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For a service that had such an artificially high demand, the tech industry has not really capitalized on Video Chat. When Apple unveiled their video chat service 'FaceTime' in June of 2010, many thought that this would become the primary standardized service used by all. In practice, FaceTime is a clunky system that is evidently less productive and convenient than just vocal or text communication. So why hasn't video conferencing taken off as the industry had hoped? The answer is most likely because there is no standardized system and the market is too saturated; Polycom Inc. hopes to adress this issue by introducing a Universal Video Chat in early 2013. The product (called RealPresence CloudAxis) monetizes all of your contacts from Skype, Facebook, Google Talk and other apps into one place - all hosted on a web browser. This is a very ambitious task and if it delivers on what Polycom says (with the "same security and reliability as enterprise systems"), then there may be some validity to the video conference service. This relates to Privacy and Security because when monetizing a group of services, there is a chance for data leak and possible identity theft; Polycom promises to adress all security issues in order to make a safe and immersive experience for its users. This relates to eLifestyle because companies and their consumers have been trying for the past years to create a universal video chat service that actually worked in order to establish a multi-faceted social network: it might be too early to tell if Polycom has something that will fulfill the needs of consumers. This relates to ICS20 because as a class, we are no stranger to multiple accounts that often times serve the same purpose. As consumers, we hope for a streamlined service that can connect all of our multiple accounts into one place, preferably on a browser. It will be hard for Polycom, both legally and economically, to convince all of these pre-existing video chat developers to allow Polycom to

This article explains how the successful and profitable Samsung company has decided to open various electronic retail stores in Canada to compete with well-known rivals Sony Corp. and Apple Inc. For Samsung, the retail push is the company's latest move to establish itself as a premium electronics brand, an evolution due to Samsung's success in the smartphone and tablet markets. Another reason for Samsung to have an interest in opening stores, is part of a global movement by the company to expand it's presence with consumers. Samsung, being a major technology company, believes these retail outlets will help showcase their products in a way so  consumers can experience the brand and everything Samsung has to offer like never before. This is a smart strategy for Samsung to take part in because this opens up opportunities for consumers to purchase and learn about new and popular Samsung products in a way that was never offered or accessible to them before. A variety of Samsung stores will give this company a huge advantage on the market and this will ultimately set themselves up for bigger and better success in the years to come. 

Microsoft has finally released the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, the successor to the Developer Preview they released a few months ago. In this version, Xbox Live support has been added, along with the Windows Store opening for business, which lets users download new Metro apps... but not Desktop apps. Also, the Start Button has been moved to this slide-out panel to the right of the screen. I think Microsoft is taking a huge misstep with Windows 8 in terms of it's UI. They should either have all desktop or all Metro UI. Having used Windows 8, switching between the two is just weird because of how incredibly different both interfaces are. And don't even get me started with the freakin' ARM version not letting you sideload apps! And- and- and-... I'll stop complaining now.

The smartphone market has been dominated by Apple's iPhone and Google's Android devices, but with this dominance many people think they do not have any other options when it comes to smartphones other than Apple and Android. Yes, there have been other companies that have tried to combat the powerful hold of Apple and Android but they have faltered and ultimately could not dethrone these smartphone giants. Now the Finnish company Jolla plans on competing against Apple and Android with its new OS, Sailfish which they claim is an alternative to Apple and Android. Jolla also partnered itself with Chinese phone retailer D.Phone so Jolla would have phones that will run Sailfish. For many of us, we are stuck with the decision of buying either an Android or an iPhone since any other phone trying to appear differently was simply forgotten. But the release of Sailfish phones would completely change the smartphone market by giving consumers another option when considering buying a new phone and releasing some of the control that Apple and Android have. It could also be possible that Sailfish phones will be more revolutionary and better looking than Androids and iPhones but still cost less which would attract many consumers who want an innovative but low-cost phone. I think Sailfish will have a large impact on the smartphone market since it uses many gestures that makes the OS unique. Whereas Apple's iPhone and Google's Android will eventually lose their popularity due to Apple and Android's lack of innovation, the Sailfish phones could possibly have the same effect the first iPhone had on the world and become the new dominant smartphone. 

This article is about the transition from HD to 4K, which is know as Ultra High Definition (UHD). It talks about how a decade ago, we were introduced to HD TV, which is now a standard in the TV and technology community, and how the consumers reacted to it and how it transitioned compared to how we were transitioned into 3DTV. At the time, HD TV was expensive, but when the price came to an affordable price, it was a big hit and made a lot of money over the years. Now we are being introduced to UHD and the question people are asking is how will the consumers react to this. When 3D TV was introduced, it sounded like it was an amazing thing to have, but it did not sell well, as it was marketed to children and the only real 3D programming were sports and some action films. 4K is a huge improvement in technology from HD, but not many people think it will bloom just as HD did. We will have to wait for an answer when the public is able to purchase these TV's, but for now, the road that 4K is looking like it will take is right down the middle.

