Waves of Tech

0

Google Flu Trends and Apple’s E-Book Creation: WOT Episode 119

After a brief absent while we covered the incredible adventure known as CES 2012 in Las Vegas, we are back to bring we more discuss on how technology is changing our lives. This week, we talk about Google’s ability to track flu symptoms and pass that information along to health care providers. Also, we dive into the developing reality of e-textbooks and what that means for students, school districts, and parents

1. CES Recap
2. Google’s Flu Trends and It’s Role In Health Care, EMS
3. Apple’s E-Book Idea and Chegg’s E-Textbook Reader

CES 2012 was an adventure to say the least. We will be recording a special edition Waves of Tech, CES 2012 podcast in the coming week in which we will detail our adventures, our miles of walking, and some exciting new innovative products coming to market. Be sure and check out netcaststudio.com/ces2012 for floor interviews, product reviews, and keynote presentation analysis.

Google.org develops technologies to help address global challenges & supports partners through grants and in-kind resources. Google’s Flu Trends is their latest movement into the world of philanthropy. Flu Trends collects and provides data on search traffic for flu information by collecting and analyzing certain flu-related search terms. This newest online tool will help hospitals, government agencies, physician offices, and EMS personnel prepare for a surge in flu patients. Because Google has the ability to collect and aggregate a seemingly infinite quantity of data, Google can provide current flu activity around the world in near real-time.

The e-textbook industry has been growing in popularity over the past 2-3 years. There seem to be so many variables that make this technology suitable to students and school districts. There are many variables that make this technology difficult to embrace because of publisher restrictions and lack of universal platform usage. Apple’s big announcement was anything but big. We still believe that e-textbooks needs to be a stand-alone platform, with little to no attachment to Apple. Chegg has a very promising development in the works. Their e-textbook reader allows students to highlight texts, make notes, use real time definition look-up, and review notes in a single stream. Be sure to check out their video on the product here. Furthermore, we dive into the potential of school administrators to buy into the technology and whether or not the adoption of e-textbook is realistic.

Thanks as always for tuning into Waves of Tech. We wish the best for Steve as he continues to get well and hope that next time he can join the ride…as we ride the waves of tech. Until next time, surf safe and join the conversation.

Google Flu Trends and Apple’s E-Book Creation – Waves of Tech Podcast tinyurl.com/6r62q6b

— NetCast Studio (@NetCastStudio) January 22, 2012

0

A Trip Down Photographic Memory Lane And 2012 Gadgets: WOT Episode 118

The Waves of Tech guys are back after the fantastic holiday break. Episode 118 is packed with more tech news and how tech is influencing our lives. This week we preview our visit to CES 2012 in Las Vegas, discuss the predicted top gadgets of 2012, and throw in some conversation about photography in the digital era. Please join the conversation with Steve, Dave, and Jim in Episode 118.

Audio Only:

CES 2012 is just around the corner! We are excited to be making the trip to Las Vegas and covering the entire electronics show. Waves of Tech has teamed up with TPN.tv to deliver you every booth and floor interview we conduct. We will be talking to some major electronic players in the industry, tech start-ups, mobile devices manufacturers, audio equipment producers, and so much more. Live streaming begins on Tuesday, January 10th at 10AM PST. Find every interview and all the content live at http://netcaststudio.com/ces2012/.

We recently discussed some potential tech trends of 2012 in a recent episode so we are following that conversation up with some projected top gadgets of 2012. Here is a list of some potential top gadgets in 2012: Autom, Fitbit, Nokia Lumia, Makerbot, Ultrabooks, Kindle Fire, PSP Vita. Do you think any of these have the potential to be “the big thing” in 2012? We are pretty much sold on the relationship that Microsoft and Nokia have built and look forward to the integration methods in the next Windows Phone 7. We are not sold on the movement toward Ultrabooks. The tablet market in in high demand, with little to no slowing down in sight. Listen in to hear the rest of our thoughts and leave your comments below.

We get lost in all the craziness of digital media, camera phones, and the digital photo sharing platforms. Take a moment of visit the links in the show notes. The first is a historically rewind a 1970’s project titled “Documerica.” The project was put forth by the then recently formed US EPA. It challenged photographers to capture the environmental and non-environmental happenings of the time. Check out this Flickr page for a comprehensive collection of photos, circa 1970. A cool site is dearphotograph.com, a platform for combining modern day photos with photos of the past. Check it out and relive some beautiful moments that can all remind us of special moments in our lives.

1. CES Preview & Live Stream
2. Top Gadgets for 2012
3. A Photographic Blast From The Past, Kodak CH11, http://dearphotograph.com/

CES 2012, A Trip Down Photographic Memory Lane And 2012 Gadgets – Waves of Tech Podcast tinyurl.com/75bh9dq

— NetCast Studio (@NetCastStudio) January 5, 2012

 

0

Major Tech Trends Coming in 2012: WOT Episode 117

Welcome to Episode 117 of Waves of Tech, the zooming tech podcast that discusses tech as it relates to your life! We have a great show lined out this week. But first, NetCast Studio have permanently moved from Facebook to Google Plus. Feel free to join us over at own G+ page!

So this week, the three of us take a look at a very interesting article authored by Pete Cashmore of Mashable. He outlines his thoughts on the major tech trends to expect in 2012. Typically, everyone likes to conclude the year with a “Year in Review” approach. Not this week folks! 2012 may be a historic year for some industries. We dive into touch computing, social gesturing, NFC equipment, HTML5, cutting the cord of cable TV, and flexible screening. We have some interesting thoughts on each of these topics. We agree on and disagree on others. Here are some highlights from the discussion.

Touch computing will enjoy another great year. The tablet market is booming and the end is nowhere in sight. As the touch industry continues to improve the mobile experience, products such as Windows 8 & Mac OSX Lion will be pushing the envelope of desktop touch computing.

NFC and mobile payments seem to be heading down the right path. Google Wallet and American Express are making strides in the business. 2012 may be the year, for a select crowd of users.

The new web experience is here and it goes by the name of HTML5. The days of using three party plug-ins and coding for browser compatibility may soon be nearing its end of life.

As users begin to make the switch from traditional media to new media, this leaves the big box cable companies struggling to deal with revenue. As the tablet market expands and users continue to demand content on their terms, look for cable companies to weasel their way into the new media sphere in some form.

Finally, Dave puts Steve and Jim on the spot. He asks, “What tech trend would you add to this list?” Jim points out that cloud computing made some major strides in 2011. Google made progress. Apple made advancements. The music industry leaped into the cloud business. 2012 will prove another successful year in the business of cloud computing. Steve ventures down the often forget, often neglected fields of science, health, and space. The space and health fields are always pushing the human mind and delivering services and products that continue to improve life. Dave believes 2012 holds a new movie going experience, an experience that reflects back to the great years of 2006 and 1999. As the transition from 35mm to digital happens, look for new experiences as you enjoy your buttered popcorn.

Major Tech Trends Coming in 2012 – Waves of Tech Podcast netcaststudio.com/major-tech-tre…

— NetCast Studio (@NetCastStudio) December 22, 2011