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Saturday, April 30, 2011

4 Lessons for Parents in a Constantly Connected World (Mashable) : Technet

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4 Lessons for Parents in a Constantly Connected World (Mashable) : Technet

4 Lessons for Parents in a Constantly Connected World (Mashable)

Posted: 30 Apr 2011 10:55 AM PDT

Soren Gordhamer Soren Gordhamer – Sat Apr 30, 1:55 pm ET

Soren Gordhamer is the organizer of the Wisdom 2.0 Conferences. Along with their annual event, they are also holding a Wisdom 2.0 Youth Conference for parents and others focused on supporting young people in the digital age. You can follow him at @SorenG on Twitter. Parenting in the age of social media is no easy endeavor.

[More from Mashable: 46 New Digital Media Resources You May Have Missed]

On the one hand, the web has allowed thousands of parents greater flexibility, either by working in traditional jobs from their home or starting and promoting their own businesses with the help of Facebook and Twitter. No longer needing to "go to work," parents can be at home and conduct business in their free time, while still being available to their kids.

On the other hand, living "constantly connected" as many of us do can result in less quality time with one's kids. While parents may physically be in a room, often their attention is elsewhere. In one tragic case, a 13-month old boy died in the bathtub while his mom was distracted playing games on Facebook. While this an extreme case, more parents are continuously pulled away by their ringing phone or the latest posts on Facebook or Twitter, resulting in less attention to their kids.

[More from Mashable: Seven Ways to Help Tornado Victims]

How do we find this balance of introducing children to the benefits of new technology, while maintaining and harnessing the power of direct human contact that no technology can replace? As a half-time single dad and social media professional, this is a huge challenge for me. Here's my take.

1. Share in the Game: "Dad, check this out!"

I realized recently that my son was often playing online games of which I was largely unaware. He would go to his computer, and me to my laptop (to have our designated "computer time"), without much contact. Not only was I oblivious to the game's content (and age-appropriateness, for that matter), but it also gave us very little to discuss later in the day.

I learned that the more I played or watched the game with him, the more context I had for discussing the game later that evening, including strategy, challenges and applications of the game to daily life. It then went from a distancing activity he did all by himself to an opportunity for dialogue and engagement.

2. Schedule Uninterrupted Time: "Mom, can you ever just focus on me?"

The challenge of living in an age of constant connectivity is that children often know that their parents' attention may be taken away at any moment. They start telling us an important event that happened at school that day, and in the middle of it our phone rings, and we immediately answer it, leaving them feeling uncared for and unacknowledged. While many of us need to be reachable via technology much of the day, it helps to set a time just for our children, when we put aside all text messages, phone calls and other communication.

MIT technology and society specialist Sherry Turkle has suggested that one of the best things you can do is to leave your cell phone at home every now and then so your children know your attention is directed toward them. One father at a technology company I visited some time back said that the most profound change he has made to deepen his connection to his kids was to not answer email, texts, or phone calls between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. each night. His kids know that time is for them.

3. Unplug Before Bed: "Dad, why are we both so tired?"

Most of us need to be connected for much of the day, but a recent study by the National Sleep Foundation indicates that engaging with technology late at night right before bed is harmful to both adults and children. In fact, 63% of Americans say their sleep needs are not being met during the week.

This is in part due to screens. Dr. Charles Czeisler, a professor of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital explains, "Artificial light exposure between dusk and the time we go to bed at night suppresses release of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin, enhances alertness and shifts circadian rhythms to a later hour -- making it more difficult to fall asleep."

The lesson: Engage in technology with your child early in the evening and leave the last hour to board games, reading and other activities. You will both have more energy and vitality the next day.

4. Start a Shared Technology Project: "Mom, let's do something together!"

One activity I have not done regularly -- but that I know other parents have and spoken highly of -- is to start a technology project with a child. This could be designing a website together, either for oneself or a particular cause that is important to the child, or developing a game on a site like Scratch from MIT.

