1. Did I learn what I hoped to learn about the topic? Yes, I learned more about NFC and why it is useful to any given person.
2. What were some of the benefits/drawbacks of focusing on a topic in phases? A benefit was be that it caused me to focus more on each phase topic like the summary or reaction. A drawback was that I didn't feel free to write about the topic the way I wanted to. I could only summarize or react to a specific article, not talk about the topic in the way I wanted to.
3. Do I think I will approach the way I learn about the topics I am interested in differently after this assignment? Not really, although I think I will read into the articles and break them down a little more.
4. Has this assignment made me more confident about my ability to discuss topics with others? As long as I am knowledgeable on the topic I have no problem discussing things.
5. What is the most valuable thing I have learned about research after doing this assignment? I have learned about the importance of credibility, how to find a credible article and how to determine if the source is credible.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
Phase 7
1. NFC Technology: 6 Ways It Could Change Our Daily Lives
Home : Mashable (http://mashable.com/)
Article : http://mashable.com/2010/05/06/near-field-communication/
Home : Mashable (http://mashable.com/)
Article : http://mashable.com/2010/05/06/near-field-communication/
Credibility:
Mashable is a pretty well known news website. The article includes an
author with a bio that lists where she attended college. The author has
written numerous articles for the website, mostly on technology. The
article is also fairly recent, posted in May of 2010.
Reflection:
I think this is a good source for my audience because it introduces a
few more uses of NFC that I have not covered yet or have not covered
with much detail.
Summary: In her article, "NFC Technology: 6 Ways It Could Change Our Daily Lives,"
Sarah Kessler tells of six ways we can use NFC. She begins by giving
some background on the technology, explaining that it is not that new of
a technology. She continues, explaining how companies such as
Microsoft, Sony and Samsung have been involved in popularizing the
technology since as far back as 2004. Kessler then gives a short
description of NFC defining it as a way for two devices to share
information, at close range, with an effortless touch of the devices.
She expresses then, that NFC has not been fast to get big, but she
thinks it is going to take on in the near future.
Next, Kessler moves into what she believes are six top advantages of
having NFC. First, she starts off with the common benefit, payment.
She says that this is a good use for NFC because of NFC's short range
aspect that allows for a more secure connection. She also gives an
illustration of how two MIT students developed an application that saved
loyalty card information and brought up the correct card information
instantly when making a purchase. Next, she discusses how it will be
useful in transportation, explaining how a German company used NFC for
recording the train use and fares of individuals, later tallying up the
cost for a monthly payment. Another way she said the use of NFC was
beneficial is in health care. Kessler said it could be used at a
hospital to record and distribute medical treatment information and also
keep track of the care a patient is receiving. The fourth example she
gives is "ease of use." Stating that you'll be able to do thing like
print from your phone by touching it to the printer and beginning linked
multi-player games. "Smart objects" is another good possibility for
NFC she says. Kessler goes on to say that customers could use their
phones to order refreshments, use as a ticket to a play or get
information from a poster about the play. She also says you could use
you phone to swipe by a tag that gives information on schedules and
announcements at a school. She also informs us that a company has made
NFC tags for gravestones that can be used to give pictures and a life
story to people who scan them. The last example Kessler gives is "social
media." She proposes that it could be used for location purposes,
enabling to people to meet somewhere, tap there phones together, then
share on a social networking website where and who they met with. Then
they would receive personal information about the other so they could
