Saturday, March 30, 2013

FaceBook Phone

So rumors are that A Facebook Phone is going to be unveiled very soon, I know what are you saying No chance in Hell, right? Well let me explain a little more about it.

It is said that Handset makers are looking for ways to tweak Android OS to provide a deeper integration with Facebook. Imagine having a Phone that has Facebook Pokes and messenger and all the collection of Facebook apps right there ready to go. Without having to open up the Facebook app kinda like a dedicated Facebook button etc.

People are saying that this device was a long time coming, but I think this New idea for a Facebook Phone may not have the umpfh we all hope, If the rumors are true. Next thing You know all Phone will have Social Networking Dedicated Buttons, Now that would be something I'd like to have.

But just a Facebook dedicated Android Phone, I'd rather see A social network dedicated phone. Twitter,Facebook,Instagram etc all having there place on the Phone, One Question of mine is will this Facebook Phone have a Qwerty keyboard or Touchscreen? And If the price is threw the roof then just to have a extra button then who is gonna buy it?

Like I said I think they are going in the right direction, But also would rather pay to have a full integration with all the Social networks. What do you guys think about this new ideas? Would You buy one just to have a dedicated Facebook Phone? Or wait until Full integration with all networks on Phones come out?



Sunday, March 24, 2013

Freemium Ain't All Bad, Folks


The mobile market has been impacting a lot of traditional markets in ways some people haven’t considered. Off the top of my head I can think of a few impacted sectors right now: credit cards, standalone GPS units, and point-and-shoot cameras, all changed in massive ways by something so small. Even something as broad as the internet – a creation that pushed major innovation in the world of mobile computing – influenced itself, by those very devices and the way people use them. But one change has been making headlines lately – the new model in the gaming world known as “freemium” designed to support the developers not by initially purchasing the game, but instead through the use of add-on “micro-transactions”; small transactions the user makes within the game itself. This model has been used in other arenas before, but it’s making a massive push in the mobile gaming market…and that people have some strong opinions about it.

A lot of people have been complaining about this model, and that’s understandable…but not for the reason people expect. It’s understandable because of the speed at which the gaming industry has adopted the new model. It’s understandable because the general consumer hasn’t had a lot of time to adjust to the new model. It’s even understandable because the games are marked as “free” in the store instead of “freemium” or “micro-transaction supported”, and that can be a little misleading to customers. It isn’t, however, understandable because you “want the game to be free.” Remember people: developers put real work into developing the games you enjoy, don’t bash them for expecting something in return for that work, they have bills to pay too, just like you, and who doesn’t deserve to be rewarded for creating something that you enjoy so much?

If you ask me, the freemium model works…and to be honest I really enjoy it. I love being able to get a feel for a game before I have to commit any of my money to it. I love being able to experience the game the way I want to without paying for things I don’t want or wouldn’t use. I also love that more and more of these games are beginning to work really creative ways of utilizing the freemium model within their games – take Real Racing 3 for example. A lot of games allow you to purchase in-app “gold” that can be used to accelerate gameplay, but normally this means skipping an artificial timer that doesn’t have any natural place in the game. In Real Racing 3 you can use this gold to speed up repairs, or part deliveries…things that actually take time in the real world. It feels better, it feels natural, and it makes the game that much more realistic.

There are other advantages to the freemium model too; since it hit the markets as a major player in the mobile world Android developers have been complaining of the ease with which users have been able to pirate their games – some even going so far as to avoid developing for the platform entirely for fear of lost profits (I’m looking at you Infinity Blade). By requiring purchases in a game to be made through a server off in the cloud somewhere it becomes much more difficult for a person to pirate the experience that the developer would otherwise be providing. Sure somebody could find the game file on the internet, but that doesn’t give them anything more than someone could freely get form the application market directly.

It isn’t all happiness and sunshine though, there are some flaws with the system. Personally, I look at these as growing pains more than anything. The system is still relatively new…certainly more so than the traditional “buy a game, play a game” model we have been using for the entirety of gaming history. Most of the games out there currently using the freemium model make it far too easy to accidentally purchase upwards of a hundred dollars worth of in-game content with a single click, and getting a refund can be difficult or even impossible. Sure we can chalk it up to knowing what you’re getting yourself into before you press the button, but does it really need to be that easy to drop a hundred dollars on a game? There has been more than one instance of kids hitting these buttons not understanding what they’re doing and spending hundreds of dollars in the process, (read one here) and that’s something that needs to be fixed. A combination of changes by the developer and some responsibility from the parent should be enough to fix these issues in what I otherwise consider to be a promising model for distributing digital content.

What do you think? I know this is a hot-button topic, and I’d really like to hear your opinions. Leave a comment, connect with me on Twitter at @CallChrisNow, or send me an e-mail at chris@chriscall.me and let me know how you feel about the “freemium” market. Do you like it? Hate it? How can it be made better? Is there a better model out there? Let me know! I look forward to hearing your ideas.

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Smart Technologies

The Smart Watch? 
A very Debated idea some people don't see the need for yet another device, 
However this may be the flip and a major one at that. No longer do we need to hold our smartphones now they are strapped to our wrists. Star Trekish right? 

There is good and bad in everything or Pros and Cons, However you want to say it. But I do believe the Smart Watch is just a precursor for whats coming in the next year or two.

Now many companies are starting to see the potential for Smart Watches, However Sony's Smart Watch isn't doing so well At The Moment. 
They Recently rolled out a Software Update that will have have a better interface, and a few new watch faces, and fix's stability issues. 

So My question is What will we see next, We already have Smart Glasses " Google Glass" and Smart Watches, How soon will it be before we are wearing clothes that are Smart?

I am all for Smart Technologies, in fact as soon as I have the Cash I'm stocking up on Smart Tech. 

Not only because its cool and useful, also so I will be familiar and use to wearing and navigating devices that we are not accustomed to at the moment.

What are your thoughts on Smart Tech and would you ever wear clothes that has smart tech?


Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Petition to legalize Unlocking of Phones 100,000 +

So the white house Says its time to legalize the unlocking of your smartphone, they say that for consumers ability for being able to choose a different carrier is crucial.

The white house response to the 100,000 people plus that signed a online petition to legalize the unlocking of your phone!

Frankly I find it ridiculous that it was banned in the first place, when buying a phone you pay for the hardware. 
So it's yours to do what you want with just like any other thing you pay for, especially if I'm paying $500-$600 for a phone.

I hope to unlock my iPhone 4S when my contract ends with Sprint, but if this unlocking banned gets more serious then I may just Go Prepaid. 

What do you think, is unlocking your phone ok or not? And when the banned is lifted will you unlock you phone? 

Sign the petition
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/make-unlocking-cell-phones-legal/1g9KhZG7