This then makes technology a shared learning experience. Both parent and child get the experience of balancing one-on-one interaction with technology to create something together.

So, how much screen time is too much for children? The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting a child's use of TV, movies, video and computer games to no more than one or two hours a day.

Yet I know many parents who believe that more is fine. They realize that while none of us knows what our children will do for work in the future, we can be pretty sure of this: It will involve technology. Kids today will likely be creating apps and websites that we cannot even imagine.

Finding this balance with technology is no easy task, and many parents I know feel a certain guilt that they are not more fully present with their kids amid a continually connected lifestyle. Yet technology offers engagement and learning for young people like never before -- whether that be through social media, unfettered access to knowledge or sites like Khan Academy, which provides more structured math and science lessons to anyone who wants them, free of charge.

I haven't met anyone who has truly achieved this balance, but it is a noble endeavor. In the end, the real challenge is less about technology and more about ensuring quality time with children. If we don't achieve this, we may wake up one day and realize that our children are all grown up and that the opportunities to engage, live and learn with them are largely gone.

Interested in more Social Media resources? Check out Mashable Explore, a new way to discover information on your favorite Mashable topics.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, aphrodite74

This story originally published on Mashable here.

46 New Digital Media Resources You May Have Missed (Mashable)

Posted: 30 Apr 2011 09:38 AM PDT

Zachary Sniderman Zachary Sniderman – Sat Apr 30, 12:38 pm ET

Congratulations everyone, we officially made it through a royal wedding. Anyone with access to a computer inevitably heard about Prince William and Kate Middleton (finally) getting hitched. With all the hubbub, we understand if you had to miss one or two resources. We're back with another roundup of tools and resources published over the past week or so. We have stories on Amazon's hiring spree, the new SEC regulations, a PR pro's guide to blogging, and even a look at the next breed of robotic pets.

[More from Mashable: Royal Wedding Snapshot: Who Got the Most Buzz? [INFOGRAPHIC]]

Looking for even more social media resources? This guide appears every weekend, and you can check out all the lists-gone-by here any time.

Editors' Picks

Social Media

For more social media news and resources, you can follow Mashable's social media channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

[More from Mashable: Square Sets New Record: $2M Processed in One Day]

Tech & Mobile

For more tech news and resources, you can follow Mashable's tech channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Business & Marketing

For more business news and resources, you can follow Mashable's business channel on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

Image courtesy of WebTreats Etc.

This story originally published on Mashable here.

Making Sense of Streaming Media Options (PC World)

Posted: 30 Apr 2011 06:12 AM PDT

Tony Bradley Tony Bradley – Sat Apr 30, 9:12 am ET

Hulu Plus debuted yesterday on the Xbox 360, and HBO launched its HBO Go app for iPhone and iPad. It is quickly getting to the point where anything you can watch on traditional cable or satellite TV can also be watched via streaming from the Internet, but for now the options can be a bit confusing and intimidating.

Between services like NetFlix and Hulu Plus, and the lineup of streaming content from channel-specific sites and apps like ABC, CBS, and HBO, it seems like you can get virtually all of your visual entertainment streamed over the Internet, and just abandon traditional cable and satellite TV. But, choose carefully because no single streaming media option has it all.

I currently have AT&T Uverse for my home television entertainment. I pay some astronomical amount of money (like nearly $120 per month) for the ultimate package Uverse has to offer--the U450. For my $120 I get about 370 channels to choose from, including 50 or so premium channels. Granted, many of those 370 channels are just HD duplicates of standard definition channels, and most of the premium channel options are just variations of HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, and Starz.

When it comes down to it, it's probably really less than 300 unique channels. But, do you know how many channels I actually use on a monthly basis? I don't know for sure, but I would guess that it's less than 10.

