Tech

My computer is better than yours

Posted on by Simone Calamai

ZX Spectrum KeyboardI fell in love with tech and computers back in 1983, when monitors were not only not LCD, but not even monitors. For many years I had to use a black and white TV for my ZX Spectrum 48k. But at least it was mine, and I could play with it in my own room.

Yes, I admit it, I took part in the my-computer-was-better-than-yours wars that filled playgrounds of the 80s. My best friend was a Commodore 64 geek so I had the opportunity to see the best of both worlds, but I was firmly on the side of the Speccy.

And I still am.
Thanks to the emulators, sometimes I type LOAD “” and enjoy an ol’skool videogame.

Today it was time for Space Rider Jet Pack.


Long live the 80s! 😎

Google’s Lawyer-bot

Posted on by Simone Calamai

Lawyer-botSocial web is based on disintermediation: this is why lawyer firms has always tried to stay away from it (intermediation is their job).

At least in the US, something could change. Google Ventures has announced it is part of a group that infused $18.5 million into Rocket Lawyer, which bills itself as the “fastest growing online legal service”.

Read the whole article on the Forbes.com website.

Amazon

Amazon clever move

Posted on by Simone Calamai

no app storeWe all know that Apple is quite greedy on the App Store. Moreover, Apple is explicitly forbidding applications from including a ‘buy’ button within the apps themselves that link to an external payment flow: this is why you can’t buy an ebook using Amazon Kindle App on the iPhone/iPad.

Shortly, Amazon was facing the same problem than Financial Times and it looks like they come across the same solution: bye-bye App, welcome HTML5.

The Kindle Cloud Reader is already live, although “limited” to Chrome and Safari web browsers and iPad.

Amazon Kindle Clouds TweetWell done, Amazon!

TechCrunch has an article on this, too.

Kindle and Ipad: a microscopic comparison

Posted on by Simone Calamai

iPad and Kindle microscope

Left: Ipad | Right: Kindle

The Ipad is cooler, but what about pure readability? Somebody has tried to answer this question using a deeper look…

Source and original article: bit-101

NFC

NFC: Beyond cell phone wallets

Posted on by Simone Calamai

Palm SecureNear field communication (NFC) has allowed users in Asia and especially Japan to replace credit cards with phones — yet the technology has languished everywhere else, in spite of Google’s best efforts to provide a “digital wallet” that allows users to pay for things simply by touching their phone to a pad.

PalmSecure, a superior competing technology from Fujitsu has now emerged. It’s a contactless biometric system that does not require the user to have their own hardware. Near-infrared light shines up from a detector, allowing it to image the unique pattern of veins in a person’s hand. This pattern is stored as a unique identifier, not an image.

Source and original article: Technology Review