Group items tagged

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?

Earlier today, Twitter announced  a brand new update for it's searching features for the web and smartphones including Android and IOS. This new update adds a search button to the Iphone making it up to speed with Androids and any form of a tablet. Also, this update improves search results for photos, tweets and twitter accounts. Secondly, the connect tab automatically defaults to interactions which will display new followers, mentions as well as re tweets. Lastly, which is probably the most favourite new addition, is a change in Twitters mobile implementations handle links. Meaning, you can now click a URL directly from your twitter timeline without having to open a related tweet. This is the new twitter search update that was released earlier today. Make sure to install this update and the mobile site is already sporting the latest updates, but you will need to update your IOS or Android smartphone at their respective store.

In this article, Apple's current CEO, Tim Cook expresses his opinion on the suing of South Korean company, Samsung. Although, Steve Jobs was very clear with his intentions to take out Samsung as a major source of competition, Tim Cook was opposed to suing Samsung because the company was a major supplier of parts for Apple. However, Jobs suspected Samsung was abusing the supplier relationship to shield it from any legal claims and his fears were confirmed with the early release of the Galaxy Tab which was very much like the iPad. Apple's dependency on Samsung is displayed by the nearly $8 billion dollars worth of components bought from Samsung last year. For this reason, Tim Cook has made several moves to wean Apple's dependence on Samsung products, including hiring away a top chip designer formerly working for Samsung. This and the $1.17 billion dollars apple was given from the jurisdiction between the two rivals was a big win for them. This article fits under the legal category because it touches upon the legal issues between the two rivaling companies, and the opinions of stakeholders such as Jobs and Cook. Also, this article is related to economics because it predicts the future of major companies like Samsung and Apple. With these two companies at the top, changes in consumer behaviour can easily result if one of the companies falls behind.

A Taiwanese company, Polytron Technologies, has developed a new smart phone that is completely transparent. Although this device is a mere prototype, it is a promising look into the future of smartphone technology. It consists of all the features of current smartphones, such as SD card support, speakers, a microphone and battery, but the clear display is what has many people in awe. Polytron calls this new technology Switchable Glass technology which allows the phone to look completely opaque when not in use and transparent when powered on. This technology functions based on the behaviour and properties of liquid crystal molecules in certain conditions. In the coming years we will most likely see this technology being introduced into smart devices if it proves to be a success. No longer will smartphones be thin, black or white rectangles, but rather they will be transparent works of art. In the coming future we may be thanking Polytron Technologies for their brilliant advancement in smartphone technology.  

Homophobic words have become increasingly integrated into casual speech, more than one would like to admit. This problem has been amplified substantially with the use of social networking sites, in particular, Twitter. The University of Alberta's Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services launched the website www.nohomophobes.com on September 26, 2012, and has been tracking tweets containing the words 'faggot,' 'so gay,' 'no homo,' and 'dyke' since July. The site displays the numbers in current, weekly, and all-time charts, and updates in real time. A live feed lists the tweets containing the phrases as well.  As of 1:23pm on October 22, 2012, the number of tweets with the word 'faggot' broke 10,000. It is disheartening to see how such a hurtful word could be used so nonchalantly during the day. Since July 5, 2012, there have been about 3.27 million 'faggot' tweets, 1.16 million 'so gay' and 'no homo' tweets, and over 450,000 'dyke' tweets. As the site header reads, "Homophobic language isn't always meant to be hurtful, but how often do we use it without thinking?" This article is tagged under eLifestyle because our generation uses social networking sites daily. Although people may use these phrases without harmful intentions, they are still there for everyone to see on the internet. It is a real eye-opener to watch the numbers rise so quickly, from just one social network. As students and future leaders, we must give extra thought to what we post, and who it might harm when we use these social networks.

This article talks about a new tablet line from Microsoft called "Surface". It is supposed to go with the new Windows 8 operating system which is supposed to be a more touch and mobile friendly system. At an event in LA Steve Ballmer showed 2 versions of Surface.  One is running Windows 8 Pro the other Windows RT. Each tablet comes with a stand and magnetically attachable covers to allow the tablet to be like a laptop. The type cover has a keyboard and trackpad, while the touch cover is a thinner keyboard cover that comes in many colours and has an accelerometer to let the system know when it's folded to deactivate the keyboard. Both have a 10.6-inch display. The RT version is 9.3mm thick and weights 673g while the Windows 8 Pro is 13.55mm thick and weighs 903g. Only the RT comes with productivity software like Office Home and Student pre-loaded. This release ties in with portable computing because it is an all new portable tablet that is from Microsoft. It also ties in with their new operating system that goes hand in hand with this tablet. It is something with a new innovative style and can be used in various ways as a laptop or tablet. It also ties in with economics and the whole Apple vs. Microsoft competition. Microsoft has created an "even better" version of the iPad. Now instead of going for the iPad people that like PC's and working with them can make the choice to use the Surface tablet which once again puts Microsoft and Apple in competition with one another for sales. All in all this is a great new tablet and I think it is great for all those Windows users that can get their hands on a new tablet from Microsoft.  It will be interesting to see if this new technology will blow up compared to the iPad and now the iPad Mini.

