Technology is rapidly advancing, even for me. I remember getting the iPhone a year ago and being confused by what a lot of the things on the phone did. Even to this day, I discover something new the iPhone can do. While technology has its perks, like playing Angry Birds during a long bus ride or being able to receive messages during any time of the day, it has its downfalls. One downfall in particular is privacy.

In a recent article by MSN.com, the article describes seven ways parents can spy on their teen drivers, using none other than technology.  Some of the things made me uneasy. One of the ways parents can spy on their kids is with a camera. This camera in particular can detect risky driving and when it does, it will record a few minutes of the person driving and send it to a professional. Once the professional has reviewed the footage, they will send a report to the parents of the driver weekly to explain how their teen can reduce their amount of risky behavior.

Other ways parents can spy is through a GPS installed in their teen’s car, which can be tracked by satellite and do things like set up driving zones and set speed reminders.

Both of those tactics are used for the safety of a teen driver, because, to be honest, we were all inexperienced drivers at one point and could have used a pointer or two. But this is taking it a little bit too far. Sure, it lets parents take control of their driving teen for safety purposes, but teens need a little bit of freedom. Nobody likes to know they are being followed. I know parents are concerned about where their kids are going, but I also have a feeling parents would take these devices too seriously and may scare their teens away from driving.

This is an issue where technology is being used for the right reason but it might also be used for the wrong reasons. Parents could have the intent of using the devices to keep their teens safe and know if they were in an accident, but I know most parents want to know exactly where their child is and snoop more than they should.

SOPA, or the Stop Online Piracy Act, is a proposition currently making the political rounds that has stirred up quite a controversy. SOPA is proposed to help fight illegal piracy and piracy from file-sharing, however many are strongly opposed to the bill which is proposed to give private industry new powers that are leaning into censorship.  Interested to know what SOPA mean for you?  Head over to CNET and find out more about this bill.  Do you think this is something that will effect your usage on the internet?  Let me know in the comments.

Mason is a self proclaimed tech-evangelist.  When he isn’t checking out the latest and greatest tech products, you can find him at this blog.  Follow Mason on Twitter!

When the Amazon’s Kindle first came out, I think one of my parents asked if I would use one for textbooks. I kind of disregarded the question figuring that I would prefer the physical book that I could take notes in and always have access to without worrying about it crashing. But, then again, I think I thought the same thing about CDs and now I can’t remember the last time I bought a physical CD. Apple has a way of changing the game.

According to numerous sources, today Apple sent out a message inviting people to join them “for an educational announcement in the Big Apple” on Jan. 19. I don’t know a whole lot about the current ongoing rumors circulating around about this event, but from what I can gather most are speculating that Apple is planning a push to get textbooks on all of their iOS devices (iPad, iPhone, and iPod). Others are guessing an unveiling of a version of iBooks for Mac. If both are true, it would mean that us students would never have to carry around a textbook with us as long as we had some sort of Apple device.

If all of this is true, we could see more universities following the lead of Seton Hill University, which, in 2010 began giving all full time students an iPad to aid them in their studies and begin a push towards e-books (all of this came with an increase in their tech fee, though), according to their website. The iPad came as an addition to the 13 inch MacBook Pros they give to all incoming freshmen.

Until the 19^th, everything is just speculation, but I bet it’s going to have to do with Apple venturing into the world of textbooks. The use of e-textbooks has the potential to save students hundreds of dollars a year, and could hopefully mean the end of Western’s great and expensive piles of papers… I mean custom, unbound books.

I’ve wanted an Apple iPad for some time now, but simply can’t justify paying $500 for one. Well, Amazon must have recognized that’s a hefty amount for a lot of people to buy something so similar to the laptop they already have because the Seattle-based company recently released a tablet at a much lower price.

On Tuesday, Nov. 15, Amazon released their newest model of the Kindle tablet, called Kindle Fire, which boasts a full-color 7-inch display and costs $199.

When I first heard about the Fire months ago, it was simply introduced to be the first Kindle with a full-color screen and web browser, along with access to thousands of magazines. It wasn’t until recently, about a week before the release date, that Amazon announced the Fire would have access to thousands of Android apps (). I think it was significant for Amazon to provide access to the apps that Apple and Android phone users alike are already familiar with such as Twitter, Facebook, Angry Birds and more; this addition gives Amazon the edge over Barnes and Nobles’ new Nook and should now solidify itself as a legitimate competitor with Apple.

Are you thinking about getting a tablet computer? Which one are you most impressed with so far?

