BlackBerry Empathy Concept Phone!

The BlackBerry Empathy concept phone is a sponsored project held by RIM Blackberry at the Art Center College of Design. But the concept behind the phone is really odd. The idea is that it is supposed to “detect emotional data” through some magic ring and show both your emotions and your contacts and social graph.

According to Engadget – “It’s not exactly clear how it’d do that, but one crucial element is the biometric feedback ring that communicates your frustration at the phone’s inability to properly sync IMAP accounts in real-time. All of this anger and joy is displayed on a social map — colored rings indicate your contacts’ previous and current emotional states — which is presented on a full touchscreen that can become transparent when the phone’s not in use.”

Here is how the designers Kiki Tang and Daniel Yoon describe the interface:

It is of course touch based and all the user’s connections are shown graphically so you can see who is connected to whom. Each contact has an avatar that is encompassed by two colored rings. The inner colored ring shows the contact’s previous emotional state, and the outer ring represents the contact’s current emotional state. It is important to show the shift in emotions in order to see how an event has affected that contact.

Another important feature that we felt was important was the “Emotional Health Chart”. This chart would monitor the user’s emotional health through an indefinite period of time. One would be able to see how a certain event, or phone call/ message has affected the user. Obviously, if the chart shows someone is always upset, there would be a problem… If permitted, a user would be able to view other user’s charts as well.

The issue I have with the concept is that, have you ever heard of any smartphone user anywhere saying “I wish my smartphone knew how I felt!” It just seems like a solution looking for a problem. Some more pics below.

I am not sure what to make of the Empathy but let me know what you think.

Check Your Facebook Profile Viewers! Scammers on the Lose

Facebook users are being strike these days by a new virally spreading survey scam that has already claimed many users.

You may see updates from your Facebook friends like the following:
I am really OPENMOUTHED that my EX is still checking my profile everyday. You can also see WHO CHECKS YOUR PROFILE here @ [LINK]

Another version reads:

LOL! I cant believe that you can see who is viewing your profile! I can see the TOP 10 people and I am really OPENMOUTHED that my EX is still checking me every hour. You can also see WHO CHECKS YOUR PROFILE here @ [LINK]

If you tagged on such posts, don’t click on the link. If you do make the mistake of clicking you will be asked to authorise a third-party application, which asks access to your Facebook profile.

If you give the permission — probably in the hope of finding out who has been viewing your Facebook profile– then you are giving it the right to post messages to your wall. And it will misuse that permission instantly, in an effort to get your Facebook friends to click on the very same link.

Meanwhile, you will find yourself faced by an online survey – designed to generate commission for the scammers.

The truth is, nevertheless, that there’s no way of discovering who has been viewing your Facebook profile – and any application which promises it is going to tell you who has been stalking your Facebook profile is lying.

If you’ve been affected by this scam, you should clean up your account before any further harm is done.

How To Find Similar Images Using Google’s Image Search

Writing on-line requires a constant search for images. Needless to say, I have quite a few links stashed away in my bookmarks folder. But it is often that I turn to Google Image Search to track down that elusive graphic.

Like all Google products, Google Image Search has continuously been tweaked and improved. The latest change comes to the Google Similar Images option. Google has put in a feature that now you can use to search for similar images across a single site. This is basically an improvement of Google’s site: operator which limits your searches to a particular domain.

But how does it help us exactly and what are the uses you can put this small improvement too? Let’s find out.

Google Similar Images: The Usual Run

Most of us are familiar with the process that goes into searching for similar images. Go to Google Image Search and type in a keyword for the image you are searching for. Next, it’s just a matter of mouse-over a specific image (for which you want similar images) and clicking on the Similar link.

Here’s what you get – a whole gallery of similar images to pick and choose from. Once you get the similar images, you can go for More Sizes and check out the other dimensions that are available.

Similar Images: Do a Google Image Search

To come back to the search update, you can use the similar search function as a combination with the site: operator. Use the operator as normally would. Let’s say:site:www.makeuseof.com linux. As you can see from the screenshot below, the gallery of images now are closer (or similar) to the base image.