This article is about how Samsung is not coming out with a 3D smartphone any time soon. Samsung told Engadget that they have no immediate plans to include displays featuring 3D technology in their upcoming smartphones. I found this interesting because I wonder how many people would enjoy a 3D phone. I think that for movies and games on your phone it would look really good. I also found this interesting because I wonder why Samsung is not coming out with smartphones that have 3D features. 

This article is about this great new product called google glasses. This product that their making is basically like Siri in the Iphone 4S. The experimental "augmented reality" glasses--from the same team that is developing self-driven cars--can snap photos, initiate videochats and display directions at the sound of a user's voice. The prototype digital glasses, unveiled on the company's Google+ social network on Wednesday, are still being tweaked and tested, and are not available in stores yet.

The world's first 28nm GPU. The revolutionary new GCN Architecture. Ready for DirectX® 11. PCI Express 3.0.2 The AMD Radeon™ HD 7970 is your personal checklist for ground-breaking technology.The next generation of AMD Eyefinity technology is here, featuring all-new support for stereo 3D, universal bezel compensation and brand new display configurations. Face it: the best just got better.

Nvidia > AMD And this is coming from someone that's using an AMD GPU on his main computer for gaming.

Keio University in Japan decided to create something where plants react to you and display a variety of different emotions on your computer etc. (example in the picture) Yes, it is a real actual plant sprouting out of a box, which has sensors and microphones that monitor its surroundings. These plants are "rigged up" and they don't wilt for nearly a year. That's pretty cool! 

These glasses are really good for everyone. They can be 3D and can have your prescription in them. They are good because you can watch t.v from these glasses and they are in full color. This glasses can benefit all because then you wont need to buy a T.V. These glasses will make the T.V appear farther and not right up to your eyes. As well, they can have a GPS and other things programmed into your glasses. This relates to the course because you need to program software onto the glasses and lens. The lens part of the device is the hardware.

Only a few months after the Samsung Galaxy Gear was released, Samsung has just announced that they well be releasing two new smart watches; the Galaxy Gear 2 and the Galaxy Gear 2 Neo. The watch comes packed with a 1.63 inch super AMOLED display and a 1GHz dual core processor. You will be able to track your health with fitness apps, control your TV with the watch-on application, answer phone calls, listen to music and many more feautures. I personally would get this because the new technology of smart watches interests me because you don't have to pull your phone out all the time to answer calls or to change the song you are listening too. Sooner or later we won't even need a phone to pair a smart watch too, all you will need is the watch.

The typical computer workspace setting looks a little darker, and more secluded than these designers wanted. They chose an open concept workspace instead, which includes flowers, plants. etc. The two people credited for this idea are Julia and Yuriy. This is a design for a home office. They think, that if you are into spending time with your significant other, and are willing to share a desk this can be a fabulous idea, since you are connected and have to work together. This could be an interesting concept. This website actually takes other people's ideas and puts them up for display, so this does not happen to be proven or tested to work better, or something along those lines. Still, I think this could work for me. I like the atmosphere this gives off, and you could probably get a lot of things done quicker if you are comfortable.

Scientists have now further refined their ability to be able to read and render our memories. Test subjects were given a number of movies to watch (hopefully not rise of the planet of the apes, that was just a terrible movie, it has no respect to the first film in terms of story. In the first film it is said humanity wiped itself out in a nuclear war to destroy the monkeys but in this movie it was because of a disease, and they even put it after the credits so if you leave early which you will, you will not even finish the whole movie or grasp its crappy plot.)and were then placed in an MRI machine. The MRI machine read their brain activity for hours on end which was then compiled and rendered through super special 11 herbs and spices techniques to roughly display their thoughts visually. This technology needs to be further refined so that instead of hours of imaging, it can be seconds of imaging so that our governments may use it to find the terrorists, our enemies and decrease our liberties all at the same time.

