Elliot Smith

PDA

GPS

Mobile

Phones

Radio &

TV

Embedded

Systems

A PDA is a ‘Personal Digital Assistant’ otherwise known

as a ‘Palmtop’. It is a mobile device that functions as a

personal information manager. The PDA currently runs

similarly to smart phones.

Benefits Drawbacks

It enables users to have instant access to

mass amounts of information.

Can be a danger if used at the wrong

times (when driving)

Users can store their data on it so they

can work more efficiently.

Quite expensive

Has many helpful functions such as

being able to call people and connect

to the internet.

Isn’t 100% reliable as I could crash or

break, meaning all the data on it is lost

The future of PDA is

not exactly evolving

but is combing with

the similar ideas as

the smartphones

which nowadays can

perform every task

that users need.

The social and ethical issues that would link to the use of a PDA would be that if people

were to rely too much on the PDA it could fail and vital information stored on them

could be lost so it is always good to keep multiple back ups of the information. But

overall the PDA is a handy piece of technology.

A GPS is a ‘Global Positioning system’ which is a space-

based satellite navigation system that provides location

and time information in all weather conditions anywhere

on or near the earth where there is an unobstructed line

of sight to four or more GPS satellites.

Benefits Drawbacks

People can use this system all over the

world to find their destinations

Can be dangerous if driver takes their

eyes off the road to look at the GPS

It can access the quickest route to a

location

Can be misleading when it comes to the

voice that directs the users – thus drivers

get lost

It prevents people from getting lost The GPS needs to be updated quite

often to stay accurate (doesn't’t pick up

new roads or road works)

Similarly to PDA’s, the

future of GPS systems

are combining with

smartphones as some

of the latest phones

have apps which

include GPS software.

Also, GPS could evolve

to produce live camera

images of the roads

ahead for drivers to

look at before a

journey or during.

GPS systems can be helpful in many situations, they can be used to navigate through terrains that

seemed impossible for an average human to navigate through when the first were invented.

Nowadays they are an efficient way for citizens to get around efficiently, increasing social efficiency.

Mobile phones are small, portable handheld devices that

allow users to call and SMS other people that also have

mobile phones.

Benefits Drawbacks

This is a very efficient way to contact

anyone, anywhere (as long as they have

a signal)

Can distract people if used whilst

driving

Can be used to for emergencies and

save lives (calling the police or an

ambulance)

If the mobile phone is overused it can

become unhealthy for the body (Radio

Signals)

Very useful for social interactions or

business interactions

Expensive to buy and also cost a lot to

pay phone bills

The future of mobile

phones is also

combining with the

concept of

smartphones as it is

now rare to find just

a plain mobile phone

for sale nowadays.

Mobile phones have taken over the world and nowadays, someone would seem ‘weird’ if they didn’t

own a phone. Most forms we fill out now include a section to input our mobile phone number and

phones in general have become a major part of our lives. People are less aware of their

surroundings as they are more concentrated on what's going on on the screen of their mobile device.

These phones maybe useful, but as a race we are slowly losing our most basic social interaction

habits.

A radio is a device where users can receive radio signals

that transmit signals so users can here radio broadcasts that

are received and in range of the device.

A TV is a piece of hardware that gains signals from

satellites that enable images and sound to appear from the

TV

Benefits Drawbacks

They both allow us to keep up to date

with what's going on in the world

Too much staring at a TV screen screen

can damage a persons eyes

Can be used for educational purposes They are expensive

Creates jobs for those on the other end

(TV show producers and radio hosts)

Prevent people from exercise

The future of TV and

Radio is slowly

decreasing as the

internet has taken

over. Nowadays,

anything you can hear

on a radio or watch

on a TV can be

watched or heard via

the internet.

Radio and TV got increasingly popular when they were first released and they have

grown and become an important produce within the economy, bringing many jobs

for manufacturers and also those who work on the shows watched and listened to by

viewers. Almost every family or person in the world watches TV which has grown as

the main way to bring information to viewers all over.

An embedded system is a computer system with a

specific function within a device. They are used in

almost every single piece of technology that is

produced.

Benefits Drawbacks

They are what allow the devices to work If one part of the embedded system

breaks, the whole system fails

Can always be upgraded to better

quality

Cost a lot to replace

Create many helpful uses for the

technology we use

Very delicate

The future of

embedded system will

always be getting

better, technology is

always improving as

computer scientists are

always finding new

ways to improve our

technology

All of our technological devices are based on embedded systems. The embedded

system is like the brain for the device. From the beginning of our technological

developments, embedded systems have been built and improved to allow us to be

more efficient in general life and with every day tasks either at home or at work.

Digital Devices

Telephony (VOIP)Remote Access

Synching

Videoconferencing

• ‘Accessing, distributing and sharing text, photos, video, audio, television via portable and non-portable digital devices’

• The official definition of a digital device is: ‘ A device that works with discrete numbers or digit.’

