Nokia puts in-vehicle infotainment into high gear

As gas prices increase rapidly, the demand for vehicles by consumers is steadily decreasing. Yet, will there still be a low demand if consumers had the ability to control the actions of their vehicle by a simple press of a bottom on their mobile device? Well the professionals of Nokia along with many other well-known vehicle manufacturers agree that the connection between mobile devices and vehicles will be highly demanded. All the companies strongly believe in the new innovative idea of electronically powering vehicles.

Recently, Nokia and a countless number of car and electronic firms collaborated to form the Car Connectivity Consortium—an international effort to harmonize the electronic magic that will power your future vehicle (Eaton). Some well-known firms including Nokia, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Toyota, Alpine, Panasonic, LG, and Samsung are involved in bringing the future idea into reality. The Consortium is not a secret or closed off association instead they highly encourage the involvement of other companies from various industries especially powerhouses such as Google. Through collaboration and the interchange of ideas the firms anticipate on producing a highly clever, super equipped vehicle that provides an unimaginable car experience. Thilo Kieslowski, Vice President Automotive at Gartner, stated “Integrating smartphones in vehicles gives drivers a seamless connected lifestyle experience (Pressnokia.com).”

Specifically, the features of the car will include the ability to control the mobile device through your car, in-car computer and wireless broadband, and digit display-screens. More surprisingly, the new vehicles will have wireless charging for mobile devices (Eaton). All the features included in the vehicle will be an advantage for all drivers. The ability to control the mobile device via car will increase safety on the roads. Drivers will no longer have to be concerned with impairment and lack attentiveness due to handling a mobile device. According to the National Safety Council, every year about 1.4 million traffic crashes are caused by the use of cell phones (Halsey). Nonetheless, there should be a decrease in traffic accidents due to the use of a mobile device because of the newly produced vehicles.

Not only will the futuristic vehicles benefit the consumers but increase the profit for many of the firms participating in the production of these vehicles. However, there is always a disadvantage to every advantage. With the high use of technology featured in each vehicle, the total cost of each car may increase to an unaffordable level for the average American. Thus, if only 10% the population is able to purchase the vehicles then safety of the roads will remain unchanged. In addition, the technical innovations to each vehicle may increase the probability of battery exhaustion within the engine. Nevertheless, operating issues of the vehicles may cause skepticism by many consumers. Without a doubt, vehicle owners will choose a long-lasting, reliable vehicle over a highly technical vehicle. Even if there are operating defects, there will be immediate solutions given by the Car Connectivity Consortium. More than likely the vehicles of the near future will be affordable and run with efficiency as the creative, intelligent minds of all professionals a part of each firm join forces. Unsurprisingly, our future is looking bright.

Eaton, Kiton. "Nokia Leads Ride Pimping Initiative With Apps, Smartphones, NFC, Wireless Charging Fast Company." FastCompany.com - Where Ideas and People Meet Fast Company. 18 Mar. 2011. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. .

Iii, Ashley Halsey. "28 Percent of Accidents Involve Talking, Texting on Cellphones." The Washington Post: National, World & D.C. Area News and Headlines - Washingtonpost.com. 13 Jan. 2010. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. .

"New Car Connectivity Consortium Aims to Put In-vehicle Infotainment into High Gear « Nokia – Press." Nokia – Press. 13 Mar. 2011. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. .

Microsoft Debuts Systems Management Update With Cloud Computing Pathway

Cloud computing is one of the hottest topics in the world of information technology. While it is an amazing concept to think about, it can also be a very frightening one. The thought of having all the information of a company on the “cloud” could be unnerving for those in charge of its security. Microsoft recently unveiled its Systems Center 2012 at their management summit in Las Vegas. The system is “a way for business to begin transitioning their traditional IT systems to private and public cloud computing services (Whiting).” Microsoft aims to provide a better way of managing the virtualized databases that make up cloud computing. The system, along with some of its variations (System Center Service Manager 2012 and System Center Data Protection Manager 2012), is set to be released later this year (Whiting).

Microsoft is taking a step in the right direction with their Systems Center 2012. With companies starting to move towards cloud computing, Microsoft is creating a product that enables businesses to make the transition from traditional IT systems to the cloud. In a time like this when many companies are trying to look at bottom line strategies to cut costs, Microsoft is giving the industry what it wants. According to the assistant commissioner of the General Services Administration, “moving to the cloud is easier, more cost-effective, and safer than many federal IT pros realize (Montalbano).” The more good press cloud computing can get, the better off Microsoft will be. This can be a big help in getting the company back to where they were during the dot com phase of the early 2000s when their stock price was almost double what it is today. Microsoft has been preparing for the release of this project for a while. Not unlike Apple and its vision for the iPad that started back in the 1990s, Microsoft envisioned that the world will be turning towards cloud computing. For this, they strategically started acquiring companies such as Opalis Software and AVIcode a couple years back (Whiting). I think that this was a very smart decision by the company considering the products of both companies have impacted the success of the Systems Center 2012.

