Google Voice...the future of talking on the phone?

Google Voice, one of Google’s communication services is quickly gaining popularity. It was recently disclosed that the service has more than 1.4 million users. Google Voice offers its users one phone number that when called will route the caller to their work, cell or home number, and it’s free of charge. This service provides users the flexibility and ease to only give out one number, but still be reached wherever they are. Users can choose to either use an existing number, or get a new number from Google. Features in addition to the one number calling include, transcribed voicemail, low price international calling, and if you choose to get a number from Google you also get call screening, recording, blocking, listen in and conference calling. These features, the ease of having one number, and the fact that the service is free seem to be very appealing to users, and the business community will most likely not be far behind. Google Voice, however, is currently available by invitation only.

Google Voice is experiencing some problems because it refused to provide certain high cost rural areas with coverage. This sparked protest from other phone companies, but Google responded that they are not bound by the same restrictions because they are not a phone company. Google is now looking at expanding into international markets, which would give them a serious advantage in the marketplace. An easy one number international calling solution would be very attractive to those with family and or work abroad. It’s not uncommon for international travelers to have multiple cell phone numbers, and one number to reach them would make life much easier.

Although this service is in the advanced testing stages, it seems that users are pleased, and that they find the features very useful. Once Google fixes all the problems and if they are indeed able to get their international service up and running, look for Google Voice to become a household name. The service has been blocked from the iPhone, but Apple says this status may change. If Google Voice does become available for the iPhone and the two work well together, its popularity would be boosted even more. Google is continually adding to its free services and applications, spreading it further and further over the technology marketplace.

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/oct2009/tc20091030_329665.htm?chan=technology_technology+index+page_top+stories

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/174491/get_google_voice_keep_your_mobile_number.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/13/AR2009101301783.html

Is OnStar a Necessary Safety Feature of the Future?

What are some of the key safety features that you would expect in a car built anytime from the 1990s up to now? I would certainly include adjustable seats, power windows and door locks, seatbelts, airbags, antilock brakes, and windshield wipers as necessities in every car built during this time. With all the recent achievements in technology, however, the list simply cannot stop there. I am adding to this list a very interesting company that is run and marketed by General Motors: OnStar. OnStar is a roadside assistance company similar to AAA, but better. In addition to roadside assistance, it also allows drivers to call in for turn-by-turn directions, just like a GPS. The company was founded in 1995 as a collaboration between GM, Electronic Data Systems, and the Hughes Electronic Corporation, and has become an option in most GM vehicles ever since. Unlike AAA, OnStar provides roadside assistance to drivers in real-time, right when drivers need it.
For example, let’s say that Jimmy, a GM vehicle owner and OnStar customer, is in an accident driving home from the bar late on a Saturday night. Jimmy’s vehicle automatically contacts OnStar, which sends a signal to the police to send emergency assistance. An OnStar representative then contacts Jimmy through the vehicle’s sound system to see whether or not he is injured, and then stays on the line with him until help arrives. Within a few minutes, the authorities arrive with an ambulance and a tow truck, and take Jimmy or anyone else involved in the accident to the hospital if necessary. The wrecked vehicle(s) and debris are removed from the road immediately to ensure the safety of other drivers. All of this is possible even if Jimmy is knocked out from the crash or from drinking too much that night (God forbid anyone make the decision to drink and drive, but it still happens nonetheless).
Had Jimmy not been an OnStar customer and gotten into this accident, he could have been in far greater danger. If he was unconscious for whatever reason during the crash, he would not have been able to notify the authorities of his situation. Moreover, depending on the severity of the accident, Jimmy and/or others involved may have even died or been close to death. With OnStar in his vehicle, however, authorities would have arrived on the scene fast enough to take them to the hospital and possibly save their lives. OnStar is also a very useful tool to the police, as it helps them allocate their time and resources efficiently. Based on this example, the police were contacted by OnStar at the exact time of the accident and were given enough information to bring the necessary resources as fast as possible. As you can see, OnStar is a very useful and necessary tool to ensure the absolute safety of drivers.
OnStar has also recently begun working with authorities in a much different fashion than the example presented above. In the wee hours of the morning on October 20th, a man and his cousin were robbed at gunpoint of their wallet and car—a 2009 Chevy Tahoe—while sitting in a dimly lit parking lot in Visalia, California. The two men began running, looking for a pay phone to notify the authorities. In a stroke of luck, they managed to run into an off-duty sheriff before finding a phone, who then notified the Visalia police. Police spotted the vehicle a few miles from the site of the carjacking, but as they turned to pursue it, the thief took off at high speed. Officers in the station immediately contacted OnStar and got the man’s permission to disable the captured Tahoe via satellite. Dispatchers notified the pursuing officers before the vehicle was finally disabled. The suspect was apprehended with little or no harm done to the man’s Tahoe, and he faces several charges of armed robbery, carjacking, and resisting arrest. The vehicle was disabled 16 minutes from the time that the Visalia police contacted OnStar.
This new technology, only available on select 2009 and 2010 GM models, helped save lives according to the Visalia Police. Pursuing officers, other drivers, and even the thief were all kept from getting involved in a dangerous car chase. This event alone speaks volumes for the necessity of OnStar as a safety feature in all vehicles, not just GM models. It is as important a safety feature as the seatbelt and the airbag, and eventually all car companies will offer OnStar services or something like it. It is a young and growing industry right now, however, and I do not believe that it has fully caught on yet. Some argue that it never will. There are growing concerns about privacy and surveillance among other things. OnStar can see in one click where a driver went, how fast they were going, when they were there, how often the brakes were applied, and if the airbags were deployed or not. There are also concerns about car dealers or insurance companies using this information against drivers, who could use the information collected by OnStar to void the vehicle’s warranty or deny insurance claims. Once all of these things are sorted out, OnStar will be a must-have safety feature on every vehicle. Based on the examples presented above, I would definitely feel much safer driving on the road with OnStar than without it.


http://news.aol.com/article/onstar-halts-carjacked-suv-ending-police/723539?icid=main|main|dl1|link5|http%3A%2F%2Fnews.aol.com%2Farticle%2Fonstar-halts-carjacked-suv-ending-police%2F723539

Wireless Cable

Amimom’s WHDI (Wireless Home Digital Interface) could change home entertainment set ups forever. This new technology will do away with all the wires that connect to the T.V. – everything from a DVD player to a PlayStation could have WHDI in them. Also, with this technology, you would no longer have to worry about getting multiple cable boxes – potentially, all T.V.s could connect to one main one. This would allow for much less installation, and make home entertainment systems even easier to put in place. WHDI is better than older technology that tried to do the same thing because WHDI “sends digital video… flying around the house uncompressed at data rates of up to 3 gigabytes”. This will make setting up home networks, or even business networks much easier to set up. If everything was connected by WHDI technology, it would be extremely easy to move things around, or to connect to different servers. With things like WiFi, WiMax, and other technologies constantly making things more and more wireless, this could definitely be the next step.
While the WHDI technology will be great for home entertainment and getting rid of cables, it also has a lot of use in other fields. The article talks about its use in hospitals, especially in surgery rooms so that surgeons aren’t slowed down by a lot of cables hanging everywhere. Anything that helps a surgeon to do their job more efficiently or at least take away things that impede their efficiency, is a good thing.
This technology also has a lot of future potential. If the technology takes off, and gets expanded upon, the possibilities for it seem endless. Right now, the radio waves of WHDI have “a range of about 100 feet and can pass through walls”. If, sometime in the future, the radio waves could have a range of a mile or more, we could have digital cable and other things everywhere. For example, T.V. in cars would be able to get the same digital cable that can be had at home. This seems extremely plausible, because already today we see things like the 3G technology that sends data through the air extremely fast. If things like that are possible through phone lines, it seems extremely likely that technologies like WHDI will be able to do similar, if not better, things.

http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/oct2009/gb20091019_079270.htm?chan=technology_technology+index+page_digital+entertainment

Death of the PC

This article that I found on InformationWeek discusses how new technologies are pushing the desktop PC on the brink of extinction. That is the basic premise of the article but as one reads on the writer makes it clear that for different reasons it is very unlikely that the desktop will one day no longer be of existence because of different fields that rely on the capabilities of desktop computing. In fields such as graphic design and engineering the users live on desktop applications that have not been replicated in any alternative for yet (applications like Photoshop, etc.)

One of the most interesting things that the article points at as a risk factor in the death of the PC are web applications. An example of this is Google Docs, which provides Microsoft Office Suite like programs all online therefore giving users and alternate option to Microsoft Office, as well as the conventional desktop that Office can be found. They also point out that with these web applications the user is at the mercy of how the web browser read the different codes, because all web browsers read order codes differently.

Other things that challenge the popularity of the conventional desktop are the rising popularity of netbooks as well as the increasing capabilities of smartphones today. The article points out that with smartphones, they often are used in conjunction with a PC, due to the lack of full functionality on the web. So, the article eventually comes to the point to say that the changes in technology that this is not the end of the age of desktops, but this is just leading to new phase in the way that desktops will be made and used.

I liked this article a lot because it addressed the way that all these new smaller convenient technologies are threatening the desktop. One thing that the article did not really discuss are things like printers and scanners. Most of these function most easily with desktops and are a very convenient way to get jobs done in the workplace. I see the work environment and the corporate world to be two facets that will hold on to desktops for internal network and security purposes.

Smart Grid Technology: The "Smart" way to consume energy

Everyone from automobile manufacturers to fast food companies are following the latest trend and attempting to “go green.” However, switching to hybrid engines and recyclable packaging are small scale attempts to help the environment compared to the Smart Grid system, a technology that will revolutionize the nation’s energy usage. Recently, “the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act has allocated $4.5 billion in grants and loans through the Energy Dept. for the smart grid”(Energy 2). “The aim of the money is a far-reaching upgrade of the system that distributes energy to homes and businesses across the U.S., adding two-way communications and control technologies throughout the newly networked grid” (Regulations 1). The technology also hopes to reduce consumption. “Smart grids aim to replace demand destruction with a practice called demand response. Utilities intentionally reduce overall demand by sending signals to customers to turn down energy use in exchange for financial rewards. For example, a utility might offer a discount to users who run their dishwashers in other than peak-demand hours,” thus decreasing high volume usage (1). This demand response concept essentially means that it will be easier for customers to identify periods of economical energy usage. This will benefit the energy providers as well, minimizing the amounts of high demand periods.
Through reduced consumption this new technology also reduces energy costs which make the system appealing to companies that consume energy in large quantities. Cargill, a food producer, is one such company. The organization plans to overhaul its current energy supply system and replace it with a Smart Grid. Cargill “handles about 50,000 turkeys a day, electricity bills run more than $2 million a year. But the company thinks it can cleave $680,000 from the total by using its own generators on high-demand days” (Energy 1). Using the new system the Cargill hopes to lower its bills significantly. “Many utility vendors set rates for industrial customers based on peak-use patterns. So in a common practice known as peak-shaving, Cargill taps its own generators to keep its 365,000-square-foot Springdale plant cool on summer's hottest days rather than use energy from its electricity vendor, PowerSecure” (1). Currently, Powersecure monitors closely Cargill’s pattern of high and low energy usage periods. During periods of high usage, like hot weather days, Powersecure automatically fires up Cargill’s generators. With the Smart Grid system, Cargill hopes to be able to cycle the generators on and off more frequently reducing its dependency on Powersecure.
Like Cargill, other households will have more flexibility to chose their power source as the government overhauls the Smart Grid system. “Customers may soon get more leeway in determining the nature of the power they purchase, more easily opting for renewable energies such as solar and wind, says Matthew Trevithick, a partner at venture capital firm Venrock” (Energy 2). The increased information passed through the Smart Grid allows companies and homes to consume energy more efficiently. The Smart Grid also provides for increased flexibility in power source options. This new technology, while expensive, will have a major impact on the nations effort to build a more eco-friendly environment with reduced energy consumption.

To view slide show with additional info on Smart Grids http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/10/1005_smart_grid_101/index.htm


"The Coming Energy Revolution - BusinessWeek." BusinessWeek - Business News, Stock Market & Financial Advice. Web. 02 Nov. 2009. .

"The Smart Grid Needs Smart Regulations - BusinessWeek." BusinessWeek - Business News, Stock Market & Financial Advice. Web. 02 Nov. 2009. .

Social Networking and the “Tween Generation”

Two days ago I found out from my older brother that my younger brother had recently just created a Facebook account. I was a little shocked and concerned, as I tried to remember when I made my first Myspace or Facebook appearance. I came across CNN article which shows both the pros and cons of young “tweens” entering the world of social networking.

Social networking sites were just being launched while I was at my younger brother’s age. Myspace which was founded in 2003 was followed by the Facebook boom of 2004 which was my freshman year of high school. At the time, social networking sites were just beginning to make some noise in the mainstream. I can remember when I received my first cell phone after graduating eighth grade. It was for the practical purpose of calling my mom when if I was going to be late on the train coming from school. The growth of technology in the past 4 years I feel could be too fast for us to handle and control. I wasn't concerned who was on my friends list or how my Farmville is doing.

The evolution of social networking technology is still very two sided. The article has a quote from a psychology professor from cal-state university who says “For the most part, although there's so much press about all the bad things they're doing, much of what they do on these sites is stuff they would be doing anyway.” I do agree with the professor’s statement, but with a few objections. Whatever happened to calling someone on a phone or waiting till Monday to see a friend from school? The lives of the youth are being mainstreamed into the technological world we live in. New children social networking sites such as Disney’s Club Penguin, Webkinz, and Kidswirl are becoming even more popular. These new sites I feel are becoming breeding grounds for the future Facebook generation. They do have more restrictions than your typical Facebook and Myspace, but they are still a way for kids to gain access to social networking which will eventually carry over to these more popular sites.

I feel it is not natural that Facebook has evolved to having no restrictions for creating an account. All you need is an email address and you can create a profile. Creating an email address has become just as easy as tying your shoes (If not easier – But Loop Swoop and Pull still sometimes gets me). Since there are no restrictions is it safe for kids to be on these social networking sites which were first designed for a more mature an older crowd. Facebook says on its website

“Facebook requires all users to provide their real date of birth to encourage authenticity and provide only age-appropriate access to content.”

To this day because there is no age verification system for the internet there is no way of controlling what people do on sites like Facebook. This leaves room for the creation of a way of age verifying internet users. Could there be a fingerprint system which would verify you age to give you access to Facebook. The unknown reality of the internet is what makes it special. I feel we’ve come along to fast and new restriction systems need to be discovered. The freedom a kid has on social networking sites is good and bad. The bad which can be done I feel is worse than any good which can come out of these social networking sites. I feel more and more incidents which take place in schools across the country are more commonly relating back to these social networking sites. I am not saying Social Networking is an internet evil, but without the right controls it can easily lose its initial purpose by creating many problems which might have never risen if this “Tween” generation didn’t have easy access to internet social networking. These new freedoms of social networking have brought the usual lunch room drama and chatter to web where I feel kids think their actions on the internet do not have real life consequences.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/11/02/kids.social.networks/index.html

Feeding Refugees One Text at a Time

We often think of how cutting edge technology seems to benefit only wealthy corporations looking to innovate for profit or we imagine individuals with big enough wallets to invest in sleek personal gadgets. Most people don’t recognize the vast potential there is in using innovative new technology to further aid to those in some of the world’s most war-torn and impoverished nations. Cassandra Vinograd talks about one such issue in her article, “United Nations Tests Texting-Based Food Vouchers in Syria”. The technology mentioned in this article is being used by the United Nations World Food Programme to better distribute food to Iraqi refugees in Syria. The UN distributed SIM cards to a group of 1000 refugees which essentially turns cell phones into virtual vouchers for people to use at the program sponsored shops that distribute food. The families in this particular program are given a digital code worth $22 per person every two months and a record of their balance is texted to them after each transaction.

This program shows some serious potential toward making the process of distributing aid to those who need it most, more efficient. Along with making the vouchers easier to procure and use for those receiving aid, the UN World Food Programme could use the virtual vouchers to monitor the usage and balances of the refugees. This technology, if further developed, could be linked to a password specific to each user to ensure the right person receives aid and therefore reduce the risk of fraud. The use of this technology encourages a shift away from paper records and can be helpful since there is relatively no wait time for physical vouchers to be delivered to the appropriate recipients. The tremendous amount of money that could be saved by the aid organizations using this technology would allow them to allocate resources towards more crucial costs. The use of this code messaging technology could also be applied to a variety of other social aid programs, like the food stamp program within the United States.

There are some drawbacks to the usage of the code technology. Although the World Food Programme is emphasizing that this a pilot program, there are definitely opportunities for fraud to occur. It is important for serious steps to be taken so that no one could try to sell or give away the codes. There is also speculation that many of the refugees who can’t afford food and need UN aid would also be unlikely to own a cell phone to even take advantage of the new program. Although the program could work well in a more developed nation like Syria, countries with very little telecommunications infrastructure, like rural parts of Africa and Asia may have a hard time adapting to the program. The success of this program on a larger scale really hinges on how the World Food Programme can prevent the occurrence of fraud and make sure that there are enough opportunities for those receiving aid to have access to cellular devices.

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2009/10/27/united-nations-tests-texting-based-food-vouchers-in-syria/

Companies Are Working Towards Environmental Innovations Through Patent Forums

Many of today’s companies are realizing that by working together they can achieve more then by working alone. This applies to the search for environmental innovation, as well. Through forums, companies are able to collaborate and share ideas that will that will help make their services and products more environmentally friendly. 

Mary Tripsas, or the New York Times, describes two efforts that have the same concept, but different approaches. The first community is the Eco-Patent Commons. It was started in early 2008 in collaboration with the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. The companies associated include I.B.M., Nokia, Pitney Bowes, and Sony. The companies post environmental patents on the commons and anyone can use them for free. The thought behind this is that many environmental concerns do not give companies any strategic advantage; rather they benefit society as a whole. So far there have been a number of advancements through the commons. IBM has posted a patent for a recyclable cardboard packaging insert. The cardboard uses less fossil fuels then the foam inserts currently being used do. This is an example of an innovation that can help all companies that ship items become greener, at no competitive cost to IBM. DuPont, Xerox, and IBM all have created patents to processes that help remove toxic waste and pollution from the environment that can be used across the board. The commons contains 100 patents now, and 11 participating companies. The hope of the commons is that because it is free that other companies and the public will use the information and apply it to their everyday practices. The information is also available so that others can adapt and develop for different and more practical uses. The commons in a lot of ways resembles Google’s initiative for the public to build upon their resources. Free information is always enticing, especially when that information can better improve one’s products in Google’s area, but also to help save the planet in the commons area.

The other forum introduced is called the Green Xchange. The Green Xchange is to start in early 2010, with backing from Nike, and Best Buy. This like the Eco-Patent Commons is a forum where patents can be exchanged, but the difference is that companies can license the patent for a fee, and restrict its use to competitors. In hope this will further encourage companies to participate. A lot of information that is used in certain fields can be applied to others. For example, Nike has developed air-bags for cushioning shoes. This is a vital patent to the core-shoe industry, but the innovation can also be used by other industries such as tire production. The benefits of the Green Xchange are that the companies can donate information that can help improve other companies lessen their environmental impact, without loosing any strategic advantage to their competitors.

Ms. Tripsas notes her concerns that patents are very complicated and can get messy when choosing to share them. There will be many organizational challenges for the Eco-Patent Commons and the Green Xchange in the upcoming future. My hopes are that companies will see that by sharing knowledge we can all lessen our impact on the earth. Hopefully the good intentions of these forums will not be overtaken by corporate greed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/01/business/01proto.html?_r=1&ref=business-computing

New 3-D Magazine Technology

It is no surprise that in our culture today it is not uncommon for people to get their entertainment and news sources from places other than printed magazines and newspapers. With all the new technology available to us we are able to read articles not only on computers now we are even capable of reading news on our phones. As a result of this the sales of published news articles such as magazines and newspapers has dramatically decreased. In an effort to slow down this issue Esquire magazine will be producing its December issue using a new technology called “augmented reality.” This interesting concept is discussed in an article from MSNBC titled “Esquire goes 3-D in Attempt to Energize Print.”

In order to experience this new technology all you have to do is place the magazine cover in front of a Web cam and an on screen image of it appears on your screen. It automatically goes from being just simple reading material to somewhat of a form of entertainment, which is similar to many other things that grab the attention of our society. Letter and pictures begin jumping off the page and as you move the magazine itself the animation moves along with it. The feature is not offered on every page in the magazine but is spread throughout in different features. The way the animation is created is by a small box across the bottom of the page, which looks similar to that of a crossword puzzle. When researching and including this new high tech into this issue of Esquire the art director seemed to feel a little out of place. “I felt like a caveman seeing fire for the first time.”-David Curcurito.

This innovative technology is causing the production of this issue to cost more than a typical one, however Esquire will not comment on how much the difference is. However auto maker Lexus is apparently contributing a large amount due to the fact that they would like two be featured in a two page add which will be using this innovation. Despite the extra cost they are hoping it will pay off by grasping the attention of current and possibly new readers. Although they have not struggled as much as other publications with sales they have had some trouble with ads. They have dropped nearly 26% in ads sold in comparison to last year.

In theory it seems like an interesting concept, it is a gateway to blend the new world of technology with the old world of simple print. However I am not sure that the positive reaction to this would last long. I think that it would somewhat of a novelty item that would possibly boost sales for a few months but after that I think it would slowly die down. If people still buying print publications they doing so because they simply enjoy the aspect of reading from a magazine or newspaper. They do not want to sit in front of their computer and wave an article or ad in front of a Web cam. Also in the long run I feel that the cost it takes to produce these magazines would do more harm then good for a company, and I also do not know how many companies’ would actually be willing to do this. I would be surprised if this new technology is something that we see more and more of and would also be even more surprised if it actually helped long run sales of magazines.

The Threat of a Cyber Attack

Cyber warfare is a real and underestimated threat. Communications, transportation, and the military are all vulnerable to cyber attack. The US Government has started a cyber command, which is conducting research on strengthening our cyber defense.

Most people probably don’t know what cyber warfare is other than it involves computers. In today’s world, computers are connected to almost every aspect of modern day life. Other than cell phones and laptops, computers run power grids, telephone networks, transportation, etc. The computer networks of our country are vast. If a country or terrorist group were to gain access to key computer networks it could cause massive problems. Almost anything could happen since computers play such a big role in the modern world.

Communications could the most vulnerable to a cyber attack. So much in today’s world revolves around communication. Without telephone, television, and Internet networks the population would be lost. People wouldn’t know what to do or how to react to the situation. The economy would be devastated because there would be no order. It would take days or even weeks before word got around to everyone of what happened. If there was a massive cyber attack that wiped out all communication, it would devastate America and the country could potentially never recover.

