iPhone vs. Blackberry: a personal preference

As my poll has ended, the results are tied. Although only two people voted, I believe this shows the way cell phone buyers are divided over the iPhone and Blackberry debate.

I had personal interest in this poll as I was trying to decide which type of new phone to get. I have AT&T and was limited to certain Blackberry models, but was debating over the iPhone 3Gs or Blackberry Curve 8900.

Due to the price, I ended up buying the Blackberry. My decision was also based on the fact that I have an iPod touch. I have everything an iPhone has without the phone features. I read several reviews on CNet.com and other reputable sites about the debate, and asked around.

The main issue I found with getting an iPhone is that the apps and games which you undoubtedly use almost daily, really drain the battery. My iPod touch showed me that also. Another issue was the distraction factor. Blackberries have "traditionally" been phones for people who "get it done". Some people wrote in the reviews that they could get as much done with the iPhone, but that the games and apps distracted them at times.

The Blackberry App store is definitely smaller than the iPhone's, but I find that I can get the apps I am most interested in; the ones that are most helpful to me, anyway. My favorite Blackberry feature which trumps Apple is the ability to run different applications at the same time, or "in the background". This is helpful when copying and pasting addresses and contacts. It's also great if you're a multi-tasker, which I happen to be.

We could extend this debate in that the iPhone is Apple and, therefore, associated with Macs while the Blackberry is associated with PCs. This preference truly depends on what you are most comfortable with, or have experience with, in my opinion.

But, in reality, it comes down to personal preference. The editor of TechnologyGear.net posted an article about the competition, saying, "No matter what the criteria or rating scale, the two inevitably end in a dead heat. Most industry experts say that, by any rational measure, iPhone and Blackberry perform equally well. The experts concede the choice finally comes down to personal preference, and then they caution, “But stay tuned for Google's Android."
(Original article).

The coming "Android" has recently been seen on TV directly competing with the iPhone's capabilites in its commercials. Google has definitely become a large contender, and for them to come out with a cell phone will indeed be interesting.

The debate does come down to personal preference. I am "on the go" a lot, so having any phone where I can access my email, contacts, and text messages in a quick way is good enough for me. There are enough apps and features such as a 3.2 megapixel camera, video, and wifi capabilities on my new phone to keep me occupied for at least a year. I have already been accused of being attached to my "crackberry", but I welcome the change to my everyday life, and it is still exciting to see what comes next.

Social networking also improving universal charity

The internet is connecting the world for good once again, but this time in a place where its presence is quite unnoticed.

A small town in Iowa called Quad City is responsible for financing 12 new wells in Sierra Leone, Africa. Through blogging sites, Facebook, and Twitter, $59,000 was raised for this cause. Amazingly, only $20 can provide one African a water supply for 20 years.

Jody and Andy Landers are from Quad City. They adopted twins from Sierra Leone and could not believe the water shortages there. This encouraged them to get their community involved. In the northeast, a nightclub promoter traveled to Liberia for spiritual fulfillment, which encouraged him to raise money for wells there. Both parties decided to use the internet as a tool for their own charity. They aren’t celebrities, they’re Facebookers and bloggers.

It is impressive and extraordinary how the internet is working for good causes, even for people who do not have the luxury of computers. Awareness for causes is spread everyday through social networking sites and thousands of dollars can be raised. On Facebook alone, users can donate to many causes such as Darfur, global poverty, animal abuse, suicide, and addiction. Many causes are advertised by an saying that they will donate $1 for every person who joins the group.

This social media of blogging and tweeting is new to society, but just as photographs in newspapers began to do during the Vietnam War, social networking sites are promoting and exposing the public to global issues, which is a great use of the technology and social networks at hand.

Original article from the Huffington Post online, here.

Bob Rios, a local graphic designer

On Thursday, October 22nd, local graphic designer Bob Rios came to have a conversation with the Digital Communications majors here at LVC.

Bob Rios has been a freelance designer in Lebanon county for six years. Originally from Philadelphia, he graduated from the Philadelphia Art Institute in 1991. He works with local businesses to revamp their advertising publications and schemes through his visual communication and graphic design skills. He has worked for many local companies including The Nieman Group, Laudermilk Meats, and G.F. Bowman.

I asked Bob about what it was like to graduate in 1991 and have to deal with all the changes in technology for his job, which is an issue for all graphic designers due to the ever-changing software that comes out.

In this video, he explains how he watched the computer change into a tool for advertising and design in the 90's and how staying local may allow for a fulfilling career.

Visit BobRios.com to see some of his work.

Real-Time news coming from Twitter and Bing

The Bing search engine is attempting to compete with Google once more by incorporating social media sites into their engine.

The deal is working closely with Twitter, while Facebook should follow suit. Bing will allow searches of live twitter updates in an effort to get in on the "emerging hot area of real-time information".

