There’s Google Glass. There’s the iWatch. Samsung is getting in the wearable technology game. It was only a matter of time when Microsoft was going to cast it’s hat in.
According to Forbes magazine, Microsoft plans to launch a smartwatch. This watch is expected to measure heart rates and has a two day battery life, among offering other mobile benefits. The battery life alone is about twice as much as Samsung’s Galaxy Gear and Moto 360. You know they’re going to launch their wearable device just in time for the holiday shopping season, which is very near. Though Microsoft started the process back in May 2014, this will be their first brand new project (I don’t mean spinoff or update of a Microsoft product that already exists) under the leadership of new Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Smartwatch is new chartered territory for everybody, but it’s expected to bring in over seven billion dollars in 2015 alone. Some predict smartwatches to be the next big thing in technology. Microsoft, the company that caused a revolution in computer software development, hopes to cash in on this expectant revolution.
But let’s see how Microsoft has done in other areas, especially in recent history. The Windows phone hasn’t been too kind to this company, or to Windows phone users for that matter. It’s lead many a user to frustration and confusion. Maybe that’s why they have less than three percent of the smartphone market. However, the Xbox is the most successful gaming system of all-time. The Kinect is the fastest selling device of all-time. The release date, name, or price of this mysterious device? hasn’t been released yet. But having a battery life longer than their competitors is a huge step up. But I hope that’s not all they’re depending on. The competition is fierce. And they better start making proper connections to get the medical community to support their watch, or this experiment won’t last very long. Will Microsoft survive the wearable technology race?
How many of you have Siri, Apple’s voice over the iPhone? Am I the only who thinks sometimes Siri can be a little too real, intelligent and quick witted for a smartphone voice? Well, for one 13-year old boy and his mother, Siri might just be the best friend they’ve ever had.
The boy’s name is Gus. He has autism, a disorder that can be socially crippling for any child. According to the New York Times story,? the Mom notices when Gus was questioning Siri about the weather, and the conversation between a teenager and his phone became a little deeper. Gus complimented Siri about her helpfulness and asked her if she wanted anything. Siri replied, “Thank you but I have few wants.”? As early as eight years old, Gus has always had a fascination for travel and weather. But sometimes mom got? exhausted at the constant questioning. So one birthday, she got Gus an iPhone, and the conversations have never stopped. No topic is off limit is off limits between Gus and Siri, whether it be music, etiquette, marriage, even correction. Check out the story in the article of when Gus’s brother curses at Siri. And at thirteen, in the midst of this maze called adolescence, the questions aren’t going to get any easier. I hope Siri is ready.
All too often I read about how technology can be a potential danger and intrusive to society. But it takes stories like this to remind us what good it’s doing in the world. Through Siri, Gus is getting a great education and even greater companionship. Siri is helping him open up to society. I don’t know if he would have gotten that otherwise. Gus is heading into his teen years, years that can be difficult and burdensome for any young person. So Gus and Siri are going to need each other more than ever. What dating advice will Siri give Gus?
The debate and conversation seems to have no end in sight.? More than a year after the Edward Snowden revelations, instead of making technology more private, some government leaders are calling for the exact opposite.
James Corney, the current FBI Director, wants to require all technology companies to provide law enforcement easy access to encrypted information without the people’s knowledge. Mr. Corney argues without this, criminals and terrorists will escape justice and run rampant. Apple and Google are encrypting data on smartphones that can’t be decrypted. That’s only adding fuel to Corney’s fire. Now the FBI director is calling on congress to address the issue and update laws and is going on the lecture circuit to win people over to his decrypting cause. He knows the opposition is intense, thanks to the Edward Snowden scandal. And he has a ready response for such critics: “?Have we become so mistrustful of government and law enforcement in particular that we?re willing to let bad guys walk away?? FBI Director Corney talked about a Louisiana case to illustrate. In that case, cell phone records and text messages led to a successful capture and prosecution of a sex offender’s murder of a 12-year-old boy. He talked about other cases in which this technology has helped arrest and lock up the bad guys.
These cases are absolutely horrifying! They’re so horrifying in fact that the FBI Director is kind of winning me over to his side. But infringing on the civil liberties and civil rights of innocent human beings isn’t right. I wish I could totally trust our authorities that they would use wiretapping to target criminals and terrorist, but after the past several years, I’m sorry to say I can’t. How do you draw the line between using technology to lock up the bad guys while respecting innocent people’s civil liberties and rights?
Quite a while ago, I reported Amazon starting a grocery delivery service in West Coast cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle. It must be doing well, because Amazon is moving this service east.
The delivery is called Amazon Fresh. Amazon Fresh is scheduled start it’s delivery in New York soon and very soon. But it’s only in one neighborhood: Brooklyn’s Park Slope. It should eventually expand throughout Brooklyn and other boroughs (although they’re keeping hush about when). Park Slope was chosen because of it’s high number of Amazon customers. If Amazon Fresh customers put their orders before 10am, they will get their groceries that day. If they place orders after 10am, they will have to wait until the following day. Don’t go running to join Amazon Fresh now, even if you are in Brooklyn. To participate in this program, you have to be an existing member of the Amazon Prime program…who just happen to live in Brooklyn’s Park Slope. That program is $99 a year and expected to go way up. Effective January 2015, Amazon Fresh customers will have to upgrade to a Prime Fresh program. I say upgrade because of price, not potential quality. As of this date, Prime Fresh will cost you $299 a year.
This is something I don’t get. If you’re trying to promote a new service, why are you going to triple the price on your customers when the service is barely on the ground? I agree with Amazon Fresh on the slow and cautious approach, testing the waters in California, then in New York. But I must admit, one neighborhood at a time is a bit too slow. The competition won’t be kind. Local grocers like Fresh Direct have that area on lock. And in the eyes of many, it will look like the mega international corporation is trying to kick the small business little guy to the curb. Good luck dealing with that public relations nightmare. So with the price increase and image problem, does Amazon Fresh stand a chance in Brooklyn?
Nobody is immune to natural disaster. We know it. Facebook knows it. There’s been several times where I’ve used Facebook to reach out to friends in harm’s way, or they’ve checked on me during disasters. Facebook wants to make this process even easier.
They introduce Facebook Safety Check. When disaster strikes your area, Facebook will give you a check-up notification. For example, if your town, city or county is hit by a severe thunderstorm, tornado or earthquake, Facebook will ask if you’re okay, based on where you are. That will be based on a city in your profile, last location, and/or the city you’re using the Internet in. You can select “I’m Safe” and have it put to your news feed. If your friends are in a danger zone, you can see their ‘I’m Safe’ notification on your page. Unfortunately, there has been too many disasters since Facebook’s inception in the mid-2000s. But what inspired the social media conglomerate to incorporate this app was the devastating Japanese earthquake and tsunami of March 2011. Facebook’s Japanese engineers saw how important social media was for relief workers to communicate to disaster victims, and victims to connect to each other. That’s how the Director Message Board was born, and the response was swift.
From that perspective, I respect and applaud what Facebook is doing.? During these times of crisis, social media is sometimes the only means of communication that can be had. But personally, I’m not that big of a fan of Facebook Safety Check. If my city were to be hit with danger, I’d want to send out a personal message to assure everyone of my safety, and I’d like a Facebook friend to personally contact me if they’ve been through something. I’ve seen an example of the safety check message and it just sounds too generic. Wouldn’t you rather get a personal message from a real family member, friend, colleague, or significant other in times of trouble?
