Foul Tech Sours

While the bottom line (net revenue) is important to a businesses finances and success, several companies realize that in order to increase this number it is important also important to increase efficiency.  Having an impact on overall efficiency begins from the bottom up: the employees must be satisfied with not only themselves, but their work environment. While providing benefits, flexible schedules, and relaxing dress codes have been common ways to make employees "feel good", a new method is slowly but surely beginning to enter the business world. Formally, Bring Your Own Device (known as BYOD) policies allow employees to bring their personal mobile devices, such as laptops, smart phones, or tablets, to access company information and data in the work environment. BYOD is beginning to have an impact on several companies in the United States and around the world.  While this trend may appear intimidating and currently raises ...

As consumers, there are several things that we look for when considering the purchase of a new technical device.  Specifically, when looking to purchase a smart phone generally users prefer something that is fast and efficient, relevant, up to date, and useful. Specifications such as screen resolution, speech recognition capabilities, keyboard preference, etcetera are all based upon individual preferences, but there are usually several standard key features that smart phone users usually look for. Smart phones as we know it usually meet the same standard criteria. But, what if smart phones were no longer considered just smart, but instead were more "intelligent"? The Knowledge Navigator is a concept created by former Apple CEO John Sculley. Although the idea now seems pretty antiquated, when the idea was presented in 1987 it was an idea that seemed so far fetched, but is now practically the basis for the Apple iPhone. Sculley originally describes his concept in his...

The concept of a web search engine is nothing new to the society in which we live. The first Internet search engines go back as far as the early 1990's, and have evolved into what they are today: software code that is designed to find user input string on the world wide web. While we think of common search engines, like Google  and Bing , as useful and friendly resources there are less common search engines that can be used to cause harm and exploit poor security. Specifically, the search engine Shodan  searches the "back channels" of the world wide web.  The search provides data about devices linked to the Internet, such as traffic cameras, printers, web cameras and routers. A simple search can pick up on nearly any device connected to the Internet.  Several demonstrations of the search have been performed, and it has been around for approximately three years. Searches using Shodan have presented results that include command and control systems fo...

In one of my previous blog posts, Android: The New Home for Facebook , we learned that the company Facebook planned to host a media/press event on April 4th. Distributing invitations that only said "Come see our new home on Android", this stirred up several resources and Facebook fanatics.  People (again) got amped up about the possibility of a Facebook phone. That time has come and gone, and Facebook unveiled it's "new home" on the Android OS. While is it not a cell phone, it is a major leap in Facebook's mobile capability. If you own an iPhone, an older Android phone, or Blackberry, I am sure you know the feeling of frustration that is stemmed from the limited capability of the Facebook mobile app. The new launcher (called Facebook Home) is a home screen application that will sit on top of, not replace, the Android OS. It is designed to work with apps already installed on your device, and also features a family of associated applications. The goal of the...

Yesterday Twitter  relaunched a site called Business for Twitter .  Several Twitter users may use the site strictly for micro-blogging purposes: posting song lyrics, location updates, rants, etc. For those of us that tend to think more broadly, Twitter is a great tool to advertise and market yourself, businesses, and brands. The content on the site is not necessarily new to users that utilize Twitter on a more professional basis. However, the content is more organized making it easy for even the most unfamiliar business user to get what they need out of Twitter.  The website includes examples of businesses that are already using twitter to market, advertise and reach out to consumers such as Porsche, and Bonobos. The most impressive features on the site include articles that explain "everything you need to know to get up and running on Twitter". Several people probably think it is easy to just start sending tweets. But, from a professional perspective, it is necessary...

In case you missed it, here is a quick run down of a few April Fools jokes and ideas made by our favorite (and least favorite) companies. Shibasphere A comedic take on hands-free video games consoles such as the Xbox 360 Kinect. With the motto "No hands. No Wires. No limits" I thought this was a legitimate device until I watched the associated video. Google Nose Google actually had a few pranks that they pulled on us today.  One that really stood out was Google Nose. This probably actually had some people going, but common sense says that you can't just go smelling things through your monitor (not yet anyway). When you click on the beta link, it redirects you to a search such as used napkin  and instructs you to lean in as close as you can and press enter to smell the aroma. There are also several other "scents" such a maple syrup, cookie dough, casino, and even frying onion. Try typing any of those things into google to smell the aroma. Google Maps Trea...

With the recent release of Windows 8, there has been both positive and negative feedback. While personally, I have found no major functionality differences between Windows 8 and the latter (Windows 7), I think that it is exciting the Windows is making a move towards a more mobile-friendly operating system. If you have seen or heard about the new Windows 8, it is clear that this operating system was created for mobility.  This OS was designed for phones, tablets, and hybrids.  Not that you can't use it on your desktop or laptop computer but, an upgrade to Windows 8 on any machine that is not or cannot be mobile is a waste of time. Unfortunately, though being the creators of this new, metro operating system, Microsoft is not seen as a large competitor in the mobile world especially when it comes to tablets.  I'm sure several of us had a Windows phone at some point (I've had the Motorola Q and the Samsung Omnia). My concern is not that Microsoft cannot compete in the wor...