Tech in Cars

I’m going to switch gears (pun intended) a little bit here to talk about the massive amount of technology being integrated into cars today.

Cell phones, MP3 players, and GPS  have all changed what is included in the center stack of a car. No longer is an FM radio and CD player sufficient for a car “info-tainment” system. Drivers need access to digital maps and directions, be able to make a phone call, and listen to their favorite tunes while maintaining complete control over their vehicle.

Car manufacturers have met their demands by replacing the radio with a mini computer that is capable of providing directions, music, and phone interactivity. This is great, but technology moves fast. Home PCs and laptops are obsolete by the time consumers get them home from the store. How will computers in cars stay up to date? After two years, will consumers need to replace their car to get an up-to-date system?

There should be a universal system developed across all car manufacturers to allow consumers to easily upgrade their info systems. Much like factory radios of the past, many consumers will want the freedom to be able to upgrade their cars to ensure they can take advantage of the newest technology without having to buy a new car.

The New Text Messages

This week, Apple announced their new messaging service, iMessage. Much like competitor RIM’s Blackberry Messenger (BBM) allows Blackberry users to message each other free of charge, iMessage allows anyone running a device with Apple’s new iOS 5 to message each other.

This has raised the question of how long text messages can maintain their dominance in communication or at least how long phone companies can continue to charge ridiculous prices for small amounts of data.

Text messages are the most marked up service or product. The small amount of data hardly puts a strain on the phone companies’ data networks, but consumers are charged around 15 cents per message. The high cost per message becomes motivation for consumers to add on a texting plan that costs them $5, $10, or maybe as high as $15 per month.

RIM reached out to their customers and offered free messaging across their devices. Apple has responded with their own service. This sounds great for people who only communicate with others on the same branded-device. But what happens when an iPhone user wants to message a Blackberry user? They must rely on the plain old overpriced text messages.

If phone manufacturers really want to make a difference on how consumers communicate, they should allow their devices to communicate with devices from other manufacturers instead of trying to maintain a closed system that will eventually succumb to third-party messaging apps.

Game Over

I took the plunge last week and bought a smart phone. (Read my previous post if you haven’t yet or scroll down to learn why I still had a “dumb” phone.).

After hearing last Friday that Verizon was planning to eliminate their unlimited data plan, I started to rethink how long I was willing to wait for the right smart phone. Then I found out Verizon launched their third 4G phone, the LG Revolution, which is another 4.3 inch screen phone with no physical keyboard.

My mind was made up. On my way home from work, I stopped at the Verizon Store and picked up the Samsung Droid Charge. I have had the phone for a week now, including a trip out to Chicago, and so far I’ve had no major complaints. I’ve even gotten used to using the virtual keypad, but usually have to flip it on its side.

So far it’s a great phone and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a new phone. Now, time to go download Angry Birds…

Playing the waiting game…

I may be one of the few tech geeks left without a smart phone. There are many reasons for this, some of which are when I signed a new contract two years ago, I was not ready to commit to a pricey data plan, and still really had no reason to have constant access to anything and everything. I’m ready now but the options are not…

I’ve been qualified to upgrade for about three months, but with Verizon’s launch of their 4G network, and Sprint expanding their 4G network, I’ve been sitting back, waiting for the right device or coverage.

My basic problem is, if I’m going to commit to a two-year contract, I want a phone and provider offering the technology that will still be good in two years. With 4G networks emerging, why would I want to commit two years to a 3G-last-year’s-network device?

So far, Verizon has released two 4G phones, the HTC Thunderbolt and the Samsung Droid Charge. Both phones look great and have a lot of great features, but they have two things in common that are delaying my upgrade decision. The first is they both have the larger 4.3″ screen that has been increasing in popularity since HTC launched the EVO last year, The other is the lack of a physical keyboard. Maybe I’m old school, but I’m not a fan of the virtual keyboard on touch-screen devices.

Sprint has two devices that match with one I’m looking for: the HTC EVO Shift 4G and the Samsung Epic 4G. Both have a physical keyboard, and neither have quite the large screen that the Verizon offerings have. But Sprint has yet to roll out 4G to Metro Detroit. While there have been some reports of 4G signals, there is no reliable Sprint coverage.

So I’ll continue to play the waiting game for now…

Net Neutrality

Snow days in school WERE nice weren’t they? Well say good bye to them. Reports are coming out this week that schools want to require virtual lectures on snow days to students from falling behind in the curriculum.

This got me thinking about how it is essential to have a reliable Internet connection at home, almost as important as having water, electricity, and gas. The Internet is essential for so many activities today – from shopping, to paying taxes, to just staying up to date on the news. The Internet has also been replacing paper mail, phone lines, and even the need to have a television.

The Internet was first invented primarily for researchers to be able to easily share information with each other. When the World Wide Web became popular in the late 1990′s, the Internet switched from a research-focused median to a consumer-focused median. Then broadband connections made it possible to download music, movies, and other large files in seconds, rather than the minutes or hours it took over the Dial-up connections of the past.

During this transition, there was little thought about data caps and limiting how much data can be downloaded. But now Internet providers are flirting with ideas of data caps (influenced by the caps placed on mobile phone data plans) and throttling the bandwidth of different types of content. For example, email would be allowed to download quicker than videos or content from one provider can be given priority over a competitor. This is extremely concerning given Comcast’s recent acquisition of NBC – imagine not being able to view news or shows from ABC, Fox, or CBS because Comcast gave priority to their own subsidiary’s content.

This was not the original intention of the Internet or the Web. It was meant to be an open median of communication. Caps and throttling would do nothing to help improve the Internet and further push the innovation that has brought it as far as it has. Restrictions only encourage people to find ways around the restrictions, which would further lead to providers implementing more restrictions. Tech experts will spend more time building barriers or getting around them, depending what side they are on, than working to push the speed and availability of the Internet further.

The Internet must be remain open and neutral. Hopefully this will be possible with government or FCC intervention.

Welcome!

Hi everyone, welcome to my first ever blog entry!

I’m going to try to keep my posts interesting, and straight-to-the-point (because we have all been to the website that had paragraph after paragraph of text, and immediately clicked the “back” button on the browser).

Let me start off by saying that I am neither a “PC” or a “Mac”; an “iPhone” or an “Android”. Corporations have too much money and control (and differing products) to dedicate my entire electronics purchasing to just one. I like to purchase the best product for the right price, with the most features that I am going to use. I try to keep an unbiased opinion when evaluating products

So you may asking what you’re going to find here….well I hope to post about new products coming out, emerging technologies, as well as the impact technology has on society. I believe technology has done a lot and can still do so much more, to improve the quality of life, outside of just giving us easy access to entertainment. music, movies, and games.

Hope you’ll come back soon!