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Texting While Driving Raises Crash Risks: Study

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 17:06:24 +0000

A study done by Car and Driver found that texting while driving is even worse then driving impaired. The test was done over a strip of taxiway on the Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport in Oscoda, Michigan and the driver needed to respond five times to the light and the slowest reaction time (the amount of time between the activation of the light and the driver hitting the brakes) was recorded.

Another study from The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, compiled the research and plans to release its findings on Tuesday, measured the time drivers took their eyes from the road to send or receive texts.

Video cameras were installed into various trucks collecting the data. According to the New York Times, the overall cost was $6 million to equip the trucks with video cameras and track them for three million miles as they hauled furniture, frozen foods and other goods across the country.

The study found that in the moments before a text-related crash, drivers typically spent nearly five seconds looking at their devices -- enough time at typical highway speeds to cover more than the length of a football field.

Compared with other sources of driver distraction, "texting is in its own universe of risk," said Rich Hanowski, who oversaw the study at the institute.

Hanowski said the texting analysis was financed by $300,000 from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, with the mission of improving safety in trucks and buses.

The final analysis of the data is undergoing peer review before formal publication.

Tom Dingus, director of the Virginia Tech institute, one of the world's largest vehicle safety research organizations, said the study's message was clear.

"You should never do this," he said of texting while driving. "It should be illegal."

Currently, there are thirty-six states that do not ban texting and 14 that do, including Alaska, California, Louisiana and New Jersey.

In New York, legislators have sent a bill to Gov. David A. Paterson, said the New York Times, but legislators in some states have rejected such rules, and elected officials say they need more data to determine whether to ban the activity.

In December, phone users in the United States sent 110 billion messages, a tenfold increase in just three years, according to the cellular phone industry's trade group, CTIA.

The University of Utah also conducted a study over the last 18 months looked at college students using a sophisticated driving simulator and uncovered the risk they would crash was eight times greater when texting than when not texting.

David Strayer, a professor who co-wrote the University of Utah report, offered two explanations for the simulator's showing lower risks than the Virginia study. Trucks are tougher to maneuver and stop, he said, and the college students in his study might be somewhat better at multitasking.

But the differences in the studies are not the point Strayer said, "You're off the charts in both cases. It's crazy to be doing it."

At Virginia Tech, researchers said they focused on texting among truckers because the trucking study was relatively new and thus better reflected the explosive growth of texting. But another new study from the organization is focusing on texting among so-called light-vehicle drivers, specifically teenagers.

Preliminary results from that study show risk levels for texters roughly comparable to those of the truck drivers. The formal results of the light-vehicle study should be available later this year, the New York Times said.

A previous Virginia institute study videotaping car drivers found that they were three times more likely to crash or come close to a crash when dialing a phone and 1.3 times more likely when talking on it.

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety plans to publish polling data that show that 87 percent of people consider drivers texting or e-mailing to pose a "very serious" safety threat.

Of the 2,501 drivers surveyed this spring, 95 percent said that texting was unacceptable behavior while 21 percent of drivers said they had recently texted or e-mailed while driving.

About half of drivers 16 to 24 said they had texted while driving, compared with 22 percent of drivers 35 to 44.

"It's convenient," said Robert Smith, 22, a recent college graduate in Windham, Me. He says he regularly texts and drives even though he recognizes that it is a serious risk. He would rather text, he said, than take time on a phone call.

"I put the phone on top of the steering wheel and text with both thumbs," he said, adding that he often has exchanges of 10 messages or more. Sometimes, "I'll look up and realize there's a car sitting there and swerve around it."

Smith, who was not part of the AAA survey, said he was surprised by the findings in the new research about texting.

"I'm pretty sure that someday it's going to come back to bite me," he said of his behavior.

]]> Tags: Related tags: while driving, texting while, video cameras, percent drivers, light vehicle, study

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Think Before Texting Behind the Wheel

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:02:02 +0000

I always knew that texting while driving is dangerous but, I just didn't realize how dangerous. A recent study by Car and Driver found that texting while driving is even worse then driving impaired. Prior texting tests have been done virtually or based on statistics from accident reports. However, a real-life test was never conducted until now.

The test was done over a strip of taxiway on the Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport in Oscoda, Michigan, adjacent to an 11,800-foot runway that used to be home to a squadron of B-52 bombers. (That's just cool.)

