The union between change and technology.

Technology will always aspire to reach the next best level; its current state-of-art can never be the final stage, it must be push further. Lots of people don't really realise this because they can barely identify the influence of technology in their daily lives.

Technology is no longer a luxury; it embodies everyday life and activities. If you look around you, you will see at least 4 or 5 technology if not more. Your kitchen appliances such as microwave, oven, fridge, etc, are all computers. Your mobile phones, PDAs, laptops are all technology.

All the simplest devices in your office, house and environment that you take for granted daily are all technologies. They were designed to blend into the background. They were designed to be intuitive, just like reading a road sign or reading a book. Hence you barely know their depth and background. Yet, there is more to technology. Technology does not come in specific shape or form, it comes in variety. Your Google search engine, your yahoo messenger, your Gmail email account, they are all technology too.

For technology, change is imperative. Change is constant. Sure, this is a cliché but that is the main fact. Technology has to develop. Scientists are constantly trying to bridge the gap, move to the next level. Search engines are constantly optimised. Behind the scene, there exist a group of people with common interest who are working towards a better and optima result so that you can have high-performance, high-speed applications and tools. Everything is constantly changing, you only know when it's visible…majority of this changes occur in the backend and unless it's very obvious in the front-end, e.g. on your browser, you don't see the difference.

Web 2.0 is the term coined for the latest developments on the WWW, some scientist say is an illusion while some believes it fits. Social networking is part of web 2.0 developments; it has been embraced by lots of users. Its popularity has opened doors for marketing, promotions, collaborations, etc. Its constant growth is what introduced you to social networks such as Facebook. What I still cannot fathom is the ignorance of some people. I've to be blunt. If you are not ready to embrace change then you shouldn't be part of this century.

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn.” – Alvin Toffler

Creating petition groups to fight for old Facebook template is just ridiculous. Ranting on your Facebook status is just sad. If it wasn't for change and development, you won’t have Facebook. You cannot expect computer software to remain static. Microsoft will keep making different and improved (well in their minds) softwares.

Apple won't stop developing new Operating Systems either. You cannot expect mobile technologies to remain static, if they were, you won't have the 2.5G and 3G (3rd Generation) clients that enable you to browse, listen to music, make phones and take pictures. Now you have 10-in-1 services and it's all because of growth and expansion.

When you are ready to castigate software development, think about it carefully. If the computers are adaptable and adaptive…why can't human be as well? After all we trained the computers to be smart. We nurtured them. Even musicians re-invent themselves…so all the ranting is pointless and fruitless! Right now, they are a group of Facebook developers working on how to better their new template or how to revise it completely, so brace yourselves because in another 4-6 months, you will be see another change and the cycle is going to continue in a loop. The marriage of change and technology is static. It is unbreakable. Change is not stagnant and it will never be.

by LATIFA AYOOLA

Dell Adamo

Specifications:

• Processor: Intel Core 2 Duo U9300 1.2Ghz
• Memory: 2GB RAM
• VGA: Integrated Intel X4500 graphic adapter
• Storage: 128GB Solid State Drive
• Weight: 4Lbs
• 3 USB Ports, 1 eSATA expansion port
• Magnetic cover

Devices these days seem more interested in style, and every design department is working overtime to create devices that seem more suitable to a fashion runway. Dells interestingly named Adamo(not sure what to make of the name) is no stranger to that trend, with its sharp square edges it does unique,different and classy. the 13.4" device was recently unveiled at this year consumer electronics show.

Q and A with Yemisi, the winner of GreyedOut's Airtime giveaway

Q.Tell us about yourself

A.I am Yemisi Nnamdi-Manuel, from Ondo State and married to Gracious Nnamdi from Delta State. I’m in my 30s. I love anything electronics, gadgets, especially phones, television, games; I just love to know everything about these things.I am a social person who loves music, dancing and interesting stuff. I work in a media house, a newspaper house as a sub editor and columnist, writing on family issues, etc.

Q.How did you hear about the competition?

A.Well, as I’m on face book, I was invited to join GreyedOut magazine's facebook group, The gadget group and after going through the blog, I just loved all the gadgets and phones. I fell in love with it instantly. And there’s no day I don’t go to the blog to check what’s up on it.

Q.Name three gadgets you cant live without and why?

A.I can’t live without my Phone, my camera and television. One, my phone is my companion anytime, any day, I do all kinds of stuff on it, I just love it, second, my camera gets me shots of scenes, people that you can’t just come across anyhow. Third is, I love entertainment, so the TV is my avenue for relaxation, ideas, etc.

