In the Central European country of Slovakia, a mobile phone banking revolution is taking place. Thousands of people are now regularly making payments using their mobile phone. It’s all down to new technology that several Slovakian banks have introduced.
The system being used in Slovakia is called Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. This offers users a user-friendly solution to the mobile payment hang-up, but it requires coordination between banks and mobile operators, as well as infrastructure in shops. Slovakia is considered the European leader in adopting innovative solutions.
Category: Economic / Banks / Business
Today let’s talk about social networking users, some of whom are now migrating to smaller platform apps like Snapchat, Vine and WhatsApp, a messaging tool Facebook recently bought for US$19m. All have seen huge growth, primarily because they are used on mobile devices.
These newer services encourage users to target personalised messages to individuals or small groups instead of broadcasting posts to large networks of people.
Category: Social Networking / Apps / Social Tools
Most of us use a computer. Its operating system will probably be a Windows based system, a Mac or Linux system.
Those of you who use a Windows based system will know the good versions and the bad ones! In the old days we used Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000 and in 2001 onwards there was the highly popular Windows XP that is still used by many today. Later we saw Windows Vista, which was rapidly replaced by Windows 7. Now there is Windows 8. Many people prefer Windows 7 to Windows 8, as it is easier to use.
Category: Technology / Operating Systems / Windows XP
Recently a study revealed that Facebook could die out in a few years. The hype surrounding the highly popular social networking site is starting to dissipate. Its growth and fading has been compared to ‘an infectious disease’ by scientists.
Using a mathematical model they charted Facebook’s demise. The researchers from Princeton University first used the number of queries for MySpace, a similar popular site which experienced a steep rise and an even steeper fall.
Category: Technology / Facebook / Social Networks
Recently BlackBerry launched two new handsets. The Z10 with a touchscreen and the Q10 with a physical keyboard. The new mobile phones, BlackBerry hopes, will resurrect the struggling brand.
Thorsten Heins, CEO of BlackBerry: “We have been on a journey of transformation. It has been one year since I was handed the reins, and it has been challenging, but exhilarating.”
Category: Technology / BlackBerry / Business
Recently Kim Dotcom, real name Kim Schmitz, returned to the world stage to launch his new file-sharing site ‘Mega’. Within 24 hours of the new website’s launch it had received more than one million hits! Mr Dotcom’s new cloud service ‘Mega.co.nz’ says, “We promise. We deliver. Bigger – Better – Stronger – Faster - Safer.”
The new webpage follows last year’s raid by New Zealand police at Mr Dotcom’s mansion where he was arrested. His webpage Megaupload was shut down. US law enforcement agencies forced its closure, saying many users of Megaupload were engaged in pirating content and illegally sharing it. All of which Mr Dotcom denied.
Category: Technology / Webpage - Mega / Kim Dotcom
Today I thought we could look at tablets, gadgets and apps. It is a popular topic that is constantly changing, especially with the introduction of new products and new technology. So where to begin? Let’s start with the new iPad. Recently the world seems to have gone crazy with iPad mania hitting practically every High Street across the globe. Just why are iPads and iPhones so popular?
Category: Tablets / Gadgets / Applications
Microsoft has unveiled its new Windows 8 operating system. Windows 8 is designed to run on tablet computers, as well as desktop and laptop PCs. The software, which is due to be released in 2012, will work on the popular ARM-designed low-power processors for the first time. Microsoft has been under pressure to come up with an answer to Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android platforms.
The new Windows 8 was unveiled recently at the Build developers’ conference in California. Windows division president Steven Sinofsky: “We re-imagined Windows. From the chipset to the user experience.” The system will function through one of two interfaces; a traditional desktop, similar to that seen in previous editions of Windows, and a tablet version, known as Metro.
Metro features larger, chunky controls of the sort that best suit touchscreen use. The current lack of such an input method is widely seen as the reason why few Windows 7 tablets exist. Microsoft said it would also be launching its own online marketplace - the Windows Store – to sell downloadable applications. The new Windows 8 tablet version will also feature a pop-up touch-screen keyboard.
Category: Business / Technology / Microsoft Windows 8
Are mobile phones safe for children to use? That’s the question many parents face when deciding whether they are or aren’t. There are many arguments for and against.
Children’s nervous systems are still developing, and there are fears that radiation could penetrate into their brains. Experts say there is no link between mobile phone use and cancer in adults but there is still widespread uncertainty about the risks children face. Mobile phones have been in use for a relatively short time and yet cancers can take decades to develop.
Most scientists however agree on one thing and that is children may be more vulnerable than the rest of us to their possible ill-effects. Kids have a skull that is thinner, less protective; they have a higher content of water in the brain, so there are many reasons why they absorb more of the same radiation.
Category: Research / Health / Mobile Phones
Hands up those of you who like to chat online? How many of you use Facebook? Probably quite a few of you, as in today’s world we can’t seem to live without it. So what is a social network? It is a way of communicating with other people.
Why do we use them? Because we like to communicate with other people, especially our family and our friends. It is a good way to keep in touch. There are many different forms of social networking. Probably the most popular today are Facebook, Skype, MySpace, Twitter, Google chat and ICQ. All are different...
Category: Lifestyle / Social Networking / Chat
