Archive for the ‘General’ Category
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29
Jul
2010
Recycling Your Old Mobile Phone
According to research, it was shown that the average lifespan of a regular mobile phone for any user is about two years. While this value may eventually change as technology improves, it is still a good estimate on how many handsets an average person will go through in a lifetime. With that said, the average adult would have already used about four to five mobile handsets since the time that the technology has become common.
So what happens to these old handsets?
For some, about one or two of these devices would have been lost, stolen or simply in any similar situation where the device would be completely irretrievable, but this still leaves a few more phones that are sitting around. And chances are, these phones literally are sitting around the house.
While selling off or trading in mobile phones are pretty common practices, some people just find the whole process too troublesome to go through, and a phone to valuable to toss into the garbage bin (though some will). But one way or another, all of these old handsets will eventually be joining in with so many other discarded, unused mobile phones that will fill up giant landfills.
It is estimated that about 450 million Pounds worth of mobile handsets are currently unused in the UK alone.
The best thing to do with old mobile phones is to have them sent in for recycling. While this may seem like a waste of time, it is effort well spent. Not only will these devices be given a second use (either as a refurbished unit or as a source for raw materials), but many recycling centers also give out cash incentives to people who bring in their mobile phones.
On a side note, people bringing in their handsets should check the history of their mobile phone to ensure that the device does not have a questionable background. Recycling centers have now focused on searching for stolen devices as well.
26
Jul
2010
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12
Jul
2010
Smart Phones, Social Networking and More
A recent study has shown that one out of four women between the ages of 18 to 34 would prefer to check their Facebook account before doing anything else in the morning. That little study alone shows how much the two technologies have changed and shaped society to the way that it is today.
For most of us in the tech industry, such results are not actually surprising, if anything, one can even call it predictable or inevitable. The power of smart phones to bring information access and connectivity as well as the addictive nature of the social networking site Facebook is a truly undeniable force to reckon with. And putting the two together makes all the sense in the world.
So now we have a society where more than a fourth of women from the ages of 18 to 34 are more interested in the latest status updates than actually getting on their feet first thing in the morning.
Social networking sites have always had the potential to be big and influential. In fact, when the first sites such as Multiply and MySpace appeared, it was hard to imagine that any other social networking service would be able to compete. But Facebook surprised everyone with their impressive API’s for web apps and of course a whole new take on the social networking scene.
This was further boosted by the increase of popularity of smart phone handsets. These phones –growing together with the rise of 3G networks and better WiFi services, became a new standard of open source entertainment –and they took Facebook along for the ride.
It is undeniable that the social networking site came in at just the right time, and they were the company that witnessed the golden age of smart phones –they also became the choice social networking site for many tech fans. And with impressive new handsets like the Samsung Wave and the HTC Desire being released this year, the popularity of smart phones and social networking is unlikely to go into decline anytime soon.
7
Jul
2010
How Mobile Sat Nav on Mobile is Changing the GPS Industry
With Nokia Ovi Maps, Google Maps and the Apple iPhone GPS App Skobbler offering free voice guided sat navigation services to users, is there really room on the industry for today’s dedicated GPS devices?
Onboard navigational tools from Tom Tom and Garmin are taking second priority to smart phones that offer users free sat nav services. And with the offers being delivered the various mobile phone makers, dedicated GPS companies are having trouble keeping up with all the location based services and features that the average smart phone can offer.
But this does not completely rule out the need for GPS tools.
While the average person can completely rely on accessing Google’s Maps and street view on their XPERIA X10 Mini to get around town, a professional firefighter cannot afford to avail of such free services. The same is to be said for government and volunteers that rely on digital navigation. Law enforcement, medical teams and even delivery personnel still rely on devices made by TomTom –despite the fact that smart phones offer a similar feature.
The big difference is in the maps. While there is nothing that will tell you that Google’s maps are in any way less accurate than TomTom’s data, Google is not going to be held accountable for their content either. And that is the assurance that TomTom and Garmin gives to their users.
For a regular user, it is acceptable to do away with having a dedicated car GPS device –if you do not have one yet and simply to rely on your smart phone. The only real concern here is to be careful with the monthly data allowance and to always have a car charger around as having the service running will be a drain on the battery.
