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Google Glass is an engineering marvel that aims to change the way we interact with people around us. It aims to be a link between the reality and virtual store of accessible information. However, this futuristic device is bound to face some inevitable challenges as it belongs to that category of technologically forward devices which takes time to find acceptance among the public. The hardships in front of Google Glass are of the same nature as faced by early eBook readers. But, we all know, the eBook readers finally succeeded in establishing themselves. Google Glass has received thumbs down from the tech industry for its $1500 price mark. It is being felt that the price exceeds the quality of hardware on offer. Even the Google CEO, Larry Page, has admitted that the manufacturing cost of Glass is much lower. One more issue that has been a source of criticism for Glass is its security. It has been observed that the device faces difficulty in identifying the source of commands and also can easily be hacked. This laxity in security has compelled certain states to come out with laws prohibiting its usage while driving. Moreover, the Google Glass is very capable of infringing the privacy of others and this has given a reason to privacy activists to oppose it. Some users have left negative feedback as they claim the device fares badly in terms of number of features, flexibility of settings and ease of usage. Even the users are not happy with the resolution on offer as the display is poorly contrasted, blurry and small. However, it needs to be noted that these deficiencies are bound to be present as the device is still in prototype stage. Glass, in its current form, is not the final product which is available for sale at your nearest retailer rather only a small number of units are being shipped to selected few users in a Glass Explorers program. This program aims at garnering explorers’ feedbacks and discovering the potential as well as limitations of the device which will go a long way in developing the final masterpiece. It will be better to focus on the potential of the device and the range of possibilities it gives rise to rather than cribbing about how stupid people wearing it look. As far as the privacy and security of the platform is concerned, the criticism is on expected lines, as what we have in our hand is a game changing device. In today’s age, where drones are flying over our head and CCTVs capture our face a thousand times a day, the privacy concerns do not hold firm ground. Moreover, it is not the device as much as it is the user who is responsible for breaching the privacy limits. Google Glass is one such device which is here to stay but it will take time to find its ground in the market and among the general public. Glass is going to change the norms which dictate the way we interact with the world and anything of this magnitude requires unlimited patience and innumerable iterations. These kind of things do not take off overnight like iPad rather it will take years of toiling. Google Glass is actually the future but I guess we are not yet ready to embrace it.

Google Glass, ever since its announcement, has created frenzy amongst the developers and the users alike. Although this new feature by the search giant has been widely applauded for its innovative approach, it has also received much flak for its serious danger to privacy.  Why Google Glass received more negative reviews than positive ones is because of the significant encroachment of privacy polices it entails. If you are wondering how it intrudes your privacy, then imagine wearing a device on your head that remembers and recognizes the face of every individual you may encounter. However exciting it may sound at first; imagine someone else doing the same to you. That’s where it starts feeling spooky. In response to all these criticisms, Google announced on its Glass G+ page that it would restrict developers from creating applications that are capable of recognizing people on the basis of their face. This latest development is in-line with Google’s policy to protect the privacy of its users. Steve Lee, the director of Google Glass, had also made a near similar statement stating that Google will not allow face-recognition apps from first-parties. This latest piece of news has come as a relief for some and setback for some. The privacy advocates are rejoicing and yet, the plans of many startup organizations have gone for toss.  Take for instance Lambda Labs, the company recently announced that it is developing an object and face recognition API, which enables the developers to create apps with innovative features like “remember that face”.  The announcement from Google has made it impossible, for now, to go ahead with their API. So, though the announcement is a great news for the users, it is a curse for organizations that were aligning their own services with that of Google Glass. For all you techno freaks, here is what Google exactly said in its disclosure. Do not use the microphone or camera to cross-reference and instantly produce personal data identifying anyone except the user, through applications that recognizes voice print or faces. Any applications that would attempt to remember information on the basis of face or voice print would be banned, at this point of time. Disappointed? There is no need to be disheartened since Google, though banned face-recognitions apps, is still allowing the development of apps that recognize individuals on the basis of other information. Sometime back there was floating information that a Duke University project, partially funded by Google, is aimed at developing recognition app that would not identify users’ faces. Instead it would use a new technology, fashion fingerprint that would recognize people on the basis of accessories and clothes. However, if you were amongst the people who believed Google Glass had tremendous potential, then there is a good news for you.  All this information about Google blocking apps is not to say that you would never be able to experience face-recognitions Glass apps in the future.  The search engine giant has blocked the apps only till it decides on a privacy protocol that has to be followed. So, in the near future, you might get to use the face-recognizing Glass apps, with your privacy intact! Keep reading this space for new information on Google Glass.