A Honda Pilot was the test vehicle and a red light on the windshield lit up, simulating the brakes of another car in front. The lights were controlled by the passenger of the car, who also monitored the drivers.

A Racelogic VBOX III data logger combined and recorded the test data from three areas, vehicle speed via the VBOX's GPS antenna, brake-pedal position and steering angle via the Pilot's OBD II port and the red light's on/off status through an analog input.

The driver needed to respond five times to the light and the slowest reaction time (the amount of time between the activation of the light and the driver hitting the brakes) was recorded.

Car and Driver Jordan Brown, 22, used an iPhone, and Eddie Alterman, 37 used a Samsung Alias. The magazine said that they went with a phone that had a QWERTY keyboard because of their popularity. Personally, I don't have a QWERTY keyboard and I have to could the number of times I press buttons to get to my desired letter, symbol or number.

If these numbers are based on a device that makes texting easier, then I wonder what the results would be with an old school cell phone like mine.

Here's where I got scared. After the initial data was collected, control, reading and texting, the two started drinking screwdrivers and blew into a Lifeloc FC10 breath-alcohol analyzer until they reached the legal driving limit of 0.08 percent blood-alcohol content. Then, they went behind the wheel and ran the light-and-brake test without texting.

Although the 22-year-old did fare better, there still is significant damage that could have been done if other cars were involved. Brown traveled an extra 21 feet during his slowest reaction time at 35 mph before hitting the brakes while reading and went 16 feet longer while texting.

At 70 mph, a vehicle travels 103 feet every second, and Brown's worst reaction time while reading at that speed put him about 30 feet (31 while typing) farther down the road versus 15 feet while drunk.

Check out the full article, but it goes to show that texting behind the wheel is dangerous not only for yourself but for other drivers on the road.

]]> Tags: Related tags: texting wheel, while reading, while driving, slowest reaction, texting while, texting

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Breaking Up with Facebook Is Hard to Do

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:10:46 +0000

I once had a boyfriend, back in the day who was the apple of my eye. I liked him, he liked me, we held hands and we sat at the same table in the cafeteria. It was wonderful for a few months. We talked in school but we also did our own things after school like hang out with other friends. However, as time when on all he wanted to do was be by my side.

Going along with it for a few weeks, it got old fast. It wasn't the fact that I didn't like spending time with him, that wasn't it. It was the fact that he needed to know what I was doing at all times. If he wasn't with me he would call me to "just say hi," ...hello, click.

Social networking, for some, has become something of an addiction. Like beepers and their offspring - cell phones -accounts on social networking sites like Facebook are everywhere, and some people are checking them about every 15 to 20 minutes.

For instance, as TMCnet reported, Facebook is now testing a new feature that let's users search the site for items their friends are talking about or sharing, like videos and photos -- in real time.

Personally, I'm a fan of deleting virtual friends if I really don't talk to them or know anything about them. I also don't join games, applications or list my favorite five street corners, five favorite songs that end with the word 'mayonnaise' or five favorite Twilight characters and only list Edward Cullen.

I'd rather e-mail a person via Facebook than use notes or the "Wall," because it's impersonal and public. It's probably the reason why I'm a huge fan of never updating my status - because it's a public forum, people can see what I'm doing, in real time.

I may be missing the concept of "social" networking but, I like my privacy too. I'll socialize on my own terms, thank you, and I'll decide who gets to see my personal information and pictures.

However for some, the addiction of Facebook becomes too much and the only option is to deactivate their account, even if it's just for a little while. It's sort of like an umbilical cord that we can't seem to cut but want to desperately.

In any case, as I learned just now, saying goodbye is hard to do - and that's because Facebook doesn't want to let us go.

To deactivate a Facebook account, once a user is logged in, they click on "Account Settings" and then on "Deactivate Account." Here's where the violins start to play.

"Are you sure you want to deactivate your account? Your (insert number) friends will no longer be able to keep in touch with you."

Underneath this are five pictures where you are tagged saying, "(Friend's Name) will miss you." (See image at right.) Will they, Facebook, will they?

