Twitter

Today marks day two of the life of tcsweetberry - my new Twitter account.

I like the picture Twitter automatically gave me - the one with the soft like green background and an egg or oval in the center. It's simple yet not too distracting. Most of all it reminds me of SPRING the season well missed in the midst of a cold winter.

Without following anyone my page is digitally desolate. But who should I follow? or what should I follow?

I decided to follow the author of a blog I've been assigned to read for my Advertising class. By looking at his Twitter page I noticed, he isn't following ANYONE! What's up with that? It seems like he holds some sort of  unknown secret status on twitter.

girltalkhome popped into my mind, as did my hope that the blog had a Twitter account. Guess what? It does! and they are following people, although the number of people following them outweigh the number of people they are following.

As of now my Twitter page has LIFE ! Yayy! Celebrate & follow me @tcsweetberry
BTW I'm so not used to the language of  'follow me'.
If you are, how did you get used to it?

Your Wallet Is Your Phone...

If your wallet isn't your phone yet, it will soon be.

There are apps that allow a person to make purchases using their phone instead of handling cash or a credit or debit card. Master Card, Visa, Pay Pal, Samsung and NFC have set up or are in the process of setting up a way for consumers to make purchases just by using their phone.

The NFC (Near Field Communication) began testing its Isis payment system mid October of 2012. However, Isis is not yet popular among Verison, AT&T, and T-Mobile users. During the testing of Isis, it was Verison, AT&T, and T-Mobile Phones that where enabled with the Isis program.

The use of Isis allowed consumers to make purchases in store just by tapping their phone against a kiosk; thus no need to take out their wallet or handle cash.

MasterPass is the name of Master Card's payment app. It simplifies the way you'd make a purchase, especially online. Instead of having to enter contact information you'd be given the option of selecting MasterPass and entering your password associated with your MasterPass app or account.

Recently there has been a partnership with Visa and ROAM, a point of sale company. Visa's payment system would be called Visa ready. Until Visa Ready is actually ready to be used in stores, they would've already set up how purchases can be made because with ROAM phones can bu turned into check-out counters.

If you're a Hulu user you may have been given the option of choosing a PayPal ad that is most relevant to you. The payment system for PayPal is called PayPal Here. This app has already been available to the US since last year, and if you like in Europe it's available to you now. PayPal Here can be used with apps on Android and iPhones and it allows you to make payments from your PayPal Wallet (if you have one), cash, checks, or credit cards.

How PayPal Here works:

Which have you been using more to make purchases, your actual wallet or your phone?
For now, I'm sticking with my actual wallet!

Source:

• We're This Much Closer To Replacing Our Wallets With Phones
• What Is Isis Mobile Payment?

What In The World Is Google Glass?

Google Glass is the latest project that Google is working on to, "build technology that's seamless, beautiful and empowering." It's a pair of specks or glasses that can be worn the same way sunglasses or prescription glasses are worn. It'll be like having glasses, but in all actuality it's something like a smartphone but more than a smartphone in many ways.

Think about it: walking in New York City (or any city) with out having to pull out your phone every time your receive a text or call, or when you simply need to know where the closest cafe is.

A dislike I may have with the Google Glass is being interrupted while eating a wonderful meal. It's good that there's the option of not wearing it while eating because it'll be,  "There when you need it, and out of your way when you don’t." ! ;) Isabelle Olsson, a senoir industrial designer for project Glass said, "We don't want to put something in front of you that will distract you." That's a benefit.

Google Glass will be available in 2014, but to a selected few, "To share the world through your eyes. To get answers and updates, instantly." 

The selected few who will receive Google Glass early are those who will be part of the, "small group of Explorers to help [Google] discover the full potential of Glass." 


