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Facial Recognition Technology (TECHNOLOGY IN THE WORLD SERIES, BLOG 4)

Facial Recognition scan for security and advertising is new becoming a reality. A scanner analysing your face to identify who you are, which we all know from action movies, will be all over the world quickly enough.

The Department of Commerce will be drafting laws to prevent misuse of this technology, but it's capabilities are still so limitless, that many believe it wouldn't be right to form laws for it just yet without knowing it's potential.

Here in the U.K. supermarket chain Tesco is installing facial recognition technology at its gasoline stations to create an instant profile on the user and determine which advertisements they would most be interested in through how they look.

As with Video Advertising that I mentioned yesterday, this will be another incredibly invasive way to target consumers really precisely.

It makes us wonder where advertising will stop taking over our lives in every way it possibly can and try and get all the money out of us as possible through spending silly money in advertising.

This also raises a question over privacy, and if this information about us, which will be very hard to change (your appearance), can be manipulated and used for other purposes.

Especially with companies like Facebook and other Social Media sites, and telecommunication services, very few people would trust their information with such websites after the NSA spying scandal which took place.

The people of the world should be very cautious of just how much or in what ways they use this technology, and it is sure to become a sensitive matter with people attempting to maintain their privacy.

Video Advertising (TECHNOLOGY IN THE WORLD SERIES, BLOG 3)

Advertising. It seems like there is no way we can escape pop-ups and rollovers of countless brands and products popping up across our phones, computers, and tablets. Real life advertising is become even more intensive with advertising space being made all over the place, wherever this is any possible blank canvas. It almost impossible to escape ads, but there is a new idea circulating that will make it impossible to escape the spotlight of marketing campaigns, always chasing you and information about you.

So this week in technology, we have seen an incredible, even more invasive form of advertising. Facebook video advertisements. At first this doesn't seem like all too frightening a prospect, as most of us know video advertisements already exist on Facebook from different companies, and all you have to do is press the play button on the ad to watch the video.

However, these new ads, which will begin to feature this week with a trailer for an upcoming movie from Lions Gate, will be activated themselves when you enter your news feed, and will play by themselves. This means that advertisers are trying to directly build themselves into the user experience of Facebook, with high definition videos playing, whether you like it or not.

Unstoppable ads like these which feature regularly on YouTube (only some ads can be skipped on this site) are a hinderance to the user experience as the consumer is unwillingly pushed through viewing the ad before they can get back to what they are doing. Fortunately, these ads aren't as invasive, but it is hard to keep scrolling when frames on your screen begin changing and audio begins playing.

Advertising is going to absolutely absurd levels for companies to maximise their profits. Tomorrow, I'll talk about facial recognition technology, which will further determine your characteristics and send you ads depending on how the technology determines who you are.

Exciting (scary) Stuff!

Twitter Timelines (TECHNOLOGY IN THE WORLD SERIES, BLOG 2)

Twitter is known to be an incredible service for users to connect with each other. However, the social networking site has become a revelation these past years due to it's role in allowing groups of people to arrange protests or warn people about a certain citation.

The Arab Spring saw a number of activists speak out about the horror really taking place in their countries, and showing the world parts of the unstable countries that the media can't. It has also been used to spread the word about a particular problem in a country or movement.

After seeing how popular these different revelations have become on their site, Twitter has created a timeline feature. Not to be mistaken with the Facebook timeline, Twitter will allow users to create their own timelines for specific events or topics.

Users will see a wide collection of tweets about conversations, television shows or breaking news about particular events or topics chosen by the specific person who created the timeline.

This feature is only available with the App TweetDeck, an add-on to twitter, but it can be viewed on the website itself, and shared onto your profile.

Although this feature is fairly new, I feel it isn't nearly as largely talked about as it should be. This feature has the capability to make Twitter into an even larger stage for raising awareness about global situations, and after their absolutely outstanding IPO debut, the company only has greater things ahead of them.

Snapchat is already the next big thing (APP REVIEW SERIES, BLOG 1)

If you haven't already, please give my previous review about Snapchat a look here...

