The latest in Internet, website, gadget, and electronic trends.

Voluntarily Stalked

by Mika Ortega

December 13, 2006

In this day and age, privacy is highly cherished. With new light continually shed on strengthening passwords, securing online purchases, and locking your tech gadgets, it’s safe to say most people are concerned with keeping their information concealed. It’s interesting to note, however, that new mobile GPS systems are attracting quite a large number of customers who seem to be voluntarily giving information away. While this technology is fairly progressive, ironically it seems to be taking the tech world a step backward in the area of privacy.

Boost Mobile is now promoting their mobile GPS system, Loopt, which allows Boost Mobile users to track each other’s locations. Literally showing where users are on a map, people can see down to the street, ‘where you at,’ as the Boost Mobile slogan goes. Marguerite Reardon of CNET News reports, “While mobile operators see potential in offering location-based services, they've been concerned about privacy issues.” And for good reason, as stalking statistics in recent times are quite alarming. The fact that your location on this GPS system could potentially get into the wrong hands is definitely an issue with this type of service.

Taking a positive stance, Yahoo Tech reporter Dory Devlin says, “I've had a hunch that people who hadn't considered GPS before are doing so now, particularly for their parents and children.” Ideal for keeping tabs on the kids, parents can only hope that they’re the only ones watching. Companies offering GPS tracking services surely have good intentions, however the wrinkles must be worked out to keep customers from being unknowingly, yet voluntarily, stalked.

The latest in Internet, website, gadget, and electronic trends.

If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It – QWERTY vs. The Alternatives

by Mika Ortega

December 8, 2006

With everything good comes a number of copycats, wannabees, and people who simply want to reinvent the wheel. The QWERTY keyboard is no exception as a number of people have aimed to create a better typing layout. Despite the competition, though, C. L. Sholes’ QWERTY has stuck with us for over 130 years and looks like it’s here to stay.

Professor August Dvorak of Washington State University, perhaps the most popular of following inventors, created the Dvorak Keyboard Layout-“a more common-sense design,” as Yahoo Tech Reporter Dory Devlin states, “that placed some of the most commonly typed letters, including vowels, on the home row.” While it may ‘make sense,’ the idea of forcing a new layout into a world of people completely comfortable with the QWERTY layout is quite unreasonable. Similarly, putting it into practice in school systems as commonly suggested would only push a format not used by the mass population. In any case, this popular alternative is available for selection in many applications on both Macs and PCs.

Not so common, yet also widely praised, is the Type Matrix Ergonomic Keyboard. Placing the Caps, Backspace, and Enter buttons in the center, this flat keyboard claims increased typing accuracy and reduced injury. The site offers a free typing tutor for its layout and prides itself on the ergonomic features that make it so “exceptional.” While slightly different, this board still has the QWERTY letter order, which makes for easier adjustment.

A third alternative is that of New Standard Keyboards. Slightly lacking in originality, this company created a 53-key, colorful board with its letters being alphabetically ordered. Quite confident in their design, they plan to release a Mac compatible keyboard in the future.

Unless you’re a court reporter or Professor August Dvorak himself, most likely you’ve become accustomed to typing on a QWERTY keyboard. In fact, these days, you may even be accustomed to text messaging on one. This classic is one to keep because, as the saying goes, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Sources:

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/devlin/5711;_ylt=A9G_f.cpqXlFrukACSsWLpA5

http://www.newstandardkeyboards.com/

http://tech.yahoo.com/blog/devlin/404;_ylt=ArP4OrX.piuGe7hz9lnTUEgYLpA5

http://www.microsoft.com/enable/training/windowsxp/keyboardlayout.aspx

http://www.mit.edu/~jcb/Dvorak/

http://tech.yahoo.com/blog/devlin/2390;_ylt=Agg02VWIb8ihZPgvCKzvXyIYLpA5

http://www.typematrix.com/?key=Ci0L8R4jNNqSk0Mbe317

http://home.earthlink.net/~dcrehr/whyqwert.html

http://tech.yahoo.com/blog/devlin/2349;_ylt=AqDAqML_3iqhbOozqWXpgmMYLpA5