Once you get past that, Facebook requires that you give them a reason as to why you are leaving:

I spend too much time using Facebook.
I need to fix something in my account.
I have another Facebook account. I don't understand how to use Facebook.
I don't find Facebook useful.
I get too many e-mails, invitations, and requests from Facebook.
This is temporary. I'll be back.
I don't feel safe on Facebook.
Other

But Facebook loves you so much that if you click on one of the options, like the first one, their response is, "One way to control your interaction with Facebook is to limit the number of e-mails you receive from us. You can control what e-mails you receive here."

I'm sure that when some people reach this step, they second guess themselves and hit cancel. However, if you check off other and continue, Facebook absolutely needs to know why. You cannot deactivate your account without giving a reason.

Be sure, if you do end up deactivating your account for whatever reason, to check off the e-mail opt out, because if you don't, you'll still receive e-mails on your account reminding you that you're former Facebook friends miss you.

Why so much pressure from Facebook? Who knows, but for many who use the site regularly, they'll probably never see the deactivate page.

Needless to say my now ex-boyfriend and I didn't last too long. In high school terminology we went out forever but it was fun while it lasted. As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end - a bit like the recent announcement made by another social networking site, MySpace.

]]> Tags: Related tags: social networking, deactivate account, mails receive, facebook account, facebook, account

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Comments on this Entry:

(Rich J on Jul 7, 2009 10:09 PM)

I was starting to think I was the only one with who felt this way. I love the idea of Facebook as far as reconnecting with old friends but I'm getting really tired of all of the mindless games, quizzes and other assorted nonsense. Beyond that it's a bit creepy how they mine all of your conversations, etc for marketing data. I mean I know they have to figure out how to turn a profit but this seems a bit excessive. However I think I'll keep my account though, if only to be able to email people occasionally. At this point I log in maybe once a week at best.

Competition for Amazon Kindle, Pixel Qi's E-reader Netbook

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 16:20:20 +0000

Although Amazon has been trying to change the publishing world by introducing its 1/3 of an inch, 10.3 ounce Kindle, there have been some complaints that its not all that it's cracked up to be.

On Amazon's Kindle page, there is no doubt that the overall the Kindle is well liked, but not by much. One-star reviews read that the screen fades in sunlight or the battery life is horrible, Amazon hopes to resolve these troublesome statements when it introduces the Kindle DX later this year.

However, the $360 price tag could be money better spent on a netbook with an e-reader screen in addition to regular netbook functions. Asustek's Eee PC 1000HE and Acer's Aspire One AOD150-1165, are similarly priced.

Start-up Pixel Qi is bringing the competition with their 3qi, which might give Amazon reason to be scared.

The company, founded by former One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) CTO Mary Lou Jepsen, will demonstrate engineering samples of its first screen product at Computex Taipei 2009 this week, according to PC World.

According to Jepsen, the screens should be in netbooks and on store shelves by the end of this year.

New notebooks designed to include e-reader functions will likely have displays that can swivel around to cover the keyboard and a tablet mode good for an e-book reader, said John Ryan, chief operating officer at Pixel Qi.

Complaints of a glaring or fading screen from Kindle users can be comforted by Pixel Qi's modifications.

"What you're looking at is a screen that's entirely reflective," said Ryan, at Pixel Qi's temporary office in Taipei. "It's just running like e-paper so that it's running on the ambient light. It's not fighting the office light, it's not fighting the sunlight. That makes it better for reading but it also cuts the power consumption. The backlight in the screen is typically the largest power drain in any notebook computer."

However, even though Pixel Qi's netbook offers more, making people believe that they actually need such a gadget is hard during these hard economic times. More importantly, persuading companies to invest in their product has been the hardest as reports from all over the world have been coming out diminishing financial moral.

"People read the news everyday and this has been pretty bad, and convincing people to take risks during that time was darn hard," said Jepsen. "Venture capital dried up so of course we were trying to get funding during all of that, but we did it."

]]> Tags: Related tags: kindle, screen, pixel, amazon, netbook, reader

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Wired for War

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 16:14:11 +0000

Many of my family members have served or are now serving in the U.S. armed forces. Naturally, because of my family's involvement, I often find myself looking through headlines about anything involving the military because for military families, the last few years have been far from stress-free.

Finding out about P.W. Singer's book Wired for War not only scared me but made me wonder if we are going the right way in the use of technology in any shape or form of it. In certain ways, current technology can save lives as well as create them however the darker aspect is that the same technology can destroy those same lives, and more.

