Technology Archives - Page 3 of 4

May 31, 2009

Sandbox – My New Playground

A few months ago, a group of bloggers (including myself) were involved in a closed beta project to test Sandbox. Media practitioners and some internet celebrities also joined in during this test phase.

Now, Sandbox is launching into open beta and I would like to invite you to check it out. Most of my blogger friends were in the closed beta with me so it was not difficult to start off as I already had a community of friends in it.

A few things about what Sandbox is:

1. Sandbox is an online platform that connects people together through microblog posts, photos and videos. More than just being a social networking site, Sandbox also has an online content store where you can purchase games and music. The developers precisely chose the word “sandbox” because it is meant to be the place where one can play around.

2. The user content is locally developed, meaning it is Filipino through and through. And because it is Pinoy, those of us in the Philippines have access to ongoing raffles, giveaways and chances to win prizes.

My friend Jayvee cites 5 good reasons to join Sandbox.

1. Your friends are most probably already there
When Sandbox launched in April it had a few hundred beta testers who were members of mainstream and online publications. Communities have been growing at a steady rate across all spectra — video gaming, anime, tech, love, blogging advice, photography, food and dining .. the list goes on. And, if you can’t find a group that fits you, why not create your own?

2. It is built as a one stop shop
There are two components to Sandbox – the user generated features that’s composed of the social network aspect, blogging platform, and photo / video uploads and an online content store where you can download games and music (P30.00 per song, cheaper than iTunes). Sandbox integrates what’s on your web browser with your mobile in your account creation page thus when you order items from your desktop or laptop, the information is pushed to your phone.

3. It has tangible benefits
Not that I have anything against other social networks, but this is the first locally developed one that actively gives out rewards and benefits to its members. So apart from the fulfillment you get with connecting with your friends, there are true offline benefits for participating in promotions and campaigns.

4. You can make money
Because Sandbox is locally developed, there are more interesting opportunities for you to make money through the system. Apart from an advertising platform within Sandbox that is currently being developed, there are going to be other engagements that will allow Sandbox netizens to build their online real estate such as the mobile site development. During the beta brief, Anton discussed the feasibility of growing your community. Just like with blogs, your real estate inside Sandbox values over time, especially when you grab potentially high ranking keywords.

5. It is continuously being improved
So really, the most exciting thing about Sandbox is that it is continuously being improved based on the feedback from the community. I’ll be the first to say that what you’re currently seeing is still the tip of the iceberg and the team led by Rezza Custodio has been actively looking into feedback. Of course, change doesn’t happen overnight but the plans for the future of Sandbox will take a stronger stance on Web 2.0. So yeah, tell your friends!

Personally though, I have been using Sandbox primarily for microblogging and the phone I am using specifically fits this purpose. Of course, this competes with the likes of Twitter, Plurk and Facebook where I am on so it behooves the developers to find features and niches which will appeal to the local folks.

Smart is at the helm of this project so I am sure that with the proper feedback during this open beta phase, they will be able to tweak it.

To start off, I have a few things lined up as feedback for the people behind Sandbox:

1. Improve internet connection uptime.

The trick to get people to mobile blog is excellent internet connection (meaning, no dropped connections) and easy access to the blog site itself. The thing going for Smart is that it is using a new technology called HSPA (High-Speed Packet Access). But I have had several experiences while traveling when the internet is interrupted (sometimes as it changes from HSPA to 3G mode or vice versa). I am just imagining that if people had to pay P10 every time they connect to the internet, unstable internet connection can be a deterrent.

2. Make mobile blogging easier.

Mobile blogging must be so easy that you need not to have to log in and out before you can do so. I have an ipod touch and I find mobile plurking quick on the fly. As soon as I activate the app in a wifi zone, I am ready to plurk because my username and password are saved on the device. Sandbox is currently easier to view on a computer rather on a mobile phone. I have tried navigating via my mobile phone and it gets frustrating because I need to scroll left/right, up/down constantly just to go through the content and find my way. While I have done some posts via mobile, I find it easier at the moment to do so via the web. A mobile Sandbox interface would be great.

