Generation E.T. (Emerging Technologies)

One of the things that will never end within me is learning. There is no limit to whatever we want to learn in our everyday lives. We don't stop till we get used to it especially technologies which are rapidly evolving and emerging to our lives. Indeed, technologies are transforming and becoming more better than ever to simplify our everyday tasks. From mobile devices to computers to our means of communication, technology has changed and affected the everyday life of many people living today.

            The learning is not just by means of learning by ourselves such as reading journals or surfing the internet but also to other people who are credible in sharing what they know about the emerging technologies. I, for one have experienced this kind of learning through the seminar series that I have attended for our EM-TECH (Emerging Technologies) class. 

               The 1st series of seminars were more on the technologies that Microsoft have developed recently which are the Windows 8 and the Windows Phone 7. Speakers from Microsoft shared what it is new in the Windows 8 and Windows Phone 7 which we can't find in other technologies such as smart phones (e.g. androids, Apple products) and the previous Windows versions. I was impressed with the fact that Windows 8 and Windows Phone 7 showed a huge transformation in the whole perspective of emerging technologies through the use of tiles and Metro. Aesthetics and functionalities set them apart and make them unique in the technology aspect. Seeing with my very own eyes to the two Microsoft products, it made me very pleased with the fact that if I were to use these kind of technologies, it would be very useful and essential to my everyday tasks. It keeps me updated of what is posted in my social networking sites and keeps me lively to the splash of vibrant and cool colors of their user interface designs. From keypads to touchpad and tiles, it has made easier for users to make use of their products and also guarantees a customer satisfaction.

Preview of Windows 8

Preview of Windows Phone

          2nd of the Seminar Series were somehow related to the 1st series since both speakers have experienced and are known as "experts" in using the Microsoft tools. These tools can also be considered as emerging technologies because of the gradual changes of the tools per version were made. As the tools evolved, more features are developed to make the users more satisfied in using them. The first speaker discussed the system development, particularly system testing through the use of Microsoft Visual Studio 2012. Though I never tried to get to experience Visual Studio 2012, I get to experience its previous version which is Visual Studio 2010. The difference is that there were more types of files and classes that can be made in 2012 than in 2010 as well as more features such as adding library classes where users can make use of the different methods that are in the class. On the other hand, the 2nd speaker showed us Microsoft Azure which is a cloud computing service. With cloud computing, data storage is infinite. As more data is placed in the cloud, its storage grows which makes customers satisfied with the services. Challenges for these type of technologies would be security issues where hackers tend to steal data from other people within the web and importance of having these kind of technologies is to be safe of whatever data where putting on the cloud or web whether files or information about us.

Windows Azure

            Emerging technologies on the other hand are not always in the form of tools which we install in our devices. They can also be in the form of social media which serves as a new form of communication which can be done through the use of internet and a web browser (e.g. Google Chrome, Firefox). Social media by all means is social communication which undergoes different processes and makes use of different tools in the internet. Some of these well-known social media would be social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, ad campaigns, blogs and other social tools such as Pinterest, Google+, Instagram and Foursquare. The 1st speaker is a social media consultant where he helps out companies who are not well known enough yet they want to be publicize to let other people know of their brand and what they sell. It may easy at it looks but there is a learning process and strategy as well on how to be able to make them well known with certain conditions and even crucial ones. This goes to show that social media can be essential in terms of making not well known companies be familiar to people around the world throughout the worldwide web since nowadays millions of people are into the web.

           The last speaker on the other hand was a bit far from the speakers that we had on the previous seminars. He talked about how gas are detected and monitored nowadays through the use of different tools and testings. Although this is not much being talked to our course which is Information Systems, it is still useful in a way to at least familiarize ourselves with the technology used to monitor and detect gas to ensure safety wherever we are.

            Through these seminars, I was able to pick up a lot of information that would be essential and useful in my life. Learning different kinds of emerging technologies helped me gain knowledge but for me this doesn't end there. Like I said, it is a never ending process. If it is what we like, for instance mobile devices or into the updates of our favorite social media tools, we should not stop learning on what we are interested at. We are I can say a part of the Generation E.T..