For the most part American history has shown that actions are taken before the consequences are even thought through, if they were even thought about. We are taught as children to think before we speak, and the same should apply to our actions. However, as of late C-level management in corporations such as AIG have shown what can happen when poor, selfish and/or greedy decisions are made.

The same can be applied to high level officers in the military. More often then not, their objective is plain and simple, to protect American against all enemies foreign or domestic, and usually at whatever cost necessary.

P.W. Singer's Wired for War is a hefty book that talks about the issues no one either wants to acknowledge or care to know about. Read more about Singer's thoughts and his book in an interview I recently had found here.

]]> Tags: Related tags: wired, military, technology, singer

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Only You Can Save the Earth

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 16:17:39 +0000

Earth Day is fast approaching, so get ready for the big day on April 22. Earth Day, according to EarthDay.gov, is a time to celebrate gains mankind has made and create new visions to accelerate environmental progress; a time to unite around new actions and remember that every day is a time to act to protect our planet.

Searching for ways to do-my-part in saving the Earth, I came across an article from Earth911.com that lists ways to save the Earth by recycling your old electronics. The following are places where one can recycle their old electronics:

Earth Day 2009 will celebrate the launch of a brand new processing facility in Atlanta. Tampa-based ViaTek Solutions is celebrating the opening of its second processing facility with a week of free electronics recycling at both locations. The event will run from April 20-24 and covers all personal electronics.
Baltimore County is holding a free electronics recycling event at the Immaculate Conception Parish in Towson, Md. on April 25 for electronics other than TVs, and will supply tax donation receipts.

Also, in anticipation of Earth Day, several companies are sponsoring nationwide electronics recycling programs.

In Compton, Calif. electronics manufacturer Belkin is sponsoring a free e-waste recycling day on April 25 at Lueders Park. Belkin will accept everything from TVs to computer cables.
IKEA stores in Carson and Covina, Calif. will accept electronics for free on April 26, with participants receiving two free energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamps.
Panasonic is using Earth Day 2009 to add 30 new Southeast U.S. drop-off sites to its MRM Recycling program. This means there are now 310 drop-off locations covering all 50 states to drop off Panasonic electronics for free recycling.

For those who don't live in these areas, check out your local Best Buy or Staples to learn more about how you can do-your-part in saving the Earth.

For more information about green technology be sure to check out TMCnet's Green Blog and the Green Vertical.

]]> Tags: Related tags: electronics recycling, saving earth, processing facility, earth, electronics, recycling

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Japanese Invasion!

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 22:27:15 +0000

Looking over Reuters tech videos is always fun, and scary. For some reason I was focusing on the Japanese today, mainly because they always are so creative.

In an attempt to trace dreams and I imagine someday, hopefully in the future, to also read peoples thoughts! (I highly doubt people want to know what I'm thinking, mainly because it's one of those, "If you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all" type scenarios.) Scientists in Japan are trying to develop a technology to visualize images and dreams.

Dream away!

This next video is just hilarious. Japanese inventor of the Mimi Switch or Ear Switch has now created a device that in conjunction with an iPod can be controlled by using facial expressions. Imagine this product being sold in mass quantity, everyone on the streets wouldn't know if we were flirting with each other or just trying to change to the next sound on our iPods. All the winking, sticking out of tongues and not to mention all the eyebrow raises, we're all going to look like fools.

The inventor says he thinks this device has the potential to be used as a hand-free remote control for ANY electronic appliance and in the future it could provide help for the elderly and/or people with disabilities.

PH.D KAZUHIRO TANIGUCHI, GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING SCIENCE, OSAKA UNIVERSITY commented, "We designed this device, keeping Japan's increasingly aging population in mind. We wanted to make a device by which, even if you're not able to move your body freely, you can still control machines."

He's now looking for business partners to transform his hands-free remote into a commercial product.

Make funny faces!

Lastly, models might need to find a new line of work if these Japanese scientists have their way.

During Japan's Fashion Week a few weeks ago, the latest female humanoid robot was showcased. Although, they still need to add a little finesse and elegance to her movements, designers will be comforted knowing that these models will always be the same size.

Work it, baby!

Hope you enjoy these videos, I did!