3. Create easier access to historical blog posts and activities by my other friends.

Yes, the concept is microblogging and we were told that anything posted is just for that moment. But as we are normally not online via a mobile phone all the time, friends’ activities remain unknown to me. I cannot see beyond the most recent 5 Happenings. If friends created a group, posted a microblog post, added a video, added friends, etc. these would all be lost if I do not catch them within the top 5 Happenings.

4. Make photo/video uploads painless.

Blog posts look better with a photo or two. Mobile bloggers would also love to send videos on the fly as news/events occur. So why is it so difficult now? First you have to go through the entire log-in process. Then the photo/video has to be uploaded first into Sandbox before it can be used in a blog post. All these take up so much time to do and if the internet connection breaks down through all that process, one has to start all over again. Sandbox has to be able to allow uploads via MMS (because isn’t that what mobile phones are great for after all?).

Don’t get me wrong. Sandbox has a future as a mobile blogging platform.

This is actually an exciting venture because just about anyone with a mobile phone (and in the Philippines that is the great majority of the population) is a potential mobile blogger. It just has to be tweaked fairly fast by the developers so it becomes a truly handy medium to get the news out into the online world as things happen.

In order to help them out, why not join Sandbox’s open beta now and give them your share of feedback. After all, once this is up and running effectively and efficiently, we will be the ultimate beneficiaries in terms of blogging mobility! To register, go to the Sandbox registration page.

This is my Sandbox profile.

Hope to see you there. And do join the groups I created:

1. Anything Yoga

2. Pinoy Humor

3. Raising Teens and Tweens

March 25, 2009

iBlog5 Coming Up in May

Just a quick heads-up for bloggers in the Philippines.

The 5th blogging summit will be on May 9, 2009 (9AM-5PM) at Malcolm Theater, UP College of Law, UP Diliman campus.

If you still have not joined any of the past 4 blogging summits, this is your chance. This will be my 3rd summit and I have to say that my experience has been totally positive. Not only did I learn a lot about blogging from the topics but this is THE chance to meet up with veteran as well as newbie bloggers and exchange business cards and knowledge.

Registration is FREE but will be limited. As of this posting, there are already over 170 registrants so hurry and sign up.

Here are a few links:

iBlog5 Homepage

iBlog5 Registration Form

Hope to see you there!

January 24, 2009

Out with Blackberry; In with BarackBerry???

I guess if there is one thing that put the fear in Barack Obama, it was the very real threat of having to give up the use of his Blackberry, something he never let out of his sight. Pres. Obama is a self-confessed Blackberry lover! Time and again during his campaign, he made mention about how he loved this device and how he dreaded having to give it up.

The Secret Service probably never had to deal with this problem with past US Presidents as I never saw any of them on TV handle a cellphone, unlike Obama who is often caught on print media and on TV holding his Blackberry. But what for us mere citizens are great features (like GPS) is a nightmare for Pres. Obama’s security who fear that this very feature will give away his location. Text messages on the Blackberry do not have the super encryption features needed to protect his messages designated as TOP SECRET.

Well, I caught CNN’s telecast last night and it looks like Pres. Obama may finally get his wish. He may have to give up his current Blackberry as it is not secure enough — and possibly get this one from General Dynamics. Meet the Sectera Edge now dubbed by some as the BarackBerry!

This phone is LOADED! And this is not something you can buy off the counter, either. See those 2 buttons at the bottom near the LCD screen? The RED button puts you on TOP SECRET mode when it is pressed. In its website, General Dynamics, the maker of Sectera Edge, states that “The Sectéra® Edge™ smartphone converges secure wireless voice and data by combining the functionality of a wireless phone and PDA — all in one easy-to-use handheld device. Developed for the National Security Agency’s Secure Mobile Environment Portable Electronic Device (SME PED) program, the Sectéra Edge is certified to protect wireless voice communications classified Top Secret and below as well as access e-mail and websites classified Secret and below.”

This phone also carries a hefty $3,350 tag price. A far cry from the usual mobile phones.