When Microsoft launched Windows Phone last year, I was of the opinion that it was a platform that would never build steam. The entrenched players - iOS, RIM, and Android - already controlled the market, and the hiatus between the last Windows Mobile phone and the first Windows Phone was too long for even the most dedicated or curious customers to wait. According to buyers and reviews, the windows phone had everything pleasing about from display to run times and lets not forget the interface. The reason windows didnt sell so many of their phones was because the time between windows phone left a big gap and many people were just simply not interested

TALK TO THE HAND!! Microsoft launches a new product which is called "OmniTouch." It can be used on really anything, on any surface that sense finger position. you can use the OmniTouch on arms, hands, notebooks, and tables. It uses a picoprojector and a 3D scanner similar to kinect. 

Soon you, too, will be able to talk to the hand. A new interface created jointly by Microsoft and the Carnegie Mellon Human Computer Interaction Institute allows for interfaces to be displayed on any surface, including notebooks, body parts, and tables. The UI is completely multitouch and the "shoulder-worn" system will locate the surface you're working on in 3D space, ensuring the UI is always accessible. It uses a picoprojector and a 3D scanner similar to the Kinect.

Whether you're sliding a bar or pulling a puzzle piece across your smartphone screen, you're performing an action owned by Apple. Apple has full ownerhip of that gesture now. Whether you unlock a device using a gesture on a touch-sensitive display, display an icon telling users they have to unlock the device, design the icon to tell users which direction they have to swipe the icon to unlock the device, or provide visual cues for users that can't remember the unlock gesture, Apple owns it.

with the technology that a fighter plane, we can use it to help people drive better. bmw is now using HUDs which stands for Heads-up Display. its pretty much a light that is reflected on the windshield to show information about the car such as speed or gps. Apperently it helps drivers to keep their eyes on the road.

The future of gaming is set and Sony has clearly decided to be apart of it. At a recent conference, the company displayed a sleek prototype of a headset that will give players a high definition, panoramic view of the game as if they were present in the server, all in 3D. Sony has already sold thousands of headsets to developers and is inspired and encouraged to make their own virtual reality game and are looking forward to working with new technology. I think that this new format of gaming would be really interesting and futuristic. Certainly, the game play would be more realistic as I don't think there would be as much restrictions to pressing a sequence of buttons, when technically using the headset would allow you to act out exactly what you want to happen. Although I am aware of the dangers of virtual reality due to a specific anime, the fact that technology has made it so far is purely amazing.

We should all probably know that when technology starts upgrading as time goes by, we always want to get the new products. Our generation is getting more and more into technology and in this article, it explains a study of how we are digitally getting distracted in our academics. This study shows that 47% of teachers should make courses and content in digital literacy into a school's curriculum. I agree with this because as our generation spends our days mainly on our phones or on computers, we wouldn't be distracted on the technology if we have our work finished with it. The only back draw to this is that many students would just go on Google or Wikipedia for their answers as the Internet has a huge amount of information displayed for us to use. This article relates to portable computing because it's starting to affect how we do in our education. In addition, it relates to eLifestyle because we're using this technology as a daily part of our lives and if we start to use it as a method of education, we can use it as a form of gaining new information.

The article, by Neha Prakash, is about a study on the effects of technology on the current generation of students. The study concluded with 87% of teachers saying students were easily distracted and had short attention spans. This is most likely due to the internet providing such quick and easy access within a keystroke in search engines such as Wikipedia and Google. Students are used to having things accomplished and out of the way so quickly that they no longer have the attention span to complete more complicated and time consuming tasks. Due to this, students lack time management and also do not check if their sources are reputable. A solution to this problem could be to incorporate digital literacy and technology into schools' curriculum. With this additional knowledge, methods of education can be improved in today's technological environment. This relates to elifestyle in that we use technology so much that we can take it for granted. Normally, we do not acknowledge the consequences of repetitive and prolonged use of social media, search engines, cell phones, and so on. As the class of ICS2O, we learn to use technology in a healthy balance in our lives. We are at the forefront of electronic education, using sites such as diigo, Google Drive, and Google Reader to complete assignments and engage in the events of the outside world. While there are negative impacts to the overuse of technology, like most other things, technology, used in balance with other aspects of life, can be beneficial.

This article states that a new study has shown that more and more kids/teenagers are distracted by technologies which affect their learning.  87% of the teachers in this study have said that "technology is creating an easily distracted generation with short attention spans."  Other teachers also claim that "technologies do more to distract students than to help them academically."  Teachers, though, remained somewhat optimistic about digital impact, with 77% saying Internet search tools have had a "mostly positive" impact on their students' work. I think that technologies help out a lot in kids learning however it could still distract them. A lot of kids use the internet with homework and study help which could in some cases is a very beneficial thing. They would learn and find out more about the subject they are studying. Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet Project, says that maybe it is not the problem with tech, but the lack of digital literacy training in students that creates the problem. I agree with this also.