"Post-PC Era"?

With the increasing sales of the new tablets and smart phones, where does the personal computer stand in today’s lineup?  Is the pc going to disappear?  There are many people and companies thinking that this will be the case.  However, I would like to present my own opinion, supported by a few facts of course.

First, let’s look at the history of sales of the PC.  The graph shows us that PC sales have been very high, and ever increasing, until 2009.  Millions upon millions of PCs have been purchased, so one can only assume that most households, schools, and businesses have already purchased them and, therefore, no longer need to purchase them at this time.  So, why wouldn't the sales of tablets be higher than PCs in the future?  Tablets are very recent and are the next big thing.  I would be concerned if their sales weren't higher than PCs in the near future. 

So, now that we have the sales taken care of, why don’t we look at the functions of both PCs and tablets?  Both tablets and PCs have remarkable displays and programs that come with them and others that are downloadable/installable, but PCs offer much more than that.  The PC offers much better graphics, a much faster processor, and a massive amount of storage to its users.  Yes, there is the cloud for all of you tablet users (unless you are the poor soul who invested in an iPad), but what happens when the cloud has problems?  Will all of your information and files be recoverable as easily as they are on a physical hard drive that comes with a PC?  According to CNet, many people are frustrated that this has been labeled the “Post-PC era”.  I, too, am upset by this.  The PC can do so much more than a tablet can.  It can run major programs such as full versions of Microsoft Office products, programming applications, and actually read DVDs (although I believe that movies will become all digital and streaming sometime in the near future).  Can your tablet do that?

Now, I’m sure most people are thinking that tablets will win out and replace PCs because of the portability and functionality that the tablets have.  However, that is basically what brought the laptop around.  The laptop was easy to carry around as opposed to the PC.  That didn’t stop the PC from continuing its increasing amount of sales.  So, if you’re really trying to say something is going to die out, I would put my money on the laptop.  Both the laptop and the tablets are portable and very functional; the tablet is just more so on both fields.  So, who is going to win, and who is going to lose big?  

Main Source: CNet

DJ

Sci-Fi Movie Tech Closer To Us - The Scariest and Most Interesting Gadgets

Recent news has revealed on-going work to get the gadgets we see in the sci-fi movies to our hands. Wouldn’t it be nice that we could use the cool gadgets we see in the movies in our everyday life? Of course, some of them could be used to do not-so-legal activities, but even so, it is interesting how the movies inspire technology we can use in daily life. In an article on Dvice.com, Robin Burks give us the insights of the “Top 10 most promising up and coming inventions inspired by sci-fi.” The top contains gadgets inspired from Doctor Who and Star Trek, but also from Harry Potter, Minority Report and Knight Rider.

Out of all ten gadgets, the most interesting ones are definitely the sonic screwdriver inspired from Doctor Who, the flexible e-paper/displays inspired from Minority Report and the self-driving car inspired from Knight Rider.  The sonic screwdriver is being developed at the University of Bristol and aims to be used to move small objects, such as cells. The intended purpose of this gadget is great, I mean it would definitely ease the work in electronic and medical labs to help put together microscopic particles and so on. Sure, this screwdriver could be used to unlock safes or other doors that protect important information of goods. The self-driving care is something we all could use sometimes. The prototype is already being tested at Googl (the Prius). We should see such cars on the street in about three to five years.  The flexible e-paper / displays are already on the market. The Sony 13.3 inch flexible display presented in 2011 is very thin and light (only 150 microns and 20 grams), has 135 color gamut and a contrast ratio of 100,000:1.  Definitely, this is the gadget that will get the iPhone to the history shelf.

The scariest sci-fi tech that is under construction so to speak is definitely the robot soldiers inspired from Avatar. This project is under research of the U.S. Department of Defense, costing millions of dollars. Only the thought that such robots could actually be invented and put to work is frightening if they would get on the wrong hands. Memory Implants are another tech invention that could also turn out to be so wrong if not used properly. I mean, who would want such implants. Maybe people who would lose their memories, but even so, I would rather make new memories than have electrodes inserted into my brain.

Overall, sci-fi technology is fun and nice to see in the movies, but when it get on the worktable of real scientist it’s tricky because usually, many good inventions are likely to be used for the wrong purposes more than they are used for good purposes.

Source: http://dvice.com/archives/2012/06/10-most-promisi.php

MO

The smaller, The fewer, The better.

The world we are living today are innovating through cutting the size and the amount of most of things we have, and consumers like it. One of the increasingly popular product for Microsoft, has satisfied the needs of consumers and businesses for smaller and fewer computers. This year, Microsoft comes out with the new edition of Windows Multipoint Server 2012. The premise of this edition is virtualized capability, cloud service friendly, and more modern experience for users. The IT world might have forseen that this technology might replace multiple chunky computers for both personal use and in industries.


