Tech-Hut : Extreme

Cell Phone Technology Helps Decrease Isolation, Alleviate Poverty 0

7:33 AM

Cell phones, in many respects, are having their greatest impact in an area of the world they took longest to penetrate: rural sub-Saharan Africa. Cell phone use tripled over the last five years in the developing world, and the biggest jump occurred in Africa, where phones are being used to integrate peoples and communities that were once plagued by isolation.
For people who live in rural African villages, isolation is factors directly into a situation of poverty. Cut off from the rest of the world, they don’t know how much goods are selling for and where to sell them. They also cannot easily communicate with relatives or to receive medical help, instead needing to travel long distances to accomplish this goal and hurting their productivity as a result.
Cell phones, while certainly not a cure-all, have helped changed many of these problems caused by isolation. With a cell phone, now in widespread use across the African subcontinent, users can place calls to family members and doctors; they can figure out the best nearby markets to conduct their business; and they can open a savings account that can be checked through their phone. In fact, many businesses in the region allow people to swipe their phone in order to process payment, a technology that is currently more advanced in Africa than in the developed world.
Phones are cheaper than ever before. Providers in the region offer Prepaid Cell Phones, plans that can be paid by the second for frugal users, and devices that are incredibly cheap and accessible in the first place. It is also very cheap to build reception towers, and many of the most isolated areas still have access to coverage.
Humanitarian agencies have been working to make cell phones an even more powerful force for good in sub-Saharan Africa. They are teaching people how to use online banking services, they are using phones to stock medicine in rural villages, and they building electricity payment plans off of the successful prepaid phone model. But on its most basic level – as a means of communication – cells phones are already making a valuable impact in the world’s most isolated areas.

Apple has never been under such pressure to pull out an innovative and amazing iPhone. The company has attacks on both sides coming from Windows Phone 7 and Google’s Android. In just a few weeks iPhone 5 contract will become available across the globe. So, what can iOS 5 offer us to ensure the iPhone 5 is the best of all?

Operating Systems make a phone, no matter what anyone says. You can have all the power and software in the world, but if the operating system is not intuitive then the product will be poorly received.
Apple got it right with iOS in the past and it has been one of the main reasons for the success of the iPhone. iOS 5 comes about with a number of new and excellent features, many of which have been seen in both Windows Phone 7 and Android in the past.

The new iOS5 operating system includes a number of excellent innovations, including compatibility with all the previous iPhones. This makes it faster to update and ensures it will be faster to upgrade than Android products which have lagged in the area. Over half of Android phones run Android 2.2 Froyo at the moment even though Android 2.3 Gingerbread has been released for over 6 months.

Apple have also included a BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) like feature with iOS 5 in the form of iMessage. This is a great way to ensure the company gets a grasp of the youth market as it offers free messages on a string style messaging system. BBM is one of the main reasons that BlackBerry phones have become extremely popular with younger phone users in recent years and iMessage should have a similar effect.

The Apple iOS 5 will also include a gaming portal, meaning you can get your games downloaded now without having to enter iTunes – a big bonus for mobile gamers. Game Center also allows you to play multiplayer games against friends or strangers over the internet.

iOS 5 allows the phone to be used as a Wi-Fi hotspot, ensuring it is up with the Android and Windows Phone offerings in this area. Apple have also ensured that there will be a notification menu instead of the old fashioned messages the device sends whenever it goes out of network.

Most importantly the phone will include complete access to the iCloud, meaning access to all the songs on your iTunes on the move as well as extremely easy downloads to upgrade the system. This completely reduces the need for wires and all the problems and complex issues that go with them.

As is obvious iOS 5 is one of the phones strongest attributes and will push the Apple iPhone 5 to the fore of the mobile market again. For the first time Apple is starting to show signs of keeping up with the competition in terms of new feature additions, but these will only serve to make a great interface even greater.

Most mobile phone users find themselves strongly favoring either Android or iOS as their operating system of choice. Fortunately, because of the proliferation of mobile applications that work on both platforms, switching between them has gotten progressively easier. Companies that offer their application on multiple operating systems typically have ample resources and a proven product, so selecting great applications that are available on both Android and iOS is not a difficult task.