There are multiple forms of cyber warfare such as cyber espionage, propaganda, and gathering data. A cyber attack could be as simple as a propaganda campaign or as major if missile systems were hacked. The more information and attacker has on its enemy, the more effective it will be able to attack it. If a country could find military positions of another through the Internet, then that information would be beneficial to attacking commanders. Information going through satellites could be intercepted and their movements adjusted through a cyber attack.

There is only a small history of cyber attacks in the world, though most of them turn out to be rumors. During the US bombings in Kosovo, the military had to hack into missile systems so they could conduct their bombing runs. Most countries deny use of cyber warfare for fear of repercussion. The latest attacks happened in July 2009 and targeted South Korea and the United States. News media and government websites were the main targets, but nothing serious happened.

The US Government has only recently acknowledged this threat and is moving towards protecting against a cyber attack. The government stated that it has set up what they call a “cyber command.” Although its objectives are still not clear, it is working towards better cyber security. I feel more attention needs to be put into an organization like this because of how potential a threat a cyber attack could be. Being able to conduct a cyber attack would be a useful thing for a government. It appears as though it can cause serious attacks and could be a good tactic of war. Cyber warfare is going to be the next battlefield of war and will cause destruction beyond belief.

US Cyber War Policy

Apple iTunes Pitch: TV for $30 a Month

Today there are many options for television viewers when it comes to choosing a service provider, such as Comcast, Verizon, and Direct TV. But what if there were another option, one that doesn't necessarily require an actually television? Apple has already initiated it's participation in online television allowing users to buy and watch television shows and movies through iTunes, as well as connecting shows bought through iTunes to your TV with the Apple TV box, but what if you could choose to watch live TV via iTunes? Would you pay $30 a month? Apple is currently trying to pitch the idea of a monthly subscription that would deliver TV programs via its multimedia software. While subscribers would be able to substitute this iTunes program with a television service provider, Apple is not tying this service to one specific piece of hardware, instead it would be just another service or emenity provided by the iTunes software/store. This would allow for customers to chose which channels they would want to receive, eliminating the commitment for paying for an on going list of expensive channels that you never watch.

Apple industry executives hope to launch the service early next year, however they are still looking for a programer to jump at the idea to work with them. Many cable networks don't want to threaten existing relationships and subscription fees with the already popular providers, Comcast, and Verizon. There is also the negative effects this service might have on the advertising revenues which has people skeptical about joining Apple and iTunes in this experiment. This got me thinking, normally everyone seems to be jumping at the chance to participate in promoting programs created by Apple base on the companies success and popularity, not to mention its massive amounts of supportive followers. The discussion of this new system seems to be bringing up more doubters than most Apple software.

This idea not only brings up a lot of skepticism and doubt, but it is also not a unique idea. Many companies, such as Netflix, have already popularize the move to deliver TV and movies over the web. iTunes also already has a similar service, so who is to say that all iTunes costumers are just going to stay with the already existing ability to rent and buy televisions shows and movies. While I think it is a good idea that iTunes is trying to compete with Comcast and Verison I also think that there needs to be a lot more research and development to be done before this idea becomes a reality. I understand that iTunes is just brainstorming ideas and ways to expand their store and attract more customers, however I don't think society is ready to move away from they service providers which allow them to watch thousands of channels. I do however hope to hear about more information about iTunes TV in the upcoming months.

While Apple is one of the top contenders in the computer technology world, I think the consumers feel more comfortable with relying on other companies to provide them with video and television. Before Apple can truly succeed I believe they need to reel in a larger amount of Apple TV supporters before they can pitch this iTunes TV idea with confidence. Perhaps Apple could look into maybe doing the opposite. For example instead of provided television through iTunes, what if itunes was provided through a television service or provider? I believe that Apple is on the right track with branching out into the Television and Movie entertainment realm let's just hope they make the right move in the near future.

http://mediamemo.allthingsd.com/20091102/apples-itunes-pitch-tv-for-30-a-month/#comments

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/sep2009/tc20090929_279515.htm

Workday and SaaS

Software-as-a-service, commonly abbreviated as Saas, is a fresh innovation that is becoming more and more popular with technological advances and the economy’s slow recovery rate. Software-as-a-service is a method of distributing software by a licensed company to customers who have demand for that type of software. The providers of SaaS can host the program on their servers, or download the program to the customer’s servers. Yet some concerns have risen with the true capabilities of software as a service. In September, the SaaS provider Workday found itself dealing with a 15-hour outage. Workday is a small business and software-as-a-service company that provides human resource, financial and pay-roll software to other companies. Workday boasts that it can help save many new companies a great deal of money by cutting out expenses associated with investing in systems to manage the business’ operations and information. Google, which is a much larger enterprise than Workday, also faced a similar problem in September as well, except on a smaller scale. Google’s Gmail provider went down for almost two hours.
Although this situation is rare for many software-as-a-service providers, outages do occur. And when this does happen it can be quite costly for a company that is invested in a company’s service.
Even though Workday had to shut down for over half the day, thankfully to quality customer relationship management, many of Workday’s customers were not that upset with the outage. Sony, probably one of Workday’s larger consumers has been testing human resources SaaS. The Sony VP described Workday’s CRM during the time of the outage as, “The communication from Workday was frequent and fairly complete.” And Ray Wang, an analyst with Altimeter Group, wrote a “best-practices document for Software-as-a-service” had some similar comments about the outage, "For the most part, customers who got those phone calls from Workday throughout the night were very understanding, because Workday was pretty up front about it." This is one of the better approaches to this situation. Workday obviously did not beat around the bush when updating their customers about what was going on with their servers, and this customer relationship management could help in the long run.
Workday took Customer Relationship Management into consideration in dealing with customers during the outage crisis. But how can Workday prove that they are still trust-worthy, and that outages like these will not be reoccurring? And this applies for cloud computing, how can companies be sure that outages like these wont plague cloud servers? If an outage occurred with cloud computing there is a high chance that a substantial amount of data will be lost. For companies that are running software applications through servers, there is always a chance that something will fail, and it is obviously difficult to prevent a sporadic event that can cause an outage. Yet as we learned in class about programming and testing, there may be a way for Workday and other companies to prevent other outages. First of all, 15-hours I believe is a decent amount of time for a company to get a server back up and running. So now that Workday knows how the system failed, they should work on not only to trying to prevent similar outages, but at least shortening the amount of time to get the servers back up and running. Google’s outage of two hours seems blissful compared to Workday’s 15 hours. Also Workday could run a similar program parallel to what they usually run so if another outage occurs, they can switch programs until the problem is fixed. This could be costly at first but they could smooth out all problems at first to ensure that what they guarantee is provided to their customers at its highest expectations.


http://www.informationweek.com/news/software/erp/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=220800123&pgno=1&queryText=&isPrev=

Top iPhone Apps For Health

With the rising interest in physical fitness and general healthy living that seems to be combating the current American obesity rate, it’s no wonder that this particular obsession has paired with another burgeoning phenomenon – the Apple iPhone.

The iPhone, known as the leader of the Smartphone industry, is undoubtedly one of the most sophisticated handheld devices in today’s market. Boasting superior ___ quality, a built-in iPod, and instantaneous wireless access from nearly any location, the iPhones are especially known for their applications. These applications, called “apps”, are mini additions intended to enhance the phone’s recreational ability. These apps, which have collectively grown to over thousands in a variety of different concentrations, can range from arcade games to culinary recipes to hard-hitting news affiliations.

As alluring as these entertainment-based applications seem to be, Apple has recently shifted their attentions to something significantly more pressing: the world of health, fitness, and medicine. As of late Steve Jobs and his flagship company had created a slew of applications that emphasize the importance of leading a healthy and fruitful lifestyle. Interestingly enough, these applications have not only helped to educate the everyman, but have also proven useful for legitimate healthcare professionals. The Epocrates Application, for example, allows healthcare pros access to a massive drug database, and has the capacity to calculate correct dosage on the spot.

The rest of the population benefits from these health-related applications as well. The LiveStrong Media Inc., a subsidiary of Lance Armstrong’s fundraising foundation, has developed the Calorie Tracker Application; this app is designed to keep track of an individual’s daily intake of carbohydrates, fats, and sugars, as well as provide nutritional information on virtually any type of food. The Weight Watchers Mobile App, sponsored by the popular weight-loss program, follows in the same vein by allowing the user access to food options and their patented “points” system.

These types of applications also deviate from weight management and extend on to fitness. iFitness, a device created by software publisher Hooman Zohoor, is basically a handheld personal trainer; this application features pictures, videos, and written instructions on how to perform various exercises based on the body’s target areas. It can even develop a custom training programs specific to the user. The GPS Sport App, though not nearly as complex as the iFitness, still has its merits as a way to map out jogging routes to maximize calories burned and distance.

Aside from basic weight and fitness management, these new applications have also provided preventative measures for more series health concerns. For example, the Islet App – which catapulted a recent Princeton grad into medical notoriety – is designed specifically to help those with diabetes manage their insulin injections, glucose levels, and other nuances of the disease. Though it may seem like a futile application, this application can really do wonders to help those who really do feel the effects of diabetes. SoundAMP, similarly, is an application that utilizes the iPhone’s microphone capabilities to help those who are hearing-impaired, providing minimal distortion and amplified hearing for all its users.

The invasion of the iPhone Applications into the medical world is the result of very good strategy, but also means a lot more to society than just a lucrative business deal. The introduction of these devices, in actuality, can be beneficial in its users’ overall health and lifestyles.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/healthcare/leadership/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=220900375&pgno=2&queryText=&isPrev=

Their Own Private Cloud

Back in 2007, Concur Technologies, a travel booking and expense firm, had some serious issues.  The company found that it needed both an increase in manpower and more time in order to maintain the IT Infrastructure needed to serve its customers.  The company also had an issue when it came to making new changes to its software; each monthly change took a whole week of preparation, and various bugs needed to be fixed several times a week.  The software on each server had to be fixed manually every time, and that only left room for more errors. When the firm tried to expand server capacity, it had to go through a process of ordering, shipping and configuring new computers that could take several weeks.

            In order to overcome these problems, the company decided to turn to the ever growing concept of cloud computing.  We recently discussed this concept of using virtual servers in class, with Google and Amazon as our two main examples.  However, instead of using one of these public clouds, Concur chose make its own “private” cloud for security purposes.  They basically stopped running their apps on physical servers and moved them over to virtual ones.  This increased the company’s capacity greatly and allowed it to expand to meet the growing needs of its customers.

            I personally think this is a great idea for a company like Concur or for most companies that are looking to increase server capacity and reduce errors that can come with having to install new software.  Since it first implemented this private cloud in 2008, 42 percent of Concur’s servers are now virtual.  That’s less than half, and yet the company is still benefitting greatly.  The company reports that errors have been nearly eliminated when it comes to updates, and configuration mistakes are down a remarkable 85%-95%.  It now takes them only days to get additional capacity when it used to take weeks.

            This private cloud computing should save companies millions of dollars in the long run.  Concur expects to have saved over $7 million in only 3 years.  Also, due to the efficiency of these clouds, companies will require less engineers to fix problems, and can end up using their manpower and additional resources for other things, which is what has happened for Concur.

            One of the few issues with this new computing is that it takes some time to adjust.  Different skill sets are required for this type of computing, and as a result, a decent amount of time is necessary for training staff.  Time is also needed to develop and implement the practices that will work better for the company using these new methods.  However, this all seems to be worth the trouble.

            The thought that came to my mind as I read about Concur’s use of a “private cloud” was “why not use a public cloud?”  After all, it would probably be much cheaper and would save the company even more in the long run.  The company’s IT department has not yet ruled this idea out, but it has said that it will not change over to a public cloud unless it has determined that everything they do will be as secure as it is on their current cloud.

            Judging from the numbers, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see many companies switch to this method of computing.

http://www.cio.com/article/506114/Inside_One_Firm_s_Private_Cloud_Journey

 

 

Into the Online Jungle

The article “Into the Online Jungle” in the September 2009 issue of the Business Officer discusses how higher ed institutions are using social networking tools to their advantage. They are using social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace as well as wikis, blogs & podcasts. According to the article, only 15% of colleges and universities admissions offices are not using any type of social media at all.

Schools are using these social networking sites to recruit students and one of the best things about it is the fact that they are free. Colleges are turning to these sites because that is where their prospective students spend a large majority of their time. If a school can engage the students while they are starting to look at colleges the students will be more likely to consider the school than if the school did not have a social networking site or web presence.

The social networking sites are also being used by current students to connect and can help incoming students transition to college. Nowadays students are able to ‘friend’ other students who will be attending the same college and develop relationships even before they move onto campus. When there are thousands of students on a campus a school can seem overwhelming to incoming freshman or new students. A campus may not seem so big when a student is able to go to some of these social networking sites and connect with others that will be attending the same school. It makes the transition that much easier.

Prospective students can visit the sites of schools they could be interested in and get a feel for what life on that campus is really like. It gives them the opportunity to talk to students who are currently there or who have graduated and are able to share their experiences to see if a particular school is where they would really like to spend their college career.

Schools are using these social networking sites differently. While some schools are using social networking sites for promoting campus events and to encourage communication, Twitter is being used by Keene State College for crisis communication when needed while Bentley University has used Facebook to connect students who were looking for roommates.

Schools are also taking the opportunity to teach students how these types of social networking tools and communications can also work against them and possibly hurt them in the future. Since these sites are being used more and more by employers looking at job candidates and universities looking at scholarship candidates, people should be very selective about what they say and display on their pages. While prospective students use the sites to see if they would like to attend a certain school, admissions offices are using the sites to see if a student is a good fit for their school.

Higher ed institutions are not the only schools making use of social networking sites and blogs. Elementary schools have also begun using them to reach out to alumni, promote activities within the community and to communicate with students and anyone else who may be interested in what is going on at the school. My daughter attends a school that has grades PK3-8th grade and in the past year they have begun using Facebook, Twitter and blogs. The Facebook page has really helped increase marketing, especially when it comes to events and fundraisers. I run a monthly fundraiser for the school and the first time I put a comment on the school’s Facebook page with the details, my orders doubled in two days. The school is also using Twitter and submits just one or two ‘tweets’ per day. It is a nice, quick way to find out what is happening at the school and a much easier way to get in touch with a broad range of people.

The Smart Soldier

Google is teaming up with the U.S military to transform a common handheld device into the next generation of military intelligence. In J. Nicholas Hoover’s article, “An Android App for the Military”, he explains how a cell phone can be used to locate and avoid danger on the battlefield. Google created an android app that is accessible on any type of smartphone and will make the US military even stronger than it is now.

The Raytheon Android Tactical System (RATS) will allow soldiers to communicate with ease. The app will allow them to see locations of their fellow soldiers and they can pick and chose with whom they would like to communicate. They will be able to look at maps, send pictures, and watch live streaming videos of the surrounding area. The cell phones, which are getting cheaper and cheaper, will come equipped with a GPS and functioning touch screens.

Raytheon wants to connect the tactical system with Distributed Common Ground System server, which shares military intelligence. If this becomes a reality, a soldier could send a picture to the DCGS and find out the longitude, latitude, time, and other valuable information. The same could be possible with a picture of someone on the opposing side, where a picture could identify a person. It would be working in real time so there would hardly be a delay. These phones will eliminate any gaps in the communication between soldiers and other soldiers and between soldiers and the command bases. It is one step closer to having a better army. More than ever, the soldiers are becoming like one person, instead of individual soldiers. They will be linked together, forming an even more unified team.

Certain questions do arise when working out the details of this new concept. Is it practical to snap a photo when in the heat of a battle? This is just one more thing that all of the soldiers will have to learn and practice using. Since the phones work over a standard 3G network, if such network is unavailable, the phone will be useless. Security is another issue…what if one of these cell phones falls into the hands of someone it does not belong to? Well, Google has already thought of this. Each soldier will be required to login with a username and password. Also, if someone else tries to gain access to it, the phone will give them false information, like inaccurate locations of soldiers. This could help our military because if an unauthorized user is trying to access data, the location of the person will be sent back to the commanders. This is only the beginning for the Android app; the possibilities are endless.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/mobile/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=221200035

SMART Boards: Changing the classroom dynamic in schools across America

An article by Josh Morgan tells readers that SMART Boards are more than just whiteboards to write on. Rather, SMART Boards are hooked up to computers, making the screen completely interactive. Teachers can instruct entire classes without having to use any materials besides the SMART Board. They are able to open up lesson plans and flip through pages using the touch screen capabilities. If an instructor sees that there is something missing from the notes projected on the board, he can write them in using the SMART Board marker. The words written can then be converted into computer text. After class is over, the lessons can be saved and e-mailed to students for easy studying.
In Tom Lewok’s class at Cheshire High School, he brought up a DNA strand on the SMART Board. Once the DNA strand is projected, he can zoom in and examine certain parts of the strand. He can also rotate the DNA to display every part of the strand. Text books are unable to show these kinds of details. Lewok believes that the SMART Boards enrich learning and create a better learning environment for all students. He says, “These are a benefit to the students and teachers.” Many teachers feel that in order for any class to have an effect on its students, SMART Boards need to be a part of learning.
In addition to helping mainstream students learn, SMART Boards can play an important role in educating special needs children. Using a tablet, students can participate in class right from their desks. Speakers and new software have both been added to SMART Boards. The interactive environment, increases participation and understanding among students. Besides teachers, students also learn how to use the SMART board. They are able to answer problems on the SMART Board, showing teachers where mistakes are made and how certain problems can be fixed. While students who learn visually benefit from the projections and demonstrations on the screen, students who learn from listening benefit from the audio features. The SMART Board is a benefactor to students who learn from different teaching methods. Chris Fletcher, a 14 year math teacher has said that a lesson on triangles had previously taken him an entire class period to draw and explain. Using the SMART Board he drew the triangles in seconds and was able to demonstrate the lesson in minutes. He says, “It doesn’t help us prepare our lessons any easier, but it allows us to go deeper. It changes the way students think and the way we present information to students.”
The drawback schools have seen in using SMART Boards are that teachers have not been trained in using this kind of technology. It takes some instructors longer than other to fully grasp and understand the concept of the SMART Board and take advantage of everything it has to offer.
I think that SMART Boards are a positive aspect to all classrooms. Student’s grades have increased and classes have become more than just lectures. Students are more inclined to participate and teachers are able to lend their help when they see where students make their errors when using the board and tablets. I believe SMART Boards should be a part of every classroom in America including colleges.

Classroom demonstration using a SMART Board: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U05WeXPGlk

Online Publishing

In the article published by the Boston Globe titled “Publisher enters new chapter in textbooks” a new plan for the replacement of textbooks for the Detroit Public school system is discussed. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt unveils its new plan to use software technology in place of textbooks.

The plan set forth by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is a 40 million dollar multiyear plan. The initiative for the plan came with the realization of the Detroit schools that the use of textbooks in print is decreasing dramatically over the years. This may be a result of the fact that textbooks are handled a lot over the years and wear down easily and the cost of replacing them is great. It also may be that the school system wants to give students a background with technology, since it is such an important aspect of the future generations. Whatever the reason may be, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt publishing company responded to the need of this school system by teaming up with Microsoft Inc. and came up with a computer based teaching system. This computer system is ideal because it also acts as a networking program. Students, teachers, and administrators will be able to connect with one another through this teaching program, called Learning Village.

Learning Village was built as a customized and interactive learning network. It allows teachers to plan homework assignments based on the content taught in the classroom. The program also can measure how well a student understands the material, which allows teachers to make sure all students comprehend the material taught in class. This computer system pinpoints students who are struggling with the material and students who need more help with the material. Its networking capabilities also make it easier for everyone within the school system to interact with one another. The program has

While the Detroit school systems are not completely shifting away from textbooks, they are making a big step away from them with this program because it is clear that the capabilities of the Learning Village program go far beyond that of your standard textbook.

This is not the first time Village Learning has been sold by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. They also sold a smaller version to a school system in California and in Florida. The results varied because like all new technology, teachers and students need to take time to learn the program and become familiar with it.

A study was done in the Florida school system that showed once teachers knew how to use the program efficiently, student progress improved along with it.

Detroit hopes to have similar successes using the program even though it is being used on a much larger scale. Although they don’t want to take a giant step away from textbooks completely, they definitely want to move in that direction because it seems that in this world it won’t be too long before technology is involved in every aspect of our lives.

http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2009/10/29/boston_publisher_enters_new_chapter_in_textbooks/

New way of creating cell phone applications

DIY apps or Do-It-Yourself applications for cell phones are the new way for businesses to get into the cell phone app market. They are easy to create and inexpensive. Most of the beginning applications for Iphone were created by professional programmers and these projects could cost anywhere from $2,000-$10,000. But now with DIY apps many people who are not technologically savvy or “non-techies” can easily create an app without spending a lot of money or time. Small companies now have the capabilities of creating their own applications with the use of a few websites like AppBreeder.com, GameSalad.com, and MyAppBuilder.com. Creating apps with the use of these websites is simple because they use certain templates and all you have to do is plug in the information you want on the app and your good to go. Some of the websites are free and others require money up front for using their template but all in all it is not all that expensive.

The appeal to these DYI websites is that anyone can create an app. You do not have to have any prior knowledge of writing code, programming, and you do not even need a mac. All you have to do is sign up and your good to go. It is that simple. It is what you put into it that makes the app appealing to the app store. Once you have created your app you can then publish it to the Apple App Store, Google's Android Market, Research In Motion's BlackBerry App World, and Microsoft's Windows Marketplace for Mobile. By being able to publish it to all these different app stores widens the range of customers who can buy your app. Your app does not have to be confined just to the Iphone.

The use of cell phone apps by restaurants is a new way to get customers in the door. A restaurant can now create an app where they have their entire menu, drink, and wine list all at the touch of a button. You could even make a reservation and call ahead for take out. Or even better you could just pick what you want to eat and drink, you submit it and they have it all ready for you upon your arrival. Many fast food chains have already jumped on this new technology. Chipotle has an app where you can pick out exactly what you want to eat submit your order and you can even pay through your phone. All you have to do is drive to the restaurant and pick up your order. No waiting in line and it is ready when you get there.

These DYI websites are the up and coming thing for cell phone applications. Each week more and more people are signing up and creating apps. Right now one of the DYI websites in particular, Swebapps, has gotten about 1,000 customers since August and the Apple App Store has approved 30 of their apps. They are predicting this number to jump to 60 by early 2010. The demand for these types of Do-It-Yourself websites will continue to grow and we will be seeing many more small companies jumping into the app market.

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/nov2009/tc2009111_312995.htm?campaign_id=technology_related

DIY Apps

Smartphone apps are appealing business marketing techniques. An article on businessweek.com, “Do-It-Yourself iPhone Apps” is generating a huge impact on businesses with a smart way of marketing. Companies are servicing “non-techies” with the coding part of creating apps for the iPhone. People are becoming more and more creative and are using more affordable methods to market products their business provides. Swebapps.com is a service that entrepreneurs use. Just like easy to create web site services like Dreamweaver or GeoCities, Swebapps.com Company helps businesses, restaurants, retail stores, non profit organizations, and even government agencies come up with personalized apps that are cheaper and are custom made for on the iPhone. Businesses are being more imaginative and most of the time it is just plugging specs into templates already set in place online. Even though not everyone has a smart-phone, the cheaper and more profitable it is, not that many management teams will be against using this marketing method.