Q.In your opinion which Telecommunications network in Nigeria has the best service?

A.Well, I think so far, I’ve been impressed with Etisalat, but Glo is second in terms of services too.

Q.which would you choose and why:

Nokia or Samsung

A.From these, I’ll choose Nokia because of the value of the brand. It’s a good product, apart from Sony Erickson that I use, Nokia is my second favourite brand.

Q.In your opinion why do Nigerians like Gadgets,is it for the functionality or for the cool factor?

A.Lastly, I think most Nigerians, such as me, love gadgets because we are fashion-conscious people, trendy and love to show class. Nigerians love beautiful things and love to show off too (the cool factor). But more important is the fact that time is moving fast and we don’t want to be left behind, so you have to use the latest gadgets to get things done.

Lenovo's mystery Netbook

No, we havent become a fashion blog, and no thats not a purse. its Lenovo's new mystery netbook, no specs have been released yet.

And the winner of 10,000 Naira free airtime is.....

Congratulations to Yemisi Nnamdi-Manuel, who has been randomly selected as the winner of Greyed-out Magazine's second Giveaway, the prize, a cool 10,000 Naira worth of Airtime/ credit on any Network(s) of her choice.

We would like to thank everyone who entered the competition. Look out for more competitions from your online Gadget Magazine

Apple's redesigned iPod shuffle

Apple claims its the smallest MP3 player in the world, and these press shots try to prove that. It certainly looks tiny, but to get it this small, apple has done away with the control wheel entirely and now there's a voice over feature which tells you which song is playing at the click of a button on the earbud cable. with a 4GB capacity, it is now available in black and silver for $80.

Greyed-out Magazine on Twitter

Are you on twitter? Visit Greyed-out magazines twitter page , and follow our updates and latest developments

The recently released ASUS Lamborghini VX5 laptop with a 1TB SSD(Solid state drive), a Core 2 Quad CPU, 4GB of RAM and a 16-inch "Full HD" display. GeForce GT 130M graphics card with 1GB of GDDR3 memory, an illuminated keyboard and a Blu-ray optical drive.no price has been announced yet but this is certainly expected to cost a lot.

there are so many iPod docks out there and they come in all shapes and sizes, this latest one is rather more subdued and sophisticated. Sony's CMT-Z100iR, looks simple yet sophisticated and classy, i like the shiny black finish and digital clock, altogether it looks really cool and will definately be a device i would love to add to my living room. of course its compatible with the iPod, iPod Touch, and iPhone, but it can also play CDs through a top-mounted slot-loader and even has a USB port for compatibility with other MP3 devices and Personal Media Players.

The Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Digital Camera

Do you remember the good old polaroid camera's, the delight on your face as the photo you had just taken appeared magically on this rectangle piece of material. Well everything has gone digital and unless it is a very special event, a lot of people just do not print their photos any more, the photos now live on their memory cards and hard drives. Polaroid is back with an instant camera,
The Polaroid PoGo™ Instant Digital Camera is the first digital camera and printer combination that is portable enough to take anywhere, no need to go looking for a photo printer, the photos just slide out of the side of the camera, thats really cool if you ask me, and a welcome return to printed photos.


Digital Camera:
This full-featured digital camera has everything you need to take the ultimate photo. The 3.0" bright color LCD screen lets you preview the image before you print and the camera is SD compatible for additional internal memory for saving photos and downloading them later. With built-in editing tools, the Instant Digital Camera is full of features to perfect any photo.

Integrated Printer:
No need to connect your camera to a computer or a printer when using the Instant Digital Camera. Just snap your picture, crop or edit it, add one of nine fun borders, and in less than 60 seconds, print full-color, 2x3-inch prints - all within a single device.

What You Get
• 2" x 3" borderless, sticky-back prints
• Smudge-proof, water-resistant, tear-proof photos
• Fade-resistant, long-lasting images
• No waste – no ink cartridges
• Prints in about 60 seconds
• Rechargeable lithium-ion battery

Ubiquitous comes in disguise: REJECTION

Technology is a luxury we have all embraced. It comes with pros n cons of course. Addiction is definitely one of the cons BUT the highest detriment of all is REJECTION. Rejection of one's heart most desire is always painful. How many of you have waited by the phone, checked your mails, expecting a call or message from that significant, so you thought then, person? I'm sure we have all been through these stages hence time after time we have been rejected via technology.Countless times, you expect good news from employers and all you see in your inbox is REJECTION. You apply for a loan and technology bursts your bubble. For a career-oriented person, technology is a sweetbitter-bittersweet part of life. It is part of the balance we must embrace. Without balance nothing will seem right, no? Once again we encounter REJECTION from the steel hands of technology.

