Daily Blog

Remember this mess?

Do you remember when life was less .. digital? Particularly in the music world, it was so much more fun to buy music. A recent article on the BBC online mentions how the they are bringing back the device.

The cassette tape, also known as audio cassette, or simply tape, is a music playing device .  Between the early 1970s and the late 1990s, the cassette was one of the two most common formats for prerecorded music.

How do we listen to music?

Cassettes used to be the most popular means to access music during its heyday. It was affordable, portable and simple to duplicate, unlike the vinyl.
The popularity of the cassette took off after the introduction of the Sony Walkman in 1979. Between 1985, when it overtook vinyl, and 1992, when it was eclipsed by CDs, it was the most popular audio format in the country. But sales collapsed towards the end of the 90′s and major labels abandoned the cassette in 2003.

However, just as the new technology era has taken over with the increase of new merchandise – our simple old cassette tape has come back. Montreal- based company, Duplication.ca, who have used a variety of products, such as the DVD, CDs and Blue Ray, have found themselves shifting towards the medium they first used, really not forgetting their technological roots of where music began.

They have stated that cassette recordings make up 25% of the business. That is quite a change from five years ago, where the company was producing 4 or 5 more times since then.

“Digital will always be ones and zeros,” says Fernando Baldeon, a sales consultant at Analogue. “Analogue is still the best sound from a recording.”

Music translates well over cassette, it is authentically polished, how music should be, appreciating the analogue sound. Digital is always compressed into a format and although it will remain popular for consumers today, it still does not display the same authenticity and longevity that cassettes have. It is the sweet simple things of life, which are the real ones after all.

Despite the music format becoming increasingly rare in our society, gadgets, t-shirts, and accessories did not hold back on recreating the cassette:

So what do you think? Does the knowledge of the cassette’s resurrection impact your life at all?

So.. I will presume that you have all heard of 3D movie and the introduction to 3D TVs. Does the 3D world actually affect you at all or do you seem to think that it makes no difference? Personally, I find some 3D movies enjoyable but it is definitely not worth those excruciating prices to watch a film with an occasional object flying out at you..

Last year I spoke about out mobile features for your business – as it has been proven to be more successful for businesses if they have some form of mobile friendly site or app. I am sure you can all agree that as a customer you find it more appealing if you can access a certain brand or company in as many ways as possible. Despite this,  I really believe that technology has developed enough for our nation. Is it necessary to keep advancing?

Apparently so! - It has been found that Amazon are working on a 3D phone that is glasses free!

It was discovered on a report on The Wall Street Journal that the device will apparently use retina-tracking technology to create the images on the smartphone’s display to ‘float above the screen like a hologram and appear three-dimensional at all angles’ (The Wall Street Journal). Furthermore, it is known to be attempting an ‘audio-only’ streaming device.

The article continues to explain that this would be similar to an iPod or MP3 that connects straight to the cloud and lets you stream music anywhere, but the device will only work with music from your Amazon Cloud Drive account.

The 4.3inch HD screen on the device will have the capability to view the 3D content without the need of the 3D glasses. It will also allow you to take 3D photos.

Japan is completely different. They have had 3D phones since 2002. Take a look at Disney’s 3D phone below:

So, what do you think? Is the 3D phone for you?

With the advancements of technology, our social environment has changed.

It can be argued that since the introduction of the Internet, people have slowly spent less time together. More so, the anti-social behaviour of watching television has changed. There has been a shift in television viewing habits, as people are encouraged to watch their favourite TV shows online, with platforms such as Netflix.

Tim Lott writes in an article, “I am going down with the ship into the whirlpool of electronic half-life. This all has a positive side. The web has made the world more interesting. Too interesting. Real life, real people, real members of the family are dull and problematic in comparison.”

He continues to explain how technology is increasingly ruining his family relationship at home, as not one member of their household can sit at home without the use of technology.

Similarly, with the introduction of Facebook Home, it can be argued that social networks are taking over without us even wanting it to. After all, it is very difficult for most people to have a conversation without discussing online events: For example, mentioning what YouTube video you saw the previous night or what someone posted on your Facebook wall.

Similarly, a report from Telecom’s regulator Ofcom explains that people are switching off their televisions more and more to seek online entertainment.

As young teens are brought into the world with the use of technology (unlike the older generations who were introduced at a later date), they tend to use their spare time to use the Internet. Furthermore, the use of newspapers has decreased, as the same information can be found online.

Do you consider yourself to be someone who is completely dependent on the Internet?

Well – it could be worse: An article on the BBC news online has introduced new ways of using technology at home.

And we thought that just the use of the television, computers and phones was an overload?! Think again. This new use of technology at home puts a whole new meaning to technology to me.

Facebook are always known for the constant redesign of their home page. They also never stop introducing new features. I think this has gone a step too far… or maybe you will all disagree? From April 12th, Facebook in the US have introduced a Facebook homepage for your phone device!
With Facebook Home, everything on your phone replicates what it would on your Facebook browser. As soon as you turn your phone on, you are able to see your friends’ posts and their photos. You can stay talking to your friends even when you are on other apps! This is the first operating system to feature anything like this!

Adapted from the “Home” website description, it says as soon as you turn on your phone or press the home button, you see a stream of posts from News Feed. The Cover feed puts the spotlight on whatever friends are sharing now—photos, status updates, links and more.