Author Archives: Marcin Szablewski

About Marcin Szablewski

As a IT project manager I implement projects which encourage the continuous improvement of systems, applications and processes. As any professional within IT, I continue to learn and research new ways to improve on the big and small things that affect our daily lives. This has translated into a passion in educating people from all walks and technology backgrounds on the numerous ways that tech can improve our lives. I am an educator of all things consumer and am always looking for ways to expand my outreach. Not an expert in any one thing, I dable in many different things. I educate myself from the best and look to always improving where possible. Come join me in a discussion @mszablewski.

Retweeting and Resharing

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With the expansion of social media and overall access to information, more and more people are sharing not only tidbits about themselves, but also information others have shared. Today, breaking news is first spotted usually on Twitter, where 140 characters are more then enough to get the point across and ignite a fury of news agencies that try to get the scoop on an unfolding event.

Social media has become a powerful tool in getting messages to the masses. What once took news agencies hours to put together, publish and distribute, now can take less then 30 minutes. More and more we are also seeing smaller “news” outlets popping up across the web. Most popular of course being tech blogs.

This explosion of outlets also has expedited how fast information is shared. Often I find myself reading an article or tidbit of news which was shared via someone I follow on Twitter. On occasion though, I sometimes wonder why that individual shared it in the first place. It isn’t uncommon for people to share something without actually reading it. The catchy title or the first few lines of a paragraph is really all a good majority of us read. Our attention for reading beyond a paragraph or two has been greatly reduced, if the core information cannot be passed along within 15 seconds, we normally dismiss the rest of the article.

So why is it important to actually read through something before passing it along. It isn’t really, however as we grow online and as our presence grows, our name becomes a brand. The question I strongly believe we must ask ourselves, is how does this article reflect what I believe and or value.

So I’ve rambled on for a bit now and I am sure you’re wondering what point I am trying to make. It’s simple really, read before you retweet/reshare. I strongly believe that what you share online is an insight for others into your beliefs, values and even personality. What you might find interesting, others might find boring, which is okay. However, what you might find funny, might in fact offend someone else. It’s important to be yourself but it is also important to ensure your integrity is in place. Just because a topic is currently hot or trending, doesn’t mean you should jump onto the band wagon if it doesn’t reflect positively who you are as an individual. So don’t just reshare anything.

Often we find the title of an article is enough to entice us to share it. I’ve made the mistake myself of sharing something without reading it thoroughly, only to be later asked by a follower why I believe what I shared was right. I obviously looked and felt like an idiot when I had to explain I didn’t. Could have saved myself the embarrassment early on if I just took the time to read through. So I urge everyone, before you hit the retweet or share button, make sure you believe the information you are sharing is what you want people think you are like.

Until next time …

Wearable Tech

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In the past several months tech blogs have been speculating that Apple, Microsoft, Google and a few other tech giants are looking at releasing a high tech watch. Now, this has been attempted somewhat in the past with the Timex Datalink. Basically a wrist watch with a very small keyboard built into it which nerds loved to wear and claimed that they can do magical things with it. Since then, things have changed. Technology has advanced to the point that we all carry a mini computer with us and components have gotten smaller and smaller. That said, is it really worth even looking into something like this. Lets dissect this shall we.

I’ve focused primarily on a wrist type device (like a watch) in the opening paragraph, but wearable tech is not limited to only being worn on your wrist. As Google has show with its release of Google Glass, there is a market for a wearable computer. Some have taken things even further and embedded microchips into their bodies. Whether a computer posing as a pair of sunglasses is the future or perhaps putting computer components into our bodies is, our fascination with integrating technology further into our lives continues.

Smart Watch
A “smart watch” (as many have come to label it) may be the next thing all the three tech giants are looking at, if reports that have spread around the internet have any truth to them, but is it feasible? A device siting on our wrist may be convenient but will it be practical. Samsung has recently taken motion gestures to a whole new level by integrating it into the Galaxy S4, but that device is about 5x larger then your typical watch and sports two front facing camera’s. Those camera’s are what give the S4 the gestures we’ve all seen in their ads.

Sticking camera’s into a smart watch will make it bulky. Not only that but you’d need to find a way to also project not only a virtual keyboard but a larger viewable display. Unless the wrist device was to require pairing with say your smartphone, at which point, what is the point? Screen sizing is getting bigger and bigger on smartphones, it would defeat the trend and customer desire if companies shrunk everything down now. Holographic projectioning isn’t anything new, but the current technology it takes to make it happen and make it usable is still at least a decade away.

