It's a White and White Issue

http://www.courant.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-apple-white-ipad-mini-20121026,0,7888407.story

Though black Apple gadgets generally enjoy greater popularity (MacBooks aside) than white products, the trend is reversing with the iPad mini.

As the Hartford Courant writes, “If you want an iPad mini, you'll have to settle for the black model.

“The white iPad mini sold out during the first day of pre-orders for the new, smaller version of the Apple tablet, according to the company's website.

“The iPad mini is supposed to ship to users by Nov. 2, but already, the expected ship time for the white models has now been changed to read “two weeks.”  That applies to the 16 GB $329 model, the 32 GB for $429 model and the 64 GB for $529 model.

“Meanwhile, the black iPad mini is still available to arrive on Nov. 2 in all three of its versions, although who knows how much longer that will last.”

Why the change in user preference?  Black devices are sleek, refined, and professional, no?

Yes.  Black devices are sleek refined, and professional.  However, the crowd that hastens to the iPad mini values character and quirkiness above sophistication.  Indeed, the crowd that hastens to the iPad mini is…young.

My proposal is that tweens and teenagers are the primary iPad mini customers.  The small size and low pricepoint delight young techies as much as the reflective apple that brands the rear of the device.

The kids who have been petitioning their parents for a tablet, yearning for an iPad but willing to accept a cheaper Kindle Fire or Nook, can now, with the advent of the iPad mini, obtain their true obsession:  An Apple product.

Goodbye Apple black, today’s kids applaud the whimsy of your white and wireless sister.

Didn't you know? I own Facebook.

http://www.courant.com/business/technology/chi-ny-businessman-arrested-in-scheme-to-defraud-facebook-20121026,0,3045643.story

On Friday, wood-pellet salesman Paul Ceglia was arrested for forging documents that support his claim of a large ownership stake in Facebook.

“The businessman sued Facebook and its CEO in 2010, claiming a 2003 contract he signed with Zuckerberg, then a Harvard University student, entitled him to a stake in the social media company.  This past March, as part of that case, Facebook released emails sent by Zuckerberg around the time of the contract to show Ceglia's claims were false.”

Forecasting the outcome of these charges, one lawyer notes, “Ceglia used the federal court system to perpetuate his fraud and will now be held accountable for his criminal scheme.”

Can you hear my guffaws?  Truly, I’m confounded by the imprudence of Ceglia.  The man alleges untruthful entitlement to one technology (Facebook) as another technology (email records) simultaneously invalidates his claim.

In and of itself, this scenario confirms Ceglia’s fraudulence.  How could this man, who naively underestimates the might of technology, have contributed to Facebook?

I can do everything better than you...except print.

http://www.courant.com/business/technology/ct-tribu-tech-questions-ipad-cant-print-20120225,0,4783878.story

As an iPad owner, I share the confusion of my befuddled peers who cannot understand why the Apple tablet, which boasts miraculous capabilities, cannot perform a function that my 1995 Compaq somehow managed.  The iPad cannot print.

Apparently, “The iPad doesn't have built-in software to talk to printers.  But it does have software that lets it talk to a Mac laptop.  So to print from an iPad, it first has to (wirelessly) ask the Mac, “Would you mind telling the printer to print this document for me?”  If the Mac has been set up properly to hear the iPad, it will print out the document, because the Mac does have built-in software to talk to printers.”

Though Apple could have equipped the iPad with this competency, “that would have taken up a lot of room on the iPad's flash drive, room that's probably better spent holding apps, music, video and other more interesting stuff.”

While I prefer that the iPad preserve its capacity to accommodate my applications, notes, and music, I do wish the sucker could print.  The device walks, talks, and squawks like a computer, so why not perform all the same functions?

However, as one article reminds me, “the iPad is not designed to replace a PC, much like a microwave oven can never replace a conventional oven.  But it's quite a neat device, although, yeah, printing is one thing it cannot do by itself.”

Last week, I posted about the brydge keypad that transforms an iPad into a laptop.  As a highly functional yet simple device, I would consider condensing my personal technologies (and freeing some space in my charger drawer) by retiring all devices other than my iPad.  However, it is these limitations that remind me of the iPad’s impracticality.  Though the compact, suave, and futuristic qualities of the tablet make it endlessly…cool…it is not a sensible everyday gadget.

