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This article talks chiefly about Google Glass, a new type of device that Google aims at putting out on the consumer market by the end of this year. First, it discusses how even though our technology satisfies all our wants and needs, we are often severely distracted by it. We are looking at everything through a screen that we hold in a way that acts as a barrier between us and the world. What Google is trying to do with Glass is make doing simple things like using GPS and replying to texts a lot more easier. With Glass, you don't have to walk around looking down on your phone oblivious to all that goes around you to find your way to the place you need to get to. Some problems with Glass are that it needs data through Wi-Fi on its own and that if it has no connection it's functionality is greatly limited. Since Glass can record video and it's almost unnoticeable, there is a privacy concern because many people may get filmed on video without them knowing. Also, because most of the interaction is through voice commands, it may become hectic to use the device if it does not understand you when you speak. Right now Google Glass may seem like a gimmick but the longer people are exposed to it the more they will understand its value and potential uses. Basically the question is not if people will use Google Glass, but when.

As a social generation, we use various online 'social networks' to connect with others and share information (e.g. photos, text, videos.) But has anyone ever considered integrating one of these networks into a scholastic environment? This is exactly what Assistant professor of education at Michigan State University, Christina Greenhow has found in a recent study. While most say that social networks like Twitter are poisoning the minds of our youth, destroying their grammar and face-to-face skills, Greenhow finds that using Twitter in her class has allowed for more engaged students proven to attain higher grades. By integrating Twitter into some of the class' exercises, Greenhow was able to contextualize the material into something the students could relate to, "The students get more engaged because they feel it is connected to something real, that it's not just learning for the sake of learning." Twitter; something bored students would initially hide from teachers in class is now seeing some valid and practical applications in the classroom. This article relates to the tag "eLifestyle" because teachers are constantly trying to integrate web-based teaching into their classrooms in this constantly evolving technological age. This relates to ICS20 because we are one of the classes in the school on the forefront of technology, integrating web services such as Codeacademy, Diigo and even Twitter to enhance our learning experience. This article is not meant to give students excuses to wander off to Twitter during class, but to show teachers the validity in using a web-based social network to improve their teaching methods in the classroom.

Love this post. I've been thinking about this stuff for a while, as in - how do I work twitter into class activity? Any ideas?

New "surveillance--proof" app, Silent Circle has been released providing an easy way for people to text and call people without anyone else ever knowing what has been said, including ISPs and governments. This app makes sure no one can eave drop on your personal business by using what's called encryption. Encryption is the process of changing data into a secret code, the secret code can then only be read by the device you are trying to communicate with. The encryption codes are randomly generated each time the app is used so it is almost impossible to crack the code. This app is can be used on iOS and is currently in development for other devices and platforms as well. Some feel that free communication should be a right, but governments must be feeling a little bit nervous about this app. I chose the tag "privacy and security" because this article is about how Silent Circle has given people an easy way to speak in a secure and private environment without any intervention from anyone else other than the communicators. In my opinion I feel that free communication is important, but people will abuse this through using this app to possibly deal drugs, plan terrorist attacks, or other illegal activities. Who knows, maybe even the government controls this network to monitor people who use it, but that is just a theory.

This article tells the readers about 7 apps that were released this week. The seven apps are Pair, Bump Pay, Fuze HD, Babbel forAndroid, MTA or Merifian, Paper, and Wonders of the Universe.   Pair is an app for many of those who are in a long distance relationship. They allow couples to create a private timeline, swap photos, share videos, and their location. The app also has "thumb kiss" feature that vibrates the phone when they both touch the same part of the phone. This app is available for iPhones. Bump Pay is an app that allows you to pay others by simply "bumping" your phones together. You would pay them using PayPal. Fuze HD is an video conference app that allows others to have a video chat with up to ten people on at once. You could  also send text, images, and other media during the presentation. Babble for Android is a language app. It has over 3000 vocabulary words, sounds, images, speech recognition and a personalized review manager for multiple languages. MTA on Meridian is a app that you can use to browse art of particular line or plan your own transit system art tour. Paper is a new app that allows people to draw diagrams and sketches and shared them with others on the web. Wonders of the universe is an app that lets you explore space with graphics and visuals.  I think that this article is interesting because it tells me many of the apps that I didn't know about.

This article briefly discusses the upgraded Twitter App for IPhone's and Android Apps. This will be at great use for those who constantly use this App to tweet for the following reasons. To commence, one is now allowed to copy the tweet while holding over the text which will be useful because when wanting to remember a tweet and save it in your notes per se, you don't have to constantly memorize the tweet and go back to read what it is if you forget. You can simply copy and paste the tweet. Also, it will be fast and easy to use without having to leave your timeline when viewing a profile. This will also be at use because you don't have to re-scroll through your timeline after viewing a profile and going back to see the timeline. 

this article is about how social media makes a big different from when you studying, compared to alcohol , Facebook is worse because the human brain can not multitask and lowers grades. so next time Students should think twice before logging into Facebook or sending text messages during study time.

for those who have an Iphone and love to talk to their siri, but start to notice that siri is starting to get boring. YOU CAN NOW MAKE SIRI CURSE! here are some ways to make siri curse like you've never heard before! One way could be, to send yourself an offensive text message, change your name to an offensive name (shown in this link but i should not say it) Siri will get confused and start to call you that. Another way could be, to play a song with curse words in the song title. (there are examples of songs in the link that i should not also say) Tell siri to play the song and she will repeat the song title before the song plays. So if you have nothing to do with your life and want to have fun with siri, NOW YOU CAN!

