Tag: iPhone

The definition of Facebook creeping

Posted on by Emilie Buckman

I feel like a creep. Social media and technology made me and everyone else into creeps.

With a constant stream of accessible information, I know too much about people and their private life. It’s not necessarily that I am seeking this information out. Rather it’s a constant presence and that is too prevalent to ignore. I certainly don’t want to know the girl I had in English class freshmen year is married with a kid and currently trying to potty train said kid.

What’s tech/social media savvy girl to do! Defriend people? I don’t think so. (It should be noted I fear I will run into those people I’ve deleted and that awkward hypothetical isn’t worth defriending.) To be a part of this generation you kind of have to participate in common modes of communication:  texts, tweets, status, direct messages, etc. And you are going to be an inadvertent creep.

But there is a new creep feature to all of this mess I refuse to accept. It started this summer with Facebook messages and has moved to the iPhone. (If it’s on iPhone it won’t be long before it’s on Android.) That feature is “Seen” notification. It tells you the exact time someone reads your message or text.

Well that couldn’t possibly lead to crazy or obsessive behavior, could it? “Oh, I see read y text at 8:37 a.m. and now it is 4:13 p.m. Why haven’t you responded?” This feature will move you quickly past creep and right into crazy. I just don’t see any good from it. It just too bad none of this developers realize there is such a thing as too much information.

Go Samsung!

Posted on by Brian Lee

I love the Samsung Galaxy S III commercials in how they make fun of Apple and Apple fans. For example, Apple is screwing over consumers by changing the size of the dock connector because the iPhone 5 can’t connect to devices such as speakers or car stereos without an adapter, which Apple conveniently sells for about $40 (Apple also acknowledges some devices won’t even work with an adapter).

But as the video points out, Apple fans always overlook being screwed, as evident in one person saying “Yeah, but they [Apple] make the coolest adapters.”

I also like how some guy’s (uncool) parents are eager to buy the iPhone, and that Apple is finally providing features other phones already have, like a big screen and 4G capability.

Speaking of big screens, Apple’s new commercial that trumpets its big screen inadvertently is saying the previous incarnations of the iPhone are basically poorly designed for not having a big screen.

Here’s the Samsung commercial:

Team iPhone or Team Android?

Posted on by Brian Lee

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a bit of a tech nerd.  The byproduct of working with different cell phone companies for two years means whenever a friend pulls out his or her phone, I immediately size them up.  I’ve even been known to ask near strangers about carriers and data plans…it’s safe to say I have a problem.

But these days it seems like the world is split into two groups: Team iPhone or Team Android (heaven forbid you still have a Blackberry or worse, a flip phone).  Both sides have fiercely loyal customers, and both have amazing features.  I could write a very long post about which is better, but I promise to avoid that.

Recently, competition between Apple and companies that produce phones with the Android mobile operating system has come to a head.  Apple is suing multiple companies over a series of patent lawsuits, and some believe that recent setbacks could reflect negatively on Apple, causing a dip in sales.

But the question is do consumers really care about that?

Personally, I’m a staunch Android fan because of its customizability and open app platform.  Although Android currently holds the top market share, I often feel in the minority because in recent years, it seems like Apple has become the tech company.

The iPhone is creative, well-made, easy to use, and beautiful to look at.  On top of it all, Apple products have come to indicate the newest and best, and are seen as symbols of status.  If you look at the people around you, odds are it will seem like all of them have iPhones.

Apple has created a name for itself that is so big and so popular that it would take something colossal to shake the public’s confidence in it.  I have a hard time believing that a few legal delays could make a difference.