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Alright, there's been a lot of conflicting information floating around regarding Sprint's iPhone 4S and its locked/unlocked status, but a Sprint spokesperson has just offered Macworld her official word. The iPhone will indeed be unlocked at first, but a SIM lock will be "pushed to the devices shortly after launch."

It just seemed like yesterday that the iPad 2 was released but now it's been confirmed that the iPad 3, the newest edition of the iPad in technology, is in the process of creation and has officially released onto the market. The iPad 3 officially made it's first appearance on March 7th, when Apple introduced it's newest creation to the world at a media event in San Francisco. This notable information is relatable not only to our course, but also to society, and our world because it truly demonstrates how our world is constantly evolving and developing with new gadgets and technology being produced and used at our every use everyday. As consumers, we should also be aware that once the iPad 3 makes its way onto the market, the value our iPads and iPad 2s will significally drop, so it is advised that if you are interested in making a purchase and investment towards the iPad 3, to make a extra couple hundred dollars, try selling your older iPads while they are still valuable and worth an acceptable amount of money. Overall, tablets and iPads have definitely taken our world by storm as they have made a huge impact both economically and socially and Apple hopes to continue to make more and more designs and productions to further the success and effectiveness of their products. 

Well, I bet no one saw this one coming! /s  So yes, the new iPad will probably be announced on March 7. People are speculating that it will have double the screen resolution of the iPad and iPad 2 (which can be worrying because it brings more fragmentation into the app store), along with the Quad-Core A5X processor. It's also speculated that this may not have a Home Button, which I really hope does not happen.. Using those multitouch gestures to get back to the homescreen will be a pain in apps that actually use multitouch. It is also said that it will have 4G LTE, which is nice.

Well, I'm guessing time is almost over for selling your iPad 2. March 7th the new iPad 3 is coming out. What makes this ipad much greater is that it has no regular display as the old ipad. It has a higher resolution than the ipad 1 and 2. Apparently it is much darker than the current ipads that are in stock. This is probably going to turn out to be the world's most popular tablet. 

Sir, are you going to go to this event? I bet he secretly will.. OFFICIALS SAY THAT THE IPAD THREE EVENT IS SAID FOR MARCH 7TH IN SAN FRANCISCO! The event will be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in S.F at 10AM PST, on Wednesday March 7th, and it will be filmed covers live as it happens. The iPad three will have a higher resolution than the iPad 1 & 2. They say that the product picture looks darker than current iPad models. Many cannot wait till this product comes out. WELL I WAS JUST INFORMED THAT IT CAME OUT TODAY! 

HP managers in Russia have allegedly bribed executives in the Russian Prosecutors General Office for about $9.7 million to land a deal to supply the office with HP computers, printers, etc for $45.3 million. German lawyers say that HP its self should be prosecuted and there should be a US investigation. HP is cooperating with the US and the court but say that they didn't that this was happening. The people who bribed those officials are not very smart because if you bribe someone you know that you will get caught sooner or later. Because of their actions this might cause a fall in HP sales of their software, computers and printers. Legally this ruins costumer trust for HP and could also cause fall of sales.       

A new hardware leak is made official this week, the Chromebook 2. It runs a Chrome OS. This article says that it's exterior  includes stitched leather, and a full HD 1980x1080 screen. Some cool hardware jammed in there, is an Exnos 5 Octa processor which clocks in at 2.1 GHz. Also includes 4 GB of RAM and 16 GB of storage available. It's expected to have eight hours of battery life. The chromebook will cost either $320 or $400. For a machine that is internet dependent, and is mainly used for web surfing and storing on the cloud, $400 might actually be too expensive. I don't need this right now, nor do I want to get one, but I think this is a step forward in the field of cloud computing by google. I think there are definitely some better options to pick from, some being microsoft's version of this. Microsoft office is more widely acclaimed, and has the popular vote over google docs. About the specs, it does its job for what it's worth.