The Advanced Search options also allow you to specify a domain and limit your search to a single site. But using it from the address bar saves you a few clicks and is definitely the easiest way to get that perfect image. But definitely dive into it if you need the other options available there.

Some Uses You Can Put It Too…

Taking a cue from Digital Inspiration’s article on the same subject, you can use the new feature to search for magazine covers across a domain like Time.com. I am using it to look for a variety of images which I can use as ‘album covers’ for my personal MP3 collection.

Google has also updated the index of similar images, so now you’ll find more recent results. That’s great if you are searching for images from newsworthy events. Especially, searching for a familiar celebrity (Of course, you will have a wider sweep if you remove the site:operator). The Official Google Blog demonstrates with Lady Gaga.

If you have any interest in gardening, the visual search by similarity is a great time saver when it comes to searching for a particular type of flower that you know only by color. It’s not perfect, but it helps to narrow down your options. The same logic applies to any other search distinguished by small differences.

Google Image Search represents one of the easiest ways to search for something visually. It can also be an exercise in creativity and fun.

Awesome Add-Ons That Only Work With Firefox 4

Firefox has long been the darling of geeks everywhere, but its popularity has waned lately, mostly due to competition from Google’s Chrome browser. Firefox, while stable and practical, simply wasn’t as quick as Chrome. Some, such as myself, switched.
Now Firefox 4 is out, and the browser has been substantially redesigned to improve performance and offer a better interface. The add-on ecosystem always changes when a new browser version is released, and Firefox 4 is no different. Many older add-ons are broken – at least for now. Fortunately, there are a few new or revised add-ons already available.

Movable Firefox Button 1.3

This add-on makes the Firefox button in Firefox 4 movable. By default, the button hangs out in the upper left hand corner, on the same part of the interface used by tabs. This add-on lets you move it to someplace else, such as alongside the search bar, which frees up more room for tabs to appear.

FabTabs 1.4

The concept behind FabTabs is simple – make tabs visually distinct. That way, you’ll be able to tell the sites you have open in your tabs at a glance, without reading any text. This is great for users who like to open lots of tabs, as having large numbers of tabs open forces each tab to become smaller, which soon makes the text useless.

Fab Tab accomplishes this by taking a screenshot of the website you’re viewing and working some math wizardry to find the most prominent color, which it then applies to the corresponding tab. Although this sounds easy to fool, it worked perfectly in my usage. It even picked red for CNN, despite the fact that most of the website is white.

Easy App Tabs 3

One of the new features in Firefox is the “app tab.” This is a small tab that is used to mark websites, like Facebook, that you want to use but don’t need to devote an entire tab to. By default, app tabs are placed by right clicking and then selecting Pin as App Tab from the menu, but Easy App Tabs lets you do the same by simply double-clicking a tab. It’s quicker and easier.

Vertical Toolbar 0.2

Opera users might like this one, has the purpose of Vertical Toolbar is to add, well, a vertical toolbar – which looks quite a lot like the one Opera has when you open the “panels” toolbar. Firefox isn’t Opera, though, so there isn’t quite as much stuff to put on the toolbar by default. You gain access to your bookmarks, browsing history and download manager at the top, while at the bottom you’ll find buttons for full screen view, printing and refreshing the page.

Things get more interesting if you open up the Firefox button, go to Options, and then go to Toolbar Layout. There are a number of toolbar functions listed here that aren’t included by default but can be added easily. If you have installed the Movable Firefox Button 1.3 add-on you can place your Firefox button on the vertical toolbar as well.

Tab Badge 1.2

As websites command more of our attention and become more like apps, notifications become more important. A program has no problem telling a user when something has happened, but that sort of behavior isn’t common from a web browser.

Tab Badge seeks to resolve this issue by adding a small, bright-red visual notification on open tabs of social networking and email sites. This add-on works with Twitter, Facebook, Gmail and more.