We all love snapchat, well, most of us. It depends who exactly you are... Yes it promotes questionable behaviour, but hey, it's a fun app and a great way to burn some time. So when news emerged this week that Facebook had tabled a bid of $3 billion for the App ranked 6th on the free apps category for U.S. iTunes store and 9th in the U.K., it sparked quite a bit of reaction. A lot of people argued that the company should sell, considering they had never made profit to date, and they could finally be rewarded for their work of transforming the App into one of the world's most popular. Others argued that the company shouldn't sell out, and lose their add-free layout and core innovations that made the app so popular.

Why were Facebook even interested? As we saw with their purchase of Instagram last year, they are OBSESSED with making everything and anything track back to themselves, so they can continue to use their numerous marketing campaigns to make even more money. Many younger Facebook users have stopped using the social networking site actively as there are far more "fun" ways to talk to your friends these days than Facebook. Facebook was a revolutionary idea, but some people are simply getting bored of it.

Facebook are always looking to expand and add components to themselves to become bigger and better. They want to increase the features available to their users so they can continue to attract more users and bring back less active users. Facebook is trying to wipe out the competition, their trying to make users use their competitors less, giving them less of a reason to not be on Facebook.

Facebook want to reconnect with the youth, and they have decided the best way they can do so is by forcing themselves upon the youth and becoming a part of everything the youth does.

After all of the NSA spying scandals that have taken social media by storm, many users are afraid of the implications of a post on Facebook vs. a snap on snapchat. Snapchat's servers delete an image instantly after that image is viewed, meaning that it will never exist again unless you save it on to your phone. This idea appeals to multiple users and is certainly a much more stress-free way of contacting people, knowing that the message will be gone quickly.

Facebook themselves unveiled a nearly identical program last year called "Poke", which was given its own app and allowed users to send videos, photos, or messages for 10 seconds with friends. Realising it was a simple imitation of Snapchat, the app failed horrendously amongst users and the general public, and most people continue to fail to know it even exists!

Snapchat's continuously rising fame, and their ability to look past the cash in order to realise the greater potential of their company has made me decide that their rating should be upgraded to a 10/10.

Facebook is getting increasingly desperate, and Snapchat were smart to hold out and let themselves continue to expand. As Snapchat continues to rack in more and more millions of users, Facebook will be tempted to offer more and more billions of dollars for this service. It's sure to be a long ride, but if Snapchat play their cards right, in a few years $3 billion could look like a fraction of what a company will be willing to pay to acquire them.

Kim Kardashian continues to go above and beyond...

#die #bye #ohmy

Electronic Cigarettes (Technology in the World Series, Blog 1)

Electronic Cigarettes have taken the world by storm recently, as many people are now seen exhaling smoke, but it is indeed water vapour. Recently, it has been revealed that these "E-cigs" are indeed allowed in areas where people typically aren't allowed to smoke, such as in sports stadiums and inside buildings, but these devices simply give off water vapour, which causes nobody any harm.

These devices have been causing plenty of confusion for people across the world, as people can't be accused of smoking indoors as easily as they used to, due to confusion between the two types of cigarettes. Normally when you see the normal trail of smoke coming from someone in a non-smoking area, you call on security in that place or an alarm goes off. However, these new cigarettes allow people to smoke wherever and whenever they want, which annoys and confuses many people, as they argue isn't is basically the same thing?

Twenty-five years ago, companies across the world began imposing smoking regulations in the workplace. However, these new cigarettes are forcing companies to reconsider their policies surrounding "E-cigs." Many companies still ban this form of emitting water vapour because they are waiting for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to determine whether it is the same as smoking normally.

U.S. "E-cig" sales are expected to reach up to $1.5 billion as they become widely used as a way for smokers to get out of the habit and a way for them to have more accessibility when required. It is expected to further double every year till 2018, and then increase 10% every year until U.S. sales exceed nearly $124.5 billion in 2028, as long as the demand continues to grow at such a fast rate and there are no restrictions placed upon it.

Normal cigarette companies are now themselves opening up into the "E-cig" market, as they believe that these different flavoured devices will help them continue to grow and not lose too many regular customers.

Personally, I feel like these cigarettes have no place in being considered different from regular smoking, even though they don't cause harm to others around them and are less harmful to the consumer. Many people across the U.S. do it to get rid of the habit, as it has less nicotine, and also because it is widely acceptable in most places as there is no legislation passed against it.

