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When we're looking for new smart phones we often look at things like speed, convenience, size and other features. When we see all these new smart phone products in stores we don't really stop and think about who made it. All we see is this polished, new phone and that's all we ever try to see. However, this article forces you to look past those pristine products and see the hidden reality. This post shows the rankings of various phone brands based on their impact on human rights, animal rights, the environment and other ethics. Out of a possible score of 20, all the brands fell quite short with the highest score being 10.5. It brings up the various human rights violations of different companies and makes you wonder why such successful companies like Apple are still setting such a low standard for labor conditions. Living in our comfortable first world country, we don't see all the human rights violations and abuse that occurs in other countries. I was surprised to learn that in a Nokia factory, many people were hospitalized for lead poisoning after being told that lead wasn't harmful. The lives of these workers are put at risk every day, as they work to create our smart phones. This article makes you think a lot about our world's reliance on technology. In our country, we only see the positive side of technology. Around the world though, there's a whole other side to the story. People work in dangerous conditions and are abused often while they create our smart phones. It really makes you see these products in a whole other light. After reading this article, I see more when I look at a smart phone. I wonder what happened to the people that made this phone or how they're living now. Our world is changing because of the introduction of technology. It has made our life so much easier, but we have to remember that this can sometimes come at the cost of another human or animal's dignity and sometimes even their life.

This article is about a pot, called "The PowerPot" that can charge USB devices like smartphones, GPS Devices and LED lamps. This works by using thermoelectric modules to convert temperature differences into a 5-, 10- or 15-watt regulated power stream. So basically, you can charge your devices while cooking food or boiling water.

This article is about an add on that turns your smartphone's camera into a three axis joystick. This was developed by researches from Keio University as an approach to the problem-- getting your screen blocked by your finger when you play. This works by tracking how the markers move as the elastic device deforms. 

this article is about using your Apple iPhone or iTouch as an add-on to a new Hasbro Nerf Laser Tag game. i think its pretty genius using your iPhone or iTouch as your own screen, but i also think that they should be other types of laser tag "guns"

This article is about how you can plug in your iphone or ipod to plastic guns and play laser tag. You can get the app and it shows you where you hit your friend, what level you are etc. I think its good for this generation because teens these days enjoy playing shooting games and almost everyone loves lazer tag. I believe this is a great game that's coming out because I know I would want to play it, and its something fun to do with all your friends.  

We all know that voice recognition software exists having been created by companies like Apple, some of us thought that advanced technology would end at a computer recognizing words and responding to questions. However that is not the case. A company called Kimera Systems is developing a system that figuratively reads your mind. This isn't a software that literally reads what you are thinking and performs an action based on your thought since that would require an implant into your body. Rather, Kimera's system consisting of the Salience Engine and DigitalMe (or DMe) Smart Agents. The Salience Engine collects information from its users and uses this to understand human action better while the Smart Agents perform actions based on the user's preferences and the user's previous actions. For example, if a user sent out party invitations to friends and then went out to buy groceries, Kimera's system would automatically download a shopping app for the user because the system understands the user is going to the grocery store to buy select food items. This system, should it be implemented into future phones and devices could very well change society for the better and for worse. This system could make people's lives better by allowing decisions to be made by the system for the user so they can worry about other things while knowing Kimera's system will take care of tasks for them. This could negatively impact society though because since the system automatically makes decisions for the user, if they begin to rely on this system and lose their sense of judgement rendering them unable to decide without this system. Though automated technology is the dream of many, is an automated life really what we want? From this new technology Kimera is creating, other more advanced automated technologies could arise and eventually we could end up losing our humanity since everything we need to do is done for us by a computer. We would end up like the humans in the movie Wall-E who were

The video by, Youtube channel ExtraCreditz, is about the issue of frequency space. All information that we use is transmitted through the air by different forms of radiation (radio waves, microwaves, etc.) The problem is we are running out of frequencies to use; there are only a limited band of wave lengths to transmit information with. These wavelengths can't be infinitely divided because they would end up cancelling each other out. This issue derives from the explosion in smartphone and mobile device popularity. These devices use 24x and 122x the spectrum of older cellphones respectively.  Along with other devices, we are running out of the amount of frequencies available to transmit information with. By 2014, there will no longer be any more spectrum to use. This is detrimental to any progress in developments of information sharing, such as cloud gaming. The demand for spectrum space in such ideas and innovations is simply to high with the current usage of the resource. Unless we can find a way to solve this 'Spectrum Crunch,' many future developments will not be possible. This is tagged under Portable Computing, as well as eLifestyle because this issue is born from the expansion of technology into everyday use. Before mobile technology became popular, the 'Spectrum Crunch' was never an issue. However, many companies are now racing to free up spectrum. Some solutions include freeing up spectrum used by television stations. But there is no definite answer. As the future in the world as leaders in an era of information and electronics, our generation must address problems like these to progress in the advancement of technology.