Alliance Video’s Video Pro, the business that the article on businessweek.com talks about, is about an owner coming up with an app that uploads a short video, current clients blog, and a call feature. Tom Johnson, the owner, created and had a finished app running in a day. What was most important was that he had nothing to do with the coding part of the app. What it boils down to is that the cost of having this app created through the Swebapp.com service company is highly affordable. Sales from the app have been positive and more people are looking into the wedding video services Johnson’s company provides. Johnson said in the article “We deal with a lot of young brides and grooms, and they love the iPhone”. Johnson’s app has given him information about who his potential customers are which could enhance his business by marketing towards younger crowds. The app on the iPhone has been a successful marketing aid for Johnson’s wedding video company at the present moment.

Besides it being affordable, DIY apps do not necessarily have to be simple. iPhone locator can accommodate information the app gives a user. The article talks about AppBreeder.com, an online service that connects the location information to the app. This might be helpful for realtors who want to show potential buyers houses or property for sale in a specific area. When a house has been sold, automatically the app could let the realtor know so time wont have to be spent on something that has already been take off the market. Swebapps allows the owner to update information. For example, restaurants could use this when changing specials. Another example could be car shops that run emission tests. They might use an app that lets their customer know when their car is done and if the test was a pass or fail. These DIY app services make it easy for people to manage their app with a personal account. From that account, enabling buttons, updating information, and customizing apps are very easy possibilities that non-tech business people can rely on to market their products. For some businesses DIY apps are just what they needed. DIY can make financial differences which can positively affect the business and hopefully expand it to maximize profit.

Articles used:

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/nov2009/tc2009111_312995.htm

http://www.swebapps.com/faq.htm

http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1917082,00.html?artId=1917082?contType=article?chn=bizTech

"Renovating With the Right Magic Touch"

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/13/business/media/13disney.html?pagewanted=1&em\

The Walt Disney Company is trying to use technology and new innovations with the assistance of the Apple retailing team in order to increase sales and reinvent the stores. Instead of cutting back or approaching change with extreme caution like some other companies, Disney is going to take a risk and aggressively move forward. The Companies traditional approach of displaying row after row of toys and apparel will be given a high-tech makeover and incorporate information technology to ultimately make children desire to come to the stores, stay longer, and perhaps bolster sales as a result. Disney has estimated that they will spend about $1 million a store to redecorate, reorganize and install this new interactive technology. Some of this interactive technology includes theaters that will allow children to watch film clips of their own selection, participate in karaoke contests and even chat live with Disney Channel stars via satellite. Another new interactive technology being used is computer chips embedded in packaging that will activate hidden features. For example if you walk by a “magic mirror” while holding a Princess tiara, Cinderella might appear and say something to you. There will be video-projected components and sound. There is even a scent component, for instance if a clip from Disney’s “A Christmas Carol” is playing in the theater, the whole store might suddenly be made to smell like a Christmas tree. Parents will even be able to book a Disney Cruise on a touch-screen while their children play, an amazing interactive technology.
Before the decision to go ahead with this high-tech makeover there was much internal debate at the company. Some board members felt the concept was so lavish parents would either try to use the stores as day care centers or come for the entertainment and walk out of the store with nothing purchased. But overall Disney and Steve Jobs, the Apple chief executive who joined the Disney board with the 2006 acquisition of Pixar, message was “Dream bigger”. The Company worked for the last year on a full-scale, fully stocked store inside an unmarked warehouse as a prototype to work out the kinks before endeavoring in a costly retail strategic move. Another technology that Disney stores will be using is the mobile checkout adopted by Apple. This means employees will carry miniature receipt printers. Dressing up a toy store with entertainment is not a new concept. Stores like F.A.O Schwartz, Toys “R” Us, and American Girl have all jazzed up its retail stores in some way, but the emphasis Disney is placing on programming is essentially creating a mall-based television channel.
Technology is becoming a huge impact on society today, and by renovating these stores to go along with this new wave of technology in my opinion is a great strategic marketing move. Disney is going beyond imagination and I believe and know kids will be drawn into these stores. One of the locations where this new Disney store has opened happens to be in my hometown Garden City, Long Island at the Roosevelt Field Mall. Although it states in the article it is opening around May, they have already relocated the store in the mall and have done a majority of the renovations. I have pasted the Disney store many times while being home and children and parents are constantly going in and out of the store, even at times when the mall is very un-crowded. The only thing that concerns me is that just like some of the members on the Disney board, is this idea so lavish that it might back fire, not raise revenue and become just a cool place to entertain your children? Even with that concern, I still feel Disney made the right move, because I do not believe it will hinder the company, especially seeing the store in person. When my younger cousin who is 14 months right now, is a little older, I definitely would love to take him there and experience this “Imagination Park”. I believe Disney’s expectations of higher revenue will come true.

"The World's First Multi-Touch Mouse"

In response to Windows new innovations with their new software, Windows 7, Apple has come out with a few new components of its own, including the new Magic Mouse.  The self-proclaimed “world’s first multi-touch mouse,” has drastically changed the way basic mice work.  The main innovation of the Magic Mouse is the touch surface that spans the entire top of the mouse.  This touch feature allows the user to simply run their finger up and down over the top of the mouse to scroll up and down a web page or document.  The scrolling speed, much like Apple’s iTouch and iPhone, is controlled my the momentum of the users finger against the touch screen.  There is also a 360 degree option on the touch screen which allows you to move the curser in any which way, not simply up and down.  You can also place two fingers on the mouse and flick them left or right to move from picture to picture.  In addition, the mouse can tell how many fingers you have on its surface allowing the user to both click and scroll to highlight a chunk of text. 

The Magic Mouse is Bluetooth enabled so it will wirelessly connect to the user’s computer.  It is battery operated as well and can sense long periods of inactivity in which case it goes into a power save mode.  There is also a on off switch on the bottom of the mouse so the user can manually turn of the mouse’s power to conserve energy.

I think this is a good product for Apple to have created, because nothing drastic has been done with the mouse in awhile.  The touch screen basically combines the laptop touch mouse pad with the regular computer mouse, which should please all audiences for every option is available to use.  The product also seems right up Apple’s ally in terms of innovation in the “world of touch”.  First the iPhone then the iTouch and now this Magic Mouse, making this new product definitely in line with where apple is trying to carry its line.

However, there are some disadvantages I see with this product, which I am sure will be worked out when later generations of the mouse are released.  The main issue I see is that a company like Apple that is constantly coming up with these technological innovations, should be able to create a mouse that does not need a battery changing every 4 months or so.  It hasn’t had a product in awhile that has required batteries, because charging things have become the optimal way to energize electronics.  Therefore I think that is the first change Apple needs to do to make their product more user friendly.  I have also read reports that while the touch application on the mouse is cool, it can be a little uncomfortable at times to get your hand into the right position to use some of the features it offers.  But that again could also come in time as Apple continues to innovate its products.  In all I think the Magic Mouse is a step in the right direction for creating new mice that do more for the user.

Global Positioning Without GPS

Today many newer cell phones offer GPS capabillity, but they are dependent on a Wi Fi or 3G connection. Often times the connection is lost and the GPS capability is useless. What if any cell phone could provide location awareness without 3G or Wi Fi? GlosPos, a young startup company wants to make that possible. The company is soon to come out of hiding and introduce its self-learning algorithm that enables any basic GSM or CDMA to provide very accurate locational data. The technology that GlosPos wants to release is now patent pending, but if approved the algorithm will offer extremely accurate positioning to within 40 meters.

Cell phone triangulation is nothing new, but in the past it has not been extremely accurate. Now with GloPos' new innovation everything changes. Within milliseconds the algorithm will send small amounts of data, such as 100 KB, to a server and in return receive an accurate location.

GlosPos has staked its claim on a website domain, but currently has not released their business model. The techonology has a huge amount of advertising potential. The product could be marketed to handset makers and carriers or directly to consumers. Alexander Le Bell and Mikael Vainio head GlosPos and are interested introducing their algorithm to the iPhone platform via the AppStore, but the iPhone is just the beginning. GlosPos can work on any handset, there is no need for WiFi or 3G connection so it does not discriminate against any cell phone owner. Location based systems definitely have claimed their place in the future, but some people believe adding radios to new technology is the way to get there. Radios seems like a technology of the past when compared with new-age intelligent software.

United States culture, and others around the world are already ultra dependent on the use of cell phones. Children younger and younger are receiving cell phones from their parents so they can easily be kept in contact with. If every cell phone is also a GPS device, the dependence on cell phones will obviously increase. What would a product like this do to companies like Garmin? Would there be need for a compnay who produces a GPS device that will stick to your windshield? Maybe so, but consumers may disagree if the handheld technology they already own is GPS capable.

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/sep2009/tc20090911_282448.htm

Google Wave to be released to 100,000 testers Wednesday

Google has done it yet again. From search engines to operating systems, from maps to finance, Google seems to be taking over the industry. Well now they have come out with their newest application-Google Wave. Google has just announced it will release the app to 100,000 testers this past Wednesday. So what exactly is Google Wave? Simply put, it could very possibly be the newest way to email and communicate with people over the Web.

The new web app combines e-mail, chat, Wiki documents, blogs and photo-sharing sites to create a form of Internet communication called a "hosted conversation," or a "wave." Its actually pretty practical if you think about it. Google will be the host of the online application and people can talk and share different things as if they were in a chat room. This “chat room” can be between 2 people or however many.

Probably the biggest advantage to using Google Wave can come from it’s user sharing. That is, when one person is typing the other person can see exactly what they are typing, allowing communication to be much faster and more efficient, as well as allowing different people to share the same information in order to work in partnerships. This can be used quite effective in the business world when clients need to oversee information as it is being processed or to simply have a person on the east coast work on the same exact document from someone of the west coast.

Standard e-mail is simply too slow in the fast multitasking Internet in this day and age. Wave will be the fastest and most efficient form of communication over the Internet. The new app is perhaps going to take over email, but not just yet. It can still be difficult to understand the entire application. Jens and Lars Rasmussen, the brothers who developed both Google Maps and Google Wave still have some further development on the project. There have already been multiple bugs that users have found over the course of the applications development. This was expected and nearly all glitches and bugs can be detected and corrected in this trial run that began this past Wednesday. The brothers have also posted an hour and twenty-minute video tutorial that can incur the application is somewhat complicated and requires an “educative process”. Still, the app is in testing and is expected to be available to the public later this year.

The Google Wave is already increasingly popular with people actually auctioning off their testing trial on EBay. People are willing to pay upwards of seventy dollars for just the trial run, which still has glitches and bugs. Just imagine the capability of the product later this year or in years to come. Like other products Google offers, the source code of Google Wave will be open. That is, it will allow the public to devolope new features through extensions of the application. We see this similarly in Google Docs which allows Google to save massive amounts of money and space through open source code. With this combination there is only room for improvement of the collaborative tool and possibly for all of email in years to come.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/09/29/google.wave.beta/index.html

Cell Phones Improving The Way We See Information

With the rising technology in our pockets with our cell phones, our Loyola swipes, our sales cards that track what items we buy, the future is coming closer this day and age. Applications on PDA’s, Blackberries, and Iphones are coming more popular in easing our day-to-day lives. Some people may say that the future will bring facebook updates and twitter updates floating around above everyone’s head. Well that idea is becoming more and more a reality with the term, augmented reality. Augmented Reality is defined as the use of transparent HMDs to overlay computer generated images onto the physical environment. In speak that you and I can understand it is the process of putting information over top a live source. For example using the camera on your Iphone and seeing the person in front of you, their facebook updates and contact information.

The concept of augmented reality is not very recently new. If you can recall in the movie the Terminator, where Arnold has robot-human vision. He was allowed to analyze people’s faces and saw their backgrounds simultaneously.

As cell phones become more advanced with their features and technology the possibility of Augmented Reality becomes a more probable application. With Cells utilizing gps satellites to pin point their location. Compasses that tell the phone which direction North, South, East, or West, the phone is pointed towards. And with the new feature of accelerometers in phones, which move the screen from landscape to portrait, depending on which angle the phone is tilted. A phones compatibility to display augmented reality is becoming more possible with all the technologies rolled into a small little cell phone.

A cell phone company in the Netherlands last July was one of the first to start to program applications in the innovative technology of Augmented Reality. SPRX mobile created a mobile browser called Layar. This mobile browser allows the user to set their phone to video mode and move the phone around the surrounding area and information will pop up on the screen. Blinking dots on apartment windows show which one’s are for sale and their values. A dropped down window shows a review for the bar up the street. Layar can also show information on sales going on at the local retail store. The Co Founder of Layar, Maarten Lens-FitzGerald, stated that the information displayed on Layar will help people have a better sense of the physical world around them. He also goes on to say this technology will get people out of the house because there wouldn’t be a need to be home to get the information when you can just point your cell phone to what you want information on and it shows up on your phone. This feature as of now is only available in the Netherlands, but the company plans to go global with the creation of an Iphone application, but only if Apple changes policies that obstruct developers from creating such applications on that device.

Other applications are coming down the line or are already out that utilize Augmented Reality like Nearest Tube, and Wikitude. Nearest Tube highlights subway routes in major cities such as New York, and London. Wikitude, allows people to receive encyclopedia information on important landmarks. And like Wikipedia users can input their own information to expand the information on a certain landmark.

This technology was first thought of a long time ago, but is being created today and it can innovate the way we see the world in the near future. With Twitter updates above people’s head, or restaurant reviews for the restaurants in you eye sight. This technology is very innovative and I hope America gets a hold of some of this technology very soon.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/10/24/tech.augmented.reality.apps/index.html

Who needs the iPhone

Verizon: Who needs the iPhone?

Two years ago the iPhone was released by AT&T and took the market by storm. Although before Apple signed with AT&T, it offered Verizon the opportunity to be the sole provider of the iPhone in the States. Unfortunately for Verizon and Chief Executive Lowell McAdam, it has proven to be an unwise choice as Apple is slowly chipping away at Verizon’s share of the market. During the most recent quarter AT&T added 2 million more wireless subscribers, while Verizon only managed 1.2 million. Verizon still holds a sizable advantage over AT&T, but one can only wonder how long that can last.

The is the very question on the mind of CEO Lowell McAdam and in order to maintain Verizon’s advantage he is unveiling 14 new phones in the fourth quarter, the largest lineup ever by Verizon. The most intriguing is the Droid phone from Motorola, which runs Google’s android operating system. With the launch of this new phone, Verizon is also on a huge marketing campaign to promote this new line up of phones. John Stratton CMO at Verizon says “The Droid can compete head to head.”

Verizon’s plan is extremely daring because these new phones are untested in the marketplace. They are placing a huge bet on the hope consumers will be inclined to buy a new phone they have never used or seen before. So Verizon is doubling its marketing expenses from 5% to 10% in the last quarter.

Although Verizon seems to have some legitimacy with competing with AT&T and the iPhone, the odds are against them. The iPhone is still the most popular cellular device in the world and will continue to be barring any unforeseen problems. Verizon’s success ultimately depends on its relationship with Google, the success of its marketing campaign, and the mindset of the consumer heading into the holiday season. If Verizon can effectively advertise its new line of products it will stay at the top of the wireless market but if the phones turn out to be busts and the consumers are reluctant to buy their new technology it could be a long holiday season for Verizon.

But Verizon is still open for a partnership with Apple and the iPhone and rumors are circulating that when AT&T’s contract is over in the next, Verizon will make a push to get the contract. This move could be colossal blow to AT&T which maintains its market share solely because of the iPhone.

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_45/b4154000864049.htm?chan=technology_technology+index+page_best+of+the+magazine

Blackboard in Schools

One piece of technology that we are very familiar with here at Loyola is spreading to universities across the country. Blackboard is an educational software that is used by schools to increase student teacher interaction both in and outside of the classroom. In the article entitled “Blackboard Software Rules the Schools” in Fortune’s online magazine, Beth Kowitt discusses how this technology is being implemented by the schools that have purchased it. Because of students’ demand for technology in the classroom, the use of Blackboard has spread very quickly. 60% of schools that use a “one stop shop” software are using Blackboard.

The creators of Blackboard realized the shift that was taking place inside the classroom. Students were taking notes online and teachers were more and more frequently posting their lectures on the internet. Blackboard allows for all of these everyday college occurrences to be organized in one space. The software includes many applications. It alerts students to canceled classes, scans papers for plagiarism, gives online quizzes, and allows the students to access their grades electronically. Here is a video I found that explains what Blackboard can do for its users:

Speaking from personal experience as a user of Blackboard for the past two years here at Loyola, I can say with confidence that it’s a huge asset to the school community. It gives me a sense of control over everything that’s going on in the class. One of my favorite features is the access to grades online. It has been really helpful for me to be able to see where I stand in a class. This allows me to monitor what I need to do in order to get my desired grade. Additionally, the posted lecture notes are extremely helpful. I feel that this feature really allows me to concentrate fully in class as opposed to trying to write down every word the professor says. The fact that I can review the notes later online lets me be fully invested during class time. Another feature that I have found helpful is the online quizzes. My accounting professor uses these quizzes and after taking them at home before each class, they have definitely increased how prepared I feel during that class. It gives teachers an easy way to communicate with the entire class and keep them updated on the class schedule. From an environmental standpoint, Blackboard undoubtedly saves a massive amount of paper that teachers previously would have printed and handed out in class.

Opponents of Blackboard might say that it discourages students from attending class if everything they need is accessible online. First of all, I would say this is untrue because most students know there is a huge difference between reading a powerpoint and actually being in class to have a teacher explain the material and answer any questions that may arise. Additionally, I would say that at this point, any college student who wishes to skip class will do so whether or not the teacher posts notes online. I believe it’s their responsibility either way to comprehend the material, and if Blackboard causes their attendance or participation grade to suffer, that is their own fault. Students must be aware of these possible pitfalls for their own good.

I think Blackboard is an invaluable tool in today’s college environment that benefits teachers and students alike.

article: http://money.cnn.com/2009/10/27/technology/blackboard_software.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2009103011

How to Carry Your Office on a Stick

Day by day, technology is continuously improving. Over the course of the past few years, many ways of storing information and data has been developed. To start, external hard drives were used to store excess information and have it readily available. Similarly, USB flash drives were developed to store information and files and be used to easy transportation: from computer to computer. A USB flash drive is a memory data storage drive that is removable. Its main purpose is for users to be able to transfer bits of information when necessary. Similarly, this product is rewriteable and therefore could potentially last for as long and you need it to.

In a recent New York Times article, “How to Carry Your Office on a Stick (USB Flash Drive,” author Doriano Carta writes about the constant improvements of flash drives. The storage capacity is increasing, which allows users to put more and more documents and files on this device. However, this article depicts that flash drives are now going to serve more of a purpose than just holding documents and files. Applications are now going to be able to be run on a flash drive. Carta feels this improvement will “come in handy for those who are away from home,” possibly in their offices.

Applications such as Google Chrome, Skype and uTorrent are now readily available for use via flash drive. This new feature allows a person to download a video-chatting program such as Skype onto their flash drive and further be able to bring it with them anywhere they go. Therefore, this person can locate any computer and be able to open Skype without having to go through the hassle of downloading it onto the temporary computer. This serves as a great purpose when travelling and using hotel or library computers that do not allow new applications to be downloaded to them. For example, the computers in the lobby of the hotel I stay at in Aruba do not give people access to downloading new applications. Therefore, programs such as AOL instant messenger are not readily available to hotel clients. Ultimately, if AOL instant messenger, and even Skype, were downloaded to my USB flash drive, I could virtually bring these programs to the computer outside of the country and still have access to them. This way, I will be able to communicate with my parents and my friends without the hassle of locating a computer that these programs can be installed on.

I feel this invention is going to be very popular to people who spend a great deal of time away from home. Whether they travel often, have long office hours, or cannot readily access their home computer, there will never be any problems. In essence, you can bring all the programs and files you need with you everywhere. It is incredible that this two inch long device (stick) has the ability to serve these purposes. The technology that surrounds us is increasing substantially and it is possible that sooner than later, USB flash drives are going to gain the capability of even larger tasks, such as receiving emails. There are many programs being developed in order to make launching these portable applications a success, but as of right now, technology is working in the favor of these devices. It would not surprise me if the demand for these USB drives sky-rocketed as people realized the potential they have. Similarly, I think the companies who produce these are going to have to create USB flash drives with an even greater storage capacity than readily available.



Cite Reference: http://www.nytimes.com/external/gigaom/2009/10/27/27gigaom-how-to-carry-your-office-on-a-stick-usb-flash-dri-62969.html?scp=1&sq=how%20to%20carry%20your%20office%20on%20a%20stick&st=cse

Jaclyn DeParto

Adobe's Acquisition of Omniture

Omniture is a web analytics company that was founded in 1996. The company sells subscription-based software that gives companies live, detailed digital traffic data. Omniture tracks actual traffic data as it happens in real time. The software can track everything from how many people visit a website to where they’re coming from to how long the stay. Omniture is the leader in their industry with five times the customer base of their rival competitor Coremetrics. The article I read on Fortune’s website discussed Omniture’s history, the firms founder Josh James, and the buyout by Adobe. Adobe paid about $1.8 billion ($21.50 per share) to buyout Omniture and the deal went through on October 23^rd 2009. The article raised several issues and questions in my mind about the merger.

The first question that came to mind when I read about Omniture being bought out by Adobe was why did James choose Adobe? More importantly, is Adobe the right company for Omniture? This kind of information generated by Omniture is critical for any Fortune 500 company’s marketing department. Adobe however is in the business of making web-developing tools. This issue could have a significant positive or negative result for the merger. Adobe doesn’t have a lot of history with marketing software products, however this could be a great opportunity for Adobe to expand their top line and reach out to a new targeted audience. The acquisition could also help increase revenue because Adobe could package their new Omniture Online Marketing Suite with their traditional products to offer designers, developers, and online marketers a complete marketing program. Adobe believes their combination with Omniture will add value and enable these customers to realize a greater ROI and improve their end users’ experiences; the goal of any company in with one simple program. Another advantage is that Adobe is already well known in the technology industry. Their previously established customer base may also show interest in the new product, which would allow Omniture to easily access a new audience without too much additional advertising and marketing on their end.

Another important issue is whether or not the investment in Omniture was worth it for Adobe financially speaking. Adobe believes that the investment is what they needed to combat the slowdown they were facing from decreasing revenue in their core business. However, given that we are in a recession, expanding your business to target marketing and advertising firms might not be your best choice in generating a quick ROI. During the recession most firms have admitted to cutting back on marketing and advertising expenses, so Adobe may have trouble finding customers earger to spend money on the new software package. Only time will tell if Adobe will see their expected ROI however, their business strategy of targeting designers, developers, and online markets in the midst of an economic recession may not be the best plan to generate the revenue needed to make the almost $2 million purchase worth while.

