo created a cover for the highly-selective New Yorker earlier this year using the Brushes app, while waiting in line at Madame Tussaud’s.

TED

Those familiar with TED already know the level of inspiration at the conference that features lectures by “the world’s leading thinkers and doers.” This app lets you view high quality video of the entire TED archive of geniuses in technology, entertainment, science, business and global issues.

Reel Director

The brilliant geeks at Gizmodo say “This is as close as you’re going to get to iMovie on your iPhone.” The  video editing app lets you stitch together clips, add opening and closing credits, search within video clips, and preview your work with new editing applied, all while you’re waiting in line for movie tickets.

Read it Later

Anyone who works in a creative world knows the importance of keeping up with reading, whether it’s news about your field, insightful tips from a successful competitor, or an inspiring novel. Read it Later allows you to save pages to read anytime, and it works even without an Internet connection. You’ll never lack for airplane reading material.

Shozu

Social connections are important to creative workers more than ever. Shozu makes networking a one-step process, allowing you to transfer content from your phone directly to 30 different sites, including YouTube,Flickr and Facebook. It saves money too: you’re only charged for sending one message.

Cleartune

Even musicians can benefit from the technology of the iPhone with an app that’s beautiful in its simplicity. This chromatic instrument tuner and pitch pipe uses your phone’s built-in mic to fine-tune just about any instrument that sustains a tone: guitars, strings, brass, woodwinds and pianos, for starters.

You’ve got an Internet connection on that phone –why not bookmark Oozil today? We’ll keep our eye on what’s happening while you keep creating your best work.

By Elizabeth Kelly

Today, the possibilities for creative collaboration are light years away from what they were even just a decade ago. With new apps like Google Wave, and websites like Oozil providing a whole suite of free tools for collaborative communication, it’s almost counter-intuitive to work alone anymore.

Some of the greatest talents and minds in history have always known the power of working on a team. For example:

John Lennon and Paul McCartney

Almost anyone of any age knows the songs of the Beatles, and the groups two main songwriters undoubtedly represent one of the most successful music collaborations in history. Over a period of just seven years, between 1962-69, they published around 180 songs written collaboratively. Unlike many other music partnerships, Lennon and McCartney each wrote both music and lyrics.

Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro

While Hollywood partnerships usually last about as long as Hollywood marriages, director Martin Scorsese and actor Robert De Niro have made a total of nine films together, and their partnership is ongoing. Their projects include some of the undisputed greatest films of all time, including Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and Casino. Their collaboration is well into its fourth decade with the recent announcement of The Winter of Frankie Machine.

Ellery Queen

If you’re not familiar with Ellery Queen, chances are your parents or grandparents are. In a series of novels that spanned 42 years, Ellery Queen was one of the most successful mystery writers of all time, transitioning from popular books to radio, TV, and movies. The name was the pseudonym of two writers, Frederic Dannay and Manfred Bennington Lee, whose collaboration was so effortless, they only needed one name.

Coco Chanel and Pierre Wertheimer

Great collaborations don’t always have to involve two creative types. Sometimes they just require one creative type and a benefactor who recognizes the other person’s genius. Such was the case with fashion designer Coco Chanel, who benefited from theWertheimer’s expertise on commerce as well as his capital to launch Chanel perfumes. While the deal later went sour, working with Wertheimer ultimately made Chanel a very famous and very rich woman.

Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield

Sometimes it helps if you’re already best friends. In 1978, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield opened an ice cream shop in an old gas station in downtown Vermont, after learning ice cream making through a correspondence course –the early version of learning it online. You now know them as the names on your carton of Ben & Jerry’s

Larry Page and Sergey Brin

Though some say they disagreed about almost everything on their first meeting at Stanford University, Larry and Sergey quickly became friends. Cramming their dorm room with cheap computers and armed with Brin’s data mining system, they ultimately used a rented garage to start up what ultimately became Google.

What do all these great collaborations have to do with Oozil? Everything. Enabling collaborative work is one of the driving forces of Oozil, and you can be part of it. With Oozil’s tools, you can find the Lennon to your McCartney, or the Larry to your Sergey, without even leaving home.

Oozil’s got your ticket to ride.

By Elizabeth Kelly

What’s new in the world of technology is the same thing as what’s new in the world of Oozil. When a new company is on the cutting edge of creativity and communication like Oozil is, it all ties together. Here’s what I mean:

Google Previews Google Wave

Search engine titan Google premiered an invitation-only beta version of its new Wave application recently, introducing a new service designed for collaborative work that the company believes represents the next generation of Internet communication. The web-based product will merge emails, IMs, wikis and social networking into one, allowing for real time communication and collaboration.

How is Google’s news big news for Oozil? Because, as Oozil guru Lee Epstein can’t help noticing, it’s “exactly one of the premises Oozil is being designed around.” Oozil’s tools for creating revenue streams will include cloud applications, video conferencing, advanced IM and email, and that’s just the beginning of the list of services Oozil will offer its members.

Oozil is proof that new ideas in collaborative communication aren’t exclusive to that other company with the funny name.

R.I.P. Email

Is email dead? That’s what the Wall Street Journal thinks. A recent column by writer Jessica E. Vascellaro called “Why Email No Longer Rules” says that email’s reign as the king of communication is now over. She cites networking sites like Twitter and Facebook as more relevant to the way we use technology now: “…Email was better suited to the way we used to use the Internet—logging off and on, checking our messages in bursts. Now, we are always connected, whether we are sitting at a desk or on a mobile phone.

M. Siegler, writing for the weblog Tech Crunch , agrees, but he believes Vascellero shortchanges Google Wave in her praise of other new communication technologies like Twitter, saying that we “want the option to communicate in real-time at will, but also the ability to communicate at our leisure at times.” In other words, we desire a new, more flexible method of communication, such as Google Wave.

Siegler’s most interesting assessment comes at the end of his essay, when he says: “Whether Google Wave succeeds is really irrelevant. More important is if the idea of Wave does.”

Oozil already knows that the ideas behind the new app are the way of the future, and we’re ready to let people use and benefit from creative collaboration in our own unique way. Is email dead? Oozil doesn’t care, because we know it hardly matters. The new wave is here.

Are you ready to ride the wave of the next generation of communication? Or will you be left behind? Join the Oozil community, and be part of the revolution.

By Elizabeth Kelly