Looking Ahead to 2013

Each year at this time I turn on my digital crystal ball (it now has a LED light source instead of incandescent) to see what technologies and products will be popular in the New Year.  Looking over the past few years my predictions have been pretty much on target and I am confident that these will be no different.

 

Look for an increasing number of ‘tablets’ coming to market.  With the development of Apps for most any task from business to gaming and everything in between, the iPad will have more competition.  The traditional PC with a keyboard, mouse and monitor will not be disappearing from the office setting, but many tasks now performed on a lap top will migrate to tablets.   The ease of use of touch screen technologies and availability of high speed internet access using 4G networks will allow for seamless operation most anywhere.

 

Voice Recognition technologies will explode.  Products like Siri from Apple will be improved making interaction with our phones, tablets and regular computers hands free.  Just like Captain Kirk asking the computer to lay in a course to some far off galaxy, you already can ask Siri for the closest Dunkin’ Donuts.  Look for new Apps that call the store and place an order for your favorite coffee and jelly filled treat.

 

With the 4G network build-out will come more internet applications available in your car.  Access to online music services like Pandora or Spotify will be integrated into the car’s audio system and subscriptions to services like Sirius satellite radio will continue to erode.

 

The TV in the family room will have many more viewing options.  With subscriptions to Hulu and Netflix online increasing and vast improvements in video quality of internet delivered content, more of us will eschew cable bills and opt for the a la carte options of online TV viewing.

 

The smart phone will increasingly become the modern day Swiss Army Knife.  With the number of apps expanding almost exponentially, leaving the house in the morning without our phone will be more inconvenient than leaving without wallet or purse.  There will also be more discussion on privacy issues that are exacerbated by the use of smart phones especially with the GPS location apps.  

 

In the lab, look for 3D printing technology to become common place.  This technology is akin to the replicators used on Star Trek.  It is developing at an unbelievable pace and already shows promise of addressing the shortage of human organs for transplant.

 

Hold on tight, 2013 is here and the Mayans are going back to the drawing board.  Happy New Year!

 

A Visit From the Geeks

        … with sincere apologies to Clement Clarke Moore

’Twas the week before Christmas, when all through the land
Not a computer was working, there was no broadband.
The new apps were loaded on tablets with care,
In hopes someone from Bell or Time Warner soon would be there.

 

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of a new Surface or Kindle danced in their heads;
Unable to Google or chat on Facebook
The kids thought Santa just may be a crook.

 

When out on the driveway two trucks pulled in,
All sprang to our windows to investigate the din.

The LEDs reflecting on the new-fallen snow
Gave the luster of high-tech to everything below.
When, what should appear to my wondering eye,
But one rep from Bell and the other, a cable guy.
 

More punctual that most, with tool belts they came,
Both knocked on the door and asked for our name:
“No Smith, Jones or Johnson do we have on our lists
Are you sure that dispatch might not have missed?”

A quick call to the office confirmed our plight

And both said they could set things aright.

 

They spoke no more, but went straight to their tasks,
One checked the phone line but the other just asked,
“Isn’t that old tech?” He explained,

“Cable is better for the internet to be sustained.”

Back and forth they argued well into the night

While we feared getting back on line may be out of sight.

And then, in a twinkling, we heard up above
The clanking of a ladder and someone shout “Shove!”

As we drew in our heads, and were turning around,
Down the chimney the DirectTV man came with a bound.

He was dressed all in blue, from head to toe,
And his face indicated that he was someone to know.

A bundle of tools he had flung on his back,
A drill and saw and, of course, a spare battery pack.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work
And installed a new dish, receiver and one added perk:

A new satellite modem was part of the deal

For only $150 a month, what a steal.

 

This will bring your internet back he inferred;

It not too late to order on line he assured.
So we logged on to Amazon, Ebay and more
And found free shipping from the UPS Store.

With our broadband back we were all in awe

And bought most everything on line that we saw.
There were iPads and iPods, a new HDTV,
A laptop, cell phone and a Blu-Ray DVD.

As the three went to their trucks and were driving away

“Don’t forget the extra batteries” we heard them all say.

Make Your Own Video Card

If you are like me, each year during the holiday season you receive one or more electronic holiday greeting cards.  Most of the time these are created using one of the many on line services like www.JibJab.com   While these services are fine, even the most creative cards using their templates are pretty impersonal.