I think in the end that Adobe may not have been the most obvious home for Omniture, but the advantages the company can offer the web analytical software far out weight the disadvantages. I’m still however not sure if the price was right given the current state of the economy.

Sources:

http://money.cnn.com/2009/10/23/technology/omniture_josh_james.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2009102609

http://www.omniture.com/en/company/adobe_faq

BlackBerry releases Storm 2; iPhone will not be beat

I think BlackBerry is making a very wise decision in re-releasing the Storm smart phone. I remember when the first version of the phone came out, everyone was very excited about it. It was a touch screen BlackBerry, a phone that everyone felt could possibly compete with the iPhone. I, on the other hand, felt that while it would probably make BlackBerry a good amount of money, it just would not be able to overtake Apple’s amazing product.

Sure, the fact that it had a touch screen made it more similar to the iPhone, but the iPhone’s success stretches far beyond this one characteristic. The web browser is phenomenal, it doubles as an iPod, and there are literally hundreds of thousands of Apps that you can download. The first version of the Storm was released and it did not get great reviews (from what I saw at the time). The touch screen was awkward, the screen would click when you put your face next to it to make a call, and the web browser was only as good as your network. The only difference between this phone and previous BlackBerrys was the fact that it had a touch screen. I think with the Storm 2, BlackBerry realized, like the author of this article states, that it will never overtake the iPhone. It seems like they fixed some of the little problems (the screen, Wi-Fi built in). I feel like companies need to stop trying to come up with the successor to the iPhone. It has been way too successful to be taken down in the next few years.

By the time a phone manufacturer feels it has designed a phone that they feel is the best, Apple is very likely to have come out with an even better product themselves. The author mentioned manufacturers designing phones that, instead of trying to copy the features of an iPhone, highlight the great features that their previous phones have had in the past. The iPhone will never, in my personal opinion, be able to send and receive email as good as a BlackBerry can. I just feel that BlackBerry has perfected this feature, and will continue to find ways to improve it. Manufacturers need to find a feature that they can develop into strength, and then build from there. If you try to include too many awesome features into one phone, it might not do as well. The only exception is the iPhone. There have been countless answers to the iPhone, yet none of them have been as successful.

I think the fact that BlackBerry and Research in Motion have realized that the iPhone will not be beaten is a good thing. It means they decided to focus on other ways to improve the phone, instead of just trying to make it the next huge thing. Sure, that would be preferable, but it is not going to happen overnight. Focusing on making a better product is the best thing to do.

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/oct2009/tc20091015_737920.htm

Books to Kindle to the “Nook”

Barnes and Nobles has announced their very own e-book reader called the “nook”. Could this be the next Kindle? The nook and Kindle are both priced at $259. The nook has not just one screen but two. One screen for the book itself and the other screen with a virtual touch screen keyboard. Also on the second screen users can look through book covers, add personal pictures, personal music, and personal documents. Similar to Kindle, the nook has wireless internet ability for downloads. The nook can hold 1,700 titles, while Kindle can hold 1,500. The bigger difference is here: Barnes and Nobles “claims to offer more than 1 million e-books (that includes over 500,000 titles in the public domain and free for the asking)”, while Kindle offers 350,000 through Amazon's Web site.

A unique feature of the nook is the “lend-me” function. This allows one e-book user to send their favorite book to another e-book user for fourteen days. Once the fourteen days deadline is complete the book returns to the original owner. So whose next to come out with a new e-book? All fingers ought to point to Apple. The e-book market is looking for a “paradigm-changing gadget” that will urge more to read books. “But at the moment, and for several years' time, e-books have represented only around 1% of the shrinking book-reading public. Not only must that percentage rise, but also the overall number of book readers must increase—then we'll know that e-book nirvana has arrived.”

I intend to keep a look out for a device introduced by Apple. I understand the e-book market is looking for a particular device that will attract non-book readers. However, the percentage only takes into account e-books. The percentage of e-book readers is not equivalent to book readers in general. There are so many possibilities as to why the percentage is low, not simply because there are not enough book readers out there. Many may not be able to afford $259. Many just want a good beach read and do not want to carry their Kindle or nook to the beach while getting some rays. In general, individuals may be more comfortable reading a hard copy rather than squinting at a screen for hours reading a good book, particularly the older generations. E-books tend to attract students and travelers. Personally as a student I would not be interested in e-books. The screen is too small for textbooks, making diagrams too hard to read. A bigger screen needs to be developed without making the device too big to carry to class. I do admit it would be easier to carry one e-book device to class rather than three different 500 pages textbook. Another upside to e-books I see is I would be saving hundreds of dollars on textbooks since I would not be purchasing textbooks individually. Until a device that has a sleek look with a bigger screen, which provides all my future textbooks, is introduced, I have no interest in e-books.

A Cell Phone Application that Promotes Driving Safety

            The combination of cell phone use and driving has been dangerously distracting drivers for years now. Local and state governments throughout the United States have been debating the passing of different laws to decrease cell phone usage for drivers. The Govenors Highway Safety Association states “California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Washington, and the District of Columbia prohibit all drivers from talking on handheld cell phones while driving. Eighteen states in total, as well as the District of Columbia, have banned text messaging for all drivers.” Nationwide Insurance collected driving statistics from college studies such as Virginia Tech, Carnegie Mellon and the University of Utah. The statistics declared, “driving while distracted is a factor in 25 percent of police reported crashes.” Also, “driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37 percent.” These, among other proven statistics, make it easy to fathom that by ways of laws or technology, cell phone usage while driving must be limited.

            A Massachusetts based company, Illume Software, is funding the creation of the iZUP. The iZUP is an application that uses GPS technology to limit a driver’s cell phone capabilities while behind the wheel. Marketed towards parents of young drivers, the iZUP will block out incoming calls and text messages from all numbers other then parents. iZUP will also limit outward calling and texting capabilities beyond the parents and emergency numbers. Right now the iZUP will be tested primarily on Blackberries, Windows Mobile and Google Anadroid phones.

            I feel that the Illume Software has numerous compelling reasons to expect success in their iZUP application. Everybody knows that it is dangerous to drive and talk or text. This application is brilliant because it gives parents a way to monitor the safety of their children while they are not in the car with them. If this application takes off, which there is no question in my mind that it wont, parents can relax a little bit more knowing that their new drivers wont be distracted by phones. A major downside to this application right now is that it is only available for smartphones. Currently the application has to be downloaded to the phone, but Illume Software hopes in the near future that it will be able to be programmed in all phones as standard technology. Since it is now being marketed towards smartphones, I think that Illume Software should limit other capabilities such as Internet and games.

            The main reason that I like this technology is because it may limit laws that directly annoy me. I use my phone quite frequently while driving and I would hate for my home state of Massachusetts to take away this privilege from me. When the iZUP becomes a dominant feature to cell phone technology, I imagine that the states will be less pressured to make laws about cell phones and driving. This new technology puts the responsibility in the hands of the parents and drivers. While I am always yelling or honking my horn at people who make blatant driving errors while using their phones, I don’t think everyone should have to lose cell phone privileges while driving like they do in six states and DC.  I think people should be held responsible for accidents that they cause while on their phones but I do not think laws should be made to prohibit complete cell phone use. It is to my satisfaction that the iZUP is being tested and with great hope I expect to see this product create safer roads without the total sacrifice of using cell phones while driving.

Under Armor and... Footwear?

It is no doubt that the CEO of Under Armour, Kevin Plank, took quite a few classes in information technology during his education. The young company has avalanched through the sporting goods industry over that past decade, continuing to grow hastily every year. Of course, the mega-giants of the sporting goods, Nike and Adidas are still far ahead. With Under Armour’s latest project which premiered this summer, they decided to jump into the athletic footwear industry in order to provide apparel for their customers from “head to toe” and hopefully narrow the distance from the most profitable companies.

Certainly, Under Armour’s value disciple has always been a product leadership method. They offer some of the best sports apparel at slightly higher prices and are constantly providing cutting edge products that are innovative and technology-based. Some of these products implement the use of thin materials that control body temperature and shirts that self-efficiently rid the customer of moisture. However, what separates them from other leading sports brands is their regular use of technology to create and test possible products. It is remarkable how Under Armour’s information technology systems are so developed especially for their industry. Ranging from the latest fabrics to design programs to manufacturing processes, they use technology during every stage of the operational process.

Several years ago, Under Armour purchased a new management tool from SAP that is enabling them to expand their market, which is a possible basis for their new footwear endeavor. During the shoe production, this system allows them to more successfully predict the time required for the production and identify the best ways to obtain their goals. Following this management system purchase Under Armour has hired many young 3-D designers who are knowledgeable in the area and can use the 3-D technology to reduce production times and quickly put together a detailed image of the blueprint. This technology completely cuts out creating a physical sample and allows the company to make essential choices about aesthetics by just looking at a computer screen.

The author of the article began the article with the following: “There's a treadmill in the hallway. In one workspace, in front of the cubicles, a football-throwing machine spits out short passes on a ribbon of Astroturf.” While these may seem like pretty basic pieces of machinery, the company even uses their ‘bleeding-edge’ technology in something as simple as a treadmill. “It is actually hooked up to a digital camera and software that records information about the way feet, legs, and other body parts behave in motion,” he continues. This equipment sends the information to a modified computer which records the biometric data so that the shoe design is proficient in stabilizing every point of the foot.

Mike Gotfredson, CEO of Road Runner Sports, a national retailer based in San Diego states in the article, "I have taken a look at the Under Armour product. It is nice, but I don't think it matches up…It's more than just a science to build a great shoe. It is an art." While Under Armour is relying heavily of technology to create their products, I believe this is a step in the right direction. Of course there footwear will not contest leading brands in their first production line; there are little, if any, companies who can enter an industry and compete with the designs of seasoned producers. Even if their first designs do not match up to those of others, they will eventually learn how to create the best shoe possible. Furthermore, Under Armour’s name is storming America quickly and I trust that many consumers will switch to their footwear merely based on their reputation. Under Armour continues to separate themselves from others with their modern techniques and I have no doubt that in the near future they will be prove this recent footwear decision to be very lucrative and profitable.

http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/20/technology/mehta_underarmour.fortune/index.htm

Predictability v. Adaptability

After much analysis in the business sector today, there is conclusive evidence that emerging economic recessionary downturns and declining profitability margins provide an inevitable effect on Information Technology. Corporations have been called to rationalize long-term projections, downsize organizational expansion, renegotiate millions of contracts, and revitalize other means of cost-reduction efficiency. Aforementioned, businesses are forced to adapt to agile and fit-to-purpose solutions. This is an age of adaptability and evolution where Social Darwinism and survival of the fittest reign where top executive corporations have been faltering to stay proficient and profitable. American businesses must uproot the traditional approaches of maximum profitability to systematic approaches of collaboration and partnership. In order to weather the effects of today’s economic storm, interactivity and consolidation must be top priority enterprise resource planning activities. Luckily, Microsoft has introduced the leading-edge technology to reciprocate the volatile world of business by introducing Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009®.

Not only does Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009® support your overall business, but it also allows you to choose from comprehensive functionality tools to generate a coercive development of statistics, projections, mapping, and integration automation system developments. Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009® provides a relentless efficiency in Financial Management, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Human Resource Management, Business Analysis and Statistics, Global Support Systems, and a flexible technology interaction. Likewise, this product defines the dimensions of financial management through inter-company accounting and consolidation techniques using audit trials, cost accounting, and fixed assets. In coercion, this software also provides sales force and marketing automation for Customer Relationship Management (CRM) including but not limited to, telemarketing and questionnaire capability, computer telephone integration, and outlook synchronization. Inasmuch, the Human Resource Management dynamics include organization chart statistics and employee registration analysis with skill mapping and recruitment. As per, this software promotes business analytics by designing multidimensional data cubes, a balance recording of key performers, and embedded Pivot Tables for comparative analysis. When taking into account all the previously stated components of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009®, it is apparent that the solidity of this software permeates the sales aspects of the business world.

However, the CRM system distributions, Business Analysis and Statistic registration and sales beneficiaries as listed above are only half the package! Correspondingly, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009® purports an integration of Manufacturing, Distribution, Supply Chain Management, and Service/Project Management. In accordance, the Manufacturing protocol for this software includes integrated supply chain planning, resource management records, work order management, product configuration, job sequencing and so much more! Uniformly, this software applicable for the Distribution Cycle includes multi-site warehouse management recording, dimensional inventory management, order promising and item reservation and tracking. Evenly accounted for, the Supply Chain Management applications include demand forecasting, inter-company trading, inventory management operation statistics, procurement management, performance monitoring, and B2B trading partner integration. Low and behold, the final component of Microsoft’s newest business software integrates Project and Service Management tools such as hierarchies, finance invoicing, service replacement and subscripts, service contracts, and consulting tips into one colossal application program that is practicable and available to all.

It is important to understand the complication of economic affairs, business transactions and processes to fully appreciate the lavishness of this application software. During a time of relentless unemployment, lower production, and inefficiency people are forced to pay adieu to predictability and the perpetual business cycles they were so accustomed to. To improve productivity in our volatile economy, businesses and corporations must streamline processes across the organization to enhance productivity to prioritize relative tasks on hand by quickly connecting to people, clientele, and business partners. Also, this product empowers “your” people with self-service business intelligence to provide them with the knowledge suitable for business decisions. This sharing and collaborative environment provided by Microsoft Dynamics AX 2009® is what separates this product from many others. Through the correct use of this application it is easier to manage change and growth to keep pace with competitors whilst extending your strengths through an infinite amount of mergers and acquisitions to meet changing demands. Within the algorithms, data chart analysis, records book-keeping and associate communication transformations, it is possible to scale your business rapidly and efficiently to new users, customers, demographics, and intuitive role centers. There is no other better product that guarantees a smooth integration of companies of newly added international and inter-company functionality. In order to be a world-class contender in today’s market, Information Technology is imperative and the foundation of business opportunity and management. However, before introducing such an inferential product to your company it is important to set your cost reduction principles, compliance requirements, and individual cost and information work flow processes. It is intense, it is complex, and it is a streamline of difficult methodologies of the aggregate businesses cycle. However, we must adapt for this is our future.





For more information please visit:
http://www.ignify.com/axapta.asp?gclid=CNvVp6He550CFQRM5QodK0OaMQ
http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&q=cache:VqVpoKmOQLQJ:download.microsoft.com/download/4/4/6/44623747-5131-4018-9f35-59681a19a0ad/professionalservicesfactsheet.pdf+microsoft+dynamics+ax&hl=en&gl=us&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESgbORTsVUcfSqLLQ6oin-eJEHZ518FP_z-PamYdfogRjHg558zt3j_Cp5Ru-sSMt6fkcYzseO43ri4FWHBdd_K1AnycToDpjwFspS4i6xk4yxUYBpjcmA87msIamprSxkX9hZj2&sig=AFQjCNFS-eU8EI5MMdpCHLOi82MznIkRSQ
http://daxguy.blogspot.com/2009/07/managing-lean-manufacturing-using.html

Will airports screen for body signals? Researchers hope so

Ever since 9/11, the Department of Homeland Security and Transportation Security Administration have drastically increased security in our nations airports to ensure that nothing like the horrific attacks on the World Trade Center ever occurs again. In airports, such as Logan International Airport in Boston, it is rare to see a line at security checkpoints that does not wrap around the corner. Wouldn't it be nice if there were a way to decrease wait time at security checkpoints while still ensuring the safety of our nation?

Well the days of being able to walk through airport security while wearing shoes and a jacket could return with successful completion of FAST. FAST, which is short for Future Attribute Screening Technology, is a Homeland Security funded project to screen and measure natural signals emitted from your body, such as your heart rate, breathing, eye movement, body temperature, and body movement. Project Manager Robert Burns explains that these signals, when measured together, would determine whether the person being screened might have any desire or intention of carrying out any act of violence. It could also be used wherever the security and safety of civilians is of great concern, i.e. stadiums, convention centers, and federal buildings.

With the suggestion that your physical reactions are strongly tied to your mental and emotional state, measuring the natural signals of your body could be an important part of preventing attacks. The technology uses devices to measure temperature of the face to indicate possible signs of stress, eye movement and pupil dilation, as well as respiratory and heart rates. Researchers have even modified version of Nintendo's Wii Balance board to measure how someone’s weight shifts. The results from all these sensors are looked at together in order to determine whether further questioning is necessary.

However not everyone is in support of FAST. Many critics question the research behind the body signals being directly linked to one's intent to cause harm. While I am in favor of finding better ways to decrease the congestion of airport security checkpoints, I too am skeptical at how accurate the data collected by FAST would be in preventing a terrorist attack. The amount of money spent on this technology also has people skeptical. Civil liberties groups have even called this process an invasion of privacy. And to them I how is your privacy invaded by simply measuring the signals your body naturally gives off. Asking general questions and measuring someone's heart rate is far from an invasion of privacy compared to being asked to remove your shoes and outer layer of clothing, not to mention the occasional pat down/frisk. I would hope that most people would be in favor of innovation and increasing airport security while speeding up the entire process.

Whether FAST will be made part of the airport security process or not, it is clear that airport security is of great concern to the entire nation and that something needs to be done to improve the process and effectiveness security checkpoints.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/10/06/security.screening/index.html#cnnSTCText

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/10/06/security.screening/index.html#cnnSTCVideo

Wii at the Airport?

Airport security is something you should always take seriously, but a new program in the testing stages might have you thinking it’s more of a game. The Department of Homeland Security is using Microsoft’s Wii gaming system in a new project aimed an improving airport security. The project is using the Wii balance board to sense irregularities in human behavior.

The balance board will be used to attempt to detect possible signs that a passenger may be up to no good. The sensors of the board will be programmed to sense fidgety or nervous behavior that would then alert security of a possible problem. Use of the Wii balance board seems to be part of larger scale switch from the technology currently used in airport security to a much more sophisticated system using biometric scanners. Some of these other methods of screening include sensors that detect body temperature, pupil size, breathing and heart rate. It is now up to scientists to develop a universal standard so that the information gathered by these sensors has something to be compared against, to determine if in fact the individual is behaving suspiciously.

In the end all of these sensors are trying to develop a lie detector system that will be capable of screening travelers more efficiently and precisely than is currently possible. This system would lower the time need for screening and make traveling much easier.

Other parts of the Wii system are being used for purposes not originally intended. There is a program being developed which uses the Wii remote to train people to do CPR. Still being tested, the program will use the motion-controlled capabilities of the Wii remote to teach the user proper technique when performing CPR.

Widespread Need for New Data Storage Technology

Ashlee Vance wrote an interesting article in today’s New York Times. She writes about the increasing need for new technology in digital data storing, and looks to students for the solution. Fields from across the board are becoming more and more technologically advanced. With faster and larger computers discovering new information is only exponentially growing. Also, with an ever-expanding environmental movement the push to move information from paper to electronic has never been greater. This all generates the question, where to put it all?

Scientists, young and old, are transitioning to this new “internet” scale. A scale never used before. This field no longer runs on gigabytes, but rather tetrabytes, and petabytes.  For example Facebook uses more than one petabyte of storage to organize the forty billion photos users share. One petabyte of storage is the equivalent to five billion pages of text. Companies like Google and IBM are also using unbelievable amounts of storage to manage data, and wonder if new technologies are a reality.

So, what are schools and students doing to prepare for the solution? Most students studying computer science, and similar fields use personal computers to form clusters, simulating a large computer. These machines, in comparison, don’t nearly handle the same amount of data. Out of concern Google and IBM have organized an opportunity to give students a chance to work with some of the largest computers in the world. They created a system that allows researchers to tap into the computer via the Internet.  This allows students at top universities to work on software, that companies use on their most complex data analysis jobs. This project has federal government backing for fourteen universities.

Simply looking at a few of the research projects, can give insight into the widespread issue of data storage. University of Washington is working with the computer to compile date that will describe the evolution of galaxies. The current database referenced holds about eighty tera-bytes of data. A new telescope is anticipated to take thirty tera-bytes of data a night. University of Washington is researching how to copy and store this mass of information. Purdue is working on mapping the chemical reactions that take place in cells that will hopefully give insight into the interactions of people in social networks. University of California, Santa Barbara is researching software that will let searchers find answers to specific biological quarries. University of Maryland is working on software that will sort through government documents pertaining to investigations like Enron and identify the communications between different employees. From there it can recognize which employees originated specific decisions.

The work that students are doing will only open their minds to the larger picture, including the concerns of tomorrow, or so Google and IBM hope. They realize that if answers to the data storage issue are going to arise, it will be out of these young minds. This is an issue that only continues to expand, and it will affect all businesses small and large. It will not stop at companies either; the commercial market will be ready for it in no time as well.

“Training to Climb an Everest of Digital Data” by Ashlee Vance: The New York Times, 12 October, 2009

 

Google Wave

“Will Google’s Wave replace Email- and Facebook?” an article posted on businessweek.com, brings up a very important thought. Technology is improving communication in an incredible way. Internet communication like e-mail, which was created 40 years ago, even before the Internet, has become optional and possible to replace. Just a little while ago in the developing stages, Google’s Wave is now a communication and collaboration tool. People can have a conversation and work on something as a document. Formatted text, photos, videos, maps and many other ideas can be present on a wave. A wave is shared between several people. Therefore, editing and making comments on text is at a click away. The most important thing about waves is that they are used on a real time basis. People communicate instantaneously. In my opinion, Google wave will surpass email, instant messaging, and social networks like Facebook, giving Internet users a top of the line form of communicating.

Google Wave has helpful features. The playback feature allows for people to make changes to documents. Editing, critiques and questions can be added directly where they want to put them in the document. Multiple people could be working on the same document form conversation and everyone can see what is going on instantaneously. Rosie, the robot that translates what is being typed is something valuable. A person typing in one of the forty languages available can convert it to the language the recipient understands. This can help people communicate with others without taking long pauses trying to look up words in a dictionary. Translating words at the moment they are being typed is unbelievably brilliant. Businesses as well can use this to make transactions with people around the world without too much aid. Video conferencing is also implemented through start-up 6rounds which uses Wave collaboration. People can video conference while working on documents or playing a game of solitaire.

A really interesting thing about Google Wave is that it is open source. Google Wave is creating API’s hoping that developers can add to waves. Extensions can be embedded allowing for gadgets and tools that can make the wave better be invented. Examples of gadgets that create interaction between people are games. Games like chess are played on the wave. Entertainment is just another opportunity one has when being on a wave. Extensions like spell checker on Google Wave is cleverly context aware. When a person is typing and somehow misspells something, the checker will automatically fix it with the correct word. There is always a time when a word is fixed, yet the word is not the proper one because of the context it is in.

