ICOSA Tech Tease- Samsung Galaxy Note II

As the default tech dude at ICOSA, I knew the best way to drop some real knowledge about tools & toys was to bring in the big gun, Eli Asfaw. Eli has been my go-to gadget geek for about 14 years or so, as his level of expertise in such field far surpasses mine. Eli is now the official 'gadget geek' at ICOSA and my partner in crime in a new short video segment we have coined 'ICOSA Tech Tease'. Each week, Eli and I will be reviewing a tech gadget in our own way. We won't bore you with a spec run-down of every single feature, but we will discuss the best ones and tell you why each tool or toy (in our opinion) is one to empower leaders and/or leadership. Visit the tech section of icosa.co every week to hear Eli's thoughts on a variety of tech gadgets and to read my wrap-up of said video/featured gadget. The first video is directly below. ↓ [youtube width="640" height="360" video_id="iPQ9bCZ29dw"]

The tech tool we feature this week is the Samsung Galaxy Note II. This was our initial choice, because it's Eli's favorite smartphone to date. There is a ridiculous number of sick features on this [lightbox type="iframe" title="Title" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phablet"]phablet[/lightbox] that have never been offered on a smartphone in the U.S.. If you want to check out a full list of specs, you can do so right [lightbox type="iframe" title="Title" href="http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_note_ii_n7100-4854.php"]here[/lightbox].  What impresses us the most is the fact that you can simultaneously work on three different things on your screen at one time. If you can imagine, this is huge for the multitasking business leader. Also, at 5.5 inches and with a 720 x 1280 pixels resolution, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 also boasts the biggest screen we have ever seen on a phone. The last feature we love is the S-Pen that comes with it. The S-Pen is slightly larger than with the original Galaxy Note and has flat edges, making it more ergonomic. The sensitivity of the S-Pen and the display on the Note 2 allow for "Air View". This feature enables the user to hover the pen above the screen to perform certain tasks. This is the only phone that allows for desktop-like web surfing in such a way. To learn more about the S-Pen, watch [lightbox type="youtube" title="Title" youtube_id="bisGjDdDKKQ"]this video.[/lightbox]

Eli gives this phone 4.5 icosahedrons out of 5, his highest (and only) rating yet. Leave a comment below with your thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy Note II and/or suggestions of gadgets you think we should feature on ICOSA Tech Tease. Check in with us next week as we'll feature the new Droid DNA.

***Disclaimer: this is both of our first take on camera. We will get better, LOL***

~Follow Blake Rubenstein on Twitter: @BlakeHenry27 & follow Eli Asfaw: @SoDroid

Robotic Limbs- WTF?!?!

New Years Day is generally a day reserved for nursing my conscience mind back to normalcy, not advancing it to previously unchartered territory.  But, as I lay on my buddy Dane's couch, post [lightbox type="iframe" title="Title" href="http://www.grubhub.com/denver/spicy-basil/?showSmallSearchWidget=Y"]Chinese food[/lightbox] coma, I complained about his choice to watch an [lightbox type="iframe" title="Title" href="http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50137987n"]episode[/lightbox] of [lightbox type="iframe" title="Title" href="http://www.cbsnews.com/60-minutes/"]60 Minutes[/lightbox] he had DVRed earlier in the week.  Since my tush was planted on his sofa, whining was as far as my objection would get.  (These days I watch NFL analysis when I control the remote.)  While the CBS show often surprises me when I'm forced to watch it, it seemed like all the typical boring stories that don't generally provoke much internal dialogue.  Until... BAM, a long segment on something that I literally thought was science-fiction when it first came on: [lightbox type="iframe" title="Title" href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/science/jan-june12/roboticarms_05-16.html"]Robotic prosthetics controlled by your brain[/lightbox]. If that doesn't sound like sci-fi to you, you probably have weird dreams that I want to hear about, so comment below.

What exactly are robotic prosthetics that are controlled by your brain?

