Season’s Warning from TrendMicro

Click Here for a flashbook of the season’s warnings and some help on Shopping Safely This Holiday.

December 14th, 2010 in Uncategorized | No Comments

iPhone vs. Android: Who Wins?

I sat down to write a comparison post to determine the answer to the latest question we have been receiving:

Which is better - iPhone or Android?

However, when I went to do some research for statistics, the following article caught my eye. Published by TIME on October 5, 2010, it offers a great comprehensive comparison of the two platforms. I’ve placed my favorite points in bold.

LINK TO ORIGINAL ARTICLE

iPhone vs. Android: The Smartphone Wars Rage On by Harry McCracken

It’s possible to sum up the tech industry’s engine of progress in four words: Apple vs. everybody else. That’s been true for a quarter-century in the personal-computer realm, where the Apple product in question is the Mac and everybody else consists of Windows PC makers. And now it’s happening with smart phones, a product category increasingly defined by intense competition between Apple’s iPhone and the gaggle of manufacturers who have embraced Google’s Android software.

Unlike the Mac-PC wars, the battle between the iPhone and Android is in its early stages. Both Apple and Google and its hardware partners are trying to dominate the market in exactly the right way: by building the best possible phones. Consumers benefit whether they buy an iPhone or an Android handset from a company such as HTC, Motorola or Samsung.(See TIME’s special packages on the top iPhone applications.)

Android is clearly spurring Apple to step up its already impressive game. Since June, it has given iOS, the software that powers the iPhone, one sweeping overhaul and one smaller but meaningful update. It plans to deliver another fairly significant new version in November, with features like built-in printing capabilities. That’s a shift from past Apple practice, which involved cramming nearly every meaningful improvement into one yearly megaupgrade. It’s also reminiscent of Android’s evolution over the past 12 months, during which Google has released versions 2.0, 2.1 and 2.2.(See 10 tech trends for 2010.)

Apple may be moving more quickly than ever, but it’s still uniquely responsible for what Steve Jobs has called “the whole widget.” It designs the iPhone hardware, it writes the software, it provides the default services for buying music and movies. Even the central processor inside the iPhone 4 is an Apple product. The result is the smoothest, most consistent experience to be found on any smart phone. It’s no coincidence that the one aspect of the phone that it has the least control over — the AT&T network — is the one that provokes the most grumbling among iPhone users.

Ultimately, deciding to buy an iPhone is all about buying into Apple’s vision of the one perfect smart phone. Android, by contrast, is about finding the right smart phone for you. Want a phone with a real QWERTY keyboard or a jumbo-size screen? Sorry, iPhone no can do — but Android can. You can even get Android with a slide-out keyboard and a big screen. Or — if you’re willing to commit to a two-year contract — one that costs a penny.(See smart phones in TIME’s 20 back-to-school gadgets.)

Android users also get another kind of flexibility that matters just as much: the ability to pick a carrier. Every big U.S. wireless provider offers multiple Android models, removing the Hobson’s choice created by the iPhone’s AT&T exclusivity. (For now, Verizon has the best, broadest selection.)

It’s hard to overemphasize the significance of Android’s pan-carrier pervasiveness. I have pals who defiantly tell me they couldn’t care less about the iPhone unless it becomes available on Verizon — but they remind me of their utter disinterest so frequently that I know it’s gnawing at them. I advise these folks not to wait. They can buy themselves a Droid Incredible, Droid X, Droid 2 or Samsung Fascinate. All solid phones, all available right now.

Phones that run Android 2.2 match most of the iPhone’s key features and add some distinctive benefits of their own. (I’m particularly fond of Google Maps’ spoken turn-by-turn driving directions and the built-in support for the Google Voice telephone service.) And yet, I do issue one major caveat to would-be Android owners: no Google-powered phone comes anywhere near matching the overall polish of the iPhone. At times, Android feels like an operating system built by nerds for nerds — it confronts users with unintelligible error messages and requires more taps to accomplish common tasks than an iPhone does, even though Android phones have four standard buttons to the iPhone’s one.

The standard Android interface is so iffy that some makers of Android phones slather their own look and feel on top, such as HTC’s Sense and Samsung’s TouchWiz. It helps, but only a little — and it also contributes to the Android platform’s generally erratic personality. So does the fact that many Android phones don’t ship with the latest version of the operating system; when updates are made available for a particular phone, it’s on the carrier’s schedule rather than Google’s.

Then there’s the Android Market, the counterpart to Apple’s slick, streamlined iPhone App Store. Google’s version still has a flea-market-like feel, and it doesn’t seem quite finished — why else would it quote app costs from international developers in their local currency rather than yours?

Like many people, I instinctively bristle at the degree to which Apple micromanages the App Store. (Even after recently clarifying and loosening the acceptance process, it bans entire categories of programs and reserves the right to nix ones for violating rules that haven’t been invented yet.) Actually using the App Store always calms me down: the iPhone still has the most apps, the best apps, the most innovative apps. The more laissez-faire ecosystem of third-party Android apps is improving literally every day in terms of both quality and quantity, but it has a long way to go.