If you have a video camera and about an hour you can make your own card that might well be appreciated by loved ones no matter where they may be this holiday season.  The complexity of the card will depend on what devices you have available.  For example, if all you have is a smart phone with a built-in video camera your creation will need to be very simple.  If you have a video camera and access to some editing software on your computer like Movie Maker from Microsoft or iMovie from Apple, you can be a bit more ambitious.

If you are keeping it simple using only a smart phone, decide what image or images will be the most meaningful for those who can’t be with you.  It can be as simple as video of the wreath on your front door or trays of fresh baked goods on the counter in the kitchen that they might remember from their childhood.  The holiday season is all about memories, and bringing those memories to life can bring a lot of joy.

If you have access to video editing software you can be a lot more creative by adding music, text and video effects to the card.  Don’t get carried away.  Simplicity is often the best way to communicate.

Once you have completed your video, post it to www.Youtube.com and choose the “private” settings.  Copy the video’s URL address into an email and send it to those who you want to view the card.  If all the recipients are on Facebook or Google+ you can use that to send the card.

Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSt1Q96p7AM As an example, I have created a sample card that you can view there. It may give you some ideas.  It took me about 45 minutes to shoot, edit and post.

More Cool Gift Ideas

Last week we began our annual virtual shopping spree to help you find that perfect gift to put under the tree this year.  There are some really great items that won’t cost a lot of money.  In fact I continue to be amazed at some of the features that are available today for pennies that cost many dollars only a year or so ago.

More and more of us are using our smart phones or other devices to play MP3 music files.  While ear buds or headphones are fine when we are on the go, there are some times we want a real speaker.  The speakers found in iPhones and other portable devices are pretty lame if you really want to enjoy some Frampton licks or a Beethoven symphony.

For about $60 you can get a Bluetooth speaker system that allows audio from any Bluetooth enabled device to be played with great fidelity.  The Creative D100 Wireless Bluetooth Speaker is a good choice. You can find it at www.Amazon.com  as well as at many local stores.  If you have the money, there are models from Bose (www.bose.com)

which cost about $300 that will fill any room with outstanding fidelity.

As we collect more and more digital stuff, we all need to find a safe place to keep it.  There are several inexpensive external hard drives that connect to your PC using an USB cable.  Toshiba makes one that holds 500GB and is about the size of a deck of cards.  So you can store about 142,000 digital photos or 131,000 digital music files or 410 downloaded digital movies on the device. Since it is portable, you can plug it into any computer when you are on the road.  This model sells for about $50 and can be purchased locally or on line.

An increasing number of people are choosing to watch their favorite TV programs and movies from Internet sources rather than from the traditional cable, satellite or over the air providers.  Connecting that large flat screen in the living room to the Internet is now made easier with availability of several streaming devices.  A good choice at $50 is the Magnavox HD Streaming Player.  It connects to your TV using a regular HDMI cable and connects to your home’s network and the Internet using wifi.  Once connected, any programming from the Internet (e.g. Hulu, YouTube, Netflix) can be displayed on your TV. 

For those who use Apple products, you might consider the AppleTV streaming system.  It provides all the features above as well as connecting easily with other Apple products like the iPhone and iPad.  It costs about $100.

If you have not experienced the quality of these Internet delivered services you will be surprised.  You will also be delighted by the reasonable monthly prices for Hulu and Netflix over many cable and satellite options.

I hope that these suggestions help in your search for the perfect gift.  Have a happy and peaceful holiday season.

Gifts for the Digeratti

This week and next I am going to take you on a virtual shopping spree to help you find that perfect gift for the technology geek in you family.  There are some really cool offerings this year.  Some items are very useful but others are just plain fun.  Some are both.

 Let’s start with a plain fun idea.  It seems that remote controlled helicopters are all the rage this year.  There is one model that will wow the most jaded technology buff.  The Helo TC ™ available from Verizon takes remote control flight to a new level. Rather than using a traditional remote control pad this one uses your iPhone or iPad as the controller.  You can fly the craft with touch commands or record and store up to three flight plans. Make up routes among the furniture, missions to fly, obstacles to avoid, goals to achieve, and replay them later with your friends.  There is a great video that shows the Helo TC™ in action at http://www.griffintechnology.com/helo-tc-touch-controlled-toy-helicopter   You will pay about $50 at Verizon stores or on line.