Google Wave and its applications are starting to seem like they will dominate significantly. Email, social networks, video conferencing providers will be competing against Google Wave, which is on everyone’s mind. Competition is already expected for Wave, reading from suggestions that indicate that Yahoo and Microsoft will also come up with a Wave. Engineer and co-founder of Google Wave, Lars Rasmussen said “We have a vision of a future where there’s a Google Wave, Yahoo Wave, a Microsoft Wave, and they all inter-operate”.

Communicating through the Internet is evolving, bumping up the pace from having to wait for email responses to immediate responses, in conversational and collaborative modes. Just how things change through time, technology keeps developing and Google Wave will replace email, social networks and even video conferencing providers before we know it.

This is a video explaining what Google Wave is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_UyVmITiYQ&feature=player_embedded

Shorter info videos of Wave:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOHwPgMXsNY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Itc4253kjhw&feature=related

Article:

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/oct2009/tc2009104_703934_page_2.htm

Will the New HP Notebook Challenge Apple for New Generation Sales?

Are there any companies out there that can challenge Apple’s stylish appeal to consumers of the next generation? Technology behemoth Hewlett-Packard thinks it has what it takes. Having teamed up with rap music mogul Dr. Dre and his electronics company Beats, HP will release the newest machine in its luxury fleet of laptop computers, the Envy 15 Beats. Dre’s company designs and sells headphones made to improve the sound quality of digital music or MP3s. It is this collaboration that HP hopes will set its product apart from its competition. The Envy 15 is a music lovers dream, fully loaded with Beats speakers, complementary Beats headphones, and Beats sound mixing software for professional or aspiring DJs.

As for performance, this Envy boasts a quad-core Intel Core i7 processor with up to 16 gigabytes of RAM. It also has a 15.6-inch BrightView LED backlit display with an optional camera built into the top of the screen. Weighing in at only five pounds and only an inch thick, I think HP has a sure winner in the Envy 15. Did I mention that it comes standard with a 500 gigabyte hard drive as well? Boy, how the HP boys have outdone themselves! I remember purchasing my Dell PC for school one year ago with only a dual-core processor, 250 gigabyte hard drive, and one-quarter of the RAM speed. After one year, I can say that I am highly satisfied with the speed and overall performance of my laptop; I can only imagine, however, how much faster the Envy 15 is compared to my Dell XPS. One of the only downsides to this system, in my opinion, is that it does not come standard with an optical drive. For an added cost, the optical drive is available as well as an extended life battery, which according to HP can power the Envy 15 for up to seven hours nonstop.

The most surprising feature of this new laptop, however, is its looks. Surely HP wanted to come out with a cutting-edge design that was as appealing as Apple’s MacBooks to my generation. As a matter of fact, they did just that! HP took Apple’s MacBook design and put all of their HP and Intel parts inside of it. When closed, the Envy 15 may not look exactly like a MacBook with the laser engravings all over the outer metal casing, but it does when you open it up. Immediately upon looking at the keyboard, one can see the heavy influence that Apple has had on this design. They look identical, right down to the type font of the letters on the keyboard itself. Even the F-keys along the top of the keyboard are the same as a Mac with the iTunes integrated “Play/Pause” and “Fast forward/Rewind” keys (Mac users know what I am talking about). Listen to HP representative Kevin Wentzel as he explains some of the Envy 15’s features:



As you just saw, HP has hijacked some of Apple’s characteristic features, such as the single glass touchpad with the two-finger scroll among others.

How will this affect the sales of HP computers against Apple computers? Well to be honest, I think their sales will not improve much, if at all. In fact, they may even decline. This was quite a risky design strategy by HP, and I do not believe that it will pay off. By making the Envy 15 so much like the MacBook, I think consumers will be more inclined to buy Macs. If a consumer is looking for a computer that looks like a Mac, why not just go ahead and buy the Mac? This just goes to show consumers the devastating effect that Apple has had in recent years in the sales of PCs. The fact that a company is so desperate that they would attempt to essentially mimic or copy the design of their competition reinforces this idea. Apple has also put forth a brilliant marketing campaign against PCs in recent years with the Justin Long ads. I could be wrong, however. Maybe this was an absolutely brilliant design strategy, put together to reel in consumers who are on the fence about making the switch to a Mac. You know those consumers that want the look of a Mac, but with the Windows operating system (or vice versa). I just do not believe that there are enough of these consumers out there to make any money off of this. It is my opinion that most consumers have their minds already made up on whether to go with a Mac or a PC. Nice try, HP. Better luck next time.

Gold's Gym Beefs Up Its Technology

What do a communication company and a gym chain have in common? Well, not much, but as of February 9th, 2009 it seems that they have been working together fairly cohesively. At that date, XO Communications provided a solution for Gold’s Gym’s technological needs. With the steady progression within information technology, it seems that every form of modern companies is taking the bait and being dangled by these powerful technology-based corporations. The paper and pen have both become obsolete within companies far and wide with the takeover of the information age. Even gym chains require high-tech services to hold their position in the industry. Gold’s Gym was in need of both security and acceleration within their network. By signing a deal with XO Communications, they were able to satisfy their needs in a demanding World.

XO Communications is a company specializing in data, VoIP (Voice over IP), internet, and other technology services. They generally deal with large businesses and help to fortify, enhance, and supervise their network infrastructures. What gives them an advantage over some competitors is that their assistance “converges a wide range of voice, video and data applications over a single IP network infrastructure.” With this single network, they gym chain can connect with its other locations, partners, and clients in the most simplified manner as possible. This is quite necessary since Gold’s Gym is comprised of 57 commercial locations throughout the United States. With a continuously budding and developing chain, the information usage within the company was becoming expensive, precarious, and unmanageable. The answer was XO Communication’s own XO MPLS IP-VPN implementation. They chose this particular system above others because of its nationwide coverage, advanced software compatibility, flexible network connections, and constant monitoring.

"With locations nationwide and around the world, our network is the lifeblood of our company's operations. To meet our needs, we needed a provider that could assist us with the rapid deployment of an MPLS network, deliver increased performance and reliability, and deploy people with the technical skills to implement an entire solution. XO fit the bill perfectly." - Bill Wade, chief information officer for Gold's Gym.

Watch out for this emerging communications powerhouse. With their expansion into an apparently diverse market, they are willing to accommodate the needs of fundamentally every type of business. Accordingly, it is also obvious that there are hardly any large businesses lingering that do not require the types of services that XO Communications provides. Contrary to other IT companies who target specific purposes, XO Communications provides the whole package, giving businesses incentive to select the straightforward, cheaper, and more efficient IT company.

Gold’s Gym has stood as a symbol for American fitness for countless years and is the most massive full service gym chain in the entire World. With the amount of clients, personal information, and services that the gym holds on file, it was an essential and intelligent step in choosing to upgrade their network and managing services. If they had waited longer, this could have lead to a comprehensive collapse in their network. Customers of Gold’s Gym expect much more than just a fitness center; they make use of the amenities, food services, and internet availability within the facilities as well. While solving some of the gym chain’s corporate concerns, XO Communications’ assistance will also lead to superior customer satisfaction and allow development of expanded possibilities for technology ideas. Eliminating the worry of keeping their information secure and providing immediate internet communication will expand Gold’s Gym’s future potential, opening the door the ideas that were never even discussed. In return for this enhancement of the gym’s information systems, I am sure XO Communications will develop a reputation of product leadership. It seems probable that other companies will begin to flock to XO Communications after seeing such a dominant and enduring corporation choose it. This partnership linking two dissimilar companies will unquestionably benefit each of them in numerous ways.

http://ipcommunications.tmcnet.com/topics/ip-communications/articles/50288-golds-gym-deploys-xo-communications-ip-vpn-solution.htm

Seeing Through Walls

Seeing through walls may no longer be something you just see in movies. Researchers at the University of Utah have come up with a way to essentially see through walls. They are not literally looking through the walls but they are able to see movement of people behind closed doors. In order to do so they have come up with a technique called variance-based radio tomographic imaging that processes the signals to reveal signs of movement. It is a wireless networking system that detects the disturbance of the radio waves from sensors set up around the target building. It is the disturbance of the signal to the receiver that detects the movements and relays it to a computer detecting the specific location of the object that caused the disturbance. This video helps to show the set up and usage of such a technology.

The creators of this project believe that this technology can be very useful, especially towards law enforcement and different security measures. They use the example of a very dangerous hostage standoff. With the use of this technology they would be able to see where people are inside of a building. By setting up sensors around the specific area of the building they would be able to detect movement inside. They would somehow have to throw or drop the sensors off close enough to the building so that they could get a signal on the target room. With them in place they would be able to detect all movements inside the room and see an easier area that they could enter at, hopefully causing no harm to anyone. Then once the situation is taken care of they would be able to collect the sensors to be used again. This technology can also be very helpful to firefighters. Say the firefighters have these sensors set up at the scene of a fire they can quickly scan and see if there is anyone moving around in the building and they would be able to know exactly where the person is located and safely remove them. The signal is able to detect through walls, smoke, and darkness.

I could one day see this technology being put into people’s homes or buildings. With these sensors in your walls whenever the fire alarm goes off they would be activated and an image of all people in the building would be projected to a computer screen showing the movements of people in the building. This would aid in finding those who are trapped and cannot get out.

There are a few negatives though to this new technology. The biggest issue is that of privacy. If this gets into the hands of the wrong person there could be a few problems. For instance if a burglar wanted to set this technology up around a very nice house to see if anyone was inside they could easily do so and know the exact position and number of people in the house. Another problem would be with the hostage standoff. If they find a way to block or turn off the radio signals then this technology would not work and have no effect.

Although this idea is new and very interesting there are many tweaks to be made so that this new idea can become fool proof. With time though I believe that this technology will be very useful to law enforcement and we will be seeing this used in the near future.

Article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33280921/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/

Google Wave and the Future of Web Communication

Google has the online world abuzz since it announced the Google Wave, its revolutionary new communication platform that promises to replace E-mail and Instant Messaging. Olga Kharif of BusinessWeek.com talks about Google’s new service and how it can completely change the way people communicate on the web. Google hopes that users will take advantage of the real-time messaging system that allows for live editing of emails and conference style messaging. This has enormous potential for the corporate world, allowing for limitless collaboration opportunities. There’s even the possibility for the Wave to replace popular social networks like Facebook and Myspace. Wave allows you to add multiple contacts to emails and have coworkers live edit them. This lets users collaborate on work schedules and project lists so that teams can work together seamlessly.

The other draw to Google Wave is its user-created application store, similar to the Apple App Store. Giving users incentive to develop programs that they think will sell allows for a lot more growth for Wave. The fact that the market allows users to submit their own application encourages community involvement, and therefore more in demand applications, through a “revenue sharing” model. This also keeps the community alive with new applications that make using Wave more engaging. The app store also lets Google not have to worry about developing applications that are already being published by third parties. This frees up time and capital that Google can use in areas besides research and development.

Unlike the Apple App store, Google is planning on offering apps for multiple devices that can access Wave. You can access Wave through any device with Internet access and compatible browser. This includes computers, smartphones, and web enabled TV’s. Having all these potential platforms that are compatible with Wave allows for a huge application development. You can see how easily Wave’s interactive email editing would translate onto smartphones. Applications through Wave on web enabled TV’s could include videoconferencing apps and media streaming that let users offer live commentary about TV programming. In essence, Google Wave can spur development for applications that have never been implemented on smartphones and other platforms. One application that seems to have a lot of potential is the “Rosy” application. It’s a translation robot that can be added to a Wave conversation and translates words as they are being typed. This allows users who speak different languages to communicate with each other in real time without having to stop the flow to translate word by word.

I think the Wave has great potential for connecting a wide variety of users. Consumers can obviously take advantage of the social networking aspect of Wave as well as its highly interactive email / instant messaging system. Business users can also benefit from the easy collaboration opportunities offered through the conversation system. Ultimately, the success of the Wave depends on the quality of user-generated apps and how active the application development community ends up being.

Sources:

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/oct2009/tc2009104_703934.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBzuuWZPaXc

Nanotechnology

According to Ray Kurzweil, in 30 or 40 years “we’ll have microscopic machines traveling through our bodies, repairing damage cells and organs, effectively wiping out diseases”. We will, basically, be immortal. Nanotechnology is moving at an extremely fast pace. Already they’re working on using the technology on attempting to treat advanced stages of cancer. So far it has been able to “blast cancer cells in mice,” which “leaves healthy cells undamaged.” If this technology works as Kurzweil thinks it will, nanotechnology may extend our life spans dramatically.

The health benefits of nanotechnology are obvious, but Kurzweil says that it may have other uses as well. Nanobots could backup our memory, or even improve the functions of the brain. But with thousands of little robots floating through our veins, could we really consider ourselves to still be human? Kurzweil says that we can, saying that “the definition of human is that we are the species that goes beyond our limitations and changes who we are.” He has a very good point – we have always been striving to better ourselves in every way, and perhaps nanobots are just the next step. They are so small that it wouldn’t really be like being part machine, part human, it would be more like being human with incredibly small doctors constantly looking after us and fixing us up. Our bodies would still be the same, just kept in much better shape by the nanobots. The nanobots wouldn’t effect who we are, or change us into something more than human, but rather give us more time to discover what being human truly means. Plus, the potential to cure “cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, obesity and diabetes” just can’t be passed up.

There are many downsides to this technology, however. Kurzweil brings one up, saying that nanobots are “self-replicating” and could potentially “devour… all humans”. Clearly the nanobots would have to be extremely well programmed, but even if they do work exactly as intended another problem would eventually arise: population. If everyone lived forever, or at least didn’t die by aging or disease, the population of the human race would expand exponentially. What would we do with all the people? Would we by then have the technology to live on other planets, or would we be stuck in a vastly overcrowded Earth? And while immortality may be appealing, it could have some negative features as well. Part of the human drive to create and become better is based on the knowledge that at some point, we all die. Many people want to do something with their lives before they pass away. Will we still have the same drive if we have essentially conquered death?

With plenty of time to envision the negative effects of nanotechnology, perhaps we can prevent them from ever occurring. But what about other aspects of life? Perhaps we could have nanobots flying through the air, cleaning the air we breathe, getting rid of pollution. It seems to me that, if nanobots are as incredible as Kurzweil makes them seem, they could do just about anything.

http://www.businessweek.com/print/technology/content/oct2009/tc2009101_019344.htm

British Sky Broadcasting Introduces "Sky Songs"

The British Sky Broadcasting group has announced a new music service called Sky Songs that will be introduced to the U.K market on Oct. 19th. Sky Songs is a "hybrid" subscription-only service in which users will have to pay a flat fee to be able to stream music or download mp3 files. Because Sky Songs is a subscription service, users do not need to worry about ads interfering with the access to music. British Sky Broadcasting seems to be taking advantage of the recent growth in the music industry, the Wall Street Journal stated that, “the digital music sector is growing rapidly, particularly in the U.K. Britons downloaded 110 million single tracks in 2008, a 42% increase from 2007, according to industry association IFPI.” Sky Songs will definitely need to rely on this economic growth to survive with music industry titans like iTunes.
After reading the article, my first thoughts were how would a new music service such as Sky Songs be able to become successful in the “digital music sector” that seems to be dominated by Apple’s free iTunes and other music services. I think many people would agree that iTunes is a major force in the music industry and one of the first things that come to mind when music downloads is brought up. But after examining Sky Song’s “hybrid model”, Apple and iTunes may have to be a little worried.
Sky Songs hybrid model offers the best of both worlds. By playing a flat fee with a subscription membership, users will have access to mp3 downloads and streaming music. I don’t think a flat fee ever sounded better, “For £6.49 ($10.25), users can download 10 mp3 files and receive a month of unlimited streaming music.” Holding off the unlimited streaming music part of the fee, and examining the 10 mp3 downloads for $10.25, iTunes may be in trouble. As of this year iTunes music store announced there will be three different prices for mp3 songs, $1.29, $.99 and $.79. By doing this, iTunes can rig prices for the more popular songs with high prices, and not so popular songs with low prices. With Sky Songs, all songs are equal with the flat fee. Also in the iTunes music store, if users want to purchase a song that is over 10 minutes in length, it is necessary to purchase the entire album and not possible to purchase the individual song. Again, Sky Songs is providing equal purchasing power for all songs with the flat fee.
Personally, I have never streamed music off the Internet but I think this unlimited streaming is a great idea. Imagine if a new album came out and you were not sure if you wanted to buy it. With Sky Songs it would be possible to stream the album and listen to the whole thing without even downloading it. Now you would be able to make up mind before ever purchasing and downloading the album. This unlimited streaming definitely beats out iTunes 30-second preview clips of songs. There are also many sites that offer streaming music, such as Spotify, however users are not permitted to download the music files.
There is a lot of a potential in Sky Songs and I do see this music service having success in the future. If it does well in the U.K, there is no reason for Sky Songs not to be introduced to the United States. However I do believe that if Sky Songs wants to compete with iTunes, it must not only have access to mp3 downloads and streaming music but a type of program that helps organize downloads. I do not mean to bash the iTunes music store because it is a very great feature and the iTunes library is a great way to organize music and much more. I believe it obvious that Sky Songs needs to develop a similar application to organize mp3 downloads and music streams. Apple’s iPod is also one of the biggest digital music devices in the world, so it would definitely be wise that Sky Song’s developed a program that is compatible with iPod’s. I believe that Sky Songs will have success in the future and I also believe that many other music services will look into it’s “hybrid” business model of offering
mp3 downloads and music streams.

Main Article
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703790404574469232636572184.html

Other
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/5389217/Skys-music-dowload-service-to-be-called-Sky-Songs.html

CIA Endorses Cloud Computing

The CIA is moving towards using cloud computing and has been advocating its advantages. Cloud computing in the CIA would allow for better security of their systems and make their systems easier to maintain. Unlike the cloud computing system that Google has unveiled, the CIA’s cloud would be strictly internal and secure. Jill Tummler Singer is the CIO at the CIA and feels that by using cloud computing, their systems would be safer and more secure. By creating an internal cloud, the CIA would only have to monitor the perimeter of the cloud instead of monitoring each individual server. The CIA needs to have an internal cloud because for their sake and for the sake of national security, they cannot allow their files to be open to the public. With an internal cloud it keeps things secure and independent from anything outside of it. Another benefit is that all their information would be stored virtually so if an intruder takes the physical hardware or server that the information is on, it is still accessible via the Internet and will not be lost.

Cloud computing is a new computing concept that is slowly finding its way into most of today’s top online names. The term “cloud” means that information is kept in an virtual cloud that makes it more accessible and faster to obtain. So instead of information being kept on individual servers it is available on a virtual platform. The idea is to allow companies to use applications and store their information in a cloud using the Internet to make normal tasks a bit easier. This would eliminate the need for individual servers, hardware, and the teams that are needed to run them both.

Cloud computing would change the IT industry because it would change the role of IT and eliminate many jobs. Cloud computing does not need as much manpower to be maintained compared to a normal system of servers. If a company were to convert to cloud computing it would not need, as many people working to maintain the hardware and jobs would be eliminated. The cloud of information and applications can be monitored by far less people because only the cloud would need to be maintained and monitored compared to hundreds of individual servers. The complexity of a cloud system makes things far less complex and allows for any problems to be fixed faster. If something went wrong all anyone would have to do is fix the problem in the cloud instead of having to fix each individual server.

Google’s new system is called the App Engine and it makes it easier for a user to develop applications. There are relatively no system administration issues and development challenges with this technology because everything is virtual. Just recently the Obama administration used App Engine to develop an application for people to ask questions and make votes on today’s most important issues.

Cloud computing is most likely going to be the way of the future because of its convenience. On the whole, it makes computing much smoother and easier for a person to use the Internet. Cloud computing will change the way computer systems operate and change the role of IT.

CIA Endorses Cloud Computing

Bahama Botnet: Terrorizes Google and its Advertisers

Click Forensics recently discovered an old click fraud botnet making waves in the news again. A botnet is a series of compromised computers installed with malware which cause a computer to perform unwanted tasks. The Bahama Botnet is named after internet traffic which was routed to a set of 200,000 parked domains which were located in the Bahamas. I thought this article was interesting because last week we spoke in class last week of the dangers of click fraud and the damage it can do to companies.

In this particular situation it’s not only the advertising companies who are taking a hit from the click fraud. The Bahama Botnet created a fraudulent Google hosted on a server in Canada. The mock Google looks and acts like the real Google, but there’s a catch. When the computers with the installed malware are directed to the fraudulent Google and click on a particular link they are not only clicking on the advertiser they are looking for -the computer user is clicking on a CPC (Cost per Click) link for the particular advertiser. This causes a large unintentionally charges to the advertising company as well as the provider in this case Google who has to pay a portion to the Domain owner for the link being clicked.

This is a form of DNS (Domain Name Server) poisoning. I feel Google is very upset that something like this is happening. People who have PC’s infected with this malware are being routed to a fraudulent Google. The sad thing is many of them do not know that they are participating in a massive click fraud. Since the creators of the Bahama Botnet designed a Google page to almost replicate the real Google people think they are actually on Google. The companies who have to pay Google must be getting angry as well. They are paying Google for page rank rights and CPC advertising, and someone is using it against them. It is estimated that about thirty percent of an advertiser’s CPC budget has turned to click fraud.

This I feel is a huge problem which cannot be contained. The creators of the Bahama Botnet have designed a way around filters and click fraud protection. Most of the click fraud taking place as a result of the Bahama Botnet has gone unnoticed. So would it be wise for a company to lower their CPC budget during a time like this? I believe that while something of this nature is taking place it would be a wise for companies to consider lowering their amounts of CPC advertising. It is becoming more of a risk for companies because of the possible lost money from unintentional and fraudulent clicks. However, I do find it rather interesting the large amounts of money and internet traffic that something like this can take away from advertising companies and the providers like Google, MSN, Yahoo, and so on. It makes you wonder if the high tech world were living in is putting companies and people at greater risk for loss. I think as new technology emerges the lack of protection and people finding ways around it leaves companies vulnerable to fraud similar to this.

http://www.cio.com/article/504586/Click_Forensics_Bahama_Botnet_Stealing_Traffic_From_Google?page=1&taxonomyId=1419

Fast-food fat: Future fuel for cars

There have been multiple suggestions about how this country can be more useful and use less oil; especially in the cars we drive. We see electronic cars, such as the prius, all the time and even talk about possibly driving hydrogen fueled cars. Oren Rubin who is the business development general manager for BiOil, which is a biodiesel company working on converting animal fat and used vegetable oil into a cleaner more efficient biodiesel. Biodiesel (B20) is made of usually 20% biodiesel and 80% regular diesel. Biodiesel was actually the first form of diesel. Rudolf Diesel ran his first engines on peanut oil, but quickly switched to Petroleum-diesel because it was much cheaper.

The whole idea of this conversion to biodiesel is not to sell to individuals at a gas station, but to sell to large companies, to put in there thousands of trucks driving across the country every day. The whole purpose of this is to reuse our wastes, because animal fat and vegetable oil can be found at any fast food restaurant. So unless people drastically stop eating fried foods, which goes from McDonalds all the way to local Chinese restaurants, there will always be a supply of animal fat and vegetable oil. Instead of restaurants paying companies to pick up waste vegetable oil, they could be selling it for a low price or even giving it away to the big companies converting the waste into Biodiesel.

