TECH411.ORG

By Jon M. Cohen

As a New Year begins, a lot of new trends are to be found in the computer industry. C.E.S. 2009 showed off a lot of great technologies and I have compiled a list of some of the top trends for the average computer buyer this year. Now take those unwanted holiday gifts and return them. Let’s use the money you got back and make a worth while purchase. This means  before you use that $200.00 gift card to buy some DVDs that you will watch maybe once or twice, why not look into putting that money into one or more of these trends instead? Besides we use computers daily, how often can you watch the Seinfeld Box set anyways?!

1. Netbooks… they are HOT! Portables are becoming cheaper and cheaper, plus they have a lot more power behind them. In 2009 you will continue to see the Notebook sub category of ‘Netbooks’ continue to sell well. They are currently sold with screen sizes of 7″ to 10″ and SSD at 8GB or SATA Hard Drives at 120GB – 160GB. I predict that these ultra portable computers will see a big bump in speeds and specifications. The cost of these goods has gone down and the addition of such features as GPS, 802.11N, and Express Card Slots should become standard shortly. As well, more memory and bigger hard drive sizes are to be expected.

2. Solid State Drives (SSDs): These drives offer a super fast speed of data transfer and have no real moving parts; they are almost at the “tipping point” (M. Gladwell). With drive capacity closing in on 600GB and the speed being 5x faster then a 7200RPM drive, I predict that this type of drive will continue to drop in price and start being present in more and more notebooks this year. Who does not want faster drives at cheaper prices?!

3. Better backup choices: Everyone is creating media, from digital cameras, camcorders, MP3’s, etc. As we add more and more files to our lives, these files become more valuable. The more we count on them, the more earth shattering it becomes when they are lost. Thus, simple and reliable backup solutions will be a big and popular trend in 2009. Yes we have had these solutions for years, but now it will be cheap and so simple to use that mainstream consumers can do it too. 

4. Multi-core comes to life in 2009! We have seen over the last number of years the idea of multi-core processors (e.g., Intel Core Duo, Core 2 Duo or Core 2 Quad) invade the market. Now as the new line of processors arrive in 2009 from Intel and AMD, I predict that these cores will start being maximized in multi function operation (i.e., running two operating systems at the same time.) So, if you are buying a new computer, at least make sure it is a multi-core.

5. Move to Mac: This trend is not as much new, as it’s getting stronger. Windows is bleeding; XP is starting to get old and Vista is like that freak uncle that no one wants to admit is part of the family. These two things will be the best drivers to bring long time Windows customers to the Apple platform. Even at higher prices, people will still jump in to the Mac world for a glimpse of what is expected to be utopia. Not even the release of Microsoft Windows 7 will be able to stop Apple’s momentum.

So go out and spend your money wisely. Take with you the knowledge of these trends and enjoy what the computer world has to offer.

By Jon M. Cohen

Now as we see the dip in the economy the sales of low cost consumer electronic technology is going to increase. An odd trend you may say, well think of it like this; when times are hard and people are down the idea of buying or receiving a gift really helps lift ones spirits. Therefore the sub $200.00 price range is going to see a lot of increase of sales, plus more and more manufactures and retailers will be pumping out low cost products to please the majority of consumers.

Most people have a want for video in their lives, but in the past video cameras have been either priced to high or too large to carry around, with these small portable devices which in most cases are around the same size as a cell phone, I assume to see more and more people out and about using them.

One consumer product line that has seen a huge increase in sales are the ultra portable digital video camera. Ultra portable digital video cameras feature a good range of price while remaining below $200.00 and have a huge range of features. With companies like Flip Video, Creative, Kodak, DXG, and even Best Buy’s house brand “Insignia”, we see the options for these small devices going through the roof.

Some of the nice things you can do with these video cameras include quick upload to social media websites (such as YouTube, Facebook, MySpace). As well they offer very simple video editing software built right on to the camera’s internal memory. The ideal consumer levels for this products are teens all the way to seniors. Because it is so simple to use even the most non-techy person will be able to pick up this unit and get going right away.

Some key tips for the first time users are the following; Tip 1. Remember that a steady hand is needed, thus if you can use a tripod that would be best. If you find yourself not able to use a tripod then make sure you keep you arm still, if not it will look like you are getting sea sick while you are watching the video playback. Tip 2. Lighting is very important! These cameras are low priced and because of that they don’t offer great performance in low light or night shooting. So if you want to have video that you can share and watch it is very important that you are in the right lighting condition. Tip 3. Don’t waste time editing on the fly, instead do edit once you get home. The more you edit the more people want to watch! Add music, transitions, titles, and any other bells and whistles that make the video look great.

Fun times are ahead, go out and capture your life on video, whether it is for your own personal use, to share with friends and family, or to share on the web. You never know what you will see out there, and you never know when you will want to watch a video you have taken. Remember have fun!

By Jon M. Cohen

So, maybe you have not heard about the craze called Twitter. You may be thinking that Twitter is a product sold at the supermarket or at the hardware store, but the fact of the matter is that Twitter is an upcoming and popular social networking website. It allows you to do something called “Micro Blogging”. The idea is to share a thought or what you are doing in less then 140 characters. 

One of the nice things about Twitter is how friendly it is to use. Simple to setup and simple to use. It also allows for users to do Micro Blogging from many different devices. Some of the most popular devices are the twitter.com website, the mobile phone SMS option, or smart phones who have a application that integrates with Twitter. (e.g.. Apple iPhone’s Twitter App or Twitterberry on the RIM Blackberry)

Some of the functions of Twitter are to allow people to “Follow You”. In other terms this means you let them read the text that you are writing. As well you can follow others too. So if you want to see what a friend of yours is doing, you can choose to follow them and then you will receive updates on what they are thinking or doing as they update their profile. Users as well can send direct messages to people and in turn can receive direct messages. (Thus if you want to comment to someone privately you can send them a direct message.)

Twitter has seen its share of mainstream media popularity in recent times. From CNN using it to discuss election news and notes, (e.g. USA Presidential Election 2008) to the winning candidate from that election (i.e. Barack Obama) using it to connect with voters. It is suggested that during the period between Apr. 2007 – Nov. 2008, Obama was able to use Twitter to connect  with about 120,000 voters. (He has over 155,000 people who have subscribed (Follow) to his Twitter feed worldwide.) The shear ability to connect to that many voters makes the use of Twitter as a communication tool a revolutionary medium in today’s society.  It is assumed that going forward all major electoral parties will be using Twitter to increase their connection to the voters.

Another noted use of Twitter was the ability to give live personal description of the massacre in Mumbai (Nov. 2008). What took place during this troubled time was that people (tourists staying in the hotel as guests) were able to post updates about the siege during the standoff while being hostages in their hotel rooms. In fact it was these Twitter posts that told friends, and family that loved ones where alright! As well also allowed the army to know where the terrorist were in the hotel.

At this point you may be asking yourself why would you want to share (broadcast) what is going on in your life with millions of people worldwide? You may want to know why do people even want to know what is going on in your life? The answer to both can be summed up in to one concept, content! That’s right, if you are interesting and write interesting stuff people will read it. North Americans especially consume a huge amount of content and really look for new media like Twitter to fill this desire. Therefore when you make your new Micro Blog posts I would suggest that you think for at least a minute or two about what you are going to write and I hope that you will keep it interesting.

Now get out there, log in to http://twitter.com and start posting today!