Posted by admin on Dec 19, 2010 in
Design and Home,
geekery,
technology 
I love art but lack any modicum of talent in this field. You want proof? My high school art teacher almost cried at my depiction of still life oranges, and her sighs of despair still haunt me to this day. I tend to credit anyone who knows their way around a paintbrush with a huge amount of awe, and I hold these sculptures by artist Franco Recchia in high esteem. I first discovered his work on ChipChick, and am so impressed with what he has created. Franco has taken old computer parts- everything from the hard rive to the cardboard packaging- and turned it into futuristic style cityscapes. His work includes the Manhattan landscape, Pittsburg and Boston, and I’m hoping he’ll turn his attention to Britain next.
Read more…
Tags: Agora Gallery, Franco Recchia, Technology Art
Posted by admin on Nov 29, 2010 in
beauty,
opinion,
technology 
Vouchers used to be the way forward in terms of discounts. Everyone likes to get something for nothing, and Pizza Express has made a killing in recent years with their 2 for 1 voucher offers, and buy one get one for a £1. True, the waiters there may have HATED this (I have this on good authority) but the public loved it, and the Pizza Express chains have been very successful. Money off coupons also prospered, and in a much more high profile way than the ’10p off next washing powder‘ purchase. Websites such as MyVoucherCodes and Quidco prospered, and magazines printed 10% and 20% money off coupons. Everyone was happy- the retailers, the public, and the economy flourished. In the last year or so, we have seen a change in this market, as vouchers are now taking a backseat and the Mobdeal is king.
What is a Mobdeal? A Mobdeal is a deal that relies on a certain number of people to sign up to it, in order for it to be followed through. Regualr viewers of shopping channels on TV will have no problem in understanding the concept, as it’s a popular selling tool. X number of items are offered for x price- but only if 100/200/2000 people sign up to buy it. Once that ‘tipping point’ has been reached, everyone who has registered that they would like to buy the deal gets charged. This selling method is gaining popularity, and could potentially be seen as killing the discount code market. In a sense, it’s even more beneficial, as the deals only get used when they’ve reached x amount of people, which helps showcase new brands and clients, and allows people to experience good value deals, which they can then relay onto their friends. It’s a switch towards collective buying and purchasing, away from the more individualistic model that vouchers offer.
The first major push towards this way of selling online (with the mobdeal branding) in the UK came in January 2010, with the launch of the Wahanda Mobdeals. They specialize in offering discounted beauty and spa treatments and packages, which allow the consumer access to a wider range of options that might have been out their price limit- plus get them on the site, where they can buy extra items. It offers brands the exposure they need to get themselves more clients, and searches and offers are tailored by region. Since Wahanda got on board with this selling model, this idea has reached other industries, and you can now get gadgets, homeware and activity days for less. The Mobdeal is a USA selling method, which the British have been keen to embrace, as many sites have since sprung up which follow this structure. Read more…
Tags: Groupola, Groupon, Gruupy, Mobdeal, Wahanda
Posted by admin on Nov 5, 2010 in
geekery,
technology 
What does your mobile say about you? If you’re under fifteen it might be all about the ringtone, but as you get older, a sense of relation and compatibility with your chosen model occurs. As an iPhone user I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that I do view it as a ‘cool’ phone, though hopefully I don’t preach too much about it! This chart is entertainingly accurate- though I would disagree that Android users are seen as geeks (also owning one of these). Maybe they should change that graphic to an image of Mark Zuckerberg?
[via The Wall]
Tags: iPhone user, phone perception
Posted by admin on Oct 18, 2010 in
lists,
news,
technology 
Love it or loathe it, you can’t deny that Tablets have become very big news lately. The question about whether you actually need one still remains- and many iPad owners have found their pretty toys relegated to mere coffee table coasters in recent days. However, as many brands are starting to become aware of what Tablets have to offer, we’re going to see more tablet specific content become available, and brands such as The Times and Vogue are creating ways for you to view their creations tablet style. As time progresses we’re going to see more development in the world of tablets, and potentially discover a use for these over sized iPhone’s/ netbook style creations.
Here are the tablets that you’ll want to pay attention too, and I’m going to give you the hard stats on what each model has to offer, from ease of use, accessibility to storage expansion and weight.
The Apple iPad
This tablet is the most well known on the market, and anyone who has an iPhone will find the controls a doddle, as they’ve simply been supersized for this device. The iPad is the priciest tablet on the market, currently coming in at £429 for the most basic model. For this you get a glossy looking 9.7 inch screen, which weighs in at 1.5 (or 1.6 model dependant/ 0.68 kg) pounds and is 13.4 mm thick. It comes in Wi-Fi and 3G versions and has a built in hard drive of 16, 32 or 64GB which is not expandable. You can connect to it via the Apple connector, but there’s also a microSim card holder (for 3G access) and a 3.5 mm jack for your headphone (non proprietary).
Downsides are that it’s lacking a USB connector, has no camera (so, no video calling) and just forget about a SD card reader. On the plus side, multi touch functionality makes it a joy to use though, as you can swoosh easily across pages, expanding at will with a mere wiggle of the fingers. The iPad also plays video in 720 , will work with Windows as well as Macs, and, the killer reason- is very, very pretty. They say you can have 10 hours of use, using Wi-Fi and the processor is a 1GHz Apple A4 chip, which is super fast. The plus point of the iPad is that you have access to the huge and varied Apple store, and buying and downloading apps is very easy. As Apple has created such a high profile for itself in the tablet market, it’s likely that any apps to be released will be created with the iPad in mind, so you’ll probably get them before other platforms do.