]]> Tags: Related tags: scientists japan, mainly because, device, japanese, always, japan

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Study: Social Networking Can Increase Office Productivity

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 17:31:30 +0000

A new study from the University of Melbourne concludes that those who surf the Internet for fun during office hours increases productivity. So for those who use social networking sites like Twitter or Facebook at work (read: Social Network junkies) now have an excuse and no longer need to hide!

The University of Melbourne study showed that people who use the Internet for personal reasons at work are about nine percent more productive that those who do not.

Study author Brent Coker, from the department of management and marketing, said "workplace Internet leisure browsing," or WILB, helped to sharpened workers' concentration.

"People need to zone out for a bit to get back their concentration," Coker said on the university's Website.

"Short and unobtrusive breaks, such as a quick surf of the Internet, enables the mind to rest itself, leading to a higher total net concentration for a days' work, and as a result, increased productivity," he said.

According to the study of 300 workers, 70 percent of people who use the Internet at work engage in WILB.

Among the most popular WILB activities are searching for information about products, reading online news sites, playing online games and watching videos on YouTube.

"Firms spend millions on software to block their employees from watching videos, using social networking sites or shopping online under the pretence that it costs millions in lost productivity," said Coker. "That's not always the case."

However, Coker said the study looked at people who browsed in moderation, or were on the Internet for less than 20 percent of their total time in the office.

This study only proves what you knew all along, doesn't it? So when your boss walks by your desk, peering over your shoulder to check up on you, who cares if you're on Facebook looking through your best friend's photo album or Twittering about how you wish you could go home, those upper-management folks can't do a darn thing, you're increasing your productivity.

However, Coker said, "Those who behave with Internet addiction tendencies will have a lower productivity than those without." So, as to not go over-board, everything in moderation and you'll be fine!

]]> Tags: Related tags: social networking, productivity those, networking sites, however coker, people internet, internet

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Skype Urges EU to Give it a Chance

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:05:47 +0000

Skype has asked European policymakers to implement policies that let consumers access their services through smart phones on any public network.

"Blocking of voice applications on mobile devices, such as the announcement of T-Mobile to block Skype on iPhones in Germany, is highly detrimental for consumer welfare in Europe," VON said in a statement. T-Mobile is the exclusive carrier of Apple's iPhone in Germany.

The Voice on the Net (VON) coalition, Europe, includes Google, Microsoft, and Intel, who have been hearing arguments from the VoIP Internet telephone unit of eBay Inc which claims carriers are blocking their applications on their cellular or 3G networks, in turn limiting consumer choice.

The appeal was sparked by news that German mobile operator T-Mobile, the wireless unit of Deutsche Telekom did not allow customers to use the Skype application on the iPhone.

Carriers have the ability to block Skype on their networks however they cannot distinguish whether customers are using Skype through a Wi-Fi link, a person familiar with the matter said.

"Essentially, you can use Skype via Wi-Fi on a T-Mobile iPhone," the person said. "I have tried, it works."

In Europe, T-Mobile blocks Skype on its network, saying that the high level of traffic would hinder network performance.

Skype's iPhone application can be downloaded through the Apple application store on iPhones and allows free calls between Skype users. The desktop version of Skype will still be charged for calls to traditional phones.

The company announced that in May it will launch Skype for Research In Motion's BlackBerry, the devices which popularized mobile email.

Skype has already announced its app on Nokia phones and for phones based on Android, Google mobile systems, and Windows Mobile, from Microsoft.

]]> Tags: Related tags: block skype, skype, mobile, iphone, phones, network

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The Signs Are There, New Sixth-Sense Device

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 21:05:25 +0000

A friend emailed me a demo showing a "sixth-sense" device from Pattie Maes' lab at MIT, built by Pranav Mistry, the genius behind Sixth Sense. It's a wearable device, which is placed around the neck, with a projector that when a product is placed in front of its screen more information is shown through the projector and displayed on the surface of the product.

So for instance if you wanted to know the Amazon rating of a book, you would put the book cover in front of the device and it would give you the Amazon rating. Open the book and you can read Amazon user comments and read more about the book. Flip open to a specific page with a picture for instance and, if the picture has any significance, more information will be displayed on the page as well.

Place consumer products in front, they use the example of toilet paper, and based on the users settings they could see which product is the best choice for them.

