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Google Glasses: Separating Myth from Reality

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Google recently revealed it has a top-secret lab where professional tech geeks are holed up, inventing the cool gadgets of tomorrow. Among these gadgets, the augmented reality Google Glasses project was recently unveiled to the general public. Since then, the tech blogosphere and news cycle has exploded with predictions and speculations as to what the glasses do, and what they mean for the future. To aid in the circus of speculation that is tech journalism, Google released a video of the glasses in action. While the general response to the gadget has been positive, there are some who are skeptical of the new invention. Still, the truth is we have a limited amount of information about the project.

What We Know

For starters, we know that the augmented reality glasses run on the Android operating system. Then there are the actual capabilities of the device. These are hard to pin down. A recent video posted to the Google Glasses page on Google+ shows the device in action. Judging from the video, we know the glasses can take and share photos, play music, manage calendars and appointments, as well as check into physical locations.

What We Don’t Know

What we don’t know significantly outweighs what we’re sure about. In fact, everything outside of what’s revealed in the Google video is mere speculation. For instance, we have no idea what version of Android will run on the glasses – if there will be a new, Google Glasses-specific version of Android, or if the device will simply run the latest OS. We also have no frame of reference for the types of applications that will be compatible with the device. While this may be frustrating for the most rabid Google fan boys and girls, this indicates the future is wide open for mobile app development.

                                                                       Some Reservations

Not everyone is on board with the Google Glasses project. Some experts and critics voice concerns over the glasses’ technological interference with everyday life. The fear is that wearing the glasses would promote a constant stream of digital data that would interfere with everyday tasks like driving and performing work-related tasks. On the flip side, those who have used the latest prototypes of the device assure the masses that the glasses are even less intrusive than a smart phone.

Potential App Development

This is where the exciting part of speculation comes in. The potential app development and mobile gaming possibilities are virtually endless. In fact, the device appears to be built for a highly interactive gaming experience. We’re likely to see popular games like Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja adapted to the augmented-reality environment. Additionally, Google Maps and other navigation apps are likely to benefit from the virtual, interactive environment. Again, this is all speculation and has no bearing on what the device will actually deliver. But one thing is sure: the mobile app development community is teeming with ideas for how the device will change the app landscape.

Google Will Surprise Us

Google is one of today’s largest tech giants, due partially to their ability to take big risks and surprise us at the last second. The truth is for all the predictions we make, the Google Glasses project will likely be different from what we expect. The assumption is that the general public will embrace this new and potentially innovative technology, but of course we have no way of knowing for sure. Still, the unveiling of this new technology is exciting for many, as it should be.

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Guidelines to Social Media Resumes

9:12 am by 2 Comments

Part of the idea behind a social media resume is having potential employers come to you, instead of you going to potential employers. Some of its advantages over traditional resumes are that it can be searched, shared and distributed. Additionally, it can include multimedia elements, which can make it a compelling portrayal of your talents. In setting up your social media resume, you have different options. Here are some tips and guidelines to keep in mind for each one.

Build a website for your resume.

Set up a website devoted exclusively for the purpose of marketing yourself. If you don’t want to invest the money in web hosting fees, free websites are available. When you buy your domain name, use your own name. You can put this URL on your business cards and in your social networks.
In constructing your site, divide up your content, putting a different aspect of your resume on separate pages, making it easy for an employer to navigate. For example, one page could showcase your education and training, as well as additional learning such as workshops and seminars. Another page could delineate your job experience, while a third page could provide bio information. Use at least several pages, so the site can be as complete as possible.

Make your online resume come alive with multimedia components. Include job related photos and videos, along with audio testimonials from colleagues or clients.

Link to your social networks, particularly Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, but be careful that your postings contain no rudeness, sarcasm or anything that would be a poor reflection on you. An employer will look at your social media activities, so use this opportunity to display your interpersonal finesse, and also your interest in the industry.


Construct a Pinterest social media resume.