I could save myself a ton of money by ditching cable and just using streaming options, right? Well, yes--except that I first have to figure out which streaming services I need in order to see the shows and movies I want, and some of the shows I like may not be available at all which might make me regret giving up my old-fashioned cable TV.

Netflix seems to be everywhere, and has established itself as the de facto leader of streaming media. You can watch Netflix content on virtually anything from set-top units like Apple TV, to Internet-enabled TVs, to mobile devices like an iPhone or iPad, to gaming consoles like the Xbox 360 or Nintendo Wii.

Netflix service starts at only $7.99 per month, and provides access to a massive library of movie and TV show content. But, Netflix doesn't offer content from the current season, and it has been shunned by some networks with original content like HBO and Showtime.

Enter Hulu Plus. Where Netflix is the king of streaming movies and legacy TV series, Hulu Plus fills the void for current TV content. With Hulu Plus, I can still watch my favorite shows like The Office. The catch is that I can't watch it until the day after it airs on TV, though.

I have an issue with the fact that I have to pay a subscription fee, and yet still have to watch commericials. On the other hand, "commercial free" pay channels like HBO and Showtime actually show more commercials it seems--they're just all for their own content. There is also a problem with the fact that, although Fox is supported on Hulu Plus, American Idol episodes are not available, and CBS doesn't play with Hulu Plus at all so no Big Bang Theory.

So, now I have $7.99 a month going to Netflix in order to watch movies, and another $7.99 going to Hulu Plus so I can watch current shows, but I still can't see American Idol, Big Bang Theory, or current original HBO content like Game of Thrones.

The HBO Go app does let me see current HBO content, but only if I am a paying subscriber to the traditional HBO network, which means I have to maintain my cable TV subscription in order to get access to the streaming HBO content. And, there is a TV.com app for iOS which does provide some CBS content--like 60 Minutes and Hawaii Five-O--but still doesn't have Big Bang Theory.

I am sure I could save a ton of money by abandoning my Uverse subscription and just using streaming media. But, with my old-fashioned cable TV I don't have to try and figure out which service or app to use to get to the movie or show I want, or miss out completely on some content. I just pick up the remote and it's all there.

Still, I could cut down to the base Uverse package and subscribe to HBO, then subscribe to both Netflix and Hulu Plus, and get access to the vast majority of what I want to watch for less than half of what I am paying now.

Android smartphones winning over 'app' makers (AFP)

Posted: 30 Apr 2011 09:21 PM PDT

by Glenn Chapman Glenn Chapman – 23 mins ago

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Google is the new darling of software wizards out to cash-in on the world's love for customizing smartphones with fun, hip or functional applications.

Developers once obsessed with "apps" for Apple's hot-selling iPhones are touting creations tailored for smartphones built on the Google-backed Android platform.

"In the past seven months, Android has become the de facto second platform out there that people are developing for," AppNation chairman Drew Ianni told AFP during the gathering of software entrepreneurs this week in San Francisco.

"I think there is a general wait-and-see interest regarding platforms outside of Apple iOS and Android," he added.

Mobile platforms being watched by developers include BlackBerry, Microsoft Windows Phone 7 and Hewlett-Packard's webOS.

Ianni expected smartphones based on Microsoft or HP software to increase in allure as they gain traction in the market.

"We need a third platform that is viable, otherwise it is going to be the Android show," Urban Airship chief executive Scott Kveton said after taking part in an AppNation panel.

"Android is growing at a phenomenal rate," he continued. "I'm afraid it is going to be Android running away with it."

Urban Airship provides tools that help developers make money from smartphone programs. Early in April the Oregon-based company added a feature allowing people to make purchases inside Android applications.

"Increasingly, people are finding it a good investment to build for Android and build for tablets and we are trying to support them," Google director of mobile Americas Jason Spero said after an on-stage chat at AppNation.

Android's share of the US smartphone market has surged this year while BlackBerry's sunk, according to recent figures from industry tracker comScore.

