Are we giving away our personal data for free?

Yesterday I read an article about the worth of our personal data, companies that hope to help you monetise it and warnings about the fact that we may be giving it away for free.

You can read the article here

I’ve seen this type of article come up time and time again in the various tech and media press that I spend my time consuming. Always, I find myself pondering the same points.

• Surely we are all aware that if something is provided to us for free, then the company providing us with the service HAS to make money somehow? Facebook and Google are certainly not charities, they make their money from advertising.
• Nobody HAS to use Facebook and Google etc. You don’t like your data being used? Don’t use the service.
• The ways in which your data is utilised are listed in the company’s terms and conditions. In many cases, you even have the power to adjust the settings for how your data is used. But be honest, not many people can be bothered to read the t’s and c’s or adjust the settings.
• Just what underhand practices do we think these companies are carrying on. They want to get paid for other companies selling us more stuff. That’s the trade-off.

Perhaps I’m hopelessly naive. Perhaps I’m missing a huge global conspiracy. Perhaps the balance of value is skewed too much in the service provider’s favour and I just don’t realise it.

But just like observing those who complain about the price of watching football then hand over the cash anyway, my perspective is this: You don’t have to play. If you do, go in with your eyes open. That may mean asking tough questions of the service you are using and good on you if you do but just remember this – there has to be a trade-off somewhere.

Hit us up with your opinions, I’m sure there are many differing views out there!

How to track Father Christmas tonight!

The child of 2015 no doubt has high expectations of her parents’ abilities to locate Father Christmas. When I was young it was sufficient for my Mum and Dad to point to the sky and say “he’s up there somewhere”, nod knowingly and retreat back inside. But with all the digital tracking technology available to you these days, it would be remiss not to appear more knowledgeable 😉

Never fear then, for there is help at hand! As I write Google Santa Tracker informs me that it’s just 24 minutes away from departure time for the great man. You’ll then be able to track his travels on Google Maps and, Google being Google, you can also play games, watch videos and learn about the spirit of Christmas on the web site.

Microsoft has taken a rather more scientific approach and teamed up with NORAD (North American Aerospace Defence Command). NORAD have been tracking the bearded wonder since 1955, after an ad gave the number for NORAD’s predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD), as a way of reaching Santa. Children who called looking for Santa were instead given his ‘official’ coordinates, according to the best radars in the world.

NORAD have continued the tradition for 60 years, and now they claim:

The moment our radar tells us that Santa has lifted off, we begin to use the same satellites that we use in providing air warning of possible missile launches aimed at North America.

Yikes, that’s not a particularly kid-friendly statement is it?!! Anyhow, the site also has videos, games and fun ways to explore the North Pole.

 

 

Can you do your Christmas shopping on your smartphone?

We already use our smartphones in lots of useful ways to fuel our shopping habits. Millions of us use them to search for information on products and to to compare prices online, even when in a physical retail store. But still, only very few of us actually use our phones to make the final purchase.

Of all sales made online in the US and Europe, only 10% are made by smartphone in the US, whilst the figure is even lower in Europe at 7%, according the to the Centre for Retail Research. Further, more than 90% of us abandon our shopping baskets when making purchases on a phone compared to 68% when making them on a desktop or laptop computer.

Why so? Generally, feedback from shoppers focuses on a poor user experience, such as a website not being optimised for a mobile phone or it being problematic to enter credit card details into a small screen with small keys. But there are many companies trying to solve this problem for us.

Amazon introduced millions to the ‘1-click’ purchase where you buy an item with one click of a button because your payment details and delivery address are already stored with the company. But what if Amazon’s enormous marketplace doesn’t have your desired item?

Launching internationally very soon is Zen Shopping, an app that offers one-tap checkout at more than 100,000 stores – including Amazon and Walmart – and claims the biggest inventory of goods in the world.

Digital ‘wallets’ are also being used in increasing numbers. The likes of Apple Pay and Google Wallet store payment cards, loyalty cards, and even vouchers but not all retailers accept them. Understanding if they are set for mainstream success is thus hard to gauge.