Thus, I must retain my laptop and my overcrowded charger drawer.

And how will you be paying, sir? With cash or by smartphone?

http://money.cnn.com/2012/10/19/technology/innovation/isis-mobile-wallet/index.html

On 22 October, Isis, a mobile network founded by Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, will release its mobile wallet app.  Partnerships with such major retailers as Foot Locker, 7-Eleven, McDonald’s, and Sports Authority give Isis "serious firepower.”

The network will support American Express and Capital One credit and debit cards, and will store payment cards, loyalty programs, and merchant offers.  Though the company has yet to reveal which smartphones will be compatible with Isis, we do know that its system functions with near-field communication chips and short-range wireless technology.

Unfortunately for Isis, its lengthy startup process permitted other web payment apps to capture consumers.  eBay, Paypal, Google, Venmo, and Square are a few examples of successful mobile payment applications/ services/ technologies.  However, “if Isis’ carrier partners work with handset makers to pre-install Isis’ software on new phones—a likely scenario—the upstart venture could quickly gain traction.”

A few weeks ago, I wrote of the cultural loss I associate with a coin-less and bill-less society.  Though this application isn’t harmful or silly in any way, it shatters yet another seemingly timeless tradition.  Unless you’re staggeringly wealthy, your on-hand cash and coins likely weigh very little.  That means we’re adopting these technologies to save time…so we can get home to Facebook?

Each day, we approach a Jetson civilization of sleek, colorless, personality-less metal.  Indeed, when I learn of applications like Isis, I begin the wearying process of staking my house to the lawn.

Teaching an Old Dog Technology Tricks

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/20/nyregion/in-wi-fi-intoxicated-manhattan-a-generation-of-teetotalers.html?_r=0

http://snewzbutton.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/oldpeopleonline-300x253.png

Every month, the First Presbyterian Church in New York City’s Greenwich Village hosts a technology seminar to educate the community’s older residents about the wireless innovations their youthful counterparts grotesquely cuddle each night.

As modernity wars with tradition, the attendees balance their aversion to technology with a true terror of obsoleteness.  Reactions to the seminar are chuckle-provoking:

“I think it’s going to end badly, this lack of contact in the world.”

“People say, ‘What if there’s an emergency?’  I say, ‘There’s nine people around me who have one.’  I’ve never had that emergency, and neither have they.” [Smartphones]

“I’ve seen children neglected,” she added darkly. “I’ve seen friends neglected.” [Not being connected]

“The worst is not knowing what it is, not knowing how to get there, and knowing that everyone around you is completely hooked in.”

‘“Has anybody heard of Angry Birds?”  he asked.  Murmurs followed.  Not one hand went up.’

“I’m too old to understand this, but I think it’s great.”

“They could put a bomb on your head anytime,” he said. Who could? “Your enemies,” he replied. “Your slobbering enemies.” [Smartphone tracking technologies]

“It was fascinating…but it’s not my generation, so I didn’t know what he was talking about half the time.”

What does this article tell me?  First, I am sixty years too young for my own good.  Second, the elderly generation reaffirms their wisdom often.  In particular, the sassy woman who pairs an aversion to technology with social disownment is decidedly astute.  She understands that, if you do not connect wirelessly, you cannot connect socially.

As a nation, we have discarded phone calls and snail mail, the only forms of communication familiar to our oldest generations.  What is left of tradition?  Very little.  What choices do we leave holdouts?

The obstinate few who maintain their wired ways must either suffer isolation or cultivate friendships with the local Best Buy staff.

Brydging the Gap Between Tablet and Laptop

http://www.informationweek.com/hardware/reviews/6-ways-to-turn-your-ipad-into-a-laptop/232901114

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/552506690/brydge-ipad-do-more

http://technabob.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/brydge-ipad-keyboard-4.jpg

Generally, I roll my eyes when the first thing people do after purchasing a new technology is accessorize it.  My friends and family browse Amazon for cases, car cords, keypad covers, decals, and the like whenever they grab a new gadget.  That being said, I cannot help but covet the following iPad accoutrement:

Called the Brydge, this thing is simply…cool.