Given the skyrocketing popularity of this site, it’s a good idea to put your resume on a pinboard. Use PowerPoint slides, exported as images to showcase important text, such as your qualifications, credentials or LinkedIn recommendations. Include a great photo of yourself, in addition to some You Tube videos.
Showcase any accomplishment in the form of a photo. If you’ve written an eBook, include a copy of the eBook cover. Above all, include a link to your contact page on your personal website, so an employer can reach you. Invite the viewer to get in touch with you, choosing a call to action that sounds professional.

Put the most essential components of your resume on the top row of your board, so they can be seen without scrolling down. Design your board in such a way that it is clean, uncluttered and easy-to-scan.

Social media has become an integral part of many modern-day business operations, so the fact that you have this type of resume tells an employer you have the Internet skills needed to function in this realm. Also, the ability to add sensory elements, such as audios, photos and videos, add vibrancy to your resume, making it a nice augmentation to a traditional one. It may give you an edge over other applicants competing for the positions you are interested in, making the difference in your job search success.

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Near Field Technology: Future Primitive

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It’s no secret to most in the tech world, or the rest of the first world, that mobile is going to be the industry that defines how we use the Internet this year and likely on into the decade.

After the 2011 holiday season, hundreds of millions of mobile devices like smartphones and tablets have spilled into the market. Mobile platforms have been popularized at an incredible speed as prices continue to fall and the Holy Grail device – one that will wrap your entire digital life into one item – doesn’t seem too far away.

The proliferation of mobile devices has resulted in more varied use of the platform, including online shopping.


Online merchants crushed expectations and raked in $37 billion in revenue. Of those purchases, 7% were made from a mobile device (90% chance it was an iOS device). Many of those sales can be attributed to mobile apps, but people also purchased real-life goods on their mobile devices. eBay even set up pop-up shops filled with mobile devices for customer use designed to catch shoppers in the wild and pull more dollars through their online interface. With mobile shopping expected to grow in 2012, developers are working on ways to more intricately tie digital sales with the real world. The most promising step towards that is Near Field Communication.

The technology, called NFC for short, is essentially a radio protocol for smartphones that will allow transactions to take place between two devices with a simple tap.

Google is spearheading the movement; their premier product, dubbed Google Wallet, is the product of a partnership with Citibank, Samsung, and a handful of trendsetting retailers to make digital wallets a reality. The Nexus S 4G is the only official NFC equipped phone currently on the market and Wallet is only compatible with Citi cards for the time being. One of the more impressive attributes about the technology is its ability to fit into Google’s commerce ecosystem, making it able to apply deals from Google Offers and triangulate prices through Google Shopper – helping the consumer get the most up to date, discounted prices.

Google won’t be the only game on the block for long, though.

From USA TODAY:

AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon have partnered to create Isis, a virtual wallet and payment system, set to launch in 2012. ISIS will be open to all merchants, banks and carriers, according to its website. Isis aims to “eliminate the need to carry cash, credit cards and debit cards, reward cards, coupons, tickets and transit passes,” the website states.

Verifone has also recently completed its acquisition of Point, a company that provides payment services that make NFC technology possible.

“The acquisition gives us a great footprint with European merchants to introduce and integrate NFC in alternative payments with existing infrastructure,” said Pete Bartolik, a spokesman for Verifone. “We have an intense focus on mobile payment at this point in time. We are working with all traditional and alternative players in the space to find ways to utilize mobile technology and payments.”

 

Digital wallets will open up new doors for mobile marketing and cultivate the increasingly popular mobile commerce ecosystem that is finding its footing early on in 2012. We can expect mobile manufacturers to be rolling out NFC equipped models very soon in the year. (Many Apple enthusiasts are wringing their hands about whether the iPhone 5 will include the technology.) When these phones arrive, we will see just how powerful the platform is and how it will affect digital industries like advertising, marketing and retail.

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Top Tech Innovations of 2011: Looking Back & Looking Forward

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2011 was a big year in innovation. From artificial intelligence and the cloud to payment systems and wireless power, the tech world has been advancing more quickly than ever before, setting the stage for revolutionizing consumers’ lives in the process. Here’s a breakdown of five of the most impressive innovations of 2011.

Watson

Developed by IBM and named after its first president, Watson is an artificial intelligence that was built to answer questions posed in normal human speech. That means no special commands need to be memorized for it to respond to you, it can just figure out what you mean. Due to its impressive hardware and software it was even able to hold its own against humans on the game show Jeopardy!, ending both of its matches ahead of its human competitors.

