Risk and Riches in User Data for Facebook

Facebook has recently been facing a widespread problem involving their privacy policies on user data and the way they allow advertising companies to get through to so many Facebook users. Europe has already asked Facebook to alter their privacy policies at least for them. Facebook has always faced this problem, as expected with its 845 million users worldwide, however, Europe is where Facebook faces most of its problems. In the recent contract signed by Facebook at the government data protection agency in Ireland, they promised to change the sight slightly for European users.  They also promised to better explain how user data is used to enhance advertising on the site.  Although countries like Germany disapprove of Facebook's advertising strategies, it is in effect an ingenious tactic on Facebook's part.  Without this ability that advertisers have within Facebook to get across to so many people who have simply hit their "like" button, Facebook would be severely impacted by this change. This new way of advertising and reaching so many potential customers at once, is an invaluable new way to do business and Facebook has provided for this. 

Android Expands to a Variety of Gadgets

It's healthy and refreshing to see some competition within the technology market and Google's Android has begun to show promise against Apple.  A few new gadgets that are on the market now or will be soon include Wimm One, the Cybertecture Mirror, and the Nyxio Smart Android TV.  These are just a few of the new devices that are changing the way we view technology.  Now things that we have seen in movies and on TV about the future, showcasing many gadgets and apparatuses that looked far too futuristic and complicated to ever hope to replicate, might actually be more tangible than we thought.  For example, the Wimm One is a smart watch.  With this new technology you can check your calendar, Facebook, etc. with something as small as a wristwatch. It can even connect to phones and receive text messages.  You will never lose this as long as it is strapped to your wrist, which is a major plus and it's priced at just $199.  The Cybertecture is another amazing new gadget, which consists of a large touch screen mirror that can connect to the web, as well as many other things that smart phones can do. It can also measure your body mass, weight, bone mass, etc., which can all be sent directly to your doctor.  Unfortunately this device can mainly be found in luxury hotels in Asia, since it costs a whopping $7,700. Another incredible new invention is the Nyxio Smart Android TV.  This year, 2012, we will start to see gadgets like this in the realm of the smart TV. In fact, Apple will release their version very soon along with Android.  This Android smart TV will allow owners to use about half a million Android apps.  These TV's will actually be ready for purchase around April of this year starting at $450. Many new "smart" inventions will be placed on the market in the years to come as seen here already. Our vision of the future is just around the corner.

Iphones over Blackberries in the workplace

iPhones have gained so much popularity now that Blackberries are being pushed to the side by executives and business professionals.  This is a big step for those companies who are making this leap.  After using one type of mobile device and one system for so many years, companies have found pros and cons to the switch.  For example, if personal smartphones (aka iPhones and Droids) are being used as work phones too, then companies must make sure that they have stellar locks into place on the device and that they have a way of deleting all company files after the employee has left.  If a phone is reported lost or stolen for instance, many companies have made it so that they can wipe the device clean of all sensitive work related materials.  Many companies have even started "walling of data", which means that they have set up a separate section in the employee's mobile device with a separate password that cannot be moved or downloaded into the phone itself.  It is a part of the phone that is strictly for work alone.  One major downside is having to test all programs in multiple mobile devices to make sure it files and programs will work in each type of phone an employee might have.  This takes time and money from the company, so one way for the company to get around this is by creating a mobile app that can be downloaded on a smartphone.  In fact the company Kimberly-Clark is working with AT&T to create a mobile-enterprise-application platform, which would allow for a company app that would work on all mobile devices.   Overall, the switch from iPhones to Blackberries in the workplace may be found as beneficial or as a nuisance, however, iPhones are the new future for smartphones in the business world.

iPad Apps

For anyone who has browsed the App Store on any of their apple devices from iPhones to MacBooks to iPads, it is easy to see that there really is an app for anything.  In fact there are about 500,000 apps in total!  How does one find and choose the best apps for their device? In this article, Macworld explores the eleven most favorite iPad apps from a home for all your to-do lists to a cheaper version of Photoshop, these apps are worth investigating.  Since the iPad is known for its expansive touch screen, apps have been created to make the best use of the large screen.  Out of the 500,000 apps 3,500 are to be used most favorably on the iPad.  One of the apps in this article called Things for iPad is perfect for the excessive list maker, especially because it updates your lists, calendars, and contacts on all your other devices, which keeps everything up to date.  If you want something along the lines of Photoshop but don't wish to spend an overly large amount of money then Layers is the right app for you starting at just $2! Instapaper Pro, which costs $5 is another great app, which allows you to save all articles you are in the middle of reading or have already read and store them all in one place.

Generation Robot

Within all of the technology humans have created, we are bound to see major changes in our future.  From robots in the workplace to inserted DNA, we will undoubtedly become an evermore increasingly technological society.  Everywhere you look there are people hooked into their iPhones or iPods, texting, or checking their Facebook status.  One might even say that we have trouble functioning without our technological devices.  If humans and machines were to come together, as author Jimmy Guterman says will be possible in the near future, our species will have changed drastically.  This has its positive and negative aspects of course.  Some might say that it is a necessary step in developing our future to become increasingly more technological and machine oriented.  Others might say it takes away from the very essence of our being and simplifies us into machine dependent individuals.  I believe in both of these ideas.  Humans should strive to improve and enhance themselves and the world around them while keeping up with the times, but on the other hand, it is up to each new generation to pass along the traits that make us truly human such as altruism and compassion.  The author of this article states that many professionals believe this transition, towards a connection between humans and machines is already in progress.  Though, this could be a good thing, I also believe we must be careful when making these drastic changes in our world because it is apparent that technology could outsmart us and take us over (Guterman).