technology
How Target knows you are pregnant through data analytics
We read about the "horrors" of online tracking everyday. We hear about how our privacy is being invaded by "big bad data hungry" online companies and what they could be doing with all that data. Most consumers don't realize that they are handing over extremely personal information to retailers every time they do shopping. Retailers have jumped on the data analytics bandwagon and are collecting and analyzing this data in the hopes of determining what you want and when you want it.
Facebook knows when you're in love before everyone else
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“2500”]Image by epSos.de under Creative Commons License [/caption] Facebook and Google are data companies. They use have some of the world's best data scientists analysis their user data looking for patterns. On Friday, Facebook announced (link) that they can predict when 2 users are about to change their relationship status to "in a relationship". 3 months before a couple updates their relationship status on Facebook to announced their undying love, there is a steady increase in the number of timeline posts shared amongst the 2 lovebirds.
Smart earbuds for music and exercise tracking
A Kickstarter project called ,The Dash, is offering the superhero of bluetooth earphones. The two small buds are packed with sensors such as an accelerometer, thermometer, capacitive touch, bone mic, Infrared LED and optical sensor and more. All of this so you can listen to music (from a phone or from the onboard 4GB of storage) and track your exercise (speed, pace, distance, heart rate, oxygen saturation, etc. It naturally blocks ambient sound (noise isolation) but can let through some sounds so you don't get hit by a car.
Sony MP3 Walkman sold in a bottle of water at gyms and pools
The Sony W series is a completely waterproof (up to 2 meters) mp3 player that Sony has been offering for a while. they actually market it for swimmers but its great for anyone exercising in wet, humid or outdoor environments. The marketing whiz-bangs at New Zealand ad agency DraftFCB came up with an original bottled Walkman concept. The Walkman is sold from a vending machine stored inside a bottle of water. <img src="https://ekiledjian2.micro.blog/uploads/2025/5391b4c754.jpg" alt=""> Sony has installed these vending machines in places where its target demographic likes to frequent (gyms, pools, etc).
BBM 2.0 for IOS and Android coming today
Blackberry promised us BBM 2.0 early 2014 and it looks like they are delivering. The update is expected to be available on the Google Play store and the Apple itunes AppStore today. It wasn't available when I checked but they confirmed it is coming. What does BBM 2.0 bring? BBM Voice : is a cross-platform VOIP system BBM Channels : is a twitter like BBM only one-to-many messaging system BBM Location: location sharing now available via Glympse Attachments: Ability to attach voice notes, calendar events and contacts to a BMM message Dropbox integration for file sharing <img src="https://ekiledjian2.
Top 5 best disposable AA batteries money can buy
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“1024”]Image by deanj under Creative Commons License [/caption] One of the questions I get asked the most is about what batteries types and brands readers should buy. I wrote an article in December (link) explaining the difference between high/low drain devices and when you should use alkaline/lithium batteries. I'll wait here while you go and quickly read that article... Go on... I'll wait. OK. So my top 5 favorite batteries are: Energizer Ultimate (Lithium) Energizer Advanced (Lithium) Duracell Quantum (Alkaline) Duracell Ultimate (Alkaline) Kirkland signature (Alkaline) How did I build this list?
How to open a Finder window with a keyboard Shortcut
On a Windows 7/8 computer, I can press the Windows Key + E to open a new explorer window. I couldn't find an equivalent shortcut on the Mac so I created one. If you're looking for a quick way to open a finder window, here are the steps: Open System Preferences Search for Keyboard shortcuts In the Keyboard window, Choose App Shortcuts <img src="https://ekiledjian2.micro.blog/uploads/2025/876674fab8.jpg" alt=""> Click on the plus sign to add a new shortcut And create a shortcut with this information
Is [add name] down for everyone or is it just me
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“1600”]Image by arkaitz.zubiaga Under Creative commons Lincese [/caption] We have become increasingly dependant on our online services and when they go down , we are lost and the world loses meaning. Ok.. maybe its not that bad but we still want to know whether the service is down or it's just us. The next time your online service isn't working, check out their online services status dashboard and rest easy knowing its not your fault (unless your internet is down, in which case you should panic).
EASYBREATH SNORKELING MASK for everyone
As a scuba diver I love the water. On vacation, all I want to do is go diving or grab my mask and snorkel looking for fish, lobster and coral. Every trip, I meet vacationers who profess their love for snorkelling but admit not being able to use the traditional snorkel (breathing from your mouth). The new Easybreath (link) is a fantastic option for these people. The Easybreath fits over your entire face allowing you to breath normally, has an air intake high above your head (so you don't have to worry about keeping the snorkel straight) and has a one way valve to prevent water from seeping in.