The new Myspace is here and since the later parts of 2012, the once-popular social network is working hard to regain its online territory. The revamped and re-configured Myspace focuses heavily on discovering music together. It boasts of features that bring musical artists, their songs, their fans and the entire icon-driven universe to you. With leading singers like Justin Timberlake going all out in launching their Myspace presence, the venture certainly looks towards a positive direction. Site owners, along with several artists, feel the time is ripe for Myspace to make a comeback worth remembering. In this new avatar, the social network has been aligned to meet user demands and trends in a big way. Raging features of the new Myspace As a music-focused social site, Myspace has come up with some seriously happening features that are already creating ripples in the virtual world. The most popular features are listed below: 1. Free iPhone app: The site has finally hit upon the missing link in the social networking chain and launched an iPhone app for Myspace. This new-found mobile connectivity comes at a time when the mobile phone has transformed as the center of the user’s universe and there are apps for anything conceivable. It is free to download and here users can find an artist’s profile, songs and performances, together with their fans and responses. This app makes it possible to create a compact artist homepage and is closer to what the new Myspace hopes to achieve. It aims to generate a genuine icon-follower interaction and socializing. 2. Radio stations: Unlike algorithm based music centers, Myspace allows artists to create their own radio stations. This feature is a popular twist to radio options available in social sites. It does not set up stations based on the user’s music preferences, unlike iTunes Radio or Pandora. Myspace enables its users to make their unique radio stations. My Radio is an ad-based station and promises good music. 3. GIF creator: Users can access the GIF creator through the Myspace mobile app. GIF is an extremely popular feature and loved by millions of online users. However, creating a GIF has always been a complex process. With the social GIF creator, users can create GIFs in a few easy steps. It is almost as simple as capturing a photo. Social media response to the new Myspace Since its release in late 2012, the online user community has shown a positive response towards the site. It has been well accepted and talked about. Twitter, the biggest social microblogging site, has been abuzz with tweets and re-tweets about Myspace. The owners have also incorporated a few changes in the site according to user feedbacks. For example, the initial Myspace usage of icons was a bit vexing for many. Hence, the site now includes a lot of tutorials and notes that make it easy to navigate through and make for a richer user experience. In the end it can be safely assumed that the ousted network is gaining ground and keeping no stone unturned in fulfilling user demands. Its marketing practices are in sync with its objectives. However, only time can tell whether it can inspire that same user confidence it once used to command.

Since March, the Facebook news feed has seen a complete overhaul. Not everyone has been given access to this novel design, but if you just happen to have already used it, you may just wonder how the recent changes affect the feed that appears in the news feed. Facebook has default algorithms that provide default definitions of what can appear in your news streams. However, new options offer the user a far greater control over the content they wish to see in the news feed. You can be selective about the theme of the posts that pop up on your home screen. You can set your filters to offer up only photo content or music content from people and pages of your choosing. That is unless you wish otherwise. If you really want to see every single post then you can set the News Feed to get every single post to appear in real-time. This change turns your News Feed into an extension of the Facebook Ticker. So henceforth apart from simple Status updates, you will also see notifications of any granular action by any of your friends. Talk about detailed. Facebook News Feed is all about getting the content you may wish to see arranged for you in an ordered format. Facebook has always considered content their main attraction. Presenting new content in new and attractive ways has been the reason for the unencumbered spread of Facebook. The new Facebook is now a lot more efficient and secure with Graph search. The Graph search feature enables you to access content in a more reliable manner than before. The enhanced security allows you control over who can view your content. You can even restrict certain users from getting access to the content you do not wish them to. Restricted access can give you the kind of control over your data that you always wanted. The new News Feed is more organized and thus, more likely to present relevant content. If you’re one of the privileged few who have seen the latest News Feed, then you only need to add a few minor tweaks to get the required content selection. If you happen to be stranded with the old one still, you might want to consider signing up to the queue for the new look. Everybody wants real-time news feeds. But often the users complain about mixed up stories. Some Pepsi-Cola ad from a week ago is definitely not ranking above a close friends post. But they often get mixed up. The new News Feed will look to prevent this thing from happening. The new update is a first step towards a more content specific version of social networking. Content and organization of content is gaining more prominence among users. With that in mind, the Graph Search move may just prove to be an altogether good move in the future. Any undue questions regarding the future of Facebook may be quelled with this simple tweak. Facebook is now taking steps to create a more involved and engrossed audience. Getting users to spend more and more time on their site seems to be the chief aim of Facebook currently. With the development of the Graph search and Facebook home, this might just be happening in the near future.