 For a gift that is a bit more practical but still super cool you might consider the magic cube™projection keyboard.  Since many of us use our smart phones and tablets to take notes or write longer documents, we are frustrated by the small touch screen keyboards or mini keyboards with “chic let” size buttons. This compact and versatile product is a projection keyboard and multi-touch mouse, all in one easy-to-use product. It connects easily using Bluetooth to the latest iPhone, iPad and Android devices.  Once activated, the built in laser projects a full size QWERTY keyboard on any flat surface.  So the table top, a white piece of paper on your lap or even a flat rock in the park becomes a keyboard.  Touching any virtual key produces a sound like a traditional computer keyboard making it easier to use.  http://www.virtual-laser-devices.com/?an=vlk-new   The magic cube™ is priced about $160 and can be purchased on Amazon or directly from the manufacturer.

Since most of us charge our smart phones over night, here’s a product that will not only keep your phone fully charged but allows it to be used as a clock radio.  The iHome™ portable stereo speaker system for iPhone and iPod offers two independent alarms and great sound. You can awake to your iPod or iPhone playlist at different times on different days. As many of us use our mobile phone for our home phone, this device allows you to have it close by when you sleep and have access to all the music you have stored.  http://www.ihomeaudio.com/?gclid=CJLLsK_g57MCFYs7MgodTw0AGQ  Plan on spending about $40 bucks.  It is available at most big box electronics stores.

Next week we will look at three more fun and useful gifts.

 

 

Mobile and Wired Phones Can Work Togehter

Last week we discussed the option of giving up a hard wired telephone line for your home or small business and installing a system that uses a cellular network.  That system uses a special device that connects all your existing wired and cordless phones with the cellular network.  The big difference is that your connection to the outside world is through a wireless carrier rather than hard wired through Ma Bell.  You maintain a separate telephone number for your home.

There is another similar system that might be a good choice for some.  This system uses a special docking device that allows your existing mobile phone to serve as the outside connection for home phones.  It allows your mobile phone to be charged while at the same time providing an outside connection for all your existing phones located throughout the house.  So when you come home you just dock your mobile phone and any calls incoming or outgoing are handled by the traditional wired phones.  

The system described last week allowed you to keep both a mobile number and a “home” number.  This system uses only one number, your mobile number, no matter if you are at home or on the road.  The benefit of one number is reduced monthly cost.   One number is less expensive than two.

There are other advantages such as using the free long distance offered by most mobile carriers.  Also, if you are on a protracted call, the old style handset on a wired phone is more comfortable to hold to your ear than a cell phone.

Before you make the switch you need to know that there are some drawbacks to going with only a cellular service for your home or small business.  You can’t use a fax or credit card terminal with this service.  Some emergency notification services like those for the elderly or disabled are not supported.  Home security alarms also can’t be connected to the system. And, of course, you must get a good signal from the cellular carrier.

Perhaps one of the biggest disadvantages is that with only one telephone number you can’t, as many of us do, keep your mobile number somewhat protected.  For example I don’t freely give out my mobile number so I don’t get unwanted calls.  Even as careful as I am, I still get robocalls and solicitations for vacations on my mobile.  I don’t want more.

Since you are using an existing mobile account there is no incremental monthly cost unless you go over your allotted minutes.  There is a one-time purchase of the interface device.  These begin at about $30 and go up to about $150 depending on the features.  The more expensive models have battery back up, separate internal voice mail and caller ID displays.  You can find various models at local electronic stores and on line.

Again these options are not for everyone.  For those who have already jettisoned their land line, this option might be worth a second look.

New Home Phone Options

When we think of new phone technology, most of us think about the newest smart phone models and the circus-like press announcements from the likes of Apple or Samsung that entice us to upgrade. The lowly wired phones that are still found in most homes have for the most part not changed in decades.  We may have dumped that pink Princes phone for a cordless model with caller ID and a digital answering device but we still pay Ma Bell about 50 bucks a month for a wired line.

   

Over the years cable companies have offered digital services that use the Internet rather than the wired phone network to provide home or business phone service.  I have written in the past about magicJack, an Internet based phone system for the home.  There is now another option being marketed by Verizon, AT&T and some other cellular providers.  They all use the same technology.

The Verizon service is called Home Phone Connect and instead of using the wired telephone network, it uses the cellular network.  While the service is not for everyone, it can save substantial money over traditional land line service.