A Bic pen for your tablet
I come from a generation where cheap Bic pens were plentiful and the go to tool anytime you wanted to write something. There is something nostalgic about using one of this pens these days. Imagine my surprise when I learned that Bic was releasing the above Bic Cristal Stylus pen. It looks exactly like the Bics I remembered except this one has a nib at the end for your tablet or smartphone. These pens sure bring back a lot of memories.
Fongo working on a VOIP client for Blackberry 10
I first started using Fongo when it was powering a free VOIP service for Dell Canada called Dell Voice (link). The premise was simple. It offered a free IOS and Android app that provided free calling to most Canadian locations with free calledID and free voicemail. The Dell deal ended but I continued using it when travelling or when selling something on kijiji (when I don't want to give out my personal number). Now we learn that Fongo is working on a Blackberry (BB) 10 client.
Samsung to release a Galaxy lookalike windows phone
Windows Phone 8.1-powered Samsung SM-W750V "Huron" for Verizon Wireless. pic.twitter.com/UsBp7a0tju — @evleaks (@evleaks) February 4, 2014 evleaks is at it again. This time we learn that Samsung will release a brand new (2014) Windows 8.1 phone that looks like ... well... a Galaxy phone... This Verizon device will support LTE have a 5" 1080p capable screen. Expect this device to be showcased at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona alongside Samsung's other Android devices. It seems Samsung really wants to have a device for everyone in every possible size.
AllCast Android Media streaming app works with Chromecast... Again
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“2500”]Image by iannnnn under Creative Commons License [/caption] The Chromecast is a little wonder at $30. It allows you to easily stream content directly from authorized apps (the internet) straight to your Chromecast without going through you smartphone or tablet. But El Goog (aka Google) has been very protective of its little baby and hasn't allowed "unauthorized" apps to connect and use it. Why the change? Google released the Cast SDK yesterday which will allow developers to legally write apps for it (most creative developers has reverse engineered the code and were using that to stream to it, which Google didn't like).
Sanitize your phone while charging it
October 2012, I wrote an article called Stop what you're doing and clean your phone , if you haven't read it, go and read it now. Your phone can get filthy. I mean it can get dirtier than a public toilet yet you routinely jam it against your face close to your ears and mouth. A company has now come up with a neat idea called PhoneSoap (link). they combine the act of sanitizing with charging which ames a lot of sense.
30 years of Apple video shot entirely on iPhones
Apple prepared the above special video (shot entire on iPhones) to celebrate its 30th and to remind the world of its promise of making computing accessible to everyone. Hundreds of iPhones were involved in this project generated hundreds of hours of raw footage that had to be reviewed and edited. Still impressive to see what they were able to do.
Best Buy / Futureshop Canada laying off 950 employees
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“676”]Image from OSDE8Info under Creative Commons License [/caption] BestBuy is kicking off another organizational restructuring to "optimize its retail footprint" (link) They have now announced another 950 full-time employee layoffs (from both BestBuy & Futureshop brands). They will be consolidating departments. The company has said “We have seen our online sales grow by more than 50 per cent in the past year and new services such as in-store reserve and pick up more than doubling. These changes in the way our customers are interacting with us have led us to look at how to best deploy our staff to meet those evolving needs.
Will Twitter offer a commerce platform?
Re/Code, the new site from Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher, revealed (link) that Twitter is working on a new commerce platform that will enable users to buy and sell via tweets. It looks like Twitter will use the Sponsored Tweet model and insert commerce ads into your twitter stream. The user can click on the link and will be taken to a special Twitter page showing the standard commerce information (pictures, description and the ability to buy the item. The current information shows Fancy.
Tim Horton's offers Blackberry Donut
Who's hungry? A special guest will be buying some @TimHortons with the new @BlackBerry TimmyMe App. pic.twitter.com/r4F7H6o1iA — Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) January 31, 2014 To celebrate the launch of the TimmyMe blackberry app (which allows customers to pay via their BB10 device), tim Hortons and Blackberry launched a special promotional campaign at the Adelaide Street West location. This is a tasty promo, not sure it would make me buy a blackberry device!
Google to release red Nexus 5 for Valentine's day
EVLeaks was the first to proclaim the coming of a red Nexus 5 Google Nexus 5, in red, by LG. pic.twitter.com/tFyBoS0aj1 — @evleaks (@evleaks) January 31, 2014 An Android Police (link) informant also provided the usual "non clear" spy shots from Sprint showing the red Nexus 5 promising a February 4 launch. <img src="https://ekiledjian2.micro.blog/uploads/2025/e494f9f596.jpg" alt="">
Will Google discontinue the Nexus line in 2015?
[caption id="" align=“alignnone” width=“2500”]Image by solarbotics under creative common license [/caption] Nexus line by Google is over in 2015 ;) Yes - this line will be replaced by Play Edition (current name, it will be rebranded) — Eldar Murtazin (@eldarmurtazin) January 27, 2014 Eldar has mixed success with his predictions but this is an interesting discussion.