Technology and Social Media at the Conventions

The role of technology in our everyday lives either as consumers or as citizens cannot be denied. Using technology as consumers affects the economy. Utilizing it in the exercise of our rights as citizens definitely influences the political landscape.

Indeed, in the advent of the Internet that connects computers and electronic gadgets as well as the introduction of mobile devices ( IPADs, Tablets, iPhones and Smart Phones) as tools to communicate; to gather data, info, knowledge; to educate; to deliver and respond to various kinds of messages; and to entertain and be entertained, such a role has become more significantly defined.

This is especially true when technology is used in social media involving major events. Two of such events were the national conventions of the Republican Party, which was held in Tampa, Florida and the Democratic Party, which was held in Charlotte, North Carolina.

While the conventions were going on, noticeable were the number of tweets registered. According to the data released by Twitter and published by press agencies and bloggers online, during the two-week convention season there were 16 million convention-related tweets. There were only 360,000 tweets for the same period in the 2008 party conventions.

On Election Day in 2008 there were 1.8 million tweets globally on all topics. Comparatively, on Thursday night of the Democratic National Convention, there were 4 million tweets.

During the 3 days of the Republican convention, there was a total of 4 million tweets – equivalent to the number of tweets during the last night of the Democratic National Convention.

During the entire week of the Republican convention 7 million tweets were sent, while during the period of the Democratic convention, 9.5 million tweets were sent.

President Obama’s speech generated 52,756 tweets per minute which, according to Twitter, is a record. Gov. Mitt Romney’s speech, on the other hand, reached a peak of 14,289 tweets per minute.

It must be noted, however, that the number of tweets does not necessarily mean all positive views for the speaker.  They could be  responses to other tweets and retweets.

Tweets during Vice-President Biden’s speech peaked at 17,932 per minute while Congressman Paul Ryan’s peaked at 6,669 tweets per minute.

Both the speeches of Michelle Obama and Ann Romney were very effective and generated thousands of tweets per minute accordingly. The former generated 28,003 tweets per minute while the latter had 6,193 tweets per minute.

Former President Bill Clinton’s speech was definitely the most persuasive and convincing one in the entire convention. It generated 22,087 tweets per minute. Among the Republicans, Florida Senator Marco Rubio who also delivered a stirring speech ranked second at 8,937 tweets per minute.

Other speakers who had significantly high tweets were Clint Eastwood (7044 per minute); Gov. O’Malley (7602); Gov. Patrick (6909) and Gov. Christie (6079).

Facebook also monitored the mentions of Obama and Romney in status updates, comments, posts and shared posts. It reported that Obama had 192 percent more citations than Romney.

I understand that the citizen and consumer participation via Twitter and Facebook is also reflected in TV ratings.

With the other features of the gadgets that attendees brought and used during the two conventions, we can just imagine how many photos and videos were taken and emailed and/or uploaded for the benefit of friends, fans and followers.

The Smart Phone Battles and the Tablet Wars

APPLE

The iPhone still rules.  So does the IPAD. According to Apple Inc. it sold 26 million iPhones last quarter, 28% more than last year’s. There were also 17 million IPADs sold, an 84% increase, a quarterly record.

The patent rights case that resulted in a billion dollar ruling in favor of Apple and against Samsung devices that utilizes the Android OS further reinforces Apple’s current frontrunner status.

On September 12, 2012, Apple will launch the iPhone 5 and a new iPod. The launching of the IPAD Mini sometime later will follow.  We expect that these new devices would generate more sales and would again increase the Apple stock price and should let the company maintain its lead.

GOOGLE

Google, Inc. which owns and pushes the Android OS to compete against Apple’s IOS has not given up. On the contrary, with the purchase of Motorola and its patents Google is determined to go after Apple in the battle for the smart phone and tablet markets.

On September 5, 2012, Motorola will be unveiling the DROID RAZR M 4G LTE. Of course, the Intel-powered DROID RAZR HD will be in Verizon’s Fall lineup. Motorola jointly with Verizon will launch it on September 18, 2012.

Unbeknownst to many, there was actually a win for Samsung in the patent case with Apple. In 2011, there was an injunction against the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 Tablet in the United States.  In the patent case, the jury ruled that there was no patent infringement by Samsung in its Galaxy tablet.  This is why you now see aggressive advertising, marketing and selling of the tablet.

MICROSOFT

The other aggressive firm that both Apple and Google should really worry about in the smart phone and tablet wars is Microsoft with its Windows Operating System.