The biggest roadblock though, is not the lack of a keyboard, a small display or even say connectivity, but battery life. My iPhone 5 (which I do love) has a horrible battery. I’ve been debating picking up a Mophie Juice Pack (sacrificing size, elegance and portability) specifically because it sucks. Samsung still offers a swappable battery on the S4 but even BlackBerry recently has gone away with that in the Z10. The reason? It takes up space. The battery design currently is inefficient. That’s why the iPhone and Z10 don’t offer it. Unfortunately battery tech has not changed in the better part of the last decade, or longer, and until it does our wrist devices (if one actually comes out) will last us most likely no more then 3 hours. That or it will be a very underpowered and essentially useless in my opinion.

To Google, Apple and Microsoft … put your investment dollars (and ego’s) aside and get together to build us a more efficient, lower profile battery which can help the industry.

Google Glass
Until now I’ve avoided writing anything about Google Glass simply because I don’t know much about it. I’ve read many reviews/reports and I have seen all of the photo’s people have been posting online. The device itself is decent considering what its intent is. Which pegs the question, what is its purpose? To be super creepy or nerdy? Or does Google have something else in mind for it?
Those of us who grew up as kids in the early and mid-90′s remember RoboCop. The officer who got really messed up and ended up part human part machine. (Basically Darth Vader but more closer to reality.) As a kid, I always wanted his HUD (heads up display). He could pull up information about people, weapons, schematics for a building on the fly. I feel like this is what Google Glass might become in the near future. Its purpose for now is still undetermined. Developers are doing what ever they can with it. Exploring and pushing the technology to its limits. Last week we heard of the first release of a porn app! Mind you it was pulled as quickly as it went up, but peoples creativity never ceases to amaze. Google wants its public developers to basically show Google what can be done with it. Not a bad way to get some free ideas.

Another point I need to make here. You know that the US Military has had something like Google Glass in the works for the past 10 years, right? It’s not public knowledge but you don’t think that they dump billions into RND and come up with nothing. The first iteration was a simple camera attached to a “peaking scope”. Basically a camera was attached to an assault rifle which would allow a soldier to morph the weapon around a 90 degree corner, letting him/her see if a threat was present and ultimately take them out with the attached 9mm hand gun. More recently I’ve been informed that they’ve developed a HUD which allows field soldiers to get up-to-the-second terrain data, including thermal imagery from satellites orbiting in space. Sound like something from Tom Clancy’s Ghost games? That’s because it is.

Google Glass may be currently on the market for consumers, but don’t be too surprised if ultimately it ends up in the service of your local Police or the Military. After all, who better would utilize such a device. The guy across the street looking up pictures of a cute girl on the street or a Police officer who can easily identify through customize software a crook. I’d bet we’d all be more understanding if the Police had such tech then the average citizen.

Privacy and all set aside, Google Glass has the potential to really succeed, if it targets the right demographic. I personally wouldn’t want someone random on the streets being able to pull up data on me by simple facial recognition. That creeps me out more then anything. If Glass can be utilized to protect or perhaps enhance certain jobs (construction engineers, doctors, underground workers) then it has a place in our world. It will sell, maybe not initially (not for $1500 a pop with limited apps) but it definitely has a better future then a smart watch.

Embedded Tech
This may seem like something from a sic-fi show and I don’t blame you if you do. Embedding circuitry into ones body is. However, it is being done today on some level. Doctors are putting pieces of tech into people with certain limitations, say hearing or perhaps in the near future even sight. That’s not to say though that its only purpose can be limited to medical advancements. I saw part of a documentary years ago about a engineer who placed chips into his wrists and programmed his office (doors, computer and such) to identify him and do simple tasks such as unlocking/opening the door and logging into his computer. When the Pay Pass by Esso came onto the market (initially in Europe about 4 years before North America) the next thing people thought would happen was such a device being implanted into our bodies. Allowing us to travel with ease but, as many thought, allowing the government to keep track of its citizens.

Where and how far we as humans may take our integration of technology and our bodies to, it is always a fascination of us geeks and nerds to dream up things that don’t currently exist. Tom Clancy wrote a series of teen novels which depicted a future where people would integrate into the internet by sitting in a seat and having a neural link woosh them into the web. Similar to basically The Matrix but without the hole in the back of our heads. (He depicted it as neural links implanted into our brains at child birth, less displeasing and visible.) On the other extreme, Star Trek had come up with The Borg. Organics fused with technology to the cellular level. The future will inevitably have technology and people integrate into one. How far we will go, is up to our moral standards to guide us.

