Your brain needs exercise just like a muscle. If you use it often and in the right ways, you will become a more skilled thinker and increase your ability to focus. But if you never use your brain, or abuse it with harmful chemicals, your ability to think and learn will deteriorate.
Here are 5 simple ways anyone can squeeze a bit more productivity out of the old gray matter.
1. Minimize Television Watching – This is a hard sell. People love vegetating in front of the television, myself included more often than I’d like. The problem is watching television doesn’t use your mental capacity OR allow it to recharge. It’s like having the energy sapped out of a muscle without the health benefits of exercise.
Don’t you feel drained after a couple hours of TV? Your eyes are sore and tired from being focused on the light box for so long. You don’t even have the energy to read a book.
When you feel like relaxing, try reading a book instead. If you’re too tired, listen to some music. When you’re with your friends or family, leave the tube off and have a conversation. All of these things use your mind more than television and allow you to relax.
2. Exercise – I used to think that I’d learn more by not exercising and using the time to read a book instead. But I realized that time spent exercising always leads to greater learning because it improves productivity during the time afterwards. Using your body clears your head and creates a wave of energy. Afterwards, you feel invigorated and can concentrate more easily.
3. Read Challenging Books – Many people like to read popular suspense fiction, but generally these books aren’t mentally stimulating. If you want to improve your thinking and writing ability you should read books that make you focus. Reading a classic novel can change your view of the world and will make you think in more precise, elegant English. Don’t be afraid to look up a word if you don’t know it, and don’t be afraid of dense passages. Take your time, re-read when necessary, and you’ll soon grow accustomed to the author’s style.
Once you get used to reading challenging books, I think you’ll find that you aren’t tempted to go back to page-turners. The challenge of learning new ideas is far more exciting than any tacky suspense-thriller.
4. Early to Bed, Early to Rise – Nothing makes it harder to concentrate than sleep deprivation. You’ll be most rejuvenated if you go to bed early and don’t sleep more than 8 hours. If you stay up late and compensate by sleeping late, you’ll wake up lethargic and have trouble focusing. In my experience the early morning hours are the most tranquil and productive. Waking up early gives you more productive hours and maximizes your mental acuity all day.
If you have the opportunity, take 10-20 minute naps when you are hit with a wave of drowsiness. Anything longer will make you lethargic, but a short nap will refresh you.
5. Take Time to Reflect – Often our lives get so hectic that we become overwhelmed without even realizing it. It becomes difficult to concentrate because nagging thoughts keep interrupting. Spending some time alone in reflection gives you a chance organize your thoughts and prioritize your responsibilities. Afterwards, you’ll have a better understanding of what’s important and what isn’t. The unimportant stuff won’t bother you anymore and your mind will feel less encumbered.
I’m not saying you need to sit on the floor cross-legged and chant ‘ommm’. Anything that allows a bit of prolonged solitude will do. One of my personal favorites is taking a solitary walk. Someone famous said, “All the best ideas occur while walking.” I think he was on to something. Experiment to find the activity that works best for you.
Conclusion – I hope you aren’t disappointed that none of the techniques I’ve proposed are revolutionary. But simple, unexciting answers are often the most valid. The challenge is having the will to adhere to them. If you succeed in following these 5 tips, you’ll be rewarded with increased mental acuity and retention of knowledge.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Jobs for Teens
Believe it or not, there are many, many jobs you can find or create. You have more choices than just working at McDonald's or babysitting. Here are lots of ideas, a few of which might appeal to you.
- Pet-sitting. When someone in your neighborhood goes on vacation, there's often a pet that needs looking after. Also, with people working longer and longer hours these days, some will pay you to visit their pets during the day and take them for a walk.
- Working for your parents. If mom or dad owns a business, they might be able to use your help. Even if they work for a company, they may be able to hook you up with a part-time job there. (Check with your parents' friends, too.)
- Tutoring. Some teens report that they earn anywhere from $5 to $20 per hour tutoring. If you're good at a subject, you may be able to earn money by helping others to understand it.
- Lifeguard. In some parts of the country, there are shortages of lifeguards. Some have been earning $10 per hour or more. If you have the skills needed, consider this option.
- Camps. If you look into it early enough, you can line up a job at a summer camp -- you might work with kids, tend the grounds, prepare food, or do any of a number of things.
- Jobs matching your interests. If you enjoy working with young children, see if any daycare centers near you need help. If you like the great outdoors, check with your local parks department. If you like movies or recreation, look into movie theaters or amusement parks.
- Mowing lawns, raking yards, shoveling snow, gardening. These can all be part of the same job. Once your customers know you and the good work you do, they may use your services doing other jobs in other seasons.
