22
Sep
2010
Nokia Touch and Type is X3 Improved
When the Nokia X3 first came out, it was a good practical device that would be hard to put down. Not quite as astonishing as high end devices, but it was more on the safer, practical choice. Most of us believed that the next logical step for Nokia would be to move on to the creation of the X4.
The arrival of the Nokia X3-02 Touch and Type was something that could be considered as a very welcome surprise.
Strange Looking Keypad
Admittedly, the keypad on this handset looks pretty odd. While it is nothing that comes close to the bizarre layouts on concept devices, it is not that conventional either. In fact, Nokia has gambled with a visual appearance that looks pretty uncomfortable when checked up close.
But anyone who has used a portrait keyboard would be able to tell you that the 4 column layout is hardly anything to be worried about. In fact typing and navigating using the keypad is quite natural and easy.
Though learning to tap the space button when texting fast does take a few tries to get used to. In the end, the Nokia Touch and Type earns its name by proving to be one of the better phones one can type on –even with a T9 keypad.
Screen Specifications
As one would expect from its name, the X3-02 also sports a touch screen display. While it is more common for mobile phones to be toting around capacitive touch screens, the Nokia Touch and Type relies on a more old-school technology: a resistive touch screen. Surprisingly, the lack of gestures and multi touch is not that much of an issue –the touch functions are based more on navigation and are complemented by the keypad controls.
It is also fast, responsive and is able to display excellent visual quality for a phone of this caliber. Fans of this phone might also like to take a look at the Nokia C3 Touch and Type.
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.
9
Jul
2010
Apple Takes a New Approach to Data Mining
Apple is not exactly an industry friendly phone maker, but they certainly take the effort to try and take care of their end users (barring the whole antenna issue of course). This is evidently seen in the iAds system that has been implemented.
While Apple obviously stands to gain a lot from the new system, it seems that the folks at Cupertino have studied hard in order to create a system that end users would not fully object to. The iAds system has been designed to record user data regarding app downloads and app usage patterns from iPhone users, but at the same time, it prevents marketers and direct advertisers from being able to get the data directly.
This is because the iAds system takes care of all the data management and of course, ad targeting. Any user seeing an ad can rest assured that the data used to select that banner or popup was done by a system that was operating outside the control of the advertiser.
On the other hand Apple is not exactly tracking data that they do not originally have –with the small exception regarding user’s app usage patterns. The iTunes store keeps a transaction and download history for all users. This is the data that is used for targeted ads –in this sense it is easy to see how the iAds system is able to target users without having to reveal any data to Apple’s ad clients.
Apple’s decision to reveal this data is actually very important. The company has managed to avoid the same pitfalls that Google and Facebook had serious problems with. At the very least, this is where Steve Jobs gets to show off something that he is able to do better than his competitors.
The iAds system is already implemented in the latest version of the Apple iOS.
16
Jun
2010
The Icon: Gives Your iPhone Extra Power in Style
So many people have fallen in love with the iPhone. That being said, the number of third party accessories out in the market is almost endless. How can you tell if a product is really worth buying?
You would want to check if it has a thumbs up from Apple, such as the “Work with iPhone” guarantee. That being said, if an iPhone toting friend’s birthday comes up, you may want to consider giving this savvy gift.
Dubbed “The Icon”, the product is actually a portable battery charger. What makes it so special is its modern and, well, iconic design. If you have your own iPhone close at hand, look at the battery icon found on top of your screen. That is exactly how the product looks like, which makes it all the more dear to iPhone enthusiasts everywhere.
The Icon was made by the folks over at Essential TPE. Not only was it able to gain compliance certification from Apple, it was also able to get a Taiwan Good Design award. If that is not enough to get you curious, it does a pretty good job of juicing up your iPhone too, adding an extra 3 hours of nonstop talk time.
In addition, The Icon is able to give you an extra 18 hours to listen to your favorite tunes or 5 and a half hour to surf the web or keep up with the latest happenings in Facebook.
Using it is pretty simple, just plug it into the Dock Connector and you are ready to go. To be able to tell how much power is left in The Icon, just check the bar indicator powered by EL indicator lights. Trust us, you will find the design familiar.
28
May
2010
Facebook’s New Privacy Settings are Simpler
There is a new set of privacy settings on Facebook and judging from how it looks, it has been designed to be really easy to understand.
User account information and other related information are split into several categories and placed into an easy to read table that gives an easy to understand layout of how many things items in a user’s profile are actually open and viewable to which specific networks. The revision can be considered as a major improvement for people who only need to group contacts into a whole set of friends and ‘friends of friends’, but for those with more segmented friends lists, the old privacy settings pages still apply.
Speaking of which, it appears that not all Facebook users are able to access the new privacy settings page. There is no official word from Facebook as to who is already able to access the features and who will not –but since the new settings do not seem to have any provisions for custom groups, it may not appear for all users.
It is not surprising that just a day after the launch of the new page layout, there are already plenty of people complaining about how confusing it is or how tiring it is to go and edit page after page of settings –with the massive amount of content that Facebook has, it is not surprising that the privacy settings page would span more than just a couple of clicks.
Still, Facebook managed to succeed in their promise of making things simpler –for most people anyway. For now, many are still busy figuring out what to do with their social networking account –many are also dead set on completely deleting their Facebook accounts as a form of protest of Facebook’s lack of concern over the many privacy issues that have risen in the past few weeks.
