What the hell do all these things have in common? Well, nothing, really. But French artist/designer/culture-fanatic Stéphane Massa-Bidal somehow managed to shove all these ideas together in some super blender and to actually come up with art. ART.
Beautiful, geeky art. Exactly the kind that we ThoughtPick staff find fascinating.
Before we delve, here is the series “The Sociology of Apple Objects” by French artist Stéphane Massa-Bidal.
We’ve all heard it now. The most over-hyped non-product in history of the world is finally a product.
It even has a name. It’s not the “iSlate” nor the “Apple Tablet” that people have been using for a while, it’s actually called the iPad (naturally, #iTampon was a trending topic on Twitter soon after).
The gorgeous Apple iPad
While many people are disappointed, saying that the iPad is nothing more than an over-sized iTouch, I personally believe that it will be game-changing. Maybe this particular release won’t knock us off our heels, but eventually, with the proper support, a large list of applications, and a little mind-set change from the consumer side, this device is going to be the iPod of “handheld companions“.
My beloved “Noise to Signal” present you with: 2009 in social media!
An interesting video mostly condemning the way in which social media has twisted and altered our lives, chronologically and throughout the year 2009 covering Twitter and its victims, Facebook and its poorly presented new terms, Google’s latitude for tracking people, MySpace and its defeat and so much more!
Finally, what do you think of this video? Do you think is really portrays the reality of social media in 2009? What would you change if you had the chance to?
This Christmas, get your friends and loved ones a Christmas gift gadget that they might actually use.
Whether they’re the next rockstars, the world’s biggest geeks, or even Stepford wives, these gift picks are probably going to fit right into the lives of the characters they were picked for, as much as Twitter fits into ours.
For the Musically Inclined: Vesta-Life Ladybug Speaker
Vesta Life Ladybug Speakers
This awww-inducing, ladybug-shaped speaker will make it much easier for music-lovers to impose their taste in music on other people. Who could possibly resist the cuteness? Just don’t give it to anyone with bad taste.
Samsung Omnia introduces Swype, a supposedly faster way to type mobile text messages: “…a way to type blindingly fast on a touchscreen.” Gizmodo
Allow me to elaborate further: Swype is a simple input method for touchscreens developed by Swype Inc, which basically tries to position itself as a competitor to the “regular” mobile phones which utilize touchscreens, mainly the iPhone!
In the video below, in which, to tell you the truth, I am highly disappointed with, we are being presented with a comparison between typing on on a regular iPhone touchscreen as opposed to typing using Swype method.
Although the video makes it seem that Swype allows for much faster SMS creation, I have seen my friend, with my own eyes, type so much faster using her iPhone’s touchscreen and with no additional effort whatsoever! It’s a matter of habit, nothing more nothing less!
In my humble opinion, Swype seems to be more confusing than helpful! The faint lines that show as your moving from one letter to another completely hide the other letters. This means that in order to effectively use Swype, you should learn the keypad’s letters and positions by heart!
What do you think: Would you consider buying a Samsung Omnia just for the Swype typing method? Do you think such a feature could actually help raise Samsung Omnia’s market share? How fast can you type using your iPhone?
Waiting to read your comments and feedback below :)
Boost your Mac with this list of some of the best free software out there, handpicked to make your life easier, quicker, and more efficient. A surefire way to holiday happiness, if you know what we mean.
1. Quicksilver:
Quicksilver
Quicksilver is a Mac launcher that is really not only a launcher: it is the Mac Swiss Army Knife. If you’re going to download any software from this list, it should be this one, which many refer to as the greatest Mac app of all time. From the comfort of its little elegant application, you can manage iTunes, take screenshots, control windows, define words, tweet, convert units, post to FriendFeed, search any website… (do we really have to go on?)
It boosts productivity by twofold, and has a great plugin library that enhances its performance even further. [Learn How to Use Quicksilver]
“At Nokia, we believe in seamless integration of devices with services…”
In general, this video promises a better, more comprehensive and interconnected platform for services and communication through the Nokia devices. This all seems well and good, however, there are some concerns that need to be addressed!