This article is about how now even in pro soccer leagues, referees can use a smartphone app called Referee Pro to give people cards. It is set to official FIFA rules which means anyone anywhere can use it.  I found this article interesting because it shows how technology is taking over. People can't even do something as simple as pull out a card. Do you really need a phone app ? This relates to class because we always talk about apps and stuff. 

lol apps and stuff

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 mentions the fact that Twitter now plans to update its mobile applications to introduce filters for photos allowing people to share altered images without having to use another source such as Instagram. Since most phones come with high-resolution cameras and many of the Twitter users use their phones this will be an easy way for people to edit and upload their photos. Especially with people or famous celebrities that use Instagram then share them on Twitter where more people follow them it will be easier and faster to just use Twitter for it all. This new idea has been hastened when Facebook bought Instagram. Twitter was thinking of buying a different photo service or application but when weighing out the cost they decided to just build their own filters. Twitter is also exploring the ability to upload and edit videos without using a third-party application like YouTube. This article has a lot to do with economics and the battle between two companies trying to get people to use their site and apps and not the other. In this case Twitter is really trying to become the most popular and important social networking site where people will be able to do anything on and it will be instant. They are changing what they once were to try to morph into Facebook because of the increasing popularity of Instagram and the fact that Facebook bought it.  I think personally that Twitter is making a good decision about the filter but i don't think twitter should add their own video player because it would change twitter and its purpose of being instant statements and pictures. YouTube is good at what they do and twitter should stay out of it. However with the whole idea of adding filters to Twitter you get the benefits of Instagram with the benefits of Twitter which might just keep them on top of Instagram.

Following Facebook's purchase of Instagram for almost $1 Billion in April 2012, it seems appropriate that Twitter would integrate something similar into their users' experience. 'Inside sources' say that Twitter is working on a photo-filter system that will be integrated directly in the site and mobile apps that hopes to bypass third-party services (such as Instagram.) While Instagram is a social network that focuses on social images with limited text, Twitter is renowned for its 140 character text-based updates with occasional images. An advantage of Twitter's supposed photo filtering system would be that there would most likely be a website equivalent to the mobile app, a problem that has plagued Instagram users who want a PC experience. As of now, there have been no official confirmations by Twitter, but the idea of a Twitter-exclusive photo sharing system seems interesting; although the market is currently saturated by Instagram, which can export images to other social networks, including Twitter. Legally, Facebook and Instagram may be able to take action against Twitter, depending on how similar their filtering system will be. This relates to eLifestyle and ICS20 because as social network users, we are always searching for ways to monetize our networks to one cohesive experience; another photo-sharing application seems arbitrary when there is already a capable system (Instagram.)

It is now official that every year around December there will be a new Jordan 11 release. This will mean that the Jordan brand will be selling retro colorways 11's or they will be probably be making new colorways for all the Jordan lovers that want to see a new style. The recent one that will be selling is the Jordan 11 Breds which is the retro colorways of the Chicago Bulls because Micheal Jordan wore them while he was still playing. The reason Michael Jordan has decided to sell Jordan 11's every year in December is because it is his favorite shoe he ever created. I along with many other this December will be trying to get my hands on a pair of Jordan 11's. 

Video gaming is pretty big in our society.  It may seem like it's just fun and games to most people, but to others it could be serious.  Is it possible that video gaming could be bigger than sports?  Possibly.  The amount of spectators spectating individual gaming events are immense.  Not only do people spectate it live, but they could also spectate from the comfort of their own computer.  The Major League Gaming Spring Championship in June attracted 4.7 million online viewers.    This affects our everyday life because instead of training for a physically active competition, people could "train" and hone their skills to play video games.  People from all around the world could connect with each other and compete with each other through video games.    Whether I agree or disagree with regards to making video gaming a real sport or not is still in between the borderline.  You can practice your skills while playing a sport, but you can also hone your skills by playing video games.  Nonetheless, if video gaming does become an official sport, then we could say goodbye to society as we know it today.

Texting is one of the most popular ways of communicating with other people. However, do we really benefit from it? One could argue that it is convenient, but others believe that the language people, especially the youth, use in texts affect their grammar. Some might even say that sometimes they include abbreviations and slang such as b/c, r, and u, in their English assignment without even noticing the problem, I know I have.  In 2011, an estimate of eight trillion text messages were sent, and those between the ages of 18 and 29 make up 95% of the texting population. Many are concerned about the future of the English language since so many people are fond of texting. There was even a National Texting Championship in 2012 that was won by 17-year-old Austin Wierschke who was able to text 149 words in 39 seconds. It seems that texting have become an important part of many lives. Some abbreviations have become so popular that even the Oxford English Dictionary has including them into their dictionaries making abbreviations such as LOL, OMG, FYI, TMI, and BFF, official to the English language. In my opinion, texting is not a crime. It is a convenient and effective way of communicating with other people. I believe that there is nothing wrong with using abbreviations in texts as long as it does not affect the way I write. 