Perhaps the answer is Dashlane, a service that manages all your passwords, credit and debit card numbers, phone numbers, billing and delivery addresses in one encrypted app. The app has the considerable advantage of working with all payment methods and all retail websites.

As for shopping in the physical world,  you might come across the system from British firm Powa Technologies that allows shoppers to pay for goods quickly in-store and online using their smartphones.

The PowaTag system relies on digital tags, like QR codes, that can be inserted into emails, websites, posters, images – even the audio from TV ads. Shoppers download the app, set up an account and store their payment cards. Then wherever they see the PowaTag symbol they can buy the product by scanning it with their phone and tapping the “buy now” button.

Perhaps though, after all those options, you might just prefer to wander the high street? Not me, I’ve purchased every single one of my Christmas presents online for the last few years and increasingly on my smartphone whilst couched on the sofa!

Let us know if you’ve seen any particularly beneficial ways of using technology to manage your Christmas shopping.

 

 

 

You can help the blind see with this app

I came across the Be My Eyes service very recently, when scanning some Innovation awards entries.

In summary, it’s an app that helps blind people solve everyday tasks and problems with the help of a sighted volunteer, via videochat on your smartphone or tablet. You can sign up from any country, but you can set (or indeed add) any languages you speak in the Settings of the app.

It’s remarkably easy to use and it took me, ooh, 30 seconds to sign up as a sighte volunteer.. The app is up for multiple innovation awards as is the founder Hans Jørgen Wiberg. You can download the app from either of the major App stores so take a look at the video below and get involved!

 

 

Will your business be using 3D printing?

• Who is this post for? Anyone working in a business that produces physical products
• What does it discuss? The contexts in which 3D printers are helping businesses compete
• How does it benefit you? Understanding of how a rapidly growing technology could benefit your business

The sale of 3D printers is forecast to be worth about £3.5bn this year. Many industry commentators proclaim we are on the verge of a new revolution where 3D printers are common place in our homes. But if we understand that 3D printing is not really printing at all, at least not in the traditional sense, then perhaps we will get a better understanding of how these ‘robots’ will more likely be used in the near future.

3D printing involves the creation of a three-dimensional, solid object from a digital file. It’s a process that really needs you to be a specialist in what you are creating so perhaps the workplace is the more likely arena in which this process will continue to deliver its benefits to us all, as this summary from BBC Business explains

 

6 ways to improve life for those with dementia

• Who is this post for? Anyone who is responsible for caring for those suffering from symptoms of dementia
• What does it discuss? Gadgets and products that can help relieve burden, worry and stress
• How does it benefit you? Make life at least a little easier and less stressful

Suffering from dementia in old age runs in my family. I know that my parents and I are more likely to suffer from symptoms of dementia or Alzheimers than not. 1 in 3 seniors are likely to die with some symptoms of dementia and Alzheimers is the sixth-leading cause of death in the UK.

I’ve witnessed first hand through grandparents and their own relatives what this looks like and it can be incredibly stressful for those looking after their loved ones.

Thus I was delighted to come across an article on Mashable listing 6 ways (including some excellent, simple to use gadgets) to help improve life for those suffering. I won’t steal the article’s thunder, I simply hope it proves useful to many of you. Read it here

Is a smart toy a smart option this Christmas?

• Who is this post for? Parents of children
• What does it discuss? The pros and perils of buying a smart toy
• How does it benefit you? Balanced perspective on whether a smart toy is the right choice for you and your child

If you’re a parent there’s a good chance you noticed a story that appeared mid-November about the company Vtech, a major player in the kids’ toys business. Vtech had its database hacked and had personal information stolen from 6.4 million (!) children’s accounts. The stolen information, which was not encrypted, included names, email addresses, passwords, secret questions and answers for password retrieval, IP addresses, postal addresses, download histories and children’s names, genders and birthdates.