Digital Wallets–On Your Phone

Search giant Google rolled out Google Wallet in 2011, though it was only available on its Nexus S 4G phones. Using a special Near Field Communication (NFC) chip in the phone, you will eventually be able to link up your credit card and checking accounts to your Google Wallet and pay for items in store by waving your phone over a special receiver. One of the best parts? Google Wallet will eventually be able to store your receipts and coupons so you’ll never have to worry about losing your BOGO coupon for the daily special at Chuck’s Chili Chalice.


Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is a big thing that’s on the horizon and it made big strides in 2011, changing everything from the way we save our documents to the way we handle medical billing software. The cloud makes it easier for medical professionals to access patient information from their home, office or hospital without being tied to any specific server. It also makes it easier for patients to access and pay bills by providing a simple, unified interface.

Wireless Power

True wireless power systems have been in development for many years and the Power Mat has even been out for a few itself (though it’s not truly wireless since it still requires physical contact with an object carrying an electric current), but HaloIPT has developed a system for wirelessly charging electric vehicles. It hasn’t made any serious ripples in the world yet, but it could drive more widespread adoption of electric vehicles, especially since one of the most often cited reasons people give for not purchasing one is the fear that they will forget to charge it when they get home. With HaloIPT’s system, owners would merely have to position their car over a transmitting pad installed in their garage or driveway. No plugs involved!

Voice Activation

Tim Cook, Apple’s newest CEO, had his first major unveiling at 1 Infinite Loop in Cupertino with the iPhone 4S. Though it didn’t look like much of an overhaul, it packed in a lot of amazing new hardware and one app that has set the pace for future voice activated software: Siri. Built from the core of an AI program developed by DARPA and MIT, Siri not only responds to voice commands, but also learns about its user, adjusting to their speaking style and recognizing the context of their words. Siri is surely just the beginning of AI personal assistants, but it’s also a monumentally helpful app of its own.

As these new technologies continue to mature what can we expect? The importance of mobile is likely to continue to skyrocket. We’ll continue to move away from the centrality of the desktop/laptop and more towards the tablet and smart-phone. Searching will change as the adoption of voice-activated searches like Siri increase and even the way that we buy things might change as the adoption of apps like Google Wallet and Square continue to increase. One thing is for sure: from the standpoint of a techie, 2012 is going to be an exciting year!

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Technology: Gifts for Kids

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The holiday shopping season is already upon us, when people head out to malls and browse numerous online retailers to find the perfect gifts for their loved ones. It can be difficult to find just the right gift, especially when you’re purchasing something for a child. Technology changes quickly and new gadgets made for children seem to be released every few weeks, quickly making any purchases you make almost obsolete. What, then, could you safely buy a child that will keep them happy for years to come?

Here are four great gifts for children this holiday season:

1. iPod Touch

Everyone these days wants fast access to their music, videos, pictures, social network accounts, games and web browsing no matter where they are. This includes children. While it’s feasible to purchase a smartphone with these capabilities for an adult, it often doesn’t make sense to purchase one for a child. That’s where the iPod Touch comes in. With most of the same specs as the iPhone 4, the latest generation iPod sports 8, 32 or 64 GB of storage and full support for any iOS app that doesn’t require a constant data connection or GPS. With Wi-Fi, iCloud and iMessage, kids can access the Internet, synchronize their media and send/receive text messages from their mp3 player. The included rear- and front-facing cameras let children take pictures and videos to share with friends and family.

2. Nintendo Wii

In the past, video game consoles were one trick ponies. If you wanted to play video games, they were great, but you couldn’t browse the Internet, watch movies, check the weather or play any games that couldn’t physically fit in the system. With the latest generation of consoles, this trend was broken completely. The Wii, Nintendo’s flagship system, incorporates all of the previously-mentioned functions as well as a revolutionary control system that encourages players to get up and move around. Now parents no longer have to worry about their children just sitting and playing video games all day when they can play video games by moving around and being active.


