Communications 253 was a welcoming change as a class. The content of the class personally seemed daunting at first, with a focus on technology. For someone like me who is a bit phobic of areas of study like math, or science, it seemed like it may prove to be a difficult challenge.
I found, however, that I learned much more about new media and it's roots in technological development. One thing I appreciated it gaining a better understanding of how the internet functions. Something that can be bothersome with all the technology we use today is being clueless about how something like a television or a cell phone actually works. Learning about the development of something so integral in my life such as the computer and the tools of the internet like the web was satisfying and informative. While nothing close to an engineer, I feel a better understanding towards some of the everyday technologies that I hadn't previously given thought.
Focusing on a particular new media technology, hand-held PDAs, more specifically the BlacBerry provided insight on how new media is transforming not only the way we work, but the way we live. It also made me understand new ways in which a tool like the BlackBerry can help me develop better organizationally, and I hope I bring away a new beginning in the BlackBerry as new media becoming a more positive motivation in my life.
One aspect of the course I found rewarding was the video project. Working on such a project has helped me define a direction of study and career personally. I found working with video to be a great experience, and am looking forward to delving more into studying film and video in depth.
Overall, I found the course content to be interesting, and while my work life interfered over the past few months, I enjoyed the time spent on studying new media, and it's place in our lives today.
Friday, November 28, 2008
It's Evolution, Baby
This time around, I thought I'd incorporate a little more visual into my post. I thought I'd do a brief history on the evolution of the BlackBerry device's look. I think that this is important to see how the style of the device transformed from a data-centric tool, become more professional, then took on more mainstream appeal. We can see how the BlackBerry gained popularity in the corporate world, then took on a more stylish look.
First up:
The RIM pager. While this device was on of the first hand held to handle email, the big innovation was the full QWERTY keyboard layout. While the spacing may have changed over the years, the fan shape layout of the keys proved to be a favourite of RIM designers.
Next:
The main difference with the 957 model, was the larger size screen, a key feature seen in many device designs since.
On to:
While it may seem strange that I skipped over the first BlackBerry model to include phone capabilities, I wanted to include this model for it's innovation of a colour screen. The phone component of the BlackBerry was definitely a wise choice for the evolving device, however, I felt the colour screen was important as it opened up even more possibilities. With a colour screen, the idea of web browsing didn't seem so far away, pushing the interest for development on the data portion of the device. One can not also help but notice the interesting case colour choice, which quickly earned the device a nickname, the "BlueBerry."
Moving on:
The BlackBerry 7520. Forgiving the lame antenna, this model packed a speakerphone, Bluetooth capabilities and a two-way radio. Combine those with the ever popular email and phone capabilities, the BlackBerry was coming to dominate the corporate world as the hand-held device of choice.
We're almost there:
We come to what I believe is one nice looking device. Of course, I may be a little bias, as it's my current mobile device :) . The BlackBerry Curve introduced the utility of a business hand-held in a sleek package, with a high resolution screen and redesigned casing. This model, along with the BlackBerry Pearl, helped push these devices to a more mainstream consumer.
Finally:
The Flip. I'm not a big fan personally of this design, but I feel it demonstrates another way RIM is bringing it's popular BlackBerry devices to an even wider audience. I believe the demand for such a device did exist, with many people favouring a certain style of phone, like a flip, but we ready to take the leap into a PDA device. Further evidence of this can be seen with the BlackBerry storm, which I discussed in an earlier post. It takes the touch screen feature so popular in the mobile industry at the moment, and incorporates all the popular features of the BlackBerry.
When it comes to RIMs BlackBerry, we can see indications that the development and evolution have really been pushed by the wants, need and demands of the user. While new features are developed and incorporated, I believe they are in response to consumer demands. As RIM as been able to keep up, we see the BlackBerry being a presence in the mobile industry over time.
First up:
The RIM pager. While this device was on of the first hand held to handle email, the big innovation was the full QWERTY keyboard layout. While the spacing may have changed over the years, the fan shape layout of the keys proved to be a favourite of RIM designers.
