The old objection from dogged print Luddites has always been that digital will be the equal of dead-tree “when I can fold up a display and stick it in my back pocket.”

That day is nearly here (h/t CyberJournalist)

The video is in Korean, and, as some of the commenters point out, the batteries for such a display would have to also be invisible, weightless and almost infinite. Which, I’m guessing, is something of a stumbling block at this time.

Still, it’s pretty cool.

samsung tablet, bendable, transparent, video, watch

This is quickly becoming one of the favorite viral video hits of the holiday season – something about how the aliens are puzzled by all the stress we put ourselves through just seems to strike a chord. As does the Homer Simpson-esque “Mmmm … eggnog” utterance of the paternal alien.

But what struck me most here was how the aliens, giving advice to us silly humans, casually thumbed (blue tentacled?) through Argus’ fully mobified site on their HTC smartphones. What that tells me is that shopping via your mobile device is simultaneously a big deal … and yet, something that anybody could (and should) do, since it is a time, money and stress-saver.

What a brilliant sell. In much the same way as E.T. sold us all on Reese’s Pieces, maybe these blue, longnecked, terrycloth aliens, will sell the public on the idea that phones are a perfectly acceptable way to spend money. The fact that this ad isn’t like the aggressive, lightning-bolts + explosions + cyborgs = smartphone usage ads (that actually kinda intimidate most users above the age of 16) is a clear indicator that this kind of user behavior is reaching beyond the early adopters and into the “Harried Moms” market segment.

Which, not coincidentally, is also the one that is in control of 80% of the money spent on gifts in the holiday season.

Like I said: smart.

This week Google launched GOMO, a new initiative that is clearly part of Google’s new mobile advertising strategy.

The site, designed in the latest flavors of HTML5 and CSS3, is one giant page that you can scroll around to find tips on mobile design, design services, and a simple test of mobile functionality.

If you’re web browser doesn’t support the latest in web technology, you may have trouble with the website. Google Chrome is the (no surprisingly) recommended choice of browser. Warning, surfing the site with Safari on an iPad can lead to blank screens when you click on some links, but if you stumble around you can get it to (mostly) work.

If you’ve been wondering whether it was worth the effort to make your site mobile friendly, clearly Google thinks it is. If you’re a web designer specializing in mobile design, you should definitely be aware of this new initiative.

Check it out at:

http://www.howtogomo.com/en

The iSwapSWF© Javascript Action makes it easy to replace a Flash file with an image file (JPEG, PNG, or GIF) when the page is viewed on an iOS device.

It’s a simple solution and a vast improvement over the blank space left by Flash files when you don’t provide an alternative.

Learn more at http://www.actionscafe.com/menu4.html#iS

Earlier, the Financial Times made waves when it yanked its app from the App Store, in favor of a web-based version.

Now, Hearst has taken its content in this direction; Good Housekeeping looks to be the first in a line of high-profile, and at least formerly, high-profit, properties to prepare for a time when everyone is using tablets rather than dead-tree formats to access content.