This article is about South Carolina which had a hacker break into the state's computer system. It was said that a hacker from another country staged several attacks on the State Department of Revenue since August. This exposed 3.6 million social security numbers and 387,000 credit and debit card numbers and all but 16,000 of the credit card numbers are protected by encryption, but hackers can decrypt them. People that filed tax returns since 1998 are to contact state law enforcement officials to prevent identity theft. They still haven't found the hacker. This article relates to Privacy and Security as well as legal issues because it deals with hacking important information profiles of people such as their credit card numbers and social security numbers. As well as creating a possibility for identity theft.  This could create lots of problems for people and the government because of a hacker. It is times like these where we think how we can tighten security for these things stored on the computer? We also think is it just best to stay away from technology for these matters, because of moments like these where mass information that was stored is now exposed.

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 is about a new phone that has not officially been allowed on the market yet but is already well known. This device is called the Samsung Galaxy Beam. This phone has a projector on the top of the phone which can project a 50-inch wide image. The phone is 800x400, has a 6GB of memory, and has a 5-megapixel camera.

who loves that game on the iPod & iPhone called Temple Run? Many people love the game because of it's thrilling excitement and it's great graphics. Now the great game is officially coming out for the Android! The app will be heading for this device on March 27th and it will be free to download and play! Temple Run is the seventh most popular free app on the iTunes Store. The game has been downloaded 40 million times since August of last year. Those who have an Android, i recommend you get this app! 

Many people play temple on their ipods and ipads, This game has become very popular and is said to be the most popular free game. This game is going to be available for androids on march 27th. it will also be free for download and will appear similar to the temple run on the ipads and ipods.

Wow, that was fast! Someone got to making a Windows 8 app that brings back the functions of the start menu. This would actually make me much more likely to upgrade to the OS, because the main problem I have with it is that the start menu is gone and instead replaced with a metro interface that does not transition well from the desktop. It's nice that there are people out there that actually take the time to tweak Windows to make it perform the way people prefer. Now if only Apple allowed for that kind of tweaking officially on OS X and iOS...

On the 13th of February, Facebook made a change to their gender identity on profiles. You can now choose from the existing "male" and "female" option, but now there are also 56 different gender identities. Some options include agender, cis, gender fluid, transgender, and neither. Not only did Facebook change the identity, you can now also control what your friends can refer you as- male, female or neutral (they/their). Facebook worked with a group of leading LGBT organizations to help select the new genders in the option, now the only thing people ask for in the comments of this official announcement is for Facebook to change the "Interested in" option.

thoughts & opinions?

If you are an inspiring artist, Google has a job for you. Doodle 4 Google is an opportunity for young artists to show what they've got and use their imagination to create a doodle for the Google homepage. The theme for the year is "If I could invent one thing to make the world a better place...." and the submissions must be sent in by March 20, which is fast approaching. The winning doodle will be featured on the homepage of Google for a day and if that's not enough, the winner will receive a $30,000 college scholarship and a $50,000 Google for Education technology grant for his or her school of choice. On April 29, the 50 finalists will be open for the public to vote their winner and the winning doodle will be revealed sometime in June. Only one doodle per student is accepted so if you are interested in participating (only if you live in the states) then you can download an entry form on their Doodle 4 Google site. I think this is a great idea for students to tap into their creative sides and think about how they can change the world. Full classrooms are encouraged to participate which is a great idea for teachers to spend the day teaching the kids how they can make a difference to the lives around them.

What can I say about Kickstarter, we have all heard of it, used it (or at least wanted to), and watched our favourite projects grow, and now it has officially passed the 1 billion dollar pledge mark. For the uninformed Kickstarter is a website that allows people and companies alike to market their product and 'crowd source/ crowd fund' their idea. According to Kickstarters statistics page, the company passed the mark mere hours ago and did so with 5.7 million backers. Was all this money for naught? Well, there have been 131,000 projects proposed on the site and 44% of them have been successfully funded and of those funded there has been less than stellar reports of full completion of projects. Despite this, however, this marks a major milestone in internet business. This company has done the impossible, be profitable and make the dreams of others come true. This service is a great sign of the internet's importance to business. Being an entrepreneur is easier than ever, a couple clicks gives you an audience of millions. Congratulations to the kickstarter team, hopefully the next billion comes quickly.

"From tweets and Facebook updates to YouTube videos and petitions, social media has become a power tool not only for official campaign teams but also for supporters."