This got me thinking. Sure, when this product eventually comes to market it could have been changed in design or functionality making it a bit less of an "I'll think for you" machine. But my first impressions were exactly that. Why would I need all this information about one subject, product or whatever else that's placed in front of me while I have this on?

Jim MCGIVERN commented, "I am skeptical of any device...that could potentially influence or interfere with my own thoughts or body movements." Me too and this is not to say that this device could but like Jim said, it does have the potential.

Maes describes the sixth-sense device as a "Minority Report" gadget, and it truly does look like it could come out of the movie. I just worry when that movie may become a reality and people who don't know how to use technology properly misuse, abuse and harm others.

Another demonstration that they show is with human interactions. When you go up to your best friend, secrets become secrets no more. Anything that can be found on the Internet about this individual will be found and will be displayed on their body. Do we really need to know this much?

All inventions in the long run are wonderful, the wheel lead to transportation but then those vehicles lead to pollution. Ok, then how about airplanes? When the Wright brothers invented the airplane it lead to the exploration and travel to lands that were once thought of as out of reach, but then again it also lead to kamikaze suicide bombers.

The bottom line is that for every action there is a reaction. It's plan and simple, it's science. Yet it's often the scientists who forget this rule. Thus they create what they believe to be, at that particular moment, something to help mankind but in the end it somehow misshapes it.

I'm sure there other inventions that did nothing but good for humanity, like the cure for polio but what else? It is said that it's human nature for us to remember only the negative but I'm not really using that as an excuse. Do you know of any more?

Although I do think this invention is revolutionary and a tool that could benefit those who wish to use it, I just also wish people would think about what could happen negatively. We as a people often don't think about the bad, until it happens.

]]> Tags: Related tags: sixth sense, sense device, amazon rating, device, product, think

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Apple to Release No Contract 3G iPhones

Thu, 19 Mar 2009 21:57:32 +0000

Many have been curious as to when Apple was going to lower the price of its 3G iPhone however, Apple thought of an alternative. Rumor has it is that Apple will start selling iPhones without a contract attached to them. The 8GB iPhone will go for $599 and the 16GB iPhone will go for $699, according to a Boy Genius Report.

The Boy Genius Report obtained an AT&T power point presentation regarding the news. Slide four states that the offer will be starting March 26, 2009 for existing customers. Therefore, those prices mentioned above are for existing customers as well. Other prices include an Early Upgrade price of $399/$499 and a Qualified Upgrade Price of $199/$299.

Those who purchase either the Qualified or Early upgrade priced offer are required to sign a 2-year service agreement and device activation is required. The no contract and no activation fee apply for those who purchase the 3G iPhone at the No-Commit price.

What else is AT&T trying to pull, how about the purchase of a data plan is required for all devices that are activated on AT&T's network regarding the 3G promotion.

Why is AT&T doing this? Some have been speculating that AT&T is just clearing their warehouses for Apple's new iPhone. Commenting on the Boy Genius Report's posting, user damiaking said, "Time to clear out some inventory, boys!"

Another comment from Rosario said, "Ok let me get this out, HELL NO! Now, why would anyone buy the iPhone for that price. It's a nice phone but there is no way its worth that price. I have no idea who would think it would be a good idea to buy the iPhone at that price."

Who's to blame for this pandemonium? Who's the master mind behind this, AT&T or Apple?

Who knows but their AT&T and Apple, those companies have been doing business their way for quite some time now. No amount of complaining is going to stop these monsters in the industry from releasing products or setting contracts how they see fit.

Sorry kids, that's just how the cookie crumbles.

]]> Tags: Related tags: genius report, upgrade price, iphone price, existing customers, those purchase, iphone

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Apple's New Third Generation 4GB iPod Shuffle Speaks

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 16:30:12 +0000

With the release of the new iPod shuffle from Apple, I could care less where Steve Jobs is or is not in the company's corporate ladder. Apple shareholders should now be able to rest easy knowing that even though Jobs is not currently the poster child for the company, they are still releasing products that extend the quality of the previous models.

What makes this third generation 4GB iPod shuffle better than the rest is the VoiceOver function, size and overall function of the device. With VoiceOver, the iPod shuffle can tell you the artist and song name that is being played, status information such as the amount of battery life and the names of the playlists you have stored on the shuffle.

