Surveillance of Phones

When Snowden leaked the information about the government collecting phone service data, was anyone really that surprised? Hasn't everyone already assumed this? Everything we do in the digital realm -- from surfing the Web to sending an e-mail to conducting a credit card transaction to, yes, making a phone call -- creates a data trail. And if that trail exists, chances are someone is using it -- or will be soon enough. Big data analysis works by identifying patterns and anomalies in our behavior. Nobody cares about the reasons why certain people do certain things. They only need to be able to predict the future. As those of us that had exposure to statistics, you will know that to spot the anomalies, there needs to be a good database of information. The silver lining in all of this is the fact that the transparency can go both ways. The digital trail of the government or businesses are just as transparent as the public's records. Just something to keep in mind.

Next Steps in the Mobile Phone Market

The market of mobile phones is pretty saturated and more or less bursting at the seams. With all the amazing technology available, the question that potential customers will be asking themselves is not whether they like the screen or operating system but whether it is compatible with all the other existing gadgets such as the car and the TV. Phone services are also straying away from the old fashion land line as it is seem by the fact that many people actually just get rid of that service at their homes. The first wave was seen by the smartwatches. Many of the big companies will be rolling out with the watches in the coming year and they will act as an extension of the phone. Car and home integration are going to be soon to follow. For example, iOS 7 is going to have car connectivity options. What are your thoughts on the shift in the mobile market.

How Much Time Do You Spend On Your Phone?

A study that explored how people use their smartphones and just how much time is spent on them. It was found that people spend about an hour on their phones a day on average. Most of that time is spent communicating for talking taking up the most time, followed by texting and emailing. With all the new app development and the world becoming more mobile, I am sure that number is actually much higher. How much time do you spend on your phone? I have gone on this rant before but I think that it doesn't hurt to be repeated. We sometimes need a break from our technology and phones in order to be able to see the world for what it truly is. I know you know that person that records a whole concert on their phone and does not even watch it in real time. Seriously, when was the last time you had dinner or lunch with someone that you have not seen in a while without whipping that phone out? You should try it. It might surprise you what you will find out.

How Do You Measure It?

How would you measure success? Is the measure of it, for a business, the amount of money that they make? Or is it something more? With a whole week of the new year almost over, I was thinking about the whole idea of making a resolution. Making a resolution means that we somehow do something different in our lives. Well, why? Why do we want to change things? The answer might be that we want to be happier or more successful or more something. So which comes first, success or happiness? I realize that it is a question that has been beaten to a pulp and then kicked around for a while. In my world, success means changing other people's lives, making them a bit easier to bear, or just improving them. Technology has the power to do that but only when it is used to the best of its ability. Here at AB Soft, technology is changing the way people communicate with each other and the world at large. The success of web development is one of the most important faces that businesses present to the world so we make sure it is picture perfect. Through our software development, business are able to achieve what they define as their success.

VoIP Market

Many more businesses are choosing to go with IP telephony because of the advancements in the technology and security. The VoIP systems market had about 17% growth in the past five years and it is not stopping anytime soon. The advantages of having an internet phone are clear as far as saving costs and being more efficient. It enables employees to communicate over different devices as well as hold meetings in remote areas while in the field. Virtual phones also lower long distance costs and no calls are missed because of the call forwarding services. Perhaps sensing the increasing popularity of VoIP, Google announced it is extending its free VoIP calling offering from Gmail in the United States and Canada through 2013. Also, more software companies, such as AB Soft, are offering the infrastructure and software for the mobile applications that are needed for the phone service.

Honesty

Honesty has always been the best policy in the work place but with social media readily available, it is just more motivation to make sure that nothing is said that you would not want another coworker or boss to find out. Just like internet phone services and other forms of communication need to be kept professional at work, so does everything that you do on the social networks. Employees have witnessed the many recent dishonest behaviors that have been exposed through social and traditional media and realized they don't want to suffer the same fate. With social media giving their employers access to nearly every detail of their lives, many employees are being more up front with employers. So is it a good idea to "friend" a coworker? From personal experience, let me just say that it is better to separate work and private life as much as possible. Another reason that people are being more honest is because of all these stories that are coming out about scandals caused by social media and things found on the internet.

Consequences of Presence Technology

One type of problem is simply not using presence settings properly. These options help end users self-manage their availability, so if their status is regularly changing, presence can be invaluable. However, it can just as well create artificial blockages when settings are not updated. To illustrate, if you switch to “do not disturb” or “offline” when going to a meeting – but don’t switch back to “available” after the meeting, you may miss out on important messages or invites. Some people rely solely on presence indicators to determine who gets contacted for ad hoc requirements, and if you’re not in the habit of updating your status, that can become counterproductive. Another unintended consequence of comes from the information you share in your presence profile. IM platforms allow for some degree of personalization, such as a photo, avatar, personal tag line, etc. In the workplace, this type of content is expected to be professional and business-like. So when it comes to your presence over VoIP services and the like in the business, remember to keep it professional.