Daily Bits

Media

Apple Goes After “Sexting”

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I think I first heard of the term “sexting” from the kids at Glee (yeah, cat’s out of the bag, I used to watch the show).  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what sexting means (sexually explicit text messaging, in case you aren’t sure), and the guys at Apple are going out of their way to make sure that users who shouldn’t be sexting will not be able to do so – in the future.  (Something to think about: who is to determine who shouldn’t be engaging in a certain activity?)

The news is that Apple has just been granted a patent that can block sexually explicit messages – both at the sending and receiving stages.  The patent was originally filed back in 2008 but was only granted now.  This move is not really surprising as Apple has always taken a stand against sexually explicit material.  Remember that the Apple Store already has a ban on sexually explicit applications.  Steve Jobs himself has spoken out about this stand, and says that it is unlikely to change in the future:

You know, there’s a porn store for Android. You can download porn, your kids can download porn. That’s a place we don’t want to go — so we’re not going to go there.

Here’s an abstract of the patent:

Systems, devices, and methods are provided for enabling a user to control the content of text-based messages sent to or received from an administered device. In some embodiments, a message will be blocked (incoming or outgoing) if the message includes forbidden content. In other embodiments, the objectionable content is removed from the message prior to transmission or as part of the receiving process. The content of such a message is controlled by filtering the message based on defined criteria. The criteria may be defined according to a parental control application. These techniques also may be used, in accordance with instructional embodiments, to require the administered devices to include certain text in messages. These embodiments might, for example, require that a certain number of Spanish words per day be included in e-mails for a child learning Spanish.

I find the clause about other applications particularly interesting, don’t you?  If ever this technology finds its way to the market, there will certainly be a lot of takers, I think.

Kindle Singles to Make Debut

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I have been spending hours and hours talking about and thinking of the Kindle and the Nook recently.  I know I promised myself that I wouldn’t buy any new gadget for the rest of the year, but the impending (major) change in my lifestyle is prompting me to take a good look at e-book readers.  As I always am when obsessing over a gadget, I have been reading up on the Kindle and the Nook a lot.

Today, I just learned about a new format that Amazon is introducing for the Kindle.  Dubbed Kindle Singles, these e-books are going to be shorter and cheaper than is the current norm.  What prompted this development is the fact that content does come in varying lengths.  Just like in traditional print, books can be thick novels, really thin paperbacks, or even pamphlets.  In Kindle terms, e-books can come in the form of long novels, short stories, magazine articles, blog posts, or even Twitter updates.

Materials that are going to be labeled Kindle Singles are going to be anywhere from 10,000 words to 30,000 words.  In terms of traditional print, this would be around 30 pages to 90 pages.  The really good news is the pricing structure will be more attractive to consumers.

For now, the new section of the store is not yet up and running, but with the official announcement having been made, we should see it pretty soon.

While I am not a Kindle owner as of yet, I consider this development as a plus point for the device.  Now for some advice…which e-book reader would you recommend that I get?

Photo credit: gillyberlin

Home Entertainment May Never Be the Same Again with WHDI

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When was the last time that you actually went to the movie theater to watch a film on the big screen?  I know a LOT of people (that includes me) who would rather watch movies at home.  For varying reasons, this option appeals to some, and quite understandably.  Movie theaters charge an arm and a leg these days, and going out to battle the traffic and the crowds is something that is totally depressing.  More so, with technological developments, watching a movie at home can actually rival the movie house experience.

With the pending release of Amimon’s WHDI dongle, I will not be surprised if the number of people opting to stay home to watch movies skyrocket.  The WHDI stick that is supposed to be released in 2011 (hopefully) is being touted as THE gadget that will revolutionize how we watch movies at home.  The basic idea is that you plug the dongle into any compatible device, and it will transmit your videos wirelessly to your kick-butt flat screen TV.

The device has an HDMI male port – so playback devices such as a camera, phone, or computer with an HDMI port will work – as well as a USB cable (for power).  So you plug this into your gadget that contains the video/movie you want to watch.  At the other end of the system, you need your high-def TV (duh) which should have a receiver.  The result?  Wireless video streaming with minimal lag.

Systems like this one are already in existence – why is there much excitement over the release of WHDI?

  1. Less than 1 ms of latency
  2. Ability to tolerate obstacles
  3. Ability to transmit 1080p/60-Hz video data

Can’t wait till 2011 now, can you?

Photo credit: Dong Ngo/CNET

The Harry Potter Franchise

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Without a doubt, J.K. Rowling has changed the landscape of the fantasy genre with the series of Harry Potter books that she came up with. The only billionaire author, Rowling has influenced popular culture with her creation. The books have received critical acclaim, and so have the movies. Of course, there will always be naysayers, but no one can contest just how influential Harry Potter is.

We’ve created an interactive infographic that gives you the dish on the books, movies, and characters of the Harry Potter franchise.

A Library Without Books?

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Being a trained librarian, I don’t find the idea of an online collection that strange at all. After all, some of the courses in school were all about electronic collections. What with e-book readers becoming so popular these days, it is but expected that libraries will expand their collections to electronic format more and more.

The University of Texas at San Antonio’s Applied Engineering and Technology Library’s collection is something else altogether. Its collection is not a simple mixture of “real” books and electronic material, but is instead composed of ONLY electronic books. In essence, the library has no “real” books at all!

This has been the trend in the past years. Academic libraries across the United States have been reducing the number of bound volumes they keep in the premises – especially those books which are rarely accessed by their patrons. As you can imagine, having to keep print copies can take up a lot of space and cost the libraries in maintenance. With electronic copies, costs are reduced considerably and access is made even easier.

This development could very well open the floodgates for collections that are fully electronic. This is quite interesting, as there is sure to be criticism coming from those who adhere to old school principles. Yours truly things that bound volumes will always have a place in libraries, but we must adapt to changes in order to make information as freely available as possible. That’s not to say that I do not want to see old school libraries totally die out. What say you?

Playboy Apple iPad App Doesn’t Cut It

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The Apple iPad is perhaps the coolest e-book reader-other-gadgets combined you can ever have. It is not a surprise that many vendors and publishers are jumping into the iPad app bandwagon – they can reach so many more people by doing so. And, even the most conservative sectors cannot deny or stop the fact that providers of adult content are going to be part of this boom.

When it comes to adult content, perhaps there is no other better known brand than Playboy. If you didn’t know already, though, the brand has been encountering problems due to its being outmaneuvered by competitors. Struggling it may be, it is not giving up.

It recently launched an app for the iPad, but to the disappointment of users, it didn’t deliver. It may not be all Playboy’s fault – Apple has a strict policy when it comes to content for its apps. Indeed, content which Apple considers “obscene, pornographic, offensive or defamatory” is banned from the App Store. By definition, Playboy already gets x marks.

The result is predictable: users are frustrated about the whole set up. They have to pay $4.99 for the iPad app, and they want more than “articles.” (Yeah, for those countless individuals who have repeatedly said that they buy Playboy for the articles, where are you now?) I suppose that if the app were free, or at least priced more reasonably, the complaints would not be as bad.

Bottom line: it does not look like Apple will change its policy anytime soon. Maybe Playboy ought to take a look at its strategy – that is, if it wants to stay afloat.

Guys: would you pay $5 for this app?