Android commanded a third of the market, while BlackBerry ranked second with 29 percent and Apple third with 25 percent, comScore reported.

"Almost everyone developing for iPhone has moved on to Android," said Mario Tapia, director of mobile products at application store GetJar and coordinator of a Mobile Mondays social group for developers in Silicon Valley.

"At the end of the day, it is about distribution," he added. "You move to where the audience is."

Apple had slightly more that 333,000 iPhone applications in its App Store in March, but Google's Android Market boasted 206,000 "apps" and was growing fast, according to figures from industry tracker Distimo.

"The Android Market is going to take over as biggest application store in terms of quantity of apps in about five months," Distimo researchers concluded.

Distimo predicted that Apple's App Store would be relegated to second place, followed by Windows Phone 7 Marketplace and BlackBerry App World.

Windows Phone 7 Marketplace had about 12,000 applications in March while Nokia Ovi Store had 30,000 and BlackBerry had 27,000, according to Distimo.

Distimo expected Windows 7 Marketplace to leap ahead of BlackBerry and Ovi by October.

"If Apple has 150 million iOS devices out there it is almost a no-brainer, you write for iOS," said analyst Tim Bajarin of Creative Strategies.

"You see Android coming up the line, and that is almost a no-brainer," he continued. "Where it becomes tougher is making the next step to go after webOS or BlackBerry or whatever with limited money and talent."

Independent application operations typically have only a few, if not just one, software developer, according to Bajarin.

Finding ways to get noticed and make money in a sea of more than 600,000 smartphone applications were hot topics at AppNation.

Attendance at the event grew to 1,700 this year from 1,100 at its premier in San Francisco last year. The number of exhibitors grew to 210 from 80.

Opera Mobile Store that spans more than 200 countries launched an "Appcelerator" program at AppNation to help developers promote and profit from software creations.

"The apps here are great," said Opera Software consumer mobile executive vice president Mahi de Silva. "You are seeing the tip of the iceberg in innovation."

Advertisers are increasingly tuning into the potential to target consumers on smartphones and tablet computers.

"There is no question that ultimately, this is probably the most powerful vehicle for ads that we've ever had," Bajarin said. "Television was obviously significant but if I can do location-based services tied to ads this changes the dynamics of advertising completely."

Mobile ads are more effective for advertisers and can translate into more money for developers, according to Lisa Abramson, director of marketing at mobile video ad network Rhythm New Media.

"Consumers love free and the best way to monetize that is through advertising," Abramson said.

Developers can also make money from in-application transactions, selling virtual goods, or simply charging for software.

"It becomes a collage of monetization mechanisms," Spero said. "Each developer has to be an expert on what their audience has a tolerance for."

Verizon to Warn Cellphone Buyers on Tracking Data (PC World)

Posted: 30 Apr 2011 09:02 AM PDT

Keir Thomas Keir Thomas – Sat Apr 30, 12:02 pm ET

Verizon will put a peel-off sticker on the screen of cellphones it sells, warning that the user's location may be tracked. The sticker also advises users to be careful which apps they install if they wish to avoid location information being shared with third parties.

The move isn't in response to the recent location-tracking scandal surrounding Apple iPhone and Google Android phones; it's a Verizon initiative that has been planned for some time. It was revealed in a written response from Verizon to the House Bipartisan Privacy Caucus (PDF link), which had written to the four major mobile companies last month after learning that a German mobile operator tracked users' locations.

Verizon also revealed that it holds personally identifying data, including location details, for up to seven years. This in itself is astonishing. Do you know where you were on, say, Nov. 21, 2008? Verizon does, if you were using one of its handsets equipped with GPS, such as the popular Samsung Omnia or BlackBerry Storm phones, released around that time.

Of the other mobile carriers, AT&T says it'll hold location data for anywhere from a few days to five years, while Sprint says it'll hold it for five years. T-Mobile would only say it "retains personal information for only as long as we have a business need, or as applicable laws, regulations or government orders require."

