Showing 21-30 of 170 results
-
The eyes have it
Life, James Hein, Published on 13/03/2013
» Another detail about an upcoming Samsung smartphone feature. The latest is that the phone will allow you to scroll through text by watching your eyes. Apparently when it sees that you have reached the bottom of the text it will scroll down to the next paragraph. Not sure that the Galaxy S4 will boast this feature, but it is one that the next iPhone won't possess. As the S4 release date gets closer, the wild claims of the next iPhone's feature set are also being ramped up. I suggest you wait until closer to the actual release date to find out what that model really offers.
-
So where do smartphones go from here?
Life, James Hein, Published on 27/03/2013
» No, the upcoming release of the Samsung Galaxy S4 will not be the last of the smartphones but it does raise an interesting issue _ where do they go from here? At five inches the screen size is maxed out as far as being a comfortable handheld device and even at this size some people are already using the word Phablet to describe the cross between a phone and a tablet.
-
Paying through the nose
Life, James Hein, Published on 03/04/2013
» A report out of Brisbane, Australia highlights an interesting but predictable issue. A specialty food store put a sign in the window stating that they charge A$5 (150 baht) to enter the store, which is refundable if you buy something. If you don't make any purchases then the store is assuming you are comparing prices to goods which you then buy online. Also, in this particular example, the store owner told reporters that about 60 people a week ask for advice then shop elsewhere, so she considers the $5 to be an advisory fee. She also believes that her policy is echoed by other store owners like those in sports, electronics and clothing.
-
It's time for an overhaul
Life, James Hein, Published on 24/04/2013
» So the question of the next big thing seems to be, why would you need to have a watch and a phone? I have noticed that most of the younger generation, the ones with a smartphone, don't have a watch because the time is prominently displayed on the phone. One simple answer might be that a watch is still useful for when your hands are full, or swimming underwater, or when you are doing something that doesn't include pockets.
-
Is your phone spying on you?
Life, James Hein, Published on 01/05/2013
» I've long been a fan of Firefox, but I somehow missed the announcement of its new OS coming out for mobile phones. Geeksphone, a Spanish start-up, sold out of the first devices with the new OS within a matter of hours and had to shut down its online store as demand unexpectedly exceeded supply. The new units were meant for developers only because the new Firefox OS is still in a very early stage of its evolution. Application development for the new OS is based on HTML5, JavaScript and Open Web standards. The official OS launch will be some time later this year and Google is working with ZTE in China on the project. The first commercial units will be manufactured in Brazil so this is a truly international effort and may be one to watch in the future.
-
Privates on parade
Life, James Hein, Published on 15/05/2013
» Privacy is still a major topic of debate all over the world and in many subject areas. My view has always been that I only put things up on the web that I want people to see. I have the same attitude with CCTV; I don't break the law so I don't care how many of them there are. This leads me to automatically wonder about people who complain about such things, because if they are not doing anything wrong, then what is the issue? I have read some of the counter-arguments but it always comes back to that question for me. Yes, the privacy issue is a little more complex and we will be debating it for some time to come, but apart from conspiracy theories and rogue government agencies, it does make you wonder what all the fuss is about.
-
What big eyes you've got
Life, James Hein, Published on 29/05/2013
» When mobile phones became more common and were increasingly used in restaurants, questions began to be asked about etiquette. To this day I know people who are offended when others have phone conversations while sitting at the dining table. People speaking on mobile phones regularly bump into poles, trip over paving stones or have accidents while driving _ mishaps all caused by lack of attention to their surroundings. With the advent of technology like Google Glass these situations will become even more prevalent. Testers for Google Glass have already reported entering places like bathrooms without immediately realising where they were. Given that these devices can record video, this scenario also raises a number of privacy issues. With legislation in many countries lagging well behind developments in technology, a number of such incidents will, no doubt, be reported online before any real changes are made to these gadgets. So, next time you see someone wearing an odd-looking pair of glasses and talking to himself, he may be providing a running commentary to accompany something he is recording _ or he could, equally well, just be talking to himself.
-
There's one born every minute
Life, James Hein, Published on 26/06/2013
» One of the latest acronyms in the IT world is BYOD, or bring your own device. In the US apparently nearly two-thirds of mobile workers pay for their own devices and of those a third says it affects their choice of employer. These figures come from global connectivity provider iPass. If these figures are accurate then the BYOD is a growing trend. More than 80% of those polled claim they are more productive at home. I'm not so sure about this figure, but the office did at least poll ahead of coffee shops and public transport.
-
Microsoft and devices? Time to call it quits?
Life, James Hein, Published on 07/08/2013
» Things are starting to slow down in the IT marketplace generally, but specifically with tablets. We'll start off with Microsoft, whose Surface RT devices are just not selling. Total revenue to date is US$853 million (26.5 billion baht); that might sound like a lot, but it's at least a billion dollars less than expected. When you factor in the estimated $900 million in advertising costs, you can see what the problems are. So far the proceeds from sales haven't even covered the launch costs. During the same period, Apple sold 57 million iPads. Taking a retrospective view, Microsoft has never done that well in selling devices, whether they be phones, music players or tablets; so perhaps in future the firm should just stick to software.
-
Growth slows in IT sector
Life, James Hein, Published on 14/08/2013
» As predicted, and has now been confirmed by the IDC, the IT market is tightening up. China has slowed its spending and the knock-on effects will impact everywhere. There will still be growth, but not as much as there was in 2012. The figures look likely to come in below earlier projections but, given that a tenth of a percent equates to tens of billions of dollars, even a small change can mean large sums of money not appearing in the market.
Your recent history
-
Recently searched
-
Recently viewed links
Did you find what you were looking for? Have you got some comments for us?
