The Internet is all about social...

The Internet has become so important mainly because it allows people to be social, and share what's important for them with others. It allows us to be social, to interact with others who have the same interests or share the same ideas.

No matter where you go in the Internet, all is about being social and share stories with others just about anything. Even with all the advance technology we have, we all have that craving for sharing with other stories, or information, we like or find interesting.

That's why the Internet has such an important part of our lives, because it allows to share or find those stories that are most interesting with friends and family. In effect, the Internet has become the fireplace where we gather around to listen, or tell stories, with other people with the same craving that us to do the same thing.

We are social by nature, and the Internet gives an outlet to have a greater reach than ever before to find people to tell stories with. The possibilities are endless, we have the chance not to conform with the stories we have at hand. We can actually look for that watering hole that makes us feel like we belong, and share that we care about with others that care about it.

It's important that we are able to use the Internet in the same way as we have been using it until now. The open nature the Internet has had until now, is what has made it so easy to use is in such an open way to be able to come together.

Let's keep the Internet as social as possible.

Software and hardware symbiosis...

Great software and hardware by themselves don't mean much, if their counter part isn't as good as the other. Some might argue that having crappy software or hardware interacting with great software and hardware can kill the whole thing.

Software and hardware should be design as a single product, developed parallel to each other as much as possible. When it feels like both where design for each other, the user experience is much more pleasant. Thus, people will continue to use your products and you're more likely to create a loyal community around you.

It's important to keep in mind, that both don't have to be design under the same roof to work together in a great way. It sure helps when both, software and hardware, are design that way, but it doesn't mean that you can't design great software for hardware made by others. Even the other way around is viable, it can be done if there is commitment to make it work that way.

In order to have the best user experience, we need to start demanding software and hardware companies to work together in order to give us the best they can that works together seamlessly. It shouldn't matter what software the user chooses to load on their hardware, it should work as we expect it do from the onset. All should be built on open standards, and those standards need to be agreed upon by all players on a transparent way to the user and industry at large.

Internet, a success of open technologies...

It's hard to imagine what one can't do on the Internet, but the irony is that people often not know that the Internet as we know it is built on open technologies. If the the Internet wasn't built on those open technologies, it's impact on our world would have been much less important.

Not only that, it has largely been unregulated as whole by third parties. There only have been rules of conduct enforceable on particular sites, or some particularities that affect the owner of the site. Yet, the Internet as a whole has been regulating by itself in a somewhat organic way. Basically, all technologies created for the Internet have been, some more than others, created by consensus in order to be applied by everyone that wants to be part of the Internet.

More importantly, the Internet is the most visible success story for open technologies. The Internet demonstrate that open technologies are viable economically and technically, while being beneficial for a greater number of individuals and for society at large.

We need to fight to keep the technologies used to manage the Internet open, and the processes to create, approved and their use transparent for users and developers alike. Now more than ever, we don't need any part of the Internet to become obscure. Transparency is key to keep the Internet as our common playground.

Not only that, we need to start pushing for other industries start basing their businesses on open technologies. Only by doing so,  we can expect a better future for as many people as possible.

Smartphones lead the mobile revolution...

Smartphones have given us the opportunity to really be able to share with others a lot faster, and also to get information just about anything in seconds. In many ways, smartphones are step forward to making our world even smaller.

More than ever, smartphones give people a chance to empower themselves and to do more to make change happen than ever before. Smartphones makes traditional power brokers to keep information to themselves, and lets people to actually get that same information to share it with others as its coming to them. People are no longer dependent on a few sources to get the information they need, or how to make use of it.

We can be selective not only on the information we share, but also with who we share it with. There is less need for a middle man to handle the information we want to share, since we have the platform to do it so without the middle man. Smartphones gives us the such platform with its connectivity with the Internet. As such, we decide what we want to do with the information we come upon.