Around Me

This popular application allows users to quickly find out information about their immediate surroundings. Extensive data on restaurants, hotels, theaters, gas stations, and more is organized and accessible to users. After finding a location or business that looks attractive, users can click to access more information about the item including its address, phone number, and it even integrates with Google Maps to provide detailed driving directions from your current location. Around Me is free to purchase and use.

Layar

Layar is an innovative 'reality browser' that displays realtime data and information about the locations being viewed through the camera of your phone. This application uses a clever combination of GPS and camera data to quickly identify the items being viewed. Once a location has been identified, relevant information populates your screen and allows for interaction with this 'digital layer.' This function is available on several other applications but Layar's augmented reality technology is considerably more polished that its competitors. Layar is also free to purchase and use.

Documents To Go

This business application lets users use their phones to view, edit, and create Microsoft Office files and then sync them with their home computers. This application won “Productivity App of the Year” in 2009 from TheiPhoneBlog.com and has continued to expand its feature set. By allowing business users and ordinary consumers to open and edit their Office documents, Documents To Go has made mobile phones a critical tool to any on-the-go worker. Priced at $9.99, this application is more expensive than a few of the others we have reviewed, but Documents To Go is well worth it.

Tripit

Tripit allows users mobile access to Tripit's robust trip planning software. This software allows travellers to compile all of their relevant travel documentation and then easily access it from their mobile phone. From maps and itineraries to hotel links and flight alerts, Tripit is an invaluable hub for all information pertaining to your upcoming trip. It's user interface is clear and well laid out. With a rating in both application stores of over four stars, Tripit is safe purchase. It is available for free.

Waze

Waze is one of the more unique applications released to the public this year. It collects, organizes, and distributes information shared between drivers. In short, Waze is a social network for drivers looking for realtime information on roads and travel conditions. While Waze has quickly become a crowd favorite among our staff, it requires constant use of your phone's GPS thus dramatically decreasing battery life. Aside from that minor flaw, Waze is a useful and practical application for the frequent traveller that is available for free for purchase and use.

Steven Farrell is the administrator of ReversePhoneLookup.org, a site where you can perform a reverse phone lookup for as little as $1.

For good, for bad or for just a laugh, the human mind is capable of dreaming up so very much, and technological advances and their uses are not immune to our creative bent. Some of the ways we humans use or want to use technology are pretty cool, innovative and beneficial. At other times, however, they're really dumb, odd and, yes, just plain weird.

Social Network Stupidity

Take Craig “Lazie” Lynch, for example. Craig was serving time in a British prison for burglary when he escaped on September 23, 2009. For months, he evaded police and was heartily enjoying his freedom. He enjoyed it so much that he began taunting police—on Facebook. Yes, he “socially networked” with the best of them—pictures, signs and almost illiterate content messages that flaunted his “free as a bird” status. He posted a Thanksgiving picture that offered more birds than just the turkey—mainly the one on his right hand, flying 'freely' as he held up the turkey in his left. Craig even posted a pic there that showed him smiling as he held up a sign that read, “Wanted: Craig Lynch. If found, call 999,” which is the UK equivalent to 911. Apparently, someone took his advice, for Scotland Yard apprehended the idiot on January 12, 2010. Odds were pretty good that if Lynch hadn't posted on Facebook and created such a hula-ba-loo, he probably wouldn't have been recognized and turned in quite so quickly.

Medicus Rex Machina?

Most healthcare services are expensive, there's no doubt. While the current government administration attempts to solidify its national healthcare plan, science looks to other methods to enjoin medical proficiency and factory-line cost-effectiveness using the infamous Watson computer technology from Jeopardy fame. You remember, don't you? A computer played the game against humans? No? Okay, well Watson did. Won't explain further, but Watson's technology is what's important here.

Voice recognition experts joined forces with a technology giant to create doctor's assistants with Watson technology. The robo-docs would be capable of sorting through kazillions of bytes of medical data to assist in the diagnosis and treatment of patients.

Just think: If the contraption gets sick, it can order, perform and interpret self-diagnostic tests, then cure itself of the virus it caught when the last patient sneezed in its sensors.

