Theme Your iPod Touch or iPhone

Recently, in my spare time, I've been mixing and matching
different themes for my jail-broken iPod Touch.  Using Cydia, and an FTP (File Transfer Protocol) client named CyberDuck for Mac, I am able to customize icons, wallpapers, backgrounds, and many other features.  For those of you who may be unfamiliar with what all of this means, I've given an explanation of what jail-breaking is and how you can create unique themes for either your iPod Touch or iPhone.

For starters, what exactly is jail-breaking?   This is a process that allows you to unlock the operating system of an electronic device, giving you root access to the files within so that you can install various "home-brewed" applications and a plethora of other features that would otherwise be restricted.  Many manufacturers, like Apple, use closed systems so that they can maintain the content that a consumer puts on their iPhone or what have you.  From a business perspective this is smart and controls the abuse of many electronic devices.  However, I personally enjoy a free reign over my product and like to experiment with different applications.

Let it be a warning to you that jail-breaking your device is risky.  There is always the rare chance that you can damage the software, rendering your iPod Touch or iPhone "bricked".  Your warranty on the device is also voided unless the firmware is restored to the original factory settings.  You should know the basics of what jail-breaking does and how it can be done before attempting to experiment on your own iPod.  For a complete how to on jail-breaking, you may message me via facebook or contact me at my email address: (Gmail Address).

Some of these screenshots within this post display some of recent theme combinations that I am able to put together using the SSH client, CyberDuck, along with an application for the iPod Touch called Cydia.  Visit iPod Touch Fans to watch tutorials and for a more comprehensive look at the benefits of jail-breaking.

Apple's iPad: Redundancy or Genius?

It is only fitting to write a blog on the new iPad on the day of its release to the public.  Described as a "magical" piece of new technology by Apple's one and only Jony Ive (Senior VP of Design), the iPad bridges a gap between consumer electronic products, the gap between a laptop and a PDA or cell phone.  However, is it a necessary product?  Hear what banker, Jon Byron has to say. “I can do everything on my MacBook Pro, cellphone and BlackBerry,” Mr. Byron said. “I don’t need any more devices. I already have six phone numbers and enough things to plug in at night.”  Though this is only one consumer's opinion, it seems to be the thought process for many.  This is a first in it's product type launch and as is the case with all first generation gadgets, it will have it's flaws.  While it is a neat piece of equipment and very capable, I know that I do not see the immediate need for it.

Brad Stone of the NY Times describes the purpose of tablets as this: "Tablets are intended to allow people to watch video, browse the Web, play video games and read books, magazines and newspapers everywhere they go without the bulky inconveniences of a full-fledged laptop."  With this said, I'm sure new uses will be added to this list, just as new uses for the iPhone were invented by a vast amount of developers.  Apps will be created and adapted for iPad usage bringing a new multi-touch experience to you.

 From the marketing perspective, looking at the iPad from a need/want angle, we will immediately see that this falls into the want category.  Wants, which are derived from needs are relative to the consumer.  Satisfying needs are more universal and akin to everyone.  However, when you look at the iPad, you may ask your self the question, why would I want this if my cell phone and laptop already cover my technology needs?  Time will tell us whether this new product will be adopted by mainstream consumers and time will also tell us if this new technology category is here to stay or just a passing fad.