The heart wrecking REJECTION of all is break-up. I'm sure at some stage we all have got REJECTED via our own technology. A jerk dumped me by email once; I couldn't read my mails for days after this incident and this for me is a bad sign because I’m absolutely addicted to Gmail; I used to check my mail box every secs with Mozilla Gmail notifier widget. This experience blackens my view of technology for couple of days but I assure you I rejected him via technology too. He tried to lure his way back into my head, so I rejected him via mobile text and MSN instant messages.For once, I let myself go. Just that one time I didn't let my mind completely rule me. I decide to give it a go and end up with the big FAT ILLUSION. I've hardly talk about this, not because it was so special but because I felt so stupid. It was not special at all but my pride was hurt, my intelligence was blemished by that error.

Now I know my intelligence is intact and every ounce of my pride will forever glow. I'm only HUMAN not a technology that accepts REJECTION without an iota of pain, regret or refusal (unless it's told not to). I've realise, every mistake is a blessing and I must never look back and linger too much on it.I've learnt to forgive myself and I do not regret it.

I commend myself for sticking to my values and principle even though they make me look like an old woman (so I was told). It was lesson learnt. Hey, look at me today; I've never been more confident and happier. Notwithstanding, I've been REJECTED by technology a lot after that and it never really hurt so much. It didn't stop me from checking my mails, fb messages, or trying to chat via messengers.I hate been ignored. I used to feel inadequate either if it a male or female person that is ignoring me, it makes no difference, I just feel less appreciated. Trust me; I've been ignored often via instant messengers.

YET, caught in the cold hands of REJECTION again! It used to matter but not anymore. I feel more comfortable in my own skin now. I feel more secured. If I send a friend an IM and don't get an instant respond he/she is probably busy when they are available, they will talk to me. I'm no longer that insecure little girl trapped in a woman's body. I don't see myself through anybody's eyes anymore. I'm just me and I've learnt my friends accept me just AS I AM.

your NIGHTMARE or your DREAM COME TRUE?!

Rejection comes in so many way, we get rejected by at least 10 technology services at once or in sequence every now and then or even daily.

Email, text message, facebook status (I've read about a marriage saga, where the hubby requested for a divorce and the wife was called by a friend all the way from Aussie to confirm), facebook inbox messages, facebook wall messages, facebook relationship status, instant messages, voice mail, twitters (LOL, I know it's possible), even blogville, and etc., can all be your worst nightmare. As much as you embrace your fancy smart phones, notebooks, desktops, social networks, mobile phones, phones in general, beware that they could be your worst ENEMY.

by LATIFA AYOOLA

GreyedOut Giveaway : 10,000 Naira free credit/airtime

Greyed-out Magazine is giving away 10,000 Naira free credit/airtime on any network to one lucky winner. You can also split the amount across different networks.

All you have to do is invite 10 of your friends to THE GADGET GROUP on facebook, send an email to magazine@greyed-out.com listing the names of your invited friends and your name is entered for the draw, its that simple!

If you have previously invited over 10 friends to the group, all you have to do is simply send us their names, and you'll be entered into the draw as well.

The deadline for entries would be the 17th of March and the winner would be announced on the 18th of March 2009. To Win, all of your friends on the your list must be confirmed members of the gadget group.

Sony cybershot DSC -HX1

Lacie's new USB key drives look just like err...keys, its about the same size as an actual key and it fits nicely on your keychain. with 4GB and 8GB versions, this could idea become a novelty item or a very useful addition to people who carry a lot of keys around, perhaps you could add it to your car keys even.

Lenovo Ideapad S10

Processor: Intel Atom N270 (1.6GHz)

Memory: 1GB DDR2 SDRAM

Graphics: Intel GMA 950

Display: 10.1in screen

Storage: 160GB hard drive

Connectivity: WiFi, 10/100 Ethernet, Bluetooth

I/O ports: Three USB 2.0 ports, ExpressCard slot, VGA output

Operating System: Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition

Other features: 4-in-1 Flash card reader, 1.3-megapixel webcam

Dimensions (w x d x h): 25 x 18.3 x 2.7cm

Weight: 1.25 kg

60% of worlds population now use mobile phones

According to a United Nations Report, 6 out of 10 people in the world today now use mobile phones. In 2002, just under 15% of the worlds population used mobile phones, the rapid increase has been due to the expansion of mobile telephony in developing countries.

USB data transfer

This nifty little device will allow you to connect two laptops together and transfer data quickly between laptops, this can be very useful in environments where there is no network already setup.