The On-Going Conversation

The Mobile Explosion

Mobile is expanding at a phenomenal rate and according to some predictions, mobile internet usage will overtake desktop before 2015.

Breaking News: AT&T and T-Mobile Unite

AT&T reached an agreement with Deutsche Telekom to buy T-Mobile for $39 billion. If approved, AT&T will become the largest wireless provider in the US.

Read the full article on Mashable

The Nature of Online Relations

Social networks are helping people stay in touch, but are Internet communities simply tangible cliques taking place online? Social platforms allow friends and family to stay in touch more frequently, although there may be detrimental elements to consider as well.

The ramifications of social media could include the destruction of interpersonal communication skills and the wasting of time throughout the day. I can only imagine how much time people use on a weekly basis to stay connected with their digital friends.

Read the full article and listen to the story via NPR

The Mobile Consumer World

We Live in a Digital World! 57% of Facebook and Twitter users have scanned a mobile bar bode at least one time within the year.

Read the full article via Fast Company

Mobile Cookies via the Girl Scouts

Eat up! Girl Scout Cookies can now be purchased with credit cards, thanks in part to mobile card processing technology and iPhones.

Read the full article via Fast Company

A Digital Educational Experience

Quick Cite, a 99-cent app for iPhones and Androids helps automate bibliographies, which is motivating me to consider college round two.  However this leads me to question if technology is making college too easy for those individuals that happen to be quite technologically savvy. It may also give students an advantage over opposing students who don't have access to iPhones and Android devices.

At the same time, I realize that students are required to complete a plethora of work and in the grand scheme of concurrent requirements, bibliographies aren't the most pertinent obligation. Students could be devoting their time and energy to other tasks that seem to be more important. If this particular application helps increase the percentage of students that get through college with stellar grades, then I am in full-support.

However, it might be difficult to decipher if this truly helps college students become more organized and proficient with their studies. It may come down to a personal preference and some students will always appreciate the tangible homework experience.

I also envision certain professors supporting the initiative and others feeling as though students are cutting corners. Regardless of your opinion on the technology, it is nearly impossible to not appreciate the advancement we are experiencing with smart phones and mobile devices. It will be interesting to see where mobile technology continues to go and time will be the only indication in the near term.

I am in full support of the incorporation of technology with education, but I also see the destruction of an even playing field. College students need to be taught the value of hard work, persistence and intellectual diligence. With tools to enable more productivity, are students truly experiencing the challenge of higher education?

Regardless, I am interested in trying out the application and seeing how helpful it can be for high school, college, graduate and PhD students alike. It may even motivate me to pursue a master's degree, which could provide lasting implications in a world of perpetually expanding technological capabilities. We live in a dynamic world and technology continues to advance. We can either choose to embrace it or be left behind in the traditional world.

What will you choose?

Read the full article via Fast Company

Social Languages via Twitter

Twitter has opened a Translation Center to locate volunteers to help translate its websites and mobile apps into more languages.

Read the full story via Mashable: Twitter Turns to Users to Translate Site Into More Languages

A New Type of Marketing

Using location-based marketing to deliver messages allows businesses to reach potential customers based on their geographic location.

The Mobile Business

Square, a plug-in works with iPhones, iPads and Android phones; it reads credit cards and allows merchants to accept mobile payments.

Read the full article on Mashable: 4 Small Business Mobile Predictions for 2011

The Mobile Brand Bowl

A Mobile Game: StumbleUpon set a record for mobile stumbles during the Super Bowl, which may have been due to a lack of access to personal computers. It could also correlate to an increasing move towards mobile expression and personal use in my opinion. 

People now have the ability to stay connected regardless of their location with mobile technology. This phenomenon is relatively new and wasn't even a possibility in years past. I don't envision it in changing in the near future either and am intrigued by the ever evolving mobile space.

Read more about StumbleUpon and the mobile impact on the Super Bowl via Mashable.