Yes

This article ponders the question "Will 2013 be the year of the smartwatch?" It begins by describing some of the failed attempts by companies at wearable tech. In 2004, Microsoft created the SPOT watch which used FM radio waves to display information such as stock quotations, weather forecasts, and news. At launch this device was $800 which was a huge turnoff for many consumers, and was proven when the device died in 2008. In 2009, Samsung also had an attempt at wearable technology with their S9910 which debuted in Europe. At a 450 Euro price tag, this was also too expensive for consumers, and along with limited functionality this device was destined to be a flop. Now with more functionality possibilities and low cost production, companies like Google, Apple, Microsoft, LG, and Samsung are able to create modern, functional smartwatches. It is also encouraging that Pebble recently funded over $10 million for their smartwatch on Kickstarter. So will 2013 be the year of the smartwatch?

In this article, the global state of the current smart device market is addressed with its top two consumers being the U.S. and China. As of February 18, 2013, China has officially surpassed the U.S. in its number of active iOs and Android devices, a year after being named the fastest-growing smart device market in the world. According to estimations, China will have a 16M lead in smart devices installed on the U.S. by the end of February and their market will continue growing exponentially putting them far ahead of any other country. China's purchases in the smart device business, makes them an important group of interest for smart device companies such as Samsung and Apple, and the choices of the people will have a great impact upon the market. Especially in the competition between iOs and Android devices. In recent studies, the Android has nearly 75% of sales in China. This is not very comforting for the iOS since it might fall behind in competition due to consumer behavior in China's economy.

This article shows how people will react to new tablets.  People seem to be very interested in tablets, despite cost.  Many large companies in the U.S. and Canada, such as Best Buy and Future Shop, reported low stocks of the new Microsoft Surface Pro.  Microsoft will continue to develop new tablets/computers like their new Surface Pro, as consumers show an interest for these new technologies such as tablets.  The only units left in consistent stock are the 64GB, as people favor the 128Gb units over their lesser counter-parts.  I think that Microsoft will earn a lot of profit because of this new software that they are producing, as consumers are willing to but expensive tablets that come with new features.  Other companies as well as microsoft will capatilize on this willingness, and we will surely see new software similiar to this in the future. 

The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) was passed to help protect digital rights, but allowed the Librarian of Congress to make exceptions to the act that would otherwise not follow the act. Today (October 28), four new exemptions to the DMCA were put into effect most notably the legalizing of jailbreaking on iPhones but not iPads. The other exemptions to the DMCA are the requirement of disabled people to own multiple devices in order to access e-books, the illegalizing of unlocking a cell phone purchased after January 2013 at a new carrier without permission from your old carrier, and the legalizing of ripping some content of a DVD only for specific purposes. The new exemptions put into effect could have a serious impact on the technology market. The number of e-book reader sold to disabled customers will decrease drastically since they will have to buy other devices so they can legally read e-books. Apple and app developers would also lose a lot of revenue from the App Store since more users will be motivated to jailbreak their iPhones and get pirated apps instead of actually buying apps since they can do so legally. The new exemptions could cause some providers to lose some money though not a significant amount should the provider refuse to unlock cell phones when consumers go to other countries since in the foreign country, consumers will be paying and using service from a local provider instead of their original provider causing them to miss out on some money. Finally, the DMCA exemptions could cause a decrease in DVD sales not just because they are losing popularity already but also because if someone wants to rip a part of a DVD, they can just borrow it from someone else instead of buying and ripping the needed content. I think these new exemptions are very silly and could end up being more harmful than useful. Making disabled customers buy multiple devices just to access e-books is very discouraging to potential e-book reader customers. I also wonder th

Many of us think of Apple as this giant in electronics. Over the past decade, Apple set the market for smartphones, ultrabooks, and tablets. However, in the past couple of years, Apple has begun to fall off. Rather than being the huge 'juggernaut,' Apple has become a follower, forced to play catch up to other companies including Google and Amazon. Evidence of this are tied to the recent releases of the Kindle Fire and the Nexus 7. Apple's response was the iPad Mini, when they realized consumers enjoyed smaller tablets. Before that was the iPhone 5, in response to people wanting larger phone displays. Apple Maps is a blunder that both iOS 6 users and Apple pays for. Apple was slow on the draw to join in on changes to the market specifications. Having controlled the market for the past decade with the popularization of smartphones, tablets, and retina display, Apple was simply unprepared to react to these changes. Apple still has their innovation and secrets hidden in R&D, but the fact of the matter is their most recent releases contain ideas from other companies' progress. This relates to elifestyle because our generation uses these products in our daily lives. Most of us do not remember a time when electronics did not make up a substantial part of our lives; when Apple was not a prominent consumer electronics company. This reminds us that power does not last indefinitely; innovators become followers, and companies fall. The next big thing in electronics may not even exist yet. 

