Google Glass

Google Glass

2014 is going to bring in a slew of new technology and fun new gadgets for us to play with. And the new Google Glass is no exception.  Google Glass is a wearable computer with an an optical head mounted display (OHMD) that is being developed by Google.  Glass comes with built-in functionality for making calls, taking photos, checking the weather and getting directions, hands free, via voice commands. 

Currently the glasses themselves are lighter than the average pair of sunglasses but Google is considering partnerships with sunglass retailers such as Ray-Ban or Warby Parker, and may also open retail stores to allow customers to try on the device. Currently they can not be used along with prescription glasses but Google has confirmed that in the future this technology may be integrated into the display of normal eyewear. 

Camera

Google Glass has the ability to take photos and record 720p HD video. While video is recording, the screen stays on.

Touchpad

For the developer Explorer units:

• Android 4.0.4 and higher
• 640×360 display
• 5-megapixel camera, capable of 720p video recording
• Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
• Bluetooth
• 16GB storage (12 GB available)
• Texas Instruments OMAP 4430 SoC 1.2Ghz Dual(ARMv7)
• 682MB RAM 
• 3 axis gyroscope 
• 3 axis accelerometer 
• 3 axis magnetometer (compass)
• Ambient light sensing and proximity sensor 
• Bone conduction transducer

MyGlass App

Google offers a companion Android app called MyGlass, which allows you to configure and manage your device.

Voice activation

Other than the touchpad, Google Glass can be controlled using "voice actions". To activate Glass, wearers tilt their heads 30° upward (which can be altered for preference) or tap the touchpad, and say "O.K., Glass." Once Glass is activated, wearers can say an action, such as "Take a picture", "Record a video", "Hangout with [person/Google+ circle]", "Google 'What year was Wikipedia founded?'", "Give me directions to the Eiffel Tower", and "Send a message to John"^[ (many of these commands can be seen in a product video released in February 2013). For search results that are read back to the user, the voice response is relayed using bone conduction through a transducer that sits beside the ear, thereby rendering the sound almost inaudible to other people.

MC Hammer to launch WireDoo, his own search engine.

MC Hammer to launch his own search engine -WireDoo


MC Hammer (born Stanley Kirk Burrell) , the famous 90's rapper, is launching his own new search engine called WireDoo, which he anticipates will outperform both Google, Bing and any of the other similar search engine tools available on the internet. 

 WireDoo, pre beta, was 2 years in the making and has a deeper search capability than what is currently available now. The search engine will also find related information in addition to the information searched for. The search will run deeper than just keywords.

For instance, if you search for the word “car” on Wiredoo, you’ll get results about insurance, safety ratings, and price. If you search for “MC Hammer,” you’ll find links to parachute pants, platinum albums, and bankruptcy. The tag­line for the search engine is “Search once and see what’s related.” 

Currently not available to the public, its website is currently letting people sign up to test the beta and will notify them when it's released to try it out.

Do you think Wiredoo will be a success? Are you interested in a relation search engine?

Are you ready for Windows 8?

Microsoft is expected to launch Windows 8 mid 2012

Although Windows 7 has had great success, Microsoft wanted the next version to expand on their existing features and UI.

Microsoft released the early version of Windows 8 on a prototype tablet last week. Anyone wishing to download the Developer Preview may do so.

It is available for free download, and comes in three different packages:

• (1) 64-bit version – Only the OS
• (2) 32-bit version – Only the OS
• (3) 64-bit version with developer tools

From some of the testing done so far, the developer preview of Windows 8 itself is pretty reliable, but the same isn't true of some of the Metro apps. This developer preview is to encourage developers to start writing Metro applications, and to remind users that an iPad or Android tablet isn't the only option.

Windows 8 features:

• Support for both x86 PCs and ARM Tablets
• Windows to Go
• Windows Store - similar to Mac App store
• Windows 8 User Interface
• Improved Windows Defender
• Internet Explorer 10
• Windows 8 Repair

Windows 8 is Microsoft's combined desktop, laptop and tablet operating system.

Windows To Go will be make it possible to boot from a usb device using user's programs, settings and files using either 2.0 or 3.0.

