Shop Until Your Fingers Drop

http://reviews.cnet.com/software/google-shopper-android/4505-3513_7-35536482.html

For thirty two posts, I have expounded upon the failings of technology.  Though these thoughts are authentic, I must confess my own shocking shortcoming to my nonexistent fan base:  As I profess my aversion to technology, I pathetically commit the odious and hypocritical act of persistent online purchasing (or, more aptly described, “online browsing”).

That being said, I was eager to learn of Google’s new shopping application:  Google Shopper.

“The newest version of Google Shopper has an attractive user interface, a new way to find deals, and other tweaks.  Whether you're looking for apparel, electronics, accessories, or pretty much anything else, the app is a great place to start, as it scours the entirety of the Web for both local and online retailers that carry the items you desire.

“As is typical with Google-made Android apps, Google Shopper's user interface is simple and starts with a search bar.  Up top, you can type in a keyword, start a voice search, or activate your camera to run an image search, which can recognize not only bar codes, but also books, CDs, DVDs, and video games by their cover art.  Hopefully, in future versions, the app will have some more of Google Goggles' powers built in so as to recognize an even wider variety of items.  But for now, the options available are more than sufficient.”

One further admission:  I am not merely an online shopper.  I am an online bargain shopper.  The difference?  The latter requires effort.  Google Shopper offers a number of features that ease the deal-searching process (which, I assure you, is tedious).

Though I still own a low-tech phone that does not connect to the internet, I do think the application is handy, especially the feature that permits users to snap photos and search for items.

Like all other recreational technologies, the application is unnecessary for mankind’s basic daily routine.  Do we need to shop online?  No.  Would we have the money to pay full price for items if we didn't spend hundreds of dollars on data plans?  Yes.

If you’ll allow me to minimize my hypocrisy, I cannot judge this app as harshly as my habit recommends that I should.  For now, let’s let Google Shopper off with a warning.

I promise we’ll ticket the sucker next time around.

Watching and Learning

http://www.courant.com/business/technology/stv-tech-rich-demuro-headline-jibjab,0,2406849.story

Two computer savvy fathers who care to improve the minds of children can accomplish much.  How do I know this?  The proof follows.

Evan and Greg Spiridellis, founders of JibJab (a company apparently known for its funny political videos), have launched Storybots, a website that adds a pinch of joy to the tiresome learning process.

“Storybots offers several videos to help your kids learn their ABC’s complete with dancing robots.  Their most popular site feature is Starring You Storybooks, a mobile app that inserts kids into the stories they're reading.

“All you have to do is snap a picture of your child’s face, upload it to the app, and their face and name is instantly inserted into the story.

“There are 19 different titles you can choose from and your first book is free.

“After that each digital storybook is about under $10 each.  “The Storybots are these infinitely curious brightly colored, little creatures who actually live in the world beneath our screen” said Greg.”

How fun!  I must admit that I have indulged in the Elf Yourself service that attaches a user’s face to the body of a holiday elf dancing to a Christmas carol.  That was a hoot; I watched the video at least two times, cackling in outrageous amusement.

As an adult of twenty two years, I somehow managed to enjoy that “juvenile” game.  My instincts assert that the Starring You Storybooks application will similarly delight young learners.  Our human curiosity naturally surges as we observe ourselves.  Why not capitalize on this behavior and transform those flashes of vain reflection into moments of valid edification?

The purpose of technology is not to amuse and distract, but to teach and guide.  Though few popular technologies achieve these aims, Storybots does.

When I have children, I will most certainly download such an application.  Though my kids will never star in Hollywood’s pictures, they will star in Storybots’ pictures.  Fun without fame does not a troubled teenage actor make.

Pope Benedict: A Modern Man?

http://www.courant.com/business/sns-rt-us-pope-twitterbre8a80xg-20121109,0,7417139.story

http://heresthethingblog.com/2011/06/29/popes-twitter-video/

One international body that universally embraces traditions and rejects the newfangled inventions of today is the Catholic Church.  However, the Vatican has recently yielded to the sleek grasp of change; eighty-five-year-old Pope Benedict, who “is known not to love computers and still writes most of his speeches by hand,” will soon board the back of the blue bird.  Yes, Pope Benedict intends to join Twitter.

“Primarily the tweets will come from the contents of his weekly general audience, Sunday blessings and homilies on major Church holidays.  They will also include reaction to major world events, such as natural disasters.

“The leader of the world's 1.2 billion or so Roman Catholics will not, of course, write the tweets himself, but he will sign off on them before they are sent in his name.

“But even divine intervention might not help squeeze the gist of a papal encyclical, which can run to more than 140 pages, into 140 characters.

“Those tweets will probably be limited to a link to a URL with the entire document.

“The papal handle has not yet been disclosed but it is widely expected to be @BenedictusPPXVI, his name and title in Latin.

“The pope has given a qualified blessing to social networking.”

While I hardly condone social networking, I propose that a papal Twitter presence will improve the world a smidge.  RELIGIOUS LEANINGS ASIDE, the concept is a good one, as mankind would benefit from the heightened accessibility of benevolent, righteous, and spiritual guides.

Imagine this.  A man suffers a horrid day of spousal drama, professional pains, and personal dissatisfaction.  As usual, he checks his phone before returning home for the evening.  Generally, he scans the tweets of his friends, all of which are either somber complaints or useless nonsense.  Today, however, he scans the uplifting and compassionate offering Pope Benedict posted to Twitter moments ago.

Such a scenario heightens that man’s likelihood of smiling, sympathizing, and succeeding.  That man will arrive home with corresponding kindheartedness and will straighten every gnarled branch of his own tree of life.

My recommendation:  Tweet on, Pope Benedict.  Tweet on.