Sources & Resources:

• Why Google Glass Could Be Bad For Your Eyes
• Project Glass (on mashable)
• Project Glass (on Google+)
• Google Glasses Designer Gives Us An Upclose Look
•  Google Glasses: A Preview | Video - ABC News

MegaPixel V.S. UltraPixel

The HTC One, which will be out in late March, is said to be built with a camera that has ultrapixels, which is better than the usual mega pixel that is built in most smartphones. But it turns out that the pixels aren't necessarily ultra,  there is just an additional amount of pixels in the HTC One than there is in previous models of smartphones.


So why all the hype about an 'ultrapixel' camera?
Well, because there are more pixels, the camera is able to capture more light when a photo is taken. Thus making the quality of the photo taken better than a photo taken with a camera that has less pixels. ;) a little something I learned from a graphic design course I took a few summers ago.

Other than there being more pixels in the camera of the HTC One, the phone has interesting features. Some of them include: the Smart Flash (which selects from five different flash settings based on the distance from the object being taken), BlinkFeed is the a new homepage, Zoe Share, BoomSound and HTC Sense TV.  Some of these features may be useful and others may not be. Still each person who buys the phone will have the option of which feature(s) they want to use.

Sources:

• HTC One: The Great White Hype Is Here
• What Is an UltraPixel?

News On The Pope

Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation on February 11, 2013. He has said that his reason for stepping down was due to old age. The reason why this is such a shock and a surprise to many is because the last time a Pope resigned was in 1415, that's over 600 years; which shows the commitment and dedication of those who have been the Pope.

February 28, 2013 at 8 PM Rome time is the official day and time in which the Pope will step down.

Here is Pope Benedict XVI.

 

Since the Pope has announced his resignation, it is obvious that a new Pope has to be chosen. Some possibilities are Cardinal John Olorunfemi Onaiyekan who is from Nigeria and Cardinal Peter Turkson from Ghana.

Sources:

• Successor to Benedict Will Lead a Church at a Crossroads
• Pope Benedict XVI's Resignation Explained
• http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/pope-resigns-africa-hopes-rise-18469321

 

Disney And Vevo

Have you ever been rubbed the wrong way by the explicit celebrity photos shown on VEVO?
Have you been looking for a family friendly outlet that plays music?

Well if your answer is yes to both these questions, then go ahead and get happy! Disney and VEVO are teaming up to provide family friendly music videos. VEVO's catalog of music videos will be available on Disney.com and Disney will pull together and organize family-friendly music videos that will be available on VEVO.

Additionally, there will be coverage of music video premiers, and live music recordings of Disney recording artists and special events. The coverage of these events will be available across VEVO platforms and also on Radio Disney, Disney Music Group, and Disney Interactive.
Sources:

• Disney And VEVO Team Up On Family-Friendly Music Videos
• Disney Interactive and VEVO to Launch Family-Friendly Music Destinations

Media Diary

The most recent assignment from my Multimedia Communications class is to record what media I use throughout the entire day.

Here it is:
My phone is the first thing I come in contact with media related; I use it as an alarm clock so when its time to wake up my phone vibrates. I stretch towards my phone to shut off the alarm and as I do most mornings kneel down to pray to my God. After that I read my Bible and I start getting dressed to drop my sibling and neighbor off to school. When eight o'clock rolls around I'm sent a weather report through an app on my phone; so I check the weather for the day.

In the car I turn on the radio. Throughout my morning commute I listen to KLOVE on 96.7fm, WLIB 1190am or I tune to the mix CD I currently have in my stereo. I switch between these stations multiple times when an ad comes on or when I hope to hear one of my favorite songs on the other station.

Throughout the day I communicate with friends and family by texting. I check my phone for the time at least once or twice during each class that I'm in.

On my way home I listen to the radio again (or to my mix CD) and sing along to the songs I know. Once I'm home I grab something to eat and login to my computer where I check my emails, edit blog posts/write blog posts, read articles, and check Facebook.

Before I go to bed I set my alarm on my phone for the next day, put my phone on vibrate, and send texts or respond to texts that have been sent to my.