Next:
The main difference with the 957 model, was the larger size screen, a key feature seen in many device designs since.
On to:
While it may seem strange that I skipped over the first BlackBerry model to include phone capabilities, I wanted to include this model for it's innovation of a colour screen. The phone component of the BlackBerry was definitely a wise choice for the evolving device, however, I felt the colour screen was important as it opened up even more possibilities. With a colour screen, the idea of web browsing didn't seem so far away, pushing the interest for development on the data portion of the device. One can not also help but notice the interesting case colour choice, which quickly earned the device a nickname, the "BlueBerry."
Moving on:
The BlackBerry 7520. Forgiving the lame antenna, this model packed a speakerphone, Bluetooth capabilities and a two-way radio. Combine those with the ever popular email and phone capabilities, the BlackBerry was coming to dominate the corporate world as the hand-held device of choice.
We're almost there:
We come to what I believe is one nice looking device. Of course, I may be a little bias, as it's my current mobile device :) . The BlackBerry Curve introduced the utility of a business hand-held in a sleek package, with a high resolution screen and redesigned casing. This model, along with the BlackBerry Pearl, helped push these devices to a more mainstream consumer.
Finally:
The Flip. I'm not a big fan personally of this design, but I feel it demonstrates another way RIM is bringing it's popular BlackBerry devices to an even wider audience. I believe the demand for such a device did exist, with many people favouring a certain style of phone, like a flip, but we ready to take the leap into a PDA device. Further evidence of this can be seen with the BlackBerry storm, which I discussed in an earlier post. It takes the touch screen feature so popular in the mobile industry at the moment, and incorporates all the popular features of the BlackBerry.
When it comes to RIMs BlackBerry, we can see indications that the development and evolution have really been pushed by the wants, need and demands of the user. While new features are developed and incorporated, I believe they are in response to consumer demands. As RIM as been able to keep up, we see the BlackBerry being a presence in the mobile industry over time.
Unexpected Surprise Part 2
In my last post, I talked about how my BlackBerry has helped improve a small part of my life, especially through the gift giving season. While this capability will be useful year round (I've already synched notes to assist with my frequent dvd and book shopping sprees☺ ), it's something I've just recently realized.
Another new aspect of the BlackBerry's integration into my life also makes itself more prevalent during this holiday season. My extended family consists of quite a few aunts, uncles and various cousins, all who of which provide countless cards, notes and letters come Christmas. I'm known as the one member that has yet to contribute to this mad cluster of information exchange.
To be honest, my lack of organization has really kept me back from pulling together a massive mailing task. One thing that I've completely lacked is an easy to use address book. Enter the BlackBerry. Because of it's simple synching capability with my laptop, I found it easy to to keep an up-to-date address book. Now it's fast and easy to update my address book on my laptop and in less than a minute, all the information can be moved to my BlackBerry device.
While I had the address book function on my computer previously, I never really had the motivation to use it. This all changed once I found out how simple it was to keep updated, and to utilize it in conjunction with my mobile device. Nothing was really stopping me before I got a mobile device that can easily synch, but it seemed to be a boost for me to keep all this information on hand. Because of this, for the first time ever, I'll be able to become an organized Christmas card giver, much to my family's surprise. :)
Another new aspect of the BlackBerry's integration into my life also makes itself more prevalent during this holiday season. My extended family consists of quite a few aunts, uncles and various cousins, all who of which provide countless cards, notes and letters come Christmas. I'm known as the one member that has yet to contribute to this mad cluster of information exchange.
To be honest, my lack of organization has really kept me back from pulling together a massive mailing task. One thing that I've completely lacked is an easy to use address book. Enter the BlackBerry. Because of it's simple synching capability with my laptop, I found it easy to to keep an up-to-date address book. Now it's fast and easy to update my address book on my laptop and in less than a minute, all the information can be moved to my BlackBerry device.
