Foul Tech Sours

In a recent article by Gregg Keizer, a blogger for Computerworld, there was a discussion about why apple needs a $700 MacBook Air . The idea behind this is that several of Apple's competitors have already taken this step, therefore, to maintain it's profits the company should look to sell cheaper models. Although this would not necessarily be a "dumb move" on the company's part, I do not feel like it would be a necessary one. Every company, especially the top competitors in the technology sector, has their benefits, competitive strategies, and trade-offs. For as long as Macintosh (formerly McIntosh - like the apple) and Microsoft computers have existed, it has been a constant battle about which machines and devices are superior. Both Apple and Microsoft, since their start in the 1970's to 1980's, have been forerunners for the industry for hardware and operating systems, and overall leaders in innovation and technology. Both companies have continued to ex...

In a previous post titled " Gaps In the Fourth Amendment -- Exploited? ", I shared with you an assignment I did for my security class. The assignment briefly discusses electronic privacy and how the Federal Government takes advantage of loop holes within laws that are put in place to protect the privacy of American citizens. NSA's MUSCULAR has been in the news for a while now, and I believe it is a prime example of government exploitation of flaws in privacy laws. In case you do not know what MUSCULAR is, as far as we know it is a project that enables NSA and Britain's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) to copy "entire data flows across fiber-optic cables that carry information among the data centers of the Silicon Valley giants" ( http://www.washingtonpost.com ). This means that millions of records from internal networks belonging to large companies such as Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft are sent back to data warehouses at NSA HQ. At the time of ...

When you begin to think about technology and the people involved, it's hard to imagine what life would be like today without Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, and Tom Anderson. All leaders in technology and media, they have somehow made a contribution that has shaped the way we live life as we know it. It's hard to image life without these guys, but they all have a life cycle. With the passing of Steve Jobs and Myspace (RIP), it is clear that leaders come, leave their staple, and go, and life goes on. One day Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram will die and we will on go on to the next big social media craze. While some things are truly meant to be fads, it's hard to image a world without Microsoft, right? This thought may not be a reality anytime soon, but we do need to start wrapping our minds around the idea that Bill Gates might get the boot sooner than later. A recent report was released on Tuesday from Reuters.com that made it clear that three of twenty top investors wa...

It is not uncommon in the United States to find that citizens like to keep abreast on the newest technology. Consumers constantly upgrade their gadgets to get the newest features, while businesses find it useful to upgrade systems to maintain security and support. When it comes to PC operating systems though, it appears that several consumers, both personal and business, are stuck in time. In April 2012 Microsoft confirmed that its support for Windows XP SP3 and Office 2003 will end on April 8, 2013.  Although two years seems like a pretty long time frame to allow users to migrate, it is important to take three major things into consideration. The first issue, and probably most obvious, is that people do not like change. Once people become comfortable and familiar, often times they do not steer away from it. For example, it most cases, an iPhone user will consistently purchase iPhone upgrades, while an Android user may consistently buy Android upgrades. The battle between "tea...

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...