The article describes five different ways students abuse technology such as phones and computers to cheat in school through means such as copying and pasting, file sharing, and sharing answers through text. The Internet is a vast collection of information, students will usually use this to obtain research for school projects and properly give credit to sources. However, some students use the Internet to steal information, and pass it as their own so they have to do minimal work and because it's easy. Eventually these students end up failing because they don't know how to write their own pieces of writing. Plagiarism is not only committed by students but even reporters, and writers. This goes to show how easy it is to cheat using technology.

Google has been keeping quiet about their latest tech, but a leak has hinted toward a google smart watch with certain features that will compel you to purchase the new wave of wearable tech. The google watch will allow you to get ambient notifications between your phone and watch through Blue tooth LE. This connectivity will allow you to awnser calls, and see who is texting you. The watch will take a "Pebble" like design, but it will have a less masculine plastic wristband instead. The watch though, will either be released with less features or fully released at a later date due to time constraints. In my opinion, wearable tech is interesting but I believe its still in a beta-phase due to the fact of limited battery life and actual applicable features in real life.

Smartwatches are like the gateway to the future. With Samsung's first version of "Gear", customers were able to wear an Android powered watch which is able to hook up to your phone and provide you various services like to take quick pictures, text or call a contact using the voice control software and even access your media through the features installed in it. This time however in the new release of "Gear 2", instead of using Android, Samsung has decided to power the smartwatch on Tizen servers, making a clear message of wanting to be more independent of Android and ultimately Google. As Samsung has previously always been linked with Android, switching to Tizen is like a big change. Even though customers with untrained eyes may never see the difference between Gear (Android) and Gear 2 (Tizen) - myself included, having Tizen as an alternative to Android might be good for the company because now they are more in control of their future actions. Whether or not the software is different, the Gear 2 seems like a very useful piece of technology for someone who is in a rush and needs to take or leave quick messages. It is also efficient and not easy to lose because you are wearing it. With just a flick of the wrist, Samsung's smartwatch allows one to do many activities in a small amount of time.

In response to Google Now and Apple's Siri, Microsoft has announced its own voice-control companion for Windows Phone. Cortana will be available in the release of the next update. I found this interesting being a Windows Phone user and a fan of the Halo series. Cortana appears as Master Chief's A.I. companion in the series and will now be a companion to any windows phone user as well. I think this is really helpful to what the phone can do because right now voice control can only do a limited amount of tasks, such as open an app, make a note, or text someone. With this next update I will be able to perform tasks similar to what Siri can do, as well as feel a heightened sense of joy every time i talk to Cortana. It's like having Super Mario or Thomas the Tank as a personal companion.

US carrier AT&T lowered the price of its 2GB monthly plan. This plan also includes unlimited talk, and international texting. The 2GB of data, can be shared with family, or other devices. The plan used to cost $55 per month, but starting today, it dropped $15 to $40 per month. The monthly fees for a smartphone on this plan is $40 per month on a 2 year contract, and $25 per month if bought outright or through AT&T's Next incentive which allows you to upgrade every year. The total cost of this plan would be $80 on a contract, and $65 outright, or through next. I think this plan, especially through Next is an excellent deal. I think that Canadian carriers should offer more plans like these to replace the costly plans we pay for today.

Admit it, if you have a smartphone, you're probably glued to it. It goes everywhere with you, and you use it all the time, even in school, where it's a big distraction. In South Korea, the most wired country in the world, some schools are remotely disabling students smartphones in school via an app called iSmartKeeper. With the app, teachers can lock all the phones in the school, only allow emergency calls, only allow texts and calls, disable specific apps, and unlock the phone during breaks. The app also uses geofencing that puts the restrictions on the phones when the students enter the school premises. Parents are also provided with a management app that allows these restrictions to be put in place when their teens are doing their homework. In Seoul, the app has been trialed in 11 schools, and the results were mixed. Many students rooted their phones to avoid the restrictions, and the geofencing sometimes didn't leaving the phones to be locked after the students left school. This app is for Android only due to the popularity of local brands like Samsung, however, iOS users should beware, as an iOS version is coming next month.. I think some advantages are it minimizes distractions and encourages students to be more focused on their studies. However, it may anger many students initially. No word yet if the app will be available outside South Korea.