I feel that cloud computing will be one of the types of technologies that take off on a chain reaction. It seems to me that once a couple major firms or organizations take advantage of the high-tech idea it will catch on like crazy. Also, I feel that it will be easy for people to link up virtual databases to one another, therefore turning the process into a chain reaction; once it gets started it will grow rapidly. And to help out this exponential grow, Microsoft will be getting feedback from its first customers on how to make their product better and more usable by all other companies. The combination of these events and the pursuit of knowledge sharing will soon take off and be here before we know it.

Whiting, Rick. "Microsoft Debuts Systems Management Update With Cloud Computing Pathway." CRN. 22 Mar. 2011. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. .

Montalbano, Elizabeth. "Cloud Computing Is Safer Than You Think." GSA. 22 Mar. 2011. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. .

"Wi-Fi Tracking at Airports"

How often can you say that you travel using an international airport? And how often while traveling and using this airport do you have at least one wi-fi capable device handy? (ie. smartphone, laptop, portable gaming device, etc) The chances are that almost all persons these days traveling via airport will have at least one if not more of these wi-fi items with them and this idea is exactly what SITA realized and is now using to aid airports and airport officials. In a recent article by Christine Negroni of the The New York Times titled, Tracking Your Wi-Fi Trail, she discusses a new technology that is able to track “travelers’ movements based on the Wi-Fi-emitting devices they” carry (Negroni). Originally tested from Geneva, Switzerland, the wi-fi tracking technology will be implemented in the Copenhagen International Airport in the coming weeks. Once installed, the technology is said to aid airport officials and allow them to use the “information to improve the design of the airport, direct the flow of passengers or shift employees to improve the efficiency of security or immigration checkpoints” (Negroni).
Created by SITA, specialists in air transport communication and IT solutions, the program shows different colored dots for arriving passengers and departing passengers and the system is stated as being able to pick up on passenger locations “within about 10 feet or so of accuracy...this is enough to see where passengers congregate, how much time they spend in stores and restaurants and where there may be bottlenecks. It will also enable airport retailers to communicate with travelers directly” (Negroni). Also interesting is that the technology is in a sense a “two-way street”, in which passengers can download an app to their smartphone and locate the shortest security lines, find deals at in-airport stores, and find the quickest and less congested routes to their desired gates. SITA as well as the airport have a focus on the customer and want to present them with the best and most efficient travel experience and therefore in a 2010 “SITA Passenger Self-Service Survey, when asked what makes for a pleasant trip, passengers ranked short queues in second place after punctuality” (SITA).
I find this technology to be very essential to travelers and important tool for making for a more successful trip experience. I have traveled many times, both with my family and on my own, and certainly find that dealing with lines and congested areas can be exhausting and adds extra stress that is not needed while traveling. If this technology can actually aid the passenger in a way where it presents them with a quicker less congested route or displays a security line or other lines that are shorter and quicker then I can say that this technology is a strong improvement for air travel and a great thing for all passengers. One issue I have with this technology however is that it begins to encroach on the line of privacy and the idea of tracking begins to give the user a feeling of less control. Dave Bakker, senior vice president for SITA Global Services, commented on this and stated “that only devices were followed, not individuals, and so the program did not intrude on travelers’ privacy. ‘We do not know who is behind an individual dot other than that it is an inbound or an outbound passenger.’” (Negroni). If this is actually true and the technology is strictly used to better the airport and the passenger’s experiences than I am eager for it to reach more airports and become a more widely used system.




Works Cited

Negroni, Christine. “Tracking Your Wi-Fi Trail”. The New York Times. 22 March 2011


“Passenger tracking by SITA and Bluelon to revolutionise services at airports”. SITA. 22 March 2011