The system requires the purchase or the monthly rental of a small device that is easily connected to the existing phone wires in your house.  The phones can be regular hard wired extensions or cordless phones.  Any phone now working in your home can be used with the new system.  You can keep your current home telephone number.  When you cancel your existing service you have your number ported to the new Verizon wireless number.   

The cost for this service begins at about $20 per month so it is less expensive than most traditional land line home phone services.  Before you make the switch you need to know that there are some drawbacks to going with a cellular service for your home or small business.  You can’t use a fax or credit card terminal with this service.  Some emergency notification services like those for the elderly or disabled are not supported.  Home security alarms also can’t be connected to the system. And of course you must get a good signal from the Verizon cellular network. 

This is only one option you might consider.  Next week we will look at a device that connects your existing mobile phone to all your home wired phones.

Convenience Has a Price

There is no doubt that the proliferation of all things digital has provided once unbelievable conveniences in our daily lives.  Simple things like shopping or writing a letter are now made effortless with the help of computers, tablets, smart phones and other digital accoutrement.  We can ask our smart phone for directions to the closest ATM when we need cash.  Amazon not only fills our book order but makes suggestions for other reads that we might like.  Parents can keep an eye on their teenager’s comings and goings and your auto insurance company can even offer discounts if you let one of their digital recorders “ride along” with you.

I am not nor do I want others to be paranoid about big brother or big sister.  I do think that it is a good to be aware of how much information we provide to others often without a second thought.  Once digitized that information can live forever and be shared freely among thousands of users.

Many of us have mobile phones.  Even the simplest model allows our carriers to retain the contents of most every call we make or text message we send.  Smart phones with GPSpinpoint our exact location 24/7.  

We swipe our Kroger card freely to get discounts thus allowing our buying patterns to be tracked.  Once a birth certificate is registered for your new born don’t be surprised if you see more ads for Pampers on your Facebook pages.  Browse the web to look at the new Corvette our buy lots of expensive food items and you might see more offers for trips and expensive cars in your email.

 

Gathering, storing, sorting and analyzing all of this information is made possible by our digital networked society.  Everything is connected and once a scrap of information enters this electronic labyrinth it is essentially there forever.

For sure some companies and organizations maintain strict privacy policies but the volume of public information on line is amazing.  If you want to try an experiment search for information about yourself.  Start with Google and move on to the various White Pages directories.  Don’t forget HamiltonCountyAuditor.org and the Clerk of Courts website in your county.  You will be amazed by the profile you can develop.  Where you live and what your home is worth is but a click away.  Missed a tax payment?  That bit of information is there too.

In some ways the horse has left the barn.  For most of us the convenience of having this free flow of information is now so pervasive that even if we want to, we cannot go back. So the next time you are loading an App on your iPad or smart phone and it asks you to enable the GPSlocation feature remember that it does come with a price.

Be Careful When Selecting Space Heaters

    The leaves are almost gone and, even though we had a wonderful Indian Summer over the past week or so, the temperatures are dropping.   You need only look in the pages of newspapers or magazines to be reminded that winter is on the way.  Looks like those Amish craftsmen have been hard at work over the summer building those fake “crafted” fireplaces.  There is a new ad that caught my attention this year. 
   The ad for EdenPURE Heaters promises to cut your heating costs and features a testimonial by none other than Richard Karn. You may remember him from TV’s Home Improvement.  In this full page ad Mr. Karn gushes about this product’s efficiency and emphasizes its laudable “American Made” pedigree.  It has been my experience that if they need a full page ad with more text than a John Grisham novel to explain the product benefits, I may want to be careful before giving out my credit card info.
   The EdenPURE heaters employ technology that has been around a long time.  The heaters use an infrared lamp to heat a large panel of copper.  The air passing over the copper panel is heated and circulated through the room.  This same principle is used in many space heaters, not just the EdenPURE models.  Like most others, the EdenPURE will keep you warm when used as directed but will it really save you more money than the others?
   If you walk through any big box store and examine the electric space heaters looking closely at the label you will find information on how much electrical current the device will draw.  This is usually measured in watts or kilowatts per hour.  Most all space heaters made for the home market will use between 1000 to 1750 watts per hour.  The EdenPURE electrical consumption is about 1250 watts per hour or in the low end.  The big difference is that the EdenPURE heater prices start about $200 and go up while models that will give about the same efficiency can be purchased for less than $50.
   Space heaters can help to take the chill off a cold room.  They can also be used to actually save money if you choose to heat only one or two rooms in your home to a comfortable level leaving the rest of the house much cooler. Most of us don’t live like that.  For sure you don’t want to be warm and toasty watching your favorite TV program in the family room one minute and cold and frosty when you go to the kitchen to get a snack.
   My advice is to use space heaters to warm up cool spaces but don’t count on saving much money on electricity, gas or oil without major changes in how you actually live in your home.  In all cases, never plug more than one heater into your wall socket and never use extension cords.  Keep the unit way from drapes or other combustible materials and never leave them on when you are not home.

