Kindle- The genius book killer

Kindle- the genius book killer

The Kindle is an electronic device for downloading, storing, and reading electronic books, known as e-books. The Kindle has instant wireless access to Amazon.com and their huge number of e-books (over 115,000 and growing). You can read newspapers, subscribe to magazines and blogs, and even play audio files such as MP3’s or audio books. 

The kindle has many advantages over a paperback like how I don't have to take up valuable space with books. I also can pack as many books as I want when I travel without weighing down my suitcase. Furthermore I can change the font size to accommodate my eyes.  Has anyone ever considered the environmental benefits of e-books? Although I can't claim to be a 'go green' fanatic I think it is important to note that the less paperbacks purchased, the less trees will be cut down. Also you don't have to pay for the production of books and shipping which may or may not sell. I think the main reason that paperbacks will become obsolete because of the portability and ease of reading (500+ page books are just unwieldy to read in bed) Be that as it may, e-books are clearly the wave of the future.

However not everyone can afford a kindle or e-book reader so it would be cheaper to buy just a paperback. Furthermore not all older but still good to read books are available as an eBook, so you could be missing out on some classics.  Also I know that to some people the feeling and cherishing the book is just as important as reading the content. only downsides that I can see is that as an electronic device it can be damaged beyond a state of use more easily than a physical book. Moreover when you want to lend it to a friend. If you like to lend and borrow books, then you may yet be better off with a good old-fashioned paper-and-ink edition And if you’re the type who leaves books on the bus, then you probably won’t want to risk doing that with an expensive e-book

Mobile phone history

Mobile phones history

Do you remember when you bought your first mobile phone? Perhaps you were able to stump up the £3000 needed for a cell phone back in 1985. In recent years, values of early mobile phones have nearly outstripped their cost back in the day. The mobile phone is now also a serious investment as well as an important piece of social history. There are many new innovations developed in the mobile phones here are some of the key ones:
 

3G-3G means 3rd generation mobile communications, putting it simply it’s just a fast means of transferring data (fast internet) most new phones are 3G now, and you have a data plan to use any internet, so, no you can’t use the 3G internet totally free of charge.
 

Wi-Fi- Wi-Fi is a popular technology that allows an electronic device to exchange data wirelessly (using radio waves) over a computer network, including high-speed Internet connections. Using your home internet connection is beneficial in many ways. It's usually much faster than connecting over mobile networks. Also, you won’t be using up any data allowance you may have on your mobile contract.
 

Camera phones- No longer do you have to carry a digital camera, now you will have it on your mobile phone. Some mobile phones have a 12 megapixel camera and HD 1080p video recording, which is at the top end of the digital camera market.

 

Mobile phone statistics




 

• 76% of 18-24 year olds had their first mobile by the age of fourteen.
• There are more than 81 million mobile subscriptions in the UK.
• Mobile phone users each and about 200 text messages every month.
• Almost a third of those aged over 45 are still using their first mobile phone.
• The first mobile phone call in Britain was made by comedian Ernie wise in 1985 on the Vodafone network .
• Less than two thirds of 25- 34 year olds in Britain change their mobile phone every 9 months.
• In 2000 only half of British adults had a mobile phone. Ownership now stands at 92%.

Mobile phone usage in public

Mobile phone usage in public

Mobile phone is a device that can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link while moving around. The first hand-held mobile phone was demonstrated by John F. Mitchelland Dr Martin Cooper of Motorola in 1973, using a handset weighing around 1 kg. From 1990 to 2011, worldwide mobile phone subscriptions grew from 12.4 million to over 6 billion, penetrating about 87% of the global population and reaching the bottom of the economic pyramid. Mobile phones allow you to access computer technology without bulky hardware. For example, you can record videos, browse the Internet or send and receive text messages.

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=mobile+phones+history&qs=n&form=QBIR&pq=mobile+phones+history&sc=6-21&sp=-1&sk=#view=detail&id=1562A68F242A911F8BA0994E7DCD636C4315ADD5&selectedIndex=16

Disadvantages of mobile phone usage in public

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=mobile+phones+when+driving+google&qs=bs&form=QBIR#view=detail&id=A01D8E9E3FA8F3346A2EDF823C110D826D0D27E4&selectedIndex=57

Safety- Mobile phones can interfere with aircrafts and hospital equipment, causing danger to yourself and other people.  Furthermore texting and taking phone calls whilst driving is a major distraction.  Drivers are four times more likely to have a crash if they are talking on their mobile phones, researchers have found. A study from the British medical journey interviewed 456 drivers who owned mobile phones and had ended up in hospital after a crash. Those using hands-free sets had a 3.8% higher chance of an accident, while those using handheld phones had a 4.9% raised risk. 