Censorship is harder to implement, since people can more easily find ways around it. There are multiple ways individuals can now work around restrictions on the flow of information, by using alternate channels. With this ability, we create a world where governments and corporations have to be transparent about they do just because they have no choice.

I'm hopeful that this will help us to create a better world.

It's on the users needs...

For the looks of it, laptops and tablets will live along each other for quite some time. The smartphone being our constant companion when using a laptop or a tablet is not really that practical, or we aren't near them.

The desktop computer will become a niche product, mainly used when mobility isn't necessary or it better fits the users computer needs. For most people, it would make a lot more sense to have a laptop or a tablet as their main computer.

The choice between a laptop or a tablet, will be based mainly on what it's going to be used for. Each form factor has its strengths and weaknesses, laptops being more adept for working and tablets for consuming. So, which one you should get depends on what you intend to use it for.

Yet, the smartphone will be the second companion for our primary device. Smartphones give us the practicability to be able to take them with us all the time, but the screen size isn't the best one to use for prolonged periods of size or as we would use a laptop or a tablet. I see the smartphone mostly playing a support role, yet vital since it gives us a gateway to discovery when we we can't access a computer.

While most people have a use for a smartphone, the choice between a laptop and a tablet will be dependent on what we are need from our primary computer. So, the discussion of trying to argue for laptops or tablets  is mute. All depends on each user, and what needs it has for their main computer.

My next smartphone will run on open source software..

Even though my experience so far with a BlackBerry device, specifically with the Bold 9650, has been quiet good I still targeting for an Android powered smartphone.

The main reason for me to do so, is that I want as many of my electronic devices run open source software. On my laptop I'm running Ubuntu 13.04, after a couple of months using Linux Mint 14. As such, I want and prefer to run an OS that's open source as Android.

If the timing is right, I'd consider making the jump to an Ubuntu Touch powered smartphone or one using Firefox OS. Both, as Android, are open sourced and are based on Linux. Yet, due to the fact that I already use Ubuntu, an Ubuntu Touch powered smartphone would have a clear advantage for me. It would allow me to better integrate my mobile experience with the one I've on my desktop.

As I said, all is about timing. So, it seems like Android will be the winner on that account, since Android is already available while Ubuntu Touch and Firefox OS aren't at the time. But, in many ways my choice among the three would be one of taste, given that all three OS's are open source and that's the kind of software I want running my smartphone.

Where tech has brought us, and where it will take us...

The power of current microprocessors it's quite impressive, both in their processing capabilities and how small they have become. In many ways, microprocessors are fundamental to our way of life and it seems that they'll become ever more important.

Almost everything we use has a microprocessor in order to function, and most of our communication technology relies on them to what we expect them to do. Many of our devices are gaining more capabilities, allowing to decrease the number of devices we need to have in order to do things in our daily lives.

Not only that, those devices are actually becoming are becoming smaller as time goes by. Mobile phones are among the most obvious beneficiaries of the smaller form factor and addition of capabilities. We can not only use them to make calls, but to take pictures and videos. We even can listen to the radio and to our music on them, doing the things that we would have needed several devices to do. Not to mention, than in some cases those devices weren't exactly mobile at all.

The world current technology has help build was unimaginable a few decades ago, and where it might lead us is equally hard to predict. That's why need to keep an eye so technology is at the service of humanity at large, not at the service of a few.

It is possible, if we view technology as a common good and keep that way. It's in the interest of the majority that all technology is developed in an open way, on open standards. Where we all have access to whatever technology we need to use, while making equally easy to share any modifications we made it to make it work better to the purpose we gave to it.

Technology should be democratized, and put at the reach of everyone to use and modify as needed. Openness and transparent development should be the norm with all technology, and we need to fight to make and keep it like that.

Bring people together...

One of the things that brought the Internet, is the ability to create communities around common interests with people with who otherwise it would be next to impossible to do so. It has given the power to the people to have a greater control over the products and services they consume, to the sharing of whatever they want with the others.