Other changes include the Windows Logon Screen which can be accessed by tapping on the right areas of the screen instead of the traditional password. The Start Screen is also new grouping all of your applications together. The Control Panel, Video, and Task Manager pages will also look different. An improved Windows Defender with added protection for virus, worms, trojans and rootkits. Windows 8 repair enables you to choose between a full reset and a refresh.

Here are the following minimum system requirements to run Windows 8:

• Processor: 1GHz or faster 32-bit or 64-bit processor
• RAM: 1GB (32-bit) or 2GB (64-bit)
• HD Space: 16GB for 32-bit (or 20GB for 64-bit)

Is twitter a passing fad?

     Do you twitter? 
Do you think twitter is just a passing fad?


Twitter has become a popular microblogging service enabling people to keep in touch by "tweeting" about everything from mundane daily life to disaters in real time. It has become widely used for commercial and political purposes to keep customers, voters and fans up-to-date as well as to encourage feedback. Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and is home based in San Francisco Although not much can be said in a single tweet, since you are limited to a 140-character limit, users update constantly, often accessing mobile devices to tweet. You get instant updates in real time to and from friends, celebrities and people with shared interests. Tweets can be private or made public to approved followers (tweeps).

If you think Twitter is just a passing fad that will go away, here are some things to consider:

• 200 million users worldwide

• Users tweet approximately 230 million tweets per day and 50 million active daily users according to the September 2011 statistics.

• 1.6 million search queries per day

• 1 out of 8 couples who got married in the United States in 2009 met via social media.

• Social media has overtaken porn as the number one activity on the Web.

• If Facebook were a country, it would be the third largest behind China and India.

The combination of broadband connections, smartphones and iPad devices are allowing social media to explode. Some mobile phones are being released with Facebook and Twitter applications already included.

Twitter went viral when users started using the retweeting feature which repeats useful information to your followers. You can also send and receive private messages via direct message that no one else sees. The use of hashtags (#) to link up an event or idea via a word or set of words allowing all those messages which include the hashtag to be viewed as a group.

On June 1, 2011, Twitter announced its own integrated photo-sharing service that enables users to upload a photo and attach it to a Tweet.

Among the best and most popular Twitter apps include Twitterdeck and Hootsuite, which are both free at most app stores. Twitterdeck features four columns: tweets from friends, tweets from mentions, recommended users and finally current trending words. If you have an iPhone, the app gives you more options such as adding columns to track certain users and  combine feeds. Tweetdeck also features Facebook status integation.

Hootsuite, a feature-rich app which offers almost any features you could want in a Twitter app. After setting up your account you can integrate Twitter, Facebook and Foursquare all from whithin the one app. HootSuite offers many customization options, making it able to manage multiple accounts, mass replay to all recipients and set up scheduled updates. This is a useful app - even for most serious social media users.

New Facebook Timeline replaces your old Profile!

New Facebook Timeline replaces your old Profile!

Over the next several weeks Facebook will be reborn and start it's total transformation into a new social media.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has unveiled the company’s much anticipated overhaul of profile pages, transforming the user profile into a virtual scrapbook. A place to show people who you are, what you do and where you've been. Facebook automatically put your information in chronological order.

A key feature in the new Timeline profile is the ability to define different types of "life events." The status update field now has 5 different icons: Work and Education, Family and Relationships, Living, Health and Wellness, Milestones and Experiences.

The new profile also includes a map feature that can show where you’ve been, thanks to Facebook Places. It maps out your travel. You can even mark your place of birth. But perhaps the most striking feature is the cover photo, which displays a giant image at the top of the new profile page.

In the past once your status update left your profile, you more than likely never saw it again. With this new layout you can access everything you've done in the past. You can share more of who you are and find out more about your friends.  On the down side, if you'd prefer to keep your life a little more private this will be more difficult. For some it may become a privacy nightmare, digging up every post from your past.


Here are what your options are for adjusting your settings, based on the level of privacy you want to achieve.

1. How to make all posts friends-only.

Use one of the blanket privacy settings introduced not long ago: "Limit the Audience for past Posts" on the bottom of your privacy setting page. If you decide to use this option, content on your timeline that you've shared with more than your friends—such as public posts—will automatically change to Friends only. With this setting, though, people who are tagged and their friends will still be able to see the post.