 

Peace and quiet- Many people go to places like the library to study or read and get rudely interrupted by mobile phone users talking on their phone. Others go to church to reflect and pray and also interrupted by mobile phone users.  Students at school get distracted extremely easy by mobile phones and are not focused on their school work.  Ofsted are implementing a new drive to try and ban mobile phones into classrooms to improve discipline in school. Sir Michael Wilshaw, chief inspector of the education watchdog said: “The outrageous behaviour that you occasionally see in all schools is serious, but I think the bigger issue is that low-level disruption which takes place which stops children learning effectively. Teachers and head teachers have got to stamp that out.”

Inconveniencing others: Usually mobile phone users will multitask, attempting to buy a bus ticket, whilst carrying having a conversation .This will cause an inconvenience to others and hold other people up, who are have to wait longer. This commonly happens at the ATM, driving or completing a store transaction. Their divided attention becomes an obstruction to the cashier, therefore disrupting everyone and not to forget about wasting their time.

Advantages of mobile phone use in public

Safety:  Although mobile phones can be a danger their also can save your life, some argue that having 999 available anywhere you go is essential to your safety and others around you. Mobile phone bans stop drivers' ability to report an accident, road rage incident, medical emergency or crime. Drivers assert the importance of calling for directions if lost or receive help if their car breaks down.

 

Personal freedom: However some people believe that if there pay for their phone on pay as you go or contract that you can use your mobile phone when and where you want.

 

Emergencies- Genuine emergencies do occur, and some calls truly cannot wait. People who have sick or elderly family members, parents expecting an important call from their child, and those in the midst of a crisis believe it's acceptable to leave their phones on in public.

These days it seems that most people carry a cell phone, and ringing

 phones can be heard everywhere from restaurants to shopping centers. Some people consider talking on a mobile phone in public rude, while others continue to talk wherever they go.  On the other hand, some are very careful about how they use mobiles, turning them off or putting them on silent for meetings or important occasions. In many cultures mobile phine usage is not allowed, in japan the use of mobile phones on public transport is frowned upon, and messages asking passengers not to make calls and to switch their phones to silent mode are played frequently.
                                         
 

 

 

 

 

 

The death of the catalogue:Online Marketing

The death of the catalogue: Online Marketing

In the last financial year Argos sales totalled to 4.3 billion and it has employed 33,000 people. On average 18 million people have an Argos book in their household, which is two thirds of the population  However The “laminated book of dreams” could get the axe because the struggling chain announced a shakeup that includes at least one in ten stores closing down within the next 5 years. With the growth of online marketing and web sales will Argos will not remove their catalogue, nevertheless they will reduce the production of them precipitously due to a 3% drop in earnings.

 Argos has faced intense competition with online retailers like Amazon and play. However Argos have taken action by putting internet access in stores, Wi-Fi and a fast track collection service

Open University

The Open University

The Open University is the largest academic institution in the UK, in terms of student numbers. It has:

•     more than 250,000 students
•     close to 7,000 tutors
•     more than 1,200 full-time academic staff
•     more than 3,500 support and administrative staff

The Open University is unique because it is the only university in the UK that is dedicated to distance learning. Although it has an administrative building, there are no lecture theatres, seminar rooms or halls of residence. Instead, all students studying via the OU get to study their degree from home - being sent relevant materials via the post or by email and completing and returning the essays and assessments by the same method.

·         It was established in 1969, and the first students started in January 1971. The majority of students are based in the UK, but its courses can be studied from anywhere in the world.

·         The administration is based at Walton Hall, Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, but has regional centres in each of its thirteen regions around the UK.

·         It was rated top University in England and Wales for student satisfaction in the 2005 and 2006 UK government national student satisfaction survey.

Entertainment & Leisure

Entertainment and leisure

Virtually every area of the entertainment has been touched with by digital technology. Digital technologies enable more personal creativity because it is very cheap to produce magazines, music videos, radio and books together however this has the effect of:

-Providing a fantastic variety and allowing new talent to publish

-Allowing a great deal of mediocre work to be published

-Creating a certain similarity in feel to great deal of what is published.

Consumers have more variety of choice in entertainment as a result of digital age.Sky+ allows consumers to record TV onto a hard disc. The simplicity and flexibility makes it easy for people to create their own personal channel onto which which they can record their favourite programs. Furthermore it allows you to skip the advertisements that fund that particular show. However this could have a major effect on the way we pay for TV. 

Another way ICT has impacted on entertainment is communication. Before you were restricted to the lounge or cinema at set times but now it's available at anytime or anywhere. MP3 players and iPod's are conveniently small and allows you to listen to your music library whilst you are on the move whereas before you had a have to carry large CD player. DVD recorders allows you to record films or TV programs in high quality and watch them anywhere and anytime a DVD player is available. 

Before if you wanted to watch a film or tv program  you only had limited sources to watch it on

Crime and crime prevention

Spam texting

How to prevent spam text messages:

1. Guard you phone number

Your mobile phone number is a valuable piece of information and something that spam messengers are trying to get your number.

Do not give out your mobile number when registering for websites online and don’t post your number on any internet site where it could be picked up and passed on without your knowledge.

In most cases you can refuse permission for the company to share your details with third parties, so make sure you tick or un-tick the “share details” option when filling in registration forms.