While it is true that Samsung as smart phone and tablet manufacturer would be affected by the patent rights ruling in the United States, pending its appeal, it is now aggressive in pursuing its tie-up with Microsoft.

Recently, it launched a new family of SmartPCs, tablets and smartphones called ATIV based on Windows 8 and Windows RT, and Windows Phone for the new smartphone line. ATIV brand is the reverse spelling of VITA, which is Latin for “Life,” signifying Samsung’s pledge to “make everyone’s life extraordinary with excitement.” The devices launched were the 10.1 – inch ATIV Tab,  the 4.8 – inch ATIV S (smartphone), the 11.6 – inch Smart PC, and the 11.6 – inch Smart PC Pro.


NOKIA

Nokia was formerly the largest cell/smart phone manufacturer and distributor worldwide. In fact, I still have 4 working Nokia phones that are based on the Symbian Operating system.  The assumption is that it knows how to sell and still has access to the worldwide distribution network for smart phones.

Nokia’s decision to give up the Symbian OS in favor of Microsoft’s Windows OS for its very powerful smart phone is indeed a major shot at regaining the market share that Apple, Google, and Samsung took from it.

On September 5, 2012, Nokia and Microsoft will be launching together the Lumia 920 and smaller Lumia 820 that will run on the latest Windows Phone (8) Operating System. Both hope that, outside of its current 100,000 apps that are available, more developers would create applications that could compete with Apple and Android’s 500,000 apps.

BLACKBERRY

Research in Motion (RIM) does not want to be forgotten. It continues its drive to have its Blackberry devices as an alternative to the other smartphones. In a press release, it will launch its new Blackberry 10 OS sometime in 2013 and correspondingly debut six new smartphone devices that will be powered by the QNX-backed OS.

SONY
Sony has proven skills in video games, cameras, and audio players. It expects to draw from such skills in developing smartphones and tablet computers. It intends to catch Apple and Samsung in this race in the future.

Sony’s entry into the smartphone and tablet wars is its Xperia brand for both devices.

Excitement is in the air! Competition whether we call it battle or war, is good for the consumers. It breeds innovation, encourages creativity, and of course, brings down prices.

APPLE = MVP

Recently, APPLE became Wall Street’s MVP (Most Valuable Property). This is based on the market cap valued at the New Stock Exchange. It became the most valuable by about $235-B more than Exxon, the previous leader that now ranks as the second most valuable company in the world.

Most analysts even concluded that APPLE actually became the MVP of all time. Of course, the conclusion would differ if inflation were accounted for. According to the Columbia Journalism Review, “APPLE’s market cap of $622 billion isn’t an all-time record and that Microsoft’s 1999 record still stands. Microsoft, which posted the previous record of $620.58 billion in 1999, was really worth $850 billion when adjusted for inflation.

At any rate, APPLE is really the largest company in the world now.  For mobile users, it has also become the company of choice. Its products are the most sought after. Most consumers now use the IPAD, the iPhone, the iPod, Mac laptops and other Mac mobile devices and accessories.

APPLE vs. SAMSUNG

The value of its stock already rising, APPLE late last week won its Patent case against SAMSUNG. The former was awarded over $1 billion in damages. Pending appeal, APPLE would most likely get the court to enjoin the selling in the United States of at least 7 SAMSUNG gadgets.

This would mean more sales for APPLE mobile devices, more income, and correspondingly, increase of its stock price. In fact, after the decision, APPLE stock price rose to new highs.

Wait until the iPhone 5 and the IPAD Mini are launched this coming October!

This prompted my barber to comment, “It is really the APPLE of GOD’s eye.”

MICROSOFT

Windows 8 OS of MICROSOFT will be launched within the next few months. It will be in Windows Phones, Nokia Smart Phones, Tablets, Ultra books, Laptops and Desktops.

SAMSUNG’s loss to APPLE and Windows 8 present a window of opportunity for MICROSOFT. SAMSUNG’s Tablet that uses Windows 8 OS should be launched immediately to compete with APPLE’s IPAD head-on. It would also be a chance to start installing Windows 8 in SAMSUNG Smart Phones.

INTERNATIONAL CES

The annual International CES (Consumer Electronic Show) will be held on January 8-11, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is the largest electronics show on earth. About 145,000 attend every year for different reasons. According to a poll survey, 66.77% attend to see what’s new; 16.77% go there for Networking; 4.45% for the TechZones/Innovation; 3.73% for the Conference sessions; 3.11% for the Keynotes; and 5.28% for other reasons.