The BlackBerry Playbook
I’m very intrigued by this recent addition to the Tablet world, as it could mean a new way of using tablets for everyone. Blackberry is known for their business and office skills, so extending their handset range into the tablet arena can only mean that they’re considering it featuring in an office environment, miles apart from the iPad’s ethos of fun. The Playbook features a 7 inch display which weighs in at 0.4kg and is 10mm thick.
It features a multitouch capacitive screen and has two cameras, a 3 MP forward facing one, and a 5 MP rear camera. They’ve got a lot of info on video conferencing bundles, which is another step on them pushing it as a business device. Input wise, you get a HDMI port for connecting it to HDTV’s or a hi-def projector, a USB port and 1080p You also get all the usual Blackberry resources bundle in, from the calendar to BBM, which I’m guessing will all sync up nicely with your phone. It uses a 1GHz dual core processor and has 1GB of RAM, and is able to work with Adobe Flash as well (a major plus point for web browsing). Where it loses a little ground is in the app department, as that’s nothing to write home about, but the BlackBerry App store is continually growing. We don’t have a price for this yet, but Blackberry say, ‘ it will fall in the lower range of prices for consumer tablets already in the suddenly congested market.’ OK, then, we’ll wait to 2011 ( when it’s out) and see for ourselves.
One issue though- as they’re trying so hard to make this a business tablet, why not call it the WorkBook rather than the PlayBook? See what I’m saying, yeah? Read more…
Tags: Blackberry Playbook, Dell Streak, Galaxy Tab S Samsung, iPad, tablet computer, Toshiba Folio 100
Posted by admin on Aug 24, 2010 in
geekery,
news,
technology 
There are many, many filesharing sites out there, from the infamous Pirate Bay to the smaller but equally popular BTJunkie and Isohunt. They provide users with a great many options, but sometimes the sheer amount of files they have can be a little overwhelming. This is where Karaoke-World comes in, a dedicated filesharing site that ONLY features Karaoke torrents!
You may wonder whether there is a need for this service, and that is debatable, but considering the continued popularity of games like SingStar on gaming consoles, and public karaoke bars such as Lucky Voice and K-Box, I do think the demand is growing. Shows like Glee and X-Factor put the idea of Karaoke style singing right onto the front page of the newspapers, and if you enjoy this activity you’ll probably want to know more about the recently launched Karaoke-World. Read more…
Tags: bitorrent, Glee Karaoke, Karaoke, karaoke filesharing site, Karaoke-World
Posted by admin on Aug 19, 2010 in
technology 
The iPhone has long held the crown as the prettiest Mobile on the market. Its slick curves, glossy screen and its pretty display of apps make it ultra desirable for every style hunter. It tends to be pretty much unrivalled in the style stakes- till now! What you see above you is a real life handset- NOT a concept model and is currently available to buy in Aisa.
It’s called the iida Light Pool phone and is more than just a pretty face. The phone may not be quite smartphone calibre, but it isn’t short of specs. You’re getting an 8 megapixel CMOS camera, a built in USB connector, expandable memory to 16GB, and a 3.2 inch TFT screen. The device has a flip phone design and has the rather rare (for Brits) inclusion of a digital TV receiver, so you can get you fave show on the go. What really intrigues me is the ethereal looking diamond shaped LED’s that coat the outside of the phone. What are they there for- and what do they do? Read on to find out! Read more…
Tags: iida Light Pool Mobile, Light Pool phone, pretty handset
Posted by admin on Jul 22, 2010 in
news,
technology 
The premise behind ChatRoulette was fiendishly simple. Utilise the webcam that’s built into most people’s computers and add an element of sex to it. Rather than create a paid for service, Andrey Ternovskiy decided to create a live version of the popular hot or not game, where users log on to flirt with each other and ‘next’ anyone they don’t find attractive or interesting. Annoyingly, the site is pretty much useless for anyone who doesn’t want to watch masturbation, as a quick play around reveals that 90% (a completely made up statistic) of users seem to be men.
Nonetheless, there’s something about this level of instant interaction that’s appealing, and if used correctly could be really positive. Healcam is a brand new service (barely been launched a month) which aims to take the premise of instant video chat to a new level, by putting people with various illnesses in touch with each other. Sure, if you have Diabetes or Cancer you already have a ton of support groups and forums, but that doesn’t mean you get to chat face to face with someone whenever you feel like it. Counselling sessions need to be scheduled, appointments made- sometimes you just want a one on one with someone who understand your issues.
It’s completely free to use the site, you simply go to the Healcam website, select your sex, say whether you’d like to talk to a male, female or ‘anyone’ and then choose your condition. At present there are 5 to choose from: Back &Neck, Diabetes, Cancer, Pregnancy and Childbirth, and Heart Disease. There’s a button saying sub topic next to them, but only the Diabetes one expands into the options of Type 1 and Type 2 (guessing this will expand as their user base grows). Their blog does mention that they will have health channels that will include ‘Weight Loss & Dieting’ and ‘Depression’, but at present they’re not on the site yet.
The concept is fantastic, and I’m hoping that the people who use the site will respect that, and that we will find those willing to share information and advice about their conditions to those who need it.
The Healcam creators say, ‘We envision the site as a large meeting place, where people can exchange information, get or give moral support, and learn from others’. It’s a resource I can imagine using, so I’m hoping others will feel that way.
The next step is working out whether the site will be able to keep afloat from advertising. Considering the topics involved, monetizing it once it gets popular should be fairly simple, as I’m sure many charities and organizations would want to get behind this.
The main problem will be assessing the potential of abuse that could happen if people give others bad advice, as that could prove dangerous to people with medical conditions. As long as the site is used therapeutically and not as a replacement for a doctor I see no reason why this shouldn’t do very well.
At present there are very few users, but as this gains popularity I’m hoping a huge community will spring up.
Check out Healcam here.
Source: Medgadget
Tags: Andrey Ternovskiy, Chatroulette, Healcam, health help