Microsoft Debuts System Management Update with Cloud Computing Pathway

Microsoft has announced a new systems management system with a cloud computing pathway designed to help businesses transition from old IT technology to new cloud computing services. Cloud computing technology allows a business to buy one application to install which their employees can access the companies files from a web based server. This will save the companies money due to the fact that they will not have to keep their software licenses current or worry about if the license would allow new users. The web based server would be the host for all of the programs that an employee would need to access for their job. However, a company would have to be careful with the security of their programs due to the fact that they are stored on the web.
The cloud is composed of a group of computers which handles running the applications, doing the majority of the work rather than the local computer. The use of cloud computing would result in a drastic shift with computers. Many emails which are based on a web server are examples of this cloud computing technology. Microsoft’s systems managements system will capitalize on this cloud computing technology and use it to aid businesses.
Although two key aspects to cloud computing software is virtualization and server consolidation, the most important service that the system provides is intelligence on how the apps are doing. Microsoft’s new system will not only provide the oversight necessary for these applications but all the intelligence on how the applications are functioning. In addition Microsoft will provide public as well as private clouds for their customers. The private clouds would only be accessible through the company.
One key aspect of the cloud computing pathway is that business managers are now able to collect and redistribute virtualized data resources into groupings, known as clouds, for business groups to use in self-service models.
The new system will also feature a Systems Center Orchestrator which manage and organize the workflows throughout multiple systems and tasks. This system was acquired when Microsoft bought the Opalis software. The systems center orchestrator is based on the automated technology of the Opalis software.
Microsoft has combined these advances in technology to create their new systems management system. The advances in technology that they have used came from the different software acquisitions Microsoft has made. Customers now have technology which makes it easier to improve and manage their virtualized workloads.


Works Cited

"HowStuffWorks "How Cloud Computing Works"" Howstuffworks "Computer" Web. 22 Mar. 2011. .

Whiting, Rick. "Microsoft Debuts Systems Management Updating with Cloud Computing Pathway." CRN. 11 Mar. 2011. Web. 22 Mar. 2011

Security Flaws of Cloud Computing

When you hears about cloud technology, what comes to mind? Is it the cheesy Window's commercials? Or, better yet the grand idea of being able to access any of your files from wherever you please? While these concepts, among others, may come to mind upon first hearing the term "cloud" in a technical context, I am sure you didn't think of it as a great way to find the kid who stole your computer. However, one college student from Bentley University, named Mark Bao, was able to do just that using his cloud back-up program called Blackblaze. In short, Blackblaze is an online service that allows you to save any files you please onto it's server for $5/month.

What Bao did was set-up his cloud system so that anything he saves automatically goes to Blackblaze. This was convenient at the time, and then became the reason he caught the kid who stole his laptop. This is so because, once it was stolen, the thief kept unknowingly saving files to the cloud, leaving his e-mail address, files, and his name at the hands of Bao. Bao evidently reported the name, retrieved his laptop, and got plenty of revenge.

Not only does this event introduce a new way a cloud system can be used, it introduces indirectly addresses the security risks of the concept of cloud systems. One thing that seemed to shout out to me was how easily Kao was able to access the thief's files because he did not wipe the stolen computer well enough. This screamed out because the first thing that comes to mind is the security of having a used computer. The ease of Bao's accessing those files present the question of how easy it to do this same exact thing to someone who purchases a new computer? Hypothetically speaking, if the computer is not cleaned to the fullest extent, something that is completely plausible, then how safe is purchasing a used computer?

Also with respect to security, one of the key uses of a cloud system is to keep your files secure from being deleted and, more importantly, being accessed from other parties; especially in the event of a lost or crashed computer. This event actually questions the legitimacy of this security because if the thief was easily able to save to Bao's cloud drive, then he must have had the ability to access the drive. This presents the question: if someone was unintentionally able to have access to a cloud, then how severely can someone intentionaly trying to access a cloud drive attack someone's files.

While this story speaks to the benefits that a kid was able to reap from his cloud systems, I feel it actual presents some of the major flaws, particularly in the security aspect, of a cloud system.

Sources:

Hill, Kashmir. "To Catch a Computer Predator." Web log post. Forbes. 22 Mar. 2011. Web. 22 Mar. 2011. http://blogs.forbes.com/kashmirhill/2011/03/22/to-catch-a-computer-predator/.

http://www.backblaze.com

Times’s Online Pay Model Was Years in the Making

Last week, The New York Times made it clear that they are taking new strides to keep up with the advancing technological world. The newspaper announced their plan to make readers pay for an online subscription, stirring much debate within the company and among its readers. The new pay model will take effect on March 28, and will charge users $15 for a four-week subscription. However, readers are allowed 20 free articles per month before they have to decide if they want to pay the subscription rate. This is the newspaper’s attempt to somewhat maintain its major flow of visitors.

Many people are opposed to the idea of paying to read The New York Times online, but others think differently. The resistance to this new plan does not want to pay because they have not paid before. The newspaper has placed itself in a difficult position by allowing their journalism to be read for free in the first place, because it will be hard to take that luxury away now. People in support of the online subscription plan argue that there is tremendous value in online newspapers because information is extremely timely. Also, our advancing technological era allows accessing newspapers online to be very easy and convenient. Several people own some kind of computer, whether it is a desktop with a monitor, a personal laptop, or the newest innovation from Apple, an iPad. Both sides have logical points, so it will be interesting to see if the new move will attract online subscribers or not. Would you be willing to pay a monthly bill for a newspaper you can access online?