learn a little bit more and have a conversation starter. Response: Kessler, in the beginning of her article, suggests that NFC will become big and popular soon. From what I have seen and researched, devices with NFC are going to explode into the market starting this year, but what remains up in the air is how many businesses will adopt the technology so that we can really use it for all the things listed. Kessler also gives these six ways in which she thinks it will be useful; "Contactless Payment," "Transportation," "Health Care," "Ease of Use," "Smart Objects" and "Social Media." With "Contactless Payment," she believes since NFC is a short-range technology, it will be secure. It will certainly help that it's short-range, but I think that there could be some other security issues that could come up that wouldn't matter if it was a short or long-range technology. I do, however, agree that overall, paying with just a swipe with your phone and taking care of you coupons and loyalty card at the same time will be a quite nice aspect of having NFC in your phone. With "Transportation," I also think that this is another valid use. This is most beneficial for people who travel often or live in the city. Just swiping your phone to pay every time you get on and off a bus or in an out of a taxi would save time and just be more convenient. Same for scanning a passport or ticket at an airport. With "Health Care," Kessler says it would permit you to scan and get information on the medical treatment needs of a patient. I don't see this as a very legitimate use of NFC but perhaps there is another, better way to incorporate it into the medical world. With "Ease of Use" she offers that you will be able to print photos by touching your phone to a printer or join connected games by touching the phones together. There are numerous other ways that NFC could be useful in making things easier, such as tapping you phone so a set of speakers to start playing music. Also, with "Smart Objects," Kessler gives a few examples that make for easier access of information. Another example of a "smart object" is Sony's Xperia smart tags that if swiped by with your phone, can change settings and start applications. So, say you get up in the morning and you want to check the weather, turn on wi-fi for internet and turn your ringer back on, all you have to do is swipe your phone by the tag and it will automatically do all this for you. And if you were getting in bed to go to sleep and you wanted to check Facebook one last time, then turn off all the extra stuff that uses battery like GPS and wi-fi, and set your alarm for 7:15 AM, you could do that too. Lastly, with "Social Media," Kessler gives a few examples that make sharing social information easier. She says you could use it to check in and send an automatic status update when meet someone or go somewhere. This could also be a nice little feature that saves time and keeps you more up-to-date with what you are doing.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Phase 6
1. What Does the Future Hold for NFC? (Part 1)
Home: Ask Identive (http://www.askidentive.com/)
Article: http://www.askidentive.com/nfc-technology/future-hold-nfc-part-1
2. What Does the Future Hold for NFC? What Makes NFC Different? (Part 2)
Home: Ask Identive (http://www.askidentive.com/)
Article: http://www.askidentive.com/nfc-technology/future-hold-nfc-nfc-different-part-2
Credibility: These articles are current posted January 18 and January 25 of this year. The sources also provide an author with a bio.
Reflection: I think this is a good source for my audience because it gives some background on NFC, it explains what some of the challenges are to "get the ball rolling" so-to-speak and it also gives a few different ways NFC will be used. This is a well rounded article that will give readers a good understand of the topic.
Summary: In the article "What does the Future Hold for NFC?" Artie Beavis begins with suggesting that the ability to use your phone as a way to pay is just the beginning of what NFC will be used for, and that it will be a way of getting people to accept and take on this technology. He goes on to explain that there is a growing number of people that own smartphones now and says that for NFC to be accepted on a big scale, trusted companies need to promote it, and there needs to be "availability," "infrastructure," "penetration," "cost," "revenue," "incentive" and "convenience."
Next Beavis discusses what some of the uses for NFC are, using six examples. In the first example he uses he talks about how NFC will make shopping better. Saying that you will be able to use your phone for viewing catalogs, paying, using coupons and special offers. In the second example he proposes that it will make for better personal experiences illustrating how the Museum of London used NFC for some exhibits to give information and audio presentations. In the third example he describes how it can improve life and daily routines by being able to just "tap" a poster or a product and receive information about the item and then document it. In the fourth example he explains how it will benefit companies by enabling people to just "tap" and advertisement poster to get info on the business, reviews and ratings and check-in at the place. In the fifth example he offers that NFC will permit current information exchange letting a person get information, check-in at places like airports, restaurants and points of interest, then share your activity on a social network. In his last example he portrays the ease of being able to do quick, seamless transfers of data such as music, contact information and apps with another NFC enabled device.