I attend it every year representing Asian Journal USA, as a credentialed member of the PRESS. I write about the events of the conference as I attend them.

The first event for the Press on International CES will be in New York on November 12, 2013. It will showcase the new consumer electronic products and expose them to the media.  It will be held at the Metropolitan Pavillon. I am registered to attend it.

REMINDER: Those who are interested in attending the CES Las Vegas event without having to pay the conference fee, should register immediately. The deadline for free registration is August 31, 2012. Starting September 1, 2012, the fee will be $100 and at the site, it will be $200.

CYBERSECURITY CONFERENCE

Another conference that I attend annually in Washington, D.C. as a member of the Press, is the CYBERSECURITY Conference. This year, it will be held on October 22-23, 2012 at the Grand Hyatt in Washington.

Attendees are expected to receive the latest developments in tactics, tools, and technologies for incident prevention and response as well as communication and strategy for cyber programs. 

It will be held simultaneously with the CLOUD & VIRTUALIZATION CONFERENCE and the MOBILE GOVERNMENT CONFERENCE.

So, it will be THREE EVENTS IN ONE! I intend to write about the new technologies and programs that will be covered in the three conferences.

ENTERPRISE ARCHITECTURE

Here is one conference that I never miss. This year, the Enterprise Architecture Conference is being held at the Walter Washington Convention Center on November 28-29, 2012.

My interest in this conference is the information and knowledge that I get about the current state and future role of Enterprise Architecture in Government; new approaches, tools and methodologies for architecture for a digital government.

DIGITAL LIFE

As you can see, I will be focusing on a digital and electronic life in the next few months. I will continue to use my APPLE mobile devices but hope to test and experience the SAMSUNG Tablet that has the Windows 8 OS before the International CES.

I Tech IT From My Barber!

London Olympics 2012 and Technology

My barber and I enjoyed watching the recently held London Olympics 2012. When he asked me why I was able to watch so many of the sports events LIVE even when they were being shown at the same time. I said, “It’s all about TECHNOLOGY.”

Watching on regular TV and through my MacBook, IPAD, IPHONE and IPOD using the APPs Live Extra and NBCOLYMPICS, I could access as many shows that NBC and all its affiliates offered even simultaneously.

The success of the London Olympics 2012 was indeed evident because of the shows that the world saw – the grandiose Opening Ceremony, the exciting events as athletes from different nations compete fiercely, fairly and in a friendly and fun way, and the captivating, colorful and classic Closing Ceremony.

We all know about the security precautions that were made to prevent terrorist attacks. From the beginning to the end, all participants went about doing their business successfully without any hitches.

Unnoticed and perhaps, even underappreciated, is the technology that enabled all of us to enjoy London Olympics 2012. As Gerry Pennell, CIO for LOCOG said, “Delivering the technology for the Games requires the organizing committee and all of our partners to work together as one team to deliver an incredibly complex technology solution.”

Let us look at the following statistics as reported by Mr. Pennell:

1. London2012.com became the most popular sports website in the world. It had 38.3 billion page views, peaking at 96,871 page views per second.
2. About 1.2 Petabytes of data were transferred over the website, with a peak rate of 22.8 Gigabits/second. On the busiest day there were 13.1 million unique visitors.
3. The Olympic network, which connected 94 locations (including 34 competition venues), carried 961 Terabytes of information during the games.
4. On the busiest day, the BBC delivered 2.8ptbs.
5. The BBC saw 12 million requests for video on mobile across the whole of the Games.
6. During the Games, daily video traffic over BT’s retail broadband network increased on average by 19%.
7. Atos transmitted the results to the world’s commentators in 0.3 seconds.  
8. Around 13.2 million minutes (or 220,000 hours) of BT WiFi were used across the Olympic Park venues.
9. Acer provided 13,500 desktops; 2,900 notebooks; 950 servers and storage systems and a number of tablet PCs.

Atos Business Technologies is the brains behind the IT operations for the Olympic Games. It was responsible for managing efficiently and effectively 3,500 technology specialists.

There were 220,000 hours of robust testing to deliver the IT; and 1 million man-hours spent to deliver the communications infrastructure.

BT (British Telecom) had 500,000 WiFi hot spots across London including the UK’s largest installation in the Olympic Park; and 5,500 km of cable were installed to support digital communications across 94 locations for London 2012, equivalent distance from New York to London.

With the amazing IT infrastructure and management, it handled and experienced the social excitement during the men’s 100m final noticing 2360 tweets per second. Noted by BT were also the following: 6gb per second data across the BT network, which is equivalent to 3000 photos; and 55,000 views per second on the London 2012 website at its peek – in total there were 430 million visits.