• Examples of portable and non-portable digital devices are things such as; Cell phones, stoves and cameras etc…

• Social Impacts:

• Digital devices have become a prime factor of our everyday lives. The ongoing breakthrough of technology has allowed us to evolve and work more efficiently and made tasks that were once hard and complicated, a lot easier. For example, mobile phones have become a necessity for the most people all over the world.

• Ethical Issues:

• The ethical issues that are brought by digital devices would be things such as health. Now that we live in a world with the internet and mobile phones and laptops and computers, we have grown increasingly lazy as a population. For example, instead of young boy going out to the park with his friends playing football, instead he stays inside on his Xbox playing FIFA with his friends.

• Those who become attached or even addicted to digital devices can get health problems from lack of exercise or staring at a screen for too long, which is why we need to level out the amount of time we spend using these devices, and the amount of time we go out and get fresh air and exercise.

• ‘Synchronization of information between portable systems, desktop systems, servers

and web-based services.’

• Synchronization is when two or more devices ‘synch’ together and can share and

exchange data, for example when an iPod synchs to iTunes, it allows music to be

transferred to the iPod.

• Social Impacts:

• Synching has enabled us to be able to share and exchange data in many ways. It is

helpful in business and allows helpful data to spread all over which overall increases

efficiency as everybody has access to the vital data.

• Ethical Issues:

• The ethical issues that can be caused by synching could be the accidental sharing of

data that was supposed to be private. If a mistake is made during the synching

process, it could turn out very badly for many people.

• Video conferencing is when two or more users use a device such as a desktop or iPad,

that have a microphone and a webcam, and have a video conferencing software, such as

Skype, to then contact each other via internet connection and have a virtual face to face

conversation

• Social impacts:• Software such as Skype and Line have allowed us to be able to talk to other people

wherever we are in the world. They have made interviews a lot easier for those applying

for jobs. For example, if a teacher was applying for a job abroad they can do their

interview via Skype. Overall, videoconferencing has enabled us to keep in contact to

whomever we need, wherever we are.

• Ethical Issues:• Videoconferencing software such as Skype and Line allow random people to send

anyone a friend request, so there is a risk of dangerous people coming into contact with

young children.

• Remote access is when one device is controlled by another device. Similar to a remote control controlling a TV. For example when someone is displaying a power point on a desktop, they can link their iPad and control the power point from their.

• Social Impacts:

• Remote access has enabled people such as business men and teachers to be able to run meetings and classes more efficiently, which leads to a better education for children.

• Ethical Issues:

• Remote access may be efficient in places such as hospitals, schools and businesses but an ethical issue may be that the quality and type of software used for remote access may not be as good and efficient as a normal device, which in places like hospitals, could have a large affect as hospitals need optimum efficiency.

• ‘(VOIP) Voice over internet protocol’

• Telephony is the field of technology involving the development, application, and

deployment of telecommunication services for the purpose of electronic transmission

of voice, fax, or data, between distant parties.

• Social Impacts and Ethical Issues:

• Telecommunications has enabled us to be able to contact people from anywhere with

a phone signal. It is helpful and can save life when used for emergencies. However it

has cause many problems in our society. It involves people disturbing others due to

talking loudly out in public, children in school texting during lessons and has caused

many accidents due to driver concentrating on their phones rather than the road.

• On the other hand, telecommunication has had some good and bad influences on our

everyday lives.

Article 1

Article3

Article 2

• Link: http://www.parentsareimportant.com/2011/04/four-rules-for-cell-phone-use-by-kids.html

• How did the IT Development emerge? – In this article, the topic is about children having mobile phones. This has emerged due to the popularity and necessity of mobile phones nowadays.

• Who are the stakeholders? – The stakeholders, or the people affected by this situation, are the parents of the children. Also the teachers can be affected too.

• What are the advantages or disadvantages for the stakeholders? – The advantages would be that the parents have a way to always keep in contact with their child to know that they are safe. For the teachers, the mobiles may assist the children and enable to them to research independently and efficiently. The disadvantages would be that the children spend too much time texting and calling their friends which make large phone bills for the parents. The disadvantage for the teachers would be that the phones distract the children from learning as they play on them or text during classes.

• What are the social impacts of the IT development on human life? – In the long run, mobile phones could either enhance the children’s education or interfere with it. Thus their could be an improvement of intelligence for our youth or a decrease.

• What feasible solutions can be applied to overcome problems? – Parents and teachers could restrict the children's use of the phones to only using them when needed.

• Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-15341910

• How did the IT development emerge? – The recent rise in the popularity of smartphones for young Koreans has produced the idea of virtual grocery shopping via smartphone.

• Who are the stakeholders? – The stakeholders are the citizens of Korea as they are all affected by this new style of shopping.

