Continue reading UK Advertising Authority smacks Motorola for misleading Atrix advert (video)

UK Advertising Authority smacks Motorola for misleading Atrix advert (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 15:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s a tension at the heart of web working. Technology allows us to do our jobs nearly anywhere, and there’s plenty of appetite for the flexibility of location independence. GigaOM Pro research (subscription required) found that 34 percent of those whose business allows telecommuting opt to spend time at home, out in the community or with customers.

But while workers want autonomy and flexibility, they also want social connection. In an interview, Yosh Beier of Collaborative Coaching summed this up, saying, “people want to have control over the where and when of their work experience, but they don’t necessarily want to isolate themselves.” How will this tension be resolved in the future?

Many point to technology to keep people connected across physical distance, tools “that will make the remote less remote,” in Beier’s words. He points to the mania for Foursquare in the consumer space as an example of people who are physically distant but use tech to “locate themselves.” The same is true for Facebook, which provides a virtual social connection and is a bit like a remote social gathering. Beier sees this trend of using tech to overcome the social isolation of web-enabled distance moving from consumers to web workers:

People actually get a kick out of locating themselves. They want to know where their colleagues are. There will be more programs like Sococo. The idea is to have a virtual office on your screen. You see your virtual coworkers located in their “office” room, can “walk” to their room, when in the same room the mics let you talk and listen seamlessly, you have conference rooms with whiteboards, water coolers and tea kitchens for those in need of small talk, etc. People’s real location doesn’t matter, but they choose to locate themselves in respect to the virtual office so the team cohesion is supported.

But instead of substituting virtual spaces for real ones (the Matrix model), some folks are focusing on substituting virtual selves for physical presence and meeting in real spaces (the Avatar model). Just look at our recent piece on robot avatars you can send to work or events in your stead and control over the Internet. Commenters on the post were skeptical, but Trevor Blackwell, CEO of Anybots (he’s also a partner in Y Combinator), which makes the robo-avatars pictured above, insisted in an interview that the idea wasn’t science fiction:

The thing that’s far-fetched is robots with their own intelligence. Who knows if general purpose A.I. is ever going to happen? But robots that can move around in an office and be used as communication devices isn’t science fiction at all. Now we’re getting to the point where you can do it over a much larger distance because you can just do it over the internet, and the cost is low enough and reliability is high enough that it makes sense to do every day in an office.

Our goal is to have 100,000 of these out there in five years.

Of course, both technologies boil down to an extension of video conferencing, with the likes of Sococo adding the possibility of spontaneity and easy initiation of contact, and robot avatars offering mobility and the ability to inspect locations. Still, whichever technological future you favor, there will still be a screen between you and your fellow humans.

Will these technologies help us balance our desire for flexibility and autonomy with our need for social connection?

Image courtesy Flickr user Robert Scoble

Related content from GigaOM Pro (subscription req’d):

• The Future of Workplaces
• The Future of Work Platforms: An Overview
• Strategic Implications of the Microsoft/Skype Deal

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The crowd of internet forums has changed several times throughout the life of the internet. First they were filled mainly by the techies. Just those who were true computer geeks could figure out the software and hardware combination required to connect with the internet and find the chat rooms that were most widely used. All else were excluded due to the time and understanding requirements that were present during the early stages of the internet.

As time moved on, the audience changed. Middle aged people started to discover that the internet could be very useful for communication. As these people get older, more and more older people can use the internet effectively for communication. Internet chat rooms can be very beneficial for seniors, providing the social conversation they need in order to remain healthy and happy throughout their gold years.

Communication as well as companionship

At times seniors can be forced into isolation, whether it be due to health problems or simply their own friends and family moving away. Although phones are typically how people connect over long distances, the internet makes it far easier and simple to get touching their friends. Sometimes a bit of communication is it takes to help keep seniors in touch with the world as well as feeling good regarding their lives.

Maintaining in touch with family

When you start going up in years, priorities tend to change. Things tend to matter much less than these people used to and you often find that your family is everything really matters to you.  Giving the elderly the ability to keep up with their family can help to keep up their spirits.  A fast chat on the internet will go a long way in their lives.

A way to pass time

One thing that many seniors have problems with is simply monotony. With no job and frequently being left in order to fend for themselves, it is not uncommon for many elderly people to find themselves bored stiff.  Using the internet to chat, even when it is not with family, can help them to pass the time and keep your mind busy. Maintaining in touch with friends and family is one of the things that should not be shunned as time pass, and the internet is a perfect tool  for this type of communication.

Coby CVE92 Isolation Stereo Earphones

• In-ear isolation design blocks background noise
• Super Lightweight Slim Design
• Soft Ear Cup Design for Maximum Comfort
• High-performance 10mm drivers for deep bass sound
• 3.5mm L-shape stereo plug

Coby Electronics is a manufacturer of quality consumer electronics products designed to deliver outstanding performance for value conscious consumers who do not compromise on product performance. Coby incorporates new designs with innovative technologies to produce great looking and great performing consumer electronics products. Product features: High-Performance 15mm Neodymium drivers for super bass sound; super lightweight slim design; “Soft Ear” earbud design for maximum comfort.

