Tag: Facebook

Adobe Photoshop & Suite Subscriptions, Facebook Search Update & Imagine A Future With Driverless Cars

Linda Reimer

Adobe Photoshop & Suite Subscriptions: Adobe is taking a page out of Microsoft’s book and actually going a step further by offering a subscription only model for their latest version of Photoshop and also for the full Adobe Suite. And the extra step further I referred to is the fact that unlike Microsoft, which still offers an individual download version of its software (i.e. you can purchase a copy of Microsoft Office or one of its components like Word for a one time only purchase price), if you want the latest version of Adobe Photoshop or the Adobe Suite you have to pay for a subscription as the company is no longer offering the latest versions of Photoshop or the Adobe Suite for sale for a flat one time only rate. There are a number of different Adobe subscription packages; however, the entry level package for Photoshop now costs $30 per month.

We do seem to be moving towards a subscription only world which I’m sure makes companies like Adobe, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and Microsoft very happy as it makes them more money but it does give me pause because it seem like consumers will be at the mercy of those same media, software and publishing companies and if we truly get to a point where you’ll never own a copy of the software, movie, television show because you can only buy access to the content then what is to stop those companies from pulling the plug on your access to the content you’ve paid to license? Somehow although I am something of an idealist I’m doubtful that those media, software and publishing companies will have the best interests of the consumer at heart – I tend to think they’ll want to make more money by charging you repeating subscription fees to access software, e-books, movies and television shows. But then I digress and the subject of the ownership of digital content, or the lack-there-of is a whole other subject for future conversation!

Getting back to the subject of the Adobe software, if you like to do light photo editing and prefer to pay a one-time only purchase fee you can still (at least for the present) purchase a download or disc version of the of latest version of Photoshop Elements — Photoshop Elements 11 – Amazon is currently selling that standalone software for both PC & Mac for $68.88.

And here’s a link to a New York Times article on the new Adobe subscription service which is aptly titled “Software as a Monthly Rental:”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/04/technology/personaltech/photoshop-cc-turns-software-into-a-monthly-rental.html?ref=technology&_r=0

Facebook Search Update: Facebook is updating its search function options starting this week. The search function for U.S. Facebook users will now include some advanced search options. The new search options are collectively being called the “Graph Search” and basically the options are tools that allow you to input more information into your searches so you can search for “photos of my friends before 1996” or “Restaurants in New York City my friends like” and get better results.

Here a link to an ABC News article on the subject that offers more in-depth information:

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/facebook-graph-search-function-rolls-us-users/story?id=19597958

Imagine A Future With Driverless Cars: On to one of my favorite topics the evolution of driverless cars and how that evolution will change our society!

The New York Times offers an article on just this subject today titled “How Driverless Cars Could Reshape Cities.” Now I like the idea of the positive changes to cities that driverless smart cars will bring – less parking spaces needed, less traffic gridlock, fewer traffic tickets, more room available to build new homes and businesses because having smart cars will translate into those cars being able to drop off their owners at their requested destination and then the cars will go find a parking space.

However, what I really like about smart driverless cars is more universal and three-fold:

1. The increase in safety on the roads (and for both car passengers and pedestrians) because driverless smart cars won’t get distracted as people do by smartphones, upcoming appointments or whatever else is on their mind and driverless cars have sensor to prevent them from running  into pedestrians or pets that run out in front of them;

2. The increase in free time driverless smart cars will offer their owners.  Now this one you can take one of two ways! If you want to you’ll  able to focus on work related tasks like reading your work emails, going over details for a conference or presentation or returning video calls while on your way to or from work or your latest conference. If on the other hand you’ve already worked  really hard during the day you’ll be able to sit back and relax and watch a video, listen to music, read a book, work out on your exercise bike or even pick up and eat  your dinner during your evening commute! Cool stuff – more time to do whatever you want to do in an increasingly busy world – and I think we’re increasingly busy because in our high tech Internet connected world – we’re connected to our great communications technology 24/7/365 but then that is a whole other discussion!

3. The third super cool point I see about the evolution of smart driverless cars is how the technology will free many homebound people who can’t drive but who can get about. For example, someone who is blind or disabled and thus can’t drive but can get out will be able to own a smart driverless car and go to the movies, or the grocery store, go shopping  or go to visit friends or relatives on their own – the independence factor will be very cool!