Biodiesel is not looking to completely switch every diesel vehicle into Biodiesel, because that is simply unrealistic. But we could have every truck carrying food and goods across the country on Biodiesel. Last year, only 150 million gallons of Biodiesel were produced and used while 62 billion gallons of regular diesel were consumed. Biodiesel also produces much less carbon dioxide and can produce fewer sulfur compounds then regular diesel.

Tyson the chicken company harvests 2.3 billion pounds of animal fat from its operations every year. That could be converted into about 300 million gallons of fuel, which is why Tyson has opened its own renewable fuel division, so one day they won’t have to purchase regular diesel from an outside source.

One of the major problems with running your car or truck on waste oil is that you need to put an additional tank where the oil needs to be heated before actually going inside the engine. Biodiesel cars also get fewer miles to the gallon, but that will even out with the cost of the biodiesel compared to regular diesel.

I personally don’t see Biodiesel having much of an effect on the economy or our consumption of oil in this country. A Biodiesel plant, which could produce around 5 million gallons of Biodiesel a year, could cost a few million dollars just to build. For Biodiesel to even try to make a dent in oil consumption we would need at least 100 plants across the country. This would be a huge investment in something, which is not even fully proven. For now there are way too many people making millions of dollars off oil for a change to occur, so for now I think Biodiesel will still increase steadily but have no real effect on the sales of regular diesel.

http://news.cnet.com/Fast-food-fat-future-fuel-for-cars/2100-1008_3-6157412.html

Lufthansa Aircraft Innovation- In Flight Internet

A long awaited innovative deal was formally signed today and is expected to be put into place in the near future. Though this technology has been a long time coming, Lufthansa airline is finally “reviving” plans for an onboard Internet service that operates during flights. The FlyNet Internet, a product of Panasonic Avionics eXConnect broadband service will be offered on 50 Lufthansa aircrafts starting sometime in 2010.

The service is going to come as a relief for those businessmen and woman who struggle to sit through a long flight, cut off from the world of communication and also will be ideal for the companies they work for, since they would be able to get work done during the time of the flight and increase productivity. It may also be ideal for the common folk who get tired of reading books and magazines flight after flight. This broadband service will allow access to the Internet from laptops. It also allows for passengers to use Blackberry PDA’s and send SMS (short message service) during the flight. Lufthansa will not give passengers the opportunity to make voice calls or watch live television during the flight, not because the technology is not available, but rather to keep the noise level in the flight cabin down for those in need of quiet time.

Several years ago in 2003, Lufthansa had attempted to put onboard Internet service in aircrafts through a service offered by Boeing known as Connexion by Boeing, but was unsuccessful because it was too expensive and did not pay its way for the airline. However, in recent years a new modem technology allows for service to be available at a much lower cost. The airline is also taking advantage of the prior systems put in 99 of their aircrafts by Boeing, by adding an antenna to update the technology.

The new technology added to these aircrafts should greatly benefit Lufthansa in the future. The demand and borderline obsession with the Internet and messaging communication is so extensive these days (as opposed to six years ago when in-flight Internet service was deemed a failure), many people would choose to fly an airline that offers Internet for the Internet alone. Also, since the price of operating the Internet is now lower for Lufthansa, it should not only pay its way but also hopefully generate a great profit for the airline. Unfortunately for customers, Lufthansa did not disclose how much they would be charging customers to use this service, however pricing is expected to be high and could be an issue for potential users of this technology.

While the service seems like a brilliant idea, I myself do not think I could benefit from such a pricey service, for I also think it could do a person some good to put aside the constant text messaging and Facebook stalking for a couple hours.

http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=comm&id=news/FLYNET101209.xml&headline=Lufthansa%20Reviving%20Onboard%20Internet

Coming Soon to a Theater Near You, If You Demand It

New pictures are coming soon to theater’s near you, but only if you demand it. The new horror movie, “Paranormal Activity” had a unique way of being released. Paramount Pictures, producer of the movie, hired a company called Eventful. This company created a web page that allows people to “demand” the movie in their area. The movie then will be released in areas where enough people voted to demand it. If one million people vote to demand the movie, it will then be released nationwide. The service cost between 30,000 to 250,000 dollars. When fans demand the movie, they can also post the demand on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and other websites similar to these. This advertising of the desired film can really affect the demand people will have for the movie.
This technology gives an advantage to Paramount Pictures over their competitors by targeting customers. If people take the initiative to get on the Internet and vote to have the movie play in theaters near them, I would assume this person it very likely to spend their money when the movie is released. If the movie is going to be played in areas where it will be most profitable, revenue on movies (especially low budget films) can be much more profitable.
Although there are many perks to this system, there are definitely still some flaws to this unique strategy using technology digital service. The article states that services from Eventful can cost up to 250,000 dollars. The profits from targeting customers could potentially not outweigh the cost of the service and film budget. Also, the service could be underestimating the amount of people that would actually go see the movie, because it is unable to take into account those who did not go online and click to “demand it” in their area.
Paramount Pictures still has a great strategic advantage over competitors, because it is really trying to interact with the customers. Paramount is letting customers know that they are listening to their opinions and if enough respond they will deliver what the people want. This definitely makes consumers have a much better attitude about the company and especially this particular movie. This can potentially show customer loyalty and lock them in, which is what Paramount Pictures hopes to do. I believe this is an interesting and unique approach to bring technology and marketing together.
article:
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/10/coming-soon-to-a-theater-near-you-if-you-demand-it/?scp=5&sq=digital%20technology&st=cse
website for Demand Paranormal Activity:
http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/33706/demand-paranormal-activity-your-area

Fashion Goes 3D

Though it may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of innovations in technology, the fashion industry is actually starting to find new ways to integrate new technology into their every day work. One fascinating example of this is a developing piece of software that allows designers to use the computer as their workshop. In other words, they could virtually design clothes by using this program. A recent article on Fortune Magazine’s website entitled “Fashion Goes 3D” by Jon Fortt describes this up and coming technology. The frontrunner in this particular technology is 3D Runway Designer made by OptiTex. It allows designers to “plug in information about fabrics, including how they stretch, twist and drape, and you can watch a movie-like sequence as a virtual model tries out the clothes.” Large retailers like Target and Tommy Hilfiger have already purchased this software. Other companies are using similar products as well. For example, H&M allows its customers to virtually try on clothes on their websites, using “digital mannequins” with adjustable measurements. Sears and Lands End have offered the same feature to their customers. Here is the link foe the website for H&M’s “fashion studio”: http://www.hm.com/us/fashion/fashionstudio__fashionstudio.nhtml

This software provides the fashion industry with numerous benefits. First, in line with green movement, this program would allow designers to prevent the huge amount of waste that is created from designing a line of clothes. A designer for Wal-Mart, Shenlei Winkler, said that before using the program, she “generated more than 10 cubic yards of landfill, and spent about 75,000 on materials.” All of this waste for just one season’s collection. In this regard, I think this technology is something really positive for the industry. Additionally, the program would allow designers to greatly decrease the time it takes to get their merchandise on the shelves of stores. One company that was able to make use of this increased efficiency is Zara, a Spain based retailer that was able to expand worldwide. This program clearly gives its users an edge over competitors who were not using the program. I think this aspect would benefit consumers in that they would be able to purchase the latest products sooner than ever before.

Though I do think the software provides an advantage when it comes to conservation and efficiency of getting products to the shelf, I can say from personal experience that I don’t think it will replace a trip to the store for customers any time soon. I’ve tried several times to order clothing online and I was unsatisfied with the great majority of my purchases. Though I can guess what size will fit me best, there is no substitute for actually trying the outfit on in the store before I buy it. Similarly, though the virtual mannequins may provide some help as to what size to buy, everyone’s body is different and there’s really no telling whether or not you will like how it looks until you can try it on. So, while I think the software is a useful tool for designers looking to cut costs or sketch preliminary designs on the computer, I do not think that the program will replace the fitting room for customers.

http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2008/09/26/fashion-goes-3d/#more-1673

Enhancements in Car Safety and Technology

It wasn’t too long ago that simple safety features in cars such as air bags and anti-lock breaks were the only things we thought we needed in our cars.  However it seems that in the recent years more and more “safety” features have been introduced into installed in the newest cars on the market.  With more driving distractions causing deadly accidents every year car manufactures are trying to prevent by making innovations that are able to take over the controls of the car when the driver is incapable of driving safely.  In an article written on msnbc.com titled “Car makers use tech to battle ‘impaired driving” (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33182077/ns/technology_and_science-innovation/) they explain the measures new car makers such as Volvo, Toyota and Lexus are taking in their news 2009 and 2010 models in order to meet some new standards.

There are many hazards, which cause drivers to get in thousands of deadly accidents every year.  The most popular ones seem to be cell phone use, drunk driving and falling asleep at the wheel.  The article states how there have been some simple solutions such as hands-free Bluetooth devices and grooves in roads and highways to inform drivers they are veering out of their lane.  However more drastic measures are being taken in the latest models of vehicles.  The article talks about the newest device being put into 2010 Toyota and Lexus models.  It is called the “Pre-Collision System with Driver Attention Monitor.”  The system uses high tech radar, which scans ahead and looks for stopped cars that you may be heading towards.  It is meant for drivers who are being distracted by things such as texting or reading and aren’t looking head.  When the system does detect a car it uses three resources to send a warning.  A sound it made, along with a flashing red light and a tug on the drivers seatbelt.  Because this option is considered a necessity it is not put in every model but is included in a package that can be added to your purchase for $4,500.

Not only have Toyota and Lexus become concerned with safety and technology, but Mercedes has also joined them.  They have debuted an “Attention Assist System” in their new 2010 E-Class vehicles.  The system was created by recording research from 550 drivers and the symptoms they experience when becoming drowsy or weren’t paying attention.  It mostly detects when a driving is having trouble steering or begins to veer into another lane.  If this occurs, a sound alert goes off along with a coffee mug icon, which flashes, on the dashboard.  Although these symptoms are similar to that of a driver who could be under the influence, Mercedes is sure to state, “the system is not intended to serve as compensation for any driver impairment, only as an alert to the condition”.

Other manufactures such as Volvo and Nissan have similar systems, which can be added on to their vehicle packages, most of them deal with drivers veering into other lanes or accident avoidance.  They are also continuing to research new innovations to make these features even more advanced.  Nissan has created a proto-type car that could possibly detect drivers who have consumed alcohol.  In the model there are sensors which can detect the smell of alcohol on the driver and if they attempt to start the car a warning is sent and they are unable to put the car in drive if they fail a test which is taken from reading the drivers skin. 

Although these new systems are interesting and innovative in not sure if they are exactly the right solution for distracted drivers.  They may be able to reduce the number of accidents on the road, however they are not teaching drivers what they should and should not be doing while driving.  In a way they are letting drivers get away with things like texting and driving or doing other activities in their car.  It is saying to drivers that even if they aren’t paying attention their car will be able to save them, which is not the case.  I feel as if this may possible be one of the times when technology has both a positive and negative effect.  In theory it seems like a very useful and helpful idea, however in reality I think it may cause more harm then good in some cases.  Also there could be possible glitches in these systems, which could cause the alert to not go off, or go off for an unnecessary reason.  We will only be able to tell what the actual benefits of these systems could be by seeing how consumers react to these new advancements in technology.  

Microsoft Moves onto Nintendo's Motion Turf

I myself am no hardcore videogamer, but I do enjoy a few games of Wii Tennis or Bowling with my roomates every now and then. Nintendo spent $30 billion in revolutionizing the part of the gaming industry that allows gamers to use their body movement in gameplay. The Wii has been a thrill for both grandparents and grandchildren a like to play, but it seems a rival of Nintendo is looking to make some changes in the industry



On June 1, 2009, 2 days before the E3 game industry trade show's start, Microsoft announced that it is developing technology that is going to rival that of Nintendo Wii. But the Wii has been no slouch in recent years. Nintendo has a firm grip on the gaming industry's top spot of current generation of consoles by selling nearly 50 million Wii's. On June 2, 2009 Nintendo demonstrated its newest Wii Motion Technology which is said (by Nintendo) to better capture complex motion of players. The technology Microsoft is devoloping, is expected to go on sale sometime in late 2010. Microsoft will offer the sale of a motion-sensing camera that will better capture body movements, and also respond to voice commands. The accessory to go on sale in about a year will rely on a more sophisticated camera capable of sensing entire body movements.



It is a bit of a gamble for Microsoft to announce their new technology, but they are confident the early release of information will pay off. Nintendo and Sony, Microsoft's top competitors, may rush to develop similar accessories for their own consoles, and Microsoft needs to find third party manufacturers to create games that make use of the new accessory. Hopefully for Microsoft this gamble will pay off, because a past gamble surely did not. XBox 360 was released a whole year earlier than Nintendo Wii and still only generated 30 million in sales compared to the Wii's 50 million. What consumers may like about the new accessory for the XBox 360 is that it is simply an accessory. Microsoft hopes that current XBox 360 owners will be smittened at not having to buy an entirely new console, but consumers most definitely will not be smittened by an accessory costing $600. This is the current price that experts say depth-sensing cameras like those Microsoft is developing will cost. Within a year the prices are expected to drop, and Microsoft hopes to buy the cameras in bulk, dropping the price a consumer would pay to around $200.



As the gaming industry changes, it as moving toward a more family friendly theme. Sony and Microsoft are making changes that are making their consoles a social experience for people of all ages. Expert analysts say that if these companies have any hope of taking back the market share from Nintendo consumers will have to see Playstation 3 and XBox 360 as more than just gaming consoles. Sony and Microsoft are making neccessary steps by turning their consoles into entertainment centers. Both XBox 360 and Playstation 3 allow for users to download movies and Tv shows through an internet connection. Microsoft is aiming to make the next leap by offering Facebook and Twitter as part of its online XBox Live Marketplace.

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jun2009/tc2009061_527242_page_2.htm

Online Testing for H1N1

Online Test for H1N1

Microsoft has launched a new website to help determine whether an individual has swine flu called H1N1 Response Center. Microsoft believes that healthcare resources could become scares if H1N1 or even regular season flu becomes an epidemic and the main objective of the site is to assess a patient’s symptoms and figure out if a doctor’s visit is necessary. The website also allows patients to create a personal e-health record account called a HealthVault. The tool helps patients to compile their health information before doctor’s visits.

I am hesitant towards the use of Microsoft’s H1N1 Response Center as a tool for predicting Swine Flu, however, the use the companies HealthValut for both patients and research companies could have significant benefits in the future.

Computer programs can be extremely inaccurate in the diagnosis. Response Center asks very few questions and therefore is more likely to have inaccurate results and data. For example one of the most prominent symptoms of H1N1 is a fever higher than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Suppose though, that a patient who actually has the swine flu has and enters their temperature as less then 100.4. The computer program would interpret the patient as not likely to have the swine flu based on this information. Another reason the computer program could be ineffective is because generally a fever comes and goes when an individual has the flu (i.e. if they took the test before their fever reached its peak, or during their sickness when they were feeling slightly better but still not fully recovered) so the timing of the test could lead to flawed results. While the survey does ask the length of time an individual has been showing symptoms, none of these variables, when answered, can lead to accurate answers as symptoms of viruses are not cut and dry issues. Just because you have a sore throat and a temperature of 100.4 degrees doesn’t not mean you have the swine flu as the program would interpret. These are just a few examples of errors with the program that patients who have used the program and myself have found. There are, however, several positive effects Microsoft’s Response Center and HealthVault could have.

On a positive note the program is an effective platform for healthcare experts to reach a large targeted audience to dispense medical information and advice. The site features links to other pages with H1N1 and flu prevention tips.

Also, more importantly, the survey allows an individual to share their assessment information with health officials and researches. This could be tremendously helpful for monitoring local health conditions. As we’ve discussed in class, owning customer’s information is key to a firm’s success. In this case the information would be valuable to health care officials (the CDC), school administrations personnel, hospitals and doctors, insurance companies, medical researchers and pharmacy chains.

The final benefit with the website is that it allows users to set up their own HealthVault account. By taking a more active role in monitoring personal medical history patients will become more aware of their personal health and could possible cut back on the number of yearly doctor visits and phone calls to their physicians. Given that medical officials estimate between 60-120 million people will be infected with H1N1 this season this tool could save a lot of people hours in the waiting room surrounded by other sick individuals.

Sources:

http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2009/10/think_you_have.html;jsessionid=0YCUB3WDRFFUFQE1GHPSKH4ATMY32JVN

https://h1n1.cloudapp.net/default.aspx

http://healthblawg.typepad.com/healthblawg/2009/10/h1n1-response-center---microsoft-launches-interactive-tool.html

Business Technology Management: One Giant Leap for Mankind

Essentially involuntarily, businesses are inundated with the responsibility of revitalizing the commitment to innovation whilst attempting to fulfill the procurement of proficient communication and cost efficiency. Business Technology Management (which will be referred to as BTM throughout), has been reported to be an extraordinarily beneficial tool for businesses in 2009. Definitively, BTM brings improvements in automation, “management methodologies”, cost reduction, and an overall expansion in the business sector. Thanks to the new and improved BTM technologies of 2009, many of the previous critical and time consuming business endeavors have been automated so that computers can execute the laborious and stressful tasks more efficiently and swiftly than humans could have ever imagined or could have even done themselves. Technology is beginning to take over our world and will undoubtedly be the lifestyle through which we will be forced to live soon enough.


BTM is considered to be a management science that “seeks to unify business and technology decision-making at every sector in an enterprise” by strategically incorporating both operational and infrastructure levels of technology. In coagulation, this structure is used by enterprises to “align, synchronize and converge” all technological aspects of business management for the purpose of ensuring better execution, risk control, and profitability. Now that many of the time alignment problems of the past have been tolerated and software programs updated, businesses can now prevent technological and statistical inference deficiencies that inhibit success. By harmonizing and integrating new software applications together, the complexity of managing businesses becomes more bearable since computers can provide the much need transparency of information and analysis of data. With this in mind, let’s take a look at BTM’s newest addition to their managerial franchise.


For just $200 a month, BTM Fusion 360TM offers managers, practitioners and consultants the industry’s first “on-demand 'co-creation' platform of business technology”. With this newly developed interactive environment of BTM Fusion 360 TM, users can also learn about technological convergence whilst gaining the ability to create actionable plans to benefit and provide statistical inference on a company’s financial, operational and managerial efficiency with customer compliancy. This new software application defines hierarchical relationships among the top performance perspective of the business cycle: Governance and Organization, Strategic Investment Management, Strategy and Planning, and Strategic Enterprise Architecture. The Strategic Enterprise Architecture presents updated process definitions, technology automation, on-demand creation and modification for management practices, contextual research, self assessment and benchmarks on the success of business, and automatic updating information allocation. In addition, BTM Fusion 360 TM, collects all preloaded aggregated data from Windows Internet Explorer Version 7, Microsoft Office 2007, Microsoft Visio 2003, Microsoft Visio Viewer and Microsoft Access to project variations in data, future data ventures, and recaps of prior transactions and operation activities.


Not only does BTM Fusion 360™ offer a new institutionalized and cross-disciplinary support environment, it is also programmed to demonstrate enterprise modeling, variance in investment management capabilities, score-carding, and revolutionizing other previous existing desktop applications. One of the primary reasons that BTM Fusion 360™ is an essential entity in the business sector is that it is relatively simple to use and information is easily accessible to all parties within a network by being e-mail compatible. This simple organization of data strengthens collaborative decision making and promotes a convergence in technology. This software application also offers cross-disciplinary analytics such as Innovation and Growth, Service Delivery Optimization, Shared Services, Strategy Execution, Agile Enterprise, Emerging Markets, and Governance and Investment Management. This product simply promotes everything that the modern market demands.


In a rejuvenating market such as the one we experience today, businesses and enterprises need a direct means of data allocation, transparency, and compatibility. With the BTM Fusion 360™ there is no better way… at least for now. What is also intriguing is the fact that the application comes with preloaded algorithms that dilute an employee’s use of time for a tedious task. This is a reward in itself. Respectively, it is cost efficient, time efficient, and analytically efficient. I believe that the flexibility of this software program is a unique development of this era. Immediate communication is something that most corporations have been struggling to institutionalize and I think this ends their problems. However, as beneficial and prolific as this application advocates to be I remain skeptical in accepting the ease through which it will be implemented. In order to utilize every aspect of BTM Fusion 360™, your company must be computer literate and proficient in adapting to new technological environments. I think this could be more than just an improvement to the modern market, but how long will it take to implement and work successfully? I guess time will only tell.



http://www.technewsworld.com/story/development/67416.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_Technology_Management
http://www.verticalnews.com/newsletters/Information-Technology-Newsweekly/2009-04-21/2370IT.html
http://www.btmcorporation.com/FrameworkAndApplications/

Online Shopping at the Next Level

Mobile commerce is about to take the online shopping craze to a whole new level. The Business Week article “M-commerce’s Big Moment,” by Olga Kharif, predicts mobile sales to skyrocket in the next year. People have been buying ring tones, games, and apps for years on their cell phone, but only about 7% of American consumers have been making purchases via their phone. With the growing popularity of smartphones, such as iphones and Blackberrys, analysts forecast the sales of mobile commerce to reach about $544 million. People will finally be able to buy physical products, such as clothes and electronics, through their wireless devices. Anything that can be bought through online shopping and browsing is now accessible on the go.

One company that is one step ahead of the rest is Papa John’s Pizza. They have made ordering pizza almost effortless. With a few touches of the keypad, customers can order pizza directly from their phone. Papa John’s vice president Jim Ensign says, “We continue to be amazed at the velocity of growth.” Within a few months, Customers already ordered about $1 million worth of pizza through their mobile devices. Ensign believes that people who would usually not eat from Papa John’s, are buying food through their mobile website, because of it’s convenience.

Businesses, realizing that smartphones are the future, strive to keep up with the fast paced consumers. People spend hours a day on their phone, doing things that they otherwise would have to be at a desktop to do. In the past year, 28% of the phones sold were smartphones and even more people plan on buying one for their next phone purchase. Lives are becoming slightly easier for busy working people. There are billions of things people can do directly from their phone, literally, the Apple App. Store now has over 2 billion applications.

Ebay and Amazon are two companies ahead of the mobile commerce curve, realizing that consumers look for convenience. These two mobile websites alone make up 70% of the online sales via phones, by making online shopping even easier. They have apps that generate millions of dollars that allow customers to auction and bid on items on their phones. Ebay and Amazon are innovators who realize that online shopping is becoming the past and mobile shopping is the future.