Instant Preview 3

This add-on is straight from Mozilla Labs, which means its a feature that didn’t quite make it into the full web browser, but is being worked on and considered for future use. Once installed, pages that show up in the search bar when you are typing will begin to load automatically. Once you click on them, they’re already partially or completely loaded, creating a web experience that feels smoother. However, this behavior will only work with websites you have visited before, which is the add-on’s one downside.

Custom Tab Width 1.0.1

Another simple but useful interface tweak, Custom Tab Width lets you determine how wide or small a tab can be. By default, Firefox limits tabs to a maximum width of 250 and a minimum width of 100. If you’re a tab heavy user, though, you can use this add-on to reduce that minimum width to whatever you’re comfortable with. This is a great add-on to use with FabTabs.

Conclusion

Usually, this is the part where I point out that there are lots of add-ons available, I can’t possibly cover them all, and I’ve selected those I’ve found most useful. To some extent, that applies. But the list of add-ons for Firefox 4 is small at the moment, so the 7 listed here represents about 25% of all Firefox 4 add-ons currently available!

Of course, folks will be quick to jump on the bandwagon, so the list should expand rapidly. Mozilla has a special “Only for Firefox 4” section set up on their add-on page, so you might want to bookmark it and check back in a few weeks to see the new add-ons that have been released.

Facebook’s New Way Of Using You As Free Advertising (& How To Stop It.

witting Facebook users may soon find themselves starring in adverts for free by simply using the service. The new feature known as ‘sponsored stories’ will recommend products and services to your friends based on your tastes and whether your profile settings allow it.

Actions such as checking into places, clicking “Like” on a page, application interactions and posting on Facebook pages can be then used as marketing ammo, sending targeted recommendations to your friends featuring your name and profile picture. Users who are featured in the adverts won’t be paid a penny.

This new way for advertisers to target their audience on a startlingly personal level quietly launched in January, and (in a move that’s angered many) each Facebook user’s account, by default, allows this to happen. Despite many voicing their concerns, Facebook insists that this new breed of social advertising falls in line with its current privacy policy.



For those of you sitting in your chairs, there’s a simple way to disallow Facebook from using your personal data in these new ‘sponsored stories’ from your Account Settings:

Whilst logged into Facebook, click Account then Account Settings. On the far right of the row of tabs choose Facebook Adverts, which will take you to a page where you can change Allow adverts on platform pages to show my information to and Show my social actions in Facebook Adverts to No one.




What do you think about Facebook’s new adverts? Have you changed your account settings? Spread the word and have your say in the comments below.

A Tale of China 'chinko' Phone

China Phones! 'Wetin concern me and chinko'
I wouldn’t have given them a chance some months back, but that is changing as the chinkos are manufacturing better looking and more functional phones. It is looking like we no longer can afford to ignore them.



I remember one of the first China phones to hit the Nigerian market. A friend had brought a unit and asked me to help install useful mobile applications and to configure it for internet. Do I have to say that we were not able to put any application on the phone and also didn’t succeed in configuring it for internet? Simply put, the phone was useless. With the ear drum bursting noise that comes with depressing any key i was utterly irritated.

Fast forward to 18 months later, a completely different person asked for the same thing- to help install useful mobile apps and configure for internet on his China phone. My initial response was, “There’s no use, it won’t work”. But she begged and I decided to give it a shot. The first thing I did was to manually input internet settings. Once that was done, I launched the browser and to my amazement it loaded well (Although it loaded initially in Chinese). The browser even loaded a social networking site like Facebook. This was the first surprise. The second was that the phone gladly accepted Java applications and they worked well on it.

It has been an upward trend for China phones since then. They are getting more and more matured as the days go by.

However, what I dislike about these phones and wish will change is the use of brand names of other mobile phone manufacturers by the people behind some of these phones. An example is the “Nokia N99i” , which is by no means manufactured by Nokia.

These phones I dare say are now good enough to have their own brand names, and with their current pricing scheme, these phones will continue to do well in emerging markets. Some of them are already doing this, and we have brand names such as i-mobile, Techno, Zedd, Zen to mention a few.

China phone, anyone?