Reality or virtuality?

Who has never dreamed of changing the world? Nowadays, technology has enabled people to change the perception of our environment. Computers, sensors, GPS, camera... all these technical innovations are fostering augmented reality.

Augmented reality is a live, direct or indirect, view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensor. For instance, augmented reality applications can be a navigation tool with real-time information which are displayed on the map, or simply a game which uses real-time landscapes and pictures.

This trend has developed with the rise of mobile applications. Since a few years ago, developers have been crazy about them and there is now a long list of augmented reality applications (Golfscape GPS Rangefinder, Dankam, Spyglass, Layar...). However these apps are practical only if someone is patient enough to wait for the data to be downloaded and the image refreshed. No doubt, everybody is still waiting for the killer app.

Another range of augmented reality application is gaming. Here is an interesting evolution. Nintendo did change the gaming experience with the Wii, then Microsoft innovated with Kinect. A month ago, Sony launched the PSP Vita and put augmented reality in its games. People can now play table football on any table, people can fight monsters in their own lounge! Sony has clearly opened the door to new opportunities. Is augmented reality going to take off now?

What happens to your accounts when you are dead?

Who cares? Well, I did. I made a quick research after I thought what is going to happen to my accounts when I’m dead.

 I chose Google's and Facebook's policies for my research, as they would probably cover most of the internet users in the world. They have different treatments. 

In short, Google states it may pass the account details to authorised people after long and careful assessments. Facebook, on the other hand, states that no account passing is possible but as soon as they are notified that the account owner passed away, they turn the account to a memorialised account where only friends can see and search the account and can leave posts for remembrance but the account is not accessible.

I think Google is not doing right by passing the account information. Either you are the legal inheritor of that person or not, I don’t think previous emails of years can be passed to other individuals. At least, there should be an option for users to choose if they want their accounts to be passed to someone else or just to be terminated.

For more information about these policies, you can check these links out;

Google deceased person account policy

Facebook deceased person account policy

Paying for the news

We have become acclimatised to a world of free news. Just look around any tube carriage and there will be half-a-dozen Metros lying around. But if you are too busy being squashed against the door to grab a copy you can always go online later on.

Earlier in the year US investor Warren Buffet argued that traditional news media needed a rethink. It is no longer the only place where people find out information; the production cost of e-news is almost zero compared to physical mediums and,  free online papers are simply giving away their product.

All good points but his final insight certainly resonates. In the long run, how can it make commercial sense to give away the same product you are trying to sell? Lend a man your rod and he might try his hand at fishing. Give a man a bucket of fish each week and he'll stop buying them from the market.

Many of the larger newspapers already enforce paywalls and the New York Times has just announced that it will soon reduce free access to 10 articles per month. Now not everyone agrees with the pay-per-view model, and sure there is room for innovation and different charging mechanisms. However, the crux of the matter is still the same,  pure advertising-based revenue is not sustainable. Value needs to be recovered directly from the readership.

So newspapers need to be brave. But the quality providers can also afford to be confident. Confident that behind their free homepage is a product that is worth paying for.

Email is email...how can mail be a better email?

A company called Digital Post Australia tried to get the jump on the national post service and launch an e- post product.  It got a week's head-start, but what of the move to online post boxes? Do we really need it?

I already have a long list of accounts with each of the various service providers and most are able to send e-bills and correspondence to my nominated address. How would a national e-post system be any different to what can be provided by generic email systems is use today....?

Trusted brand? Potential avenue here for the national post operator but the bigger email platforms are backed by fairly credible players (Google/Gmail, Microsoft/Hotmail).

More secure? Most systems already run HTTPS which is industry standard for keeping data traffic confidential from eavesdroppers.

Better price? It would have to be free (at least for consumers) as there are too many free alternatives available.

Personal address? Running a national system I would guess they provide a plain customer number style (e.g. 78119806@post) address rather than use words.

Enhanced functionality? Some innovation here would be great, the current suite offer VoIP and instant messaging....Hmmm, what about something that build upon the post service's relationships with utilities? Certainly the area where the postal operator does have the upper hand, so could the platform support banking/bill payment?

.....Sorry, but unless they pull a cash-driver out of their hat I just can't see the value.

How friend is your facebook friend?

I like Facebook. I like to use it and I found it quite useful as opposed to many views on contrary. I think the ability it provides us to share things with the people around us and even a bigger circle(“circle” reminded me something +) is amazing.

But, the “friend” concept in Facebook was tickling my brain for a while. A word, such strong as “friend” shouldn’t be consumed that easy. I thought I need to prove this.

On my last birthday, in October 2011, I made a test. I basically removed my birthday information from my information section two days before my birthday and monitored activity on my wall on my birthday. The result was interesting. Given that there were over 100 "friends" saying happy birthday from Facebook the previous year, this year it was only 3! Even less then my estimations!! Of course, remembering birthday is not the single indication of friendship, however, the numbers obviously tell something!

So, Facebook is good, but always remember that your “friends in Facebook” are only your “Facebook friends”.


 (Thanks to my friends those who called, emailed or even messaged via Facebook!) 

News just in...the UK plots a way forward

 

George Osborne has officially announced the UK's next budget. The BBC has put together a very clean summary of the key highlights.

Also, Treasury's full budget report can be found here.

No cash machine? No problem, I've brought my own

The mobile payment market has moved in a new direction with the introduction of mobile credit card readers.