Personally, I do not fully support the Times’ decision. I understand that we are now part of a world full of new technological advancements almost daily. However, I do not find it necessary to charge the public to read an article on the Internet.

First off, the newspaper has attempted to have an online subscription plan very similar to this new idea in the past. From 2005 to 2007, The Times experimented with a model called TimesSelect. Readers had to pay for access to opinion columnists like Frank Rich and Maureen Dowd and for The Times’ archives. This program produced $10 million in revenue, with 227,000 subscribers at $49.95 a year (Peters). However, after examining this new trial, the company realized that the limitation on access to the site eliminated potential for more readers and advertising. TimesSelect eventually came to an end, and when it did, traffic to The New York Times website almost doubled. Currently, the website has more than 30 million domestic visitors a month (Peters). As a firm believer in learning from the past, I see something very similar happening for the newspaper this second time around. Although our economy is showing improvement after a major slump, we are recovering very slowly. Many consumers are not ready to be spending unnecessary cash because they just do not have it anymore. I do not really see the Times showing much more progress with this endeavor than they had last time. Do you think many readers will be willing to pay for this journalism?

I also feel that it depends on personal opinion. I would not pay for an online subscription because I would rather read a newspaper in print. Therefore, if I had to pay for anything, I would pay for the printed subscription of The New York Times. However, I do not purchase it now and will not purchase it when this plan comes into effect. I am sure I will use the 20 allocated articles I am allowed to read per month, and should be satisfied with that. I do not really think this is the best idea for The New York Times, but am anxious to see the future results of this new online subscription plan.

Works Cited

Peters, Jeremy W. "The Times Announces Digital Subscription Plan." The New York Times. 17
Mar. 2011. Web. 21 Mar. 2011.
.

Peters, Jeremy W. "Times’s Online Pay Model Was Years in the Making." The New York Times. 20 Mar.
2011. Web. 21 Mar. 2011.
f=technology>.

Sprint Puts Google Voice Everywhere

As technological advances continue to modernize the world around us, the area of telecommunications continues to benefit from research and development. Gone are the days of an expensive landline provided by AT&T or Verizon. Today we talk, text, and video chat inexpensively. Telecommunication programs relying on solely a broadband connection such as Skype have afforded new and inexpensive opportunities to those who wish to communicate to their loved ones without a headache of a bill. As these programs continue to develop, cellphone and landline providers are finding themselves in a daunting situation. Google has made it’s tip toe into the telecommunications industry with Google Voice, a web based application that allows people to make anything Google (gmail, etc.) part of your telephone service. The application allows user to make calls through their PC to other PCs or American phones for relatively low prices or free. In addition, this application allows users to make inexpensive international phone calls. Besides these feautres, Google Voice allows users to set up any of their telephone devices to ring when their cell phone is called, and for their gmail inboxes to be alerted as well. Overall, Google Voice adds a level of functionality to the telephone/cell phone unseen before. As cell phone providers face ever increasing competition from such applications, Sprint announced yesterday that it will be the first service provider to incorporate Google Voice on it’s Android smartphone. Doing so will allow users to sync their Google Voice account with their Sprint number, a feature that has since been unavailable and caused others to avoid the service.
By incorporating such technology Sprint is attempting to make itself unique as a wireless provider. In the American market, Sprint has been lacking in maintaining a competitive advantage against wireless giants Verizon and AT&T. Without bargaining chips such as the iPhone and superior service ratings, Sprint/Nextel now has something to offer to potential customers. They exclusively combine your Google Voice with your cellphone, making your PC or Mac, home phone, cell phone, and e-mail inboxes interchangeably connected forever. It is rather interesting to see a wireless provider adopt such technology, because of the risk on profits involved. By allowing users to tap into such technology via their mobile phone, Sprint faces a loss on certain features that users can access cheaply or free through Google Voice rather than through the Sprint Network. Although for many service providers this could be worrisome, Sprint has offered a relatively cheap unlimited talk, text, and data plan for quiet some time. At the end of the day, Google Voice should help to increase its customer base and attractiveness while strengthening profits. The article focuses on Sprint’s adaptation to Google’s technology; however, a final note of interest lies in honing in on Google. What exactly does this mean for Google as a company? Carefully considering this business transaction, it would appear that Google is expanding its efforts to another level in the wireless industry. There are speculations that in the future Google plans to use Sprint as a means of expansion to eventually become their own wireless provider. For now we can only wait to see how Google Voice effects Sprint’s network and allow the technology to do its job.

Works Used:

1. Peckham, Matthew. "Sprint Puts Google Voice Everywhere." 21 March 2011: n. pag. Web. 22 Mar 2011. .


2. http://www.google.com/googlevoice/about.html


3. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703858404576214351604164430.html?mod=WSJ_Tech_LEFTTopNews