These days everyone carries a smartphone, and that means everyone has a camera on them at all times. For some, it’s difficult to justify purchasing a traditional point and shoot camera when you already carry one around all the time. Sure, smartphone cameras are great for quick shots, but they always leave a little something to be desired when it comes to quality. The sheer performance of smartphone cameras has increased nearly tenfold over just the past few years, but there’s one thing in particular that a traditional camera will always have- optical zoom. We’ve all done it before, and zooming in with your smartphone to get an up close shot usually yields some pretty crappy results. That’s because digital zoom really isn’t all that great. Optical zoom is what gives an image that professional, up-close and personal look. With an optical zoom, you can get right in there, but the image remains crystal clear. Digital zoom causes an image to be grainy and washed out. Still, there’s hardly a need to carry around a bulky camera like a large DSLR unless you’re a professional photographer. What’s the best type of camera for the average Joe to lug around? That answer is pretty easy to give, a compact digital camera. Some time ago, compact digital cameras used to be the worst when it came to image quality. The technology has advanced significantly, enough that you’d probably be surprised to see what they can do. Okay so, compact digital camera that’s great. Which camera should you get? More specifically, what is the best compact digital camera? That’s exactly what we’re here to cover. The Best Compact Digital Cameras (Top 4) The first thing I’d like to say before we get to the nitty gritty, is that the following devices are from a wide variety of price ranges. There should be something for everyone’s budget here. If you can’t find one you like out of the top four, then be sure to check out the honorable mentions. The prices are approximated, which means they’re not exact matches. Various retail stores may offer the cameras for lower or higher prices.Shop around, you never now what kind of deals are out there. Now,without further ado, here are the top four best compact cameras in no particular order. Nikon Coolpix P7700 The P7700 is the successor to the Nikon P7100. It’s actually targeted for professional photographers that would want to carry around a more compact camera instead of a larger SLR, or in addition to. That being said, even the most casual user would benefit from the P7700. The lens features a focal length of 28-200mm (35mm), and has an aperture range of f/2.0-4.0. It includes quick options like shooting mode, sensitivity, white balance and exposure. Unfortunately, the P7700 is a little slower when it comes to image processing which means it’s not suitable for high-speed or action photos. Don’t be turned off by that fact, however. It’s still an excellent camera and it takes quality shots with very vibrant and rich colors. Vital Specs: 12.2MP, 1/1.7-inch CMOS sensor, 7.1x zoom, 1080p video recording, 3-inch swivel LCD Price: $390 Panasonic Lumix LX7 The LX7 follows right in the footsteps of Panasonic’s earlier model the LX5. It uses the same 10.1MP resolution, however it includes an improved CMOS image sensor which offers even better low-light performance. It features a 3.8x zoom combined with a 24mm wide-angle lens. It boasts an aperture range of f/1.4-2.3 with a maximum focal length of 90mm. Interestingly enough, this bad boy includes a front aperture control, and lens settings for focus and aspect ratio. It’s a great camera all around, and even though it wouldn’t be sufficient for power users it would work just fine for the average Joe. In fact, there’s more punch here than a casual user even needs. Specs: 10.1MP sensor, 3.8x zoom, 24mm wide angle, retro-style manual controls Price: $380 Samsung EX2F Unlike the Samsung EX1, the EX2F includes full Wi-Fi connectivity and offers Samsung’s easy image sharing features. You ca

Motorola, the cellphone giant, is all set to open a first of its kind manufacturing facility in the US. The facility at Texas is going to shell out the first ever US assembled smartphone. The device that will be manufactured at the Texas site is the new flagship phone from Motorola- Moto X. The Texas site was earlier occupied by Nokia, another mobile phone manufacturer, which makes it a tried and tested location for manufacturing phones. Will Moss, Motorola Mobility spokesperson, has said that the Texas facility is at ideal location as it is at convenient distance for Motorola engineers based in Silicon valley and Chicago. It is also in close proximity of Motorola’s repair and service operations in Mexico. The formal announcement that the Texas site will manufacture first ever US assembled smart phone was made at D11 conference of AllThingsD by Dennis Woodside, CEO of Motorola. The facility is estimated to create around 2,000 jobs at different levels. It is going to be owned and operated by Flextronics International Ltd. which is a contract electronics manufacturer based in Singapore. Motorola and Flextronics are known to have a long standing business relationship. However, the