Constantly Learn from Consumers: Although this sounds very appealing, the first thought that crossed my mind when hearing it was: privacy concerns! Do we really want or need Nokia, or any other manufacturer, wholesaler or retailer, to know more about us; How we think? What we like? Where we go? What we do?
The OVI Platform: Despite the fact that the OVI platform seems interesting, I think Nokia is not the strongest player when compared to Google and Apple when it comes to web presence and mobiles.
Global Knowledge Sharing: How secure is this server where the data is stored? What if it was hacked? What are the measures to protect our information?
High Level of Dependence: Do we really want to reach a stage in life where we would be “lost without our phones”? Moreover, what happens when the system is down?
“Nokia believes that services and devices together will create the solutions our consumers will want in the future, the way we manage and analyze the information generated by these solutions will drive us to a whole new level of consumer understanding”...
We have heard what Nokia believes… Therefore, the question is: What do you believe: Do you support fully automated systems paving your every step? Do you trust sharing your intimate and detailed information with Nokia? What other concerns do you have after watching the video?
Enough beating around the bush and let’s just face it: Some brands know how to use social media to their advantage while others don’t! It’s a rather simple statement that doesn’t need too much explanations or justifications. I mean with all the noise out there, getting your message through needs certain elements and variables which, when ignored, could turn against you.
Whether it is the fight between the iPhone and the Blackberry or the long lived battle between Apple and Microsoft, when a brand is able to use social media to capture attention, create awareness and build trust and loyalty, it has a higher percentage at succeeding and sustaining profits.
Jon Rettinger (@Jon4Lakers) is a big influencer when it comes to shopping for tech gadgets in general and phones in particular. He reaches a wide audience mainly through his YouTube channel (53,072 subscribers, 1,460,696 channel views) where he provides up-to-date video reviews.
The new Motorola Droid, Android 2.0 Phone
Now that Motorola have rolled out their Droid phone which is meant to go head to head and compete with Apple’s iPhone 3GS, everyone seem to be curious to know more about the new Motorola phone and form an idea of whether the phone is good enough or not. Thanks to Jon Rettinger, a decision of purchase becomes easier after watching his video review comparing the two phones.
In his review, Jon compares the two phones from different aspects, following is a simple summary of the main points, and below it you can watch the full review:
Browser Speed – Wi Fi: Droid loads web pages faster
Browser Speed – 3G: iPhone loads web pages faster thanks to AT&T.
Multi-touch Capabilities: iPhone makes life easier with its multi-touch gestures, unfortunately Droid lacks in this area.
Text Entry: Text entry is done only one way on the iPhone through the virtual keyboard. Motorola Droid offers both a virtual keyboard and a full slide out qwerty keyboard.
Customization: The iPhone is known for being closed-source and not offering many of customization, while Droid offers high-level and more freedom for customization.
Maps: Droid’s - thanks to Android 2.0 – offers free turn by turn instructions.
Apps: There are more apps in Apple App store, but more free Apps for Droid.
Motorola Droid VS iPhone 3GS
So, are things clearer to you after watching the review? Which do you think is better? Are you going to buy Motorola Droid or iPhone 3GS, or neither? Let us know your thoughts.
“Never interrupt your enemy when he’s making a mistake“! Napoleon Bonaparte
I wonder if, for once, Microsoft is being very very quiet while watching Apple make its mistake! The video and my analysis will explain what I mean!
The Apple/Microsoft fight seems to be never ending! Yet, since its market share is relatively low when compared to Microsoft, Apple is constantly trying hard to overcome its opponent in terms of advertising content and style, using both humor and personification to attract new potential customers and retain the current ones.
Nevertheless, it seems to me that Apple might be running out of creative brand promoting ideas and resorting to “intrusive” advertising within its latest release of Mac OS X. The video below explains it all!
Therefore, the question that needs to be asked now is: Will this new method that Apple is using result in turning people against Apple, even if it entails a free reward?
The way I see it, Apple targets a niche market since their prices are relatively high as opposed the average PC or laptop. With that said, Apple’s potential customer base should not be that different and the way for advertising to them should not dramatically differ. Apple users seek a certain type of recognition which this type of advertising might deprive them of!