It makes normal smokers more productive in the workplace as they don't have to constantly leave the room and obsess about when they can next smoke, and sets normal smokers on a path to better health.

At the moment, most people who use "E-cigs" are treated as smokers by their employers. But, it is expected that the U.S. government could very well rule them as legal to use in public indoor spaces, meaning companies will have to reconsider their smoking policies to see whether banning "E-cigs" is really worth the trouble.

Curved iPhone Screens? (APPLE REVIEWS SERIES, BLOG 4)

We've all seen the great development of iPhones since they first came out in September of 2007. From Siri to the new fingerprint scanner, the iPhone has truly revolutionised the phone market, and has seen many new incredible phones being created taking inspiration from the iPhone. The iPhone somehow continues to get slimmer, lighter, and longer, but with a new innovation, Apple might be taking their innovation to the limits of possibility.

It was today reported that Apple is developing new iPhone designs that include screens that are even larger, and include curved glass displays, and will include sensors that analyse how much you push down on the screen. By getting a curved screen, apple could make their screen even bigger, as the display would be rounded and would then curve down the edges, meaning the screen would be utilising all of the available space on the iPhone that isn't currently being used.

Apple seem to be set on continuing the trend of releasing two phones per year, after the recent success of the premium iPhone 5s and the cheaper but still very capable 5c.

The reports also include news that the displays will be extended by 0.7 and 1.5 inches, meaning that they'll be close to entering the phone/tablet market. This technology has already been introduced in the samsung galaxy round, which is another one of Samsung's countless models, each of which featuring at multiple different prices, making them the leading Smartphone manufacturer due to their affordability.

These new Apple phones are expected to be released between September and October of next year as usual with the iPhone line in recent years. Apple hope that their ability to offer a cheaper model will open them up to a broader marker of people, but iPhone 5s demand is so high that 5c production has been heavily decreased.

There is also testing being conducted for pressure-sensitive technology, where the amount of pressure being applied to the screen can determine what function is conducted. However, this technology looks unlikely to debut next year, and could very well come up in 2015.

Whatever does come out of the next iPhone release in September/October 2014, it is one of the most highly anticipated events in the world every year, and it proves to present us with some amazing new features, no matter what they are.

I'm so excited for today's game, so I'm taking a tour around the world! (from my computer)

The man of the hour... How will he preform today?

Can't Wait for the game today!

Apple Storage Myths (APPLE REVIEWS SERIES, BLOG 3)

Good morning everyone! A lot has been going on since I've posted last so let's get you up to date. Apple has yet again released some classy new products to wow everyone, and this morning I actually got a notification from my iPhone telling me Apple has working on screens with curved glass. Now all of these apple products are great, with the iPad Air and iPad mini 2 great additions to the iPad range. But let's move backwards a bit to the advertising of these Apple products... Typically when you go out to buy an Apple product, you expect one of multiple different storage sizes. These range from 1GB on the old iPod shuffle to 128GB on some of the newer iPads. However, what many people don't realise is that you're being advertised false information. For example, an iPhone 4s labeled with 16 GB only has 13.37 GB of storage. If you then add on the amount of storage the operating system requires on the device, you get even less storage from your iPhone, and even less if you chose to back up your phone's information using iCloud, instead of having it saved on your computer. A backup is much more thorough than a simple sync to your computer, as backups allow you to completely restore all the apps and information to your phone that you previously had, which is especially helpful should you get a new phone or your current phone has a problem and all the data has to be removed. All of these extras such as iOS and the ability to backup to your phone instead of iCloud, as well as other apps that are built in to your phone are all categorised as "Other" when you sync your phone to your computer. On my iPhone 4s, it says that 1.94 GB is being used on these "Other" things. That means that if you take the 13.37 GB the phone originally has available, and then you subtract the 1.94 GB of "Other" is 11.43 remaining GB. This isn't all to substantial to many people who purchase iPhones, as they are simply pleased with having the phone rather that how many apps it can hold. But, this is quite a significant problem amongst users with a large amount of Apps, Music, or Media. You are technically being cheated out of 4.57 GB of storage which is quite a bit of space that could be used, and not many people realise exactly what is going on when they buy these products.

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