That's it, precisely what it sounds like. Scientists started experimenting on this with monkeys and with wild success, needed a willing human to take part in the experimentation. The first lady they introduce in the story had [lightbox title="Title" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7tlq7_diGNs/Tl2Lyz0xX7I/AAAAAAAAaR0/o2Y5YFwCwsk/s1600/Gifkings.com-0170.gif"]elective brain surgery[/lightbox] so they could implant the wires and communication devices so she could use her own mind to control a robotic arm. She is paralyzed from the neck down, but when she is connected to the free-standing robotic arm, she simply has to think about moving the limb like it was her own and it does what she thinks. I never conceived anything like this and am still in shock that technology has advanced in such a way. However, it doesn't stop there in sophistication.

The next man in the vignette is not paralyzed, but rather is missing one arm from just above the elbow. The doctors built him a robotic prosthetic that connects via wires to nerves in his arm and doesn't require any brain surgery.  When the arm is connected, he simply feels like his normal arm is still attached.  Somehow they can connect to his nerves in such a way that his brain and body just detect a normal limb. Not only can he control the limb with his thoughts, but he actually gets signals back and therefore can feel and receive [lightbox title="Title" href="http://www.reactiongifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/mind_blown.gif"]information[/lightbox] from it as well.  That is the most unbelievable part of the story to me.

In conclusion, if scientists can actually enable you to control artificial limbs with your mind and receive sensory information from them in return, why can't I [lightbox type="iframe" title="Title" href="http://listverse.com/2008/08/02/top-10-quirkiest-early-flying-machines/"]fly[/lightbox] to work yet?

[youtube width="560" height="315" video_id="Z3a5u6djGnE"]

Apple's iPad Mini or Google's Nexus 7?

It seems like the coolest new gadgets out there are the small versions of tablets.  If you want one, how the heck are you supposed to know which one is for you? ****SPOILER ALERT****  You aren't.  You're supposed to fall for whichever company has the best form of mind-controlling advertising.

This can be confusing when you compare Apple's iPad Mini to Google's Nexus 7. While Apple has the clean, simple, smug, hipster approach to advertising (it's working), Google has the easy-going, mind-controlling, sometimes not-so-subtle way of subliminally targeting you (it's working). It's hard to choose a side and stick with it.  I for one, have grown 'older' using Apple in my daily life to do my work, but I also am one of those confused Mac guys who uses an Android phone to try and balance the devil's tools in my personal life. That being said, I believe Mac makes the perfect tools to be creative and do my job as a video producer/editor/pawn.  At the same time, Google's products have given me the perfect tools to manage that work-flow.

WOW, get back to the subject, pal!  Okay, fine, Nexus 7 vs iPad Mini:

They're both very comparable products when it comes to overall functionality.  Nexus 7's screen seems a little higher quality for watching movies, while iPad Mini's display seems to produce crisper text and graphics. On the other hand, the iPad Mini has a slightly larger screen, is thinner and lighter.  That's its biggest (maybe only) advantage over the Nexus 7.  Considering that Apple's product is about $130 more, I see no reason to choose it over Google's.  They will both ultimately do the same things, but it seems as though Google's devices are more easily customizable.

Thanks to all whom have given me the chance to confuse them, although that wasn't my intention.  But hey, it's my blog, so if you don't like it, you can (insert exploitative verb).

Comment if you dare,

-Blake R.

License Plate Scanners: Privacy Issue?

According to an article posted by Todd Quinones of cbsphilly, the Cherry Hill Police Department is now equipped with a new technology that scans license plates and searches databases to find wanted persons and/or stollen automobiles. A small machine, which can stand alone, is typically built into police cruisers.  As cars drive by, the machine scans and runs the plates and checks to see if the owner has warrants or is connected to crimes.  Recently, the scanner helped police find a man named Robert Ford, a robbery suspect connected to 8 crimes.

While the technology can find suspects of serious crimes, they can also check simple things such as expired tags.  There is a privacy issue at hand that seems like it could get obtrusive and out-of-hand to the typical citizen whom isn't being investigated in a crime.  The Cherry Hill PD claims that information isn't kept about non-criminal persons.

As long as government agencies don't start crossing-the-line with implementation, I see this as a good technology, because it's a fast-acting option for finding suspects and/or victims of amber alerts (kid-napping).