24
May
2010
Tech Myths: Facebook is After You
People, in general, are not humanitarians. The call for the need of privacy is never truly about keeping the peace and order of the internet (what little there is), nor is it to protect the young children from being victimized by cyber bullies and who knows what else. The real reason why people are so concerned about online privacy is the simple sense of paranoia that Facebook is out to make their lives miserable.
Now, before losing focus here, the point of this argument is not about Facebook, it is about the users. Facebook has certainly a lot to answer for with its continued lack of respect for privacy and their aggressive data mining techniques. But that however, is the true extent of Mark Zuckerberg and the rest of Facebook’s fault.
People have to realize that Facebook is never going to make money by blackmailing them about their uploaded drunk videos, angry comments or very questionable images (though Facebook might remove offensive content if reported by other users). Facebook does not care about what embarrassing things you did during your last holiday. All that Facebook wants to know is what kind of hotel room reservations you prefer to get.
This is because the social networking site makes money by having a definitive market profile. This helps a lot because targeted advertisements are most effective when know what people are most likely to buy and purchase. The bottom line is that the no one is placed in danger because Facebook has realized that you prefer to order tacos and grilled burritos for takeout over Chinese dim sum.
And this brings us to the bottom line, people need to calm down. There is really no point in turning Facebook into some evil monster. The less time people spend raising their pitchforks is more time that people can spend writing real letters to Facebook administration in regards to their concerns.
17
May
2010
Facebooks New Policy May Mean the End for Zynga
No matter how one looks at it, Facebook’s newest policy is pretty ruthless as it steps on the toes of every single app developer that the social networking site has supporting it.
According to the recent announcements, Facebook will be implementing a new credit system for any and all transactions done in the social networking site. They will also be taking a cut of 30% from all transactions. In many ways, this will certainly discourage a lot of developers from being able to support the network. Even long term app game creator Zynga has announced that they might be leaving Facebook because of the new policies.
Zynga is a major developer of Facebook apps. The famous Farmville Flash application and many other titles in the social networking site has gained millions of users –Farmville alone already has 83 million users, making it one of the most widely played casual video games on the entire world. The game is simple but has some addictive qualities.
Players are given a virtual farm that they will manage and expand using a simple user interface. It has become famous for its simple controls and the fact that the game uses the Facebook network in order to help the player expand their farm. Users are allowed to trade goods and produce –and creating a game environment that persists in real time.
Facebook is not afraid of losing Farmville however. Despite the millions of users on the game app, Facebook still controls the underlying network that players use in the game. Even if Farmville becomes a Zynga Games exclusive, they can only carry over the personal stats of a single player, but never the entire network. On the other hand, Facebook simply needs a new developer to create a similar game (there are already many alternatives and clones of Zynga’s Mafia Wars and other titles).
4
May
2010
Facebook: A Sensible Action
It was pretty much a slap in the face for Facebook’s safety regulators when local authorities stated that they (Facebook) did not understand the concept of deterrence. While their example applies in terms of real world security, the theory does not have much bearing on the internet.
The World Wide Web’s denizens are pretty much protected by a thick veil of anonymity, and despite what many science fiction movies show you, it is not that easy to trace or track down a single user who is actually trying to hide on purpose. Rerouting and masking IP addresses as well as using various connection points can easily help even the most amateur of computer users from having their identities revealed.
Simply put, deterrence on the internet works in a different manner because the psychological frame of mind of online users is different from known behavioral patterns in the real world. Having a visible panic button is as much of a deterrent as a visibly unlocked gate.
The only real deterrence on the internet is the actual and constant presence of moderation.
In any case, Facebook is now providing users with helpful guides, tips and most importantly, dedicated help centers to address the various problems that was raised in the recent arguments regarding the social networking site’s responsibility in handling user who abuse the site’s communication functions.
There are now fully detailed guides that instruct people on how they can determine and report objectionable content on the site. The step by step instructions and the new approach would certainly encourage users to make use of the report function more than a blatantly large panic button image.
In spite of this, many people still criticize Facebook for not having the panic button at all.
27
Apr
2010
Do We Need a Panic Button?
As a response to the many reports of cyber-bullying of children on Facebook (and worse), many people are starting to press their anger towards the social networking site for ‘failing’ to provide means for children to report abusers of the online service.
Facebook has taken a very solid stand on the matter, not only refusing to give in to the demands for a panic button but also stating that the function would be detrimental to the social networking website, as it would confuse and intimidate many users. While arguments on both sides have points, the bottom line here is that ultimately, Facebook is not responsible for the many burdens being placed upon the site’s shoulders.
Such is the nature of bad parenting. As parents would rather pretend that the problem stems from the faults of other people than their inability to discipline and educate their children properly.
There is no way for a child to be ‘groomed’ discreetly by a pedophile or a stalker if a child has been educated properly to recognize ill motives and behavior. While some parents are claiming foul, it is simply their reluctance to discuss such delicate matters with their children that prevents them from properly preparing their child for the world.
As rare as innocence may be, it is a given fact that in television alone, there is enough references to sexual activities to make children confused. This possibility is escalated to an exponential degree on the internet. As such, today’s parents cannot afford to shelter their children from the world.
For now, with all the rage pointed towards Facebook’s stand against the panic button feature, focus on the real problem is bound to be spun around in pointless arguments –when will people actually start thinking about the children?
Read more about the Facebook panic button story at the Telegraph UK.
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