Response: Artie Beavis, in his article "What Does the Future Hold for NFC?", he envisions what life will be like when NFC has been largely accepted. He starts by commenting that the ability to use you phone as a payment type is just the beginning. Saying that it will be used as a hook kind of, to get people to support and accept NFC. He also claims that it is "indisputable" that this ability is a driving force behind getting NFC accepted. I think he is right because people may not yet understand or see the benefits of some of the other thing you can do with NFC. Being able to not have to use your credit cards and reward cards will be something that the general people will find appealing and will be able to appreciate. As Beavis moves on, he states that "In order to facilitate the adoption of NFC, trusted brands must make it an initiative to educate consumers." I agree with him here, NFC is a great technology, but not to many have heard of it yet. If well-known, trusted companies started to promote it and recommend it, it would start to catch on fairly quickly. Sometimes this is all people need to accept something and take it for themselves. Beavis also brings to attention some other things that are required to make NFC a successful technology. He says devices with NFC will have to be obtainable, using it will have to pay for thing with your phone will have to be more convenient, and businesses will have to see their sales at a higher level because of the NFC enabled advertisements and such. I think these are valid observations since each of these are needed to start NFC going or to keep it valuable.
To conclude his article, Beavis lists six ways NFC is useful. First, he says that shopping will be made easier because you will be able to pay with a simple "tap" and you will also be able to store all those rewards cards on your phone. As I have said before, I think this is most certainly a benefit. Second, he states that NFC will create better experiences using the Museum of London as an example where they used the technology for information and audio presentations on some exhibits. This is just one small instance, but I believe that there will be many different ways, that haven't been thought of, that NFC will be helpful. Third, he points out how it can better our daily routines by being able to receive information and document it with just a "tap" of your phone to a poster or product. This could be very convenient because it would save time by not having to write stuff down and also allowing you to not have to remember so much. Fourth, he tells how NFC can help companies grow and get more popularity by allowing to just "tap" your phone to an advertisement poster to receive information, reviews and be able to check in at the place. This could be very handy and save people some time. Especially those that find the need to check in on Facebook to everywhere they go. Fifth, he describes how you could use NFC to get information at airports and restaurants, check in, and post your activity on a social network. Also another time-saver. In his last example he mentions how it will make it much quicker and easier to share data with another person or device. All you would have to do is "tap" your phones together to exchange contacts, maps, music, apps, and much more. This is one of my favorite things, because it would allow you to instantly share just about anything you want with anyone. I think Beavis produced a great article that helps give an understanding to many issues and benefits surrounding NFC.
Home: Ask Identive (http://www.askidentive.com/)
Article: http://www.askidentive.com/nfc-technology/future-hold-nfc-part-1
2. What Does the Future Hold for NFC? What Makes NFC Different? (Part 2)
Home: Ask Identive (http://www.askidentive.com/)
Article: http://www.askidentive.com/nfc-technology/future-hold-nfc-nfc-different-part-2
Credibility: These articles are current posted January 18 and January 25 of this year. The sources also provide an author with a bio.
Reflection: I think this is a good source for my audience because it gives some background on NFC, it explains what some of the challenges are to "get the ball rolling" so-to-speak and it also gives a few different ways NFC will be used. This is a well rounded article that will give readers a good understand of the topic.
Summary: In the article "What does the Future Hold for NFC?" Artie Beavis begins with suggesting that the ability to use your phone as a way to pay is just the beginning of what NFC will be used for, and that it will be a way of getting people to accept and take on this technology. He goes on to explain that there is a growing number of people that own smartphones now and says that for NFC to be accepted on a big scale, trusted companies need to promote it, and there needs to be "availability," "infrastructure," "penetration," "cost," "revenue," "incentive" and "convenience."
Next Beavis discusses what some of the uses for NFC are, using six examples. In the first example he uses he talks about how NFC will make shopping better. Saying that you will be able to use your phone for viewing catalogs, paying, using coupons and special offers. In the second example he proposes that it will make for better personal experiences illustrating how the Museum of London used NFC for some exhibits to give information and audio presentations. In the third example he describes how it can improve life and daily routines by being able to just "tap" a poster or a product and receive information about the item and then document it. In the fourth example he explains how it will benefit companies by enabling people to just "tap" and advertisement poster to get info on the business, reviews and ratings and check-in at the place. In the fifth example he offers that NFC will permit current information exchange letting a person get information, check-in at places like airports, restaurants and points of interest, then share your activity on a social network. In his last example he portrays the ease of being able to do quick, seamless transfers of data such as music, contact information and apps with another NFC enabled device.