CurseBird, Indeed

An app for Twitter, the micro-blogging platform that flies high on the wind beneath its tweets, CurseBird lists all tweets by anyone in which profanity is used. Whether you're a sociologist researching how often drunk or high, laid-off cement truck drivers curse or are compiling data for a book entitled The World's First Encyclopedia on Creative Cursing—and Probably Only One, Too,” or you're just a sick [bleep] who uses [censored] so [expletive deleted] often that it's an obsession, CurseBird tracks all of it for you.

Wow. And to think people actually use it. Really.

And finally, in homage to wise government spending, a tribute to...

Laundry-Folding Robots

No, these are not the automated machines found in dry cleaning shops. Yes, the government did actually fund the research and development of robots that fold your laundry for you. Seriously.

The robot uses visual input from cameras and sensors to detect seams, determine up from down and inside from outside. Neat creases and precise dimensions are yours to claim once your laundro-bot sorts your socks.

I just cannot imagine what the government was thinking. But then again, they funded research into what tomato ketchup, or catsup to some, was actually the thickest and poured the slowest.

Spending crisis? What spending crisis?

This article was contributed by Sara Woods from Coupon Croc, where you can save on the gadgets and technology you really want with a Littlewoods discount code.

Excel is one of the most versatile and popular spreadsheet programs in use today. It serves as an electronic pad for accountants. It can be used to perform simple as well as complex mathematical and statistical operations. It is also used for statistical, engineering and financial purposes.
A spreadsheet is a simple worksheet consisting of rows and columns in which any data can be entered. For example a paper report card of a student or the ledger that we create for maintaining bank accounts can be termed as a spreadsheet. Paper report cards of students are manual spreadsheets.
An electronic spreadsheet is just like a paper spreadsheet and consists of rows and columns. The only difference is that instead of being on paper, it is on the computer screen. A spreadsheet consists of rows and columns which combine to form cell. A cell is a box where you can enter data such as numbers or words. Columns form the vertical lines of cells while rows form the horizontal lines of cells. A cell is an intersection of rows and columns. In an excel workbook by default 3 sheets are there, but a user can add or delete more.
Electronic spreadsheets are extremely versatile. They can be used for performing calculations, recalculating results if any data stored in them is changed, creating financial reports and comparing reports. A very useful feature of a spreadsheet is its ability to create groups. It helps you establish relationships between two or more sets of data and easily understand the trends of data changes.
Formulas which are present within the spreadsheet itself are called functions. Lots of mathematical and statistical functions are available to calculate and analyze data. Once one has learned the effective use of these functions, the calculation and manipulation of data can be very efficient and fast.
This software is very helpful tool that helps people to analyze information, to store, manipulate and graph data. In Excel the user can creates professional-looking charts and graphs with 3-D effects and shadowing. In Office Excel 2007 the user can create and share analysis with their coworkers, customers, and partners with greater ease. You can save your Excel spreadsheet as an HTML file so that anyone can view the data through the use of a web browser. The prevalence of use of Excel has made it the more commonly used spreadsheet file format in use today.
About the author:
Claire Jarrett is writing for Computer Training Solutions, who offer Excel courses in 5 different locations, as well as PowerPoint courses

Traditional marketing and training methods employed by businesses have changed dramatically since the arrival of audiovisual technologies and Internet. Marketing is no longer confined to advertising in newspapers, or jingles on radios. Now the business enterprise can advertise its products through commercials on television channels. The Internet has also given business enterprises an access to larger customer base. These prospective customers can learn about the business and what it sells through websites. One of the popular marketing methods used by business enterprises is company video or corporate video.
When used for marketing, such a video is as effective as a commercial, as well as a website. A website introduces a business in greater detail to outsiders. A corporate video does that on a smaller scale. Corporate video, therefore, briefly outlines the activities of the business, without going into depth, and comes straight to the product that is to be sold. A corporate video may contain in-depth information about a product, or service, which may not be available on the website.
Corporate videos are also effective tools for training staff members. Newly recruited personnel need to be taught how to do some tasks, for example such recruits may have to be taught how to index any content. This training may be common or repetitive for subsequent batches. Any such training can therefore be imparted through corporate videos, instead of using the time of a staff member for training. Effectively, the business can save money on a staff member. Likewise, instructions for using any new accounting software or other programs can also be recorded as a corporate video, and these can be used for training purposes.
At times, a business enterprise may need to convince partners or prospective partners on the feasibility of any project. A corporate video helps in presenting details to such audience, especially if lenders also attend such a meeting. A lot of information in such meetings is private and confidential. If the services of a highly skilled professional, who is good with such presentations, are used to develop the company video then it becomes easier for business owners to convince the people in the room, and raise the required finance for the project, or acquisition.
One of the greatest advantages of corporate videos is that there can be a narrator. Therefore, such videos become very effective in large seminars, and large conferences. The content of such video is very important, because the narrator will be reading this content. By using the services of a professional, the business enterprise can ensure that right type of content is developed without any misrepresentation.
Traditionally, slides were used to explain things in large seminars, and large meetings, especially to stockholders and visiting dignitaries. These gave way to power point presentations. A blend of slides, animated images, real life videos, and power point presentations can be developed into a corporate video to generate a greater impact of what is being stated or to explain things more lucidly.

