App Development

Dreaming and Conceptualization
Our Dreaming and Conceptualization can be found in these 2 pictures of our Market Survey Interpretation. I forgot to save it so we had to take a picture of it to show you guys, sorry.

User Interface & Architecture Design
This will be in Kendall and Jenna's presentation.


Proof-of-Concept and Distribution

We know it can work, because there are app stores out there that use similar concepts. Google play, Apple's app store, and Amazon all have similar platforms that function and have users.

Amazon Appstore  what would they take?

What would Google play take?

And Apple?

Tech Fast

This last weekend I involuntarily participated in our 48-hour fast. I say involuntarily because I forgot my charger on our road trip up to a graduation, and I was left phone-less for a few days. It was actually really hard to not look at a device a few times a day, but after I made a few observations about what was going on around me; it was a little more fun to partake in this experiment. All this observing kind of made me feel really weird just people watching, but it did help the time pass a lot quicker.

The Demographics of Tech Use:
I know there are plenty of studies out there on this, but this is what I personally observed. Like I said, I was up north for a graduation but I was also there for a birthday party. Needless to say there were a lot of pictures being taken. The ones with the cameras and telling everyone where to go were the women. I don't think I saw one male take a single picture this weekend, except for my brother when he stole the camera out of my wife's hands as a joke. The men were guilty of looking at their phones more. The women would choose to talk to each other more and take plenty of pictures, while the men would look at their phone. The age groups also used tech differently. The older folk(45-70) hardly, if ever, looked at their phones or a television. While the younger demographic would usually use a phone to supplement their storytelling. The toddler's even know about technology. When their parents would take out their phones, it's almost as if you can see the child say "that looks expensive; let me slobber all over it." They like looking at the screens if there is something moving on it like a game or a cartoon.

How Addicted I Really Am:
I swear I could feel my pocket vibrate throughout the day even though my phone was off. It is the weirdest feeling. I would go to look at it and while reaching for it I would realize that it was all a part of my imagination. It was a weird feeling. I would go to look at it during the day when things slowed down, and not even think twice about it. I would get my phone out and be bummed out that it was dead, so I couldn't solve my boredom. This was a blessing in disguise though as I filled that time playing with my nieces or talking to some cousins. It was a little frustrating to try to talk to them, and their eyes were glued to a screen.

This was a great eye opener for me. I knew I relied on tech a lot, but I didn't realize how much it was a part of my daily routine. Hopefully I can schedule a few hours a day where I can get away from it all and do something outside or making something.

App Review

I chose to review 2 of my favorite games to play, both on the iPad and in real life. I thought it was cool how easy and functional they made the apps.

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Virtual Reality: Pros & Cons

Like I've mentioned before, I am looking at virtual reality for my "Best Device" project. Over spring break I was able to visit with my brother and look at the EON Reality office in Irvine, CA. It was so cool to see all of the technology and things that he is working with in order to prepare athletes for competition. Virtual Reality is something that can be very useful and helpful to us in our everyday lives. My brother uses it to prepare high school and college athletes for competition. They can see what kind of coverage they may be facing in a football game or what a pitcher's motion might look like first-hand. A real estate agent can "walk" people through dozens of homes without ever leaving their office. Or one can enjoy their favorite movie a little bit more by seeing it through one of the character's eyes. There are so many possibilities for application of virtual reality in the real world.

I don't want to just talk about the positives, because like all devices there are positives and negatives. I like the idea of seeing things as if I am actually there, but when I put those glasses on for a virtual reality experience I start to feel pretty nauseous. It is kind of embarrassing to admit, but just after a few seconds my head starts to throb a little and I feel as if vomit is on its way out. To virtual reality's defense, I get nauseous when I ride a kiddy roller coaster but this could be a big problem for them as I am not the only one who suffers from these feelings. It could impede someone from purchasing the technology simply because it makes them sick. Now I still like the experience it can provide, but I have to weigh the option of whether or not the virtual reality experience is worth the feelings of sickness I am left with afterwards.

               VS.

Virtual Reality

One item that has really drawn my interests over the last year are the virtual reality goggles/glasses. One of the most popular brands out there is Oculus VR, but even the normal tech giants like Samsung have their own version of some glasses. I was first introduced to the technology by my brother, who uses the goggles to help teach high school football players how to better prepare for their opponents. Ya, sure... the technology has been around for a while, but I think it has really made a push to reinvent itself over the last couple of years.

One thing that really caught my eye was the fact that Facebook, the social media king, would purchase Oculus VR. Just this last week, Forbes magazine wrote an article about the real reason why Facebook may have acquired Oculus VR. My favorite quote from the article says "once you do a demo in the Rift you feel like you just glimpsed the future." I think Facebook bought out Oculus VR not to just enhance the gaming experience on Facebook, but it is a chance to give a person the closest thing to having a physical,visual, face-to-face interaction with somebody else.

All things said, I'm excited to review the range of devices offered when it comes to virtual reality. I feel like it's good to know what my brother is using, but it will also help me understand a little better what the future will hold for virtual reality.

The Medium is the Message

What a deep concept?! We almost took a whole class discussion trying to figure out the phrase "The Medium is the Message is the Medium," and my brain was about ready to explode. OK, well...not really. We only spent about ten minutes talking about it in class, but we were only in class for 15 or 20 minutes, so it could be kind of true. And the human brain has never exploded from thinking too hard by my knowledge, but I don't know everything. 

To me the phrase indicates that it's no longer what we do with media applications, but rather we send a message when we simply just use them. A lot of that message can be a positive aspect, like using a fitbit band sends a message that you like to be in shape. Nobody knows that you won it in a raffle at work, but hey if people want to see a positive message about you before hearing why you're wearing it then that's their problem. While others may have negative stereotypes associated with them as well, like using a dating app or site. It may send out a message that you're desperately trying to get married, when really your mom signed you up as a joke one day. People sometimes don't get to hear the message about why you're using an app, because they are thinking about the message that's attached to their perceptions of people using the apps. 

I could be totally off in my interpretation, but that's just how I viewed the message...or the medium...or the.. well you get the point.