Gadgets Blog » New Technology

AMC was certainly onto something when they brought the world Mad Men, a period-accurate drama set in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Providing an in-depth look at a group of people operating a marketing firm, Mad Men has done more than just take us back to a different place in history. The most startling thing for a number of young viewers is getting a look into what a large office functioned looked like in an era before computers. It just goes to show how much the 21st century technology all around us has taken over our lives, let along the actual marketing done by the office.

Targeted-advertising is perhaps the latest innovation in marketing, and it’s one that is powered by the Internet and other computer technology. Google first made this practice come into the public eye, and in the process they built a multi-billion dollar advertising empire. Firms buy advertisements from Google relating to specific keywords, with more common words costing more. Other companies have followed suit, including Facebook, who found themselves in a bit of trouble after users became concerned too much information was being placed into the hands of advertisers. Facebook’s conundrum has always been finding a non-intrusive way to sell advertising in spite of its user base that opposes intrusive ad space.

While rival company Apple may have beat Microsoft to the initial launch, the computing giant of the ’90s has plans to strike back in a market where they have been hurting: personal electronics. The iPad, hailed as a computing revolution by bringing portable touchscreen technology to a new development point, has been the target of a serious amount of flack from hardcore computer users.

Specifically, Apple’s imposed limitations on the abilities of the iPad have made many customers frustrated, with the lack of third party applications and no way for the device to multitask programs. Combined with recent misgivings about the Apple iPhone 4, the proverbial iron seems hot for Microsoft to strike. In today’s news story, the giant did just that, announcing a line of tablet PCs with the potential to cut into Apple’s market share.

Mobile technology has the capacity to greatly improve your life, and our interactions with our cell phones seem to drive this point home. By having a mobile phone, we can easily stay in contact with our friends, make plans, and contact loved ones – no matter where we happen to be.

The advent of smartphones has only increased the role of mobile technology in our daily lives. Earlier on the Smarter Gadgets Blog, I wrote about applications for the iPad and iPhone that provided useful services to those who downloaded them.

It’s quite possible that my interest in gadgets is genetic. My father, despite growing up in a world entirely devoid of computers, has become quite competent with them, and is fueled by an interest in what makes them tick. Growing up, we took apart desktops, learned how to run programs in MS Dos and upgraded monitors together. Lately he’s taken a great affinity to handhelds, and I must say, his prowess with his old Blackberry likely rivaled users far his junior. And while the Blackberry held a special place in his heart for a good long while, such a love compares naught to his love of his new Motorola Droid smartphone.

It’s more than just the device itself: it’s the implementation of perhaps the most important newcomer to the world of computing: Google’s Android OS. Google, a company displaying mastery of cloud computing, delved into territory previously occupied by titans Apple and Microsoft (and yes, there are other operating systems like Linux and Ubuntu out there for people who enjoy being pretentious about this sort of thing). Android operates bearing all the trademarks of a Google product: compatibility, ease of use, and an intuitive design plan with virtually limitless applications.

While announcements of a Google Tablet bearing the Android OS are exciting, this is really the tip of the iceberg for what Android is capable of doing to the electronics market. And with that in mind, a showdown seems brewing in the electronics world between differing schools of thought for the future of personel electronics. Microsoft represents an older era of computing. Windows still makes up the vast majority of the market share on operating systems, and while their iteration of Windows 7 has proven to be successful (and a huge improvement from Vista), Windows Mobile still lags behind other mobile operating systems in ease of use and compatibility.

Surprised? You shouldn’t be.

At this point in time it would be endlessly redundant to discuss the hype building up to the release of this, Apple’s newest foray into the world of tablets. There have been press conferences, Internet flame wars, and countless borad stereotypes of who will be first in line to get their hands on one. It’s all moot now, though. It’s here. The iPad is here.