2. Limit the posts by others on your timeline.
Limit specific people or lists of people from viewing what others have posted to your wall. To do this, go to your Privacy Settings page, then select "Edit Settings" next to "How You Connect." Select the drop-down menu next to the last item—"Who can see posts by others on your timeline?" and choose "Custom."

In the box under "Hide this from," type the names of the people or the lists that you want to exclude from viewing posts on your wall by others, for example those on your Limited Profile list. Then click Save Changes.

3. Edit every post manually.
While this is a tedious process, it does appear it's the only way to ensure you're hiding exactly what you want from the people you want.

And there's always the "View Profile As" feature, which shows you what others see when they look at your profile. Go to the new timeline, click the gear icon on the right, below your cover photo, then click "View As..." from the drop-down menu. To preview how your profile appears to the public, click the link in the text, or type a person's name into the field and click enter.

Over the next few months there will be new additions to Facebook, like being able to share the music you're listening to at the moment or a movie in real time. It will be interesting to see how Facebook transitions.

Will the kindle fire be the hot item for the holidays?

kindle fire

Movies, apps, games, music, reading and more, 

plus Amazon's revolutionary, cloud-accelerated web browser

While not even available for shipping yet, Kindle Fire is already the top-selling gadget on the list of Amazon's most popular electronic items, based on pre-orders, since being unveiled 2 days ago. The $79, non-touch Kindle Wi-Fi is second. The Kindle Fire will go one sale for $199, several hundred dollars cheaper than Apple's $500 iPad.

The new kindle fire is slated to be released on November 15, 2011, looking like it may be this years big seller for the Holidays.

Kindle Fire features a state-of-the-art dual-core processor from Texas Instruments making it fast and powerful compared to Apple's Safari.

Included is Amazon Silk for a revolutionary, cloud-accelerated browsing experience. With Amazon Cloud you get free storage for all your Amazon digital content. Your books, movies, music and apps are available instantly to stream or download for free, at a touch of your finger.

The Kindle Fire supports all the popular video formats, including Adobe's Flash—something Apple refuses to do.

The device only weighs 14.6 ounces, making it much lighter than the iPad and easier to hold it in one hand.  

There is no microphone or camera included and no 3G or 4G in new version of Kindle, only WiFi connectivity. But being able to update wirelessly without the need for a USB cable is a nice improvement.

• Full Color 7" with IPS (in-plane switching) technology and anti-reflective treatment, 1024 x 600 pixel resolution at 169 ppi, 16 million colors. 

• 8GB internal. That's enough for 80 apps, plus either 10 movies or 800 songs or 6,000 books.

• Up to 8 hours of continuous reading or 7.5 hours of video playback, with wireless off. Battery life will vary based on wireless usage, such as web browsing and downloading content. Charges in approximately 4 hours.

• Supports public and private Wi-Fi networks or hotspots that use the 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, or 802.1X standard with support for WEP, WPA and WPA2 security using password authentication; does not support connecting to ad-hoc (or peer-to-peer) Wi-Fi networks. 

• USB 2.0 (micro-B connector)

• 3.5 mm stereo audio jack, top-mounted stereo speakers.   

Let the Tablet Wars Begin:

 

Google+, will it become the new Facebook?

 Google+, will it become the new Facebook?

 It's been almost a week now since Google+ opened it's social networking site to everyone, changing it from an invitational only site to a public one. This was strategically done just 2 days before Facebook's annual developer conference, F8 featuring the overhaul planned for Facebook. Google+ features a search bar called Sparks which allows it's users to customize their interests. This will help you receive articles and videos aimed personally at what you like. There is a hangout feature that will allow you to video conference with up to 9 people or chose the Huddle feature to chat with unlimited people in a single chat. Google+ appears to be more customizable then Facebook to each person's preferences, whether it's to share something with everyone or just a small group of individuals. Also added today to their growing gaming section, Cityville!

Currently there is not an app designed specifically for the iPad or iPod Touch, but in the meantime the iOS has been working on these devices since an update in early August 2011.