You Could Win $50K and Create World Peace

When the Federal Trade Commission offers cash reward to help find a solution to problem it gets people’s attention. That is precisely what they are doing and it got my attention. According to the FTC website the Commission is challenging the public to create an innovative solution that will block illegal commercial robocalls on landlines and mobile phones.

As part of its ongoing campaign against these illegal, prerecorded telemarketing calls, the agency is launching the FTC Robocall Challenge, and offering a $50,000 cash prize for the best technical solution. The fact that the government is reaching out for help to address this issue demonstrates that the increase in these incessant and irritating interruptions to our peace and quiet may not be a risk to our national security but for sure to our national sanity.

While I am trying to wean myself from old habits, I still do try to answer my phone when it rings. I may be raking leaves, fixing the roof or washing the car but will stop to answer the phone. It is great to hear the voice of my wife or kids on the other end but not so great to hear, “This is Mary Sue from Credit Card Services informing you that there is no issue with your credit card but if you stay on the line one of our representatives will describe an offer that will…”

In the olden days, i.e. a year ago, these calls came in on landlines to our homes and offices. Today you are just as likely to get one on your mobile phone. Many of us are now getting calls that begin with the sound of an ocean liner horn and continue with the wonderful news that we can travel around the world free.

It is not only commercial enterprise that has adopted Robocalling. Not to name drop but I regularly get calls from Steve Chabot, First Lady Obama, Josh Mandel and several of Sherrod Brown’s close associates.

I for one don’t have a solution. I wish I did not so much as to collect the $50,000, although that would be nice, but to put these guys out of business. I have till January 17th to submit an idea. If the phone would stop ringing perhaps I could concentrate.

Where High Art Meets High Tech

If you have not been to Over the Rhine recently, you need to go and visit Washington Park the next time you are in the city.  The recently redeveloped park located across the street from Music Hall and adjacent to the new School for the Creative and Performing Arts is an absolute gem.  Not only is it an inviting and welcoming place for people of all stripes, it now has a high tech way to experience the beauty of the park and learn about Classical Music at the same time.

Cincinnati is the home of the American Classical Music Hall of Fame, a nationally recognized body that honors individuals and organizations that have made extraordinary contributions to Classical Music in the United States.  Recently they dedicated The Walk of Fame in Washington Park.  The Walk is an interactive classical music educational experience that is integrated into the park. The Walk of Fame is the only project in the world that combines classical music, mobile technology, public spaces, and a dancing fountain. The experience begins with pavement stones engraved with names of Hall of Fame inductees – similar to the Hollywood Stars.  But the Walk of Fame is also about learning, fun, and classical music, so it doesn’t stop there. 

Visitors to the park who have a smart phone can access a special website www.classicalWOF.org and, once connected using the phone’s GPS location app, will have access to a multimedia experience like no other in the world.  On the device, they will see all the content for Hall of Fame inductees (pictures, bio, links, and movies) and if a user wishes to hear a short music sample (3 minutes or less) of an inductee, they click a music icon on their device.

Here is where it gets really neat. If you select music choice number one on the smart phone, you will be able to hear the music played on your phone/device through the device’s headphones.

If you select choice two, the music selection will be sent to the park’s virtual jukebox and put in a queue prioritized by order selected and/or popularity (if more people in the park simultaneously select the same example, it will move to the top of the list). The music will then be played through the park’s public speaker system in the Walk of Fame zone!

If you opt for choice three, the selection will be added to the jukebox queue and will play through the park’s public speaker system in the Fountain zone. The fountain is an interactive water feature that also acts as a splash park in the summer months.  When the music plays through the fountain system, it will trigger dancing fountain technology so that the fountain jets and lights will move and react to the music being played.