This article introduces the official release of the long time coming Raspberry Pi. This new technology is set to include 256MB, at only a $25 price point. This is both good for consumers who use a lot of memory for downloading or uploading data or programs and also for consumers who will be interested for such it's low price and would not mind investing in this product.This relates to me because this small and portable hardware device is intriguing in my life for it's various purposes that include, compatibility with a SD card, USB, and RCA video, along with it's large memory capacity, I am certainly interested in purchasing this new device to help store, save, and use data all in this new compact piece of technology. 

This article explains that Apple's newest piece of technology, the iPad 3, has caught their attention, but not for the right or wanted reasons. Apple's iPad 3 has had WiFi issues with plenty of complaints from a number of consumers bringing their thoughts to the company's attention. Weak Wi-Fi seems to almost be a standard part of an iPad launch. Both previous generations had difficulty with WiFi just out of the gate, with users complaining of weak reception and problems connecting to a network. The fact that this is not new for Apple is reassuring and some what comfortable for them because they have been in this situation before and they know the solution to their problem. Although Apple may know what to do and they aren't too concerned, this has to be a issue that Apple has to bring up and deal with in the future to avoid any complaining or angry impressed consumers about the issues that people are facing with newly developed Apple products. 

This article is about the much anticipated (LOL) release of the blackberry 10. Due to news of it's release, stock prices have been high, but, when the blackberry was released, RIM saw their stocks drop. The article explains that this release is Blackberry's attempt to get back into the smartphone market -which is currently being dominated by Iphone and Android devices. The new blackberry features a new operating system that predicts what word you want,you can swipe to have it auto-completed.. sound familiar?....It also operates as both a business and personal phone. I think Blackberry's stock will continue to drop because of the increasing demand for iPhone and Android devices. Apple has been around for a long time and has developed consumer loyalty. Consumers trust the iPhone and will continue to purchase their phones, whereas Blackberry's consumer loyalty has been waning. Smartphones continue to make our lives easier, and are constantly changing. Blackberry's new phone may change the phone market.

WOW! Great article. I completely agree with everything! 10/10 I wish i could be more like you.

Thx QT ! I appreciate it :) xoxoxox

EA has once again made the Worst Company in American History. Although many think the constant hate towards EA is a circlejerking karma train their problems and mistakes are very much real. This article outlines 3 of their main failures: -not providing a product their costumer will want -not selling a product at a reasonable price -not supporting the products they sell Despite selling games that millions of people buy most are rushed, including features that nobody wants, and not fixing previous mistakes. They also try to squeeze as much money out of their consumers as possible. They make people pay for money in-game products that should already be in the original copy and the make many of their games pay-to-win. The last big point that makes EA the Worst Company in American History was the fact that they have a habit of not supporting the products they sell. For example when

What is Microsoft thinking!? You can't release a major version of an OS that is used by about 90% of the market and just remove something everyone has been using for the past decade. I tried the Windows 8 Developer Preview and Metro is OK, but it's not something you seriously want to use with a mouse, which is a problem for business that don't spend money on touch screens, mainly because their employees don't need them. But now they go ahead and remove the start button completely, making it a hot corner instead, which can be really hard to use at times. When I'm at my computer, I want to be productive, and the standard start menu is the way to do that. I like pretty interfaces, but I also like things that just work, and that's what the start menu is to me. Long story short, if you have an OS as big as Windows, don't make big UI changes like this, because it can really turn out bad and confusing.