3. Lego MINDSTORMS

Legos have long been a mainstay in the toy-boxes of children interested in building anything they can imagine. The Lego Mindstorms kits kick it up a notch, adding hardware and software that can be used to build and program robots. Suitable for older children interested in computers, technology and programming, these kits can be used to quickly construct simple robots and program them to perform small tasks, like rolling forward, turning around and rolling back. If you’re buying a present for a child interested in robotics, this is the gift for you!

4. Support a Cause

Rather than purchasing a gadget or game for a child, consider donating to a non-profit organization in their name. You could donate to provide clean water to people in Africa, purchase a wheelchair lift for a local non-profit that helps people with disabilities or sponsor a child through an organization like Compassion International or World Vision. Whatever you do, pick a cause the child may be interested in or has a connection with and sit down with them to discuss what that donation will be used for. If you receive a thank you letter or a donation certificate, frame it and give it to the child so they’ll have a tangible reminder of the good work that’s being done in their name.

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Exploring the Benefits of Google Wallet

12:09 pm by 3 Comments

The rapidity of technological advancement in the past century spawned one of the greatest inventions in human history: the Internet. Never before has mankind been so interconnected in sharing thoughts, news and other knowledge. It’s also revolutionized the purchasing of goods and services by allowing people to communicate with their banks instantly as well as make purchases from a company across the world without leaving home. It’s far easier to review your financial records if they’re stored and sorted online with your financial institution than if you have to leaf through stacks of statements. One of the latest advancements in combining financial transactions and the Internet is the revolutionary Google Wallet, Google’s mobile payment system. The service combines payment options, customer rewards, store coupons and Google Offers into one unified application, setting the stage for future upgrades to the way we store our financial data.

Near Field Communication

NFC is a category of wireless communication that sends simple data between two devices that are normally no more than a few centimeters apart. Stemming from RFID chips, developed in 1983, it’s been in use in certain phones since 2004, though it hasn’t been widely adopted for mobile devices yet. NFC has many potential uses, mostly as replacements for various types of swiped cards. The technology can be used to synchronize devices, access additional information on a topic or even connect with people through social media sites. Replacing current payment systems, however, is the most exciting and the most likely to be put into prominent use in the near future.

NFC and Your Phone


As it stands right now, the only phone with Google’s NFC technology is the Nexus S 4G running Android on Sprint’s network. If you’ve got Sprint or are thinking of switching, it may be a tantalizing option. The phone has a four-inch, Super AMOLED screen with crisp colors and a solid viewing angle. The sound is solid and the phone sports a sleek, shiny exterior, a 5MP camera with flash and 16 GB of internal storage. Amid all the other stellar features, Google and Samsung managed to nestle an NFC chip in there which lay dormant until September 19 when Google officially launched their Wallet service. The search giant promised to release NFC stickers to owners of other Android devices, but there’s still no word yet on when those will be available.

Google Wallet Features

The Wallet service originally supported Citibank MasterCard accounts, a Google prepay account, Google Offers and gift cards for participating merchants. Cards are accessed through an app listing all of the available payment sources, though the app doesn’t have to be launched for the payment process to function. The entire system is locked with a PIN, meaning that anyone who wants to use your Google Wallet for a payment must unlock your phone and the payment app, making the system more secure-able than a physical credit card. In mid-October, Google released an update to the service, allowing users to store and redeem coupons, accumulate reward points and take advantage of Wallet-exclusive discounts.

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Technology: Gifts for Grandma

10:45 am by Leave a Comment

Holiday shopping time is here again and many of us are faced with the same dilemma as previous years: what to buy for our loved ones. Unless you’ve been given a specific wish list it can be difficult to decide on an appropriate gift. This is especially true when it comes to grandmothers. In today’s gadget-laden world, finding a gift that she can and will use can feel like searching for the lost city of El Dorado. There are some electronic gifts that are well suited for a wide variety of grandmothers due to the fact that they feature intuitive, easy-to-use designs.

Apple TV

If your grandma loves movies, whether classics or recent blockbusters, she’ll love the Apple TV. Apple is known for its simple, intuitive interface and this device is no exception. Though it may take some getting used to, your grandma will quickly be able to browse the media in her computer’s iTunes library as well as Netflix and anything available on the iTunes Store. The device only supports HDMI output, though, so she’ll have to have a television with an available HDMI port.

