iPad Improvements!

So, if you were like me and wondering why the iPad didn't have a camera...fear not, here it is! Reports say that the next generation iPad will be fully equipped, with not one, but TWO cameras! iPad producers are preparing for round two of the tablet in 2011. It is said to have the same devices and features as the original, but also, could even be lighter and thinner with a better viewing display. But it's always the same with these models. It is almost as if the first is a test round to see how the product will sell and now that they know it's a hit- why not improve it a little more??

Tablets are becoming a huge success, even though I never though they would be, especially with laptops being around. I see them as relatively the same thing, but I wouldn't mind having an iPad! I'm sure next year the tablet market will only get more competitive and I'm excited to see what happens!

Gowalla and Foursquare Team Up!

I'm sure everyone is familiar with Four Square and Gowalla in their own ways...now the two have decided to come together! Gowalla, the popular geographical network recently released third version of the iPhone app. This update includes a plethora of new features and a new snazzy interface, but now, the app involves Foursquare.

Gowalla is trying to make 'checking in' easier for people by the interface advancements and addition of tools to make this location process easier.

Now, Gowalla, with the Foursquare add on allows users to post checkins on the app PLUS, Tumblr, Facebook Places, Twitter, and Foursquare itself. With this improvement you are able to see where your friends are at one time and on one user interface.




Even with all of the features, Gowalla has also added better Retina Display support, added photos to the newly generated activity feed, and even bookmarking so you can keep track of your favorite spots! Also, a new feature that I thought was cool is 'Gowalla Note'...it lets you leave short messages for your friends when they checkin to the same area you did.

This only supports this idea of participatory culture more, everything is combing and working together, crazy online/social media workings in progress here!

More news from Facebook! / Happy Thanksgiving

I know we were not assigned to blog this week but when I read this I knew I had to put it up on the blog. So I'll keep it short, basically Facebook has officially trademarked the word 'face'- probably did this to avoid other sites that could copy their idea. Crazy world ahah..

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Facebook Trademarks "Face"

Tell people how you REALLY feel...

Have you ever been doing your homework aka surfing Facebook, and found someone's status that you didn't like? When the Facebook team implemented the 'like' button people went crazy and liked everything, but that's not always the case is it? I can think of countless time where I'm on Facebook, looking at people's statuses and thinking..."this is ridiculous". For all of you that share my feelings on this pressing issue, have no fear haha.

Now, thanks to a Firefox Plugin, you can dislike things on Facebook. Let's really about this, we all have that one friend that posts annoying comments, photos, videos, and updates their status every 3.4 seconds. With this new tool, we can visually, with the 'dislike' button show our friends how we feel!

This function requires installation and is still in the experimental stages but the way it works is that once you have the option for 'dislike' it will pop up next to your 'like' feature on your Facebook. Seems pretty straightforward, but I was surprised that this Facebook feature would actually happened!

What do you guys think?? Ready to be honest?

This will blow your mind...

This is awesome to say the least. I don't want to give this away so watch the 35 second video before reading my post!!
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Ok, now that you're all blown away by that, what do you think??? Introducing Dell's Hybrid Tablet. Literally, as you saw, the hybrid tablet flips open and becomes a netbook. Honestly, what else could they come up with?? Not only can you have your cake, but you can eat it too! A tablet and laptop, together. This beauty is set to launch next week and I'm sure will become popular fast.

For all those who are tech savvy: The Windows 7 machine has a dual core Intel Atom CPU, 10-in touchscreen and FULL keyboard that *magically* appears as you open and flip the lid.

Who's going to buy one first?? Would you rather buy this than the ever so popular Apple Ipad??

Merry Christmas...a month early!

Well...not to beat a dead horse but I'm sure everyone has seen their fair share of Christmas decorations peeking through the Halloween and Thanksgiving festivities...it's only natural for our culture to completely ignore Thanksgiving and more straight to Christmas, right? Seems that way. If you've been to Macy's in the last few weeks, you would have to be blind not to see all of the red and green decorations and elaborate lights- and honestly there is no need to even go to the store, just look at the website...it's obvious.

Well why not get into the holiday spirit before we even get through Thanksgiving?

We've entered into an ago of social media, where everything we do is online...pretty much. Think about all of the things you do in a day that involve your phone or some form of social media: Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, text, call, check email, play games, take notes, voice record teachers, check the weather, check your calendar, listen to music, and even buy movie tickets. For this holiday season, apps are stepping up to the plate and generating a lot of buzz. I introduce to you: Social Shopping Apps. So if you weren't lazy enough last year getting those last minute gifts...have no fear and maintain your comfortable position on the couch.