All-in-all it is with some displeasure that I have to admit technology is surpassing our needs and more importantly our reliance on it. Will a smart watch be necessary, no. Will it be created, it already has been. Does Google Glass have a future? Certainly, but I don’t like where it may end up. Companies and engineers will always come up with ways to “make our lives easier”, that is the beauty in technology, it is always improving to make things easier. Whether it be a smart watch, sunglasses with a display or a chip which would allow us to control all our gadgets, it won’t stop coming.

With WWDC 2013 hours away, we may see a glimpse into a potential new product or at the very least, the foundation for one. I guess what I can only offer is this … wait and see. A little speculation and mystery is always fun.

Until next time …

For those interested in checking out a currently available smart watch, head on over to Sony’s website and take a look at what they’ve come up with.

Logitech’s Ultrathin iPad Keyboard [Review]

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Late last year Logitech released a new keyboard onto the market, touting it as “the other half of your iPad”. I managed to get my hands on one but only recently did I really get an opportunity to put it through its paces.

The keyboard itself is no bigger then any of the iPad’s currently on the market, really making it an ideal companion for those who need or like the feel of physical keys rather then the touch screen. You can easily reach a typing speed of 40/50 words per a minute with it, once you get accustomed to the keys spacing.

Logitech added a few shortcut keys which can be accessed with the function key. The most useful being copy, cut, paste, switching between keyboards (if you have more then one activated), play/pause, volumes up and down and finally the lock key. Which locks the iPad and puts it to sleep for you. Other added keys are “option” and “command” (short formed into “cmd”). With the command key, you can copy, cut and paste as though in OSX, bypassing the need to either use the function key or trying to select the function using the magnified cursor.

The keyboard itself is basically like any other keyboard, slightly shrunk to fit into the physical dimensions of an iPad. The keys are placed slightly tighter but after a few typed lines it makes little difference. The audible “click click click” gives you the feedback you’d expect and the overall texture is no different then the one on your MacBook Pro, perhaps slightly more grainier I would say.

There is only one viewing angle, which for those who may have an irregular desk or sitting position, may become a problem. I’m using it along with an iPad 2, which for those who know, is slightly thinner then the latest iPad 4 (or iPad with Retina). I’m unsure whether this may further effect the viewing angle or not. That said, the angle that it sits at is comfortable for extended typing periods. Not having the ability to change this will discourage some, however I still recommend at least trying it out before completely dismissing it.
I picked up the black keyboard (as I have a black iPad) and found no discolouration or fading on the keys. The back is made of aluminum or so it seems, unfortunately after frequent use and constantly being slid across desks and in my briefcase, it has started to show some scratches. For those who are sticklers for such things, I’d recommend maybe placing a cloth underneath to help prevent this. Can’t guarantee however that it wont happen but it will greatly reduce the risk.

In terms of connectivity and battery life, it utilizes bluetooth and the battery seems to last a fair length. After about 3/4 hours of continuous use over 10 consecutive days, I found it still had juice. I did end up charging it the following day as I wasn’t sure how much life was left in it. That said, there is no clear way to determine how much life the keyboard has. I wish they would add a small button similar to the one on the side of MacBooks which gives you a visual look at the battery life or perhaps a small icon on the iPad similar to what Jawbone does with its headset. Unfortunately there isn’t one, there isn’t even an app which can aid with this (not that I’ve found at least). One thing I did notice was that the keyboard does have a “sleep” protocol. Meaning that if you don’t use it after a certain period of time, the keyboard puts itself to sleep. It remains connected but it takes it a second or two to start up again. It seems to do this as well when you put the iPad to sleep. So be patient when waking it.

I’ve tested several other keyboards when the iPad first came out and the biggest grip I had with the older versions was the extra lip around the edges or even worst, the fact that you had to slide it into a case in order to use it properly. This keyboard has a great balance between functionality and form and is even available now for the iPad Mini. Although typing on an even smaller version is much more difficult, it is available for those who want one.
Finally, it clips on and holds itself attached the same way that the Apple covers do, using the magnetic strip in the iPad. This makes for an elegant way to travel with the two and eliminates any extra unneeded (and unwanted) bulk.

