Something that has been in the news lately (or at least the online news articles) is the topic of privacy on the internet with regard to how government agencies and other commercial entities are trying to keep tabs on people’s browsing habits. Complete anonymity online is nearly impossible, as you are tagged by the address […]
You may have heard that yesterday, Google acquired “*Nest,*”:https://nest.com the company most known for its smarter, simpler thermostat design. Reactions to the sale have been largely negative, at least according to “*fans of Nest on Facebook.*”:https://www.facebook.com/nest/posts/10152167824360681 What would this mean for your privacy? For device support (especially non-Google devices such as iPhone)? ARE WE ALL GOING TO BE WATCHED IN OUR HOMES?
I’ve been intrigued by Nest’s thermostat design since it was developed by Nest Labs in 2011, and still believe that it has set a standard for innovation and what it means to have a “connected home” — a term that has proven to be highly sought after in the past few years. I mean, you can leave the over-the-top “smart” tech products at CES (except for the WeMo-enabled “*Belkin Crock-Pot*”:http://www.macrumors.com/2014/01/07/belkin-slow-cooker/ … I think I’d love that guy), but Nest makes a lot of sense for the average home.
Recently, Nest Labs introduced a smarter “*smoke and carbon monoxide detector,*”:https://nest.com/smoke-co-alarm/life-with-nest-protect/ taking on another mundane household staple that they determined significant improvement (for the annoyance factor alone). That brings the total number of products to two. Two. For which Google paid 3.2 billion! Obviously, they were viewed as game-changers.
So, what do you think Google plans to do with Nest? We’d love to hear your thoughts!
More on the acquisition “*here.*”http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303595404579318952802236612
More on the Facebook backlash “*here.*”:http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/most-nests-facebook-fans-dislike-google-deal-154974
Adobe recently became victims of a massive security breach on their website, affecting nearly 3 million users. They released a statement regarding what they are doing and what customers should do in turn. If you have an Adobe account or use any of Adobe’s products, please take note: “Our investigation currently indicates that the attackers […]
A few weeks ago, reports surfaced that a 23-year-old Chinese woman, a flight attendant with China Southern Airlines, died by electrocution after she answered her phone. According to journalists investigating the incident, she was using a “knockoff charger” also known as an after-market or third-party adaptor. This is definitely not common — even with “bad” […]
As a regular reader of our blog, you are likely aware that we the employees of Small Dog Electronics are amongst the most knowledgable Mac and iOS experts in the world. We would say that we are in fact the very best, but since we are Small Dogs and not alpha dogs, our modesty prevents […]
Google has just released a brand new streaming device. They call it the Chromecast, and it retails for $35. This very small flash drive-sized device plugs directly into any HDMI port. It works very much like the AirPlay feature on the Apple TV. Google’s Chromecast supports a variety of Android and iOS devices including iPhone, […]
A new malicious website has plagued itself on some unsuspecting Mac users recently. It has been classified under the term “ransomware”, which is essentially malware that restricts access to a computer until a payment is made by the victim/user. In this case, the ransomware disguises itself as an official FBI webpage, attempting to scare the […]
According to a recent article on Science Daily (one of my favorite retreats for reviews on journal articles from physics and computer science to sociology and psychology), a “full 90% of all the data in the world has been generated over the last two years.” This truly is amazing information. Apparently, this comes as a […]
Apple knows how important it is to back up, so they created the Time Machine application. Pre-installed, user friendly, and set to perform seamless automatic backups every hour, Apple users no longer have an excuse to NOT back up their data. However, as simple as Apple has made it to prevent catastrophic data loss, sometimes […]
Sign up for our training session at KnowledgeWave in South Burlington, Vermont — ideal for businesses and IT professionals who have an interest in what working on the Mac OS can do for you. Mac OS X Technical Training For IT Professionals, Tuesday, August 6, 9am – 5pm Why register? Rebecca will cover what you […]
