Author Archives: Kelly

Facebook Buys Instagram

By Kelly04/13/2012 Leave a comment
On April 9, Facebook announced a deal made with Instagram. Instagram agreed to be purchased by the social network for $1 billion, which will happen late in this quarter. The mobile photo-sharing app, Instagram, was recently valued at $500 million. So why did Facebook pay so much? There has been a lot of speculation surrounding this [...]
Posted in social media

Commercials, Apps & Super Bowl XLVI

By Kelly02/01/2012 Leave a comment
The Super Bowl is a great time to reflect on how much has changed over the past year (forget New Year’s!) Advertisers are willing to pay millions of dollars for a 30-second spot. Viewers across the country are actually paying attention (and looking forward to) the usually tuned-out commercials.  There is a football game in [...]
Posted in Uncategorized

Mobile predictions for 2012

By Kelly01/04/2012 Leave a comment
2011 was a big year for the mobile industry. In fact, 1.2 billion apps were downloaded in the last week of 2011. In one week’s time, app downloads have never before surpassed 1 billion. Over 3.7 million Android devices were activated during Christmas weekend. Mobile consumers have been busy! So what can we expect for mobile in 2012? A recent survey [...]
Posted in Mobile trends Tagged , , , , ,

Privacy concerns for cell phone users

By Kelly12/12/2011 1
Carrier IQ is software that tracks cell phone users’ activity. It has also been the focus of recent privacy concerns. As Carrier IQ hit the headlines, many cell phone users were hit with a reality check. The device that houses our personal information may also be housing software that tracks, stores and shares this information. Carrier IQ [...]
Posted in Uncategorized

The malls have eyes

By Kelly11/23/2011 Leave a comment
Footpath Technology is a tracking system that will be used in select U.S. malls this holiday season. The technology will track shoppers by assigning a unique number to each cell phone signal. Footpath Technology claims personal information, like shoppers’ names and cell phone numbers will not be tracked. What it does want to track is [...]
Posted in Holiday season, Privacy Tagged , , , ,

Hashtag Culture

By Kelly11/10/2011 Leave a comment
Hashtags are created by placing a pound sign (#) in front of a word or phrase. This symbol is primarily used to categorize tweets on Twitter. But what else are hashtags good for? Hashtags can clarify a message by putting it into context. People frequently communicate with text; Twitter is no exception. However, there is a small problem in communicating via words [...]
Posted in Uncategorized

Let’s put this waste to good use!

By Kelly10/27/2011 Leave a comment
Data centers use 1.3% of the world’s power. Half of the energy used in data centers is for the sole purpose of keeping computers and servers from overheating! That’s right. The energy required to keep computer chips cool matches the energy required for computing. If only there was a way to recycle this heat . . . An [...]
Posted in recycling Tagged , , , , , , ,

And the winner is . . .

By Kelly10/17/2011 Leave a comment
Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Google. Four powerful companies. They may have taken four different paths to get where they are today, but they are headed in the same direction. How will they fare when they go head to head? An article from fastcompany.com highlights what they call “The Great Tech War of 2012.” One thing is certain- [...]
Posted in Technology market share Tagged , , , , , , ,

Hopefully the Apple won’t fall too far

By Kelly10/06/2011 Leave a comment
It has been an eventful week for Apple. On Tuesday, Tim Cook had his first product launch as CEO with the iPhone 4S. The iPhone 4S evoked mixed reviews from the public. Many were hoping for the release of the iPhone 5 and were disappointed that the latest iPhone still featured the number 4. While there is no iPhone 5 (yet), a new voice [...]
Posted in Apple Tagged , , ,

Now that’s a smart window

By Kelly09/28/2011 Leave a comment
Keeping your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter can be an expensive undertaking. That’s why these “smart” windows created by South Korean scientists are so appealing! Smart windows switch from summer to winter mode depending on the outside temperature. When it’s hot outside, the windows change to a deep tint to block sunlight from [...]
Posted in Energy Efficiency Tagged , , ,