cost of assembly forms only a minor share of the final price of a smartphone. So, it is going to be a letdown for those expecting a significant drop in the smartphone prices just because the manufacturer has decided to indigenize assembly operations. Major cost contributors are various electronic components like display, batter and chips. These electronic components are shipped in from Asian factories. For example, it is estimated by iSuppli, a research firm, that new Galaxy S4, latest flagship phone from Samsung, has electronic components worth $229 whereas assembly is done at a minor cost of $8. Thus, assembly is a relatively small player in determining the final price as far as smartphones are concerned. Apple Inc. has also stated, in December, that it plans to move its manufacturing facilities, engaged in manufacturing one of its existing Mac Computers lines, to the US this year. This plan would be a U turn to the decades’ long strategy of increasing outsourcing. Apple has been under fire for not providing proper working conditions at some of its factories at China which assemble its products. This could have given the impetus to voices demanding indigenization of manufacturing processes in US. Motorola is not the first in electronic industry to have its assembly operations in the US. Many other electronic manufacturers, like Hewlett-Packard Co., already have some of the assembly operations for lines of Personal Computers in the US. The Motorola spokesperson, Moss, has announced the Moto X is going to be on sale from summer this year. However, he refrained from providing details or specifications about the Moto X as priority secrets prohibited him from doing so. The new Texas site does not mean that Motorola will put an end to its offshore assembly operations rather it will continue to have global manufacturing facilities including the ones at China and Brazil.

There is a good news for all the activists who are working hard against the recent rush of online rape jokes and references to domestic abuse victims. Facebook has made firm statement that it will take steps against such pages that include domestic abuse jokes and gender specific hate speech. These online protests have been spearheaded by WAM! (Women, Action and the Media) and the Everyday Sexism Project. The extent and effectiveness of these protests can be judged by the fact that the social media pioneer has released a statement confirming its determination to crack down on hate speech pages. We have seen a large number of similar waves of online advocacy against a range of issues but this particular movement targeted against rape jokes started on 21st May 2013 when WAM! wrote a public letter to Facebook asking the social media giant to put an end to sprawling references to gender sensitive abuse, domestic violence and rape on its site. The open letter to Facebook by WAM! said that the group of activists is referring specifically to those pages, groups and images that encourage or condone domestic violence or rape or try to find humorous element in such extremely sensitive issues. The letter suggested that there is nothing to laugh about someone getting raped. Only the victims can know how horrible it is to go through such inhuman treatment. Currently, Facebook hosts a large number of hateful pages which include Raping Your Girlfriends, Kicking your Girlfriend in the Fanny etc. Some encouraging developments took place after online publication of WAM! letter to the Facebook. For instance, 15 companies using Facebook for its advertisements agreed to pull their promotional ads from the social media platform. A similar but separate Change.org petition condemning sexual violence and asking Facebook to remove such groups and pages was signed by a staggering number of people which currently stands at more than 224,000. Originally, the initial response from Facebook was not very encouraging as it refused to bring down the pages referenced by WAM! as it claimed that the pages were not technically violating its current terms and policies. This showed Facebook in bad light as it suggested that Facebook is more aggressive when matter concerns Islamophobia, homophobia or anti-Semitic references. However, Facebook improved upon its initial stand and posted a statement expressing disappointment over its ineffectiveness in cracking down on the gender based hate issues. In its statement, Facebook, said that it will work to update its outdated criteria to ensure that its screening engulfs all the content that should not be on the site. The statement also said that its systems have failed to work effectively to remove the cited violations. The company has also provided a series of steps that it will take to meet these goals. The steps include updating the guidelines and terms that are used to evaluate hate posts, providing updated training procedures for staff and attaching accountability to those behind offensive posts. It also plans to work with groups like WAM! to ensure better and effective treatment of offensive content. These steps have been praised by WAM! and other activists, calling Facebook an Internet leader for coming down heavily on hate speech.