This article is about how Google is launching an Android Wear Project. Their goal is to bring Android to wearable devices. The world is staring to elaborate more with mobile technology and increasing the number of different uses for mobile tech. Right now, Android wear is focused on watches, which are designed to offer several functions. The app is planned to provide notifications, messages, and updates from social networking apps and it will include Google Now, which will allow the people to ask questions, send texts, set alarms and much more. Android Wear is also being designed to help with fitness and health by providing reminders. The company is partnering with chip makers Broadcom, Imagination, Intel, Mediatek, and Qualcomm, plus fashion brands to help introduce the new Android Wear powered watches in 2014.

A survey reviled that more than nine out of ten teenagers lose sleep because of their smartphones. They lose a few house checking their phone, texting, or watching videos. I find that these kinds of reports are really saddening. These kinds of diversions from everyday life and sleep can be devastating. Another study proved that about one out of ten people had a present sleep after using their electronics before going to sleep. This will probably cause a drop in grade averages and destroy the future of great nations. I myself had been doing this last year and found myself almost missing the bus and my grades slipping. Although technology is good like everything it must be used in moderation so we don't harm ourselves.

Now a days more and more comapnies are starting to let people to work from home - this is expected to become more popular in the upcoming years. According to recent servey, more then 500 companies will hire more then 5,000 employees that can work from home. Over the next 3 years 60% of the Office-Based will be able to use Virtual Teaming Teachnology - this will include Texting, Inastant Messaging, and also Teleconfrencing. At least 56% of deision makeers believe that Working Remotly can make more employees Productive. Working from home can allow employeees to have flexible hours. Also working from home can also let parents spend more time with their children, but can also be a little stressful since you would have to be on the computer send in your work, sometimes when you send in your information to your boss soemthing can happen to it and you can probably get more viruses on your computer which can be a big problem.

the emoticon is almost 30 years old. Twenty-nine years ago, Scott Fahlman, a computer scientist at Carnegie Mellon University, first proposed a colon, hyphen and bracket as a way of conveying emotional meaning via plain text. now it has evolved into hundreds of different ways to convey emotions associated with texts

As an eReader owner, I find this very interesting. On an eReader, you can highlight sections of a passage in an eBook and it will save it for future reference. Now, Findings, a social corporation, has turned into "an online destination where readers can collect, share, discuss, and discover such highlights from eBooks and web texts," which basically means that you can now share your highlights with the world on Findings. Not very impressive, I know, but for an eReader owner, it is useful. You can look up someone else's saved passages from a book you don't even own, so there's a way this technology can help you out in this world - save a couple dollars.

QR codes are a picture that when scanned, either brings a website or information up on your phone. The technology has great potential, but the only place where people are actually using it to its advantage is in Japan. In North America, all it's doing is bringing people to third-party websites that either give your phone a virus or send so many texts that your bill is ridiculously high. So why are we using this amazing technology for such bad uses?

This lifehacker article explains how to save money in terms of finding and purchasing the best deals on mobile apps. If you are someone who is either tired or annoyed by paying full price on an app that never really lived up to your expectations or your someone who just wants to find a good deal, then your in luck, because the best sales or price drops to find for apps is not that hard, it just requires a little patience. If you are a iPhone or Android user, the best way to track price drops easily and efficiently is to create a list so you can easily check on the price of an app to see if it's gone on sale or not. A particular nifty tool on the iPhone is when you add a interested app to your account of a created wish list, the App Shopper app will either send you an email or a push notification when an app you're keeping your eyes on drops in price. Another method in saving money while wanting to purchase apps for your mobile device is to hold out for common sale times. Both the iTunes App Store and Google Play love having sales around the holidays. Also, apps tend to go on sale after they hit the top of the charts to celebrate their success or after an anniversary of some kind. A third strategy is to look at the sale history or possibly a one-year anniversary to see if a possible sale is sure to come around soon enough. Overall, holding out for a good sale and knowing when those sales happen is a good way to keep your app purchasing budget in check. It's important to not waste your money on pointless apps or on ones that end up dropping in price the next day. Wait the extra day or two and save an extra couple dollars because in the long run, this will pay off both economically as well as feeling satisfied with how you shopped to make your mobile device experience that much better.

Here are some steps into getting some of the best deals on Mobile apps. Most apps are $1.29 to 99 cents and sometimes you think they're too overpriced and you just want a good deal! They're are two things about buying apps, you're always looking for the best deal on apps and hate paying full price, or you buy the app, and then find out the next day that the app goes on sale. Here are some easy ways to find out about cheap apps. 1. Set up price drop alerts and create a list of apps YOU want. This is great so you can track the prices of apps you want. 2. Set up notifs of price drops, for iPhone, there is an app called App Shopper where you can search for any app, and add it to your wish list, and when the price of that app drops in sale, you'd get a e-mail telling you the price dropped. You can do the same thing with Android, and those apps are called AppBrain and AppsFire. 3. Hold out for common sale times. Apps tend to go on sale during holidays like Christmas or Easter. Also, they go on sale after they hit the top of the charts to celebrate their success or after an anniversary of some kind. Many think apps aren't that big of a deal about prices, but when you buy a lot, the bill adds up. These steps great tips on how to get a great deal on apps! SO THIS BOOKMARK BETTER BEAT JASON'S BOOKMARK....but it looks like it didn't :'(