NOW Magazine 30.03

Page 29

technologic

mobilicity.ca

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DIY social network Diaspora takes aim at Facebook

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Province-Wide Calling

By nowtoronto.com editor joSHUa erreTT

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The Sony Cyber-shot TX9 gets the 3-D upgrade, automatically snapping a left- and right-eye image that make your photo pop from the LCD or your 3-D-enabled TV. You can also shoot panoramas by holding the shutter and sweeping the scene while the guts of the camera stitches 15 shots into one photo, injecting another dimension into your TIFF paparazzi shots. $429.99 from The Sony Store, sonystyle. 3

Voicemail Caller ID Call Waiting Call Forwarding 3-Way Calling

Global Text Messaging

Text & Picture Messaging

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By alexander joo

Text & Picture Messaging

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Picture this

joshuae@nowtoronto.com twitter.com/joshuaerrett

North American Calling

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creeps you know or any other group. On Facebook, you can only communicate with other Facebook users, but Diaspora networks would behave like email. No matter what network, you can communicate with anyone. The idea, to make an “intuitive way for users to decide what content goes to their co-workers and what goes to their drinking buddies,” blew up when it was first announced in April. When the four put the idea on Kickstarter, a fundraising site, it attracted so many donations that they now refuse them. (One of the donations, funnily enough, came from our pal Zuckerberg.) But just as there are problems with Facebook, some will trouble Diaspora. The open-source software required to build a social network will have to exist on somebody’s computer. Chances are, whoever is hosting that network won’t have the billion-dollar server capability of Facebook. If the hosting server is off, so is the network. That means computers are a necessity for Diaspora users. This is fine in the Western world, but what of places like, for example, Kenya, where social networks are largely accessed through mobile phones? With Facebook, access is easy, 24/7, from any device. Even so, decentralizing power on the web is a lofty and exciting goal. Amongst all the lame corporate social networks launching (have you seen iTunes’ Ping?), Diaspora is a from-theground-up invention – and so far an astounding feat for anyone, let alone a group of college dudes. 3

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Who amongst us wouldn’t want to grab Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg by the strings of his hoodie and shake some sense into him? That question was asked and answered by four scruffy students from NYU. Those boys – Daniel Grippi, Maxwell Salzberg, Raphael Sofaer and Ilya Zhitomirskiy – were outright frustrated at Zuckerberg’s company repeatedly switching its privacy policies without notice. They didn’t like the fact that one cagey 26-year-old has complete control over a utility used by more than 500 million people. So the guys, hackers all, came up with the idea of Diaspora, “the privacyaware, personally controlled, do-it-all, open-source social network.” Essentially, it’s a Facebook that allows you to be your own Zuckerberg. The code for this in-your-face Facebook network was released Wednesday, September 14. Diaspora plans to launch its beta version in October, but expect developers to start creating networks almost immediately. Here’s how it works: Facebook keeps all its users’ information – everything you upload – on central servers, displays it on your profile and pretty much anywhere else it decides. Diaspora is built more like a peer-topeer network, using no central server, but instead, open-source software you install on your own hard drive. This way, you store your own pictures, status updates, videos and all other data on your own computer. You can start your own network, inviting only who you want. You can create a network for ex-girlfriends,

Voicemail Caller ID Call Waiting Call Forwarding 3-Way Calling

Taxes are extra. All unlimited plans and usage are subject to our Service Terms and Conditions. All features included in each plan, must originate within the Mobilicity coverage area, see our coverage map for details. ‘Text & Picture Messaging’ includes text and picture messages sent to Canada and the continental US only. ‘North America Calling’ includes calls to Canada and the continental US only. ‘Global Text Messaging’ applies to select countries and does not include picture messaging. 1. Offer available to new activations only until September 19, 2010. Credits will be applied to customer’s My Wallet™ account based on their plan; $35 plan - $5 credit/month, $45 and $55 plan - $10 credit/month and $65 plan - $15 credit/month. This offer is void if the customer deactivates or goes longer than 30 days without payment of their monthly charges. All credits offered here are non-transferrable and cannot be redeemed for cash. Offers and promotions are subject to change without notice. Terms and conditions apply. © Mobilicity. ‘Mobilicity’, the Mobilicity logo and ‘My Wallet’ are trademarks of Mobilicity.

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NOW september9/8/10 16-2210:48:14 2010 AM 29

DW-1037-N-64.indd 1

Ad #: DW-1037-N-64 Docket:

DWCON1037

Build #: E1

Production Artist:

Date: Sept 7/10 Mh _____________


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