Facebook Scrolls Down its Own Timeline

http://www.courant.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-facebook-timeline-20121101,0,2811169.story

Another Facebook redesign.  Gee, that’s surprising!  Actually, the rationale for the redesign is rather unexpected.  Indeed, the social media network sees the folly of its recent ways!

“Facebook is testing a redesign of its Timeline feature that could make reading old posts slightly easier.

“The Menlo Park-based company confirmed that it is testing an experimental version of the redesign on a small number of users.

“The experimental design was discovered by Inside Facebook.

“It is similar to older designs Facebook used when its members had “Walls,” in which status updates showed up in a linear fashion rather than zigzaging from left to right as they do now with the Timeline.”

Though I dependably express my vociferous displeasure with each confounding Facebook adjustment, I would not lament this change.  Why?  The current timeline setup is silly, as users care little about the chronological placement of their postings.  Indeed, the purpose of Facebook is not to track one’s life in an ordered line, but is instead to share the events of one’s life via a comprehensible and maneuverable public page.

I first created a Facebook profile in 2008.  At that time, Facebook features and bonuses were limited and the layout of the website was brilliantly simple.  Statuses remained at the top of a user’s page, posts appeared in the middle of the screen, and everything was gratifyingly straightforward.  No Farmville, no princess quizzes, no memes, and less (unfortunately, I cannot truthfully say “no”) stupidity.

I applaud Facebook for reevaluating past practices.  Often, we label retroactive reanalysis as a disgraceful confirmation of innovational failures.  However, to identify the merits of the past and the shortcomings of the present is to demonstrate focused concern not for appearance, but for performance and utility.

This is wisdom.  Now, let's compel our peers to embrace further practices of the past…like reading, storytelling, and engaging in harmless tomfoolery!

People love red! (And I’m not referring to Taylor Swift’s new album.)

http://www.courant.com/business/technology/chi-icahn-takes-10-of-netflix-propelling-stock-20121031,0,4104018.story

How many times have you had the following conversation?

A:  “You have to check out _insert movie or series_.”

B:  “When is it on?”

A:  “Not sure but it’s on Netflix.”

B:  “Okay, I’ll add it to my queue.”

My queue is overfull.  Clearly, I've had this conversation a number of times.  As the article indicates, I am joined by many consumers in my ravenous use of Netflix.

According to the cited article, “Shares of Netflix Inc. jumped as much as 20 percent Wednesday after activist investor Carl Icahn reported a stake of nearly 10 percent in the company, which offers subscriptions to watch movies and TV shows over the Internet and on DVDs.

“Icahn disclosed the stake in a regulatory filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.”

Confirmedly, Netflix is a handy and nearly universal mode of movie viewing.  The dual benefits of the service are that users view many movies for the price of a small stack of $20 DVDs and that those same users avoid the overabundance of movie cases that necessitates the offensive black plastic stands of the early 2000s.

However, the company enjoyed greater success over the summer.  Apparently, “Netflix stock, which was trading 14 percent higher at $79.47 per share late on Wednesday afternoon, had reached $304 in July 2011 but has slumped after it imposed an unpopular price hike, faced new competition and increased spending on new content and an international expansion.”

What users must remember is that we price products and services.  Indeed, as Shark Tank persistently reaffirms, products are worth only as much as consumers are willing to pay.  Though the movie exchange service boasts several appealing perks, we mustn’t heedlessly commit ourselves to Netflix.  As membership prices rise, we must recall the minimal incremental costs borne by the company.  Indeed, it costs little to stream a single movie to one additional user.

Currently, Netflix is both a convenient and financially logical service.  However, if we passively accept swelling prices, the perks of Netflix will steadily shrink.  Eventually, we will forget the initial appeal of the service and think only of our tedious and overlarge monthly Netflix bills.

Let’s not outprice ourselves!  What are movies really worth to you?  Though I embrace the oblivion of on-screen fantasies, I can achieve similar groundless sensations by scanning a book from the local library.

As a population, perhaps we should be a little less accepting of monthly fees for luxury services.  Think about it.  If you eliminate such indulgences as data plans, Netflix services, and premium channels, how much more would your wallet weigh?

Chromebook: One more [useless] gadget

http://www.businessinsider.com/google-chromebook-review-2012-10

You’ve seen the commercials, I’m certain.  Befuddling, no?  What is this Chromebook?  How can a laptop cost only $249?  Read on.

“The idea behind the Chromebook is to run just about everything within the Chrome browser, with Google services covering your documents, email, calendar, etc.

“But unlike normal laptops, there's no file management system. It's not a laptop. It's not a tablet. It's a shell that houses a web browser.  That's it.

“While Google added more of a “desktop-like” feel to the Chromebook's operating system with a home screen of icons that launch web apps in the browser, it's simply a facade.  There is no way to effectively manage files that aren't Internet-based.  If you don't have an Internet connection, you're extremely limited in what you can do.”

I apologize…  I must appear pathetically obtuse.  I assure you, I’m a bright girl.  Really, I am.  But…  I still don’t get.

Assuming the Chromebook performs its existing functions irreproachably, it remains a useless and superfluous device.  Netbooks and tablets offer more functions than the Chromebook at the same affordable price.

Truly, the Chromebook is a tricky device.  As in, it’s a trick.  Ostensibly, it is a fully practical laptop that boasts standard features at an accessible price.  After all, no other twelve inch folding gadgets with full-sized keypads and screens skimp on the primary computing functions expected of a laptop-looking device.  Disillusioned online shoppers who neglect their technology homework may purchase the “computer” and be surprised by its dependence on apps and an internet connection.

There you have it.  A reason to continue reading.  Witty and Wireless:  Saving readers return shipping fees with every post.

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.