Max Litrofsky
iPad 3: The Tech Fire Perspective
Both the first and second generations iPads proved to the tech world that Apple still knows what we want, even before we knew we wanted it. At first it was subject to extreme criticism, initially the biggest being the name itself. However, there’s no question that in the two years this amazing product has been out for, it’s absolutely changed the way we interact with, consume, and even create all types of media.
Despite it having almost identical features to the iPhone and iPod touch, the iPad proved that simply having the same user experience and touch interface on a bigger screen truly did make all the difference in the world. More room to touch, more room to interact, more room to play, type, etc..the list is endless. Bigger is certainly better here.
Samsung’s New Smartphone/Tablet: The Note Lightning
My friend had recently posted a link to popular tech blog Gizmodo, discussing Samsung’s newest addition to the world of smartphones, the Note Lightning. Now, upon reading this article (which will be posted here), it seems as though the tech giant either A) didn’t take a strong, steady look at healthy and successful competition, or B) just wanted to get something new off the production lines and into retail stores.
The Galaxy Note Lightning is, well, a bit physically confusing if anything. It has a large screen — larger than most bigger phones — but is still small enough to the point where calling it a “phone” is somewhat reasonable. Granted, it does sport a super AMOLED HD screen…but it doesn’t rely exclusively on touch — at least by your fingers. Remember back in the day of the Palm, where you needed a stylus to use it? Well apparently Samsung though it would be a smart (and frankly daring) idea to bring it back into STYLE! Yes, pun intended. However, this is 2012, and this stylus does more than just touch and click on the screen. Well, actually, the only other function is the ability to take a screen capture of what you’re doing…sorry, but I’m just too excited about that. /sarcasm.
Your Facebook Page and Tumblr Account Could Soon Be Your New Resume
If this isn’t a real sign that the times are really changing, then I don’t know what is. Some investment firms are now asking you for your “web presence” on social websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, or your personal blog, instead of a traditional resume, either submitted online or on a desk. The reason being for this, is that they are more interested “in what people are like, what they are like to work with, how they think”, says Christina Cacioppo, an associate and Union Square Ventures, who blogs about this very type of thing.
Now, for someone like me, this type of evolution in the hiring process would, without question, make me alter where I post content, what kind of content, and how frequently I do so. In fact, there’s quite a few people I know who would be immediately tossed away to the side as a potential employee, based solely on the type of content they post online to social networks. Scary, eh?
Update On SOPA
I was reading this new post on Tom’s Hardware, a site I frequently go to for tech news, which I subsequently post here, and found this article. I’m going to quote it verbatim, because I really could not convey the information better myself.
“SOPA’s biggest supporter claims the legislation will not censor the internet. Really.”
“On Wednesday, Reuters reported that some members of Congress had switched sides to oppose the anti-piracy legislation. The news arrived while “protests blanketed the Internet” as websites visually displayed their stance against SOPA and PIPA whether it was a simple link to anti-SOPA material, or a complete website blackout. Even one game developer launched a non-profit organization to protest against the ESA which in turn supports the legislation instead of the wishes of the enlisted “artists” and “content providers” it supposedly protects.
All the while, several sponsors of the legislation, including Senators Roy Blunt, Chuck Grassley, Orrin Hatch and John Boozman and Marco Rubio, announced their withdrawal of support for the legislation. Reports indicated that their sudden turn was due to pressure stemming from critics of the bill. But some of them openly blamed Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid for rushing the Senate version of the bill (PIPA, or the Protect IP Act). Blunt said the legislation is “deeply flawed,” while both Rubio and Boozman cited “unintended consequences” that could stem from the proposed law. Still, all those that formerly opposed the legislation said they still supported taking action against online piracy.
Playstation Vita Sales Not Strong in Japan
I’ve been a fan of portable gaming ever since my first gameboy color, we had some good times together. I have owned several handheld multimedia devices, from Nokia’s first attempt at such a device, the NGAGE, which most people had more fun pretending to be an electronic taco than a cell phone/gaming device, to Sony’s first PSP, which I received as a Bar Mitzvah gift. I don’t think it’s terribly difficult to determine the victor of the two devices.
The original PSP was (and frankly remains to be) a fantastic device. It might not have had the highest specs, the most internal RAM or fastest CPU speed (although these could be tweaked via firmware hacks), but it was excellent at a few things: delivering almost every type of content and content format in a way that was easily experienced by the user, and in the palm of their hand with fantastic battery life. For its time, it played games better than any other handheld devices you could buy, and for a price that was just right for many people; your wallet might yell at you, but it would thank you later.
Google Reportedly Working On Android-Based Wearable Technology
Have you ever looked at a product, be it online or at the store, and wanted to know if it was available for less, or perhaps wanted to know about similar products? All of this may be a reality in the future, as tech and web giant Google is working on a pair of Android-based thick-rimmed glasses, similar to those worn by many celebrities.
The concept of these new optics entails not glass, but LED or AMOLED displays integrated into the frames, and would be able to communicate directly with the cloud via IP. They are also not directly tied to Android, which means that if you are an iPhone, Windows Phone 7, or Blackberry user, you’d still be able to take advantage of this radically game-changing technology.
Users would interact with the glasses via buttons on the arms of the frame. If the glasses are wirelessly paired with a smartphone, they will connect to the Internet via the phone’s data service/Wi-fi. And since they’re a Google product at their core, you’d be accessing their search engine, the most powerful in the world.
AT&T Continually Slapped With Worst Customer Satisfaction; Still Pursues T-Mobile Merger
Anyone who has any kind of experience with AT&T knows that their service can, on occasion, be less than stellar. As a user myself with an iPhone 4S (great phone), I’ve most definitely had my share of dropped calls; albeit the new iPhone’s “switching” antenna system vows to fix that. From my overall personal experience, I think it’s great. I know many people who, when I speak to them about their experience with AT&T, will say it’s fantastic, that they love it.
Others will tell me that they’re absolutely sick of it, but remain bound to a 2-year contract with the wireless carrier, and cannot purchase a different phone on a new carrier unless they shell out some ridiculous sum of money, including cancellation fees. Regardless, the opinions I get from people are pretty mixed from the most part.
What’s that you say? You want to see some numbers? I’ve got you covered there. According to Wired, “The carrier said that this year it has improved 3G dropped call performance by 25 percent and invested billions of dollars in infrastructure.” That’s billions, with a b. That’s quite a steep price tag for improving your national infrastructure, but it is indeed necessary if you wish to be taken off the “Worst Customer Satisfaction” list.
Microsoft Updates Xbox 360 With New “Metro” Interface
Change has come to the the Xbox 360! That is…in the form of a UI update. The interface that most gamers had been using was known as the NXE or New Xbox Experience. Well, out with the old, and in with the even-newer!
For the uninitiated, this new experience is known as Metro, and has been built around the Kinect, Microsoft’s revolutionary motion-controller, capable of extremely high-accuracy motion detection from the user. The new menu system has undoubtedly been re-designed to fit the likes of the non-gamer, further proving that Microsoft aims to bring its console, as well as ease-of-use, to more than just gamers. The new design takes on a modern, indeed very “Metro” look; simplicity+power at its core.
Navigation is now literally as simple as waving your hand naturally in front of your screen, in order to take you wherever you want to go. The same goes for voice-activated search; say “Bing” or “Xbox”, followed by what you’re looking for…and whoosh, you’re there! Xbox information and other media news is displayed first thing as you boot up your system, as well as music, social applications, and even Bing search, from Microsoft.