If a toy is called ‘smart’ then it’s very likely to be connected to the Internet in some way. IT security, however, is not a traditional area of expertise for toymakers thus leading to some IT security experts calling the ‘internet of Toys’ the ‘Wild West’. There are also concerns that information shared with such toys are ultimately used for advertising and marketing purposes. The activist group Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood recently analysed Mattel’s new ‘Hello Barbie’ toy and said “When Barbie’s belt buckle is held down, everything your child says is transmitted to cloud servers, where it will be stored and analysed by ToyTalk, Mattel’s technology partner.” Mattel did respond by saying that no conversation history was stored and data would never be used for advertising purposes.

We do however believe there are many benefits to smart toys if toy companies can rigorously address their gaps in IT security. The company Elemental Path is soon to release a toy dinosaur that learns the best way to interact with your child and answer his/her questions. For example, if a child asks it “How far away is the moon?”, a five-year-old will get a different answer to an eight-year-old. Donald Coolidge, head of business strategy at Elemental Path said “One of the reasons we built the dinosaur was because kids ask so many questions and we wanted to build something so that they could continue to ask questions and make up stories”

What are your views on smart toys? Friend or foe (or somewhere in between!)?

What are the three technologies Bill Gates says could help the entire planet?

• Who is this post for? Anyone interested in understanding what technologies might help the future of our planet
• What does it discuss? How public and private sectors need to invest in order to ensure our safe future
• How does it benefit you? It might influence your next vote at the election or purchase at the till

Last week was a MAJOR time for big announcements from titans of technology. We had Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement about the use of 99% of his Facebook fortune.  we also had Bill Gates and 27 other wealthy individuals announcing a new collaboration in order to find new ways to create new technologies that can help solve the looming energy crisis.

I really don’t want to enter the debate about the wealthy opting-out of corporation tax. This post is about the possibility that technology might safeguard the future of the planet for future generations and, therefore, what we might demand of the governments we vote for and the companies where we spend our wages.

Bill Gates has written an 8-page essay called ‘Energy innovation: Why we need it and how to get it’ and you can download it right here. It highlights Solar Chemical, Flow Batteries and Solar Paint as the three key technologies – I knew nothing about these prior to reading the essay and found it fascinating and digestible reading. I hope you do too and would be fascinated to hear about this might change your behaviour in any way.

 

 

3 ways to help your kids manage their screen time

• Who is this post for? Parents
• What does it discuss? Helping children to be mindful of their screen time
• How does it benefit you? Focus and peace of mind

Last week we asked you whether you felt your children’s screen time should be limited. It’s a subject that raises passionate opinions on both sides of the fence.

This week we simply want to point you in the direction of a thoughtful piece about helping your kids to think about the amount of time they spend in front of screens and the purpose of doing so. Read the piece from Anna Almendrala Healthy Living Senior Editor, Huffington Post, here.

 

Hear and feel your partner or child’s heartbeat, even when thousands of miles apart

• Who is this post for? Everyone with a loved one!
• What does it discuss? Connecting people through heartbeats
• How does it benefit you? Feel connected, even when miles apart

A product that takes its name from shared moments is hoping to bridge that gap between loved ones. Pillow Talk enables you to feel your partner’s presence by sharing heartbeats via a wristband and speaker and is launched mid-December.

While modern technology has allowed people to connect with loved ones through text, video chat and simply talking on the phone, the founders thinks those connections aren’t enough, especially for those separated by long distances. An iOS or Android app pairs you and your partner together. When you go to bed, you both strap on wristbands that contain heart sensors. You can hear and feel each other’s heartbeats through a speaker you place under your pillow or, using the app, you can plug your headphones into your phone and listen.

The product can be used for connections other than the romantic variety . For example, parents who are often home away from their kids can use it to feel more present.

Pillow Talk isn’t the only device connecting people through heartbeats, though. The Apple Watch’s Digital Touch lets you send a heartbeat to someone so they can see and feel it. The watch’s healthcare app uses sensors so parents can listen to their baby’s heartbeat right on their wrist.

What are your thoughts on this method of connection?