News Report 9/28

There is a new tablet PC competitor that is making its way into the marketplace. The RIM Blackberry PlayBook is a 5x7 inch tablet with a Blackberry operating system that supports Adobe Flash 10.1, WebKit, Java, Open GL, and Adobe Air and several different video formats. There are front and back facing cameras, and an HDMI output, appealing to consumers who aren’t getting those features on the current IPad. This PC is said to be “professional” going hand in hand with the BlackBerry smartphones. One can actually connect their smartphone to the PC via Bluetooth and transfer their cellular data to the tablet. Both the battery life and price are yet to be established. Several wonder whether there will have to be a contract or carrier agreement as with the BlackBerry phones and have projected the price to be anywhere from $500-$1,000. Even with the features it is hard to compete with Apple’s lower priced, longer lasting tablet.

I think that it is a tough market to try and enter after such a distinguished niche brand released a popular tablet computer. The extra features make it more of a computer which I think is both interesting and appealing. The synching capabilities with the BlackBerry smartphone will be convenient for professional users of the products. The cameras and HD features of the PlayBook will also set it apart from competition, but it will be interesting to see what happens if this is launched around the time that the IPad will release their camera model. The PlayBook has a sleek design and its interface looks easy to use so it may to fairly well in the market.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-20017803-1.html?tag=mncol#ixzz10qRoIHJW

News Report #2

YouTube Tests Live Video Streaming Platform by Alison Diana http://www.informationweek.com/news/infrastructure/traffic_management/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=227400233&subSection=News

YouTube has come out with a new live streaming feature for their already extremely popular video viewing site. The new platform allows users to cast live videos, all they need is a webcam and internet connection. YouTube is testing this platform for two days to see if it is successful enough to launch full time. There are already a couple of live streaming sites out there: Ustream, Justin.tv, and Livestream, each successful and backed by strong companies. YouTube will start out testing simple things like a how-to video, a tony hawk video, and a movie talk show. There has even been talk of Google distributing pay-per-view video on YouTube.

I honestly am surprised that this element has not already been introduced to the YouTube platform family. I think that it is something that users will respond positively to. The launch test, however, I had not heard of until this article. I do not frequent YouTube and after reading about it, visited the site where the launch is in fact advertised and there are links to example live videos currently streaming. I’m not sure if two days is long enough, but we’ll see. The thought of pay-per-view video on YouTube may work depending on the content. A lot of people are pretty serious about what they need to not miss and this could help them out in a mobile sense. I just don’t understand why How-to videos need to be live. The article didn’t say if the live casting is available to all users or just the YouTube appointed webisode type things.

Wikipedia seems to be slowing down in terms of popularity growth. The website seems to be reaching its peak of contributions from the general public. The encyclopedia-esque site has seen hundreds of thousands of edits since its creation five years ago but not so many in the recent past. The people who started the site are worried and think that Wikipedia will be obsolete in five to ten years. At its first introduction, Wikipedia was being filled up with information by him, her, and whoever. Nowadays, however, there are Wikipedia-elitist types who have the website under a proverbial lock and key. Whatever edits are made, if they are not accurate or backed up or perfect, they will probably not even make it to the web. The only edits that seem to be left are those involving punctuation, wording, and grammar issues. The site creators think that this lack of addition and upkeep will make the site die.

I have to disagree with the owners of Wikipedia. Yes, it is true that less people have been making edits to the site. I personally don’t know one person who has even attempted to edit a Wikipedia page, but I do know several people who visit Wikipedia to seek out information. If the website were obsolete, it would be used by no one. Yes, the site seems filled to the brim, but when something new in history happens the edits will kick in again. For now, though, the website is serving its purpose, being an online, user edited encyclopedia.

Reading Response #1

The reading about web hoaxes informed me of all of the types of misinformation that exist on the web today. Not only are people creating bogus websites for organizations and races of people, but they are imitating charities and tricking people into donating money, or a false healthcare website that leads to further injury. The fact that this is happening has also spurred organizations to come into effect that have to deal with these pretend websites, warning the general public and trying to lessen the amount of false information. Many of these websites come from angry or disgruntled people who are holding a grudge on something and use the internet to get others to either join them on their way of thinking, or make the reader feel that the website is legitimate. Even spoof and parody sites, meant to be harmless and poke fun, have people believing what is written because it is in the written word.

It is alarming that so many counterfeit sites exist, but at the same time it is not too surprising. The web is such an open and free form of anonymous communication that it is perfect for people who would probably not speak up in a face-to-face confrontation or even a malicious telephone call. The internet makes it easier for people and organizations to be attacked. And after they are attacked, the aftermath is out there for the general public to google search. It makes one want to double check the source of all information that they find on the web.