Experiencing a Halo Effect

Don't be surprised if you get a few more complaints than usual about slow bandwidth this week -- on Tuesday, Microsoft began selling “Halo 3”, their acclaimed (and highly anticipated) alien shoot-'em-up video game for the Xbox 360. Take special note if you're operating a student housing community... I talked to one ISP exec earlier this week, and he admitted his company was expecting a considerable "spike in bandwidth for the next several days."

The game's launch was much like the premier of a Harry Potter book or the iPhone. If you're not convinced it's a big deal, think about this: the third installment of Halo made more on its first day than Spiderman 3.

Property managers should take advantage of opportunities like this to create related events, as long as they fit the community's demographic... popular video games often provide the chance to put together parties or tournaments. You might think that Halo-type games will typically only appeal to the young men, but the Nintendo Wii and new games interest a much wider range of "casual gamers." Whatever the idea, you'll have plenty of time to plan an event this week if your Internet slows to a crawl... thanks to your Halo enthusiasts.

A Surface That Could Change the Way You Sell

Are you already using digital displays and maybe even touchscreens to show floorplans, availability, and other property info in an interactive way in your sales or leasing center?

Well, soon you'll have a new tool available that could be the next step in providing these types of unique interactive experiences. Earlier this year, Microsoft unveiled a new table-top computer called the Surface - it uses a slick touch-sensitive interface, much like Apple's iPhone. Check out this Forbes Video story about the device.

Here's another overview from Reuters:


...And a demonstration of a potential retail application using T-Mobile phones:

Apply these capabilities to the real estate industry, and it's easy to see how a device like this could become a very powerful tool for property owners to provide interactive experiences and additional services to current and prospective residents:

- A leasing agent could easily review and compare floorplans, availability and unit details.

- Condo buyers could quickly see and select their desired upgrade options.

- With one touch, a resident could download special offers from local retailers to their phone.

- A virtual concierge could recommend a restaurant, make a reservation, download directions to the resident's phone, and even set the unit's thermostat back to the right temperature before the the resident returns home for the night... all in a matter of seconds.

Customer experiences are becoming increasingly interactive and personalized. Adding the element of hyper-local applications customized for your community will allow you to communicate with, and provide services to, your residents in ways that we've never seen before.

How would you use a device like this in your community?

No Disappointments So Far

At MacWorld, Apple made a few big announcements yesterday, including the highly anticipated iPhone that combines an iPod with a unique smartphone that will be available through Cingular later this year. Apple also announced AppleTV, a small device that allows users to wirelessly stream music, movies and TV shows from the iTunes library on their PC or Mac to their televisions. This device has a lot of features that will interest users, and should be a viable competitor to the Windows Media Center. Watch the Apple presentation.

Only a night earlier in Vegas, Bill Gates headlined the Microsoft keynote presentation at the Consumer Electronics Show. Microsoft's new lineup of products including the Vista operating system, Office 2007, the Home Server and the Zune portable media player all promise to deliver users "connected experiences" in more ways than ever before. Perhaps most interestingly, Gates announced that the Xbox 360 gaming system will be able to serve as a set-top box option for IPTV providers such as AT&T by the end of the year. Xbox 360 already allows users to download movies from the Internet. It will be very interesting to watch as this develops, because it could give some service providers a new equipment option to offer to residents - offering a gaming system that doubles as a cable box would likely be particularly appealing in student housing communities, although the cost of such a service may end up being a point of contention for those residents that have already purchased their own device.

Here's a quick tour of Microsoft's latest offerings featuring Bill Gates: