Com 435 Final Presentation

Instead of having class this week we had poster presentation about new technology. Along with presenting a new technology we had to include the implications of this technology such as how it will impact society or an individual. I chose to do my presentation over a mobile credit/debit card swipe. This device plugs into any headphone jack but currently only works with iPhones. Basically, you can swipe any one's credit/debit card anywhere, anytime. This could help out street vendors, artist selling paintings, or as simple as a friends owing money. The presentation was not as intense as I thought it would be. I felt as if it was going to be one person giving their presentation at a time while the entire class watches. However, it was more of a science fair atmosphere. People didn't react as much as I had anticipated but there were a few people who were quite intrigued. People who did ask about this technology had very good questions that I was more than willing to answer and overall, I would say it went well. As for the technology... I think this is something that could take off but I just don't see it happening very soon. I think it's a great idea and would work very well in our society. In fact I hope that it does work well in our society because it would save me many trips to the atm before purchasing items that have no resources to a credit swipe.

Assassin's Creed II

Last month Ubisoft released the highly anticipated video game Assassin's Creed. This game to me is probably the best game I've ever played. The game takes place during the 15th and 16th century and you as the player are a highly trained assassin. This video game's main concept is that the assassin has a machine that allows him to view the genetic memories of a former assassin. He then tries to find the conspiracy behind the murder of his parents. All the better, this game takes place in Renaissance Italy. One of the best assets of this game is the idea that the player can roam free much Grand Theft Auto. In other words, you have no walls that constrain you, you can roam all over the city. This asset, I believe, is what gets this game such high and praised reviews. I hope that this is not the end of this spectacular game and I am looking forward to the third release.

Cyborg Technology

This week in class we have been discussing cyborg technology and its implications. I found it very interesting that we can implant devices into human brains so that a person with no arm could now have a mechanical arm that he/she could control by just thinking of that process. Furthermore, It is remarkable to think that thought process could be sent via Internet to control a mechanical arm thousands of miles away. This technology is not limited to just a mechanical arm but the five senses. In theory, we may be able to feel, smell, hear, taste, and see things thousands of miles away. Mind blowing right? I am very interested in where this technology will take us and how it will impact society.

Hydrogen Powered Phone

Yes... I know this is the second week in a row that I have blogged about phones but when doing research for the Droid I came across this phone. A company called Angstrom has produced a hydrogen fuel cell phone that runs off what is essentially water. This is an advantage because instead of plugging your phone into a standard charger that we are used to today, you can pour water into a hydrogen generator that is ran by solar panels. This eliminates the use of electricity and makes it a 100% green phone. I hope to see this take off in the future. Our society has used electricity and fossil fuels far too long and it is time to find alternative sources such as hydrogen.

Droid Phone

This week we have been working on our technology pitch as well as presenting it yesterday. The presentation seemed to go very well and I think we did a great job by the judges reaction. We chose the Droid phone because our group wanted to choose something that was relatively new and also something that people could relate to. Droid has been blowing up the advertisement scene recently with its ad campainge "Droid Does" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e52TSXwj774). This phone is designed to compete with the iPhone and I am curious to see how it does. I think it has all of the capabilities of accomplishing such a task, however, it will be a difficult journey that only will tell. I hope to see this phone do well and take the monoply-like status away from Apple.

Sony OLED display

Once again, This week we talked about politics and nothing technological really sparked my interest. After doing some searching, I ran across Sony's new OLED screen. OLED stands for Organic Light-Emitting Diode. This new screen is literally paper thin and is embedded into plastic which allows for it to be bent and not break. Sony has already used this new technology in some of their new television which are no more than an inch think. I found this to be amazing due to the fact that we can fit screens in just about anything now. We can embed screens into wallets, shirts, even into pages of books!

Microsoft Surface

This week I began looking for new technology to blog about since nothing really sparked my interest in class. I started my search by going to Youtube and typing in "new technology". The first thing that came up was Microsoft's new "Surface". Surface is a new technological table that works as a giant touchscreen computer. The sheer sight of this thing is amazing to me but when you see it's capabilites it is mindblowing. With Surface, users and shop for products online and with a simple selection of the product and laying down your credit card on the table, the product is purchased. Surface actually takes a picture of your credit card with cameras that are placed underneath. Also, data and other files can be transfered wirelessly by sitting your device on the table. This technology is aboslutely amazing and we should be seeing Surface poping up in bars, nightclubs, malls, and casinos very soon. Home use will soon follow. Since Blogger won't let me post Youtube video's, check this link out if you get the time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtKQNwqNLLk