Keeping up with technology

One of the interesting cultural phenomenon’s that I am following is the constant turn over in technology and the seemingly constant need for a certain section of the U.S. ( and other western countries) population to possess the latest gadget or version of that gadget. The Ipad sold a million units within the first couple of months. Just when Apple computer thought it’s IPhone would be the dominant smart phone for the next several years, Google released the Android operating system which, within a year, has overtaken the IPhone to be the number one smart phone in the world. Until last year everyone was happy with their latest and greatest HDTV, but now slicker, larger, 3D TV’s are marching into local retailers like a hoard of locusts making consumers feel that their 56” widescreen is out of date.

And it is not just the technology that is changing but it is the speed at which it is changing that is becoming an ever increasing issue. The founder of Intel once said that computer speed would double every 18 months (Moore’s Law). In the early 1970’s when this was first uttered it seemed like an astounding rate of change. However, while this law has held true for CPUs and memory chips, 18 months now that seems like a very long time to wait for a new version of a device. As technological devices are now not as tied to CPU’s for advancement in performance, analysts and hard core audiences (groupies) expect a new and better version of their favorite product at least once a year, or sooner if they feel that the completion has produced something significantly better. The Ipad was released in July without a camera, USB port or memory slot. Now the Ipad’s competition, Android tablets, are being released with all of these features, and technology magazines are predicting that Apple will be forced to upgrade the Ipad by January instead of waiting it’s customary year before releasing an upgrade.

Is it just me or is everyone having a hard time keeping up with this? I thought technology was supposed to make my life easier. . . .

Android Market Share for Smart Phones

Interesting article on where the handheld market is going. I while I am no expert, I would predict that Microsoft may have a bigger say in this than people think. By about the third iteration of Microsoft's phone they should get it right. . .

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/android-to-control-half-of-smartphone-market-say-analysts/38881?tag=mantle_skin;content

Bullet Points are dead

Great article in ZDnet's education forum on the importance of great presentations. We read a lot about this in one of my Instructional Design classes last winter. There is a great book called "The Presentation secrets of Steve Jobs, that tells you how to change your presentations to something great. The link above will take you to an article that will summarize the book. It is a good read.

Six things to learn from the Ipad

Six things to learn from the Ipad
This is a great article on what laptop maker needs to learn from Apple. There is now a fundamental shift in the thinking of people when it comes to battery life portability and especially "instant on" capabilities.

I think the landscape has radically changed for the better and I don't even own one.

Evan. . .

Do you really need a wireless carrier????

How to text without a cell phone

Interesting article under CNET's news section. There is an app that will now allow Ipod Touch (not phone) users to text from their touch to any other phone. They get assigned their own phone number and the texting is free. In the last couple of months they have given out 1.6 million "phone numbers" to these text only devices.

I knew texting was popular among teens, especially young teens, but this seems to take it to an entirely new level. The company who makes this is also looking at a text to voice feature that will allow you to text a message and have it ring to a regular phone.

I love how technology keeps getting more and more interesting.

Personal Information - Turn around is fair play

Privacy Battle Gets Personal for Facebook Founder Mark Zuckerberg

This has to be one of the more uncomfortable positions to find yourself in. You make billions (yes that is with a B) on getting people to expose their most personal thoughts and feelings to their friends, families and even complete strangers and then some other website (valleywag.com) hires someone to follow you around 24/7 documenting every aspect of your personal life that they can find.

The discussion of personal privacy is a hot one. Where does your right to have a personal life end and the right for the public to know begin. There is an old saying that goes something like your freedom ends when your fist hits my face. But with the digital arena is not a digital fist just as devastating as a physical one?

When you walk around your house you expect to have a degree of personal privacy. But the minute you walk out the door your "expectations of privacy" are greatly diminished. But how far should they be diminished. If someone was following you into the grocery store taking pictures of each item that you buy would that not be pushing the limits of personal privacy? What about the type of soap you buy, or even more critical the prescriptions that you get at the pharmacy. I don't think that I would want someone documenting all of those things on some blog that never really disappears.

At some point we are going to have some kind of backlash against the type of information that can be posted. It will be interesting to see how all of this shakes out.

Internship half over and what have I learned??

With my internship half over, I thought now would be a good time to reflect on what I have learned so far.

First: Do an internship on site, not online. I know that we live in a very connected world, as my Web 2.0 class continues to emphasize, but when you are just getting your feet wet in a new area of expertise, I really think it is important to be able to gain insights from lots of different people. Even the casual conversations around 'the water cooler' give you a great deal of insight as to what the people are like, the skills that they use on a daily basis, and the challenges that the company is facing.

Second: Remember in your Instructional Design classes when they talk about content experts, and how you have no power over them, but desperately need them in order to finish projects. It is all true. Bribe, beg, plead but do what ever you have to do to get their help. They are invaluable.

Finally, you don't know everything, even though it may seem like what they want you to do is exactly how you were taught to do it in Dr. Reiser's classroom. It is not. Every corporation has their own way of doing things and the most important thing that you have to learn is how to quickly adapt the principles of Instructional Design into the corporate way of doing things.

I am really liking this internship. I just wish I could stay longer. . .