Indeed, we are amazed at the current state of technology, which was used to assist a very successful event such as the London Olympics.

At the current rate of technological advancement, we would definitely see a more exciting Rio de Janeiro 2016!

CAN’T WAIT!!!

Waging a Winning War vs. Water Worries and Waste

(Wells, and Web’s Worthy, Well-proven Worldwide Ways)

A search on the Web would show the following data:

1. One billion people lack access to safe drinking water and 2.6-billion lack access to basic sanitation;
2. Half of the world’s hospitalizations are due to people drinking water contaminated with infectious agents, toxic chemicals, and radiological hazards;
3. Bacteria causing diarrhea accounts for 4.1% of the global disease burden, killing 1.8 million children a year;
4. More folks have access to a cell phone than a toilet;
5. In fact, the ancient Romans had better water quality than half the people alive today;
6. Nearly 1 out of every 5 deaths under the age of 5 worldwide is due to a water-related disease.
7. Every eight seconds, a child dies of a waterborne disease, in every case preventable if their parents had money to pay for water. 
8. A new World Bank reports says that by 2030, global demand for water will exceed supply by more than 40%.
9. Water scarcity: the world's freshwater resources are fixed, but both population and per capita consumption of water is growing. 
10. By 2025 one in three people around the world will experience either water scarcity or water stress.
11. Water makes up more than two thirds of human body weight, and without water, we would die in a few days. 
12. The human brain is made up of 95% water, blood is 82% and lungs 90%. 
13. A mere 2% drop in our body's water supply can trigger signs of dehydration: fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on smaller print, such as on a computer screen.
14. Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by 45%, breast cancer by 79%, and the development of bladder cancer by 50%.

Water worries are real. In recognition, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution declaring Access to Clean and Safe Water as a human right. It actually reinforced what is deemed included in Article 25 of the UN Declaration of Human Rights.

Because of these worries, the UN called on States and international organizations “to provide financial resources, build capacity and transfer technology, particularly to developing countries, in scaling up efforts to provide safe, clean, accessible and affordable drinking water and sanitation for all.”

Technology transfer backed by financial resources and assistance to build capacity is indeed a hopeful sign to allay the fears and concerns.

Further search would also show that there are new technologies available to governments, international organizations, public utilities, and social enterprises.

An example is a water system called SLINGSHOT, which was invented by Dean Kamen. If produced in volume, the cost of production per unit is $2500 and another $2500 to power the device. If the system really works for five years, it is estimated that the cost of producing 1,000 liters of drinking water per day is $0.002 per liter. Even if the cost is tripled to cover interest and labor, the price of five liters is only four cents – compared to today’s thirty cents for the same supply.

Is there a market knowing that more than four billion earn less than $2 a day? Research shows that the twenty-five poorest countries spend twenty percent of their GDP on water. That percentage represents about thirty cents a day, which is $1.2 billion a day or about $400 billion a year. As Peter H. Diamandis, author of “Abundance” said, “there is a need”.

Peter Williams, Green Innovations Chief Technology Officer and IBM “Distinguished Scientist”, is of the view that Information Technology plays a very significant role in reducing the total cost of water use. He suggests creating an intelligent network of all waterworks – meaning a “Smart Grid for Water.” The plan is to embed all sorts of sensors, smart meters, and Artificial Intelligence-driven automation into the pipes, sewers, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, harbors, and, eventually our oceans. The estimated savings is 30-50% of water use.

There are at least 50 other emerging new water technologies that merit analysis and review. I will discuss them in future columns.

More than half a century ago, Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay was also known for his honesty and humility. He respected and honored the “common tao” and brought honor to our country. He was a President who recognized the value of WATER in our daily lives. In earnestness, he initiated a campaign to make sure that drinking water be made available through the construction of Artesian Wells in the barrios as well as irrigation for the farmers.

PNoy might want to consider a similar campaign in this digital age! 

International CES 2013

Yesterday, I received a reminder from the international headquarters of the International CES organizers that registration to the conference and exhibit show just started.

I wasted no time to register as a member of the Press again. Like in previous years, it will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada. The actual conference will be on January 8 – 12, 2013, but I will be going a little earlier to attend the Pre-Conference Media events. The latter starts January 6^th.

I am encouraging Asian Journal readers who are consumer technology professionals and/or enthusiasts to attend and register early. Registration now until August 31^st is free but it will cost $100 starting September 1^st and will increase to $200 on January 2, 2013.