Brilliant. Like I mentioned in an earlier post, Facebook and Twitter, or real people if you will, are the ones bringing the latest news to the public first. As I mentioned during the G-20 summit in Pittsburgh, I was able to hear about what was going on from that snippet of a Facebook post.

Twitter has been supposedly working with both Google and Microsoft (Bing) on this. Google's search results have not been "live" yet, while Bing's have been.

This feature of Bing will allow for more real-time news, communication, and social progress. Although I personally don't like Bing and will always use Google, this is another outlet to find the news I want to, real-time.

Attached to your cell phone?

Crackberry.com has announced that a watch which coincides with your Blackberry phone is coming to the market. Do we really need another watch? Maybe not, but this is not just a watch, and you may find it to be of use to you.

While sitting in meetings, for example, or riding your bike, it is difficult and rude at times to pull out your phone. This is where the watch comes in handy. It is not a “watch phone” as LG tried to create, and cannot send messages. It is all about receiving, not replacing the Blackberry, but allowing you to preview messages and missed calls, then decide if you need to pull out the phone to reply that minute, or maybe wait.

I find this especially good for business people who do not want to be rude in a meeting, but need constant updates from the home office, or even for emergencies. Anyone who does not have their phone with them while exercising or whoever is literally “on-the-go” will definitely find this useful. It may, perhaps, take care of the issue surrounding texting and calling while driving.

It is difficult to speculate as this has not even been released yet, and Crackberry.com did not know of its actual release until yesterday at 2 p.m. According to the photos they were sent, they speculate that it will be called the inPulse.

A third-party Blackberry accessory manufacturer is selling the watch. Although the Blackberry name will not be on it, it is for use exclusively with Blackberry phones as of now. Techies hope that soon after it is available and released, the manufacturers will open it up to other devices and applications such as Facebook.

Read Crackberry.com’s announcement and see an image of the watch here: http://crackberry.com/first-images-blackberry-watch-real

Videos help out rural practices

Technology is all about communication today. The world is getting smaller and, for some, this fact may save their life.

Doctors practicing in rural hospitals are starting to use video conferencing as a way for their serious patients to see and talk to specialists, who are usually stationed in cities. The regional and local facilities are literally connected to larger medical centers when it is necessary. This involves a large TV, a video camera, and internet-connected medical equipment. Patients can receive the timely care they need and may not have to transfer to specialists.

Of course, the billing and insurance of this video consulting is still up in the air. Because the network is not large enough, and the lines between a true "video consultation" and a regular visit are blurry, insurance providers are not covering practices for the costs of this technology. Trends do show that once a technology is more widely accepted, insurance and other businesses are more willing to pitch in with the efforts.

Hopefully in the future this technology will be covered, so that people can tap into expertise when there are emergencies. For example, many babies who have difficulties after childbirth are transferred while, in many cases, a mother must stay behind to recover. This is difficult for everyone involved, and could be eased with the help of a simple "telemed" conference.

Video conferencing is a somewhat newer technology which has caught on with many corporations that are spread across the country to cut down on business trip expenses. It is great that the field of medicine can catch on.

This idea of bringing together great minds from different areas of one expertise, and combining knowledge is extremely brilliant. There is nothing better than collaborating with colleagues from all over the world who may teach you, guide you, or help you save another person's life.

See the article mentioned by The Wall Street Journal's Ben Worthon here.

This video advertises video conferencing at Kapi'olani Hospital in Honolulu. The conferences save mothers with complicated pregnancies the expense and time of flying to specialists on the on other Hawaiian islands, or to the mainland U.S.

iPhone vs. Blackberry: the debate

While I'm on the subject, let me relay another personal experience. I've recently been intrigued by the competition which has gradually arisen between Apple and Blackberry because of the iPhone and the Blackberry line of smart phones.

I am in the market to upgrade my cell phone, and after going to several AT&T stores and surfing all over the Web, I am very interested by this competition and what is going for each phone itself.

If you walk into AT&T and give the hint that you're in the market, the iPhone mysteriously lands in your hands. In most cases, the iPhone (especially the new iPhone with 3GS network) is pushed a bit harder than the three to five Blackberry models in the store. It doesn't take a genius to know why: the iPhone price is higher than the Blackberry. They are only being good salesmen.

But, I want to know what the differences between them are. Why do we choose an iPhone over a Blackberry? Is it the touch screen? The app feature? The "fun" of it? The sheer popularity?

If you Google "iphone vs. blackberry" you will get a plethora of results. Many bloggers have debated the differences. Sites like Wired.com and CNet.com, notorious technology sites, have covered the debate as well as the site that is simply "iphonevsblackberry.com", which involves an open forum for debate.

If you, too, are trying to understand the difference between the world's current top leaders in the cell phone industry, I suggest this "experiment" from the Wall Street Journal that had iPhone and Blackberry users swap phones and log their qualms and revelations.

The Joys, Pains of Switching Smart Phones by Walter S. Mossberg of "The Mossberg Solution" from the WSJ.com.