Response: Artie Beavis, in his article "What Does the Future Hold for NFC?", he envisions what life will be like when NFC has been largely accepted. He starts by commenting that the ability to use you phone as a payment type is just the beginning. Saying that it will be used as a hook kind of, to get people to support and accept NFC. He also claims that it is "indisputable" that this ability is a driving force behind getting NFC accepted. I think he is right because people may not yet understand or see the benefits of some of the other thing you can do with NFC. Being able to not have to use your credit cards and reward cards will be something that the general people will find appealing and will be able to appreciate. As Beavis moves on, he states that "In order to facilitate the adoption of NFC, trusted brands must make it an initiative to educate consumers." I agree with him here, NFC is a great technology, but not to many have heard of it yet. If well-known, trusted companies started to promote it and recommend it, it would start to catch on fairly quickly. Sometimes this is all people need to accept something and take it for themselves. Beavis also brings to attention some other things that are required to make NFC a successful technology. He says devices with NFC will have to be obtainable, using it will have to pay for thing with your phone will have to be more convenient, and businesses will have to see their sales at a higher level because of the NFC enabled advertisements and such. I think these are valid observations since each of these are needed to start NFC going or to keep it valuable.
To conclude his article, Beavis lists six ways NFC is useful. First, he says that shopping will be made easier because you will be able to pay with a simple "tap" and you will also be able to store all those rewards cards on your phone. As I have said before, I think this is most certainly a benefit. Second, he states that NFC will create better experiences using the Museum of London as an example where they used the technology for information and audio presentations on some exhibits. This is just one small instance, but I believe that there will be many different ways, that haven't been thought of, that NFC will be helpful. Third, he points out how it can better our daily routines by being able to receive information and document it with just a "tap" of your phone to a poster or product. This could be very convenient because it would save time by not having to write stuff down and also allowing you to not have to remember so much. Fourth, he tells how NFC can help companies grow and get more popularity by allowing to just "tap" your phone to an advertisement poster to receive information, reviews and be able to check in at the place. This could be very handy and save people some time. Especially those that find the need to check in on Facebook to everywhere they go. Fifth, he describes how you could use NFC to get information at airports and restaurants, check in, and post your activity on a social network. Also another time-saver. In his last example he mentions how it will make it much quicker and easier to share data with another person or device. All you would have to do is "tap" your phones together to exchange contacts, maps, music, apps, and much more. This is one of my favorite things, because it would allow you to instantly share just about anything you want with anyone. I think Beavis produced a great article that helps give an understanding to many issues and benefits surrounding NFC.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Phase 5
1. Near Field Communication aims to simplify our lives
Home: ZDNet (http://www.zdnet.com/?tag=header;header-pri)
Article: http://www.zdnet.com/news/near-field-communication-aims-to-simplify-our-lives/6275733
Credibility: ZDNet is a big, popular website for news and analyses of technology. This article lists the author with a biography and it was published recently in August of 2011.
Reflection: I think this article is good for my audience because it takes one of the many benefits of NFC and discusses it in detail.
Response: In the article "Near Field Communication aims to simplify our lives" Ayman Ashour talks about how he thinks having NFC enabled phones will help to simplify our lives. Ashour explains how irritating it gets to need to remember lots of passwords or PINs, and have to carry around things like all your credit cards, loyalty cards, tickets and your passport. He says that just about all of the hassle of needing to remember and carry around all these can be eliminated withe the use of the up-and-coming technology, NFC. I completely agree with this if for no other reason, personal experience. It gets very annoying for me to have to remember all the different passwords have for the 100+ online services and accounts I have or use. Also, when it comes to those loyalty cards? Ugh! Gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, gym memberships, the list goes on! You have to dig through your wallet or fumble through your key-chain until finally, finally, you find the right one. I work at a grocery store and people constantly complain to me about have to have all these cards for everywhere and how they can never find them. So with one simple thing to hold all that different information, like your phone, it would absolutely make life and daily routines so much easier and less of a hassle. I think Ashour is right on when he tells us how NFC will simplify our lives.
