technology

[Faust]

Too true!

[galia]

I just found out about something called the Fairphone. I'm always suspicious about "ethical consumerism", but I can't not use a smartphone (current work situation prevents it) and I'm becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the environmental and human cost of electronics production. So I was thinking about the Fairphone when my old iPhone dies. However, I would like to know if it's legit and actually doing what it says it is.

[lowrey]

I read about it some time ago, apparently there are some components and certain parts of the manufacturing that can be considered fair, others (most?) are just like other smartphones because a lot of parts are outsourced. So to my understanding you could say its certainly not worse than any other phone, probably a bit more ethical, but not completely by any means. I think they haven't done a new model that would be currently available though?

[galia]

I'm afraid of it being just a greenwashing gimmick. I'll have to look into it more. Thanks!

[lowrey]

without knowing anything about the company really, I imagine its part marketing part interest to make an ethical product, but its not easy when you have a thousand components coming from who knows where. its probably the best option if you are looking for a new phone, but buying second hand (and either using it for its entire life length or reselling) is probably the most "ethical" option.

[galia]

Yeah, I'm keeping my old iPhone until it dies, then we'll see

[Faust]

So, who's buying the Apple watch? Will it be their first product failure since Jobs 2.0?

[Nickefuge]

It´s about as useless as the iPad– which became a hit nonetheless.
I´m hesistant about making any forecasts. It´s gonna be an exciting year.

[Faust]

I find the iPad to be very useful as information consumption device. Much better than a laptop, especially if you consume the info on a couch. Also good for travel, as I can have a book, the NY Times, and the New Yorker in one handy place that takes up less space and weighs less.

[eleves]

I like the idea of the iWatch and where it's heading. I don't know if I'll get one of these first generation ones (solely because the 2nd generation will be a huge improvement) but the move towards wearable tech is going to be huge and I think it will become as utilized as our phones are. As technology improves, we won't even need to pair the watches along with phones as the watches will be standalone devices. I think the convenience that the watch is promising will be fun though. A friend of mine has the Motorola smart watch and its pretty cool, using a phones texting, and the internet without having to actually pull a phone out is kinda helpful depending on what you're doing and where you are. Apple is also planning on tons of different watch straps and collaborations so who knows which SZ favorite might end up doing something for it? Rick and Thom are probably givens at this point, only a matter of time. I don't even wear watches anymore but the future is beckoning!

As for the iPad, I like it as a middle ground between my phone and laptop. Some of the things that I used to use my laptop for such as watching movies or keeping in touch with random things on trips are now just easier with the ipad because of the sheer portability of it. I do get however, that if one doesn't want to buy one, then you can easily use a phone or laptop for the same purposes but you'd just deal with the inconvenience of using your laptop in certain places or reading on a smaller phone screen.

[TheDivinitus]

I like the idea of the iWatch and where it's heading. I don't know if I'll get one of these first generation ones (solely because the 2nd generation will be a huge improvement) but the move towards wearable tech is going to be huge and I think it will become as utilized as our phones are. As technology improves, we won't even need to pair the watches along with phones as the watches will be standalone devices.

Eleves, that's exactly what I'm hoping for.

[yay]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbK-Bo3k9KQ

a 1992 vision of wearable technology of the future, definiteyl cooler than the iWach i'd say :p

i'm not sure if i actually want a smartwatch or not, but i definitely don't want an iwatch at the current prices.

[absintheparty]

Thought I'd share the SZ inspired XBMC layout I've been using for the last while. thanks go to 550BC and all the brutalist architecture he posts, which I find inspiring.

Very simple, nebula skin with custom images.

[Faust]

Motherfucking Apple is trying to steal my money again. The new MacBook looks pretty damn good...

[t3hg0suazn]

You got the email too eh. I happened to see it on their website a few weeks ago because my Air's 2gb memory was not happy with my 10+ tab browsing habits. Trying to tell myself I don't really need a new laptop, but Apple always knows how to open up my wallet.

I'd be interested in knowing if Jobs had any part in this new model, or if it's mostly improving upon the Air with hardware upgrades.