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?
Twitter 360 is a nifty augmented reality Twitter application for the iPhone 3GS. What the application does beyond the basics is that it makes use of Twitter geolocation information.
The way that the application uses it is by allowing you to check where your friends (people you follow) are, based on the location of their last tweet. It will display your tweeps using Google Maps and indicate their location.
Twitter 360 in action
The best part of the application is that if you turn your camera on you will be able to see tweets relative to your current location. So, for example, if you have a friend that is physically to your west tweeting, you will be able to turn your phone to the west and see his tweets there. And If a tweep is close by, it will display an arrow pointing to their direction and their distance from you.
Of course, people will have to turn on geolocation on their Twitter accounts to get the most out of this application, and currently only the 3GS is supported because it utilizes its compass facilities.
Now if you are able to ignore the creepy factor of strangers knowing where you are whenever you tweet, this would be a great app. Especially if you follow a lot of local tweeps, and enjoy bumping into them unexpectedly (… or stalking them).
There are a bunch of people on Twitter talking about everything and anything, nonetheless, we all need our constant supply of inspiration! So, in our unending service to humanity, and as a follow up to our top 10 funny tweeps post, we would like to share with you the top 10 inspiring tweeps who you must follow on your Twitter account.
These are people who perfected the art of a 140 character inspiration, and are able to bring value to your life with simple, short “single” liners.
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 :)
The iPhone took the world of smart phones by storm and set new standards for these smart small portable devices. Other companies have been looking at Apple with envy eyes and trying over and over again to come up with an iPhone killer.
In the past few months we have witnessed the launching of some real good phones like Motorola’s Droid and Blackberry’s Storm 2, other companies have been following suit and launching their own versions of smart phones. 2010 sounds like a promising year for this market, let’s look into what will be big in the coming year. iPhone 3GS, Motorola Driod, Nokia and Blackberry videos are already flooding the social media, and fighting over the touch-screen do-it-all smart phone market share.
The video should give you a good idea of how the phones look and handle, and our summary below lists each phone’s main features briefly.
Remember 20+ years ago, Japanese anime Sanshiro, the young boy, controlling his robot Jumaro into battling other robots through his notebook-like device? For me, as a kid, and like many other kids of that time, it was a dream having a robot to control like Jumaro.
Plawres Sanshiro
Years passed, I grew up, and the iPhone appeared with a multi-touch capability which, according to the video below, is just the “very natural way” to control a human-like robot. Sanshiro didn’t need that bulky notebook to control Jumaro, he could have just used an iPhone! If he just knew!
But hey, seriously this is really cool, I mean how cheaper electronics are allowing users to to be more creative. Otherwise, how would you get your hands on a multi-touch bluetooth/WiFi enabled system?!
Walking Robot through Natural Finger Gestures on iPhone
Isn’t that impressive? Technology has really come so far! I wonder if anyone out there would pick up on this idea and take it further. Do you see it going into more practical applications? Please let us know your opinion in the comments section.
“Healthy competition is the fuel for growth and development”.
Big names in the technology arena are bumping each other’s heads in a war dedicated to grab customer attention and further create loyalty! One of those names must be Apple!
Not only does Apple lead a variety of creative, well-studied and effective small battles against Microsoft, it also has a front built for Verizon as well!
In a recent article, it is made clear to us that Apple is cooking something to undermine Verizon’s network. A series of ads is to be launched by Apple “set to obliquely attack Verizon, made in the same mold as its ongoing “there’s an app for that” campaign.”
Apple take a swipe at Verizon – Apple iPhone Ad – What Time’s The Movie?
Apple backs up AT&T with the new ad “multi-people”
But will this campaign really undermine Verizon’s red-blue coverage maps campaign? I mean, if you don’t have signal, you can’t make a call or surf!
As we relentlessly, and yet unconsciously, speed into a technology-based life style, competition amongst technology related brands, tools, systems and platforms soars higher; bringing us a new, fresh and innovative pool of ideas for the future.
MSN messenger, Skype, Fringe, eBuddy and other web or phone based chatting tools should be prepared to meet their new opponent: The “Who’s Here” Application designed for the iPhone or the iPod Touch.
Not only does this “social” application allow for the regular options any chatting platform offers, it also allows you to spice things up a bit as it gives a chance to its users to make free calls and send free text messages. Furthermore, this applications helps in bridging the way for you to find and meet new people and creates another way for you to maintain current relationships with your friends and family!