- Department stores. A big perk with these jobs is that you often get to enjoy employee discounts (which can be substantial, often 20-30% off) and commissions on items you sell.
- Create websites. If you know enough about computers to create well-designed websites, you can make some good money. Many small companies and organizations pay thousands of dollars to have websites built for them. You might charge very little at first, but once you have a few impressive websites to show potential customers, you can hike your rates. Some small companies might also pay you to help maintain their sites, adding content, and solving problems that arise.
- Be crafty. If you enjoy arts and crafts, you might make jewelry or other items and sell them -- perhaps on eBay, where you'll have instant access to a large customer base. Some painters and photographers are making money selling their work online, too, although that can be harder to do.
- Serve the elderly. Not only might you find work in a nursing home or retirement community, but you might also serve older people in your neighborhood. Many older people can't get around much. They may welcome your services delivering groceries, running errands, or doing odd jobs around their home.
- Be a computer guru. Many people buy computers and have a lot of trouble setting them up and trying to use them. Even if you have an intermediate familiarity with computers, you might offer your services as a local computer consultant. You can set things up, solve problems, answer questions, teach programs, and show people how to send and organize email, upload digital photos, buy something on Amazon.com, use Instant Messaging, and conduct online searches (with Google or other search engines).
- Caddy at a golf course. This not only helps you learn more about a sport you might enjoy, it also gives you the chance meet a lot of adults from whom you might learn more about the business world. They could be turn out to be valuable connections that help you land other jobs.
- Delivering newspapers. If you sign up to deliver a lot (which may be more possible in areas with apartment buildings), you can make a good bit of money. Some teens make $100 or $200 per week or more.
- Use your skills. Think about what you're good at and try to teach others -- adults or children. You might offer piano lessons, horseback riding lessons, or Spanish lessons. Maybe you can juggle and entertain at children's birthday parties. If you play an instrument, perhaps you could play at weddings or other events. If you write, you could try to sell articles to magazines or newspapers.
- Volunteer! If all else fails, or even as a first choice, consider volunteering. Don't just do the first thing that pops into your mind, though. Be a strategic volunteer. Think of a field or company you'd like to learn more about. If you're really concerned about hunger in the world, volunteer at a food bank. If you're thinking about becoming a doctor (perhaps one who treats the elderly), consider volunteering at a hospital (or a nursing home).
Making Money
The most common way that most young people get money is through an allowance. Not every teen gets one, of course, and your parents' beliefs or financial situation might mean you get little or nothing. According to various surveys, the average allowance for teens is anywhere from $20 to $50 per week. If yours is a lot lower, perhaps try negotiating a raise.
Here are some more ways to get money:
Here are some more ways to get money:
- From your family. Your parents might pay you for getting good grades in school, or for reading a certain number of books, or for doing various jobs around the house. You might even earn some money from siblings, if you offer to do some of their chores.
- Selling things. If your closet or basement is full of belongings that you no longer need or want, consider selling them. (These might include toys, games, comics, and clothes. Don't get rid of things you have a strong attachment to, though, such as your old Furby or your Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles lunchbox.) You could hold a yard sale in your neighborhood. You might even offer to sell other people's knickknacks, for a small fee or a percentage of the price. Another option is selling items online, such as on eBay.
- A job! This is perhaps the most obvious way to earn money, and teens frequently land part-time or full-time summer jobs.
Top 10 Jobs in Information Technology
Here are the top 10 jobs in IT, based on increases in salary offers, according to the salary guide.
1.?Lead applications developer
What they do: Manage software development teams in the design, development, coding, testing and debugging of applications. **
What you need: Bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field and three to five years experience in specific technologies.
Salary range: $80,250 - $108,000
Salary change*: 7.6 percent
What they do: Manage software development teams in the design, development, coding, testing and debugging of applications. **
What you need: Bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field and three to five years experience in specific technologies.
Salary range: $80,250 - $108,000
Salary change*: 7.6 percent
2.?Applications architect
What they do: Design components of applications, including interface, middleware and infrastructure; comply with employer's design standards.
What you need: Bachelor's degree in computer science or information systems; a master's degree is desirable. Employers request a minimum of eight years related work experience and specific software skills.
Salary range: $87,250 - $120,000
Salary change: 7.5 percent
What they do: Design components of applications, including interface, middleware and infrastructure; comply with employer's design standards.
What you need: Bachelor's degree in computer science or information systems; a master's degree is desirable. Employers request a minimum of eight years related work experience and specific software skills.