A problem that arises with mobile commerce is security. Some people do not feel comfortable putting their credit card information on mobile websites. Billions of people feel safe putting their personal information online, while shopping from a desktop or laptop, so why not on their phones? Credit card companies, such as Visa, are finding ways to make people feel more secure on the mobile web. Visa has a credit card app that stores the customer’s information on their phone and automatically plugs it in when they purchase an item.

US wireless carriers must start preparing for the overwhelming future of online shopping. The networks are going to be bombarded with millions of smartphone users as mobile commerce becomes more and more popular.

An Invention that will Change the World

Drawing parallels to the Bible story of David and Goliath, an inventor from Manchester, New Hampshire is trying to create enough Davids to conquer arguably the world’s biggest health problem; a shortage of water. Dean Kamen, the inventor of the Segway, is working on inventing a machine that purifies undrinkable water. 76% of the world’s surface is covered by water, but only 1% of that is available for drinking. With a lack of sources of drinking water in addition to natural droughts, lesser-developed countries are becoming severely crippled and face difficult surviving conditions.

 

The “Slingshot” is “a portable, low energy machine that is designed to purify water in remote villages where there's not a Wal-Mart in sight,” says Kamen. Ten years ago the design of the Slingshot was created. When it is completely finished and ready to be shipped to lesser-developed countries I think this invention has the potential to be one of the most prolific inventions in all of history.

 

With capabilities to turn sewage, salt water and murky river water into a drinkable and clean water, the Slingshot has a significant chance to decrease the “4,500 child deaths each day that are caused by inadequate water supplies”. Inadequate water supplies lead to diarrhea, a disease “that kills nearly 2 million people a year”.

 

The article “Segway inventor takes aim at thirst with Slingshot” describes the primary problem for the Slingshot as the cost to manufacturing one. Right now Kamen’s company is paying several hundred thousand for each machine but has goals to get the price down to $2,000 each. If Kamen and his team can reach this goal, I have no reason to believe that every person and village that needs a Slingshot will receive one.

 

Because the Slingshot has the power to save millions of lives each year, finding people willing to fork up $2,000 should not be an issue at all. I think that Kamen should hire a team of marketers to find as many donators as they can find. If people are willing to pledge the cost of a machine, Kamen will be able to build the Slingshot at mass quantities that will lead to lower costs of good for the company. I also hope that once Kamen finishes the current design that filters 250 gallons a day (100 peoples worth), I would like to see a smaller machine that individual families can take advantage of. A smaller water-purifying machine will be less costly and will become more attractive for donating to people who may not have an extra $2,000 dollars but are still sitting comfortably.

 

Dean Kamen is currently one of the best engineers in the game. In 2006 he was awarded the Global Humanitarian Action Award by the United Nations and has a list of other awards and honors under his belt. After reading the article on the Slingshot and researching other inventions Kamen has produced, it comes to no surprise that in 2005 he was inducted to the National Inventors Hall of Fame. Kamen’s impact on society has been incredibly high, and I look forward to watching the Slingshot change millions of lives immediately.

 

Citation:

·      Bergeron, Ryan. "Segway Inventor Take Aim at Thirst With Slingshot." CNN.com. 11 Sept. 2009. Web. 12 Oct. 2009. .

 

·      "Children and Water, Global Statistics." UNICEF.org. 16 Mar. 2006. Web. 12 Oct. 2009. .

Second Life Helps Save, Improve Lives

The InformationWeek article, Second Life Helps Save, Improve Lives, discusses how the software product is being used by hospitals to train their staff and to make the hospital a safer place. Second Life is also being used to make life better for people with disabilities. While Second Life is a virtual world that looks and plays like a video game, it is being used effectively to create real life situations and improve operations and procedures at Children’s Memorial Hospital. It is also being used to improve the quality of life for some people with disabilities. Second Life is a virtual world that is three dimensional and can be designed with the customer to look how they want it to look.

Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago is using Second Life for training purposes. They have set up a virtual world to show employees how to evacuate patients during an emergency. By using Second Life, the hospital was able to recreate the look of the hospital and enable people to practice an evacuation in a virtual world that looks like a replica of the hospital. This is a very cost effective approach to training because it would cut down on the time that operations would be interrupted due to real life training sessions. It also allows employees to visualize first hand how things would look during an actual evacuation, which is much more valuable than just reading about it on paper and trying to visualize it. The use of Second Life could possibly make the trained staff much more prepared and comfortable in handling an actual emergency because they will have already been through the evacuation process in the virtual world. I think this would be an effective way of training especially with younger generations who have been brought up on video games. They may look at the virtual evacuation as a game and challenge themselves to win the game. I think this would give them an advantage if a real-life evacuation would have to take place because they would have been far more engaged in the evacuation training procedure by doing it virtually as opposed to on paper.

By visualizing the evacuation procedures using Second Life, the hospital staff was also able to see areas where their procedures could be improved. This most likely would have never been found during a typical training session where people are sitting around talking about the evacuation process. It is possible that it may not have been realized until a real life emergency evacuation was taking place at which time it would be too late to change and improve procedures. By using the virtual world, hospital staff can see what works and what can be improved upon to make the hospital a safer place for themselves and for patients.

While Second Life is helping the hospital with training, it also can be used as a social networking site. Through Virtual Ability in Second Life, people with disabilities can communicate with each other and have access to reach out to people when they otherwise may not be in a situation where that is possible. This also enables people with disabilities to communicate with others without having their disabilities emphasized. This can be extremely effective for people who may be homebound and not able to get out. Second Life enables these people to get out in the ‘virtual world’ and experience things that they may never physically or emotionally be able to do such as visit museums, etc. This could greatly enhance their quality of life by opening their lines of communication and engaging their mind while taking the focus off of their disability.

Bridging the Gap Between the Shopping Cart and the Purchase

Online shopping has become one of the most convenient ways for a consumer to purchase the items they want and need.  However e-commerce sites are finding it harder and harder to get customers to commit to the things they have placed in their shopping cart and buy them.  Especially with the economic crisis that we are experiencing today, some sites such as Zappos.com has seen a 30 percent decrease in sales.  For this reason companies are trying to find ways to make their customers commit to the things on their wish list.  They are using a variety of different techniques to try to make more sales happen, which includes a site called Criteo.

            Criteo allows companies to follow the customers who went to their site, put things in their shopping cart, and did not buy them. Criteo is funded by Tealeaf, a company who makes software that allows online shopping sites to observe its customers actions.  Research shows that people leave a site with out purchasing things for a variety of reasons including getting distracted by something else or not wanting to feel regret afterwards.  But Criteo allows a company to put banner adds on sites customers go to after leaving items on a wish list.  This then creates a reminder for that person so if they had become distracted by something their attention would be brought back to the items they left behind.  Other e-commerce sites make customers sign in before they place items in their shopping carts and then email them a few hours later reminding them that their items are still there.  This is a smart tactic because then companies can throw in perks such as free shipping to try to entice the person.

            Other techniques that companies have been using to lure people into buying their items are offering sales that are only online for a limited amount of time.  This then creates a feeling of regret for the customer making them feel they cannot pass up such a good deal on the item.  Other companies will tell their consumers when an item in their shopping cart is running low in stock so they might feel more inclined to buy it before it is sold out.  Even more options include e-commerce sites allowing a pay later option where a bill is sent to the customer in the mail putting off the transaction for a while.

            I think that all of these efforts are definitely worthwhile for the companies investing in them.  I myself am frequently guilty of creating shopping carts on sites and never purchasing the items I place in them.  I feel that Criteo’s services might have made me think twice about something I just dismissed.  For many people I think all they need is a reminder of the items they almost bought to push them over the edge into actually purchasing something.  The email method that many online sites such as Overstock.com use is also a very good one.  For I feel that if people see that an item they were considering buying is soon going to be unavailable that then creates an urgency for them to buy that product.  It helps take away that feeling of regret that might come after purchasing something.  If only an estimated 3 percent of people who go to an e-commerce site actually end up buying something then that alone shows that something must be changed to make these sites more effective and profitable.  Therefore these efforts are going to be unquestionably worth it in the long run.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/technology/internet/12cart.html

Protective Paint

Since the creation of wireless networks, protecting them has always been a major issue.  Many businesses and households find it necessary to take preventative measures that keep others from gaining access to their Wi-Fi networks, but unfortunately it can be both very difficult and extremely costly to do this.  People have tried a variety of technical ways to provide security, such as encryption, “hiding” the network so no one can see it, and requiring passwords.  Others have also tried more unusual methods like installing energy-efficient windows, blocking all radio signals, or using mesh metal as a sort of cage for the network.  Even the legally questionable method of mashing signals has been attempted.  However, few are as simple, and none are even close to being as cheap as the recently improved Wi-Fi protecting paint.

            This new paint uses an aluminum-iron oxide, which absorbs frequency waves, to prevent anyone outside the walls from tapping in to the wireless network.  It has been around for a few years now, but recently, a Japanese research company has been able to improve this paint to protect frequencies of up to 182 GHz, which means it would effectively be able to protect the newer and higher frequencies that companies are now using to transfer data.  Some people are viewing this as a huge step forward in security due to its price of only $16 per kilo of paint and the simplicity with which it can be used.  All you have to do is paint the walls where you wish to contain the network, and no one on the outside will be able to pick it up.  A simple paint job and your wireless network is secure.

            On top of the many companies interested in this method, the movie theatre industry is also attracted to this paint, but its focus is not on security.  Instead, some theatres are contemplating using this paint to prevent frequencies from getting in.  This means no cell phone reception inside any theatres.  Imagine sitting through a whole movie and not having to put up with someone’s cell phone ringing or getting distracted by the light as they text someone outside the theatre.  While that would be enjoyable, I wouldn’t like knowing that I could not be contacted or contact anyone else in case of an emergency.  Nearly everyone has a cell phone these days, and I’m fairly confident that most people would not like being cut off from the outside world.

            Cell phone service could actually be a very big issue with this network protecting paint.  While the theatre may want to block service, most office buildings or houses do not.  Unfortunately, this paint cannot allow one thing and not the other, so any building that uses it will, as a result, have no cell phone service. 

             While this is absolutely a much cheaper and simpler way to secure your network, I feel as though cell phones could prevent it from really taking off.  Many people will be reluctant to switch to this method because of this problem, and unless someone can find a way around it, they may be forced to stick with the more expensive methods.

http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/158288/block_wifi_intruders_with_a_secure_paint_job.html

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/151779

Microsoft: Google's Newest Leading Competitor

Recently, Microsoft has made an agreement with Yahoo to take over its search operations. An article, by Peter Burrows, tells readers that in this agreement, Yahoo will use Microsoft technology to give feedback regarding searches made on the Yahoo website. Officials are optimistic about this emerging partnership since Microsoft’s “Bing” search engine has been such a huge success after only having been launched two months prior. Microsoft will look to combine Bing’s search with Yahoo’s search therefore sending feedback to Microsoft about web browsers preferences. This way Microsoft can reform and improve its technology.
If this deal passes, Microsoft’s search market share will triple to nearly 30%, which then makes it the only clear alternative to Google who holds 65% of the market. Even though Microsoft was previously known for its anti-competitive nature, it now needs it prove itself as the main competition to Google. Google has dominated this field since no other company has gone up against it. While using Google you may not receive the articles you were looking for after entering your search. Microsoft’s new Bing commercials on TV poke fun at the search results given to web users by using Google.
Advertisers and online publishers are hoping for the Microsoft-Yahoo bonding and emergence since they have been longing for an alternative to Google for quite some time. All adds placed on Yahoo will run through “adCenter.” adCenter allows advertisers to reach a bigger audience than they were previously able to do. It is anticipated that advertisers will be able to triple their reach to consumers overnight. They want to give Microsoft a chance to prove itself in the search engine market. Google’s dominance in this territory has led to a lack of change and ridiculous costs for advertisers to cope with. Chris Paradysz, the CEO of the ad agency PM Digital, says he believes “… a formidable competitor is going to put some pressure on Google’s model.” The ads placed on any search engine are very important. They are where Microsoft would make the most money.
This deal is not something to be taken lightly. If things were to progress towards this merger, Microsoft would see some risks. The company would experience set-backs since the partnership can take as long as two years to fully implement. Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer says, “We can’t afford a hiccup.” One little hiccup could cost them millions of dollars as well as the advertisers who choose to place ads on their search engine. Since Bing has been such a success, Microsoft employees remain optimistic.
Rather than having to pay billions of dollars up front, Microsoft will only have to pay hundreds of millions of dollars to cover their expenses of running Yahoo’s search operations. This amount may seem like a lot but compared to the $48 billion Microsoft once offered Yahoo to buy it’s company, hundreds of millions of dollars is pocket change to them. The CEO of Yahoo, Carol Bartz, says “…you can’t beat Microsoft on persistence.” Even if things are not done perfectly to begin with you know they have a set goal in mind and they will continue to push to out-do the success of Google.
I think Microsoft's goals are definitely attainable. I hope that their search engine does out-do Google as the number one search engine. I find that the Microsoft "Bing" commercials that currently play on TV are very true. While they display the matter in a comical form, the problems with Google ring true to many internet users. Whenever searching a particular topic, Google picks up a few key words and disregards what is actually being asked. If Microsoft can perfect the search on Yahoo then its number of supporters will definitely expand. The idea has already won the business and support of numerous advertisers who hope to have their brands grow.

Poor Reception on iPhone? The answer may be MHz away...

The iPhone is one of the most popular smartphones, and a leader in its category. It can do just about anything a computer is able to do and it fits in your pocket. But, many AT&T iPhone users have complaints about the poor service that comes with AT&T. This article from InformationWeek explains how AT&T is addressing this issue and their plans for the future in network coverage.

Currently AT&T provides their network coverage on a 3G network, but with the rise of popularity of smartphones such as the iPhone their wireless data traffic has increased by 18 times in the past two years. With such an increased amount of traffic a slow in speed and coverage can be expected. Their CTO, John Donovan, says that the issue is on the companies radar and they are currently taking action to resolve their service issues. This concern is not being taken lightly by AT&T, shown by the $18 billion that they plan to invest this year alone, in order to boost their data infrastructure. Donovan states that the company is currently transitioning its 3G network to a 850-MHz spectrum as it prepares to upgrade the entire 3G network to High Speek Packet Access 7.2 Technology. Some believe that the HSPA 7.2 Technology should be skipped and that AT&T should focus on getting the network to 4G like its competitors Verizon and Sprint are currently working toward. But AT&T's current timeline is to have the HSPA 7.2 completed in about two years and then they will begin working on moving to Long-Term Evolution 4G technology sometime in 2011.

I do not know much about the functionalities of these different data transferring technology, but it is apparent if two of your leading competitors are already working upgrading to something now, it doesn't make sense to plan to start upgrading to the same thing two years from now. Especially because of innovations in smartphone technology and the rise of netbooks, there will be an increased need to support data traffic. This increased traffic will also need to be transport at higher speeds with the demand in the business world for speed and efficiency. So, having a 4G network capable of transferring 100Mbps would seem necessary for any company to remain relevant and competitive. Donovan's argument for not jumping to 4G is that he wants to have a wider variety of products to utilize the 4G networks. I understand that he is looking at this move from the business prospective and the risk as well as return on investment. But, if they have the network available the products will come. By waiting for more products while the competitors are already upgrading, they will likely lose market share due to a lack of innovation.

Army Ten-Miler Switches to More Accurate Scoring System

Last weekend the Loyola Greyhound Army ROTC Ten-Miler Team competed against other ROTC Battalions in the 25th Annual Army Ten-Miler (ATM). As member of the Greyhound team and a race participant, I had the opportunity to run with 30,000 other entrants around a ten mile scenic loop that starts and finishes at the Pentagon. For a quarter of a century, the ATM has been hugely popular, this year registration sold out in just six days. Its popularity and magnitude require ATM to utilize the latest technology to provide fast registration and accurate scoring. This year, with its 25th birthday, the ATM also incorporated a new race scoring system, the D-Tag by Chronotrack. “ChronoTrack Systems™ D-Tag™ is a single-use RFID (radio frequency identification) tag that participants peel off the bib and place on their shoe to record their time. By creating the D-tag™, the need for chips are eliminated thus, eliminating chip assignment, cost of shipping, lost chips, secure zone for chip collection and in-accurate results due to multiple chip files” (Chronotrack 1). According to ATM organization the key benefits of the D-tag scoring system include; single use tag, more accurate scoring, lighter, less hassle post race, easier to attach to shoe, no prerace check-in, and no post race tag collection. “The advance D-tag transponder approach replaces ChampionChip system, which was used by ATM since 1994”. (Hagan 2)


The D-Tag system identifies when the runner crosses the start line, the finish line, and several split times in between to ensure that no runners attempt to exclude part of the course. Race results and times can easily be searched online by name and/or bib number, courtesy of Event Marketing & Management International. While this new system provides increased convenience, accuracy, and cost reduction it is not flawless. The RFID technology still falters occasionally due to the magnitude and close proximity of the ID tags. An example of this imperfection can be seen by reviewing the scores of those other runners on the Greyhound ATM team. All of the team members crossed the starting line at the same time, however all of the male members of the team finished significantly ahead of their three female teammates. The majority of the times were recorded correctly, however the data shows that one male finished almost ten minutes after the last female. The Greyhound team captain does not know each of the runner’s specific time; however he is sure of the order. The male that was recorded last, like all of the other males, finished ahead of all of the female Greyhounds making it impossible for the data recorded to be correct. The error is evident in this situation that the RFID or data collection system produced some margin of error taking and recording the race data.

Although there are instances in which the RFID D-tag produces errors, it is for the most part dramatically successful. The D-Tags size, flexibility, and disposability make it ideal for the racing in environment and enhance the overall experience participants enjoy during the race.

* Below D-tag application video*




Hagan, Matt. "Army Ten-Miler Switches to More Accurate, Cutting Edge Scoring System." Army Ten-Miler. United States Army, 11 Aug. 2009. Web. 6 Oct. 2009. .

"Introducing the D-tag." ChronoTrack Systems -. 4 Apr. 2009. Web. 11 Oct. 2009. .

Introducing Apps for your TV

Forget the normal apps for the iPhone or blackberry, Vizio, Yahoo and Cablevision are now introducing apps for your TV. Both Vizio and Verizon FiOS offer the Twitter and Facebook app. Microsoft is falling in the footsteps of Vizio and Verizon by incorporating Twitter and Facebook in their Microsoft’s Xbox 360. Yahoo’s widget offers access to weather, Flickr photos, and eBay. Cablevision’s feature connects your TV to your phone services so that when your phone rings it shows whose calling on your TV screen.

With the Twitter app you can narrow down the Twitter feeds to Tweets about the recent show you are viewing. For all the gamers out there, this app is about to transform your gaming experience. Xbox Live users will be able to find fellow Xbox Live members through Facebook. They can then post screenshots of games. Gamers with your headsets on playing a game with someone overseas, you can now add them as a Facebook friend and plan your winning kill through posting screenshots.

Yahoo TV Widgets have numerous apps to offer. With the Ebay app you will never miss a bid or lose out on a selling opportunity. With the CBS app you can get all your favorite TV show information and entertainment instantly. It allows you to interact with TV Shows like CSI, NCIS, Survivor or the Late Show with David Letterman. The Yahoo news, finance, and weather can come in handy on a daily basis. Get what you’re looking for when you’re looking for it immediately. There are also many movie apps (Showtime, Netflix, and CinemaNow), news and sports apps (The New York Times, USA Today Sports, and CBS Sports), and gaming apps (Accedo Funspot Games).

The DVR app offered by Cablevision is my favorite app. You will no longer need to own a DVR-type device such as those made by TiVo. Cablevision allows you to record your favorite television shows. Another feature that is included, as mentioned before, allows you to pause your live TV show when your Cablevision-provided telephone rings in your house.

I think all these new features are a great plus for enhancing TV viewing experience. “According to TDG's numbers, 76% of consumers think having a widget toolbar on their primary TV set would be valuable.” All these apps make TV more enjoyable as well as convenient. In the article the writer names a few other apps he would like to see in the future. The apps he mention are more than the basic apps mentioned above. The app that really caught my eye was “The Play Along” app. He mentions in this app for all those game-show lovers, you would be able to play along with Alex Trebek. He also mentions that Microsoft is working on an app similar to this. It is called 1 vs. 100 Live on Xbox LIVE. Also in his “The What Should I Wear” app would not only tell you the weather but also recommend if a jacket is needed. I intend to keep my eye out and see if yahoo weather takes it to the next level and incorporates something like this into their next app.

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/jul2009/tc2009075_114131.htm

GPS-Phone Becoming the New Clock-Radio

Global positioning systems, more commonly referred to as GPS, are frequently being used around the world to get from one location to another. Often, these devices are found tacked to the windshield of one’s car, for the only purpose they serve it to navigate people to their destination. However, in the New York Times’ recent article “As a Phone, It Makes a Good GPS,” Garmin and AT&T unveil their new gadget. Garmin and AT&T see this new combination product to be as successful as the clock and radio pair, camera and cell-phone pair, and refrigerator and freezer pair. This new product is called the Garmin Nuvifone G60 and retails at about three hundred dollars.

Like many other GPS systems, this one snaps into position on the windshield when you’re in the car. However, the phone element comes into play when you detach this device from the windshield. Here it will serve as a typical, black rectangular product that looks like many other phones. When using the device as a navigation system, it has a new, updated technology that tells you exactly what street to turn on, rather than saying, “Turn right in 400 feet.” This updated technology system has made the input so much more intelligent that the program will now say, “Turn right on Bayberry Lane.” This advancement in technology will serve people who dislike the numerical directional values GPS’s used to give. This updated concept helps people arrive at their destination in a more precise manner, for they do not need to second-guess the difference between 350 and 400 feet.

Another phenomenal invention attached to this phone is that when you remove the unit off its car mount, it automatically memorizes your current location. This feature helps you find your car right away when you return from wherever you have gone. I feel this is going to be the convincing attraction of this device. Countless people cannot keep track of where they parked, whether it be the holiday season at a mall parking garage, or after a week-long park at the airport. Even simple places like the grocery store, people always seem to lose their bearings of where they parked. Therefore I think this feature would be the major highlight of this product. People would love being able to track exactly where they parked and not have to worry about it while they run errands, go on vacation, or go shopping. It is a very convenient method of knowing where they parked, especially if they have young children and do not want to worry about having to go up and down the aisles looking for their vehicle.

The Nuviphone also includes the White Pages and the Yellow Pages. This added on feature allows you to look up any residence, business, gas station, or movie theater near-by. In addition, you can get directions to the location of your choice as well as call and see what time they are open until all from the same device. The gas station aspect is as intricate to show you the way to the nearest gas station and also tell you the prices of gas that day. Overall, there are many technology intelligent aspects of this phone. For these reasons, I could see this phone being very popular amongst people who travel often, as well as those who just are not great with directions. This device conveys a plethora of different benefits that it provides. For this matter, I think it is highly possible that this phone and GPS pair becomes a great invention in the future.