Barnes and Noble has tried their hand at the Tablet market once again – releasing the aptly named Nook Tablet. The new device is designed to focus heavily on streaming video, games, and online media, with Apps for Netflix and Youtube included out of the box.  While the Nook Tablet has a different design as well as competitive features for the price, only time will tell if it will be able to hold it’s weight with consumers.  The Nook Tablet hits stores on November 18th for $249.00 USD – will you be getting one?

Mason is a self proclaimed tech-evangelist.  When he isn’t checking out the latest and greatest tech products, you can find him at this blog.  Contact Mason at masonl.WF@gmail.com

3D printing has been producing products of all kinds for years, and now things are getting even more technical.

Most people are only familiar with the printers we use at school or at work to print documents, pictures and other random things, but not many people realize how far printing has come in the last 20 years or so.

David ten Have, CEO of 3D printing at Ponoko, was interviewed by Wired earlier this month, and he believes that 3D printers will have the ability to print computer circuit boards within the next two years.

This may come as a shock to most people who didn’t even know 3D printing existed (myself included).

3D printers today use a variety of materials to print tangible objects by layering plastics, metals, rubbers and other materials on top of each other in layers of about three-thousandths of an inch thick.

Toys, models, tools and even small planes are being produced today by 3D printers, and now on the agenda, computer circuit boards, said ten Have.

If you thought that iPhones were the only smart phone attempting to take over the world, then you were wrong.

Nokia announced their rebuttal to the iPhone 4S—the Lumia 710 and 800 smartphones on Tuesday, Oct. 25.

The new phones are equipped with the latest and greatest operating system: Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7.5 Mango.

For those of you who don’t know what that is, it basically means that the new phones have it all.

The phones are equipped with over 38 hours of music playback time, six hours of video playback time, a five megapixel camera, plenty of memory for MP3s, FM radio, a video camera and that’s just for the 710.

The new phones are due to be released in the U.S. in early 2012. For more info on the phone that might actually be smarter than you, visit the website.

Motorola introduced the revival of the Droid Razr on Tuesday, Oct. 18. It is the world’s thinnest smartphone, measuring 7.1mm, according to the Motorola website.

The Droid Razr is the successor to Motorola’s original Razr flip phone, but comes with many smartphone features such as a dual-core processor, and a free MotoCast app from Motorola that allows you to stream music, pictures, and documents from your home or work computer.

The touchscreen measures 4.3 inches, and is made of Corning and Gorilla Glass to protect it from scratches. It has an 8-megapixel camera capable of 1080p video recording, backed by 4G LTE support.

The phone is resistant to water damage by a “force field of water-repellent nanoparticles” both inside and out, and the phone’s back is made of woven Kevlar to protect it from accidental drops according to Motorola.

The phone will be released in November, and will be available through Verizon for $299.

What do you think about this new phone? Will you be lining up to get it in November?

A new way to study for the SAT, GMAT, LSAT and other exams has emerged online from Grockit, an educational company. The aim is to make test preparation more social.

The company announced on Monday, Oct. 17 that it has raised $24 million to fund an online social media website geared toward studying for the exams, according to a press release from the company.

It’s a brand new way to study – it almost makes me want to take the SAT exam all over again… almost.

The website allows people to chat, share, send notes and study with others while they take courses to prepare for the exams online.

Grockit even allows users to link up with their Facebook friends.

For more information on this new way to study check out their website.

What do you think of this idea? Would you want to share your score through Facebook?

Attention iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod Touch and iPad users, an updated operating system is available to download for free.

Apple publicized the upcoming release of their newest iPhone model, the 4S on Oct. 4. However, perhaps the bigger news was the announcement of iOS 5, since you don’t need the 4S to benefit from it.

To upgrade the device’s operating system, connect it to the computer, fire up iTunes and an alert to download the new update should appear. If not, click on the device name when it pops up on the left-hand side of iTunes and click “check for update.”

Here are some of the new features:

Notifications — how many times have you been playing a game until someone sends a text and the notification pops up in the middle of the screen, and ends your new high score? The iOS 5 has the solution, similar to what’s already seen in the Android operating system. Now, you will be notified of messages (email, texts, tweets, etc.) through a small bar on the top of the screen. The bar drags down to a full screen of notifications all in one place (after you finish beating the boss on level 10, of course).

Reminders — let’s say you’re on campus and remember that you need to grab milk on your way home. The new feature can be configured with GPS location, and alert you once you leave campus to stop at the grocery store.

Camera improvements — the timing of a picture can be vital. In iOS 5, you can access your camera from the lock screen by double-clicking the home button. The “volume up” button will be able to snap a picture.

For a complete list of all the new features included in iOS 5, check out Apple’s website.

What do you think of Apple’s new operating system? Is there anything you would like to see improved?