Deleted Photos: Not Really

As you may have heard this before, nothing ever gets deleted on the internet and that includes pictures on Facebook that you thought you deleted. The company admitted on Friday that its older systems for storing uploaded content "did not always delete images from content delivery networks in a reasonable period of time even though they were immediately removed from the site," but said it's currently finishing up a newer system that makes the process much quicker. In the meantime, photos that users thought they "deleted" from the social network months or even years ago remain accessible via direct link. This is something to think about before you decide to snap a picture of your friend that you then use a fancy phone service to post of the web. Regret has no place in this world. If you do not want something being dug up by someone in the future, think about what you post.

Kinect for the PC

Can you imagine the possibilities if you could use motion sensors on your PC or laptop? You could browse the Internet by swiping aside windows and tabs. Tablet users already enjoy the sensation of whisking away windows with the flick of a wrist; imagine being able to do the same on a laptop, without touching anything at all. Moreover, users would be able to use multi-touch gestures such as pinch-to-zoom and four-finger flick to quickly and easily navigate websites, without dealing with obnoxious clickpads. British website Electricpig goes a step further, theorizing that one day we'll be able to browse the Web without our hands at all, using eye-tracking software developed for the Kinect. This technology would make everything go much faster. Your could even use internet phone services and connect with people to be able to collaborate on reports and other documents. I am pretty excited to see where it goes and the new ideas that are bound to come with it.

Useful Apps

Some phone services in the form of apps that enable you to waste time, are utterly useless. Others on the other hand can be more than just a way to pass the time, that we do not have by the way. Find your next flight or hotel room fast using Kayak, which scours hundreds of travel websites for the lowest fares possible. The app presents its results in a slick, graphically engaging interface complete with 3D rotating menus, brightly colored headers, and deep-black backgrounds. Users can sort results by highly recommended, lowest price, and star rating. Travelers who need a set of wheels can also command Kayak to zero in on car rental info. Take some of the sting out of travel with TripIt, a revolutionary service that creates a customized itinerary for you in seconds and stores everything on your handset. Just email all confirmation messages from airlines, hotels, and travel sites to TripIt and the service will neatly compile everything into one easy-to-navigate interface. Unfortunately, you can’t pin an itinerary to the home screen. Stepping up to the Pro app unlocks luxury features such as flight monitoring and viewing mile reward programs on the go. What other apps do you find useful?

Touch Screen Desks?

As if we were not hooked up to the internet along with emails, Facebook, and internet fax services, here comes the desktop that is hooked up and a touch screen. The EXODesk demo didn’t involve a computer built into a display: The screen was hooked up to a Windows 7 PC that was tucked out of the way. The EXO UI looks nothing like stock Windows 7: You navigate by tapping a pop-up cluster of circles.The features I saw at ViewSonic’s booth included practical stuff (a calendar) and fun stuff such as a musical keyboard and an air hockey game. Samsung’s new Surface table is $8,400; EXOPC plans to sell EXODesk units, but not including the PC, for just $1,300, in a version aimed at people who want to develop apps for its user interface. It hopes to roll out a version for the rest of us later this year. Would you find this tool useful or not?

Online Conferencing

WebEx is the latest internet phone service that is really making headlines. They feature online conferencing for businesses. You are able to have a slew of choices when it comes to the type of phone service you want to use. Their full portfolio of web conferencing solutions can take you from an occasional one-on-one meeting to a webinar or an online event with 5,000 participants. Whether you need a solution for personal use or an enterprise-grade product to support your multinational business, they've got you covered. This means that their offers will be able to fit any budget, from a growing business to a company. You can also count on the highest levels of performance and security for all of the WebEx online meetings. Every meeting is delivered over the Cisco Collaboration Cloud, which is a highly secure, scalable, and available meeting network. Plus, you have a variety of security options–such as meeting password protection–to control who attends your meeting and ensure that all your data is safe, every time, which can be important if sensitive information is discussed.