"Imagine your music player talking to you, telling you your song titles, artists and playlist names," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of iPod and iPhone Product Marketing. "The amazingly small new iPod shuffle takes a revolutionary approach to how you listen to your music by talking to you, also making it the first iPod shuffle with playlists."

In addition to English, the iPod shuffle can speak 14 languages including Czech, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish and Turkish.

Significantly smaller than a double A battery, it can hold up to 1,000 songs and is easier to use with all of the controls conveniently located on the earphone cord. With the press of a button, you can play, pause, adjust volume, switch playlists and hear the name of the song and artist. The new aluminum design features a built-in stainless steel clip that makes it easy to show off clipped in front of a pocket or hidden inside.

The new third generation 4GB iPod shuffle market price of $79 comes in silver or black and can be found at the Apple Store, Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers.

Keep informed by never forgetting a single artist name or song title again with the help of the new iPod shuffle with VoiceOver.

]]> Tags: Related tags: third generation, shuffle, apple, playlists, generation, third

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New Skype 4.0 Review

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 19:00:58 +0000

For those who may not know, I lived in Chile, South America for about two years and when I needed to call home Skype would come to my rescue. Nothing beats free and all of the Cyber Cafes I ever went to in South America had Skype already installed on every single PC.

Now, this could be because of the Internet connections South America but there were times where Skype was not my friend and I was very close to deleting the program all together. Needless to say, I did continue using the previous version of Skype until my return to the States, dropped calls, echoes, or the other caller could hear me all plague my calls. However, in Skype's defense these problematic occurrences didn't happen all the time.

Now, Skype introduced a new version, Skype 4.9 and TMC Contributor, Vivek Naik reported, "For prospective and potential first time users, the application is used for Voice and Video over Internet Protocol, or "VVoIP," calls, and its services are mostly for free - audio calls, video and audio calls, instant messages, sending files and emailing. Paid services are for call forwarding when off-line, sending text messages to, and calling, phones and mobiles."

Skype claims that its new version allows users to experience the very best Skype video calling experience possible even on a low-bandwidth connection with a new built-in bandwidth manager with up to 30-frames-per-second High Quality Video with an internet connection of 400 Kb/s or higher, a dual-core processor PC and a Skype Certified High Quality Video webcam.

Skype also claims that the new version increases the call quality. The new audio codec achieves wideband audio quality using 50 percent less bandwidth than previously required.

Testing the voice portion of Skype with a friend of mine, Jorge Hidalgo who lives in Chile we spoke for about a half hour and only once did we experience audio difficulties. I was able to hear others in the background clearly as well, which surprised me as with the older version hearing the person you were speaking to was sometimes a miracle.

Hidalgo commented, "I think this version is much better than the previous one because you are able talk with better clarity and better understand what the other person is saying. With the older version, I experienced many problems and so far those problems seem to be resolved."

Unfortunately, since I don't have a Web cam, I wasn't able to test out this feature but I'm assuming it would work better as well since the voice section has improved. Also, when sending messages while talking, the messages are instantaneous. Hidalgo sent me news links regarding happenings in Chile he thought I should know and I was able to review them as soon as he hit enter. A nice feature is that the text is kept on the same page. A new window does not open up as it did in the previous version, making everything kept together, compact and simple.

The layout is even more user friendly, with not many links and distractions on the main page. Profiles are shown of those who choose to fill out that section when creating an account when they signed up for Skype, making it easy to see who speaks what language, where they are from and any other information they entered.

Overall, Skype 4.0 is now not only my permanent friend but a product I would recommend not only because it's free but because it is hassle free and we could all use a little less drama in our lives.

]]> Tags: Related tags: south america, version skype, video internet, audio calls, previous version, skype

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Comments on this Entry:

(Victor Michael Oguli on Jul 28, 2009 12:41 PM)

hi am having a hard time getting to meet new people a feature I found unique with previous versions of skype was this service altogether scraped with the new skype?

Forrester: Customer Experience Counts

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 17:08:10 +0000

Customer satisfaction should be the number one priority in any business. Customer experience is usually measured by whether the company meets a customer's needs, whether the company is easy to work with, and the satisfaction of a consumer's interactions with the company.

Companies especially call or contact centers need to deal with customers on a daily basis, making sure each one hangs up the phone satisfied or at lest close to it. A new report from Forrester Research shows that customer experience is closely tied to customer loyalty, and that the relationship between the two has increased since last year.