Digital Picture Frame

Most grandparents love having pictures of their friends and family close at hand, though the proliferation of digital cameras has, in some ways, made it more difficult for them to obtain high quality pictures. Find a good photo printer; using the right paper and ink and resizing pictures can be a complicated task and end in unsatisfactory pictures. Digital picture frames make all of this a thing of the past. You can load a memory card up with your grandmother’s favorite pictures, put it in the frame and give her the satisfaction of having an entire photo album in one frame. Some digital frames even feature Wi-Fi connections, allowing you to email pictures directly to the frame or connect it to Facebook so she can view your latest pictures instantly.


USB record player + MP3 Player

If your grandmother has a large collection of records, a USB record player coupled with an MP3 player could help her organize her music collection and keep her vinyl from being worn out with multiple plays. Though they can be used as a normal phonograph, the ability to hook these players up to a computer via USB is what makes this gift so great. Though it will take some training, your grandmother should be able to use the player and included software to record all of her records on her computer as mp3 files. Most of these items include software that will automatically encode the files and detect track splits, so all she has to do is start the program and begin playing the record. Pairing this with an MP3 player will allow her to carry her music collection with her and create playlists of her favorite songs without requiring her to juggle multiple records.

Medical Alarms

This may not be the most fun gift on the list, but it does have an important practical purpose. If your grandmother has medical problems but still wants to maintain her independence and stay active, buying her a medical alarm can put you at ease and help her retain her freedom. With one of these alarms your grandmother can contact an emergency response center, communicate with them about the situation and receive medical help. The service provider will also notify family and caregivers about the emergency, so you know you’ll be informed if any problems arise.

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How to Save the Internet?

12:12 pm by 3 Comments

This time of year plays host to many traditions for many Americans; descendants of the Puritans are out in full force, buying supplies for Thanksgiving, Father Christmas waits right around the corner with his bloated sack of cheer, and the Kwanzaa gnomes smile down on the people of the world.

It’s late fall/early winter, and I’m in the mall poking around on my smartphone, taking part in the only tradition I engage in at a level of intensity commensurate to the hype: Black Friday research. I’ve got a list, and I’m checking it twice, but can’t seem to find what I’m looking for. Honestly, I don’t know how the Fat Man does it every year.

Every fall, I index Black Friday ad sheets and price out items my family has indicated they want to purchase in local retailers. My sister has decided that she needs new appliances and Black Friday prices are the only ones she’s willing to pay, so I’m in Sears pricing out different models of a washing machine, a microwave, and a toaster.

The fact that people can now stand in the aisles at major department stores has been seen as a threat by many retailers. But it is also an opportunity. And it needs to be seen as an opportunity by brands who want to survive because there are ways to engage users who are doing research on their smartphones. Are you engaging your customers via your internet presence? Or are you waiting for them to come to you?

“Engagement is the way of the future.” In Brand Z, we read, “Engaging has replaced targeting in the marketing lexicon.” Roger McNamee tells us that we are seeing a massive cultural transformation in the way that engagement is leveraged. It is changing our shopping behaviors, and that means it’s starting to reshape our economy.

How are these new forms and modalities of engagement manifesting? This is the subject of Roger McNamee’s recent TED Talk. McNamee says: the Internet as we know it is dying, and a harder, better, faster, stronger one is simultaneously being built up in its place. So naturally, if I had a Christmas list, only one thing would top it: prescience with regard to the forthcoming revolution and knowledge of the winning brands. The second thing on that list is stock options for those brands.

McNamee speaks on many things but the overriding theme is ‘engagement being the force that will drive the Internet’. That is a particularly interesting one to me. In the talk, McNamee aims to provoke with his ideas (i.e. Windows is dying, so is Google, the web belongs to Apple, etc.), but one surprising thought was that indexed search has peaked.


It sounds crazy, because power users probably search for something on Google upwards of 500 times a week – between 400 million and 2 billion queries per day. However, if you think about the effect Google’s astronomic success has had on the web, it’s one of growth and decline; there are an infinite number of trashy, garbage sites filled with bogus content, phantom value or both. In short, search is becoming unwieldy. It’s harder than ever to know what to trust on the Internet.