This article talks about new gesture that could be used in addition to finger touch in order to have more options easily and launch new apps using your knuckle, fingertip, fingernail and more. A trio of Ph.D. students at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh managed to modify a Samsung Galaxy SIII to accept input from all three different touch variations, and tell the difference between them. It accomplishes this with the help of a vibration sensor and software that listens for the acoustic differences that come with the different types of touches. A man named Harrison has already started a company called Qeexo to start selling this tech. This vibration sensor can easily be added to any smartphone's "guts" and the software added too.   This article has a lot to do with portable computing because different companies are always coming up with new innovative ways to make smart phones more "smart". This is one of those things that a new company called Qeexo is doing. They are looking to improve the options and speed of using a smartphone for example instead of opening up a note pad by going into the menu and clicking it with your finger, you can use the "shortcut" of taping your knuckle twice to open it. This can also be used in gaming, option menus etc.  The main point is that companies are always changing making technology much more natural and easy to use. I think that this is a very good idea and over time if people hear about this depending on how much this would cost to upgrade it may become big and even become a pre-installed feature. 

LG released its newest refrigerator called the Smart Thing.which as you can guess, is a "smart" fridge. The fridge can communicate and interact with your Android phone to complete or help complete some of its tasks. This fridge can tell you what is in the fridge, scan barcodes of food products, suggest recipes based on the user's preferences and lifestyle, notify expiration dates, and count your calories. All these features can be done on an Android smartphone. Everyday, technology is improving itself to be better than its predecessor and allowing us to live simpler, more automated lives. This fridge is bringing computing into the kitchen by allowing us to do more things with our fridge other than just store food. We can now have our questions like "when will the eggs expire?" answered automatically by this new fridge. It appears as time goes on, the implementation of computers into our daily lives will be more and more prominent. The LG Smart Thinq is an amazing appliance because it is redefining the refrigerator entirely by making it so that modern fridges should soon have built-in computers. Yes this fridge is expensive at about $4500, but over time this price will drop to something more reasonable and also influence other companies to make fridges just like this one. Though this is a cool fridge, I still wonder who would buy a $4500 fridge.

This article is rather interesting, because it talks about a patent Apple recently filed. The patent, "Sensing capacitance changes of a housing of an electronic device," - it sounds quite confusing, and the article described what it is.  Basically the patent is talking about the ability for our mobile devices to differentiate between how we hold our device, and react to it. For example, to open up our camera app, we have to unlock the phone and select it, but with this new technology we could simply hold our device with our fingers around its perimeter and have the app open up. Another example is turning on the device, instead of pressing a button we could simply squeeze the device slightly and it will turn on. We might also not need to lock our phones or have passwords if they are configured to recognize only our grip and fingertips. One last interesting feature is the ability to wave our hand over the device and reveal a keyboard that would later disappear when you wave your hand again.  It all sounds terribly interesting until you realize that it's only a patent and Apple hasn't even begun building a prototype. Right now it's an idea that I hope can exist in the near-future, so that accessing certain applications would be a lot easier and faster. Also, if the keyboards become tactile with thin, bendable metal plates that may solve a lot of the complaints about typing on most current tablets and smartphones. 

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

Recently, there have been a lot of passcode exploits, especially on the iPhone and Samsun Galaxy. On the iPhone, it can allow the attacker to access their way into the Phone app, letting them place calls, see/edit contacts, and access photos via the "assign new picture" option. On the Samsung Galaxy, the attacker can flash whatever was open before the phone was locked for a second. This is enough time to launch an app, which can be repeatedly downloaded and completely unlock your phone. The article suggests the user of the phone should download the Apple's Find my iPhone app or Prey, which can track the location of your smartphone if it is ever lost or stolen. This, they say is the best protection for your personal information stored on your phone. These passcode exploits can let one worry and doubt how much protection the lock screen actually provides. The truth is they are no more secure than any other password or PIN, which means they can eventually be cracked. However, it is still suggested to always lock your screen, just in case it is robbed by someone who does not know anything about getting around locked screens. Many companies are aware of the issues and is releasing new techniques, like the iOS 6.1.3. Hopefully, with time, these password problems will not be an issue anymore.