As their website notes, “Brydge is an elegant solution to the lack of quality iPad keyboards and accessories currently on the market.  Brydge connects to your iPad using a patent-pending hinge which allows for close to 180 degrees of iPad positioning and holds your iPad secure.

“Brydge’s hinge combines the forces of friction and magnetism to hold strongly onto the iPad.  There is no need to enclose your iPad in any sort of case, instead, your iPad snaps in and is ready to go.  If you need your iPad free from Brydge, simple hold down on the Brydge and pull your iPad free.” 

In addition to boasting the Apple aesthetics, this device, which features speakers, offers impressive functionality.  Indeed, if you own an iPad and one of these nifty keyboards, do you really need a laptop?

As a minimalist, I maintain the conviction that, if ever my iPad (which was a gift) breaks, I will not replace it and will simply continue with my good-for-all-purposes laptop.  Now, I wonder if I should amend that strategy.  Perhaps, if my Asus breaks, I’ll instead equip my iPad with the accessories that transform it into a laptop?

Class, please take out your Nooks and swipe to page 45.

http://www.courant.com/business/technology/chi-barnes-noble-sees-fast-growth-with-nook-will-expand-to-9-new-countries-20121010,0,2997050.story

As this article states, “Barnes & Noble Inc. expects its digital Nook and college bookstore businesses to generate combined revenues of $3 billion this year, helped by strong e-books sales growth, and the bookseller said on Wednesday it plans to expand its digital bookstore into nine new international markets by June.”

While I hardly object to Barnes & Noble’s competitive position, I do fault the nation’s hearty approval of digital reading.  Here’s why:

First, consumers must understand that the trees we spare with the purchase of tablets and e-readers do not negate the other forms of waste associated with these devices.  We don’t have to plug paperbacks into outlets.  We power fewer machines when we produce a biography than when we assemble a Nook.  And let’s not forget that, recycling aside, a pamphlet or encyclopedia biodegrades swiftly and unremarkably while a plastic and metal tablet containing hazardous innards does not.

Second, e-books and e-textbooks cost as much as their paper counterparts.  When we purchase the digital versions, we encourage these contemptible pricing practices.

Third, a question:  Will it be okay with you if your eventual child grows up without ever opening, flicking through, cursing, highlighting, doggy-earring, starring, tucking notes into, stroking, and even sniffing a physical book?  At this thought, Faulkner would renounce us, Melville would sail away, and Shakespeare would pen another play simply to cast us as fools.

Somehow, this movement away from paper and toward digital mediums represents a grander disownment of history, of intense study, and of worthwhile knowledge.

We keep making things "easier."  Remind me...why do things need to be easier?

HP: Dethroned

http://www.courant.com/business/sns-rt-us-lenovo-hp-gartnerbre8991rf-20121010,0,3297414.story

In addition to detailing the general decline in worldwide shipments of personal computers, this article discusses HP’s stagnant sales and Lenovo’s leaping popularity.

“China's Lenovo Group Ltd edged out Silicon Valley icon Hewlett-Packard Co to become the world's No. 1 PC maker in the third quarter, according to data released by research house Gartner on Wednesday.  A rival to Gartner, IDC, still ranks HP in the lead - but by less than half a percentage point - in terms of PC shipments worldwide.  Both studies reinforce HP's struggles against rivals as new chief executive Meg Whitman tries to overhaul the stalled 73-year-old company.”

This summer, I initiated a fatiguing quest for a new laptop.  Though macs are the go-to products for most buyers, I prefer the PC layout and decided to select from the standard brand spectrum:  Toshiba, HP, Lenovo, Asus, and Sony.

After purchasing and returning a Toshiba with a faulty battery, I chose the Lenovo ideapad.  Why?  Because an HP with comparable specs cost $150 more.

My saga follows.  Note my selective use of past tense:

Because I care so little for technology, I’m partial to simple machines that accomplish tasks with the fewest buttons and processes possible.  Lenovo satisfied this preference.  The keyboard and features were both minimalistic.  Indeed, while watching a brief YouTube clip, I attempted to lower the PC’s volume and found that the machine only recognized six or eight sound increments, with no pleasing options between “too soft” and “too loud.”