One site in particular that has developed an app is 'Amazon Windowshop'. Generally used on an ipad or any tablet but, essentially lets you look through products thoroughly and on the go. So, no need to sit at your computer and shop...why not get cozy on the couch with your tablet  and a hot chocolate and go from there? Itching for more?? Luckily, the app offers the same technology that the online website does, presenting the opportunity to buy items on the spot. Once you've bought or browsed you can connect your findings to Facebook and Twitter so that everyone knows what you're doing, as always!

Fore more holiday tips and fun check out this 'how-to' guide on Christmas Shopping Applications: Holiday Apps

Happy Holidays!

Facebook + Sexiest Man Alive = Genius

If you aren't familiar with 'People' Magazine or read it at all, I've got some news for you guys, preferably for the ladies in the class. By some gift from God, People Magazine is bringing its infamous "Sexiest Man Alive" campaign to Facebook. The editors and publishers from 'People' say that they have brought together five different celebrities that are more than just a pretty face and washboard abs... not that we mind, but these notable men have a strong 'social media presence'.

I think I've kept you waiting long enough, who are our hunks??

Pauly D

Chad Ochocinco

Enrique Iglesias

Isaiah Mustafa (Old Spice)

Vin Diesel

                                                                                                         

*Now that 'People' have brought this to Facebook, the obvious dominanting social networking site, I'm sure they'll get plenty of hits and it will be successful for sure...

The big question: Who's your pick (boys, don't be shy)

I think I'm going to go with...........................'Old Spice Guy'--he's hilarious. Check out this commerical and see why he deserves your vote: Old Spice Commercial

Digital Birth

I was going through some news and came across this story that talked about parents posting pictures of their kids before they are even born! This internet security company called AVG did a hug survey on moms in North America and some countries in Europe and discovered at 81% of kids that are no older that two years old, already posses a Facebook identity, absolutely crazy.

According to the research, "the average digital birth of children happens at around six months with a third (33%) of children's photos and information posted online within weeks of being born". What do you guys think of this? I wouldn't say it's bad or negative in any way... but it doesn't feel right for some reason and I can't pinpoint it!

In addition to this, the study showed that 7% of babies and toddlers have email addresses set up for them by parents, and 5% have a network profile! Why ???

The only plausible reason for any of this is sharing the news or your baby or things that are going on in their lives with you family and friends but, there is still something kind of weird about it.

The more I think about it I have come to the conclusion as to why I may be a little turned off to this idea... with all the controversy lately in young adults lives of having this archived identify on Facebook, aren't these parents in a way jump-starting this process for them?? It's interesting to think about!

Facebook Status's of the Past

Thought this was hilarious and wanted to share it with you guys! Take a look at some of the different Facebook status's of the past if it would have existed! I LOVE THIS!

Cool Material

Will it ever end?

Just wanted to throw up a quick post that really struck me tonight. I was just hanging out in my apartment 'Perez-ing' as my friends and I like to call it, meaning we were on PerezHilton.com, and I was reading through a bunch of the articles and stumbled across yet another homosexual student from Oakland University, Corey Jackson, has committed suicide. I know we talked about Tyler Clementi's case a few weeks ago, but ever since that story erupted I feel like I'm hearing about these gay student related deaths so much more. I can't get over how sad these stories are that these kids feel that low or depressed about their sexual orientation and lives that suicide is the only answer...Now police officials are saying it wasn't 'bully related'- but who can be sure?

Take a look: Another Gay Teen Commits Suicide

Sports are Everywhere, Even Online

Kit's presentation really opened my eyes to social media. A few weeks ago I wrote about how social media is going out of control it seems. In any aspect of life nowadays, you can find anything you need online- it's kind of hard to imagine the days where you couldn't just 'Google' something. Crazy, huh?

After Kit's project was shown in class, I had to go on Facebook and get some more dirt on this media craze, especially with athletics. It's funny, the day of our sports and social media talk, I was friend requested by the CUACardinals on Facebook - here, they have constant updates about how all of the Varsity athletics are doing.

Anyway, since I'm from 'outside of Philly' like everyone else at this school, I had to look up the Philadelphia Eagles and shocker, they have a Facebook page. It has the same kind of setup that Kit was talking about, consisting of team updates, videos, and fan information- it was actually pretty cool and yes, I may or may not be a fan! HAHA

Does anyone in the class participate in social networking with their favorite team??

