Author: Sal McCloskey

It has been coming for a decade and it appears to have taken down one of its biggest targets. While there may be very little actual malice between the digital world and the print world, the upcoming discontinuation of the iconic Encyclopaedia Britannica marks another casualty in the unintended war on paper. “It’s a rite of passage in this new era,” said Jorge Cauz, President of Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc. “Some people will feel sad about it and nostalgic about it. But we have a better tool now. The Web site is continuously updated, it’s much more expansive and it has multimedia.”…

Those of us who have been classically trained in journalism (from back in the days when journalism was more than blogging and posting videos to Twitter), it’s hard to see the decline of the world in which we once thrived. Writing for a local newspaper in the 80s showed me two things that I can say are amongst my most insightful perspectives: Journalism has always been an engine that drives revenues Real “journalists” were going to be replaced over time as technology improved At the time I was called an apocalyptic freak. I believe those were the actual words used by an editor who was, at the time, in his…

Every day, I look for the latest rumors or reports about the iPad 3. I never have to look too far – Techmeme features a story or two about it daily. Some new rumor, video, leaked photo, description, or speculated feature pops up from reliable sources who talk about the device as if it’s going to change the world. Maybe it will. In many ways, it already has. Today as I sorted through the latest barrage of buzz surrounding the mythical creature, I realized that it’s just not that important. In many ways, it’s an obsession that certain people (myself included) have turned into a part of our daily journalistic…

Simplifying life has been an unofficial mantra of Apple for years and their marketing ha proven to be effective in portraying this to people. Their latest marketing push for “iCloud Harmony” highlights the ability of various devices to sync with the iPhone. Is this technology really worthy of Apple marketing? Perhaps I’m a snob but this is something that I’ve come to expect with mobile devices. I have all 3 mobile operating systems in my pocket at any given time and both Android and Windows 7 allow me to take photos from them and have them on my computer and tablets, just as Apple is promoting with iCloud….

The world’s third-largest mobile phone maker has seen some recent success, posting their first profit in mobile for the first time in seven quarters. Now, they’re hoping to bank on the momentum by trying to partner with Google as a future provider of the Nexus phone. There’s a certain prestige that comes with having the Nexus name. Google’s own version of a handset that features Android has not had a ton of success with other phone makers, but it’s good for the companies that carry the name because it means the latest and greatest in Android technology. “We’re heavily in discussions,” Ramchan Woo,…

Some day in the (very) near future, we may no longer need a traditional backpack at school. Rather than carrying around a laptop and textbooks, we will be consolidating the various components of school gear down to a single device that fits nicely within our hands: an iPad. Many schools are already considering adopting a tablet-based educational style that focuses on electronic devices rather than paper and pen. It’s the way that the world is quickly starting to work; why not prepare our children today to face the world of tomorrow? This infographic breaks down the coming paper vs tablet war by…

For the last three of decades, Apple has separated itself from the various competitors through company culture, innovative technologies, and stellar marketing efforts. They have built a passionate community around their products based upon a lifestyle-promise – owning an Apple makes the savvy buyer “special” in some way. This is true with their design concepts as well. Even during the clunky technology days of the 80s, their devices held a certain elegance that gave them appeal over the competition. The tradition of clean, understated simplicity continues today with each new product or…

The company that many blame in part for the downfall of many large and small retail stores around the world is going to try its hand at the very thing they helped to weaken: retail store chains. Within the next few months, Amazon plans to launch retail store in their home town of Seattle that will focus on their emerging Amazon Exclusives like of books as well as tablets and other e-readers. This isn’t the first rumor that has circulated about Amazon hitting the brick-and-mortar path and the report is still unconfirmed, but it stays in line with their recent strategies. The eCommerce giant has shown…

LinkedIn and Facebook may have the market cornered for building relationships between business professionals, many startups are starting to pop up that take it to the next level. One such startup is Favo.rs. I was first turnedonto Favo’rs a couple of months ago from an article on Wired. A “good ol’ boy” network, as they describe it, Favo.rs allows users to connect with other professionals just as LinkedIn and Facebook. The difference is in the accountability aspect; with Favors, users get to keep track of what they do for others and what others are doing for them. The interface is solid, keeping…

Today is SOPA Blackout Day to oppose the bills currently being proposed in Congress, Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect-IP Act (PIPA). You may have noticed that there are several major websites that are down today, including Wikipedia, Reddit, and Mozilla. You may have noticed that you Google has a message on their homepage encouraging people to contact Congress. What exactly is SOPA and PIPA? In essence, these are attempts by the US government being fueled by the entertainment industry to fight online piracy. They are being positioned and publicized as anti-piracy acts by government…