Gifts for the Four Legged Friend in Your Life

While your pooch or kitty might not be that intent on using tablets and the different apps that are on the market, they might like some techy gifts this holiday season. Do people really have jobs where app development for animals is the goal? If you like to hit the road at dawn or dusk, you and your dog will enjoy greater visibility with the Nite Ize Nite Dawg LED pet leash. Want to get your dog in shape because he has been lounging on the couch with you over Thanksgiving? FitBark is your solution. The small, bone-shaped sensor clips to a collar and uploads data about your dog’s activity whenever the device is in range of your smartphone or a small base station similar to a router. Want to play with your kitty while you are away? Petcube is a sleek-looking box that works with a mobile app to let you play with your cat when you’re away from home. The device houses a laser pointer you can control remotely to entertain your feline, plus a microphone and speaker so you can hear and talk to your cat. There’s also a wide-angle camera that can take photos and HD video you can save and share with others. You can even give friends and family access to the system so they can interact with your cat. Oh the things we do for our animals.

Technology in Relationships

Researchers at Brigham Young University recently found heavy texting to be associated with relationship dissatisfaction among both men and women. The researchers studied the texting habits of 276 adults between the ages of 18 and 25 (38 percent were in a serious relationship, 46 percent were engaged and 16 percent were married), and had them fill out an extensive relationships assessment questionnaire, which included questions about the role of technology in their love lives. The researchers found that using text messages as a way to apologize, settle disagreements or make decisions was associated with lower relationship quality for women. For men, lower relationship quality was correlated with texting too frequently. Of course, texting has become a central part of many couples' relationships, with 82 percent of couples reporting that they texted multiple times per day. And it's not all bad: expressing affection via text was found to actually enhance relationships. In short, no one can really point the finger at what about technology is good in relationships and what is not so conductive. With the increased use of video conferencing, traveling doesn't seem so far away. Any thoughts?

Glow in the Dark Spray

What if the roads that you drive on at night could be lit up? This could be a great way to help make the roads safer for drivers. This spray could be better than the software technologies that are in the car. A UK based company has developed a waterproof photoluminescent coating, called Starpath, which absorbs light during the day and gives off an ethereal glow at night, according to Treehugger. The coating is non-reflective and has anti-slip properties, which could reduce the number of accidents on motorways. Starpath-covered roads could also help communities save money and energy, since they are bright enough without street lamps. One of the things that I have to wonder about is the actual lifespan of the paint until it gets worn off or how long it stays bright after the sun goes down. Obviously this could present a problem for the areas that only get about six hours of sunlight a day. Also, what if the paint could glow in different colors?

Eye Contact

We’re often told to maintain eye contact when speaking with others. But what we are not told is that it depends on the situation. The University of British Columbia researchers report that in the midst of an argument, looking the other person in the eye won’t get them to agree with you. It actually may do the opposite. This is definitely an interesting concept that is worth getting looked into much further because it is something that is considered "common knowledge". Another interesting point to make here is if the same applies for internet phone conferencing. There is an inherent inability to always look in the other person's eyes and when people do, it is awkward and unnatural since they have to then look down to see what it is they are doing. Do you always look at the other person's eyes when you are speaking? Does it come naturally or is it something that you constantly have to think about?

Apps for all Platforms

One of the best things about AB Soft is that there are able to handle app development across all platforms which make their products that much more marketable. They develop across different devices and make sure that it customized for them. There are many ways in which the iPad is better than the competition but in others it falls short. AB-Soft makes sure to take advantages of the good parts of the iOS and Android. One of the first shortcomings of the iPad is the camera. There is really no excuse for the camera to be like that because tablets are used more and more as the main way to communicate through things like internet phone services. As far as pixel density goes, there also needs to be some improvement because the display is a huge part of the tablet. Nowhere are the iPad’s raw technical deficiencies more clear than with RAM. The iPad’s 1 GB—and the Mini’s 512 MB—sit well below all of Apple’s competitors. Lastly there is price to consider. Compared to top 16 GB alternatives, Apple’s tablet is among the costliest choices, unless you opt for the lower-res iPad Mini. Still, don’t wait for a price drop. Apple isn’t likely to change any of its tablet pricing: they’re happy selling their devices at a huge margin so long as people keep lining up at midnight to buy the newest release.

Silence

We have heard that silence is golden but never really taken that mantra to heart. In our hyper-connected, buzzing world where there's a constant soundtrack to our lives (be it a whizzing car, the bark of a dog or the low hum of a computer at work) you'll have to seek silence deliberately in order to reap its benefits. But, you'll find it to be worth the effort: Your relationship with quiet -- and the act of restoring -- could improve your skills when it comes to work, friendships and happiness. In silence, you gain perspective on what matters, and can more comfortably do away with the nonsense. It will also make you more productive and efficient. Practicing quiet, whether through retreat, meditation or just a few minutes unplugged from all phone services, can prepare you as a professional and a friend to really hear. So please take this long weekend to just shut up.

