Unwritten Rules of Texting

Since texting is the main way of communication, whether it is through a mobile or business application or just the phone service providers, it is important to understand some ground rules. First of all, do not text and drive. This has been beaten to a pulp but it seems like some people still need reminding. Don't text sad or bad news, or anything private or confidential. This should be done in person only. Don't text at the dinner table (either at home or in a restaurant), in a movie theater, or when someone is talking to you. I think this seems like a no brainer but people actually whip out their phones when I or someone else was talking to them. Also it is important to be aware of the tone of the text and in case there is some confusion, add a smiley face or something along those lines. Got any more advice on how to use your texting abilities?

Blocking Telemarketers

Just when you thought that the switch of phone services will save you from those telemarketers, they have found you. It is a nuisance and a huge time waster when you are trying to run a business. There are actually apps that you can use to cut down on spam. If your phone is updated to Android 4.4 KitKat there are some built-in features that identify incoming calls. Caller ID by Google will match incoming calls with Google Places listings and display that name on the call screen for you. Unfortunately, this is highly dependent on the company being listed in Google’s business directory. Mr. Number lets you block calls and texts from specific numbers or specific area codes, and it can automatically block private or unknown numbers. It also lets users report spam, so when you get a call from an unknown number, you can see what others have reported about it. iOS 7 has built-in options for blocking numbers. Go to the Contacts app and tap on the contact you want to block or find the number on the Recent Calls tab (clock icon) in your Phone app and tap the circled “i” icon to the right of the number. Both these methods will take you to the contact page for that caller. Scroll to the bottom and click on the Block This Caller.

Custom Phones

Since everything these days can be customized just the way you want it to be down to the ads that you see. After the customization of software development, the only thing left is the actual phone itself. Like playing with LEGOs, a modular smartphone is a make-it-yourself device consisting of an endoskeleton base and modules that attach to create a custom phone. Don't care about having a camera? Swap it out for a larger battery. Want to update your display without getting an entirely new phone? You could do that, too. Motorola has been collaborating on a mission to make these devices a reality with Dave Hakkens, creator of a similar initiative called Phoneblocks, since this past fall. Project Ara would result in less electronic waste with devices that last a lot longer. This is something that would definitely catch on and really take off. Any thoughts?

Slow to Adopt

I was enamored of the whole idea of “find me, follow me” technology to ensure you didn’t miss calls, not to mention the ability to collaborate easily by clicking on names in documents or contacts lists to launch chat sessions, audio- or videoconferences. Yet the combined efforts of Avaya, Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard, and Microsoft don’t seem to have moved the needle in favor of UC. As collaboration and mobility have become even more important in the last few years, I kept waiting for UC to take its place beside productivity applications and ERP as a key technology. And yet many companies and small businesses are very slow to adopt this technology. It would improve efficiency and productivity immensely and many of the internet phone companies offer free trials that let you test drive the services and really see what you are missing out on.

Online Applications

Finding a job is hard enough but now the new freshly minted college graduates have to deal with online applications for graduate or professional schools as well as internet phone interviews. With early admission deadlines looming for hundreds of thousands of students, the new version of the online Common Application shared by more than 500 colleges and universities has been plagued by numerous malfunctions, alarming students and parents and putting admissions offices weeks behind schedule. For the nonprofit company, also called the Common Application, that creates the form, it has been a summer and fall of frantic repair work, cataloged on its Web site, and frequent mea culpas. In an interview, Rob Killion, the executive director, readily acknowledged a wide range of failings. But he said that they were being fixed and that the number of applications was up more than 20 percent from last year, indicating that students were successfully navigating the system. Problems became evident as soon as the application was released in August, including some confusing wording that was later changed. Students who thought they had finished the application found that it was incomplete because questions had been added after its release. As changes were made, some who had started their applications early found themselves locked out of the system.

Who is Not Connected?

Fifteen percent of adults in the United States are not online, for reasons that range from lack of interest to fear of the unknown to not being able to afford a computer, says a new survey. So they exist! According to the report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 92% of respondents who said they aren't on the Internet also said they have no desire to be. Now this is a more interesting statistic. What are the other 8% doing to get online? By far, the most popular reason given was some version of "I just don't care about it." More than one-third said they are "just not interested," "don't need it/don't want it," or "think it's a waste of time." More than 4 out of 10 of nonconnected people said they'd asked a friend or family member to look something up or complete a task online for them. So the internet has its far reaches and all the website development can still reach those people. What do you think about internet connectivity? Should it at least be available to everyone?

Improving Your Smartphone Camera

Do you like the camera that comes with your phone services and device? Well if not, Sony has rolled out the QX10 and QX100. They’re basically like point-and-shoot cameras except that instead of being cameras, they’re lenses that snap onto your smartphone. Sony calls them “smartphone attachable lens-style cameras.” Just rolls right off the tongue. All the camera components are stuffed inside the lens. Your smartphone’s data connection is leveraged to share your photos with others online. Photos are stored to both the lens and your phone, and apps will be available for iPhone and Android. The price tag? A lofty $250. I guess the question here is if you are willing to spend that kinda of money on a camera that attached to your phone. It is 19 megapixels and fairly bulky. Personally if you are going to invest money in a camera, do it right. Get the camera and all the lenses that can be attached for the type of pictures you will be taking. Do not try making your smartphone more than it really is. Or you could just get the new Nokia phone.