This is the most important global technology event of the year. I have attended it every year for more than a decade now. It had grown in terms of attendance and exhibit participation annually since I started going.

During the International CES 2012, there were more than 140,000 of us attending. For International CES 2013, it is expected to attract more than 150,000 top executives, retail buyers, content providers, entertainment executives, venture capitalists, engineers, government officials and media from 150 countries.

Innovations, Inventions, and Initiatives in several aspects of life will be on display. New innovations in hardware, software and apps, cloud computing, lifestyle technologies, digital health and automotive technologies will be featured.

As I have described in my previous articles, attending the likes of the International CES is like witnessing “little miracles” created and performed by finite beings as if guided by some Infinite Being.

I always enjoyed watching the demos of new products either vying to be in the Top 10 Gadgets Standing or just exhibiting them in their respective booths.

It is always nice to see the best Mobile Apps demonstrated by developers, and analyze their relevance as tools to inform or be informed, to educate and be educated, to entertain and be entertained, and to be efficient and effective.

As a member of Press, I am lucky to be provided with samples of some of the new products and technologies for review. I also get to interview the CEOs of the companies that are launching and demonstrating their new gadgets.

The 2013 CES will feature 3,000 global technology companies unveiling the latest consumer technology products and services. Among the major categories of these products are electronic gaming, entertainment/content, digital imaging/photography, connected home technologies, automotive electronics, audio, video, TV, and many more.

The new President of PANASONIC, Kazuhiro Tsuga, will deliver the Opening Keynote Address. He is expected to address the “opportunities ahead for consumer electronics.”

Tsuga’s address will follow the State of the CE Industry keynote address by Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA ,which organizes, runs, and owns the celebrated conference.

Samsung’s President Stephen Woo will also deliver a Keynote Address to open day two of the conference. He will present his “insight on the role of components in enabling consumer product innovations.”

I expect Samsung to launch and unveil during the conference some new products and technologies that would affect the lives of consumers in the years to come.

I will update you on the other speakers, as we get closer to the event.

Most importantly, let me remind you again – register now! Do not miss the opportunity of a lifetime!

Tech Tools Against Poverty

Education is the best antidote to poverty, which poisons anybody’s battle for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. As Philippine Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima said, “Education is the great equalizer for the poor.”

Making education more accessible to the poor therefore, must be a priority for those warriors in the battle against poverty.

Learning the fundamentals such as reading, writing, and arithmetic is a good foundation to access more information and knowledge.

Knowledge is wealth. Possessing a load of knowledge means adding more to your wealth. So any tool or technology that makes information, knowledge and education accessible, available and affordable to the poor should eventually lead to reduction if not eradication of poverty.

Information and Communications Technology is known to reduce poverty by improving poor people’s access to education, health, government and financial services.

For the technologies to be effectively used, there should be an infrastructure built precisely for the purpose. It is called information superhighway. The private sector, which are usually the telecom companies, are preferred to build it but for economic and commercial reasons, there is really no incentive to have it in low income communities.

So, the government may have to get involved. Like the regular superhighways or railways, the government may have to build the information infrastructure either solely or in partnership with the private sector and make it more accessible, available and affordable.

At the end of the last century when we were involved in Y2K projects, we proposed what we called; PRIDE (Philippine Rural Interconnection Development Enterprise) which would have built that kind of information infrastructure. To go with it I also proposed what I named as: Rural Electronification Program.

This would have guaranteed Internet access up to the remotest areas and built E-Centers in every barangay or mobile computer labs going to all the schools and barangays for computer and internet access.

Internet access means access to knowledge and education worldwide.

The proposed National Broadband Network (NBN) that would have implemented the concept that we proposed at the turn of the century, did not continue because of revelations of corruption involving Philippine Government officials.

It should not stop the Philippine government from doing it in partnership with the private sector, however.

Despite a more limited infrastructure, the Philippines still managed to be the Facebook capital, Text capital, Twitter capital, and even the Call Center capital of the world.

I am proud to have introduced the e-Book technology to the Philippines more than ten years ago. My company had the license to manufacture and exclusively distribute the eBookMan, which is the predecessor of the Amazon Kindle.

In this age of open education and open access, we are now aggressively pursuing online education.

E-Centers, Mobile Computer Labs, eBooks, eLibraries, and E-Learning (Online Education) and hundreds of thousands of mobile and computer applications are indeed helpful as tech tools for poverty reduction.

Who knows, we might also end up being the capital of the Planet of the Apps!