The Invention of Email

Email has since come a long way from Aug 30, 1982. It still does the usual thing of sending and receiving emails but now we have the option of internet phones and internet fax to add to the features. Celebrating this day provides all of us, especially parents, educators and policy makers an opportunity to understand the conditions, which allowed a young boy to create email, something we depend on so completely that we take it for granted. These creative conditions may provide us clues on how to unleash that field of infinite possibilities for all us, particularly our youth, to innovate and create, both locally and globally. The message is that innovation and creation are inherent to who we are and is the ultimate expression of spirit. Our current models of innovation, based on old belief systems that innovation can only take place in big universities, large companies and the military does not provide a scalable way for us to create the necessary jobs. So go out there and innovate.

Smartphone with Built-In Service

The Amazon Kindle uses AT&T's network for the built-in cellular connection but you never have to worry about a monthly fee for the services because Amazon takes care of the costs and offsets them through all the books and mobile applications that you would buy when using the network. There have been rumors that Amazon is experimenting with having their own wireless network but it still remain expensive and very time consuming. Cutting out the cellular middleman – AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, T-Mobile and others – could potentially open up a world of connected gadgets that cost companies like Amazon less to produce, thanks to not having to pay for access charges (savings that would hopefully be at least partially passed along to consumers), and could make it to market more quickly by not having to pass through a gauntlet of compatibility tests on the various providers’ networks. Think about it.

Cable Outage

If your cable had an outage, would you call 911? A Connecticut police department wants people to know that missing your favorite show isn’t an emergency. There was a recent power outage which put the cable, phone services, and internet off the grid for several hours. During that time, people actually called the police department about it. How many of these dumb stories have you heard about where people decide that certain things warrant calling 911 because they feel that it is an emergency? I recently read that someone was prank calling the police department several times a day. I think that the cable dispute should be left up to those guys while the government has not gotten in the middle of it. It might have been a good thing though when the FCC decided that AT&T and T-Mobile should not merge. Any thoughts on your cable or phone service?

Work From Anywhere

In today's world, with all the technology and mobile applications, it is easy to literally work from anywhere you chose. There are several tools that you will need in order to do that. First of all, it might be good to get a great internet phone service that works on any device. It will keep the number of gadgets you tote around down to a minimum. Since you have a VoIP service, you would need reliable internet. It is needed even if you do not opt in the phone service. Also, Google Docs is my go-to for online document creation and editing. It’s free as long as you have a Google account. Google Docs is the gold standard for real-time online collaboration, and closely mirrors the functionality of the Microsoft Office suite. So what is keeping you from cutting that cord on your desk?

Technology Adaption

As far as I'm concerned technology and innovation is supposed to help the human race and it should mold to our needs, not the other way around. Enter the Thumbell. This is a little weight that you place on you thumb in order to strength train those texting muscles. Thumbells isn't the first product to target those with smartphone-enduced thumb problems. The Xtensor, a thumb and hand exercise glove, was marketed a few years back at those with "BlackBerry thumb." And before that there were remedies offered for video gamers who had "Gamer's thumb." Of course, touchscreen smartphones, which now dominate the smartphone market, have put less strain on thumbs. When I read about this new product, I really was not sure what to think of it. What does it say about humanity when we need to exercise our thumbs to be better at using certain phone services such as texting? Any thoughts on this?

Communication Services and Disasters

There are days when you feel absolutely indestructible. At least I hope that is the case when it comes to your new business. So you got that communication service with all the bells and whistles including call forwarding and voicemail set up with the business application. Just because your communication does not include nearly as many physical equipment, doesn't mean you do not need to prepare for physical disasters. Those can cause power outages which could potentially put your business off the grid and that is the last place that you want to be. While VoIP’s reliance on the internet promises better availability in times of trouble, VoIP systems still need to be configured properly to ensure ongoing availability and redundancy patterns. For this reason, Irvine recommends that small to medium-sized businesses take advantage of hosted or multi-tenant VoIP solutions in which the vendor handles all of the PBX functions including routing calls via the internet. Business continuity during a natural disaster starts with selecting the right VoIP service provider.

Environmentally Friendly

In this day and age, we are all conscious of our carbon footprint, some more so than others. If you are running a business, it seem that you have more of a responsibility to make sure that you are being green and understanding what sort impact your practices are having. Having an onsite PBX system can mean even more hardware. So one of the best communication systems that a business profession can choose is the hosted VoIP system. When businesses sign up with a hosted business VoIP provider, they don’t need to purchase any hardware or software. The provider installs and maintains all of the necessary PBX equipment at an offsite location. One VoIP provider’s headquarters can supply countless businesses with service, so each individual business does not need to worry about buying their own hardware, finding a storage place for it, hiring a manual operator, etc. The video conferencing feature could also come in handy for those employees working at home. Remote employees can join in on conference meetings without driving to the office to attend. This communication system is definitely something to consider if you are just starting out with your business.