Apple is undergoing a new era of changes, under the supply chain maestro, Tim Cook.  The company is treating its fans with newer specification refreshes with a vigor never shown before.  New changes to devices and tweaked versions of products are being launched at a very fast pace for meeting the market trends and optimizing the product viability. If one sits down to list all the changes that Apple has launched this year, the list comes out to be quite a long one.  The Air improvements and Retina MacBook Pro were launched in February and included latest processors.  This was in line with Apple’s strategy to boost the internal specifications for the Mac range. However, there were also seen some major changes in the way Apple operates its product cycles with the launch of iMac with VESAmount, new 16GB iPod touch and 128GB 4th generation iPad.  All these products came without a rear camera, a major modification by Apple. No Fanfare Product Launch All of these updates and modifications clearly reflect Apple’s commitment to achieve constant improvement and dramatically alter its approach for operating its product release cycle. In fact, unlike the star-studded launch events that Apple holds to introduce new hardware, these updates were launched without any fanfare. At best, the products got a press release and in cases like that of iPod touch, a simple update on the online store was all Apple did to launch the product. The reason behind this is that these changes, though new, are not innovative enough to have a huge launch. Optimizing its Way to Perfection There is no denying the truth that Apple has one of the most efficient and effective supply chain system.  Under Tim Cook as the CEO, the company had minimal inventory sitting around in the warehouse along with near zero manufacturing errors. In addition, there were continuous adaptations and improvements to continually increase the profit margin.  It is very likely that Tim Cook has now applied his skills for optimization not only on the supply chain but also to the actual Apple products. The strategy to optimize is clearly reflected in some of the new launches by Apple. Take for instance the iPad, the latest storage update enables it to give tough competition to similar devices such as the Surface. Similarly, the latest modifications in the iMac alleviate all the issues pointed by the reviewers and targets the business users.  Even with iPod touch, Apple tries to fill the gap in its product lineup along with simplifying the supply chain. Flexibility is the Key Another noticeable change in the Apple products is their flexibility. The products have become much more mutable as compared to what they were before Tim Cook took control. With all these positive changes going around in Apple, there arises the serious question of offending the sensibilities of users who purchase the products early. In the midst of new updates being introduced every now and then, the early buyers may feel that they have been cheated and regret their decision. However, a closer look on the upgrades show that they are designed to expand the base of potential audience rather than lose the existing one.  Apple is sure to gain even higher profits and popularity with this new approach. Come back again for the latest news on Apple and its products.