While I had the address book function on my computer previously, I never really had the motivation to use it. This all changed once I found out how simple it was to keep updated, and to utilize it in conjunction with my mobile device. Nothing was really stopping me before I got a mobile device that can easily synch, but it seemed to be a boost for me to keep all this information on hand. Because of this, for the first time ever, I'll be able to become an organized Christmas card giver, much to my family's surprise. :)
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Unexpected Surprise Part 1
It occurred to me the other day that this will be the first holiday season in which I've had a BlackBerry. While the device seems disconnected from the holidays (except that it makes a great gift!), I realized that having a PDA device this year has actually changed a couple things in my life.
Both changes have come around thanks to the ease of pairing my BlackBerry to my computer. I never really used previous mobile devices to store information, as it was too time consuming to use a phone keypad to enter so much data. The ability to synch notes, documents and my address book from my MacBook have provided a nice surprise.
One thing I'm extremely terrible at is shopping for other people. This sounds selfish, but it's not as bad as it sounds. When I venture out on a spending spree for others, I tend to draw blanks of what my friends and family either ask for or ideas for gifts I've come up with beforehand. I usually end up panicking in store and make up for it by spending more than planned. It's never a good scene.
This year, I've been able to research, plan and budget my entire gift shopping list, and yes, it's only November. Granted, I've left some breathing room that's needed for the changing desires of my four year old nephew, but I feel prepared for when I hit the stores.
Being able to synch notes from my laptop to my mobile device has freed me from questionable gift choices and insane spending during the holiday season. I can now carry an easy to update shopping list, and getting those last minute gift idea emails from people direct to my device, courtesy of my awesome gdaget, the BlackBerry has definitely given me a boost this holiday season.
Both changes have come around thanks to the ease of pairing my BlackBerry to my computer. I never really used previous mobile devices to store information, as it was too time consuming to use a phone keypad to enter so much data. The ability to synch notes, documents and my address book from my MacBook have provided a nice surprise.
One thing I'm extremely terrible at is shopping for other people. This sounds selfish, but it's not as bad as it sounds. When I venture out on a spending spree for others, I tend to draw blanks of what my friends and family either ask for or ideas for gifts I've come up with beforehand. I usually end up panicking in store and make up for it by spending more than planned. It's never a good scene.
This year, I've been able to research, plan and budget my entire gift shopping list, and yes, it's only November. Granted, I've left some breathing room that's needed for the changing desires of my four year old nephew, but I feel prepared for when I hit the stores.
Being able to synch notes from my laptop to my mobile device has freed me from questionable gift choices and insane spending during the holiday season. I can now carry an easy to update shopping list, and getting those last minute gift idea emails from people direct to my device, courtesy of my awesome gdaget, the BlackBerry has definitely given me a boost this holiday season.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Storm's A Brewin'
I know it's not the flashy technology of video included in my previous post, but I liked the visual. The frenzied popularity that has followed Apple's devices can clearly be seen shaping the future of our mobile technology. I don't necessarily think this is such a terrible thing.
I'll admit, I have an iPod. I even got suckered in to switching my entire "tech" life over to Apple as well, purchasing a MacBook laptop a couple years ago. Well, suckered isn't exactly the best term, I would never switch back, simply because my Apple-branded devices work so well.
The introduction of the touch screen interface of the iPhone made an impact in the mobile world, with many other cellular device manufacturer's following suit, releasing their own touch screen devices. Being a new BlackBerry user, I wondered if my shiny new toy with the "normal" BlackBerry keyboard would be able to cut it. As my tech-savvy friends adopted iPhones and iThouches, I discovered I was happy with my last generation design, for now.
Recently, Research in Motion has introduced their touch screen version of their device, the BlackBerry Storm. Initially, I thought that RIM was trying to join the party, contributing to the fad of the moment, albeit a little behind the times. I then considered, perhaps they were just perfecting the device, finally giving Apple some competition.
I find it interesting that the introduction of of a feature like a touch screen interface changed the design outlook in the mobile industry. With RIM following suit with the release of the BlackBerry Storm, we can see how the power of mobile devices users transform the development of a new media tool.