Part II: Protection and Making an Image

The Healthy Drive

By healthy I mean clean and mean. Every one knows the damage computer viruses can do. It’s said that without a good anti-virus program, you won’t last twenty minutes on the Internet. Not much of an exaggeration. A virus filter is essential. Many still use Norton. I don’t for three reasons. It’s expensive. It’s bloated with unneeded features and just plain BIG. And it’s not as effective as the newer programs. One such program that is free, quite popular, and gets job done is Avast Home Edition. It can be downloaded from www.download.com . I’ve used it for several years with great results..
For general cleaning here are some great applications, all free:

CCleaner-- for getting rid of useless temp files
Eusing Registry Cleaner -- to keep your registry in shape
Zappit -- a lighter, faster alternative to CCleaner
Ad-Aware -- the free version, for security from spyware, trojans, and hijacking

As to the “mean” part, do defragment your computer on a regular basis. The systems folder on every PC has such a program. If you want to go a more sophisticated route, I suggest Perfect Disk from Raxco. It’s fast and easy to schedule.

Imaging your C: Drive for Backups

Once your computer is in good shape, it’s time to save it. This is where imaging comes in. I’ve made many mistakes since I first began using computers on a regular basis in the late 1980’s, mostly in the form of lost data. I began backing up files and folders, but somehow these became so disorganized as to be nearly useless. Then, a few years back, the thought of copying the entire hard drive occurred to me, making an image of it.
What is an “image”? It is an exact copy of the whole C: drive, email for email, and document for document. Even the desktop is reproduced down to icon placement. In our maintenance scheme, an image becomes the perfect solution for minimum down time. Instead of a week in the shop, it’s 15 minutes in the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. How is this possible? By simply putting a good image back on the drive. Of course, you need a program for such an operation. Without qualification I will recommend Acronis True Image. It works with all PC versions through Windows 7 and includes a host of useful features.

Creating the Image

Making an image of your drive is the backup strategy. The procedure is simple. In spite of the amenities within Acronis, only two areas need be used: Backup and Restore, which do just what they say. After you’ve cleaned the C: drive, run Acronis, and make an image of the C:. Where will you store this image? On that neat new hard drive, of course. Keep a couple back-up images you’ve made periodically. These take up a lot of space so at some point you’ll be deleting the older ones.
When that terrible time comes when, despite your best efforts, your main drive becomes overrun with viruses or becomes unusable in one of a dozen other ways. At that juncture, run Acronis and restore that clean image you’ve saved. Before you do, be sure to copy the few files that you didn’t store in that original image, the ones from that back up on. Email and your address book need saving. Find where files are and copy them to a temporary area on the second drive. If you don’t know their location, Google the topic to find out. Also you don’t want to lose all those new Internet Favorites or Bookmarks. These folders, along with your email, are located in Documents and Settings. Again, if unsure, Google. Now, Restore the clean image and simply copy these new emails and bookmarks back to the newly restored C: drive.
A final word. Yes, there are two purchase costs in this maintenance scheme. The drive will set you back a hundred dollars (or less) and Acronis is not free, but compared to the cost of a commercial repair shop and the lost work and out-of-the-loop time, you will thank yourself over the years. Take it from this software junkie and turn your computer desk from an emergency room to a carefree, working enterprise.

This guest post is by Mike Carter a freelance writer with his own site, Artist Inlet Press