Also, it would be a wise decision to invest in a reliable car dock for the handset in order to have the device located at an easy to view location for accessing data and for referencing the map.
25
Jun
2010
Mobile Phone Safety: Tips for Keeping Your Phone Safe
As impressive as technology has become in the recent years, it is also getting more and more expensive. And as such, mobile phones –especially smart phones, are prime targets of unscrupulous individuals and any opportunists who would not think twice about taking advantage of a handset that has been left unattended.
While it is also common for phone owners to actually break, drop, bend or smash their devices accidentally, there are also times when users accidentally leave their phones behind in a restaurant chair, on a café table, in a gym locker and other such locations. Here are a few tips on being able to keep track of your mobile phone.
First off, stick to good storage options. You might have a locked drawer in your office table or a secure pocket inside your bag; these are often great places to store an expensive device in without having to worry about the handset being taken while your attention lies elsewhere.
For those planning to spend a long busy night out partying, it is best to set a regular alarm on your mobile phone. Having a phone beep loudly every fifteen minutes will not be a bother to other people in a loud bar, and it will remind the owner that the device is still present even when the drinks start piling up. Of course, it would be a good idea to charge a device up prior to doing this because this would drain the battery heavily.
Avoid sticking the handset into the back pocket of pants and try not to make a habit of making the device something that you casually carry around in your hand. Having a phone in a back pocket could have it slip out or get crushed when you sit.
24
Jun
2010
How Location Based Apps are Changing Economy
Before the introduction of the modern smart phone technology, at a time when internet access was something that only a few people had available, many small businesses thrived on having geographically close customers from small, local communities.
Many of these businesses continue until this very day, while some have died out, other have found a new range of customers walking into their stores thanks to the power of smart phone technology.
While this may seem hard to put together, the smart phone industry has plenty of impact on small businesses. Take Foursquare for example. As the application encourages people to go out more, they also encourage people to visit more places. Of course, some users would aim for a mayor badge by visiting a single establishment often, but more often than not, people try to get other badges by being able to visit many other locations.
The fact that users can also leave feedbacks and recommendations is also quite impressive. More often than not, a visit to a nearby bookstore or fitness gym will have users reading recommendations about nearby pubs or restaurants. A quick stay at a local hotel might get you recommendations for the best movie houses around town. And there are more locations based services than just Foursquare.
GPS navigation services often employ a “point of interest” feature which not only shows users the locations of nearby health and emergency centers, but also the nearest stores and shops. Landmarks –both the well known and the locally established, are often noted as well. In fact, it can be said that GPS technology has allowed may businesses that have ‘bad locations’ (mostly as some road works would re-route traffic flow, turning previously busy streets into quiet side routes) to flourish. With Nokia and Google now offering free voice guided sat-nav services, expect this impact to get even larger.
23
Jun
2010
Android Retro Gaming: BreakTheBlocks Relives Arkanoid
There plenty of old school casual arcade games that are as fun to play today as they are now. However, not all of these impressive classics find a new version or update that is playable on the newer game consoles, handhelds and in this case, smart phone.
Thankfully, there are many game developers who have been heavily inspired by these titles that they have started working on their own version of the classics. Here is a quick look BreakTheBlocks, and Android app game that is similar in style to Arkanoid.
Anyone who has played Arkanoid before would know the game for the basic layout it has. The player has control of a single flat line below the screen, similar to a Pong style paddle, a ball and various blocks on the upper area of a stage that surrounded by blocks. It might sound complicated in text, but visually, it is hard to get simpler than this game.
The objective of the game is to make the ball hit the blocks on the upper area of the stage. The blocks will break when the ball hits and when the blocks have all run out, then the player wins the stage and move on to the next. If the player misses the ball, a life is lost and the game ends when all the lives are out.
Now that the summary is out of the way, we can focus on the BreakTheBlocks version. In terms of style and feel, it looks pretty much like every Arkanoid style game ever made. The slightly larger blocks and small stage makes for a slightly more challenging gameplay style, but considering the controls of the Android smart phone, this style is better suited to the controls.
BreakTheBlocks Lite is available for free on the Google Android market with 10 levels while the full paid version offers 50 stages.