This is truly a unique experience.  It is a great place to take out-of-town guests and show them something unique about Cincinnati that couples high tech and the fine arts. With the weather turning colder you may wish to wait till spring but your visit will be worth it.  If you want to get a preview you can visit www.classicalWOF.org  from any computer.

Cincinnati Enquirer's New Online Subscription Model

Last week The Cincinnati Enquirer began a new subscription model for those wishing to read the paper online.  Responding to the changing readership patterns fostered by a myriad of electronic devices, Cincinnati’s sole daily newspaper has adopted a model already embraced by some other major national publications.  Now those wishing to read articles online will be able to read a limited number without paying for a subscription.  In any given month that number of articles is twenty.  Want to read more that month and you must pay.

For several years, newspapers have been struggling with how to monetize delivery of online material.  In the early years of web publication, newspapers looked at online content as a novelty.  It was something that only a relatively few technically adroit readers would find useful.  Jumping ahead to 2012 we find the landscape much different.  The number of daily “paper and ink” publications is shrinking and paid readership of those still publishing is also on the wane.  Even award winning newspapers like the New Orleans Times Picayune no longer publish a hard copy version every day of the week.

Last Year the New York Times adopted this online subscription model.  I subscribe to the New York Times and can read it on my Kindle, smart phone or computer.  I have also been a subscriber to the WallStreet Journal online edition.   The latter was never offered free on line.

I signed up for the online version of the Enquirer.  So far I am impressed.  The Enquirer has adopted a point and click navigation system for reading the newspaper.   You can read the paper page by page as the online version has the same page layout and format used in the print edition.   You also have the choice of reading the articles in a regular text format.  Using this method allows you to copy and paste the article from the newspaper into a word document or email.

Unlike Cincinnati.com, the Enquirer’s website, which is filled with intrusive display ads that dominate the page and make reading articles painful, the Enquirer’s E-newspaper contains only the ads as they would be seen in the printed edition.  You can click on them to make them larger but if you choose to ignore them they blend into the page.  This may not be good news for the advertisers but it is a real plus for the reader.  Let’s hope that the intrusive ads remain on Cincinnati.comonly.

While it is a positive sign that the Enquirer is providing these online options, the key to future acceptance and success will be what they deliver, not how they deliver it. 

Why Can’t Apple and Google Get Along?

The new iPhone came out a few weeks back.  Again thousands of Apple aficionados stood in line in front of the Apple temples to be the first to spend handsome sums to be able to have the state of the art product.  For sure the new iPhone, and all its previous iterations, is a marvelous product and has forced other manufacturers to develop innovative designs to compete.  For the most part this competition has benefited the customers especially the ones that can wait a few months for the prices to drop and the other phone makers to find legal ways of cloning Apple’s features.

 

All is not well in the Apple orchard, however.  Some iPhone users are getting lost.  The new iPhone does not have a built in app for Google Maps.  Instead Apple has included its own Map app.  It was only a matter of hours after the first new phones were in consumers’ hands that it became apparent that this app was not ready for prime time.  Even die hard Apple acolytes complained that the software was lacking.  David Pogue of the New York Times, perhaps the most respected technology writer in the country and not one to mince words, wrote, “It may be the most embarrassing, least usable piece of software Apple has ever unleashed.”   

 

So what’s up here? Why did Apple decide to drop Google Maps?  It comes down to (you guessed it) MONEY.  The two companies once got along quite well but that was when Google was essentially a search engine and Apple a hardware manufacturer.  Today Google has branched out into all sorts of software, provides email service to millions and has aggressively moved into the smart phone and tablet computer business.  Apple certainly continues to make outstanding products but other services like the iTunes Store and several proprietary apps like FaceTime and Siri are aimed at Google’s sweet spot.

 

So Apple  decided that they should ignore Google Maps on the new iPhone.  You can install it yourself.  They also decided to do the same with the YouTube app.  YouTube is another Google product.

 

Competition has always been a part of American business.  Apple has been and continues to be fiercely competitive and often this competition has benefited the consumer.  This time I think that Apple’s decision has been a real negative for the consumer.  I disagreed with the decision a few years ago to refuse to allow Adobe Flash to run on new Apple devices.  I agreed that Flash was old technology but that decision made the consumer have to scramble to find a way to play a Flash formatted video from the web.  At that time Flash was almost the de facto standard.  The decision to eschew Google apps is the latest example of putting competition before customer service.

