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Category: Commentary (page 10 of 10)

3 Reasons Google Wave Won’t Flop

bellyflop Several weeks ago, I questioned whether tech geeks were out of touch with the rest of the world.  From having no "real world" friends with Twitter accounts, to having family members who could care less about the tech over which I get excited, I pondered whether we tech geeks lived in a different reality. One example of the type of tech that only tech geeks might love is Google Wave.  Wave is Google’s next generation e-mail/instant messaging/collaboration/social media tool.  As the Google Operating System blog explains, a "wave is equal parts conversation and document, where people can communicate and work together with richly formatted text, photos, videos, maps, and more."  For a thorough explanation of Wave, check out Mashable’s Complete Guide to Google Wave. But is Wave something only a tech geek could love?

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Does Apple Get Held to a Lower Standard?

worship Apple recently rejected the official Google Voice iPhone app.  This app would have enabled iPhone users to make free or cheap calls on their iPhones using Google Voice, and also use free SMS.  This comes on the heels of other  apps being rejected by Apple, and more apps hanging in limbo.  For example, the developers of Lastpass have reported that their iPhone app has been in approval limbo for an extended period of time.  Apple’s handling of the App Store approval process, and the tech community’s response to it, raises a bigger question- is there a double standard in the way that the tech community responds to Apple, versus how tech geeks respond to other companies, such as Microsoft?

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5 Critical Reasons to Root Against Comcast’s Online Television

comcasthulu Over at Technologizer, Harry McCracken recently contemplated whether Comcast’s On Demand Online service was reason enough to stick with Comcast, if you are considering dropping your television service.   On Demand Online is a Hulu-like service still in development that, once released, will allow Comcast subscribers to view shows and other content online.  There are at least five reasons to root against Comcast’s On Demand Online.  Even if Comcast isn’t your provider, or you live in a country with different online TV options, some of these reasons should apply to you, too.

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Someone Sends You Stolen Confidential Documents. Would You Publish Them?

ethics A story that has had the tech world abuzz involves a story on TechCrunch.  In that story, TechCrunch head honcho Mike Arrington wrote that a hacker had forwarded him a zip file containing over 300 confidential corporate and personal documents stolen from Twitter and Twitter employees.  Evidently, the hacker did this by hacking email accounts.  Arrington wrote that the zip file “contained 310 documents, ranging from executive meeting notes, partner agreements and financial projections to the meal preferences, calendars and phone logs of various Twitter employees.”

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Are Tech Geeks on the Cutting Edge, or Out of Touch?

iphonecans

This past weekend I was in a remote area of northeastern Pennsylvania with no internet access, even via my iPhone.  I made one trip per day to my parents’ cabin a few miles away, where I could plug in and briefly get online. I was among a large number of extended family members, and as best I could tell, I was the only one who seemed to mind not having access.  Everyone else’s nonchalance got me to thinking – are tech geeks really on the cutting edge, and leading the way to the future? Or are we far removed from the reality of the rest of the world, and just scratching our tech itch for our own benefit?

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