People have found other ways of finding what they want (particularly in mobile ecosystems) and those ways are applications and websites (i.e. Yelp, Wikipedia, Wordnik, Facebook etc.) that parse down the information rather than present a world-wide wasteland of options. You might argue that Google has evolved by “baking in” those sites to its SERPs: if you search for a definition to a word, Google often presents you with the definition at the top before allowing you to visit a site with the definition. However, considering push back from those companies at Google’s antitrust hearing earlier this year, it’s likely that will become more of a downfall than a trump car.

Considering how dependent we still are on indexed search, if it was to fail today the Internet would become immediately unusable. No one would be able to find anything. But a slow collapse of efficacy seems to be almost inevitable and what will happen as we get out towards Google’s third half-life? How do we save the Internet?

Perhaps this is an overly dramatic way of stating things. Search has been redesigning itself around the individual for some time already. It’s a phenomenon that Eli Pariser has called the ‘Filter Bubble.’ As the volume of superfluous content on the web increases, search must increasingly cater to the individual. So why not go all the way and curate search through Social Media?

McNamee’s contention is that this is exactly what Facebook is positioning itself to do. Time will tell if his predictions are correct. One thing is for sure: this December will be Facebook’s most lucrative month ever. Whether Google can keep up with the growth of this tiny giant remains to be seen.

Thomas is a writer and SEO who blogs on behalf of Sears and other prestigious brands. In his free time he enjoys keeping up with the latest developments and innovations in search.

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Top Ten Gadgets for the Holidays!: 2011 Edition

12:08 pm by 12 Comments

From toys to tools, every year has a few hot items that cross a lot of wish lists. Here are some of the highlights in 2011 gadget-dom.

Garmin GTU 10 GPS Tracker

Don’t let the small size of this device fool you. Although, the Garmin GTU is only about as big as a lighter, this GPS can keep a charge for four weeks. Because of the small size it is perfect for the collars of pets that frequently need to be found. It could also be easily slipped into the glove compartment of a car you wanted to track a little more closely or are worried about being stolen. This may be a holiday gift someone doesn’t know they’re getting.

18V Compact Drill/Driver Kit

Gadgets aren’t limited to the home office and a hot one for the garage is this Dewalt drill/driver kit. A high quality drill is a necessity for the handy person on your list. This drill is extremely versatile. It is compact and cordless and only weighs 4.8 lbs. This, and its LED work light make it the ideal tools for working in tight spaces.

Nintendo 3DS

This is the newest edition to Nintendo’s line of hand-held gaming systems. The “3D” in the name hints at the devices greatest feature – it shows games in 3D, without the need for glasses. Having 3D dimensional gaming capabilities means that users will be able to better navigate the games. The sense of depth will make it easier to see exactly where your character and items are in the game’s landscape.

Cobra Phone Tag

Everyone has the check off list when they leave the house: keys, phone, and wallet. Unfortunately, these things seem to separate from each other pretty often. The cobra phone tag is a key chain that slips easily onto your key ring or bag. The cobra syncs to Blackberry, Android and iPhone mobile platforms through a Bluetooth connection. Once they are linked, the two devices can page each other. If you have lost your keys you can page them from your phone and vice versa – no word on what happens if you lose both, however.

Kindle Fire

The Kindle Fire is a media playing super power. This tablet uses Amazon Silk and Wi-Fi to browse through the web. It can access thousands of apps and around 18 million books, magazines, movies, TV shows and songs. The multi-touch screen is 7 inches wide.

Kinect fox Xbox 360

Gaming is becoming increasingly more active with the innovation behind Xbox Kinect. The system starts by simply waving at it. It then recognizes the player, selects their avatar and gives them the option to start a game exactly where they left off. The console can also accept vocal direction. It can turn on and even function based on commands like “play” or “Xbox. “

Freerider Skatecycle

This futuristic skater brings a new style of movement to the park. The Freerider Skatecycle has a flexible, pivoting frame. By making a fish tail motion with their body a rider can get the Skatecycle started with their own momentum, there is no need to kick the ground. This space age speeder can move just as fast as a skateboard or roller skates and even do tricks in the park.


iPad 2

The iPad 2 is easily to most impressive tablet on the market. Over loaded with features, the iPad 2 has two cameras for Facetime interface. With Wi-Fi and 3G the iPad 2 can cruise the web on about 10 hours of battery life. The multi-touch screen is 9.7 inches wide and displays brightly in even the darkest rooms. The tablet only weighs 1.33 lbs. so it is extremely portable – the perfect trip companion.