People who seek my smart-phone buying advice often ask me what I’ve chosen for myself. The truth is that I’m commitment-phobic: I own and use both an iPhone 4 and a Verizon Droid. I’ve been known to say that strapping them together with a rubber band would produce the perfect smart phone. I’m kidding, but only sort of — and I can’t wait until further competition between Apple and the Android camp makes it easy to settle on one phone, no massive compromises required.

McCracken blogs about personal technology at Technologizer, which he founded in 2008 after nearly two decades as a tech journalist; on Twitter, he’s @harrymccracken. His column appears every Tuesday on TIME.com.

November 17th, 2010 in Technology | tags: , , | No Comments

The Social Network - Go See It!

A friend of mine got to see a sneak preview of the movie, “The Social Network” last week, before it came out in theaters. Below is her review of the movie. Please keep in  mind that this post does not necessarily reflect the view of myself or Straxis Technology.

My extremely (un)professional review of “Social Network”

I’m not sure how many people remember the first time they ever heard of or were introduced to “Facebook.com”, but I know I sure do. I recall it with the nostalgia that my parents probably have regarding their own telephone line - or even cellular phones. This tool has literally revolutionized the social experience and the way we view each other and connect. So naturally there had to be a story behind it.

Even though you and I may remember when we first heard of Facebook.com, few people knew it’s origin and how it came to life - and that is what makes for a great movie! While it is always hard to accurately get both sides of any best-friend fight, I feel that this movie did a pretty good job. I am genuinely unsure if as many people will see it this way as I did, but I found myself siding with Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) even though he was characterized as the brain-washed sap who ousted his best friend, Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield). “He’s a creative genius!” and “He really knows what he’s talking about ‘Duardo!” is what one seems to keep shouting in their head when they hear the sensible financier of the company (Saverin) talking of selling the dot com or opening it for ad space within the first 6 months of conception. That is where our somewhat familiar friend, Sean Parker steps in. The always smooth talking Justin Timberlake does a great job in this role- and I guess we’ll never know if the real Sean Parker (infamous for creating and promptly tanking “Napster.com”) was truly as slippery as he is portrayed in this movie, but he sure did a great job of wooing Mark Zuckerberg into officially screwing over his best friend.

During the steady rise and growth in popularity of Facebook, there was yet another unseen battle (at least to the public) being waged. Apparently, the creative idea behind an online social experience was conceived by a set of twins & and third young grad student: Cameron & Tyler Winklevoss (both played by one newcomer: Armie Hammer) and Divya Narendra. They had originally enlisted the help of the computer genius, Zuckerberg in creating “Harvard Connection” formerly “Connect U”. However, Zuckerberg appeared to take their base idea and run with it, transforming it into the brainchild it is today.

The acting was great - and as most stories go involving college-aged protagonists there were definitely some laughs as well. With so many unseen elements behind this story, it made for a great, real-life conflict involving one of the greatest dot com inventions of our time. I strongly recommend you go see this movie if you are remotely familiar with Facebook - and if you aren’t, then maybe this movie will make you want to start your own internet based success story.

Also - I was proud and excited to hear them say that my alma mater, Baylor University, was one of the first colleges in Texas to be rolled out onto the site. I remember…. :-)

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Have you seen it? What did you think?

October 4th, 2010 in Technology | tags: , , | No Comments

The Week’s Tweets 2010-10-01

  • 3 days until @NACAC in St. Louis! See you at Booth 1223! #
October 1st, 2010 in Uncategorized | No Comments

The Week’s Tweets 2010-09-17

September 17th, 2010 in Uncategorized | No Comments

The Week’s Tweets 2010-09-03

September 3rd, 2010 in Uncategorized | No Comments

The Week’s Tweets 2010-08-27

  • How to Create a ‘Super Password’ http://digs.by/czJzDG #
  • RT @ACAdmissions: AC Class of 2014 moves in this Friday! #
  • RT @KUNews: The 2010 Kemper Awards have been given to five outstanding #KU professors: http://ow.ly/2tq1k #
  • Good luck with the new students this fall! Any new tricks up your sleeves this year? #highered #
  • RT @mashable: Top 5 Ways Big Brands are Using Foursquare - http://mash.to/2u5VB #
  • RT @USATODAYcollege: Readers offering great tips for #freshmen ; fave so far-”make mistakes, and laugh a lot.” - http://bit.ly/bMKGtx #
  • 10 iPhone Apps to Get You Back to School - http://mash.to/2ubf6 #
  • RT @NACAC: Are you a fan? Become a fan of the Journal of College Admission!… http://fb.me/Es0AqzCT #
  • RT @USATODAYcollege: “three weeks of mayhem” - Mira is doing a #gapyear and we’re going too - http://bit.ly/9bO9yc #
  • Does your school have an app? What kind of mobile presence do you have? #highered #
  • Roll Call for #NACAC2010! Will YOU be there? We will! #highered #
  • Fingers crossed for an AWESOME opportunity! #
  • RT @postsecret: Not feeling old enough this morning? Macaulay Culkin, who stared in the ‘Home Alone’ movies, turns 30 today. #
  • RT @TheOklahoman: Oklahoma’s Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley to host CMA awards show: http://ow.ly/2vfL8 #
  • What are your most effective ways for reaching students? Alumni? Fans? #highered #
  • That’s a nice-looking screen! #highered http://twitpic.com/2io94l #
  • Davidson College has an app. Check it out here: http://bit.ly/9391IF @dcadmission #
August 27th, 2010 in Uncategorized | No Comments