Two products currently out on the market - Paypal here and Square. Both products have a similar look and feel, using a small dongle-like tab that attached to smartphones via the headphone socket. Under the bonnet both have payment applications that transfer monies between the nominated accounts of a customer and merchant.

 



Despite the 'clunky-ness' of having external attachments these payment systems appear to have gained greater favour with consumers than the incumbent, Google Wallet, which has been available for 6 months. However since launching in the US it has struggled to gain acceptance with both merchants and consumers.

Although, Google's system is quite different and stores user information (credit card and banking details) both in the 'cloud' and in the handset to permit seamless transactions across online and physical (NFC) environments.

The new payment readers may just have the edge needed to create a niche market.

For a start they are based on the Apple platform (iphone/ipad) which is essentially the standard handset of choice for high-end consumers, the same consumers more likely to make card-based transactions. Plus on the security side there is a added degree of comfort offered by readers. Having to physically process the payment provides a further layer of protection against fraud and data theft. Whilst Google Wallet is a certainly a much slicker product, it's probably a bit too slick for the market's current level of trust in cloud-based systems. We have got over the hurdle of online purchasing but are not ready for complete engagement.

In the post and telecoms sectors we have been worried that the industries will get left behind by alternative providers unless they respond to the current challenges. The emergence of credible new technology in the finance sector should be a wake up call to the banks as well.

Facebook; the evil empire!

Everyday, I hear a new 'evil thing' that Facebook is doing (again);

Selling your pictures!
Selling your information!
Using your location!
Analysing your history!

Well, first, yes it can, because
a) this is what it gets your permission for via Terms and Conditions and,
b) Facebook is not a charity and it has to do something to make profit and your data is its biggest asset to drive this and,
c) it is usually not something that as critical as you have been told!

And what surprises me is that Facebook is NOT creating those information or pics. YOU are putting everything there and YOU are responsible to protect your information. And, guess what, there is a way to protect it! Even though Facebook security and privacy panel has the same amount of buttons as a cockpit, it is now quite simple it to set everything with a single selection.

So, stop complaining, stop building up conspiracy theories and spend only 10 mins with your privacy and security settings.This doesn't mean restrict everything. I really mean spend time, think and then set your preferences.

Trust me, Facebook is good, if you use it properly.

Pirate or not pirate?

Think about a long street full of bars and restaurants selling lots of different stuff. 

Also, imagine that it is a totally new place for you, somewhere far from where you live and it is not like where you live at all. Out of these places, only some of them offer paid food and drinks where as all the others are free. Moreover, in order to get the paid stuff, you should follow a couple of procedures that would take your time while the free ones are almost put on the sidewalk for you to quickly grab and go. 

Which one would you go for?

For me, the above is quite a good analogy with downloading stuff from internet. There are vast amount of "free" stuff floating on the net while only a number of paid sites with lots of restrictions, terms and conditions etc. The people then of course would choose the free content since, for them, it is exactly the same content but without any forms, registrations and most importantly, charges. 

This post does not intent to defend unlicensed(what does it mean for users?) downloading or copying. I use Spotify, Lovefilm, kindle books myself which are all paid services. I am quite comfortable with them, think that they are quite affordable for what they offer and encourage you to use them.  

However, I can’t blame the people who are downloading stuff for free and I don’t agree with those who label them as pirates, thieves or whatever. The thing I want to stress is that the people downloading free stuff does not necessarily have to know the source and legal condition of the stuff (ie.licensing).In addition, if you think that the environment people are on is  “internet”, which most of the people are still having difficulties to understand and use, then accusing them would not make any sense at all. 

So my conclusion phrase would be: “The target should be the content distributors, not the downloaders!”

Do these improve the weather as well?

I spotted this amazing "palm tree"on the main street of Fez (Morrocco). Not a bad attempt at blending in with the local environment.

Smartphones; transforming the way we socialise

Our lives are getting easier with smartphones.

With their great capabilities such as emailing, maps supported by GPS, social networking, games, advanced cameras and vast amount of apps, smartphones offer more than we would envisage 10 years ago. As they are getting more popular every other day and taking over traditional mobile phones, they started to have significant effect on our social lives. Call it addiction or not, since they are multi-functional, one needs to use a smartphone much more than as it would be before when people was using their phones just to receive and make calls and text messages.

Mobile Phone Addiction

According to Ofcom’s research in 2011, out of 1810 adults and 502 teenagers (between 12-15), the ones that chose the option “I am completely addicted to my smartphone” comprises  37% for adults and 60% for teenagers. These values are 12% and 33% for regular mobile phones respectively.

Occasions when use the phone for teens

Ofcom also investigated the usage patterns of consumers which also yields to some interesting results. According to the research, 51% of the adults use their smartphones while socialising with others. Given the fact that one of the most frequent used functionality of smartphones is identified as social networking by the same study, this is an interesting result. Moreover, 23% uses them during meals with others and 18% uses in venues where they are asked to switch them off. As expectedly, the figures are even higher for the younger segment; 65%, 34% and 27% respectively.

Occasions when use the phone for adults

These results not only show us how smartphones changing our way of socialising and the social etiquette but also provide us with an initial picture of a “smart society of the future”. I urge you to visit Ofcom’s website and read the section on “Smartphone Revolution” to have detailed idea of the tech surrounding us. (yes, sounds slightly sci-fiction)