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Do you think the people talked about bank notes when they emerged in 1861 the way that we talk about mobile payments today? Were they proclaiming that 1862 would be the "year of cash"? That's how I feel about the way we bring mobile payments into the conversation - like it needs to have higher status than the way we've paid for things forever. It doesn't, it is just another form of paying. 3 years from now it will just be another option at the pump.

What makes mobile payments interesting are the companies that are changing their business models - or forcing others to do just that. Companies like Starbucks who own the #1 mobile payments app in North America or Venmo and Twitter who are making the things we buy social currency.

Greg and I feel 2015 will not only bring with it new advances in the way we pay but also in what we consider currency. The dollar bill has rivals and, for the first time in centuries, they aren't coins.

Does print survive? This seems like a very important question but, in reality, the only people asking it these days are the guys doing print. The rest of the world seems to have moved on and by moving on I mean moved to digital or mobile.

The truth is that print and digital are just forms of the same thing but the thing that has changed more dramatically than the way we consume media is the way it is created and shared. This is where the conversation with GigaOm Senior writer Mathew Ingram moves quickly. Mathew has a very unique perspective having spent a huge portion of his career writing for Canada's national newspaper, The Globe and Mail. He jumped over to GigaOm about 5 years ago and hasn't looked back or reconsidered his move.

Our conversation jumps from his move to GigaOm, his take on the news/media industry as a whole today, what companies he's looking at for inspiration (or that will change media once again), the impact that mobile has had on his profession (as a consumer and creator) and a number of incredible insights into his craft.

This episode, for me anyway, is a look at what the future of the media industry will look like: Part amazing creator, part amazing marketer, part amazing community builder and part media personality.

Full show notes can be found here.

Disruption and change were the key themes at the annual "Big Show" - NRF in New York last week. On the news that Target and Sony are closing down all their stores in Canada and the rumours of the demise of Radio Shack, Chuck offers his thoughts on what he witnessed at NRF. He also highlights the thing that no one is talking about to each other - but they are to him.

Welcome to episode #217. On the show: Panasonic reinvents the retail shelf; the Locr platform; Moovit closes $50m to help public transportation; Snapchat for business?; Deehubs makes us all vandals; Softcard deflating?; Uber Cargo launches in Hong Kong; RetailNext and StepsAway; Path Talk pretty; Je Suis Charlie app. Our special guest is Jonathan Berlin of Iconeme.

Full show notes can be found here.

This is our first (of seven) dives into our 2015 predictions (watch the overview here) and we start with beacons. Those little peel-and-stick bluetooth transmitters that emerged in the second half of 2014 in retail will go far beyond their origins in 2015. We both weigh in on where we think they will be by the end of the year and what the industry will look to them to do - beyond pushing deals and annoying customers.

Remember that old saying "hang out your shingle"? It meant to start up a business because the only type of business that could be conceived was one that required a physical place. The saying derived from truth back then and lots of companies were born into that world as shingle owning retail locations. Physical stores. All those years ago it was how business was done.

We all know that has changed in incredible ways - for the consumer. For those retailers that still cling to the shingle part of the equation, these last few years have been somewhat of a challenge (understated for effect). At one point we were all roaming the digital streets with virtual pitchforks waiting to celebrate the death of traditional, shingle'd retail. Well, that did not happen. Sure, retail has taken it on the chin. Sure, some of the oldest, most legacy-filled shingle's have become landfill. But the most heinous word ever spoken underneath a shingle - one that sent little kids running for cover and store owners cowering in discount fear - no longer carries the same weight. Amazon is no longer the boogyman to all and to many, they are a new way of doing business.

One such business just happens to be the oldest retailer in North America - the Hudson's Bay Company up here in Canada and Lord & Taylor down in the United States. They started experimenting with beacons early in their lifecycle and, in so doing, started putting the innovation and cool back into the shingle business. The guy that spearheaded the beacon initiative and watched it roll out across North America is Ryan Craver and he's the guest for this episode.

To understand the flight of the beacon, you must first understand the plight of the retail industry and Ryan is our guide as we get a pretty amazing behind-the-scenes look at a retail giant as it arms up to fight the battle of its life.

Full show notes can be found here.

There was a distinctly blue layer over CES this year - as in Bluetooth. What is old is new again and bluetooth is one of those protocols that never really caught on when it arrived but it seems to now have hit its stride. Chuck explains what the importance of the emerging bluetooth ecosystem is on beacons and highlights some of the products he saw while walking the halls of the bluetooth pavilion.

Welcome to episode #216. On the show: WiFi Aware; The RealTalk app; GM's At Your Service; TapSense for Apple Watch; Robots invade Lowe's; Jawbone wants corporations to move more; VoucherPages launches an app; Yummly + Instacart = 1 hour ingredient delivery; Skyhook partners with FiLIP Technologies; Piste.io 3D maps of ski hills. Our guest this week is Woycjech Gryc, founder of Canopy Labs

Full show notes can be found here.

It is that time of the year again - the dreaded new year's resolution. Our resolutions usually hover around 3 things: Health, wealth and education. Today we look at using mobile technologies to stimulate your brain and to enhance learning. These resources are, for the most part, free and accessible from any device you may carry. Make 2015 your year of learning with these resources.

We are now a full week into 2015 - how are those resolutions going? Every new year brings an onslaught of predictions and, well, we are no different. This is the first of 8 (yes 8!) shows on what to expect in 2015. We start off here with an overview of our 7 predictions and will follow up each of the next 7 weeks with a deeper dive into each one of them. For now, here (along with everyone else) are our things to watch out for in 2015 if you are a part of the mobile marketing world (incidentally, that is everyone...)