 

Go ahead Apple and Google…have your fight.  May the best company win.  Just don’t let your fight make my life difficult.

 

Pay For WiFi, Get A Free Mint

I read with great interest an article recently about how hotels and motels are finding it necessary to provide more high tech amenities in order to attract and retain guests. Long gone are the days when a clean bed, air conditioning, color TV and free local calls were all that was necessary to attract weary travelers. The “magic fingers” were optional.

Today, corded telephones in rooms go virtually untouched as most everyone has a mobile phone and who wants to pay those excessive long distance rates. Now rooms must have an HDTV with either a game console or DVD player and, of course, high speed WiFi. Many high-end hotels also have iPad and iPhone docking and charging stations. Because the new iPhone 5 has a different plug at the bottom, the hotels are scrambling to find adapters to allow both the old iPhones and new iPhones to connect to the old docking stations.

For years many of us have used online reservations to secure the room but now smart phone apps have been developed to order from room service, book dinner reservations and tickets to movies or shows. The concierge is now in the palm of your hand and not seated at some fancy desk in the lobby. And the app doesn’t expect a tip for directing you to the pizza joint down the street.

One the crazy things I have noticed in my travels is that the lower priced hotels provide WiFi free and the high end accommodations charge through the nose. So you can expect complementary WiFi at Motel 6 but expect to pay $20 or more per night to go on line at the glitzy four-star establishments. Guess they need the extra money for the mint on the pillow.

So the next time you are in New York you might like to stay at the famed Plaza Hotel. If you do, you will find an iPad in your room loaded with apps that play a customized welcome video, enable you to order room service and control the room temperature. The iPad even controls the lights. Of course if you stay at Motel 6 they’ll just leave the light on for you and won’t charge you for WiFi.

Thank You Commander Armstrong

I remember clearly a small dusty beer joint in the middle of the California desert.  It was a Sunday (glad California didn’t have Blue Laws) and the date was July 20, 1969.  I was on a post-graduation “road trip” with some college buddies and as we drove that day the radio was keeping us up to date on Apollo XI as it prepared for the landing on the moon. 

We were becoming increasingly worried that we would miss seeing on TV perhaps the single most important event of the century.  Then we came upon this hole in the wall bar in the middle of nowhere.  Entering we saw a large crowd, but rather than the expected noise of conversation and clinking glasses we found the place to be as quiet as a church;  all eyes fixed on a snowy black and white TV set atop the bar. 

 

The recent passing of Neil Armstrong rekindled that clear and fond memory and also got me to think about all the inventions and products that we now use that find their genesis in the US Space Program.  How easy it is to forget that there is more computing power in your microwave oven than there was in the moon lander.

Our modern life is filled with technology that finds its roots in the space program.  Mobile Phones, GPSnavigation in our cars,  digital photography and virtual reality games, all now commonplace, were developed with technology pioneered by the space program.  It is easy to see how all of the above are connected to the research and development at NASA, but it may be surprising to learn of some other commonplace and now essential products that were developed by the scientists and engineers looking to land a man on the moon.

 

From 1959 to 1963 Project Mercury, the first US human spaceflight program, needed to develop a real time monitoring system to track the vital signs of astronauts. At that time we had no idea what effects periods of zero gravity might have on the circulatory system.  Would the brain be able to function?  The technology used today by EMTs, intensive care units and special heart units is a life-saving offshoot.

 

The next time you are on the slopes consider that the battery-powered thermal boots now used by many skiers were adapted from designs first developed to keep astronauts warm during the Apollo  program. Rechargeable batteries are worn inside the wrist of a glove, or the sole of a ski boot, and heat is generated by a small electrical circuit.

 

Long lasting, lightweight and high amperage batteries now used in a variety of cordless power tools have been a boon for DIY enthusiasts.  NASA had to come up with the batteries and tools since a very long orange extension cord was not an option.

 

The next time you come to a smooth safe stop in your car you can thank the space program.  The  development of high-temperature space materials has allowed the manufacture of more resilient and cheaper materials for brake linings. These substances are now found in truck brakes, cranes and passenger cars and make for better and more reliable braking at high speed.

 

Yes, we have a lot of reasons to thank the astronauts and the NASA scientists.  I just wish Neil had left the recipe for Tang on the moon.