The advent of the new millennium has seen an unprecedented rise in the reliance on technology in everyday life and the workplace has been no exception. It is hard to imagine any business (however big or small) that does not use a computer or a computerised machine at some level and certain analysts have argued that this has had an adverse effect on the workforce overall.
Erik Brynjolfsson, a professor with MIT, has done extensive study into the problem and has concluded that using technology essentially favours on the top 1% of the workforce while taking away opportunities for those further down the ladder. This would appear to have some credence as the use of sophisticated machines generally replaces ordinary workers – you don’t need to pay a machine a wage, after all. Furthermore, employment grew by around 20% overall during the 1980s and 1990s as technology was creeping into the workplace but still needed a human touch to make it work; since it has been more self aware and does not need as much human intervention, employment has fallen 1% overall in the last 11 years.
In fact, many analysts are predicting that it is not just the ordinary worker that will find themselves out of a job because of a machine but that top level executives will as well. SmartPlanet Editor-in-Chief Larry Dignan argued that it is just ‘business culture’ that is keeping these executives in their positions however a decade or so done the line will see their …

Plasma, LCD, LED and now 3D TVs may be the hottest commodities on the market now, but analysts believe that web based televisions will soon dominate the industry. Studies have already shown that consumers use their mobile phones, tablets and other mobile tunes while planted in front of the tube, so it makes sense that web TVs would soon takeover. An astounding 500 million web based television sets are set to flood the market by 2015.
Technology experts have long predicted that Internet browsing and television programming would collide. Consumers from all countries are expected to embrace the technology as they will be able to get two devices in one. Streaming services such as Hulu are expected to get in early on the action so that they are able to launch their proposed subscription plans. The Internet may give people the ability to access information in an instant, but they are also deeply attached to the television. This technology will help to fuse both innovations into one convenient package.
Consumers won’t have to sacrifice high quality displays for web based TVs. In fact, many LCD televisions are already coming with web browsing capabilities. Although HD computer monitors are also growing in popularity, they cannot realistically take the place of the standard television set. Web TVs will also be able to connect to other electronic devices. This will give television watchers the opportunity to program their televisions via their mobile phones and also to find programming recommendations while on the go. …

Now that RIM is focused on keeping the Blackberry alive, it does not seem like the company has the resources available to produce a tablet that can compete with the iPad 2. Apple has been silently chipping away at RIM, and the effects are now obvious. Originally, RIM planned on selling nearly 2.5 million Playbook tablets. Now, it hopes to be able to ship 800,000 units by the end of 2011.
Apple’s iMessenger threatens the monology that RIM once had on the mobile messaging market. With the release of the iPhone 5 coming soon, RIM has yet to be able to develop a Blackberry that can compete with the iPhone. The tablet market is just as competitive with Acer, HP, Apple and RIM trying to appeal to consumers through every possible mean. From pricing structure to screen size to features, it seems that shoppers only want the iPad 2, despite other manufacturers’ best efforts.
For five years in a row, RIM has seen its popularity diminish. Although there are still millions of people that favor the Blackberry, many have already moved on to Android based phones, or even worse, the iPhone. If RIM is able to sell over a million tablets, there might be hope for the company yet. On the other hand, Apple is planning on releasing the iPad 3, while RIM is still trying to market a tablet that might already be dated. It looks like there may not be a Playbook 2 tablet in the horizon after all. …

Google is known for innovating the web and transforming into the information behemoth that we know today, but it seems that it can’t quite dominate in the hardware industry. The Google Chromebook has been a buzz word ever since the company mentioned it two years ago. Google and Samsung came together to release the Chromebook Series 5, which comes with 16GB SanDisk SSD and Google’s own Chrome OS. The good news is that this computer loads incredibly fast. From the time that the power button is turned on, it only takes approximately 10 seconds to get the the main browser.
For a computer that is supposed to be specifically for Google fans, it seems that browsing the web with multiple tabs causes the Google Chromebook to lag. For instance, viewing websites that run on Flash or Javascript can cause your processes to be delayed. Though Google is known for developing great interactive software, building an operating system from scratch is no easy feat.
Overall, technology experts are not too thrilled with what the Google Chromebook was able to do. Google has specifically marketed the computer to users that spend the majority of their time browsing the web, however, not everyone looks primarily at plain HTML webpages. For the Chromebook to really deliver, Google will need to make sure that the next model handle web browsing and distributing computer resources more effectively. This computer might be good for someone that is a developer, but be sure to only work on one …

After learning that some of its notebooks posed a potential fire risk, HP has called for the recall of more than 162,000 notebook batteries. The notebooks in question were manufactured by both HP and Compaq. Sold from 2007 until 2008, HP isn’t just recalling the faulty batteries because of the report released by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. In total, 40 HP notebook owners have sustain physical injury or property damage as a direct result of using their computers.
This isn’t the first time that HP has issued a recall of its notebook batteries. In 2009 and 2010, HP recalled approximately 100,000 notebook batteries in total. HP sales have been outpaced by Dell and Sony in recent years. It is likely that the company’s move to a lower priced supplier led to the manufacture of dangerous notebook batteries. Thankfully, no deaths have been attributed to HP’s products, but legal action could be in the cards.
If HP knew that its batteries were causing injuries way back in 2009, why did it take two years for the company to recall all applicable models? One possible solution includes negative backlash. HP wants to be known for its high tech smartphones and computing devices, not its inability to manufacture fire producing notebook batteries. It is possible that the company just failed to fully investigate the situation. The first two recalls took care of a few different HP notebook models, but the most recent product recall includes over five notebooks made by Compaq …

Amazon may really be onto something with its new discounted Kindle that displays ads and special deals. The concept consists of providing discounts to consumers that want to purchase popular electronics on sale. Although smart phone owners have long been subjected to obnoxious ads on free apps, this is the first electronic device that comes with built-in advertisements that users are not able to opt out of. The new Kindle will only be able to access the Internet via a Wi-Fi connection. On one hand, this is great news for bargain shoppers, but in a way it does support the idea that it is okay to force consumers to consume advertisements.
The Kindle went on pre-order without a hitch, but Amazon may soon find itself in court with Apple. Back in 2008, Apple developed a similar technology that puts advertisers in direct contact with their preferred customer bases. Although the company was able to get a patent, the company may wind up not even using the technology in future electronic devices.
Some consumers that have been previously unable to afford a Kindle may be thrilled with the low priced e-reader, but others have already complained that the $25 reduction in price is not enough to compensate them for being constantly barraged with ads. In fairness, it is worth noting that the new Kindle will not place ads between the pages of its e-books. Instead, the device’s screensaver will ccle through different ads and the menu will display a different ad, …