iPhone "Bump" Application

Whoa, was I thrown for a loop this week when my friend visiting from IU showed me the new "Bump App" on his iPhone.This is pretty much the craziest thing I have ever seen. Basically, the app serves as a method of quickly exchanging contact information with a simple bump. Once the application is turned on, two people simply put their iPhones in their hands, and fist bum each other. This will send the contact info from one phone to the other. It is ironic, because this is probably the way my grandmother would try to send her contact info to someone elses phone, by banging the two together. Nevertheless, it is a very cool little application. You are given the option of how much info you want to share. You can simply put your name, so they can find you on facebook, or you could put your phone number, address, e-mail address, and twitter page all in. It does not always go through if you do not hit it just right, but its amazing how well it works, especially since the two devices never actually have to touch each other for the exchange.

Blackberry Bold

Ever since I received my first phone from my parents, back in tenth grade, I insisted that I did not need anything fancy. I kept that first phone for nearly six years until it broke on me while I was doing an internship in South Africa two summers ago(terrible spot to break, I know). I then purchased another simple phone that did nothing but call and text, but two weeks ago, for my birthday, my parents got me a Blackberry Bold. This thing is amazing. If you do not have a smart phone, get one. It does everything, and I am constantly connected to every important contact in my life. I've got my e mail, pictures, facebook, and a bevy of other things at my fingertips. Sure, it has its down sides. The apps leave a bunch too be desired and T-Mobil's 3G coverage is slow at best, but I can still get all of my stuff done in a coffee house without a laptop. I highly recommend this product, but would insist that you get some other service provider other than T-Mobile. They are terrible. On the plus side, my love for Atari games has been awakened after a 20 year slumber by the game "Brick Breaker" which is essentially pong with bricks instead of futuristic pill looking objects.

iPod Touch

So, I finally entered the new decade(which is now, what, just under 40 days old) and purchased an iPod Touch. I must say, this thing is really cool to look at and has some nifty new features. The most appealing cosmetic addition is the album artwork shown, on a large scale, while listening to a song. The Touch also has a new feature where, if you are listening to a song and want to see other songs and albums by that artist, you just have to flip it sideways. It is not without its draw backs, however. It feels almost like you are holding a tiny piece of art. It is a beautifully crafted little thing that just seems so fragile. I always feel like I am breaking mine, and smudging the screen/back. The other downside is the flipping feature can be annoying when you activate it accidentally. On the whole, though, it is a great little device. You may just want to wait a generation or two to invest in one because there are some kinks to be worked out.

First blog

Ok, let's get this blog going. My name is Joe and this is my COM 435 blog about Communication and Emerging Technologies. For my blog I am going to focus on popular consumer products that are now entering the marketplace, and review them. There are certainly a great deal of new products out there, and my roommates and I are huge fans of snatching these things up and evaluating them. In the next few months I will discuss whether or not these new products are worth considering based on a few questions I usually ask myself. What new features do they have? Are they noticeably different than older models (ie. iPod touch vs traditional iPod)? And do these "upgrades" make the product more or less user friendly? Since I am certainly no technology expert I hope to give an average person's perspective on these products. A computer genius may love a product, but the average person may find it confusing and, ultimately, unusable. That is what I hope to accomplish throughout the rest of the semester.