You can also read more technical details about this phone HERE.

It will also be very interesting to learn more about how the White House will be made over and wired for technology-related features that no other President in the past ever had to use. I burst out laughing when the CNN newscasters made reference to the Stone Age technology at the White House as “going from an Xbox to an Atari”.

This Presidency will definitely be a different one. With the President clearly in his elements using technology, he makes himself more accessible to the world in a sense (which makes his vision of a transparent administration easier to attain). It will also be a paradigm shift for many around him (his White House staff, security, team) who may not be as technologically savvy as he is but will need to get themselves updated in order to ensure the President is fully secured at all times. Catch-up time, guys!

January 19, 2009

A Global Presidential Inauguration

Do you plan to watch Barack Obama get elected as the 44th President of the United States on January 20? I WILL!

There are so many firsts with Obama and so much has been said already about this charismatic President who defied race and age as his charisma touched people young and old, black and white and any color in between, and seems to give renewed hope to Americans that they will see a new age of governance with Obama.

But what strikes me now is how technology is being used to bring Obama’s inauguration closer to the whole world.

In the history of U.S. Presidential Inaugurations, this is the first high-tech, global inauguration. And one can’t expect any less of President-elect Barack Obama, who credited a large part of his winning to a team that was not only cohesive and organized but super techy savvy as well. He appears to be one President who is right at home with computers and technology and is deeply aware of its power of influence and reach.

Weeks ago, I got notice in my Facebook that I could watch the inauguration through CNN Live and chat about it with my Facebook friends. Oh wow!

Now, I read of other ways that one can watch the inauguration other than staying in front of the boob tube, including watching it with Ustream iPhone Viewing App. And Twitter has tied up with Current so that you can twit your comments on the entire event. Clearly, this is one inauguration that circles the globe and will potentially bring in an international audience in the billions.

If you think you won’t have access to it on TV, here are other ways you can catch it:

Official Sites (live video streams)

Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies

Presidential Inaugural Committee (requires installation of Microsoft’s Silverlight 2 platform though)

Some Sites That List Where/How to Watch

Lifehacker’s Guide to Catching the Inauguration from Anywhere

ReadWriteWeb: Your Complete Guide to Celebrating Inauguration Day

Om Malik: Where to Watch Obama’s Inauguration on Jan. 20th

November 18, 2008

His name is MAX!

Yes, so now you’ve met my new love. But I never did get to tell you his name, right?

Well, his name is MAX. I have my own private pet name for him but for the world, this shiny, new hunk of metal is MAX – short for My Apple Xtreme! 🙂

I guess having the power of the earlier Macbook Pros makes my baby qualify to be called Xtreme (at least till the next more powerful model comes along!).

It was also as close to a man’s name as I could think of and quite close to “Mac”, which he is. And it also reminds me of Max Alvarado whom you would either love or hate for his contrabida roles in Pinoy movies till his death in 1997. I used to be amused when he did comedic roles as a bad guy and the name Max does conjure images of a bouncer.

Do you give names to your laptops? Do share them with me so I know Max is not alone…

November 16, 2008

Meet My New Love!

It took me a while to take the plunge. Over a year to be exact.

So much time was spent thinking about it. My kids were on both sides of the fence. Two of them were fierce lovers of M; the other 2 went for W. Choosing either way was agony. I was torn!

My comfort zone was with W. After all, I had known W for the longest time — at work and at home. I knew what made W tick. There was no need for adjustments. He knew what I wanted; I knew his strengths and weaknesses. He was not perfect but he worked for me. As they say, why fix what ain’t broken?

But a few weeks ago, I made one of the most important decisions in my life. I chose M over W.

While my love affair with M is still brief and the novelty is still there, it is definitely not a whirlwind one as I had over a year to think about him. And I find more and more things about M to love as the days pass.

There is so much still to learn about M. He is still mysterious and fascinating and surprises me now and then with unexpected things. I hope M will not disappoint as I am wishing this will be a “for life” love affair.

This yogini is in love!

And here’s a picture of my new love — Continue reading “Meet My New Love!”