So that is my current “Smart driverless cars are cool” pitch for the moment!

Have a great day!

Linda R

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/07/disruptions-how-driverless-cars-could-reshape-cities/?ref=technology

References

Bilton, Nick. (2013, July 7). Disruptions: How Driverless Cars Could Reshape Cities. New York Times. Online. Accessed July 8, 2013. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/07/disruptions-how-driverless-cars-could-reshape-cities/?ref=technology

Pogue, David. (2013, July 3). Software as a Monthly Rental. New York Times. Online. Accessed July 8, 2013. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/facebook-graph-search-function-rolls-us-users/story?id=19597958

Stern, Joanna. (2013, July 7). With New Improvements, Facebook Brings Graph Search Function to All U.S. Users. ABC News. Online. Accessed July 8, 2013. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/facebook-graph-search-function-rolls-us-users/story?id=19597958#.UdrQQdI4vTo

 

 

 

The iPhone Comes To The Newly Contactless T-Mobile & Facebook Can Now Take Over You Phone

Linda Reimer

It has been another busy, busy day in library land so this will be a briefer than usual posting!

I know, I know!  “short” is not a word you usually find in my vocabulary especially with regard to writing anything as tech blog postings go! As frequently tech blog viewers know. However, I really will try and do a short posting this evening!

Two of the largest tech stories today, and in deed for this week, are the fact that the iPhone is finally available for T-Mobile customers – and perhaps as you’ll recall T-Mobile recently discontinued its contract cell phone programs so you can get the iPhone 5 for $100 down (and $20 extra dollars per month until the phone is paid off) through T-Mobile and leave T-Mobile at any time for another cell phone company if you wish – you just have to pay off the balance you own on your phone.

Here’s a link to a CNET article that offers more information about the iPhone now being available to T-Mobile customers:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57579367-37/t-mobiles-iphone-off-to-a-damp-but-hopeful-start/

And as far as Facebook taking over your smart phone you can now get the Facebook home app from the Google Play Store for all Android phones (not yet for iPhones). This app will basically put your phone in the Facebook universe as it overlays Facebook features on top of the OS of your phone. So if you are a huge Facebook fan you’ll be able to get this app and then easily reply, send and see Facebook postings among other Facebook related options.

Here’s a link to a CNET story on that same subject:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57579370-93/facebook-home-arrives-in-google-play-store/

Have a great weekend everyone!

Linda R.

P.S. I did it – it is short – only one Word length page!

References

Cheng, Roger. (2013, April 12). T-Mobile’s iPhone off to a damp, but hopeful, start: The iPhone finally launches at T-Mobile, injecting a little energy into the smallest national carrier. CNET. Online.

Van Grove, Jennifer. (2013, April 12). Facebook Home arrives in Google Play store. CNET. Online.

 

Ten Tech Blunders To Avoid In The New Year

Linda Reimer

The Wall Street Journal’s Digits blog has a fun article on the WJS website titled Tech Blunders To Avoid in 2013. The author, Theresa Poletti, offers a combination of fun insights and tech etiquette tips. She notes that our society has gone from the personal era of the personal computer to what futurist Paul Saffo recently described as the “intimate” era of smartphones and 24/7/365 connectability  – an era that allows us to carry access to the internet in our pockets and share every little detail of our lives with others whenever we are inspired to do so. And she humorously describes all the photos of food that people post online as “Food Porn,” insists that people don’t need to share their location or their tastes in music with the entire online universe and that we should all remember that if we want information kept private we should not post it on our Facebook or Twitter accounts (Just ask Randi Zuckerberg about that one!).