Social networking has seen great number of advances in recent times. With Facebook, we see users spending an increasing amount of time online. Social networks try to do everything possible to get you to spend more time on them. Google’s very own social networking platform, billed as a competitor to Facebook, Google+ was launched with much aplomb. Google+ unfortunately failed to grab as many eyeballs as expected. Search engine mogul Google has a reach all over the world. This exponentially increased the amount of expectations on Google+. Frankly, if anything, Google+ failed to live up to the undue expectations levied on them. Delving deeper, Google+ has everything you would ever require of a social network. Photo and content sharing and other ways of interacting with your peers are just as fun with Google+. What most people are unaware about, however, is the fact that Google+ is built into the Google functionality. Take the Google+ photos for instance. Photos stored by the users on their Google+ accounts and Google Drive accounts can be found using a simple web search with the search string ‘’my photos’’. The search result offers up photos personalized for your account. As if that wasn’t cool enough, Google took it to the extra mile by offering machine learning that enables you to enter specific target queries. ‘My Photo’s in New York’ or ‘My Photo’s of animals’ will sprout up results tailored for these particular instances. This search function is probably the best unsung feature of Google+. If you thought photos are not enough to convince you then this one’s for you. Google is rolling out another new search feature this week. Google now lets you search anything from all of its properties right from your mail box. Calendar events, documents stored in Google drive and many more items are set to make an appearance in your mail search box. This absolutely non-intrusive and doesn’t disrupt even a single one of your core functionalities. But it undoubtedly saves time for the countless users who depend heavily on Google’s ecosystem for a majority of their communications. The new features are currently being made available only to English speaking US citizens. A complete roll out does take some time to appear. The new search functionalities were not available across all Google platforms. Google Apps accounts were sadly not updated to include this new feature. The complete roll out may take over a week’s time to get to all the users. Google’s new search improvements are another way of incorporating the ‘Google Now’ feature from the mobile platform. ‘Google Now’ successfully incorporates the social integration that users need from their social networks. Google+ still has chances of seeing brighter days in future with the current crop of features. Facebook has intensified efforts to strengthen its own foray into mobile platforms. Facebook Home encountered some unforeseen setbacks. This goes to show that you can’t always be right about everything. Entering a new area requires a certain amount of patience. All the waiting and watching may yet prove to be to Google’s advantage. Google+ has a long way to go still. With the apps looking so sharp, there is yet hope for it.

When Windows 8 was launched by Microsoft, it didn’t include one major aspect that was very familiar among consumers- the Start button. Ever since we started using Windows, we have grown accustomed of the Start button and the system seemed somewhat lost without it. With feedback from the users, the company reversed its course and brought back the much needed Start button for the desktop environment. Although this change is small for the functionality, it is certainly a big one for philosophy and design of the system. When you go to the desktop, you’ll see that Windows icon is there in the bottom left (like always). Slide the mouse cursor on it and the black background of the icon will turn purple. Click on it and you’ll be led to the modern user interface. While the current version of Windows doesn’t show the Start button, you’ll be able to see it if you move the mouse cursor to that location. So basically, the Start button is right there but it’s hidden. This has confused new users as they can’t see the button and are confused about how to return to the modern user interface. Also, the button isn’t the only thing that Microsoft is changing- there will be some changes in the design as well. In Windows 8, the icon appearing in the corner is analogous of the Start screen, while in Windows 8.1, it gets the icon of the Windows logo and the keyboard. In Windows 7, they had the pop-up menu of apps when the user clicked on the Start button. It’s unavailable in Windows 8.1, but they have offered a setting that lets users have an “all apps” screen that shows all apps installed on the computer. This would be helpful for loyal Windows users who have come to expect the apps pop-up on clicking the Start button. This change has been made because of user feedback. With the inbuilt cloud connections in Windows 8, you have access to more data than your hard disk can support. Apart from this, many third parties like Pokki and Samsung have introduced their own Start button versions because Windows 8 didn’t have one. The Pokki start button has been downloaded over 3 million times, and their logs say that an average user uses that button about 10 times a day. The new Start button in Windows 8.1 is just a small change in functionality, but it shows that the approach of changes in the latest version of Windows wasn’t handled very carefully. The start screen on Windows 8 is basically the Start menu that has been enhanced and expanded, but the absence of the lower left button was unsettling to many people. With Windows 8, you’ll notice many enhanced abilities like searching, boot to desktop, and live tiles. Hopefully, the new update will be available to the Windows 8 users by the end of the year. Did you miss the Start button in Windows 8? Tell us your views.