Is Internet Access Up There With Air, Water, and Food on Your List?

Apparently so, according to a recent survey.  I know a lot of surveys are crap with numbers and outcomes doctored to sway the informational data presented in the first place.  But this was too good to pass up.  A survey was conducted in which roughly 32% of the people surveyed admitted that the internet is as vital to their everyday life as our basic necessities (i.e.: water, food, air, etc.).  And most of them were in their 20's.

It's true, we are the connected generation.  But how far is to far.  I know I have days were I need to 'unplug' for a little while.  Where the constant data input that is streaming into my brain from either reading, watching, or using some for of technology becomes quite a strain.  In other words, ever have one of those days where you didn't mind if the cell phone battery died?  Yep, that's what I mean.

And it gets worse, the main culprit appears to be...*drum roll please*...Social Media.

Yep again, the survey points out that most people affected with said internet addiction check their status and social networks at least three times an hour.  (I may be guilty of this at some points in my day, but not all day).    I guess things do change after all.  I'm going to sound old here (and I'm only 29).

But when I was a kid, we had a things called television and a Nintendo.  These were our only distractions.  We didn't have 5 year old kids with smartphones taking over the world.  And if I would have said the word 'twitter' at the diner table, I would have been in big trouble...  And a 'facebook' was a school annual you got at the end of every school year, and all of your friends would sign it before summer started.

But now things are quite different.  And if you want to discuss it further, feel free to drop me a line on our Facebook page.  :)

In the meantime I will be consuming my fair share of air and internet.

To see the full article on the survey: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/09/22/web_more_important_than_air_water_and_food/

Happy surfing!

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Google+ is open to all!

This past week Google+ opened to the public.  Honestly, it was probably great timing on their part.  Especially since Facebook rolled out their rather crap-lousy new look this week as well.

I'm sure that enabled quite a bit of extra traffic flow into Google's Social Networking venture.  Personally, I have been playing around with Google+ for several weeks (I was invited by a friend, thanks Greg!).  And it is pretty nice.  It has a handful of cool features.  One of which I am eager to try out is the 'Hangout' feature.  It seems pretty unique sounding; in that it is basically a Live Video Chat with a group of people.  But from my understanding, he who talks the loudest takes center stage.  Which is kind of a cool concept.  I just hope it doesn't fill up with loud, crazy people trying to out talk each other for speaking rights.  :)

The other day, I had a friend ask me 'What is Google+ like?'.  And the best way I can describe would be: if Facebook and Twitter had a kid.  Tha kid may look something like Google+.  You can follow celebrities (or non-celebrities) and at the same time keep abreast of what your friends and family are doing.  That makes it pretty unique in my book.  The 'Circles' organization system is nice to play with too.  'Circles' allow you to prevent that 'How the crap do I know that person?' feeling I tend to bump into on other sites.  And I will be the first to admit it, but when I first jumped into Google+ it just felt strange.

It had that kind of creepy, ghost town feel to it.  However, in the last few weeks as more and more people have been jumping in, it now has a really nice populated feeling to it.  The mobile app is awesome as well.  It's well laid out, and it works pretty smoothly.  It is lacking the 'Hangout' feature; but everything else seems to be there (and it feels comfortable to use too, not imposing).

So, if you're looking to try out the new kid on the block, or even if you are tired of Facebook's new look; than swing by Google+.  If you do, add me (I have a link on the right side of the website).

See you there!

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New Facebook Layout?! What the crap?

Okay, we all knew Facebook would be changing up it's layout before too long.  But holy crap, when I logged in this afternoon I was assaulted by a platoon of pop up boxes telling me how to use their new layout.  How the crap is this accessible to everyone?  I went to make my first status update of the day and I had to answer three prompts before I could post it.  I kind like the update section at the top right of the page, because it looks cool.

But otherwise, the remaining 85% of the page is complete information overkill.  And by way of their new 'Smart Lists' is feels almost like they are recycling ideas from Google+.  If you are using the Google+ app for Android, you can swipe from the left to right and access a 'Who's Nearby' screen that will give you posts from people near your geographic location.  Now Facebook is doing something similar?

What do you think?  Like it?  Information Overload?  Let me know!

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Android Tablet App Review: TweetCaster

I run an Acer Iconia a500 Honeycomb Tablet, and the default social networking app included with it out of the box (SocialJogger) leaves you needing quite a bit more from a social network hub/client/aggregator, etc.  So upon browsing through the Android Market I found TweetCaster.  And immediately fell in love.

The app works extremely well, and seems to put the User Interface together in a way that makes sense.  Let's face, I don't like to over complicate things.  And some of the Twitter clients out there definitely do this.  For me, I have a single Twitter account and don't use things like lists.  I simply have the people I follow and my tweets displayed.  And for that use, TweetCaster definitely delivers.

Everything from launching the app (which is extremely fast, and has been nothing but stable for me) to retweeting with a comment is very simple.  And believe it or not, but I found several Twitter clients out there that only allow a retweet; but doesn't allow a retweet with a comment.  Which is imperative for quickly answering a question or making a comment.  I also like the built in Web Browser.  This function is extremely nice when people share a link you don't actually have to leave the app to go the the device's default web browser.

One note, the built in web browser doesn't always handle every link without issues.  However, if you are having issues displaying the contents of a linked page within the In-App Web Browser, tap the upper right corner on the Options Menu and choose to view in the 'Browser'.  At this point you will jump to the device's default web browser to view the link.  Pressing the App Switcher Icon down at the bottom left will left you choose to jump back into TweetCaster when you're done.

If you're a social networking junkie who loves to tweet, than I'd highly recommend TweetCaster.  There is a TweetCaster Pro, so if you like the app I'd suggest dropping the $4.99 for it to support the devs.  However, there are enough features built into the free versions, you'll not go wanting much else.

App in Review: TweetCaster
Rating:

Pro's: Easy to use, slick user interface.  Simple and elegant the way a Twitter client should be.  Fast to boot and very stable.
Con's: Can't think of any besides the built in web browser sometimes doesn't display sites as it should.

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