The discovery that the iPhone tracks user locations in a system file has brought forth a storm of protest from users as well as politicians, who have suddenly peeked behind the magic curtain and realized that cellphones are essentially tracking devices that we willingly carry with us wherever we go.

Users have three bogeymen to fear: mobile carriers that track users via cellphone towers and/or GPS information; cellphone manufacturers that use GPS functions built in to the operating system to track users; and third-party app makers that use location information as part of their service but who might also retain the information for other purposes.

The good news is that lawmakers are starting to get a grip on the situation, with Senator Al Franken of Minnesota boasting Thursday that representatives from both Apple and Google will testify at a congressional hearing next month on consumer privacy and smartphones. Whether this will lead to legislation is another matter. For the moment at least, users should pay close attention to end-user license agreements, particularly when installing new apps, and also regularly check their handset settings to ensure their phone is keeping their location private.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Meet the Members: Zoe Platek (@diablolita) (Appolicious)

Posted: 30 Apr 2011 10:00 AM PDT

Sony Exec to Address PlayStation Network Outage (PC World)

Posted: 30 Apr 2011 02:01 PM PDT

Paul Suarez Paul Suarez – Sat Apr 30, 5:01 pm ET

Sony announced today that the head of its gaming division will make a statement Sunday afternoon Tokyo Time to address the PlayStation Network outage.

Kazuo Hirai, executive deputy president, will brief the media on Sony's investigation into the security breach, PSN security measures, and service restoration plans at a news conference scheduled for 2 p.m. Tokyo Time (10 p.m. tonight Pacific Time).

The conference will undoubtedly draw a lot of attention despite its hour, especially after numerous agencies, including the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Congress and officials at Taiwan's capital, Taipei have expressed concern about the security issues involved in the downing of the PlayStation Network and Qriocity online services.

The conference could also be a turning point for Hirai, Sony's number two man.

Earlier this year, Hirai was said to be at the top of the list to take over Sony when Howard Stringer retires. At the time, Stringer said the decision wasn't final and that Hirai will continue to be judged based on his performance.

Earlier this week, he didn't seem to be doing so well.

Hirai, who runs Sony's consumer products and services group, appeared in front of the press on Tuesday to announce the company's first tablet PC. He failed to mention anything about the PSN outage.

The irony, as Martyn Williams of the IDG News Service pointed out earlier this week, was that Hirai "took the stage five days to the hour since the PlayStation Network was taken offline."

A few hours after his appearance Sony released a statement confirming that personal information, including names, addresses, birth dates, and e-mail addresses were compromised after the hack which led to the network takedown.

The conference on Sunday will give Hirai a chance to level with the media and public about the security breach and service outage. It will also test his ability to perform under the pressure of what is shaping up to be one of the largest PR problems the company has ever faced.

For more information on the outage, check out PC World's PlayStation Network Hack Timeline. See also "PlayStation Network Security Breach: A Survival Guide."

Getting to know the makers of “the unofficial Facebook iPad app” (Appolicious)

Posted: 30 Apr 2011 06:00 AM PDT

White iPhone 4 is Thicker Than Black Model (PC World)

Posted: 30 Apr 2011 07:47 AM PDT

Daniel Ionescu Daniel Ionescu – Sat Apr 30, 10:47 am ET

After 10 months of delays, the white iPhone 4 has arrived, and at closer inspection it turns out it's not only late, but also thicker than its black sibling. The difference is very small, 0.2 millimeters to be more precise, but it's enough to give headaches to some users who would find their cases wouldn't fit on the white iPhone 4.

Ryan Cash, who posted comparison shots of the two models on his blog, first noticed the difference in thickness between the white and black iPhone 4. He didn't measure the devices, but the difference is noticeable with the naked eye. Then, the TiPb blog took the measurements and elucidated the mystery: indeed, the white iPhone 4 is 0.2 millimeters thicker than the black one.