Rating: (out of 703 reviews)

List Price: $ 14.99

Price: $ 2.49

To find the right headphones for yourself, it’s best to know the basic features. Listed below are the most important terms you will need to consider before finding the perfect pair of headphones.

Bass

Even at its very best, headphone bass is never the sort of pants-flapping, sock-it-to-your-gut experience you literally feel from massive speakers or subwoofers. Those systems’ bass is as much felt by your body as heard by your ears. Earbuds are tiny and portable, but, except for a couple of high-end models, they can’t compete with full-size, over-the-ear headphones for deep bass response or visceral dynamic range. As with speakers, headphones need at least 10 hours of vigorous use before they sound their best.

Sealed or open?

Sealed headphones (the noise-isolating, in-ear models or the full-size ear-cup designs) acoustically isolate your ears from your environment. Of course, the degree of isolation varies from one pair of headphones to another, and the seal limits the leakage of the headphone’s sound out to the room. Sealed models are ideal for private listening, where you don’t want the sound to be heard by other people. Open headphones, such as foam ear-pad models and many sports designs, are acoustically transparent and allow outside sound to be heard by the headphone wearer, and a good deal of the headphone’s sound will be audible to anyone near the listener.

Sealed headphones block outside noise.

Open-backed headphones allow external noise to reach your ears.

Generally speaking, such headphones produce better, more “open” and speakerlike sound than sealed designs. Precisely because they don’t block out everything from the outside world, open-backed headphones are recommended for outdoor activities, such as jogging, that require awareness of your environment.

Comfort and weight

Assessing sound quality is always a subjective exercise, but the only way to judge comfort is to put on a set of ‘phones and listen for at least 10 minutes. Do the ear pads exert too much pressure on your ears? Headphones that enclose or cover your ears can get uncomfortably hot, but you’ll have to wear them for a while to find out. Some of the bigger sealed models with cushy leatherette pads are the worst offenders. Pro-style headphones are comparatively bulky and can feel uncomfortably heavy after hours of use. Lighter headband-style headphones are almost always more comfortable than heavier ones. And even if they’re not, they’re less of a hassle to carry around.

Durability

There’s no reason a headphone should be treated as disposable technology. Unlike almost everything else in the realm of consumer electronics, this year’s headphones won’t be obsolete six months or a year from now. In fact, there’s no reason a good pair of headphones can’t last for the better part of a decade. Be sure to assess the build quality of your prospective headphones. Some earbuds and portable headphones are relatively fragile, for instance. If the headphones fold up for easy storage, are the hinges robust, or will they fall apart in a month or two? And consider that the ear pads and earbuds will get extensive wear and tear over the life of the headphones; while some models incorporate replaceable ear pads or ear tips, most do not.

Portability

Earbuds and lithe portables travel well, but those styles and ergonomics aren’t for everyone. Despite their relative bulk, many airline travelers prefer large, full-size headphones that fully cover the ears. But some larger headphones travel more easily than others. Frequent flyers will want to look for collapsible headbands and folding ear cups when seeking out larger headphone models. Similarly, many headphones include customized carrying cases, which travel better than, say, wrapping your headphone cables around your iPod.

Cable dressing and length

Most stereo headphones have just one cable, usually attached to the left earpiece. Some models, and all earbuds, use a Y-cable that connects to both earpieces (double-sided). The actual cable plug, meanwhile, is usually one of two designs: a straight I-plug or an angled L-plug; the latter may be useful if your portable player has a side- or bottom-mounted headphone jack.

Single-sided headphone cables cut wire clutter in half.

Double-sided headphone cables can be tangle-prone.

Preferences for the length of headphone cables vary for portable users, especially depending on where you prefer to wear your device: a backpack or a pants pocket necessitates a longer cable, while you’ll opt for a short one when wearing a player on a neck lavalier or an armband. But a cable length at either extreme need not be a fatal flaw: extension cables can lengthen those that are too short, and cable wraps can tighten up ones that are too long.

Frequency response

Frequency-response specifications in full-size loudspeakers are generally pretty useless in predicting sound quality, but headphone frequency-response numbers are even worse. Manufacturers have routinely exaggerated frequency-response figures to the point that they’re irrelevant. Even the flimsiest, cheap headphones routinely boast extremely low bass-response performance, 15Hz or 20Hz, but almost always sound lightweight and bright. Generally, bass buffs will be happier sticking with larger headphones.

Total harmonic distortion

True, headphones with lower actual total harmonic distortion (THD) will sound better than ‘phones with higher THD. But the quoted THD numbers, “less than 1 percent”, aren’t helpful in predicting sound quality. Listen to recordings of simply recorded acoustic guitar to assess the distortion of one set of headphones vs. another. Some will sound appreciably cleaner than others.

Impedance

Generally speaking, the lower the headphones’ electrical impedance (aka resistance), the easier it is to get higher volume. But here again, the low impedance is no guarantee of high volume capability; other factors can still limit loudness potential. Since many MP3 players have feeble power output, the iPod is a notable exception, smart shoppers should check the loudness before purchasing any pair of headphones. To be sure, listen with your player.

Source: www.cnet.com

TV Ears is a wireless headset that allows anyone to listen to television audio in isolation.

Originally posted at 2010 CES