| Lack of Facebook could lead to withdrawal symptoms Posted: 03 Jan 2011 03:51 AM PST Posted by Devina Divecha on Mon 3 Jan 2011 What happens when you give up technology for 24 hours? According to research, avoiding technology like mobile phones, internet, television and radio can lead to withdrawal symptoms akin to those experienced by drug addicts trying to beat the addiction.
An international experiment called Unplugged was conducted, in which 125 students of Bournemouth University participated as part of the UK team. Twelve universities around the world took part in this experiment, with 24 hours without technology.
Volunteers had to stay away from emails, texts, Facebook and Twitter, television, radio and newspapers for 24 hours. As a result, they began to show symptoms seen in smokers who were trying to give up.
Participants likened the experience to going cold turkey on a drug habit or going on a diet.
This condition now has a name - Information Deprivation Disorder.
The scientists conducting the experiment saw psychological as well as physical symptoms of withdrawal. Apparently, it was the lack of music that most people found the toughest to deal with.
The research was conducted by the University of Maryland's International Centre for Media and the Public Agenda.
Have you ever tried giving up the internet, newspapers, or music for a whole day? Our Twitter and Facebook pages are waiting to hear what happened. Keep following us for updates on all things tech.
Via: The Telegraph
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| Updated Android Marketplace has arrived Posted: 03 Jan 2011 03:02 AM PST Posted by Devina Divecha on Mon 3 Jan 2011 Google has released a more visually appealing Android marketplace for users The official Android developers blog released a post a few weeks back talking about the changes in the Android Marketplace that would be incoming. The Android Marketplace's newer and visually appealing version is now hopping its way across phones running Android 1.6 and higher.
What's new? Well the interface on the home page is considerably different. There's a new carousel on the home and category pages, so users and quickly roll through it to view promoted apps and immediately head over to a chosen app's download page.
Widgets and live wallpapers now have their own categories. In addition, Android gamers will be pleased as Google is increasing the size of .apk files to 50MB. Users can also access all the app information on a single page, with app content ratings to be introduced.
However, the refund window on the Android Market is now brought down to 15 minutes from 24 hours, so if you decide you want to return a paid app, you should do it quickly.
According to the post on the Android developers blog, "This new Market client introduces important features that improve merchandising of applications, streamline the browse-to-purchase experience, and make it easier for developers to distribute their applications."
What are your thoughts on the new look of the Android Marketplace? Tell us at our Twitter and Facebook pages and follow us for your regular dose of tech news.
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| Are the iPhone alarms working on January 3? Posted: 03 Jan 2011 02:20 AM PST Posted by Devina Divecha on Mon 3 Jan 2011 The confusion over the iPhone alarm continues... The Apple iPhones using a version of iOS 4 were affected by a bug which prevented the alarms from ringing on the first two days of the New Year.
According to reports, the bug was affecting single alarms that were set to go off on 1 January and/or 2 January. Apple seemed to be aware of the issue, and advised users to set recurring alarms for either day which would allow the phone's alarm to go off.
It was also reported that the bug would disappear of its own accord by 3 January.
However, many Twitter users are reporting that their alarm clock did not go off today as they had hoped. A search for "iPhone" and "alarm" on Twitter will reveal many disappointed iPhone users who fully expected to wake up this morning on time.
Though we should point out, there are a number of tweets reporting their alarms did go off today, so there seems to be a chasm between the two groups.
Apple hasn't commented on this yet, and the mystery of the silent alarm clocks, and why they're ringing for some and not for others, continues.
The alarm clock issue isn't exactly a new one - Apple's alarm clock failed to go off for some users when the Daylight Saving Time kicked in two months ago.
Did you iPhone alarm go off today? Tell us your story at T3's Twitter and Facebook pages and stay tuned in for the latest tech news.
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| Amazon Kindle e-book lending lands Posted: 03 Jan 2011 01:22 AM PST Posted by Devina Divecha on Mon 3 Jan 2011 Yet another reason to start reading e-books? Amazon hinted earlier this year that e-book lending would become a reality in the world of Kindle, and the concept has finally come to fruition.
With the Kindle 3 already Amazon's best-selling product, users are being enticed into the e-book lifestyle with their latest Kindle e-book lending scheme.
Owners of e-books can lend their purchases out to anyone you choose, even if they don't have a Kindle. The e-book can be read on any of the Kindle apps for the PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, BlackBerry or Android, but they need to remember that they have 14 days to read it before the loan period ends.
Currently only a selection of e-books can be loaned, due to rights issues and publishers' decisions to opt in to the program, and can be loaned only once every two weeks. In addition, the person lending the book cannot read it while it is loaned to their friend.
Books which are eligible for the scheme will have "Lending: Enabled" showing in their product details.
Currently, the service is only available for Amazon.com, but it's expected to reach other territories early this year. Amazon says, "At this time, Kindle book lending can only be initiated by customers residing in the United States. If a loan is initiated to a customer outside the United States, the borrower may not be able to accept the loan if the title is not available in their country due to publisher geographical rights."
Do you think e-book lending would harm the paperback industry? Weigh in at T3's Twitter and Facebook pages and follow us for regular updates on all things tech.
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