computers run by google could never take over the world, because they could never update themselves

The biggest problem Google is wrestling with is how to manage updates for their plethora of Android devices. According to Google, there are 80+ Android devices currently on the market, coming from a variety of makers and carriers. With so many phones, it's hard to keep them all up to date. Apple, due to it's dictatorship style ruling, has such strict control and exclusive access to their devices that updating their iPhone is quick and painless. Oh that it were so for Google. I am the proud owner of a Samsung Galaxy SII, running on T-Mobile's 4G network. In the 8 months that I've had it, i've had no complaints - except for the updates. Android's new version of its OS, the Ice Cream Sandwich, was released months ago, but my phone (even though it's top of the line and just about the best android phone out there) has yet to receive this coveted update. Google releases it's OS to Samsung, who makes their changes before passing it off to T-Mobile, who has to test it on their network before releasing it to me. The result: months after the release of ICS, I am still not-so-patiently waiting for my behemoth of a phone to be restored to its former glory as king of the heap. Google needs to come up with a solution, and fast, or their users will fall away to more reliable services.

Bringing Back the Dinosuar

Microsoft's Internet Explorer has long since been disregarded by tech savvy users, spawning the phrase, "the only thing IE is good for is downloading other browsers," a phrase that Microsoft has now chosen to accept. Though IE still claims the majority percentage of the market share, that share is largely due to its coming already installed on all Windows computers.  Rather than admit defeat, Microsoft has launched a spoof campaign ridiculing their own product and committing to revolutionize it at the same time. This coincides nicely with their pre-release of the Windows 8 OS, which will utilize the new IE to allow internet apps such as Facebook and YouTube to be installed directly on the W8 desktop. As a huge gamble to reclaim their dwindling claim in the OS market, they have to impress consumers as well as developers in order to stave off Apple's continuing domination.

Square

There are a lot of apps destined to fizzle and die in the market, but one that I think will continue to gain ground is the Square Register. It can take an iPad and make it a portable cash register (provided there is wi-fi nearby) that will record and submit any transactions. One of the biggest small-scale problems today is that nobody carries cash, so how am I supposed to pay two dollars to that cute little girl selling lemonade? Square Register comes with a free card reader - no more than a few square inches in size - that can allow the user to swipe credit cards and charge the money right to their account. Despite the obvious credit card percentage takeaway, this presents a simple solution to those that can't pay because of a lack of cash. Cab drivers, salvation army reps, burrito trucks, and all sorts of small/medium scale businesses could leverage this app to great effect.

Sonar

Yet another social networking app is gaining ground in an ever-increasingly competitive market. Sonar, an app that shows you other users that are nearby, touts its ability to "uncover the hidden connections you miss everyday, in real time, in the palm of your hand." The problem with these social apps is this: the whole experience depends on other people in your area using the app often enough for them to show up on your radar (or sonar, if you will). Foursquare has had considerable success encouraging user adoption, but unlike sonar it doesn't focus on meeting the other users present. I just got accepted to the Sonar beta test for Android, so i'll soon see if it's worth sticking around for. Downloading an app in its early stages is a bit like going to a party right before it starts - odds are you'll get bored and leave before anyone else really shows up, which makes those that show up later feel like the party is a bust when they see nobody is there. So as to whether or not Sonar will become a dominant force in the social arena is yet to be seen, but one thing is for sure: the competition is only getting tougher.

http://www.sonar.me/

Innovation vs. Impatience

There is a fine line between innovation to improve upon what exists and innovation for the sake of innovation itself. The technology sector is becoming inundated with new programming languages and different ways to write web sites, many of which are handy, but not necessary. Choosing what to code a project in is becoming more of a shopping trip - what do I think is easiest and fits me best - than defaulting to the established and tested system. When applying for web programming jobs last summer, I discovered that just because I can write web pages in a certain language doesn't qualify me at all. Can I do Ruby, Ruby on Rails, JQuery, Javascript, Node.js, MySQL, or Drupal? Some, but not all. And the qualifications differ from job to job. At some point, the programming community needs to come together to refine and perfect a few good languages, rather than create new ones just to suit their current needs.

Technology Attention Deficit Disorder

As advancements in technology occur more frequently, our satisfaction with that same technology decreases at a similar rate. When the iPhone 4S was released in October 2011, not a day had gone by before disappointed consumers were already speculating as to what new features would debut on the iPhone 5. This is now common, as new phones and computers are released monthly, each attempting to be the "next big thing" for as long as possible. Back during the release of the iPod in October 2001, instead of wondering when the next version came out we were busy being amazed at what innovation had given us! The focus was on what we had, rather than on what would come. If you wanted to own the best phone in today's market, and would rather wait for the next release than buy the current best just to have it be beaten, you'd never be able to buy a phone! You would forever be waiting for the next phone release so that you were sure you got the best. Such is the age of advancement that we live in, where we think more about the future than what is happening in our lives now. We need to remember to be satisfied with what we have and use it to it's full potential, rather than wait for the next release to be satisfied.

Technology going too far

Technology is slowly but surely taking the place of meaningful personal interaction in our society. Although it provides widespread benefits, it fails to (and will never be able to) provide the personal touch that face-to-face communication does. I just read an article about several valentines day apps that can order flowers for you, write poems for you, or create and send valentines day pictures to your special someone. This is not what the world needs! We are only facilitating the degrading of our society by taking the personal touch out of what used to be meaningful. A holiday that is supposed to be about affection and very personal feelings is becoming distant and reduced to electronic mail and pictures. So do the world a favor - go out and actually buy flowers yourself and make valentines day something personal, dont resort to having your phone do it for you.

http://t.co/wVxqN40S