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Are smart devices too smart for our good? Smartphones and tablets are rapidly becoming the universal remote controls for everyday life.
The next phase of the digital revolution will dramatically alter entire industries while simultaneously creating new ones. It will affect the way smartphone and tablet users — whose ranks are skyrocketing — manage their cars, their homes and their personal lives.
In the end, convenience will win out over ethical and legal concerns, analysts say, and the market will decide how far mobile technology should go.
One thing is for sure: The transition to a remote-control society already is well under way.
In todays electronic society, it is not inconcievable that a dishonest person can track, locate, and download all your information without your knowing it. Sole source items such as a Pad / tablet / etc ... that provide all information on you, your life, and property make destroying your life extremely easy.
Is this degree of "convience" really where we need to go.
Katy Tuckwell
However I would just like to add that for one group of people the smartness of tabs and phones has the ability to enhance life in a very worthwhile way; for the visually impaired being able to place a screen exactly where you can see it, being able to scan and magnify shop items, use voice software on the move, use specialised navigation apps to get from a to b, proximity apps, handwriting and gesture apps, clean news-reader app etc have all made participating in parts of life so much easier. Needs? Well no I guess not but assistants in quality of life definitely.
Nathan Cook
greg dahlen 20+
Robert Winner 50+
greg dahlen 20+
Robert Winner 50+
Example: Unemployment. The administration basis the number on the number of people who sign up for unemploymet during the month 7.8%. Sounds great in a speech. But they leave out the people on welfare and the people whose benefits have expired and those who have just given up and no longer report to the welfare office. If you look at the national debit clock on the right had side it gives the number of unemployed, currently around 24 million ... thus around 14.5%. The other thing they do is to count less than 40 hour positions. End of summer comes and the high school kids go back to school ... they were part time and do not report to welfare for benefits .... MacD's hires people to replace them .... reports show no jobs lost and thousands gained .... makes the news as a big job gain. Christmas same thing .. I hire you for 90 days ... big increase ... anouncement that the economy is on the rebound .... 90 days are up and because it was temporary no one gets fired and no one goes to welfare with a job loss .... wow the administrations plan is really cookin ..... NOT.
Safe sex ... high schools are giving away condoms .... 15 year olds are getting PG .... border crossing is still high and part of the deal to smuggle you in is each will carry some drugs ... alcohol, gotta give ya that one, the great American escape route.
The media is 100% (oops forgot about fox) behind Obama. Last week the Huffington Post (of all papers) said that Obama was less transparent than Bush. Had to google it to make sure even after reading it myself on the Huff.
Greg, do your own research ... things are never as they seem. Read about 1916 Argentina and change the name to USA. Look at todays Venzeula going under just like us. Fore warned is fore armed. Don't drink anyones koolade.
Bob.
Avik Sarker
Barry Palmer 50+
The notion that the internet cannot be made secure is making a lot of people a lot of money. Sooner or later, our governments, corporations, and our whole society must demand a secure internet.
When we can keep all of our personal information securely in the cloud we can access it wherever we go with any number of any kind of devices. Right now, it is literally impossible to imagine how much this will change our lives, because information is that powerful.
People have been talking about the information age for decades, but it is still in its infancy. As we move into the information age we will have to redefine the meaning of privacy and personal information. (At some point we will have to reclaim our right to our own DNA.) Now, corporations own your internet search records, social networking records, communication records, medical records, shopping records and financial records. Corporations know more about you than you do, and they control that information. The ubiquity of smartphones and tablets will make people more and more conscious of how information affects their lives, while also giving them ready access to (and perhaps control of) that information. That is very good.
Avik Sarker
Barry Palmer 50+
Unfortunately, the security risks are just being patched over in an unending race between the hackers and the providers. This approach is madness. If development of the smart grid continues with our insecure internet we are headed for disaster. We need a comprehensive approach to complete security of information. The first step is for the so-called experts to become convinced that it is possible.
Meanwhile I do not use cloud services or social web sites. I do use online banking, and keep a close watch on my account.
Avik Sarker
It will be interesting to what other sort of out-of-the-ordinary applications there will be in the future. However, I don't completely agree with having everything on one device.
Gail . 50+
edulover learner