Multitasking: A Falacy

As you are reading this post, chances are that you are also trying to do a number of other things. You are probably thinking that that you are multitasking but lo and behold, it is simply called “rapid toggling between tasks,” and you are engaged in constant context switching. A study showed that the distraction of an interruption, combined with the brain drain of preparing for that interruption, made our test takers 20 percent dumber. That’s enough to turn a B-minus student (80 percent) into a failure (62 percent). There is some evidence that we’re not just suckers for that new text message, or addicted to it; it’s actually robbing us of brain power, too. Tweet about this at your own risk. It seems as if technology is becoming more enabling in this aspect. With all the app development and new phone services, it is easier to pretend that we are multitasking. Go ahead, try to prove me wrong.

Internet Phones Used Everywhere

Some of the busiest people in the world are the people in government that try to run the show. Can I emphasize try? To be able to get everything organized and working just the right way, communication becomes very important. Ab Soft offers some of the best technology that enables VoIP services as well as mobile application development. Using a virtual PBX phone company, they can save money and time while still getting that important message out to everyone who needs to be made aware of it. A toll free number can be set up for people to call for updates or to give a party donation. The access to the information is an absolute must and needs to be made so that more people can get to it. RingCentral, one of AB Soft's partners, can be used to create a number of extensions for volunteers to use to make calls and that can lead callers to customized messages with information about particular issues.

Hosted VoIP

Hosted VoIP is generally used for newer businesses with fewer resources that may also be uncertain as to their future phone needs or their growth. Either way, when choosing to go with a virtual phone system, there are a lot of things to consider such as which employee will need it. Hosted VoIP involves subscribing to a service that provides and maintains the phones and hosting equipment such as servers, and that charges a monthly or semi-annual fee based on usage or a predetermined contract period. It is a good option if you do not have a large budget to work with. There are also many hosted internet phone services that are for larger businesses but they have a lot more features. You can also go with a software development company that will provide the infrastructure that is needed for the VoIP service. The best way to find the right phone service is to try the free trials.

Virtual Phones In Prisons

Not only are internet phones and mobile applications used in business but they are also revolutionizing the way prisons run. Forget about courting cost-conscious small businesses and residential home owners. Today’s VoIP providers are overlooking one of today’s most lucrative markets: the U.S. prison system. Talk about a captive audience: in many states, a prisoner must pay about $15 for a fifteen minute phone call. Another factor driving up costs is the monopoly telephone companies like Global Tel*Link, Securus Technologies and CenturyLink have on the prison phone industry. Together, these three telcos dominate 90 percent of the market by inking exclusive contracts with state prison systems that set exorbitant rates and then kick back a portion of the revenue to the states. As public debate swirls around reducing the cost of prison phone services, more cost-effective alternatives such as pre-paid cards and price caps are being bandied about. But it’s VoIP that’s eliciting the most positive feedback.

VoIP Applications

According to recent polls, more people with cell phones have smartphones than regular cell phones. This means that the app market just became as monolithic as the Sahara. Mobile application development is one of the fastest growing areas in IT. Enter VoIP systems, and now we have a perfect match. Many people are using internet phone services more so than their cell phone providers airtime minutes. To understand the impact VoIP is having on the mobile industry, it’s important to recognize what’s driving VoIP’s popularity among smartphone users. According to Stephen Sale, lead analyst for Analysys Mason’s voice and messaging research program and co-author of the study, the answer is two-fold: “alternative user communities built around mobile applications and price.” For some, Sale says VoIP allows them to bypass costly international calls and roaming charges in order to connect with a particular network of contacts. Others, according to Sale, “still see the need to seek out cheaper alternatives to operator-provided communication services.” Regardless of the reason why smartphone users are selecting VoIP, Sale says the “smartphone revolution” has only just begun. For starters, he says smartphone penetration is increasing at a rapid rate, creating huge opportunities for VoIP providers to increase their market share of voice communications. “At the same time,” says Sale, “most mobile operators have done little to counter the trend.”

Telepresence

More and more businesses are going the route of remote working and having telepresence. Think of combining robots with a screen and a VoIP service. It's all made possible by the Beam — a mobile video-conferencing machine that people can drive around the offices and workshops. The 5-foot-tall device, topped with a large video screen, gives them a physical presence that makes them and thier colleagues feel like they are actually there. This gives you that casual interaction that you're used to at work. You could be sitting at your desk area with everybody else. You are part of their conversations and their socializing. More and more employees are working remotely, thanks to computers, smartphones, email, instant messaging and video-conferencing. But those technologies are no substitute for actually being in the office, where casual face-to-face conversations allow for easy collaboration and camaraderie. What do you think about being in the office in the form of a robot?