Technology

"We think technology should work for you—to be there when you need it and get out of the way when you don't."

Project Glass is Google's awesome new concept. Quick hint—it's got to do with glasses. Within minutes of releasing this project on Google+, the post went viral and currently has over 10,000 shares. The concept behind Project Glass is intoxicating, something that got me interested in it immediately. Basically, Project Glass is a pair of glasses that rule your technology filled lives.

Want to know the temperature? Just look outside and the temperature pops up on your glasses. Want to get directions? Simply tell your glasses where you want to go, a map will appear and directions will be given to you. The possibilities behind something like Project Glass are endless. This video below showcases just some simple ways in which the glasses could be used;

• Make phone calls
• Find out the weather details
• Take photos
• Get directions
• Make appointments
• Find where your friends are and show friends where you are
• Update status on the go

If these glasses were to ever go into production a variety of issues could be brought along with them. Like mobile phones, they can be a huge distraction and when used at the wrong time could possibly cause accidents (e.g. while driving). Having the glasses on all the time would also cause a lot of cases where privacy is being invaded, where everyone could have almost instant access to a camera all the time.

Along with any new device/piece of technology there are going to be downsides, here at Zise though, we like to look at the upsides. Here are some cool ideas we came up with that these glasses could be used for:

• Virtual Reality gaming
• Conference calls on the go
• Used as action camera

After the release of this video, people started to come up with their own quirky ideas for the glasses. Here was our favourite:

The new iPad was released on the 16th of March this year with record sales. Millions of people lined up outside stores to pick up their very own iPad 3, so lets have a look at some of the new features.

The Pros:

Retina Display - While most people could probably have gone by happily without this upgrade, having it has greatly improved the pixel clarity of the iPad display, removing all noticeable pixellation.

10 hours of battery life and much faster processing power compared to the previous versions. The new iPad uses a dual-core processor and a quad-core GPU which is why it can handle the new display upgrades.

The Camera - This time, Apple has upgraded the camera to 5 megapixels with auto-exposure, auto-focus and LED backlighting.

The Cons:

4G - Unfortunately this isn't available yet however you can still use 3G until the upgrades are ready.. Until then, this remains in the cons list.

There have been reports that the iPad heats up a lot more than its predecessors, while not enough to cause any alarm (like spontaneous combustion) if your iPad is heating up to the point where it is uncomfortable to hold, it is probably best to put it down for a little while.

It is slightly larger than the iPad2… I don't really view this as a negative because it is still pretty thin and easily portable (as a tablet should be). The new features need space which makes the iPad 3 slightly heavier.

The Conclusion:

If you are happy with what you are getting out of your iPad or iPad 2 and you can live without the added features then you can save money and wait for the next upgrade.

If on the other hand, you use your tablet for more than just browsing then the iPad is an extremely well designed tablet with very few negatives (unless you are really really picky). You can see a full list of features and prices from the apple store, we've just outlined a few so go check it out and decide how much you want to spend!

In the busy world of computer tablets, many of the leading manufacturers are continuously fighting for control over the consumer population, with most tablet users heading for the extremely well known and popular iPad's. In recent months however, tablets running different versions of Android (an OS created and run by Google) have become increasingly popular taking back some of Apples market.

The most popular Android based tablet to date has been the Samsung Galaxy Tab, which has a fairly decent price tag of around AUD$579. This is where Asus' new 7-inch tablet will take podium. The tablet will be running the latest version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0 and will sport Nvidia's Tegra 3 chipset, which is a quad-core processor. At 7-inches it won't be too bulky or heavy and at the same time, will still feel like a tablet. It will have a resolution of 1200x800px, will contain and 8MP rear camera and will have micro USB and micro HDMI ports.

Considering how powerful this tablet is, you would expect it to have a hefty price, but no. At US$259 it should arrive in Australia with a price tag just under $400 in the second half of 2012.

If you have been on the internet today and gone to Wikipedia you would have noticed something a little different to normal. The 24 hour 'Blackout' is underway to protest against SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act). Hundred's of major websites have protested in different ways against these two acts including Wikipedia, Wired, Reddit, WordPress, Twitter, Facebook and Google.

The most notable of the blackouts would have to be Wikipedia, one of the most visited sites on the internet being completely blacked out. Most sites used interesting methods in which their content was still able to be viewed (see the Wired.com screenshot below) but Wikipedia was completely shut down.

SOPA is a massive issue in America, but it is also going to effect anyone who uses the internet regularly. PIPA, if passed, will give corporations the right to get other website showing their material shutdown permanently and have their domain blocked. This means social networking sites, in particular Google+ and Facebook, will become liable for any content that their users' post. If they fail to remove infringing content, they can become subject to shutdown.

Even though these acts are in America, if passed, will effect Australia too. If you are interested in discussing SOPA further, check out the Zise Facebook Page. Also, if you are interested in learning more about SOPA and PIPA check out Stop Online Piracy Act | Wikipedia

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With the release of Wacom's Cintiq 24HD, the team at Zise decided to check out what's new and compare it to the prior release, the Cintiq 21UX.

Cintiq 24HD | Key features

• Large 24" (61 cm) widescreen display provides a perfect workspace for creating digital content
• Superior display fidelity with full HD resolution (1,920 x 1,200) and high colour gamut (92% Adobe RGB) to bring your creative ideas to life
• Supports HDCP protocol to view copy protected materials e. g. Blu-Ray videos
• Impressive industrial design with flat drawing surface and unique display stand
• Display transits between low/flat and upright/angled with the assisted lifts and intuitive breaks
• Enables unique off table edge positioning
• Work directly with the pen on screen with intuitive hand-eye coordination
• 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity and Wacom Tip Sensor produce a precise and detailed reflection of your ideas

The main differences:

The Cintiq 24HD offers more flexible working positions, unlike the Cintiq 21UX. The new Cintiq can be moved to a comfortable position on your lap while still docked to the table. The designers have clearly taken into consideration the habits of the users and have given them exactly what they want.

It's the largest tablet screen display ever released by Wacom, with 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity. The second version of the Cintiq21UX was released with the same upgrade, however the lack of maneuverability and pure weight makes for a less comfortable design.

Along with the key extra modifiable keys on each side, the Cintiq 24HD is designed with a help button at the top which brings up a help screen to remind you what the key settings are. The second button brings up a keyboard for quick easy to access keyboard shortcuts.

At last we come to the major difference between the two tablets… and that is the price tag. $2500 for this state of the art tablet, compared to the 21UX, which sells for $1999. All in all, while both of the tablets are incredibly useful, if you can afford it, we recommend going for the Cintiq24HD, for an extremely flexible and comfortable workspace. And then there's the bragging rights too.