An up and rising company by the name of DoorJamz has created something that is perhaps the pinnacle of human ingenuity and progression. The guys at DoorJamz have a door bell that can be altered using a smart phone. This means that no longer will you have to hear the annoying ding dong sound, now your guest recognition device can be any sound clip your heart desires. The app side of things has many additional features. It lets you lower the volume of your door bell in case you trying to raise a colony of ants to do your evil bidding. Also available is to have the ability to pre-schedule specific sound clips for certain times and days. Having an annoying relative over that has an irrational fear of Celine Dion? Have the Titanic sound track play while she's over whenever a guest arrives. Can't control your bowels unless you hear the opening song to Jurassic Park? You can have that play as well. The possibilities are truly endless. I'm surprised you're still reading this, by now I would've expected you to violently type in the URL to DoorJamz's website and order 20 of these bad boys. Trust me, you're kid defiantly wants a DoorJamz door bell for Christmas.

This article is about an article in a journal that stated researchers claim to have created a lithium ion microbattery with power densities up to 2000 times more powerful than comparable batteries. This article also talks about how technology is getting smaller but batteries are still big.  This University of Illinois team has created a super small and thin battery that can be recharged 1000 times faster than today's batteries.  the battery work by a chemical reaction inside the battery that causes the anode to release electrons. When the battery is "on" these electrons flow from the anode to the cathode thus provide far greater power density (output) and simultaneously support much faster charging. This team now just needs to achieve a commercially viable - and safe - battery breakthrough soon and then it could potentially be ready for the market..

This article is about how Apple was hacked on Tuesday February the 19th, 2013. Basically, unknown hackers infected some Apple workers computers when they visited a website for software developers This website had been infected with malicious software that was designed to target Mac computers. Some people are saying that the malware could have originated from China, but there is no proof. Some of the malware was distributed through a site aimed at iPhone developers. It might still be infecting visitors who haven't disabled Java in their browser. F-Secure a security firm wrote that the hackers might have been trying to get access to codes for apps on smartphones which would allow them to infect millions of app users. Hackers recently found out a sophisticated way to attack Macs by exploiting a flaw in Adobe Systems Inc's Flash software. What I find very interesting is that the breaches described by Apple mark the highest-profile cyber-attacks to date on businesses running Mac computers. This shows that we should make an effort to protect our information especially since one of the largest technology companies has been breached. With cyber security attacks on the rise, we should all be aware and careful of the sites that we are visiting. Apple workers simply visited a website for software developers and became infected with the virus. The hackers are breaking many laws by hacking Apple, Apple intents to find the hackers with the help of the police.

This article talks about a new samsung galaxy player. This player looks very similar to android smartphone but has latest media player. This can send messages and calls through bluetooth as well as receiving them. This player would be very useful for those who want to avoid paying for another phone and adding to monthly bills. you just have to be connected to bluetooth to receive and send calls or messages. This player is cheaper than the IpodTouch but has tons of useful features that includes, clean sound, camera, whole collections of apps. This relates to our course because our course focus on the technology and this player represents the improvement in technology and changes in generation of players and how they improved and changed. 

This article is about Sony laying off 10,000 people because they want to strengthen its core businesses and to expand  new businesses. Sony will reduce the number of TV, and concrete on its smartphone, tablet and VAIO businesses  .

This article talks about apps people can download to their computer and cell  phones. This is very helpful because in our society, there are many technology which deals with apps such as i pods, i phones, Google phones, smartphone and etc. In the beginning people have difficult time finding which apps are useful since not all apps are free to download. This article could solve their problem because it talks about 10 apps that can help you to find other apps that are useful. I like this because i too have problem deciding which apps to download and now i know that these 10 apps can help me to solve my problem and help me download useful apps without wasting my time. 

This article is about Blackberry companies earnings this year.Apparently the company is not doing well at all this year. The revenue dropped to 4.2 billion, down 19% from the third quarter. The RIM is the enemy of every upstart smartphone, that includes the Blackberry. Today, a blackberry looks and feels and works almost the same the ones they made 5 years ago. Also the creation of the PlayBook was a failure, because of it's features and late arrival. Blackberry may loose it's business.

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.