10 Global Flatteners: Based on The World is Flat

The world is truly a flat place.  I don't mean this in a physical sense, but from a globalization perspective.  The world has gotten smaller and smaller and smaller over the past century as barriers of communication have been broken down.  In the book The World is Flat, written by Thomas L. Friedman (op-ed columnist for NY Times) he reveals ten flatteners that have made this world a more convenient place in terms of communication.  Each flattener is listed below along with why it is important.  These historical occurrences and unique inventions have made it possible to even share this blog with you.
10) Fall of the Berlin Wall: This fall occurred in 1989 and ended the 28 year separation between East and West Germany.  It eliminated the final fence that stood and opened up a world without boundaries.  Six months later Windows came out with Windows 3.0 a global computer interface.
9) Netscape IPO:  The first internet browser which lead to the creation of the first dot com boom in the mid 1990s and as a result opened up e-commerce to the global market.
8)  Workflow Software: This is pretty much the flattener that let computers communicate with other computers without human interaction.
7) Open-sourcing: Friedman said that this was the most disruptive flattener of all.  This involved the creation of applications made by multiple programmers and was shared via the internet.  Examples are wikis, bulletin boards, blogs.  This let people contribute and add their own content.
6) Outsourcing: Companies soon discovered ways to become more efficient by outsourcing their work to other countries at cheaper labor rates.
5) Offshoring: Manufacturing companies chose to locate their plants outside of the country because it was cheaper, but this of course has led to loss of jobs in the domestic country.  It was another form of cheaper overseas labor.
4) Supply Chaining: To explain this one I am better off using an example.  If I purchase a laptop in California that was distributed to California from Chicago, and was made originally in China, an indicator is formed in the store in California as a -1.  Then this info is translated to the Chicago distributor and down the line to the manufacturer in China to produce one more unit or to have the Chicago distributor supply one more laptop unit to the California store.  Supply chaining is a form of communication between producers and suppliers to maintain a proper balance of goods.
3) Insourcing: If I have a broken HP laptop, I need to have it fixed.  Instead of sending it all the way to HP where an HP technician would fix it, I send it to the FedEx hub and a technician that is trained to fix HP laptops fixes it, saving time.  It is basically employees trained to do multiple tasks.  Another example is as follows in case the first was confusing: "Suppose an appliance manufacturer is contracted by an automotive manufacture to have their repair technicians trained to fix automobiles in addition to household appliances. It would be like having someone come to your home to fix your refrigerator and then turn around and fix your car." (Wiki -Friedman's Flatteners)
2) In-forming: This is simply the search engine, such as Google.  Massive amounts of information can be found here within a few seconds.
1) The Steroids: iPods, mobile phones, instant messaging, VoIP, All analog to digital content, anything that has been digitized and is now easily transmittable via all of the aforementioned technological breakthroughs.(2-10)

For more details and interesting examples, read The World is Flat.

Kiva: Lending to Entrepreneurs in Developing Countries

This is an inspiring website that I would recommend all to visit. Kiva The goal of this website is to connect people throughout the world and hopefully to convince you to loan money to an underprivileged  individual or group for entrepreneurial progress.  Kiva works with micro-finance companies to ensure that your money reaches its intended target group/individual.  Each person that is listed on this site has some kind of small localized business operation, but they do not have the funds to operate it.  This is where Kiva comes into play.  Kiva places the profile of these people on their site along with how much each individual is hoping to be lent.  For example: I lent $25 to a woman in Lebanon this morning who is looking to buy a new sewing machine.  The following link is who I have lent to. Neamat from Lebanon   Her goal is to reach $1200.  She will then have approximately 14 months to pay back my $25 lend.  This is a good and direct way to help people in developing countries with their own business dreams.  The site shows how much progress is being made for each individual.  This is not a scam site, but has been proven to work.  My entrepreneurship professor, Dr. Ed Petkus showed me this about 7 months ago.  He has lent to some people before and has received his loan payment back.  Visit the Kiva link to check out more information on these "loans that change lives."  Participate and donate to your individual or group of choice to help their endeavors.