Here is the wonder that is the BlackBerry Storm:
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
BlackBerry For Life
This is one of the current ads in a campaign from Research in Motion for the BlackBerry device.
I thought it would be interesting to comment on, as the device is being shown as a "personal" tool that connects you with all that is important in your life. The BlackBerry device gained popularity as a corporate tool, providing easy email, and later, web access to members of the corporate world, finding internet applications like email becoming an integral part of doing business.
To me, I see this advertisement demonstrating a part of the transformation new media have pushed forward in our society. The BlackBerry, being such a capable tool, allows you more time to enjoy your personal life, also providing a new way to connect to others in your personal life as well.
As a device like the BlackBerry fills our needs outside of work, is it possible we could see a blurring of definition between work and personal lives?
Saturday, October 11, 2008
The Crackberry
While reading up on some Blackberry articles, I read that the term "Crackberry" had become so common, that Webster's New World College Dictionary named it the 2006 Word-Of-The-Year. While this isn't exactly the Oxford English Dictionary, it demonstrates the concept of the users becoming extremely dependent on the devices has become widespread in our society.
As the Blackberry device and software provides in all-in-one mobile experience, it has become an invaluable tool for many users. Being connected at all times through a phone is something that many people are used to, but the Blackberry introduced a constant connection to email and the internet. This had obvious uses to the corporate world, allowing employees to be constantly connected to their job. This "always-on" connection developed into an unhealthy obsession for some.
As a term like Crackberry becomes part of our everyday use, it seems that we are trying to lay fault with the device, rather than the people who use them. Before mobile devices were widely available, many people worked long hours in an office. What the Blackberry changed is where people can spend their time working. I believe there will always be individuals willing to sacrifice personal time and sleep (I'm definitely not one to give up sleep for my job haha) whether they can stay connected to work through a PDA device or not.
While a word like "Crackberry" connotes drug-like attributes, I view the device as more of of an enabler to people's communication "addiction," rather than the drug itself. Addictive properties aside, people do make the choice of purchasing and doing drugs, or choosing to eat unhealthy foods, just as people can choose to turn off their Blackberry.
A unique argument that can be raised about the Blackberry is the other influences a user has which affect their ability to turn off their device. Something I would like to explore in another blog post is how the Blackberry being a corporate tool affects users in their choice of powering down.
Personally, I do keep my Blackberry powered on, with me at all times. However, when I hear the familiar buzz of an incoming email or message emanating from my bedside table at night, I'm more apt to make a choice and turn over and go back to sleep. :)
As the Blackberry device and software provides in all-in-one mobile experience, it has become an invaluable tool for many users. Being connected at all times through a phone is something that many people are used to, but the Blackberry introduced a constant connection to email and the internet. This had obvious uses to the corporate world, allowing employees to be constantly connected to their job. This "always-on" connection developed into an unhealthy obsession for some.
As a term like Crackberry becomes part of our everyday use, it seems that we are trying to lay fault with the device, rather than the people who use them. Before mobile devices were widely available, many people worked long hours in an office. What the Blackberry changed is where people can spend their time working. I believe there will always be individuals willing to sacrifice personal time and sleep (I'm definitely not one to give up sleep for my job haha) whether they can stay connected to work through a PDA device or not.
While a word like "Crackberry" connotes drug-like attributes, I view the device as more of of an enabler to people's communication "addiction," rather than the drug itself. Addictive properties aside, people do make the choice of purchasing and doing drugs, or choosing to eat unhealthy foods, just as people can choose to turn off their Blackberry.
A unique argument that can be raised about the Blackberry is the other influences a user has which affect their ability to turn off their device. Something I would like to explore in another blog post is how the Blackberry being a corporate tool affects users in their choice of powering down.
Personally, I do keep my Blackberry powered on, with me at all times. However, when I hear the familiar buzz of an incoming email or message emanating from my bedside table at night, I'm more apt to make a choice and turn over and go back to sleep. :)
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