2. Don’t reply to spam messages

While legitimate marketing and advertising text messages can be stopped by texting STOP or STOP ALL to each message, if you receive a spam message replying in this way is a bad idea.

This is because it will notify the sender of the spam message that your mobile number is active and in use and could lead to you receiving more messages.

3 Check your bill

Several people are finding that they are being charged for receiving spam text messages – sometimes anywhere up to £5 a message!

This can quickly make your bills rocket, so make sure to check each bill and report these

In most cases you can refuse permission for the company to share your details with third parties, so make sure you tick or un-tick the “share details” option when filling in registration forms.

Statistics

·        Spam accounts for 14.5 billion messages globally per day accounts for 14.5 billion messages globally per day.

·      According to a study by the Radicati Research Group Inc., a research firm based in Palo Alto, California, spam costs businesses $20.5 billion annually in decreased productivity as well as in technical expenses.

·         Advertising-related email accounts for approximately 36% of all spam messages. The second most common category of spam is adult-related in subject and makes up roughly 31.7% of all spam

·         http://www.spamlaws.com/spam-stats.html

how technology has changed how crime is committed and how it is detected.

Crime Prevention

 – CCTV

– street lighting

– citizen protection devices(e.g. mace,
tasers)

– metal detectors,

– ignition interlock systems(drunk drivers)

– Threat assessment instruments

– facial recognition software used in
conjunction with CCTV

I phone rotten to the core?

Foxcom (Taiwanese manufacturer of Apple iphones, ipads etc) have been criticized over working conditions at it's factories. A worker who was brain damaged in an accident at Shenzhen plant where a life threatening electric shock occurred has been threatened to be cut off funding for his treatment if he doesn't report back to a disability assessment. Apple has been caught on flaws, the approaches has been that of “fix and repent” or “deny and rectify” than to issue . It is difficult to imagine that Apple is above criticism or that the negative publicity will not hurt the brand in the long run. For now however Apple’s burgeoning fan base seems unfazed by these flaws. 

Steve jobs said that the "current crop of 7 inch tablets are going to be DOA- dead on arrival. However since the departure of Steve jobs Apple have released a new tablet called the i pad mini because other companies like Amazon and Google were selling 7 inch tablets and making large profits. The iPad mini  thin and light, the iPad mini is the perfect size for holding in one hand. The iPad mini also fits comfortably in the pocket of a coat or a handbag. prices starting at £269 for the GB.

public apologies and face flak.

Texting: 20th anniversary

SMS 20th anniversary 

Today, text messaging is the most widely used mobile data service, with 74% of all mobile phone users worldwide, or 2.4 billion out of 3.3 billion phone subscribers communicating via text message.

Research has shown that driving while texting is twice as dangerous as drunk driving. One example of distraction behind the wheel is the 2008 Chatsworth train collision, which killed 25 passengers. Upon investigation, it was discovered that the train driver had sent 45 text messages prior to the crash

In 2010, we sent an astonishing 6.1 trillion text messages or 192 000 per second! Our obsession earns the telecoms industry $114.6 billion a year

The first SMS ever sent was in 1992 by Brit Neil Papworth who texted ‘Happy Christmas’ to Vodafone director Richard Jarvis at a staff Christmas party. Papworth sent the Short Messaging Service from his work computer to an Orbitel 901 handset.

It is the single most-widely used application in the world - 81-percent of mobile phone subscribers use it.

According to Britain's independent communications industries regulator OFCOM, more than 150 billion texts were sent in 2011 alone

However texting will be at a decline because of twitter,whats app and facebook and other social network sites which allows you to send free instant messages.

 

 

 

 

 

http://conversations.nokia.com/2012/02/22/thanx-v-much-celebrating-20-years-of-the-humble-text-message/

 

Life in the information age: Hoax sites

Drawbacks to the internet as a source of information

   -It is easy to publish on the internet; anyone across the world can do it.  

   -There are a lot of unscrupulous businesses that have sprung up on the internet to take advantage of people.

   -Another growing problem is that many information providers are finding means of charging for their information that had been previously free.

   -Hackers can create viruses that can get into your personal computer and ruin valuable data.

                       

                                     Examples of fake websites

 

 

            

 

http://www.thedogisland.com/

 

This a fake website about an island where dogs are free to roam and bark and play all day long. Think dog sanctuary and you're there. Contains photographs, a rate card and many other resources.                

http://www.fvza.org/

 

 

 

Clearly nonsensical, but the question is - do these people really believe in what they're saying, and are just nuts, or are they creating a spoof site and they know it?

 

How do you know a site is real?

 

Many websites are scams trying to get money or personal information from honest, hard-working people. Real websites represent legitimate companies.
If there is not a full address with a house number or phone number for the company is most likely it is a hoax website.  Check the copyright date on the website. This is often listed at the bottom of the home page or the contact page. Current dates are more reliable than older dates, although some legitimate websites were created many years ago. Check the website to see if there is a Better Business Bureau logo. These logos indicate that the website owner is an approved member of the BBB.