Overall I recommend this keyboard over anything else currently available on the market. At a price point of $99 (picked mine up for $79 on sale) it’s not a bad way to go. Available in black, white, red and now even purple, you can pick one up at any Apple, Best Buy, Future Shop or tech based store. If you’re still uncertain, I would at the very least recommend you pick one up and test it out for yourself. If you don’t like it, return it. Most stores have a 14 days return policy so why not utilize it.

Until next time …

Review: Thumble App

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Normally I don’t get excited about an application being released, but when it’s home grown and your friend has a stake in it, I do. Yesterday a team of young Toronto based entrepreneurs released a photo sharing app into the iOS ecosystem. I would like to introduce you all to Thumble App.

Thumble App looks like another photo sharing app, but it isn’t. Unlike its counterpart Instagram (for example), Thumble App rewards photographers for sharing. Rewards come in two varieties, Rewards and Badges. We all love achieving a certain status on our social sites, whether it be that elusive Gym Rat badge on Foursquare or a character level in a game, we all love being rewarded. Thumble App takes these rewards a step further. Members will gain tangible rewards for sharing and having their photos upvoted (Thumble’s version of liking a photo) by the community. The challenge being that your photo needs to stand out amongst the crowd to gain enough upvotes before the challenge deadline. Winners are selected by the community and not by a panel of Thumble employees avoiding any personal bias. The best part being that these rewards are not static but dynamic. Meaning that the rewards and challenges will always be changing. One month it may be a coupon to a restaurant or as part of its launch, playoff tickets to see the Toronto Maple Leafs play game 4 at the Air Canada Center.

: Rewards & Badges

: Opening reward/challenge are playoff tickets!

Unlike other apps where you can only favour or like a photo, Thumble App has thrown in the option to downvote as well. This is a risky move considering at some point there may be members who’s only goal is to upset others by constantly downvoting, however it also challenges members to throw up the best photos they can shoot off their mobile device, without the aid of filters or any other editing tools.

: Selecting the arrow pointing up “upvotes” a photo

: To downvote, simply select the arrow pointing down.

Which leads me to another point, there are no editing or filtering tools. Whether you consider this a drawback I consider it a challenge. With mobile devices, applications and developers looking for ways to help even the novice of shooters feel like a world renowned photographer, Thumble App challenges its members to use nature at its most rawest form. Using lighting, shadows and various objects readily available, members will need to use their knowledge of how to shoot, to produce a stunning photo. That said you are not limited to only using the built in camera. You can if you choose to, shoot and edit outside the app and then upload.

Uploading has also been rethought here, you don’t just upload into a personal timeline for just those who follow you to see, your photos get uploaded into a catalogue where other members contribute and compete. These catalogues can be specific for a reward or badge or even member created. The catalogues are public (no option to make them private at this moment) and you automatically subscribe to them when you create or upload a photo. Helping you keep an eye on what others contribute. There is one drawback here though. At time of release, photos taken with the app do not automatically save to your Camera Roll. So if you want to reuse a photo you’ve already taken, you will have to return to it and save it manually. There is no way to opt in or change this at this time, but I am sure that it is something that is on the list to add into a future release.

Sharing is basic at this time, integrating Facebook and Twitter at launch. Posting photos into a category will automatically subscribe you to view photos uploaded by others in a dedicated Subscribed timeline and you can also selectively pick and choose people to follow as well. Giving you the option to view every photo uploaded or filter it by those members you’ve chosen to follow or by specific catalogues.

Moving forward the real challenge for Thumble App is to grow its community of members and keep them engaged, all while continuing to scale the application (and its infrastructure) to accommodate what I hope will be a community large enough to challenge Instagram. The applications decision to provide tangible rewards will also be challenged when and if the application goes global. An excellent strategy entering a already saturated category however I wonder whether it will be enough.

And on that, I invite you all to join me and find out!

Until next time …

Thumble tag: @mszablewski

Disclaimer: I wrote this piece purely out of personal excitement for the application and its vision of how it has a potential to change the photo sharing game. That stated, in good consciousness I must report that since the conception of the application in raw beta, I have been a member of a very small group of testers helping to improve it before its public release and I hope to continue doing so. My personal relationship with @cammipham aka @ThumbleApp had no influence on my review. For those who express any doubts, I invite you all to sign up and test the application for yourselves and to leave your comments below. I hope you’ll enjoy Thumble App as much as I have.