The difference, from roughly 9.3mm thickness of the black iPhone to 9.5mm of the white model, doesn't come from the steel frame of the device, but from the white glass part on the front of the device. Apple doesn't list any difference in thickness on its website between the white and black iPhone 4.

Apple did not explain why the white iPhone 4 is thicker, but this could have something to do with why the device was delayed for 10 months. In an interview this week, Apple CEO Steve Jobs and Senior VP Phil Schiller said the white coloring of the white iPhone caused issues with manufacturing the model, so the extra thickness could be a result of this process.

Those who don't use a case for their white iPhone 4 should have no problems with the extra thickness. But the situation is slightly more intricate if you want to use a case, as most of them are designed to fir snugly on the 9.3mm black iPhone 4. Initial tests indicate that Apple's bumper cases, and most cases that aren't subject to depth will still fit the thicker white iPhone 4, but if you plan on buying a case for your shiny new white iPhone 4, it would be best to check if it fits first.

Follow Daniel Ionescu and Today @ PCWorld on Twitter

India's Infosys names banker as new chairman (AFP)

Posted: 30 Apr 2011 09:48 AM PDT

by Gulab Chand Gulab Chand – Sat Apr 30, 12:48 pm ET

BANGALORE, India (AFP) – Infosys on Saturday named a prominent banker to take charge of India's second-largest software exporter as the firm struggles to boost performance in the face of slow global recovery.

Infosys Technologies appointed K.V. Kamath chairman to replace N.R. Narayana Murthy, who has held the post since helping to found the software giant based in India's southern technology hub Bangalore three decades ago.

Murthy is to retire from the position at the age of 65 in August as part of a shake-up in the company's top management.

Kamath, 63, previously headed India's largest private bank, ICICI.

"I am so happy he will be steering the company in the future," Murthy told a news conference as he announced the appointment, which he said had been a unanimous choice.

Kamath, who has been an independent director on the Infosys board since May 2009, takes the helm as India's flagship outsourcing sector faces challenges from a slow recovery in Europe and the United States and currency volatility.

Infosys said S.D. Shibulal, now chief operating officer, would become chief executive, replacing S. Gopalakrishnan, who will become executive co-chairman.

Murthy, who helped pioneer India's outsourcing industry, will serve as chairman emeritus of the company, which will be realigned into four new broad business groups to create a leaner structure, executives said.

"I accept this position with the deepest humility," Kamath said, paying tribute to Murthy as someone who built a company "with integrity and defined that as a core value".

"No-one can replace N.R. Narayana Murthy," Kamath, who will retain his current post as non-executive chairman of ICICI Bank, told reporters. "What he did for Infosys epitomised the spirit of the new India."

New chief executive Shibulal said: "Our aspiration is to build a 'gen-next' global corporation."

Infosys, regarded as a bellwether for the $60 billion Indian export-focused outsourcing sector, was established by Murthy and six other entrepreneurs in 1981 with an investment of just $250.

US and other foreign firms, drawn by India's vast, educated English-speaking workforce and labour costs that are lower than in the West, have farmed out a range of jobs from answering bank client calls to processing insurance claims.

But the appointment comes after Infosys reported fiscal fourth-quarter earnings in April that disappointed investors and gave a weak outlook for the current financial year.

For the fourth quarter ended March 31, the company posted a consolidated net profit of 18.18 billion rupees, up from 16.00 billion a year earlier.

While net profit rose 14 percent, analysts had expected a bigger rise as the previous year's earnings had been hit by the fallout from the global financial crisis.

The financial results triggered a plunge in Infosys' share price as investors punished what they considered a poor performance as well as a weak earnings outlook.

Analysts have said an expected rise in the value of the Indian rupee, an expensive wage bill and the slowdown in developed markets are likely to pull down the company's earnings.
at 9:44 PM

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