When adjusting brightness, the unglamorous outline of a grey sun appeared on my screen.  Moreover, webcam features and bonus software were both nonexistent.  None of these failings bothered me.

However, the exterior of the machine was poorly finished.  The edges looked to be snapped together, with a few fringes of some variety of cotton or string defiantly sticking out.  My greatest grievance, however, was the touchpad.  Beyond the lousy scroll functions and the overly responsive touch sensitivity, the pad itself was poorly fastened to the computer.  Indeed, I noticed that one corner was even detached from the body of the machine.

After owning the laptop for a month, the touchpad failed.  Though I could move the mouse, I could not click by tapping or pushing on the pad.  Back to BestBuy it went.

If we dismiss my touchpad as a dud, I will admit that, overall, the laptop functioned well.  Moreover, no other computer boasted an i5 processor for such a reasonable price ($650 range).  Though the aesthetics of the machine were unexceptional, I do understand the surging popularity of Lenovo.

With this knowledge, I offer HP only two options:  Lower prices to compete with emerging price-conscious brands or somehow offer a differentiated PC experience that is so remarkable, it merits the added cost.

And for those curious few, I am typing this blog post on my new Asus notebook.

Land Ho! Or not...

http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2012/10/10/lytro-plenoptic-camera-gets-new-features-wider-availability

http://a57.foxnews.com/global.fncstatic.com/static/managed/img/Scitech/660/371/lytro%20camera%20samples.jpg

http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2011/10/19/Lytro_stacked_cropped_610x493.jpg

Before you start speculating, let me offer two hints:  This device is neither a sleek kaleidoscope nor a modern spyglass…but don’t lose interest just yet.  You can still use it to spot land and morph colors.

Dubbed the “Lytro light field camera,” this gadget boasts the impressive powers of refocusing images after capture.

As the article notes, “Lytro also has a bright fixed-aperture zoom lens, and can create a depth map from the captured image which lets it provide a limited 3D effect, as demonstrated on the company's blog.  And without the need to focus, by all accounts it's pretty speedy.”

Though the low resolution and miniscule monitor yield critical grumbles, the primary function of the device—providing post-picture clarity—is impressive.

As the designated photographer of my family and friends, I sometimes resent the obtrusive digital screen that detaches me from the goings on of various outings.  From whale watches to dinner parties, I spend too much time viewing the reproduced images of friends, relatives, and earthly spectacles, and not enough time gazing at the physical beings and happenings before me.

Unlike tablets, apps, and the majority of technologies, this device heightens man’s engagement with his immediate world.  Indeed, Lytro reduces the amount of time we must stare at screens.  Without the need to focus on an image, users can simply capture a moment and edit it later, after the company departs or the ship docks.

The price point?  To deepen your acquaintance with reality, you’ll have to shell out $400.  Money well spent?

The Downloadable Days Aren't Over

http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-205_162-6588479.html

http://blastmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/nintendo-logo.jpg

http://www.examiner.com/article/nintendo-3ds-to-get-downloadable-mario-kart-7-super-mario-3d-land-and-more

A couple of years ago, Nintendo released its newest handheld gaming device.  Called the 3DS, the gadget boasts “a “parallax barrier” LCD screen, whose pixels are aligned so your left and right eyes see different portions of the image.  It's as if two sets of thin blinds were laid over the screen so each eye sees its own version. Combined in the brain, the two versions become a 3-D image.”

Essentially, gamers enjoy 3D realities without the clunky inconvenience of goggles or glasses.  The device’s clever, precedent-setting technology demands only $170.

Recently, the corporation announced a variety of popular games that will become available for download in the coming months, including Mario Kart 7, Super Mario 3D, and Zelda II.  Apparently, Nintendo is embracing the ease of downloadable content.

From Netflix to Nintendo, we seem to have abandoned the traditional means of viewing movies and games.  Goodbye discs and cartridges.  We consumers favor minimalism.  If it’s downloadable, it’s preferable.  Fewer items to force into our bulging television stands.