Air Swimmer Remote Control Flying Shark

Toys aren’t just for children. While it may have originally been intended for a younger audience, the Air Swimmer Flying Shark has a pretty universal appeal. This miniature, indoor blimp is remote-controlled and can be controlled even when the operator is in the next room. At 57 inches long this shark is a pretty substantial beast, especially when it’s swimming through your living room in a surprisingly realistic motion. It can stay inflated for up to 3 weeks and also comes in a clownfish model.

Samsung LED 9000 Series TV

You won’t believe your eyes with the Samsung LED 9000 Series of television sets. They are about 0.3 inches wide – literally pencil thin. The thin profile does nothing to hamper the TV’s power. The 9000 series can produce 3D images. They are also smart, letting users browse the web, tons of apps and their social media profiles. This impressive set can support 3D images and even convert 2D media into the third dimension. The LED 9000 is Internet ready. Its open platform makes the user experience extremely customizable. It can support downloadable apps, from online games to social media platforms.

Lenovo IdeaPad U1

The Lenovo IdeaPad U1 may be the perfect compromise between a tablet and a laptop. Tablets have great usability when you’re surfing the web or playing a game that supports multi-touch. However, if you need to do long form typing or the screen to be propped up then tablet users run into problems. The IdeaPad certainly packs a punch with an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor and five solid hours of battery life. The detachable screen/multi-touch tablet makes the IdeaPad the most physically versatile computer on the market.

Thomas Stone is a writer who blogs on behalf of Sears and other trusted brands. In his free time he enjoys keeping up with the latest gadgets on the market.

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How Is Social Media Being Taught In Academic Settings?

12:01 pm by 1 Comment

Social media is a relatively new phenomenon, but it’s revolutionizing the way people communicate with each other. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Skype and multi-player online games are being used to keep in touch with friends and family, but they’re making it easier for people all over the world to meet and exchange ideas as well. They’re also changing the way problems are approached and solved: just recently, a a group of gamers was able to decode one of the proteins that the AIDS virus needs to reproduce, something scientists had been trying to achieve for the past ten years. None of the gamers were trained scientists—but together, the crowd sourced gamers were able to crack the code in less than a month.

The success of this project demonstrates how valuable social media can be, as well as the potential of social media in education. Social media has been a tool in education for several years now: teachers and students use the Internet to search for information on subjects for class discussion; elementary school classes use Skype to talk to their e-mail pals from across the country or across the globe; college professors conduct lectures with online video.

But while schools from kindergarten to graduate school are using social media to teach students, teaching social media as a subject is still a new concept. The business world has learned to harness the power of social media through advertising, viral marketing and consumer interaction, and as the business world evolves, colleges and universities are also slowly evolving to teach their students how to use social media in their careers. For students pursuing an IT degree or a business degree, social media is one of the most important tools they can learn. But how can academia harness the power of social media? And how can it be integrated into higher education and taught as a skill students need for the workforce of the future?


Several big-name business schools have added social media to their curricula, and schools with online classes and degree programs are teaching their students to integrate social media into their professional interactions as well. For students attending college right now, these are lessons they can take with them into their first jobs—but for adults already in the workplace, introductory and refresher courses are becoming important: learning to use Facebook and Twitter formally, learning how to match business tactics with social media, and studying successful social media campaigns. Adults already in the workforce may want to talk to their human resources department about conducting in-service sessions on social media or about tuition reimbursement for university classes on social media. Because it’s becoming such an integral part of business, employers and employees alike need to recognize the need for social media education.

The world of social media is constantly changing, but as it becomes more incorporated into our everyday lives, students must study how it’s affecting both personal and professional interactions.

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