What is Multipoint Server? Windows Multipoint Server 2012 is not the first or the second edition that Microsoft has released. This product is relatively new, however it has been out in the market since 2010. Multipoint Server utilizes remote desktop concept to bring alive multiple terminals/session without the need of multiple computers. For example, a school can have 30 terminals with thin clients connected to one server. They do not need to purchase each stand alone computers which are way more costly than the tiny thin clients (Compare $500-800 to $80-200). Another interesting feature that windows multipoint server has is the capability to oversee and manage terminals which easen the tasks of support personnel. This helps schools or businesses reduces their costs on investing on expensive computers, cost of maintenance, while increase capacity and opportunity for having more terminals. To setup this system, administrator simply need to install  this system on the server, plug the network or USB cable and thin clint to monitors, and when the server is up, administrator tool will come up  and recognizes the new terminals. Administrator can connect that server with another server, oversee and manage user terminals, disconnect or add sessions, and manage user accounts.



Based on how they advertise the product on 2011 version, this product was targeting the education and small businesses market. However in the 2012 version, it seems as if Microsoft has seen an opportunity in more advanced organizations. Microsoft has implemented virtualization capabilities that allows more flexibility and upgrade capability for users without changing current operation or investing  on more servers. Besides virtualization, Windows Multipoint 2012 is starting to step forward through its implementation of Windows 8 in each of the terminals which modernize the experience of users. Another interesting point also facilitates the increasingly used cloud computing. Windows 2012 server offers cloud optimized-server platforms that supports building and deploying applications.



I have worked with Windows Multipoint Server 2011 in a business setting, and it is looking like it is going to be a great investment for growing companies. I found that this system is very versatile and can be customized accordingly to business needs and nature. Their response speed, clear resolution, and simple administration tool is very surprising, considering that it is based on a remote desktop service. Apart from the benefits and plus points that I can see from this product, there are also some things that needed to be improved and perhaps can be a determining point for organizations to adopt this technology. I am still not quite sure this technology can be implemented on a mission critical purpose. The fact that this is still a relatively new technology and have not been used in a big organization may increase the risk of this technology.

This is one of an examples of technology that is improving and growing, providing values and a huge benefit for company to cut down costs and minimizing the space they use in their work space. I have seen Windows Multipoint Server 2012, and it looks like it is going to be even more modern and promising than the previous release. It is the choice of businesses to evaluate and creatively think of a way to perhaps adopt this technology and make their companies even better and more cost effective than other competitors. Because the smaller, the fewer the money spent, the better.

Source: Microsoft
CA.

Technology Trickles Up

About a month ago I went to a Presidential speech in Waterloo, Iowa. While entering the area, I saw a lot of people selling pins and shirt. I started to assume that If I want to buy things from them, I will need to have cash. So with all the curiosity I had, I asked the seller if I can pay with credit card. The seller showed me his iPhone and Square device that allows him to accept transactions with credit card.

There are a lot of things in the world today that amazes people. Technology as broad as internet perhaps have helped him order t-shirts and pins from abroad, and devices as small as iPhone with square have allowed him to expand the number of transactions he can have.


This is one of an examples where every person on earth can be a businessman. There are a lot more tools out there than helps an individual to open a business, creating an even more competitive market. Social medias (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest), Amazon.com, Ebay.com, blackberry messenger; All the platforms mentioned are currently online sources of transaction for start-up businesses. Even with easier tools to make websites, start-up businesses can have their own page to sell their items. Besides just selling their items, start-up businesses can now mine data about their customers through Google Analytics or even Facebook's insight tool.

The challenge is now thrown upon corporations to learn from how emerging businesses use technology to operate or improve their businesses. The faster corporations can adopt emerging technologies effectively and efficiently, the more they can take market's attention and gain a more positive image as leading edge business, hence the higher the sales they can get. An example of corporation that follows start-up business technology model is Starbucks. Recently, Starbucks have announced that they are teaming up with Square technology and investing $25 million on this technology to be implemented in the United States. Through this technology, customer simply needs to say their name to the cashier. The cashier will match up the customer's pictures and ready to serve them. Something as simple as utilizing mobile app in stores is predicted to help increase the flow of transactions and sales.

Starbucks is one of the example of business following the start-up business trend and now getting a highlight in the retail industry. There is a lot more opportunities within the mushrooming new technologies that individual might or might not have utilized but is potential for businesses to use to improve operations, reduce costs, or simply become more like-able to customers. What corporations need to do are to watch, to analyze, and to decide what fits the needs of their businesses; and to be more innovative than others.


CA.

Greetings!

Hello, Everyone!

Our names are Derrick Johnson, Mohammed Almubarak, and Catherine Au Jong.  We are all Management Information Systems (MIS) majors at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, IA.  We are the creators of this blog and are happy to bring you information on up and coming technology.  Our blog will contain our ideas and opinions regarding news articles and other blogs as well as our own genius.  Our goal is to give you a good idea of what information systems and technology are available and how to use them effectively.