The Dark Side of Mobile Access

Here's the post that I knew I was going to have to write, and I highly recommend that you read it. It's one of the most cancerous but unspoken issues in our society today, and with the introduction of tablets and smartphones, it's only become more dangerous.

I'm talking about porn. I don't know where you stand on it, whether you think it's ok, something to be pushed under the carpet, or my position: downright evil. The point is that porn, in any sort, either hard, soft, violent, or child-associated is a thousand times more accessible than ever. Fifty years ago, you had to go to the nearest drugstore and buy it under the counter and drive home in shame with it. Today, all you need is a 4G connection and you can view adult content 24 hours a day, almost anywhere in the civilized world, from the palm of your hand. Jason Byassee says it better than I could. I recommend reading his opinion on how it's changed.

For me as a soon to be married man, this is beyond concerning for my future. I don't want my wife to have to live in fear of me comparing her to a woman on a two dimensional screen. I don't want my sons to be cycling images of naked women and sexual violence in their minds when they start junior high. And I sure as hell don't want my little girls to eventually marry a man who doesn't cherish her or think she's good enough compared to what he's seen.

Don't believe me? Looks at the stats.

What can we hope for in the iPhone 5?

Apple's iPhone has been an incredible success - no doubt about it.  First released in 2007, these smartphones have amounted to approximately half of Apple's total sales.  Apple is still looking to innovate and ride profits for this product.  Reuters stated that South Korea's Maeli Business Newspaper reports orders from Apple for parts to produce their new iPhone, which is anticipated to be released in the second quarter of 2012.  Since the iPhone 4S was just released in October of last year, what could a new iPhone possibly include?

A new design

Is the iPad 3 Costing More Than It's Worth?

We’ve heard all the hype about the iPad 3. Is it bad? Is it good? Is it worth it? Apple is constantly surprising us with what they can create and accomplish. But what are the pros and cons to owning the iPad 3? Some users are finding out the hard way that they may end up paying more than the retail price in the long run…

The new iPad 3 features the new retina display, which consumers are eating up. This new feature allows for a great HD home theater feel. The new retina display is in addition to the 8-mega-pixel camera that brings photos to life. But what is the ultimate cost of these great features when it comes to the pricy data plan?

According to Forbes magazine, the iPad 3 is sold along with an expensive data plan. But since wireless companies are in the process of phasing out the unlimited data plan, some users are finding that the iPad 3 and its retina display is eating up all their data in just a few days. Sure, this is okay if your iPad isn’t your primary source of internet connection for a specific amount of time. However, if it happens to be your primary connection, consumers are finding this to be a very negative aspect to the new iPad 3.

Are consumers going to find that the pros outweigh the cons, or will Apple experience its first failure? Apple is rumored to have a 4.6" iPhone 5 screen in the future - will consumers' reactions to the negative impact on the data plan change Apple's long term plans?

Should I share my Facebook password?

Something to be on the watch in the next year or so should be about the new trend of job applicant's having to submit their Facebook login and passwords in order to verify their professionalism and character. However, that really doesn't fly with about 99% of prospective employees. Those of us seeking to find employment after college or in general are told repeatedly that it's very prudent to clean up our party photos and the like in order that we don't get passed up.

Where does Facebook stand?
I could paraphrase where they stand, but Erin Egan, Facebook's chief privacy officer, says it pretty plainly:

"Facebook takes your privacy seriously. We’ll take action to protect the privacy and security of our users, whether by engaging policymakers or, where appropriate, by initiating legal action, including by shutting down applications that abuse their privileges."

For the full post, click here.

Overall, Facebook has condemned the practice of using such techniques to gain information as a violation of policy and inappropriate. (One note though: Wasn't Mark Zuckerberg accused of selling information like this? Is it only bad if someone else is stealing your clients information?)

Glympse - "Share Your Where"

Started in 2008 by several intelligent guys who left multinational corporations to pursue an opportunity in the changing nature of "technical and social trends," Glympse is a free mobile application that serves many purposes.  However, many people are still unaware of its benefits.  This location-based application was designed to answer all of the questions regarding where you're at, where you're going, and how long you will take to get to your destination.

Glympse application logo

How it works: 

Glympse is a service available on smartphones (all platforms) as long as they are GPS-enabled.  This program utilizes mapping and positioning technology to share device locations with others.  Users can choose who they want to share this information with, as well as set a duration for how long the information can be viewed using the patent-pending GlympseWatch™ timer.  After sharing this information, the user can "pause" or "cancel" the Glympse at their discretion.  It also has an "auto shut off" feature that comes in handy when users forget to turn off location-sharing.  Users choose to share a Glympse with anyone in their contacts (and can even post it to social media platforms).  As long as the device that it is being sent to has a web browser, the Glympse can be opened.  The receiving user gets an SMS with a unique URL and a customized message that can be opened up and tracked in a browser; and there is no need for another user to have downloaded the application.