Your Tech-Culture Map

by Ryan Kellett

After we announced our Flickr Photo Group, we've seen a variety of photos appear on our All Tech sidebar. From a Michael Jackson iPhone tribute to a Hello Kitty vlogger, we've appreciated your entries. Keep 'em coming!

Today, we feature a photo of a hand-drawn, tech-culture map titled "Cloud of Paul Mauriat." Hopefully, this gets you thinking in an existential sense of your technology-culture presence. What defines your online and offline identity? And how are you personally connected to gadgets, services, and brands?

2:00 PM ET | 07-01-2009 | permalink

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With The iPhone, Globalism Takes A Hit

By Eyder Peralta

I got my new iPhone with voice command, yesterday and immediately noted a problem: The iPhone only speaks one language. I said, "Call Mayra [MAI-ra] Peralta." And it shot back, "Calling Flavia Oliveira." It didn't like the short R's; and didn't like the "ay" pronounced like "ai."

So much for a constantly connected, world-at-a-touch device creating more understanding in a unified globe, huh? Now, when it comes to the iPhone at least, my mom's name is MEE-rah peh-RAL-ta.

UPDATE: I e-mailed Natalie Harrison, who handle's public relations for the iPhone, and she pointed me to the full list of supported languages. Spanish -- along with French, Italian and many more -- is supported, but, understandably, you can only use one language at a time. (Spanglish isn't supported.)

I tried the Spanish setting on my phone and it picked up my mom's name beautifully. It also recognized Wright Bryan, the name of my fellow All Tech blogger. But the iPhone's pronunciation of his name when it said it back to me was completely undiscernable.

12:57 PM ET | 07-01-2009 | permalink

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The Golden Age Of Browsers: New Firefox Released

By Wright Bryan

It seems that we've entered a golden age for the world of Web browsers. The latest evidence for this new era is the renewal of Firefox with the release of version 3.5. Mozilla has increased the browser's speed, added new features and included support for HTML 5 video. Early reviews suggest that it's a fitting riposte to the recent advances made by Google's Chrome browser, Apple's Safari, Opera 10 beta and, yes, even Internet Explorer 8.

Harry McCracken's review on Technologizer declares that, overall, FF 3.5 is the best of the bunch for most users:

In other words, the browser sports no knockout new features. But the moves Mozilla has made are smart, and they're more than enough for Firefox to keep pace with its fast-evolving rivals.

Ars Technica offers its own detailed take on the latest evolution of Firefox, concluding that it's further proof of an increasingly sophisticated and open movement toward the Web as a platform:

In general, this is a great time for the Web. The browser market is becoming increasingly vibrant and enjoying real competition and progress as the growing demand for more powerful Web applications drives the adoption of emerging standards.

1:08 PM ET | 06-30-2009 | permalink

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Protecting Yourself In The Wi-Fi Wilderness

By Omar L. Gallaga

The Austin, Tex.-based Wi-Fi Alliance, a non-profit association of hundreds of companies that deal in Wi-Fi technology, has released a list of tips to help keep your data secure as you brave Wi-Fi hotspots or set up your own wireless network.

The advice comes from Kelly Davis-Felner, director of the Wi-Fi Alliance:

Protect yourself when using a public hotspot: Free public hotspots are by nature "open" and unencrypted. To reduce your exposure to unwanted risks:

• Make sure that you are connecting to a legitimate hotspot -- those that require a password have more protection than those that do not.
• Use a virtual private network or VPN, which establishes a private connection across the public network. This may be supplied by your employer, or you can purchase one.
• Surfing the web and sending e-mail is fine, but doing your banking for example in a public hotspot is not advised.

(More advice after the jump)

Continue reading "Protecting Yourself In The Wi-Fi Wilderness" »

12:41 PM ET | 06-30-2009 | permalink

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Google Chases African Mobile Information Market

By Wright Bryan

Google, the Grameen Foundation and MTN Uganda have launched a new range of services for mobile phones in the East African nation of Uganda. Google SMS and Google Trader look to put the power of the Internet in the hands of people who have access to mobile phones with the ability to send and receive text messages.

Users are able to look up tips on farming, get weather forecasts, read up on health issues and, of course, get sports scores. But the most interesting development is the creation of an online marketplace with Google Trader. They hope to connect buyers and sellers electronically to create a more efficient marketplace for Ugandans.

The Grameen Foundation's AppLab produced a promotional video on how the services work:

Continue reading "Google Chases African Mobile Information Market" »

5:33 PM ET | 06-29-2009 | permalink

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Screens Of The Future, On Video

By Omar L. Gallaga

As promised, here's the video from this week's San Antonio Society for Information Display conference, where a gander at the future of what our screens will look like could be had.