The Week’s Tweets 2010-08-20

  • Less than a week after POTUS signed the edujobs bill, the application has been posted, & it’s super straightforward http://bit.ly/cX79Ka #
  • RT @monmouthu: Anything exciting or interesting planned for the weekend? [Playing with the MU iPhone App!] #
  • RT @MalloryWood: LinkedIn and Twitter are great tools to use to help brand yourself and network with others in your industry. #vhra #
  • What a busy day! #
  • RT @TechCrunch: Report: China Unicom To Sell iPhone 4 Starting Next Month, iPad Soon - http://tcrn.ch/bNgOky by @robinwauters #
  • RT @petershankman: 25 Essential PR Bloggers you should be reading: http://bit.ly/9iSXQY shouts to @dbreakenridge, @chrisabraham @briansolis #
  • RT @SaintLeoUniv: Saint Leo University announces inclusion in G.I. Jobs magazine 2011 list of Military Friendly Schools http://bit.ly/b8io7y #
  • RT @zrosen88: @unewhaven is now a tier 1 school with the US News and World Report “Best Colleges 2011!” http://bit.ly/9xHbci #
  • RT @unewhaven: built an App with @U360 that uses MyUNHSpace as its platform to encourage usage of the priv. network with a mobile device… #
  • RT @AcademicJobs: RT @RGK_Center: Twitter Goes to College http://bit.ly/aOE6Hz #highered #
  • RT @Brandyourself: “Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.” -Eleanor Roosevelt #
  • RT @BostonCollege: Like that style! RT @styleboston #Fact: 70% of our staff went to BC! #
  • New post today on the school contribution portion of financial aid: http://ow.ly/2rnZa #payforcollege #financialaid #collegesearch #
  • RT @kualumni: Two new buildings on #KU’s West Campus this year! Pharmacy, Bioscience & Technology Business Center. http://ow.ly/2rQ2L #
  • RT @USATODAYcollege: Nice story on @GeorgiaGwinnett increased retention with faculty smartphones - http://bit.ly/8X9HQf #
  • RT @TulaneAdmission: And read some of our application tips here: http://tinyurl.com/2e5q2to #
  • RT @collegeoptions: How to survive the college admissions process http://cot.ag/94mG5M #
  • RT @ASU: Welcome back, Sun Devils! Have a great first day! #asuwelcome #
  • RT @chronicle: Rice University will close its all-digital press in September: http://bit.ly/b6lWNG #
  • RT @mashable: Facebook Places API Released - http://mash.to/2s7Is #
August 20th, 2010 in Uncategorized | No Comments

Quick Tip: For iPhone Users, Especially Avid Texters

Quick Tip of the Week: Insert Punctuation More Quickly With iPhone Keyboard To add punctuation to text, most iPhone users will pause typing, press the “123″ key to see the numerical and symbolic options, tap the symbol (or number) they want, and then hit the “ABC” menu to return to the alpha keyboard. If you’re still adding in symbols and numbers this way, then boy, do we have a treat for you. This will take a teeny bit of getting used to, but from now on, the next time you want to add punctuation, pause typing, press and hold the “123″ key, then without removing your finger (or thumb!) from the screen, slide it over to land on what you want to insert. As you release your digit from the display, the symbol will have been entered into your text and you’ll be back on the alpha keyboard. This tip comes from Mashable.com

Quick Tip of the Week: Insert Punctuation More Quickly With iPhone Keyboard

To add punctuation to text, most iPhone users will pause typing, press the “123″ key to see the numerical and symbolic options, tap the symbol (or number) they want, and then hit the “ABC” menu to return to the alpha keyboard.

If you’re still adding in symbols and numbers this way, then boy, do we have a treat for you. This will take a teeny bit of getting used to, but from now on, the next time you want to add punctuation, pause typing, press and hold the “123″ key, then without removing your finger (or thumb!) from the screen, slide it over to land on what you want to insert.

As you release your digit from the display, the symbol will have been entered into your text and you’ll be back on the alpha keyboard.

This tip comes from Mashable.com

(REBLOGGED FROM Blog Oklahoma)

August 19th, 2010 in Technology | tags: , , , | No Comments

The Week’s Tweets 2010-08-13

August 13th, 2010 in Uncategorized | No Comments
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