The Internet empowers people, it's the tool that allows to take greater control not only of what we consume, how we consume and to share it with other to whom we think it would be relevant. It also allows us to generate content, and to share it with others in order to make them aware of our concerns and our hopes. In many ways we are becomes less of a passive audience, and more of active participants of what's going on beyond of what going on at our immediate surroundings.

More than ever, people can have an impact on what happens not only on their community, but on events that are ongoing on other parts of the world. We can actually share with people from distant places, and have a real chance to develop strong communities with lasting relationships among the members.

At the local level, it forces all players to be more transparent on their actions. It makes it harder to hide things, since people can easily spot and share with others what's going on. Local governments and businesses are having a harder time hiding from their communities wrong doings, while making it easier for people to organize actions to prevent or punish any wrong doing.

It's no longer inconceivable that people can actually regain power, it has become a question of when will enough people gain consciousnesses of this fact and start acting on it.

The time for the people to govern themselves is close at hand, it just requires us to make it happen as soon as we can.

20 years of World Wide Web...

Today the World Web marks its 20th anniversary, and there is no way to understate its importance to the world as we know it.

The main reason the World Wide Web has achieved such importance, is its free open nature. Everyone can build upon it since it's open to all, and use it freely according to their needs or interests. If wasn't free and open, we wouldn't have the Internet as we know it today.

This is why we should keep it like this, if we want to be able to keep using as we have been doing it so far. The World Wide Web has become the common forum where ideas can be discussed and information is shared among all the interested. It's where we come to find information just about anything, or to share what we love with others.

In many ways, the World Wide Web has allowed the world to become a smaller place by allowing people to connect with others in distant places in any way better fits them. It has become pivotal for many to be able to keep in touch with loved one who are far away.

We should reflect on the importance of keeping the World Wide Web free and open, since this way it's truly and most valuable to all of us. It's imperative to keep it as a common good of humanity, one where we all can use is equally.

Give users the power...

Users right to hack the devices, and the software that runs in them, shouldn't be questioned at an level. It should be a given than users have the right do any modification they want to any device they lawfully bought, and even to share how they did such hack.

If there should be a limit, is that users should not profit with those hacks without compensating the original vendor. Even though the people who do the hacking can expect some sort of compensation for the time they invested making a hack useful, there should be a clear limit on how that compensation is made. Yet, users should be allowed to share with others within some reasonable limits.

Those limits shouldn't make it impossible for users to actually hack their devices, just how they are allowed to share the information about how to do a hack and how they can expect to be compensated for the time and effort put into doing so.

The most important thing is that users must remain on what goes on their devices, not the companies that make the devices we buy. Even if some users never hack their devices, there is no reason why their right to so away. While is true that most people will not hack in any way or form their devices, but they need to be able to do so if the need makes it a necessary at any point in time.

Yes, some instances of hacking are illegal and should be prosecuted. It's important to keep in mind that most hacking is quite harmless, and done just for the fun of learning something new. This kind of hacking has the potential to be most beneficial, since it can discover problems or come with new and better ways to do things.

We need to have clear rules that keep all hacking beneficial and practical for society at large. It's a case where the interests of the majority must be uphold over what a minority wants.

BlackBerry vs Android vs Firefox OS...

As I keep using the BlackBerry Bold I got, the more I'm liking the experience, yet I'm still quite interested on an Android smartphone. When time comes to get a replacement, it will be decided by my ability to use an Android device for some time in order to directly compare it with the BlackBerry I'm using.

So far, the biggest issue I've with the BlackBerry Bold is the optical trackpad, I just don't seem to be able to get used to it. So, it seems that a touchscreen device seems a better option for me.

With this in mind, it seems that if I decide to stay with Blackberry it would be with the Z10, which is an touchscreen base smartphone.

Yet, I'd like to keep all my devices running open sourced software, as such Android is still a strong contender. And if the Firefox OS hits the market on time for consideration, it's also a strong contender.

The choice it's still some mounts away, so there is some time to do some testing.