Included in the video above: transparent displays, one-pixel cell phone skins, a wearable curved wrist display, energy-efficient TVs of the future and more. It was really a blast getting to look a few years ahead at the technology that'll soon be attracting our eyeballs.

Note: This post was originally published June 5th.

Edited to add, June 29: A few more things based on today's All Tech Considered conversation:

• We noted a few weeks ago that some of these technologies, especially flexible displays, are coming much sooner than you might expect. They're going into mass production now and we will probably see products roll out with flexible displays by January's Consumer Electronics Show, if not sooner.
• The Society for Information Display's official site. They organize the San Antonio conference I attended this month.
• TV screens go greener.
• More on the future of e-ink.
• 3-D TV in your living room. How soon?

4:00 PM ET | 06-29-2009 | permalink

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Flexible Displays: Sooner Than You Think?

By Omar L. Gallaga

A few weeks ago, I raved about some of the cool display technology I got to see at a conference in San Antonio. When people asked me when we'd start seeing some of these technologies, like flexible e-ink displays, roll out to products we could buy, I was thinking two to five years in the future.

Turns out we might see them much sooner. According to a report from Displaybank, an industry research firm, LG Display is already mass-manufacturing such displays and others are ramping up production later this year or the first half of next year.

Encouraging! What does it mean for us consumers (and those of us biting off our fingernails in the newspaper industry)?

The flexible display market expects applications in concepts of e-newspaper, e-magazine, and e-book to replace newspapers, magazines, and books, focus firstly in the e-paper display. In addition, the market expects various applications not only as bulletin board-use displays such as interior/exterior-use advertisement boards, but also as a mobile communication device.

So start practicing bending screens! (Warning: do not attempt on current, non-flexible screens.)

NOTE: This post was originally published June 19th.

3:08 PM ET | 06-29-2009 | permalink

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The Day Online News Took Over

By Omar L. Gallaga

Michael Jackson died yesterday.

You might have heard about.

Today, I've been thinking hard about how the news unfolded yesterday points to new directions in news coverage of major events (at least in the realm of entertainment news). Hard-charging gossipy sites like TMZ, plus the speed of social media spreading that information, minus the context that more mainstream media might provide (though much later). My thoughts are enumerated in a blog post over on Digital Savant called, "The day online news took over." I'd love to hear your thoughts on the subject.

5:09 PM ET | 06-26-2009 | permalink

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Happy Birthday, Bar Code

By Omar L. Gallaga

The illustration above was sent to me as the front of a card from Motorola, Inc. about the 35th anniversary of the first bar-code scanning ever done. It was on a 10-pack of Wrigley's Juicy Fruit at a supermarket in Troy, Ohio.

It's the kind of press release I'd typically ignore, but I have something of a fondness for bar codes. The first time I ever saw a real bar code scanner in a supermarket, I remember thinking it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen (I don't think I'd seen E.T. yet). The beeps, the rotating cans of chicken noodle soup, my God, the red lasers!

Certainly a game-changing technology. Remember when we had to draw our own bar codes by hand and scan them in ourselves with our eyes until they were bleary and tired? Look how far we've come.

You can read a lot more about the anniversary on Motorola's bar code celebration page or in a New York Times story that ran today. Maybe they got the same card from Motorola.

12:22 PM ET | 06-26-2009 | permalink

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Twitter T/F

by Sara Sarasohn

People die in threes. At least, that's the legend and that's the way it played out this week. I've worked on obits for Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson this week and I feel like I've hit my limit. I suspect Aaron Barnhart, tv critic for the Kansas City paper, is feeling something similar.

He posted about a tweet he got that seemed to encapsulate the week:

... On 09/18/1979, Farrah Fawcett & Michael Jackson were both guests on the Tonight Show w/Johnny Carson, co-hosted by Ed McMahon.

Barnhart thought this was so great he immediately retweeted it. Then he checked the facts ... which were not true. Barnhart knows better than to spread rumors under his professional imprimatur - he says as much in his blog post about the whole thing - but he whipped out the "RT @" immediately to repeat the rumor.

I am right there with Aaron Barnhart in wishing there was some truth to that tweet. I feel like it would make my whole week make sense. However, I'm really glad he fact-checked it. Even more, I'm impressed that he posted about being wrong instead of just letting it slide. It's hard to look dumb, and even harder to tell other people that you were wrong.

11:23 AM ET | 06-26-2009 | permalink

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