A bit of backlog after being offline for a couple of days.
Social Networking to Meet Customer Service
A Halifax, Nova Scotia, company is working on software that will allow two people online to surf together, as if they were sitting together instead of on opposite coasts, without the need for plugins. Co-found and CEO Jevon MacDonald already reports having some of the bigger websites interested. Halifax geeks, you know where to send resumes.
More Trends for 2012
Covers some of what others here at FanToPro have mentioned, though ITBusiness.ca differs on RIM's future (they'll survive through 2012). Not on FanToPro's radar was the development of Ultrabooks, lightweight laptops with extended battery life. Toshiba, LG, HP, and Lenovo have been working on ultrabooks. HP has already released the Folio, a $900 ultrabook with a nine-hour battery life claim. Intel is assisting companies designing ultrabooks by investing $300 million into them. If the companies can get the price down to tablet levels or lower (and keep in mind that a netbook can run about $250 before taxes, lower than an iPad), ultrabooks may give tablets a run.
Apple Lead Designer Knighted
Jonathan Ive has been made a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for his work at Apple, including introducing coloured Macs and the clean designs of the iPod and iPhone. For geeks in the Commonwealth, being good at something may mean getting recognized from on high.
Why the Occupy Movement Exists
The gap between CEOs and workers continues to grow. Making 189 times what the average worker does, CEOs have made their employees' salary by noon on January 3. And this is just in Canada.
McAfee's Top Threats for 2012
McAfee Labs have released their top five security threats. Among them, hacking attacks on both mobile devices and embedded hardware and "legal" spam. Security geeks will have a lot of work in the new year.
RIM Shakeup?
RIM may wind up having a new chair, replacing founders Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie. The move, if it happens, comes from pressure from shareholders to reform the management structure. Something to keep an eye on, if people aren't watching RIM already.
Texting Injuries
As texting becomes more popular, the risk of repetitive strain injuries grows. Most of the injuries occur to the thumb because of how it is used when typing on a smartphone or even a regular old cellphone (do they exist anymore?). The first people to come up with an improved interface will win the hearts of many people with sore thumbs.
iPassport Gets Man Across iBorder
A Montreal man used a scan of his passport on his iPad to get into the US. He had forgotten his actual passport on a day while going to Vermont to visit friends. He was allowed through. The problem? A scanned passport is not a secure document. However, if an electronic passport can be created that prevented the obvious security issues, they could become popular.
–Scott D