• What are the advantages and disadvantages for the shoppers? - The advantages would be that it is more efficient to be able to shop this way and it would decrease congestion in the actual supermarket. It also decreases the chances of theft by 100%. The disadvantages would be that this is only available to those with smartphones and there is no assistance there if the scanning system isn't working as it is less reliable. Additionally, it may cause congestion in the areas where the scanning takes place.

• What are the social impacts of the IT development on human life? – This is a brand new, revolutionary way to shop and would increase efficiency of shopping making shopping a much easier and more exciting task. Also it decreases the chances of theft therefore business will be safer and will not lose any profits.

• What feasible solutions can be applied to overcome problems? – It would be handy to employ people to work at the scanning areas in case there are any problems with the scanning process and also have the scanning area within the supermarket to avoid any congestion problems in other areas.

• Link: http://www.fastcompany.com/1676954/your-smartphone-will-soon-double-your-wallet

• How did the IT development emerge? – The smartphone has forever been evolving since its first released, and now is gaining another everyday function that we need to make it evermore ‘smart’.

• Who are the Stakeholders? – The Stakeholders are all those that begin to use this new technology on their phones and people that work as cashiers.

• What are the advantages and disadvantages for the stakeholders? – The advantages would be that people will not have to carry around wads of money or worry about losing credit card details or even the card itself. The new smartphone wallet will increase efficiency in purchasing items and also make money control much easier for consumers. The disadvantages would be the unreliability of mobile phones and the risk of them being stolen and all the money being in the wrong hands. Additionally, lots of jobs may be lost as cashiers will no longer be needed which could lead to a rise in unemployment which will effect the economy’s income.

• What are the social Impacts of the IT development on human life? – The social impacts would be that the way we work with money is becoming a lot easier and more controlled as we can now do almost everything with our smartphones. Therefore we can be more efficient in our everyday lives, and makes all the little tasks of purchasing things a little bit easier.

• What feasible solutions can be applied to overcome problems? – The problem of the risk of phones being stolen leading to a risk in the loss of the owners money, could be that all the money is stored in some sort of back-up system elsewhere and also the ‘wallet’ part of the smartphone has a very secure security system.

Article 3

Article 2Article 1

• Link: http://gizmodo.com/5829910/uk-prime-ministers-anti-tech-crackdown-stupid-useless-and-wrong

• Who is responsible? – The person responsible for this issue is the UK prime minister, David Cameron.

• Who is accountable? – Those accountable would be all the people that use the social media which is an extremely large percent of the population.

• What policies, rules or laws apply to the scenario? – The prime minister’s plan is an infringement upon an entire society. His decision would largely affect the majority of the country and would cause more problems than the one he is trying to solve.

• What are the alternative ethical decisions? – He could try to compromise with the rioters and try and handle the situation professionally and ethically, instead of taking an easy route which would end up making the situation much worse.

• What are the consequences of these decisions? – The consequence of the alternative decision may be that there is no possible outcome that both the prime minister and the rioters can agree on which would mean continuous riots and havoc until one of the sides give in. The consequence of the prime ministers original plan would be huge problems and complaints coming from the entire population of the country and he would most likely be voted out of his position.

• Link: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/mobile-news/your-mobile-devices-know-where-you-are-so-do-the-authorities/4260

• Who is responsible? – Smartphone producers are responsible as they are having the location services inputted in all of the smartphones that they produce.

• Who is accountable? – All the consumers that own the smartphones

• What policies, rules or laws apply to the scenario? – The policies that apply to this scenario would be that the location settings on the phone may be an invasion of privacy to the users and they can be tracked by other devices. In contrast, the phone companies make the users agree to the terms and conditions that their location will be tracked and it is the consumers choice to use it or not.

• What are the alternative ethical decisions? – The user should have full control of who can track their phone as it is their personal belonging and they have their privacy rights

• What are the consequences of these decisions? – The consequences may be that criminals may use their privacy rights to commit crimes which could corrupt the economy and cause problems for the country.

• Link: http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/07/digital-drugs/

• Who is responsible? – The people responsible for this issue are the online dealers that are providing the kids with the opportunity to try ‘I-dosing’

• Who is accountable? – The children that use the ‘i-dosing’ sites and the Oklahoma state

• What policies, rules or laws apply to the scenario? – The main laws would be that it is illegal to use drugs such as ecstasy and narcotics. But this new way of drug taking is not yet a crime.

• What are the alternative ethical decisions? – The ethical decisions would be to source the online dealers and track them down or simply block the websites that these dealers are working on.

• What are the consequences of these decisions? – The consequences of these decisions could be that children may still be able to get through the online security and with these drugs being in place it could cause many problems for the children in the Oklahoma state. Additionally, blocking some of the sites may block some of the innocent people that make their living through these sort of sites by using it legally.