As traffic begins to pick up pace with added users it will be interesting to watch how Google+ goes up against the competing sites such as Facebook, which has almost 800 million active users, and Twitter, with 100 million users, to lure them over to their new site. Google+ has amassed 20 million users with it's invitation-only trial in just 12 weeks. The end results may depend on personal privacy issues, user interfaces between Facebook and Google+ and how accepting the total transformation of Facebook is vs. trying something new.




You may want to also check out:
Google+ gets more social with new features
Google+ May Have 43 Million Users 
Cityville has arrived at Google+
Google+ to allow business profiles soon

Facebook Changing Again?

It seems as though Facebook is changing every time you turn around. Whether you like those changes or hate having a new way of getting around the site, be prepared for a major change according to Facebook. These new changes could make Facebook almost unrecognizable. I wouldn't be surprised if a majority of you are cringing, since I've seen so many negative update posts, every time there is a change. 


Here are a few of the new changes you can expect to see in the near future on Facebook:

1. You’re going to get a Timeline — a scrapbook of your life. (Oh goody, onward with the timeline that everybody hates.)
2. You don’t have to just Like something — now you can [verb] any [noun]. (Oh Please! That's silly!)
3. Facebook apps need only ask permission once to share stories on your behalf. (Give permission once and here they come to  invade your privacy.)
4. All “lightweight” information is going to the Ticker. (A Ticker? Like as in a stock ticker?)
5. You can watch TV and movies, listen to music, and read news with your friends — all within Facebook. (Ok, you had me until you said "with my friends". Who wants to read news with their friends? But I have to admit, this has peaked my curiosity somewhat. :/)
6. Facebook has more users and more engagement than ever. (I'm sure Facebook hopes users embrace all this change and don't go running and screaming all the way to Google+!)

You may also like to check out:
Facebook Changes Again: Everything You Need To Know
Changes to like or not to like? 
Eerie goal. Why timeline changes everything 
Why get upset about Facebook changes? 

Which Cellular Carrier is Best for You?

With all the competitive cell phone carriers out there it's hard to decide which one is the right one for you. New Phones hit the market almost every week. The newest trends are smartphones. Are you an iPhone enthusiast? AT&T and Verizon both now carry the iPhone. The new iPhone 5 is slated to be released early October. Most phones are free or have a reduced price with a 2 year contract. Just be sure you check your current plan because early termination fees can be quite hefty. And some carriers are willing to offer you specials just to keep you as a current customer. 


AT&T
Pros: HSPA+ 4G network. 4GE LTE network coming by the end of the year. Phones and services hard to beat.
Cons: Dropped calls reportedly at about 5.8% vs. Verizon at 2%.


VERIZON
Pros: Offering the iPhone since February 2011. 4G LTE technology already running. CNet claims the HTC Thunderbolt is noticeably faster than other phones tested. Better coverage out of the big 3.
Cons: Early termination fees are very high at $350 for advanced devices. 


SPRINT
Pros: For the tech savvy customer who wants to link up their Sprint phone number to your Google Voice, receiving voice mail in text format through your Gmail account.
Cons: Customer service issues have been reported.


T-MOBILE
Pros: Sidekick 4G equipment introduced by Samsung. Largest 4G market claimed by T-Mobile. Adding additional data plans for a monthly $10 fee to new contracts. Known to cut deals to keep their customers.
Cons: No plans for iPhone 5 at T-Mobile this year. While faster than existing 3G options, surveys show T-Mobile’s 4G network is not as fast as Verizon’s or Sprint's.


PREPAID Phones
Pros: Decent cheaper and no contract plans available. Blackberry and Android phones to choose from. 
Cons: Less phone selections available. Spotty service depending on your area. Minutes add up quickly, not for users who use a lot of  minutes per month.


Be sure to also check out these smaller companies: US Cellular (USM), Leap (LEAP), MetroPCS (PCS), and Virgin (VMED).  Make sure you are aware of limited coverages. Don't forget to check for bargain service plans and exclusive web-only deals that stores don't offer. There may be fewer phone stores available and fewer customized services and apps but the trade offs may be worth it.