Category: Tech Software

Donna Murdoch, Tech Hardware, Tech Software

Did You Actually Buy Google Glass Today?

Google allowed people to buy Google Glass without an invitation today, and marketed it well in advance.  They’ve always been great at making people want that invitation – exclusivity works well especially in the tech community.  Even Gmail was in beta and required an invitation for longer than I can remember.  Google Glass was expensive though.  It will be interested to see if figures are released.   “So the question is, are there really that many people chomping at the bit for a Glass free-for-all? Did you buy Glass? Did anyone you know buy Glass? Let us know down below.”

via Did You Actually Buy Google Glass Today?.

Donna Murdoch, Tech Hardware, Tech Software

Tech Companies Commit to Offering a ‘Kill Switch’ for Preventing Phone Theft

Can’t imagine how many phones are stolen every day and how much information is on each one.  iPhone tackled this issue years ago with Find My iPhone, but I’m not sure it’s marketed this way.  Blackberry always had the feature, since corporations used it and security was always their strongest selling point.  Now it looks like we will have a consortium with a standardized kill switch.  “To combat phone theft, several lawmakers over the last year have put pressure on manufacturers and wireless carriers to include smarter antitheft technology on smartphones. A group of tech and phone companies on Tuesday said they were on board with the idea.”

via Tech Companies Commit to Offering a ‘Kill Switch’ for Preventing Phone Theft – NYTimes.com – NYTimes.com.

Digital Puglishing, Donna Murdoch, Tech Software

Dropbox unveils Carousel for organizing your photos and videos

Most people think of Dropbox as, well, Dropbox.  Since the acquisition of Mailbox.com, they’ve been adding features.  This app, as well as a Mac Mailbox app, look promising if as streamlined and functional as their flagship.  “At an event in San Francisco, Mailbox founder Gentry Underwood showed off the service, which organizes photos and videos from your camera roll into an app for Android and iOS. A scroll wheel at the bottom of the app lets you move backward and forward in time with a swipe of the thumb. Dropbox says the app is “one place for all your memories.” All photos stored in the app are backed up to Dropbox.”

via Dropbox unveils Carousel for organizing your photos and videos | The Verge.

Digital Puglishing, Donna Murdoch, Future, Tech Hardware, Tech Software

Hackathons Are the New Career Fairs

An ideal way for companies to hunt for talent.  Hackathons show a candidate in context – how they collaborate and how they generate ideas.  This article from Mashable explains in detail.   “For those looking to score a job at a hot tech startup or a coveted spot with a tech behemoth like Facebook or Square, the job search scene has an up-and-coming competitor to the traditional career fair: hackathons.”

via Hackathons Are the New Career Fairs.

Digital Literacy, Digital Puglishing, Donna Murdoch, Future, Tech Software

Changing Our Education System One Programmer At A Time

There is truly a gap.  On one hand, we have articles that speak to the shortage of talent we will have in so many necessary industries.  Aerospace and many other technological process companies all have people retiring, jobs that are needed, and skills that will be so difficult to replace.  On the other hand, we are focused on filling the new tech jobs:  “Now a third wave of startups is sprouting up to tackle the dearth of vocational CS training with intense, in-person training. Companies like The Flatiron School, which I recently invested in, and the Turing School, are teaching students in short-term immersion programs. They tend to attract very motivated students, many of them mid-career in non-technical professions, who spend day and night learning coding over short periods of time. After completing their programs, the students have the technical skills employers are looking for, and they are highly marketable. In fact, Flatiron boasts nearly 100 percent job placement.”

via Changing Our Education System One Programmer At A Time | TechCrunch.

Digital Puglishing, Donna Murdoch, Tech Software

How Gmail Happened: The Inside Story of Its Launch 10 Years Ago

Time Magazine tells the story of Gmail’s launch.  Until then, most people paid AOL or other ISP for their email accounts.  How long was Gmail in Beta?  Interesting article.  “Google’s email breakthrough was almost three years in the making. But it wasn’t a given that it would reach the public at all”

via How Gmail Happened: The Inside Story of Its Launch 10 Years Ago | TIME.com.

Donna Murdoch, Tech Software

Time for iOS device spring cleaning: How to replace your old apps with new ones

From GigaOm.  Something so many of us need to do, but it’s really quite a process.  Maybe another day?  It sounds very appealing.  “Nothing can compare to the fresh start that comes with erasing and restoring your iOS device back to its original configuration. But before you start reinstalling all of your old apps again, consider some alternatives first.”

via Time for iOS device spring cleaning: How to replace your old apps with new ones — Tech News and Analysis.

Donna Murdoch, Future, Tech Hardware, Tech Software

One Company Betting On Oculus Rift As The Platform For VR HR Training

This makes good sense to me – creating an immersive environment is ideal for workplace learning.  Using virtual reality is definitely better than Second Life, which was going to be the way simulations and learning took place.  We ended up flying around….Article is from TechCrunch.  “This is another story today where I had to check to make sure it wasn’t an early April Fools’ joke, but it isn’t, I’m assured by TTS’ John Hoover. The company really is building “immersive learning environments” that combine “virtual worlds, instructor-led training, site-specific training, custom elearning and simulation to effectively train your workforce,” as TTS CEO Lou Rivera explains in an emailed release.”

via One Company Betting On Oculus Rift As The Platform For VR HR Training | TechCrunch.