The article that I have chosen to share for week 4 is about IBM and their new services to help eliminate fraud and financial crime. The article interested be because around 3.5 trillion dollars are lost per year to financial crime and fraud through technology. While the software is being marketed to big companies it also directly involves us, the consumers. For example when Sony's PSN was down thousands of peoples accounts were hacked and had money taken from their accounts. This new software interested me because now people can feel a little more secure using online programs knowing that their information can be safer. It is a new time where many things are bought through the internet and with better security people won't feel as worried about their security

The article that I have chosen to share for week 4 is about IBM and their new services to help eliminate fraud and financial crime. The article interested be because around 3.5 trillion dollars are lost per year to financial crime and fraud through technology. While the software is being marketed to big companies it also directly involves us, the consumers. For example when Sony's PSN was down thousands of peoples accounts were hacked and had money taken from their accounts. This new software interested me because now people can feel a little more secure using online programs knowing that their information can be safer. It is a new time where many things are bought through the internet and with better security people won't feel as worried about their security

this is a problem because people are demanding more computers and phones now because life without them is hard, now you can only apply for jobs on computers or do homework on computers now, so more people need them. This is affecting the environment because to make all these devices are harming the environment, for example the pollution from the factory making the products and the precious metals and supply's we are using to make the devices are non-renewable. So we should find a way to make computers and phones without effecting the environment as much as we are now. this is how computers and phones are affecting the environment, and the demand on computers are just gonna get higher and higher, so we should find a way to build the computer without effecting the environment as much fast.

This is an article about how computers affect our environment, how we can help, and what computers can do to actually benefit us in the world. Some examples of computers ruining the environment could be usage of valuable resources and pollution due to computer waste. Some examples of how we can help would be sanitizing our hard drive, donating our mobile device, raising funds from techno trash, and re-using ink cartridges. Technology can help the environment by helping us develop and produce sustainable practices in the environment. It also allows for paperless communication which limits the taking down of trees. In my opinion I completely agree with what this article has to say. It expands on computers issues but also its strengths.

Many people do not know that just throwing away your old electronics can build up and create a lot of air and water pollution, as well as heat and noise pollution. In our electronics there are many different types of non-renewable resources, also many precious metals are used such as gold, and silver. All electronics contain hazardous  materials that can have a negative impact on our environment, this materials have to be disposed using special methods. You can help the environment by buying more energy efficient products, as well and products that have less hazardous materials inside of them. Also you can dispose your electronics properly and safely. But on the other side using computers can help the environment, because less trees will be cut down for paper. When disposing of electronics improperly can increase the amount of carbon emissions that are the main cause to global warming, also known as greenhouse gases.    

Many things are replaced by electronics and machinery for our convenience. However, in 2012, why is the majority of people still using the traditional form of payment-cash. In the past few years, there were a few developers, who were interested in this topic, began to explore and brainstorm a variety of creative ideas of payment for the convenience everyday consumers. These determined developers may not have created new methods, but they have provided us with options that we may consider depending on our positions: people buying or selling products, or exchanging funds. For each category, mobile apps and online websites were recommended. Since we have easy access to our cell phones, it is not difficult to complete our payment tax with ease. As a result, it is not necessary to carry around cash or credit cards too often when going out to.    For example, Google Wallet is relatively efficient since it supports most or all major credit cards and can be used to pay for restaurant or shop purchases. Microsoft Wallet (similar to Google Wallet) is also another option for those who do have Android phones since Google Wallet is available to only a few Android phones.     

Most of us know the movie "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" which is about a young boy who finds a golden ticket in his chocolate bar and wins a trip to the chocolate factory. Now Nestle is doing the same with their candy.  In the UK, some Nestle chocolate bars have GPS trackers on them but you will not know until a Nestle representative track you down to award you with a prize. The trackers in the selected candy bars cannot be seen and many wonder if it is embedded in the chocolate itself and the effects it will have on the body when consumed.  Others find this "Willy Wonka-style promotion" to be creepy knowing that someone is tracking you down if you purchased and opened a candy bar with a GPS tracker in it. Despite having the feeling that you are being watched, wouldn't it be a pleasant surprise when you are presented with an award for purchasing a Nestle chocolate bar?

In early December of this year Intel is going to come out with a new NUC (Next Unit of Computing) mini-PC. This mini-PC has everything a normal PC except its more compact. Its motherboard is 4x4inches and held by four screws to put memory, its PCIe cards, and its power cord. The PCIe slots accommodate half height cards, for WiFi, mSata, and you can put a full height card. The mini-PC holds a core i3 processor, HD 4000 graphics, two SoDIMM sockets, mSATA and mini-PCIe interfaces, one to two HDMI and three USB 2.0 connectors. The DC3217BY model carries a Gigabit Ethernet which favours Thunderbolt and everything listed above. The mini-PC will be priced from $300-$320 and sold on Amazon and Eggdrop. This portable computing by it's so small that it fits in your jacket, blazer, and purse. Many people won't need to buy big bags for their computer. Its economics because more PC companies will have to come out with better computers than the mini-PC or join in the race to build the best mini-PC. PC companies will have to make their computers cheaper to compete with the mini-PC. Overall it's good for the consumer because you many companies competing and making their products cheaper and better.