I found this really cool website where you can pick a team from any sport (MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA, and NCAA) and chat about sports, see updates and even video all on one page. It is pretty much the same as Facebook, but for some reason I like this site better. What do you think??

Sports Chat

Life on Facebook, After Death...

Some of the discussions on death and facebook have hit close to home for me. Two years ago, my best friend passed away and to this day his facebook is still active. Similar to the Courtney Purvin case, my friend, Freddy, keeps popping up on the sidebar of my news feed to 'reconnect' with him. It is kind of weird to see- someone who you so badly want to be connected with physically, can only be done so virtually. As far as the memorial sites go I can't say I have a strong opinion of them. Since Freddy's death I have probably been on his facebook everyday, and people comment on his photos, write on his wall, and visit it frequently- it is even crazy to see him still accepting facebook requests. I'm sure one of his siblings or friends knows his password, but when you see "Fred Eissler and XX are now friends", you can't help but get a sick feeling in your stomach.

His family is very into his Facebook remaining the way it is, they feel as if it is a way to keep his spirit alive, and I agree. If his page were to be shut down or anything of that nature, I think it would disappoint and upset a lot of people because the person Freddy is still remains in his photos and videos. Sometimes, when I write on his wall, I go back into our Wall-to-Wall conversations just to remember him- this may be a bit morbid I know, but sometimes it makes it easier to cope.

Is Social Media a Fad or a Revolution??

Where is social media taking us as a culture? If we take a look at the last few years, so many new technologies have sprung up! When we were kids, we didn't have ipods, iphones, laptops as light as air, cell phones with cameras, nothing like that! Now, we have all of these different capabilities that make life incredibly easy, maybe too easy.

I was looking different things up on the internet to post about and I stumbled across this video about social media. The movie is a little longer than 4 minutes but it is really interesting to watch! One statistic in the video says that if Facebook was a country, it would be the 4th largest! A second stat that really stood out to me was that Ashton Kutcher and Ellen DeGeneres have more Twitter followers than the entire population of Panama, Norway, and Panama. HOW RIDICULOUS IS THAT? I just feel as if people don't talk as much anymore- it's texting, emailing, facebook, myspace, and twitter. Who knows what will happen in a few more years, we may not be talking at all! Do you think this social media revolution is a good thing?

Social Media Revolution
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIFYPQjYhv8

Jealousy isn't becoming...

This is beyond unfair in my book. I was doing some research on fashion blogs and bloggers and stumbled on this story from June of 2009. Yes, it's dated, but I still thought it was interesting. Apparently this girl, Jane Aldridge who was 17 at the time was really into blogging about fashion for the site "Sea for Shoes"-- she claimed her name to fame as she was asked by Urban Outfitters to team up with them and develop a new line of shoes. I had no idea about this! And I hate to say it, but I wish I had never found out. It may not be every girls dream, but it is definitely mine. Who wouldn't want to do work with a huge fashion company like Urban.

DREAM LIFE.

THEN, as Dr. Akhavan mentioned, I found an article on the most fashionable 14 year old I have ever seen. Meet her, Tavi Gevinson:

 GET OUT OF HERE.

She is amazing, and she is one of the most well known fashion bloggers to date! But seriously, look at her- better style than me! I just watched an 8-minute video of her at Fashion Week and I can't handle it. She is divine. It is weird to think that a 14 year old girl can make it in the blogging world, maybe in a few years if I keep up I could be her! Ridiculous.

Check out this little clip of her, it's amazing. She has tremendous talent....but is still a little girl, even though she doesn't sound like one!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNYhVJz6hbQ&feature=related

The World of New Media - Dependency

The more and more I think about new media in my life the more and more I think about dependency. In society today I believe that we rely on technologies like computers, phones, ipods, and even email way too much, but these ideas are now infused in the way we live. Can you imagine you life without them?

Computers have become the most important new media in my life. It is something I am on everyday because it gives access to everything, it holds my entire existence! Every assignment I have ever done is on my laptop because nothing is hand written anymore. Without my computer I feel like I would be completely lost, that's pretty sad. I was recently at work and I was talking to my boss about this idea of dependancy and she was telling me about her experience in college and how she had to look everything up on her own, there was no quick fix like Google. Honestly, I don't know what I would do without the internet today- it has saved me numerous times! Life has become to easy, not that people don't work hard anymore but in my opinion, a lot of people have become lazy. Have you become dependent??