The report measures loyalty by a customer's willingness to repurchase from a company, reluctance to switch and likelihood to recommend.

"It's a no-brainer," said Bruce Temkin, VP and principal analyst, customer experience at Forrester, author of the report. "Customers will do more business with companies that serve them best, and a good portion of what they evaluate is the experience."

He added, "The big takeaway is that customer experience is the loyalty magic bullet if there is one. Marketers need to make sure they are building loyalty the old-fashioned way, one interaction at a time. If you aren't delivering good interaction and meeting needs and being easy to work with, then customers will leave you."

The report includes data between September 2007 and October 2008 explaining the link between customer experience and loyalty has gotten even stronger across all industries. The correlation between experience and repurchasing grew the most for TV service providers and investment firms, while the relationship between reluctance to switch and experience grew the most for investment firms and medical insurers.

Temkin said he was surprised to see the link between experience and loyalty increase across the board, but he takes it as a sign that customer experience has only become more important in this economy.

"The fact that it went up in all industries was a sign that in down times, customers become even more alert to the way they're being treated and get even more sensitive to the experiences they have, so that was the big 'A-ha!' from the research this year," Temkin said.

"When times are good, consumers just continue on their merry way, but in this economic environment, every purchase they make, every service interaction they have is a large portion of what they care about," he continued. "They're more emotional about everything and, therefore, a bad experience resonates even more negatively."

In the long run, especially during this economic environment as Temkin puts it, many are running on thin ice and this might only be the beginning. These findings go to show that service with a smile can go a long way.

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Comments on this Entry:

(Anh on Feb 27, 2009 5:40 PM)

As Temkin said, "... every purchase they make, every service interaction they have is a large portion of what they care about." New customers are harder to come by during this economic state, but companies still have their existing customers. Go the extra mile(s) to satisfied the existing customers can help keep revenues coming in, and attract new customers by referrals. Word of mouth is the cheapest and best marketing for any company. While you service new customers with a smile, don't forget the existing ones. They are the ones that got you where you are.

(Anh on Feb 27, 2009 5:40 PM)

Lose It! App Helps Those in Weight Loss Need

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 19:32:05 +0000

For some reason since the start of the new year, every morning I wake up a few minutes before my alarm rings and although I'm--for the most part--awake, I still sit in bed and stare and the ceiling in an almost a state of panic. During this time I tell myself that today is a new day, a day for change and that 'hope' will still be a four letter word in my vocabulary.

Eventually, I muster up the courage to get out of bed and start my daily routine with the first order of business: weighing in. You see, nutritionists (and demons) say in order to get an accurate calculation of ones weight, punishing yourself in the wee hours of the morning right before you go to work, which for some could be another punishment, is best. This suggestion I fairly understand and it is because of this that I have also come to the realization that without nutritionists and personal trainers, there wouldn't be jobs for therapists or psychologists.

One can only imagine other four letter words that are also in my vocabulary during weigh-in, the word 'hope' usually doesn't exist at this time.

The biggest New Year's resolution is to lose weight. This is wonderful and commendable but, in my case I need a little help. So I go to technology for the answer and found on the Lose It! App found in the iTunes store.

This application is a calorie counter that helps you either maintain your current weight or lose up to two pounds a week. By entering your weight, height and goal the app lets you know how many calories you can consume. Since I'm in the weight loss mood, I entered that I wanted to lose two pounds a week therefore, my daily calorie intake is 1,011.

Entering in food is much like solving a calculus problem, it takes forever. Well, if you're not good in calculus that is. (Don't judge me.) Users can search for food by typing it in or there is also a brand named section to look for popular brand names or store brand names. Although there aren't all food brand names listed, it is fairly stocked.

Exercising is also a part of the application and calorie intake goes down the more exercise you enter for the day. I entered that I will dance, do sit-ups, play the piano, and walk for 30 minutes respectively, then after all that I'll stretch for two hours losing a total of 913 calories.

Based on the food I entered and the exercise I'll "do" I am under my calorie intake by 259. Just so that I'll feel better maybe I'll dance for two hours...sounds like plan.

]]> Tags: Related tags: brand names, calorie intake, weight, brand, calorie, entered

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