Survey: Americans love technology -- as long as we don't have to pay

The old saying, "It is always better when it is free" really comes into play on this one. A study showed that Americans would gladly allow their online usage to tracked or be subjected to advertisements if it meant that their online bill would be reduced. I find this rediculous because I feel like we have just become to used to the freedom of the internet and feel as though it is not as special as it once was. I get it, save a few bucks here and saving a few bucks there will certainly help out anyone's financial situation, but do we really have to start giving away our private information or be mindless viewers of commercials to do so? It is hard enough to watch an episode or even a clip on Hulu.com without almost falling asleep through the 30 seconds of advertisements it has periodically. Granted, those ads make the service free, but I would pay a small yearly sum in order to watch my shows Ad free. Anyways, here is the link the article I found about Americans only wanting cheap technology. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/technologylive/post/2010/07/survey-americans-love-technology----as-long-as-we-dont-have-to-pay/1

The Facebook internet game Farmville has expanded from just a game to play on your computer while online, now all Iphone users can access it as well. This is a very smart move on Apple's part, think about how many of your friends sign on to Facebook first thing in the morning to water their crops, sell the crops in harvest, build a barn, or find the next lost cow roaming around the farm. Personally, I do not own a farmville account, but I feel if I were that interested in the game I would like to access it from my phone and now it is possible. Check out this video that I found on USA Today to learn more about ZYNGA's and Apple's new found friendship.

http://www.usatoday.com/video/index.htm?bctid=104579086001

HOT SPOT

Sprint has introduced a new product in their line to make it easier for their consumers to get on the web. With this mobile hot spot, users can utilize the 3G and 4G coverage sprint offers. Now you can extend your online experience beyond your laptop to any Wi-Fi-enabled device such as cameras, music players and portable game consoles. And because it supports up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices, you can share your high-speed connection with friends, family, co-workers and customers. 16 GB of shared storage and no software or activation to fuss with, the Overdrive seems to be quite appealing to consumers.

This precious prize does come with a price however. Without the kick-backs from signing your life away for 2 years with sprint, this little online gem cost $349.99. Is this thing actually worth $349.99? Are we so worried about missing an email that we have to have a hot spot in our back pocket? I think this invention has a lot of perks, but I also think this whole mobile web movement is getting carried away. Are blackberries, Iphones, and Droids not enough? I know for a fact I will not own this product, but I can see a small business utilizing this to perhaps save money down the road. This product is the first of its kind and is actually only offered by sprint. So if this is something that interests you, I suggest you prepare to switch cell phone companies.

3-D television???

If HD quality was not enough for televison watchers, will 3-D feed their hunger? As of late, the push to make 3-D televisions available for consumers has grown and now you can see commercials for them. Sure watching sports games, dirty jobs (favorite show), and other action packed shows seem to make this new form of television very appealing, but it will it catch on? Who is actually going to sit on their couch with 3-D glasses and find this a form of relaxation? If you are tring to lay down for a quick cat nap and perhaps watch some 3-D television the glasses may cause some form of discomfort. Basically, I think this idea is great on paper due to the success of 3-D movies, but why do we need it in our households? Is desperate housewives really going to be that much better in 3-D? Or maybe shows like Dharma and Greg can make a come back if 3-D really enhances any show. I am all for tetsing new things, I just dont see this idea catching on too quickly. Heres a link to an article about 3-D television

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/09/18/3D.home.television/index.html

Something I have noticed

Well it is world cup season and yes I have been spending countless hours watching mostly every game televised. This year though seems a bit different in FIFA's approach to allow people to watch every match. Fifa is allowing ESPN3, a very unique tool that allows you to watch any game you want depending on your cable/internet service provider to broadcast their games. For people like me who use Cablevision we are unable to utilize ESPN3 and its powers. It seems with every world cup comes some new form of technology being used. The last world cup really focused on using text updates, granted that was four years ago when the blackberry and IPhones were just babies, but now you can have streaming video of the soccer games on your phones! Talk about diverting your attention away from work. Many friends of mine, especially when the USA plays contact me constantly while at work and leave me thinking, "I wonder what they are getting done today?". Moving on, I am more interested in seeing what ESPN3 is going to become after the world cup. What will be its primary focus once people arent missing an intense game every hour? Will they be able to broadcast live NBA, NFL, NHL, MLB games? If so, are those in market games or out of market games? Personally, I feel this will become a pay service because I do not believe they will be able to broadcast the live games people are looking for. Sure, I can go ahead and watch tennis tournaments all day, but thats enough to keep this thing alove. I think ESPN3 is a great idea and if I had the chance to use it I would, but I feel as though the world cup is the only reason why this thing has a heartbeat.

Here is the link to ESPN3 to check it out: http://www.espn3.com/