Website: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/08/technology/personaltech/08pogue.html?ref=technology

Computer predicts household violence

Domestic abuse accounts for about half of the murders of women every year, but can a computer predict a case before it happens? Yes it can, and it can predict it 10 to 30 months earlier. What the computer model does is look over electronic health records of patients and the model can connect the subtle patterns in their health records to predict a domestic abuse case before a human can notice. The researchers that created this computer model looked over six years of anonymized insurance claims for hospitalization, which included over 560,000 patients, who all had records of a period of at least 4 years. About 1-3% of the patients had an abuse diagnosis on their record. They used the characteristics of those records of the patients with an abuse diagnosis to make a computer model that can detect these subtle characteristics before a human could. The researchers also wanted the model to give the physician a quick overview of the patient’s medical history with in 10 seconds. They made a color-coded system that will easily alert the physician when abuse is detected. The researchers with this computer model have a goal to give this technology to pediatrics to also be able to detect child abuse early on.

This technology could revolutionize the ability to detect violence within the household. Not only can domestic abuse be detected but possibly child abuse as well. Abuse is one of the main causes of murder out there. If a computer model could note a possible abuse case before any major damage happens, it would cut down on the deaths of abuse drastically, which is half of the murder cases that involve women. This technology would help justice be made and lower the murder rate. I think this computer model would be a major advancement in the medical and justice fields and help the people who are too scared to come forward and give them a chance to be free from domestic violence. This is a great use of information technology and I hope they can be able to give this computer model out to medical facilities worldwide.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/software/database/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=220300617&subSection=Databases

iTunes TV?

What would it be like if iTunes was built right into your home television? An article in Business Week discussed this very possibility. Itunes has had an incredible amount of success selling music since it first came out, but as this article points out, it has not done so well selling movies and TV shows. The author then suggests that Apple collaborate with the major television producers and market TVs with iTunes built right in.

I think this would be a very good idea for Apple for a few different reasons. One is the fact that the Apple TV is a product that seemingly nobody wishes to buy. Don’t get me wrong, the idea of streaming all my iTunes media to my television is enticing, but I do not feel like buying a separate product to do so. I also do not trust my wireless connection at home enough. I feel like it would not work very well all the time. I would much rather have iTunes already programmed into my television. I could download movies and shows directly to my TV, and watch them whenever I want, just like when I record things on my DVR. The only problem with this is that I feel many people would not want to buy a whole new TV, an expensive one at that, just because it has iTunes. I think that if Apple really decided to go through with this, they should offer it in the form of an upgrade. Maybe they could make a deal with the different cable providers, and if someone wanted to upgrade and get iTunes on their TV, all they would need is a new cable box. Installing a new cable box is less of a hassle than installing an entire new TV.

Another reason I think this would be a good idea for Apple is because it would help them compete with online movie rental sites like Netflix. Right now with Netflix, you can either have DVDs delivered to your home or you can watch them on your computer. I think a lot of people would much rather download a movie right onto their cable box or television, and be able to watch it on said television. Maybe you don’t like watching movies on your small computer screen, or do not feel like waiting for the DVDs to arrive in the mail. I think this technology would allow Apple to compete in the video market.

If people who have never used Apple products before decide to go this route, it may entice them to buy different products. The author mentions that not only will there be many more iTunes accounts, but more people will buy iPods and iPhones. It can Apple’s revenue go through the roof. On the other hand, if people don’t like the iTunes TV, it may turn people away from Apple products. I find this hard to believe, because the iTunes interface is so user friendly and easy to use, its difficult not to like. It is so good that it is used on millions of PCs, let alone Macs.

In the end, I think this is an idea Apple should consider. It would be a big step in the right direction.

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/sep2009/tc20090929_279515.htm

Windows Mobile 6.5: The battle for the smart phone market

On Wednesday October 6^th, Microsoft introduced Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system and launching its line of windows supports phones from Samsung and LG, now officially labeled “Windows Phones.” With the recent rise in smart phone technology primarily from Blackberry, Microsoft has initiated its plan to compete with Blackberry for a share in the smart phone market.

Windows Mobile is packed with many user friendly applications, such as My phone, which is capable of recovering almost all your former data on your previous phone. Users also have the ability to change and personalize the themes on the phone. But Microsoft wants users to know that the new program isn’t all fun and games. The phone contains the newest version of windows IE, which allows users to utilize adobe flash player so viewing online media is much simpler and convent. With improvements to Exchange server synchronization and outlook express users can simultaneously manage multiple accounts.

Being a windows product all Windows Phones come with a version Microsoft office, so users are able to view documents from their phone which is an advantage over blackberry products. Blackberry users must purchase Microsoft Office separately for their phones. Microsoft is allows marketing the fact that most Windows Phone users don’t need to buy third party software or hardware to manage their phones, thanks to exchange. This will ultimately lead to less complexity down the road and fewer operating costs.

Microsoft is ultimately trying to create a niche in smart phone market that is dominated by Blackberry the juggernaut in the smart phone market. Windows mobile seems to have many useful applications and programs which can allow for easier user interface. The idea of having a computer in your pocket may lead to curiosity and interest from the consumer market, but windows mobile is bound to have some problems. Having owned a former version of windows mobile on my previous phone, it took me about a month and a few trips to Verizon wireless to work out all the bugs and problems with my phone. Now owning a Blackberry I can honestly say I have not had any problems using my phone or in the software for the phone. Although it may not come with the windows programs they can easily be added to your phone for only a minimal cost. Blackberry has long been established so all the bugs and kinks have been worked out through the years and their newest phones are capable of almost anything.

On paper the new windows mobile seems like a great innovation by Microsoft, but with problems and complications associated with previous windows products may sway users away from the new and untested Windows Mobile 6.5. The reality of Microsoft becoming a leader in the Smartphone market seems like an uphill battle. As Blackberry continues to introduce new products to the market place Microsoft might just playing catch up to the leader in the Smartphone market.

http://www.cio.com/article/504395/Microsoft_on_Why_Your_Next_Business_Smartphone_Should_be_a_Windows_phone_#readerFeedback

IT Not Sexy Enough for American Youths

What do the words “wealth” or “power” bring to mind traditionally? In my mind, I would think of a greedy Wall Street executive or perhaps a handsome knight on horseback and certainly not some IT nerd fresh out of college. These are the stereotypes that most young people (including myself) have of wealth and power. In my short time here at Loyola, I have yet to run into a student who is majoring in computer science or information systems or any other technology major one can think of. It could be that Loyola is just too small for me or any student to run into someone with that kind of major. Or perhaps Loyola’s technology program just does not offer the proper course load to major in an IT field. Maybe a Loyola degree in IT does not carry the weight necessary to land a well paying IT job out of college, and is therefore unattractive to much of the student body. To me, the answer is the latter. As a student at Loyola and having looked at the course catalogue, I know that this university certainly offers the proper course load to major in IT. The problem is twofold. First and foremost, most students perceive an IT profession as nerdy and unattractive, or (for lack of a better word) “not sexy.” Second, the well-paying job offerings for someone with a degree in IT are few and far between in this day and age.

So the question arose in a panel discussion at last week’s Information Week 500 conference, “can we make IT more attractive to the kids in this country?” Unless some serious changes can be made to the IT field, the answer unfortunately is no. According to Mitch Wagner’s article “IW 500: Making IT Sexy Won’t Attract Kids,” kids are not avoiding the IT field because they are not smart enough; they are avoiding it because they are smart. Are we not always hearing about how people all over the country are losing their jobs to outsourcing in China and India for cheaper labor costs? Believe it or not, many of these people are in the IT field. When you call up Dell Computers for customer service, an American ninety-nine percent of the time does not answer the phone. Instead, you hear a man with an Indian accent trying to help you. This is why many young people see this as a lost cause, and therefore do not pursue careers in IT. The problem lies in the fact that there really is no long term job security in IT. Why pursue a career with almost no long term job security when you could pursue a long term career doing something else? This is the way that most young people see it, and the choice is logical. So what do we need to make a career in the IT field more attractive to young people? Well, for starters, job security would be nice, and it would not hurt to have a decent wage too.

http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2009/09/making_it_sexy.html;jsessionid=VJBF2VRGF5YZJQE1GHPSKH4ATMY32JVN

E-Books

Many publishers are starting to put more and more books online. Millions of e-books are sold per year, e-books that cost much less than a normal printed book. Even though demand for e-books is increasing, the number of regular books sold still exceeds the number of online ones. For me, at least, this is a good thing. In general, I’d rather pay $7 or $8 for a paper-back book then to buy the same book online and have to print out the pages. For me, having a physical book in hand is sometimes easier to focus on than staring at a computer screen. Sure, you could read the e-books on a reader, but those go from $150 and up (Amazon.com). It’s just much easier and convenient to use a normal book. Plus, if you do end up having to print out pages, it can come out to more money in the long run because you’re using your own paper and ink to print. However, there is one type of e-book that is appealing: e-textbooks.

Some classes are already starting to use online textbooks. Again, printing out pages can get annoying, but you’re saving a lot more with a textbook versus a regular paper-back book. I know I had a class where we had an online textbook, and the book was only $50. Also, when you’re done with a class you don’t have to figure out what to do with your old textbook. A lot of people won’t have much use for their textbook after the class requiring it is over. Keeping it means taking up space, and selling it back generally means making only a fraction of what you paid for it. With most textbooks costing at least $100, if not much, much more, having a cheap online alternative could be very nice. Most college students could use the extra cash.

Hopefully a permanent switch to e-books is a long way off, if it even comes at all. It may be cheaper in the long run to charge less for books that have no printing cost, but I feel that e-books are somehow of lesser quality than regular books. Actually reading the physical books seems like much more of an accomplishment than reading an e-book. Reading may not always be the most entertaining thing to do, but reading a book online provides too many distractions. Since I’m already at the computer, it’s much easier to get on Facebook, or watch a movie online. With an actual book, I can get away from the computer and maybe actually do homework or something.

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/sep2009/tc20090922_846948_page_2.htm

Light Peak: Changing the Way You Connect

Tired of needing a different cord for everything you do on your computer, Intel may have the answer. Intel’s new Light Peak is a new technology that is trying to become a one-cord solution to your computer needs. The Light Peak is a fiber-optic link, which will provide users with connection speeds of 10 Gigabits per second. Intel’s goal is to have Light Peak as the sole connection to your computer, replacing such technology as USB (most commonly used for data), VGA, DVI and HDMI (commonly used for audio and video connections). Currently, USB 2.0 operates at top speeds of 480 Megabits per second. The Light Peak would be over twenty times faster than current USB. Intel is confident that within the next decade this technology will increase to speeds of 100 Gigabits per second. To put it in more understandable terms, Intel says, “You could transfer a full length Blu-Ray movie in less than 30 seconds.”

Another advantage of the Light Peak is that it can be used at distances up to 100 meters. This would give users a great deal of flexibility when setting up their computer systems. The new fiber optic cable would provide increased flexibility as well. Current A/V cables are bulky and kink often, Light Peak can be tied in a knot and still work, all while being roughly the size of a headphone cable. Intel is also trying to give Light Peak the capability to be used as a power cable by integrating copper wire into the design. This would greatly enhance the marketability as well as versatility of the product.

Since Intel is the world’s largest computer chip manufacturer, they have the ability to strategically place this technology in the marketplace. Intel provides chips for both PCs and Macs, another reason that Light Peak could take off. If Intel were to get both PC manufacturers as well as Apple to use this product it would defiantly have a serious impact on the way we use computers. Industry wide backing would be a must for this technology if systems started to be built without any other port or way of connecting external devices.

Intel is aiming for a launch of Light Peak in 2010. After its planned adoption by the PC world, Intel hopes that the technology will be used in handheld devices, workstations and consumer electronics. Optical technology, which uses light instead of electricity to transmit data, is seen by many to be the way of the future. Light Peak would support multiple “protocols” or tasks at once, which is not possible with the current technology. Light Peak looks to become the universal connection of the future.

http://techresearch.intel.com/articles/None/1813.htm http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-10360047-264.html?tag=mncol;txt

Verizon To Carry iRex E-book Reader

I found this article very informative about what exactly electronic book readers are as well as their functions and capabilities. I was reading an article previously blogged about in out class that was about a high school getting rid of all there paper books to create a digital library. A key component to the digital library were these electronic book readers. I was not really sure what exactly these book readers did or what they looked like in that article but these Verizon book readers that do not have yet have a release date.

These electronic book readers have an 8.1 inch display and and 2GB of internal memory. The memory can be expanded with memory cards. They are really interesting gadgets, they have touch screens and they operate on 3G wireless networks similar to the netbooks that are becoming evermore popular. Verizon is not the first wireless carrier to carry these e-book readers. In fact Sprint and AT&T already have partners with Amazon and Sony respectively to offer these book readers. These book readers sound like a good way to utilize these powerful wireless networks.

These readers are a very good move for the wireless carries, to reach consumers in new markets that will grow especially with the recent move by many to go "green." These book readers are very interesting, they are basically a library in palm of your hand. Though the price of the e-book readers are a pricey $400 dollars, I would hope to use one while I am still pursuing my studies and higher learning. I don't see myself buying one of these for my personal use, but I would hope that these would be made publicly available the way books are in libraries. With the current price of the readers I don't see books being put out of business, but I do believe that these e-book readers would be great investments for libraries in schools and communities.

Google Sidewiki

Google has been constantly changing the way people have viewed and browsed the Internet, and its no surprise they are always coming up with innovative and creative features. Google’s latest feature is an application called Sidewiki. With Sidewiki and the help of the Google Toolbar application, users will be able to browse the Internet and post comments or “annotations” in the sidebars of a webpag. So any person that is viewing a site on the Internet (and has the Google Toolbar, of course) can post their comments and opinions about a web page in the side columns. As of September 23^rd, it is necessary to have the latest and most “enhanced” version of Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer or Firefox to utilize Google’s newest feature.

The first thing that came to mind when I read this article is how would a person be able to tell if the comment’s posted are actually relevant to the web-page and not just someone going on the Internet to mess around with people. This is where the potential success of Sidewiki will be challenged. To examine the comments left be users, Sidewiki uses an “editorial quality algorithm”, in which Google's VP of product management Sundar Pichai believes can “separate the insight from the ignorant yammering.” Along with the sorting through of all the comments posted, the “editorial quality algorithm” also enforces that the most relevant and helpful posts be shown first not the most recent entries. There is no doubt in my mind that the success of the Sidewiki will rely heavily upon this “editorial equality algorithm.”

I believe that Sidewiki is a great innovation for the Internet. The Internet has granted so much access to information that sometimes it is tough for a user to sort out the helpful information from the not so intelligent information, aka “the ignorant yammering”. Now with Sidewiki, many users will be able to view the comments of others and be able to decipher from the comments posted if the web page they are viewing is actually worth looking over. People can view annotations of poems that are online or may even find some help from nutritionists that have posted on health pages. With the help of Sidewiki, people are going to be able to spread their opinions and thoughts through the sidebars of web pages and make searching over the Internet much more efficient.

I think the potential of Sidewiki will go a lot further than posting in the sidebars of web pages. I also believe that Sidewiki will come in handy if Google wins the fight to digitalize books. As a student I know when I had to read books for English, I would always have to take notes in the margins or underline important quotes that I could use later in a homework assignment or paper. I have always thought this is where digitalized books would have trouble competing with printed books. Yet, if a similar program like Sidewiki was created for Google’s digital books catalogue, it would then be possible for students and many other readers to interact with the text just like any other book. Sidewiki is a great new innovation from Google and I can see it having great success on the Internet and elsewhere.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/google/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=220100924

Intel’s New Light Peak Optical Interconnect Technology

As I sit at my desk, I attempt to follow the path of the cords and wires connected to my computer. They travel into power cords, plug into outlets, and some traverse the length of my room into cable-boxes. With cords in multitudes of shapes and colors it is not easy to decipher what each one does or where they go, but honestly, having the cords to get tangled in is somewhat a relief. Finding the cords to fit the constraints of one’s space is the real nuisance. I find it impossible to find a cord that fits my needs, and this doesn’t only apply to computer equipment. It seems today, that there is a cord or wire for every piece of technology. Intel is currently working on a project that should assist us in this predicament. They recently announced that they are perfecting a new optical interconnect that may be able to link mobile devices to displays and storage, from up to one hundred meters away.  Intel’s new Light Peak optical interconnect technology, hopes to move information from farther distances, and at faster speeds then ever before.

Current computers use cable technology, which uses electricity to transport data. Electricity has restrictions on speed and distance. Intel’s new Light Peak technology utilizes a controller chip and an optical module to convert from electricity to light and vice versa.

There are many benefits to Intel’s new technology. Demonstrations have shown that even with increased distance the new Light Peak was able to transmit a video, retaining its quality. Light Peak has also claimed to be able to move full-length blue-ray movies in seconds. The light transition allows for longer, thinner, and more flexible cables. These cables have the capacity to communicate data from more then several devices, simultaneously. The optic communication could lead to smaller connectors in not only the cable, but also on the devices.

Moving data quicker, from farther, and with impeccable quality, is there a downside? IDG News Service wonders if this new technology can be flawlessly implemented, especially with services like USB and Firewall. Intel has an answer for that too. They are developing the technology to work alongside, and compliment the current technology. Assuming that Intel’s intentions are really to work alongside the current computer, one would think that it would also be easy to implement them immediately.  Meaning a major overhaul in one’s system wouldn’t be necessary. Intel hopes to be shipping Light Peak by 2010 and is ready to connect with the current industry to make this new technology a standard across the board.

I am now imagining all my cords and wires merging into one, thin flexible cable. How convenient that would make moving data. I can see the many possibilities Light Peak introduces to my personal system; I would assume it is even more desirable to major companies. It would consolidate even the most organized technology department, and do it faster and from farther away.  I can only imagine what is next now that converting electricity into light is conceivable.

Article found at:

http://www.cio.com/article/503060/Intel_Connects_PCs_to_Devices_Using_Light?source=rss_news

Businesses and Skype

Starting a new business? Don’t have a lot of money to run the business? Integrating towards newer telecommunications methods will allow business owners a bit of breathing room. The amount the business would spend using landlines or on traveling for business meetings would lower, ultimately reducing expenses. Skype is free software that is used for several reasons. Some use it for personal purposes; some use it to cut business expenses. It is important to know about people or businesses that have experienced using Skype to realize that taking the chance is not really a bad one after all. It comes to a certain point where businesses are better off moving towards the new way to communicate- online telecommunication.

People that use Skype for personal purposes only need to own a computer and be connected to the Internet. Understanding how important and economic online telecommunications is benefits a person more than anything. For example, calling children overseas is known to be fairly expensive. What can be done? A parent misses their children and realistically, paying extra charges to call internationally once in a while is no big deal. When Skype makes conversing and even video conferencing free, what person in their right mind wouldn’t use it? Skype, an online Telecommunications provider, has given parents the chance to talk with their child for free. Skype for free is a lot better than paying for international mobile phones. Personal usage is highly economic and is very easy to use.

Businesses can also benefit in large amounts by Skype. Obviously not every client a business is dealing with has a Skype account. It does not really matter because the price is significantly cheaper than having to deal with landline fees. Another thing is that when dealing with international clients, a business doesn’t get hit with those extra fees that add up in the long run. A way to do this is using the Skype feature called Skipein. It allows a business to buy a local number from the countries the business deals with mostly. This feature allows for at most ten different phone numbers. Hypothetically speaking, your top ten countries with the most business wont have to worry about International fees. If your business has Skypein, it would be a great idea to have the Skype voicemail feature as well. This gives a chance to have your potential clients leave you the information necessary.

A company that uses Skype is Fisher International. My sister is an employee at their main headquarters in Norwalk, CT USA. They have branches all over the world including Asia, Europe, South America and even South Africa. They are a pulp and paper-consulting firm that provides clients with information through their own “Fisher Resolve” software. Fisher hires researchers to call over the world and gather information in order to update what they sell. Their employees, some stay at home and some go in to the office. Either way the company has a Skype account, which connects them for free to mills all over the world. Some researchers are natives of different countries all over the world. Online telecommunication is something that has made Fisher International save money on. Just in one day, researchers can be calling hundreds of companies for a significant time all over the world. This would come out to an outrageous phone bill.

Although Fisher still has landlines, using Skype reduces their expenses substantially. Fisher also has annual meetings, where employees from all over the world attend. Their airfare is all taken care of by the company. Like Skype, other forms of telecommunications would be magnificent. We saw the video conferencing software that certain companies started using. It has saved companies tons of money. Companies are starting to catch up and update their forms of communication. It would be in a company’s best interest to use software like Skype because it will save them massive amounts of money. Personally, Fisher International is in the right direction and with up to date online telecommunications will positively change the business.

Skype and many other forms of online telecommunications change people’s lives at home and at the job. Easier, faster and free, Skype does help and will be a step forward to making more money.

Article used: “What Skype can do for your Business” http://www.entrepreneur.com/mobileguide/159772.html

Web site where I found company details

http://fisheri.com/

The Next Generation of Online Universities

New technology is on the horizon that will change education drastically. In Lara Farrer’s article on CNN.com, “Social networking provides new lessons in learning,” higher education becomes available to everybody. Shai Reshaf is the inventor of the next generation of online learning. One might think that it is just another online university but this is the world’s first tuition-free online university. Farrer says that Shai Reshaf “founded the school to provide higher education to those who might otherwise never have access to it.” The University of the People is available to anyone for a very low fee. He is so confident, that Reshaf donated one million dollars of his own money to make this dream come true.

I think this is an awesome idea. Now more people than ever will be able to receive a college education. The tuition ranges from $15-$50, depending on the financial situation of your country. If you live in a richer country you pay slightly more than someone who lives in a poorer country. This gives almost anybody the chance to participate. People may wonder what the difference is between the University of the People and other online universities. What makes this one different is that it is also a social networking tool. Social networking is all the craze in this day and age. Millions of people log on to websites such as Facebook, Myspace, and LinkedIn, every single day. Reshaf realizes that since this social networking is so popular then why not incorporate it into the online university?

The biggest trouble with online universities is getting students to stay enrolled. With the social aspect of the school, Reshaf hopes to keep everyone in the program until they graduate, which will take between four and six years. The People’s University will have volunteer professors that will post materials for each lesson. Students then can discuss with their class in a private chat room. The idea is that the discussions will be student-run with guidance from a professor.

Technology is advancing everyday; it was only time before someone re-amped the online learning process. The People’s University goes hand in hand with today’s generation. Young adults are completely wired to the Internet and spend hours a day on social networking websites. I think this will be the closest thing to being in an actual classroom that technology allows. Students can discuss and collaborate ideas, something that is not possible with the existing model. This online university is going to educate thousands of people who would otherwise never get the opportunity. Hopefully this will strengthen our generation and prepare people for their futures. It will lead to more creativity, ingenuity, and potential for the future. It was an excellent idea to incorporate the immense power of social networking into furthering education. This is just another example how technology is further educating today’s generation and ultimately greatening the standard of living all across the world.