Downloadable content aside…

I must admit that, when I learned about the 3DS, I began to wonder if product developers are truly considering their consumers.  Are they assessing us accurately?

Think about it.  Do people who purchase handheld technologies really yearn for the 3D experience?  With such a small screen, the 3D display hardly immerses gamers in the virtual world.  So what’s the point?

Will none admit that some technologies needn’t be developed further?  Needn’t accommodate the latest and greatest?  Needn’t feature fourteen 3D screens?  Will we ever reach a plateau?

Please, can we reach a plateau?

One Giant Knee-Bend for Mankind

http://www.gizmag.com/pizzicato-knee-joint-energy-harvester/22933/

Get ready for brilliance.  Scientists at the United Kingdom’s Cranfield University, University of Liverpool, and University of Salford have developed a device that converts knee movement into electricity.

Please excuse this long and technical quotation:

“Known as the pizzicato knee-joint energy harvester, the device fits onto the outside of the knee.  It is circular, and consists of a central hub equipped with four protruding arms, surrounded by an outer ring bearing 72 plectra (a plectrum is a plucking tool, such as a guitar pick).  The ring rotates about a quarter of a turn with every bend of the knee, causing the plectra to pluck the arms.  This causes the arms to vibrate (not unlike a guitar string), and it’s those vibrations that are used to generate electrical energy.”

Presently, the device can harvest two hundred milliwatts of power.  More startlingly, researchers forecast an eventual capacity that can power a GPS tracking system.

Though the device is currently targeted at overladen soldiers who lug hefty batteries in hostile places and harsh climates, I foresee the grander implications of this technology.  If such a product were commercialized and sold to consumers, we could literally power our own lives.

The word “amazing” is overused and has therefore lost its potency.  However, if the term were only uttered in response to scenes and situations that authentically “amaze,” I assure you it would cross my lips right now.

With the excess of cell phones, tablets, laptops, e-readers, and other gadgets, we plug more items into our sockets than in years past.  Moreover, we overcharge devices and waste further electricity.  With energy harvesters like this one, we could, as a population, do a little damage control.

Though I appear to be a technology-scorner, I am, at this moment, disproving the generalization.  This is the kind of technology I appreciate.  This is the kind of technology the world needs.  The invention features no screens, no apps, and requires no bedazzled cases.  It simply and efficiently achieves its straightforward goals of function and responsibility.  No flourishes, no adornments, no campaigns.  This is prudent, society-advancing, revolutionary technology that proves the greatness of man and affirms our status as evolved beings who rightfully and purposefully inhabit this planet.

The In-Between iPad

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2012/10/03/ipad-mini-competitors/

Though an absurd quantity of Americans possess at least one and possibly twenty Apple products, the company has elected to expand its market by introducing a 7.85 inch tablet.  Surprise, surprise.

With this smaller product, Apple will compete with similarly mini tablets including the seven inch Kindle fire, the seven and nine inch Nook tablets, the seven inch Google tablet, and the seven inch Samsung Galaxy tablet.  These devices range in price from $159 to $500.

My first reaction pertains to the usefulness of this product.  The 7.85 inch size is a compromise between the 4.87 inch iPhone and the 9.5 inch iPad.  The new tablet will be too large for pocket transportation but, arguably, too small for legitimate, daily convenience.  An appealing price point, however, will likely override any customer misgivings.

 Though I question the practicality of this device, I do not underestimate the enormous sales Apple will enjoy with its release.  My current theory is that consumers purchase such tablets as the Nook and Kindle Fire to avoid the high prices of Apple products.  If Apple releases this new iPad at a price that competes with popular small-size tablets, buyers will likely opt for the tested Apple technology.

Moreover, Apple loyalists will purchase this mini iPad within months of its release, even if they already own a normal-size iPad.  How do I know this?  Somehow, Apple lovers always manage to justify/ find a use for each new Apple product.  They simply worship Apple and employ no restraint when the company’s latest sleek creations reach markets.  Cost and utility are immaterial to the allegiance of Apple fanatics.

Overall, Apple’s new tablet will be big…even though it’s small.