So now what? Reviews have poured in from around the Internet, detailing every in and out like the folks over at Engadget did. Yes, the iPad is good. It has a gorgeous screen, Apple’s iconic minimalist design, a bevy of intuitive features, applications that can do all sorts of things, compatibility with the iPhone, strong battery life, and so on and so forth. It does everything Apple promised it would. It even comes bearing the signature Apple price tag. But what does this all mean? Comparing the iPad to other forms of computers almost seems counterintuitive. Is it a computer? Yes, but it’s not like any other computer.

Herein is the true beauty of what the iPad does for computing. This is, in so many ways, the most significant development in computing we’ve seen since the widespread use of the laptop and wireless internet. With other manufacturers rushing to create tablets akin to Apple’s child, it’s clear that this is a game changer.

But there’s more at stake here than shifts in supply and demand of computers. The iPad represents a new way to use a computer. The hands-on interaction is something that will be present in computers of all shapes in sizes. While a keyboard is excellent for precise typing and speedy wordprocessing, the iPad’s touchscreen provides an interface that can be used for all other types of activities. Through the development of applications, the iPad can be a book, displaying pages in high-definition on it’s vivid screen. The iPad can be a video player. The iPad can be a glorious new way to surf the Internet, touching links to open them, making hand gestures to move forwards and backwards. Touchscreen technology is still relatively young in terms of personal computing. The iPad is the first gadget to take those innovations and make something new of them.

How is it so easy for people to disclose information online? When I was younger, I had no problems sharing photos, personal information, and gossip on my MySpace page. Now, I’ve deleted my MySpace, pulled a lot of personal details from the webosphere, and I do my best to regulate what ends up online. I have a facebook with about 900 friends, but I rarely use it. I’ll share a few photos and post on a wall or two every couple of weeks, but ultimately, no matter what I do, I’m well aware that someone else is watching.

The New York Times published an article discussing some new statistical research with online data mining. Certain tools have been developed to monitor patterns of behavior to predict personality traits. Imagine this scenario: an employer can predict what you will do based on a detailed record of what you have done online. Ack.

With their highly-recognizable marketing jingle, computer manufacturer Intel has remained one of the most important companies in the realm of computing for over a decade. Intel processors are integral parts in all sorts of electronic gadgets, but their place in the market isn’t always the sexiest. By manufacturing the processors, Intel provides the beating heart for electronics; the other companies can then take that heart and transplant it into their new line of computers.

Nonetheless, when Intel introduces a new line of CPUs, it’s worth taking note. Their recent creations, the Intel Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 represent not only a new naming scheme for Intel processors, but an indication of Intel re-tooling their distribution method. While previous Intel processors bore names detailing their specifications, the numbers in the Core i-series are nothing more than place-holders for computing power. The i3 is the entry-level chipset, the i5 a solid mid-range unit, and the i7 an upper-end powerhouse. Each chipset comes in several variations that are tailored to a specific type of gadget: the dual-core i3 Clarkdale is intended for mobile phones, while the six-core i7 Gulftown chipset functions in powerful desktop machines.

Google’s digital books collection certainly isn’t a new technology. For years, I have visited Google Books for all kinds of resources and quick references (this tool sure came in handy when I needed a reference for a research paper!). I was an English major at a top college, and believe it or not, I only went to the school library a handful of times.

I was balancing a heavy course load with a couple of jobs, so I needed to be as efficient as possible with my research. I bought the cheapest used books available so that I could reuse resources, and my school provided me with subscriptions to an extensive database of academic journals. Google Scholar helped me filter through hundreds (sometimes thousands) of resources so that I could find exactly what I needed.

Under the radar, Google has been working to expand its library. Google has digital copies of a vast library of twelve million books that it cannot release because of copyright law. United States publishers are against Google’s free tool that gives consumers access to rare books that have limited availability.

As an English major with a background in economics, I see both sides of the legal argument. On the one hand, free access to information and educational tools is important. At the same time, authors, writers, and artists deserve to maximize their profits through the publishing industry.

Read more about the Google’s bid to secure rights on its digital bid collection, the class action lawsuit involving publishers and authors, and Google’s $125 million settlement.