Home: ZDNet (http://www.zdnet.com/?tag=header;header-pri)
Article: http://www.zdnet.com/news/near-field-communication-aims-to-simplify-our-lives/6275733
Credibility: ZDNet is a big, popular website for news and analyses of technology. This article lists the author with a biography and it was published recently in August of 2011.
Reflection: I think this article is good for my audience because it takes one of the many benefits of NFC and discusses it in detail.
Response: In the article "Near Field Communication aims to simplify our lives" Ayman Ashour talks about how he thinks having NFC enabled phones will help to simplify our lives. Ashour explains how irritating it gets to need to remember lots of passwords or PINs, and have to carry around things like all your credit cards, loyalty cards, tickets and your passport. He says that just about all of the hassle of needing to remember and carry around all these can be eliminated withe the use of the up-and-coming technology, NFC. I completely agree with this if for no other reason, personal experience. It gets very annoying for me to have to remember all the different passwords have for the 100+ online services and accounts I have or use. Also, when it comes to those loyalty cards? Ugh! Gas stations, grocery stores, restaurants, gym memberships, the list goes on! You have to dig through your wallet or fumble through your key-chain until finally, finally, you find the right one. I work at a grocery store and people constantly complain to me about have to have all these cards for everywhere and how they can never find them. So with one simple thing to hold all that different information, like your phone, it would absolutely make life and daily routines so much easier and less of a hassle. I think Ashour is right on when he tells us how NFC will simplify our lives.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Phase 4
1. Engadget Primed: What is NFC, and why do we care?
Home: Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/)
Article: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/10/engadget-primed-what-is-nfc-and-why-do-we-care/
Credibility: Engadget is one of the most well-known tech sites, and known to be trustworthy. This article lists the author, has a bio and ways to be contacted. The article is also recent, posted in June 2011. The page also has an advertisement.
Reflection: I think this is a great source for my blog. The article goes in-depth to the topic and provides great insight to the potential of NFC including real world examples and a few videos showing some of those examples. Some parts of the article may be a little difficult to understand, however, if you are new to the topic.
Summary: Brad Molen, in his article "Engadget Primed: What is NFC, and why do we care?", discusses just about everything there is to know about NFC. However, I'd like to focus on his section about the uses of the technology. Molen starts off by talking about how an older technology "RFID" started it all being put into things like animal tags and MasterCard PayPass. He then goes on to explain the three big categories of NFC:
1. "Card Emulation Mode" where your phone actually acts like your credit card.
2. "Reader Mode" which allows you to read different tags like on some kind of poster that then gives you information.
3. "Peer-to-Peer Mode" that lets you share any files between to NFC enabled devices.
Next Molen compares NFC to bluetooth explaining how there is no setup involved with NFC and how it is much quicker and more convenient to use. Lastly he lists a few ways he thinks NFC in your phone will be used in the near future. He suggests it will be used for things like monitoring your health, tickets for games or transportation, keys to unlock your hotel room or car, share files between phones and take the place of grocery store rewards cards.
Home: Engadget (http://www.engadget.com/)
Article: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/10/engadget-primed-what-is-nfc-and-why-do-we-care/
Credibility: Engadget is one of the most well-known tech sites, and known to be trustworthy. This article lists the author, has a bio and ways to be contacted. The article is also recent, posted in June 2011. The page also has an advertisement.
Reflection: I think this is a great source for my blog. The article goes in-depth to the topic and provides great insight to the potential of NFC including real world examples and a few videos showing some of those examples. Some parts of the article may be a little difficult to understand, however, if you are new to the topic.