17
Jun
2010
Research Shows: Internet Exposes Children to “Negative Content”
Norton is brand that has always been affiliated with their efficient and powerful antivirus software. Throughout the years, the company has grown and expanded its services to provide deeper levels of security and threat prevention software to their many clients all over the world.
Annually, the company conducts various studies of growing threat patterns –especially on the ever evolving internet. And from what they have discovered, it appears that children are often given internet access without being properly prepared.
The new Norton Family Report for 2010 shows that at least three out of 5 children will encounter negative material on the internet. And anyone who has tried using the internet before, finding violence, nudity, and other adult oriented material on the internet is as common as seeing a tree on the roadside. It is everywhere, and no one can properly manage or hide it. While we certainly do not need to keep trees away, children deserve better than to be surprised with images of naked women.
However, the solution is not to cover the children’s eyes and pretend that the issue is not there. There is nothing about the internet that states that only people of a certain age is allowed to use the resources available. Children have as much right to browse as any grown up, but the matter of preparing and educating children, falls on the hands of parents.
With the advent of smart phone technology, 3G and wireless LAN, there is no way that a parent could ever prevent a child from going online. The best thing to do is to give the child the proper amount of awareness and guidance on the various issues and problems associated with going online and interacting with people on the internet.
While it is difficult, providing your kids with the proper education and discipline is far better than any firewall or filter that anyone can provide.
7
Jun
2010
Castrol’s World Cup App Keeps You Updated with All Stats
Well, someone had to do it. With all the big excitement over the upcoming World Cup, it comes as to no surprise that someone finally made an app that would give you statistics and a projected outcome of matches.
After all, it has been proven time and time again that people in general just love number crunching. While the actual calculations are a pain to process, being able to compare cold hard numbers is actually entertaining –as weird as the idea sounds on paper. Anyway, Castrol has released an iPhone app that will get you connected with all the big numbers of the upcoming World Cup.
From the specs of the teams as a whole to individual player performances, Castrol’s database reaches deep into the history of football and gathers data from all the relevant matches that players participated in the past. Using this data, the app will even give users a predicted match outcome. And while it would not be wise making any bets based on the results of an App, it does take the thinking out of those arguments about which team would win based on the players’ histories.
The prediction system does not only offer stats on which team is likely to win, it also provides behavioral pattern results –giving you a heads up on the most likely plays to be executed by players and in shoot-outs, where a goalie would be positioning.
In other World Cup related news, UK residents are being advised to be careful of using their smart phones outside of the country –especially those planning to attend the World Cup in South Africa. People are advised to contact their mobile network operators in to know about the various roaming and data charges that would apply once a user is outside of UK territory.
3
Jun
2010
Twitting Astronaut is Coming Home
Soichi Noguchi is a Japanese astronaut, and he has become quite the internet phenomenon thanks to his totally out of this world Tweets during his NASA mission. The man has been acclaimed worldwide for the amazing images that he took from outer space, with images of famous cities, major landmarks and even the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. It has been recently announced that Soichi has finished his mission and is on the way back to Earth by the end of the week –just in time to buy the newly launched iPad released last Friday.
Known on Twitter as “Astro_Soichi”, Noguchi has become well known for his amusing one-liners and very eye-catching photographs. Of course, the big bonus with Noguchi’s images is that the perspective and view from outer space provides an all new look at the once commonly seen vistas of Mount Fuji, the Red Sea and others.
The Japanese astronaut has been able to go online straight from outer space thanks to a new form of technology developed by NASA. Originally, astronauts had to send their messages to mission control where it would be posted on Twitter by NASA personnel. With the new technology, astronauts could now post content directly online without any need for a third party to help out.
The new technology is called Crew Support LAN and is probably the most impressive form of wireless internet technology. Basically, the internet access piggybacks on the existing lines of communication from the space station to mission control. While the technology is impressive, they still have limited access to the internet –videoconferencing is reported to be available for limited periods only.
Thanks to Twitter’s new file hosting service, many Twitter users are now able to upload images and post links straight from their Tweets. The service has been long demanded by many users –especially those who love to upload images straight from mobile phones. At the rate that users have been uploading, it has been estimated that Twitpic will soon overtake the volume of images hosted on sites such as Flickr and Photobucket.