Mobile Computing in My Own Understanding

In our generation right now, technologies are rapidly emerging and changing the older generation. With the new models as well as new features made in technologies, people get fascinated about learning what's new with the new released technologies and if the technologies satisfy the people's needs, they then are being bought and being used by people. But what makes it fascinating for us users? What makes technology gets our attention easily once we get our hands on one or many?

I would like to share my own experience when I got my hands on these devices, specifically mobile devices. But before that, I want to define first the term Mobile Computing. What is Mobile Computing? Well after reading from a few sources, in my own understanding, Mobile Computing is an interaction between the human or known as the user with technology. Having mobile phones in my opinion has been a common trend in our country. Almost every person has it. Despite whatever model it is, old or the recent, mobile phones have been useful ever since it came up. From personal needs to communication with other people are some of the uses of the mobile phones that have to offer. But one thing that I notice nowadays that people buy recent models such as iPhones, Android and Blackberry would be that these 3 have something in common -- they can access to the internet. Well, majority of the cellphones that are out right now have access to the internet and it's wireless. Their difference is that how it would appear to the user, specifically the appearance of the data being shown to the users. This also got me into thinking that another definition of mobile computing could be the involvement of technologies, which are wireless devices, that have the ability to connect to the Internet.

Although, mobile computing has been useful to users nowadays, it also has issues as well. For one would be the security. Whatever data is in our devices are not surely secured even if it is your device because it can either be hacked or even loss of data. Aside from this would be the specifications of the devices. Majority of the technology users are contented at first when they buy their first devices but once they get to hear and even see a new technology that comes out, they would eventually buy one if they see it satisfies their needs better than their current one. Another would be that mobile computing also causes "trending". What do I mean by it? Well, for Filipinos in tagalog it is "nakikiuso." Whatever people see in others, they also do it as well. To be "in" with the "trending" society. For example would be new generations of phones, (e.g. iPhone) has come out. Mostly, once the new model is out, people are desperately to buy such devices no matter what the cost is.

My experience in such mobile computing would be the time I had my first cellphone when I was in Grade 4 which was a Nokia 8210. I remembered that my purpose at first was to play games there such as Snake and Batumni.

My first cellphone

But after a few years, I get to have a new cellphone which was way better than my first since the screen now is colored. I forgot though the model that I had next but what I can remember when I had it is that I was more into its functionalities such as taking pictures using the built-in camera and internet. It was the first time ever to use GPRS and browse the internet using such phone. But the bad experience for me during this would be that I had no idea that once am connecting to the GPRS and using it as a means to browse in the internet, my load slowly decreases thus being able to send less messages to other people and even having less time or not to even have an option to call. After a few years again particularly my 3rd year high school, I get to have a new phone which is the Nokia 3600 slide. My reason to choose this kind of phone would be that it was better than my previous phones since it had better megapixels when it comes to taking pictures as well as now being able to store music and videos in the phone and lastly, it's a slide phone. But right now, as a college student I switched then to iPhone which so far satisfied my needs. First of all, it contains now a bigger memory than my previous phones, better appearance of the menu, can take pictures and videos and even edit them such as photo editing apps, personal and even educational needs when I tend to take note of some announcements or side notes.

iPhone 3gs, my recent mobile phone

There are indeed a lot of emerging technologies, not just mobile phones. I don't know what would even be the next generations would look like but for me, the direction of mobile computing would be making more people's life even easier than what we are experiencing right now. Mobile computing would have better multi-tasking functionalities squeezed into certain technologies which would help the user not only for their personal needs but also for other purposes. Maybe in the future, there would be such that data inside the phone can be transferred to a certain electronic screen or table with just a flick of a finger from the mobile phone let's say to such other electronic devices. Anything crazy imagination like this could happen in the future. Furthermore, more people will be affected and even be inclined to these kinds of technologies. But I for one, hope that technologies should be a means for the good. We are the ones should be in control not letting technologies control us by making us addictive to it.