Summary: Brad Molen, in his article "Engadget Primed: What is NFC, and why do we care?", discusses just about everything there is to know about NFC. However, I'd like to focus on his section about the uses of the technology. Molen starts off by talking about how an older technology "RFID" started it all being put into things like animal tags and MasterCard PayPass. He then goes on to explain the three big categories of NFC:
1. "Card Emulation Mode" where your phone actually acts like your credit card.
2. "Reader Mode" which allows you to read different tags like on some kind of poster that then gives you information.
3. "Peer-to-Peer Mode" that lets you share any files between to NFC enabled devices.
Next Molen compares NFC to bluetooth explaining how there is no setup involved with NFC and how it is much quicker and more convenient to use. Lastly he lists a few ways he thinks NFC in your phone will be used in the near future. He suggests it will be used for things like monitoring your health, tickets for games or transportation, keys to unlock your hotel room or car, share files between phones and take the place of grocery store rewards cards.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Phase 3
In my blog I will be discussing the pros, cons, and uses of have the technology, Near-Field Communication (NFC), in your smartphone.
Here are two websites showing uses for having NFC:
1. What Is NFC, How It Works And What Are Its Practical Applications
Home page: http://www.addictivetips.com/
Article page: http://www.addictivetips.com/hardware/what-is-nfc-how-it-works-what-are-its-practical-applications/
Credibility:
This source was is current, posted just last year in May. The source also provides the author of the article with a bio and contact information. The site also has some ads though, but most pertain to the topic.
Reflection:
I think this source is good for my blog because it describes benefit by benefit points in pretty simple terms to why this technology is and will be useful. It is also a good length being neither too short nor to long for it's purpose.
2. Google Wallet
Home page: http://www.google.com/wallet/
Article page: http://www.google.com/wallet/what-is-google-wallet.html
Credibility: This information page comes directly from the maker of Google Wallet. There isn't really any better place to find accurate information on this topic.
Reflection:
I think this source is great for my blog because it comes from the maker of Google Wallet. They explain their product in a simple, easy-to-understand layout created for people who don't have any knowledge on the subject.
Here are two websites showing uses for having NFC:
1. What Is NFC, How It Works And What Are Its Practical Applications
Home page: http://www.addictivetips.com/
Article page: http://www.addictivetips.com/hardware/what-is-nfc-how-it-works-what-are-its-practical-applications/
Credibility:
This source was is current, posted just last year in May. The source also provides the author of the article with a bio and contact information. The site also has some ads though, but most pertain to the topic.
Reflection:
I think this source is good for my blog because it describes benefit by benefit points in pretty simple terms to why this technology is and will be useful. It is also a good length being neither too short nor to long for it's purpose.
2. Google Wallet
Home page: http://www.google.com/wallet/
Article page: http://www.google.com/wallet/what-is-google-wallet.html
Credibility: This information page comes directly from the maker of Google Wallet. There isn't really any better place to find accurate information on this topic.
Reflection:
I think this source is great for my blog because it comes from the maker of Google Wallet. They explain their product in a simple, easy-to-understand layout created for people who don't have any knowledge on the subject.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Intro to Nick's Tech Talk
Hi! To introduce you to my blog I'm going to answer a few questions:
What is my topic?
I will be discussing new technologies that have been implemented into our mobile world today, which consits of tablets and cellphones. I will be focusing on the ways we can communicate and share things and what the pros and cons are of having these capabilities.
Why did I choose this topic?
I chose this topic because it's been a hobby, you could say, for me to explore, research, and stay on top of almost each new phone and tablet release and see what makes them better than previous ones.
What do I already know about this topic?
Well, since it's like a hobby to me, I know quite a bit of what there is to know about smartphones and tablets that have been released within the last couple years. I could probably teach a class on them.
What do I hope to learn about this topic?
I hope to just keep doing what I have been. Researching new smartphones and tablets and the new technologies they have. Also, I hope by doing this I can find something new that I am unaware of now so that I can share it with you.
Who is the ideal audience to my blog?
Well, it can be from people who are tech geeks and tech savvy like me to people just trying to learn what smartphones and tablets can actually do for them.
I hope you will find this as interesting to you as it is to me! :D
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