Here’s the link to the article:

http://articles.marketwatch.com/2012-12-20/commentary/35923435_1_social-media-etiquette-photos

And just FYI should you have missed the online flap during the busy holiday season Randi Zuckerberg, the sister of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, posted a photo of her family during a holiday gathering on Facebook with the intent that it should just go to her friends but she didn’t quite get the Facebook settings just right and one of her sister’s friends shared the photo with thousands of other people and it was then shared by more people and more people and…you get the idea! And Randi Zucerkberg wasn’t pleased to say the least! Here’s a link to a Gizmodo article on that subject (which just goes to show the common sense rule of thumb is that you don’t share anything online, and I do mean anything, that you don’t want everyone else in the universe to see):

http://gizmodo.com/5971918/watch-randi-zuckerberg-have-a-facebook-freakout-over-her-photo-going-viral

Have a great day!

Linda R.

References

Biddle, Sam. (2012. December 28). Watch Randi Zuckerberg Have a Facebook Freakout Over Her Photo Going Viral. Gizmondo. Online.

Poletti, Theresa. (2012. December 20.) 10 Tech Blunders to Avoid in 2013. Wall Street Journal: Market Watch. Online.

The Future Is Here: Paying Without Cash, Credit Or Debit Cards & Registering To Vote Via Facebook

Linda Reimer

The Future Is Here: Paying Without Cash, Credit Or Debit Cards: David Pogue, The New York Times tech guru, offers an article today titled Pay By Voice, So Long Wallet; and it relays the future of paying for items in stores sans any type of credit or debit cards – and cash? That is not allowed either!

Right now the big thing in payment technology is actually an app and small credit/debit card scanning device you can fit on an iPhone or iPad and that lets merchants swipe a customer’s credit or debit card to quickly and easily pay for the items being purchased. And you may be thinking “Yes, but isn’t that the same thing we already do when we use cash registers?” And the answer to that is not quite because if you have an iPad or iPhone with a cellular connection all you need to do is use an app and the small scanning attachment* and that makes it easy for anyone to take payments via credit or debit cards from almost anywhere. So this new technology impacts not just merchants in stores but anyone selling items anywhere because they can quickly and easily accept credit or debit card payments – thus vendors at fairs, parades and concerts can quickly and easily accept payment for items as can the clerk at your favorite coffee shop and the local high school kids making money by babysitting or mowing lawns.

And as impressive as the iPhone and iPad credit/debit card swiping system is – just wait because on the horizon is something even more impressive! Imagine buying those same items – coffee at your local coffee shop, a t-shirt at a concert or hotdog at the ballgame and not even having to present a debit or credit card at all but instead simply being able to pay by saying your name! Not only is that technology coming, but in fact it is already here! The company Square, which was one of the first to offer the previously mentioned pay with a credit or debit card via the swiping/iPad/iPhone system, now has developed a way to use an iPad or iPhone to allow people who also have iPads or iPhones to pay for items without them even having to take out a credit or debit card or even take their iPads or iPhones out of their pockets or backpacks! This new system is called Pay With Square and if a coffee shop or vendor or any sort had the proper equipment (an iPad and the appropriate Pay With Square app) and the customer is signed up for the service – than the customer can indeed pay by simply walking up to the clerk at the coffee shop or t-shirt vendor at the concert and simply saying his or her name!

Cool stuff! And here’s the link to the Pogue article which relays all the details:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/19/technology/personaltech/as-pay-by-phone-advances-square-takes-another-leap-state-of-the-art.html?_r=1&ref=technology

Registering To Vote Via Facebook: ABC News & CNN both offer articles today regarding the fact that the State of Washington has just become the first state to allow its residents who are U.S. citizens, to register to vote via Facebook! Washington is actually the twelfth state to allow residents to vote online but it is the first to allow residents, who are registered Facebook users – to register to vote via Facebook. The State of Washington, in conjunction with Microsoft and Facebook, has set up this new way for people to register to vote to try and entice younger people to register to vote – this is an issue because less than 10% of state residents between the ages of 18 and 29 voted in the last general election and state officials hope that offering those young people the option to register to vote via their Facebook accounts will increase the number of registered voters in that age group.

Here’s the link to the ABC News article which is titled Register to Vote? There’s an App for That:

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/07/voter-registration-theres-an-app-for-that/

And one to the CNN article, titled Washington state to become first to offer voter registration on Facebook:

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/18/washington-state-to-become-first-to-offer-voter-registration-on-facebook/

Linda R.

 

*Depending upon which app you use there is a fee which usually costs 2-3% of the price of the sale of the item(s).