The Future of "Force" in Electronics: A Quantum Mechanics Approach

The future of certain thin panel devices is in for a leap into quantum physics.  Quantum mechanics, while an extremely difficult subject for someone to get their mind around, simply put, is the relationship between energy and matter at the atomic level.  Samsung along with some other companies has been researching and licensing a certain material named:quantum tunneling composite.  At the structural level this looks like a mace with numerous spikes projecting from it.  These tiny nano-particles protrude from a polymer(a bunch of molecules that are bonded together to form a chain).  When these balls of composite are pressed and brought nearer to each other, something known as tunneling occurs and an electric current is produced.  This is a short summary of the science behind this technology.  Let's take a look at how this may apply to certain gadgets.  For example, say you are on your touch screen phone surfing on the web and you want to  scroll down the site you are on.  Instead of clicking an arrow, you would simply apply a certain amount of force or pressure with your finger toward the bottom of the screen and the page will scroll at a speed that is proportionate to how hard you pressed.  This quantum technology will be a great breakthrough for the future of touchscreen devices such as cellular phones, gaming devices, and GPS.  The more force that is applied to the area the closer the nano-particles underneath the screen touch, causing that tunneling effect to produce a certain amount of electric current.  What is good about this new form of technology is that it is really efficient since the electricity is not created until the pressure is applied to the screen.  "Electronics are being given the ability to sense something that we take for granted, which is how much we're touching and applying force," said Philip Taysom (Chief Executive @ Peratech) Peratech is the company that produces the composite for the QTC technology.This is a very advanced technological improvement and will be coming to a Samsung electronic device near you.  To find out more about quantum mechanics in electronics, check out this article at BBC News.

Quantum Mechanics Article

A Real Find: Blu Dot Experiment

Read this very interesting Rob Walker article from his Consumed column from the NY Times or watch the video on the Blu Dot experiment found in the second link.
A Real Find
Blu Dot Film

This was of course a subtle yet unsubtle way of promoting a brand and yet it truly is something that each of us will find happening to ourselves. Perhaps not the most comfortable looking chair, but it is aesthetically pleasing and quite expensive at $129.  It is no surprise that most of the people attracted to the chair and that also took the chair were some type of design or industrial genre of people.  I found it neat that they could track the chairs locations using GPS and Google Maps.  The follow up and feedback with each consumer that took the chair was what was really interesting.  Consumer behavior and marketing are heavily bonded to psychology and how we make decisions each day, how we form our own type of brand and how brands form us.  Blu Dot explored these behaviors on camera and in person.  It is also interesting to see how people react to randomly placed chairs on the street corner.  It is typical to find usable trash on the sidewalk in NYC, but notice that almost all of the chairs were not placed near trash.  This changes the situation for the consumer.  If the chair were by trash, the consumer can now take the chair at a quicker rate because they won't feel guilty from taking it since it is in the company of garbage.  However, when the chair is left alone, consumers study the situation in more depth and think deeper about whether or not they should take it.  It becomes almost awkward for them.

Blu Dot who received this marketing idea from Mono (a marketing agency), saw it as a performance on the street and so they called it a type of "street theater."  It is entertainment and to the average consumer, it is not seen as that annoying in your face, bombastic marketing that we all loathe.  Marketing products in these types of fashions is going to become more and more pervasive in everyday life.  You won't even realize you are part of the street theater operations. But, perhaps the most humorous part of this articles is toward the end when Walker compares marketing to Congress.  We don't like Congress in general terms, but we continue to re-elect the same representatives.  This is akin to marketing: we don't like the daily intrusions of marketing, unless we are "totally into the chair (or whatever) being marketed."  As for your own experiences as a consumer, I recommend reading articles like these, especially Rob Walker's column.  He gives a different angle on how we think as consumers and forces you to look at things in a different light. Happy reading!

Victorinox Maverick II Chronograph

As you may know, I am into watches and precise movement, things of this nature. Received as a gift, this Victorinox Swiss Army watch is by far my favorite compared to the other watches I own. The Swiss got it right on this watch. It has a manly, chunky feel, a certain heaviness, and a sapphire crystal scratch resistant face. The Swiss are known for their movement, while Japanese Quartz movement is more prevalent, the Swiss movement is more exact and can keep perfect time over the course of time. This watch has a rotating bezel and a 30 minute timer that is accurate up to a tenth of a second. I wear it daily, but we will see if it can stand the test of time. Nikudes has done a solid review on this watch on YouTube. You can find out more about it at this link: Maverick II Chrono Video Review
Some watch stores will carry it. There are two versions of it. You can purchase one with a rubber wrist band or the stainless steel metal band. It is priced between $250-$600. Anyone looking for a durably built timepiece can look no further. It has passed my approval and I highly recommend it.