Salary range: $87,250 - $120,000
Salary change: 7.5 percent
3.?Messaging administrator
What they do: Control e-mail and groupware systems, including associated servers, operating systems, and backup and recovery programs; fix system problems and attend to service requests.
What you need: Bachelor's degree in computer science, computer information systems or a related field, plus two to three years or more of experience working with the messaging systems used by the employer.
Salary range: $87,250 - $120,000
Salary change: 7.5 percent
What they do: Control e-mail and groupware systems, including associated servers, operating systems, and backup and recovery programs; fix system problems and attend to service requests.
What you need: Bachelor's degree in computer science, computer information systems or a related field, plus two to three years or more of experience working with the messaging systems used by the employer.
Salary range: $87,250 - $120,000
Salary change: 7.5 percent
4.?Data modeler
What they do: Analyze organizational data requirements and create models of data flow.
What you need: Bachelor's degree in computer science, IT or mathematics, and several years of data management experience.
Salary range: $74,250 - $102,000
Salary change: 7 percent
What they do: Analyze organizational data requirements and create models of data flow.
What you need: Bachelor's degree in computer science, IT or mathematics, and several years of data management experience.
Salary range: $74,250 - $102,000
Salary change: 7 percent
5.?Network manager
What they do: Direct day-to-day operations and maintenance of the firm's networking technology; collaborate with network engineers, architects and other team members on the implementation, testing, deployment and integration of network systems.
What you need: Ten years (or more) experience in a networking environment combined with several years of experience managing technical personnel. Professional certifications are also valuable.
Salary range: $74,500 - $98,500
Salary change: 7 percent
What they do: Direct day-to-day operations and maintenance of the firm's networking technology; collaborate with network engineers, architects and other team members on the implementation, testing, deployment and integration of network systems.
What you need: Ten years (or more) experience in a networking environment combined with several years of experience managing technical personnel. Professional certifications are also valuable.
Salary range: $74,500 - $98,500
Salary change: 7 percent
6.?Senior IT auditor
What they do: Establish procedures for audit review of computer systems; develop and apply testing and evaluation plans for IT systems and ensure compliance with industry standards of efficiency, accuracy and security.
What you need: Bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems, business or a related field, and an average of five years experience in IT auditing.
Salary range: $86,750 - $114,750
Salary change: 6.9 percent
What they do: Establish procedures for audit review of computer systems; develop and apply testing and evaluation plans for IT systems and ensure compliance with industry standards of efficiency, accuracy and security.
What you need: Bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems, business or a related field, and an average of five years experience in IT auditing.
Salary range: $86,750 - $114,750
Salary change: 6.9 percent
7.?Senior Web developer
What they do: Plan and implement Web-based applications; coordinate with product development, marketing, product management and other teams in bringing new applications online.
What you need: Bachelor's degree in computer science, electrical engineering or a related field, plus a minimum of five years of experience working with a mix of Web technologies.
Salary range: $76,250 - $108,250
Salary change: 6.6 percent
What they do: Plan and implement Web-based applications; coordinate with product development, marketing, product management and other teams in bringing new applications online.
What you need: Bachelor's degree in computer science, electrical engineering or a related field, plus a minimum of five years of experience working with a mix of Web technologies.
Salary range: $76,250 - $108,250
Salary change: 6.6 percent
8.?Business intelligence analyst
What they do: Design and develop company data analysis and report solutions; review and analyze data from internal and external resources; communicate analysis results and make recommendations to senior management.
What you need: Bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems or engineering, and several years of experience.
Salary range: $78,250 - $108,250
Salary change: 6.6 percent
What they do: Design and develop company data analysis and report solutions; review and analyze data from internal and external resources; communicate analysis results and make recommendations to senior management.
What you need: Bachelor's degree in computer science, information systems or engineering, and several years of experience.
Salary range: $78,250 - $108,250
Salary change: 6.6 percent
9.?Help desk (Tier 2)
What they do: Resolve difficult issues that derive from Tier 1 support and require five to 15 minutes to settle; decide when to create work tickets for issues that can't be solved by phone or e-mail and require a visit to the user's workspace.
What you need: Besides patience and a positive attitude, requirements depend on your position level. Tier 2 positions call for two to four years work experience, and a bachelor's degree or a two-year degree and additional work experience in a help desk setting.
Salary range: $35,750 - $46,250
Salary change: 6.5 percent
What they do: Resolve difficult issues that derive from Tier 1 support and require five to 15 minutes to settle; decide when to create work tickets for issues that can't be solved by phone or e-mail and require a visit to the user's workspace.
What you need: Besides patience and a positive attitude, requirements depend on your position level. Tier 2 positions call for two to four years work experience, and a bachelor's degree or a two-year degree and additional work experience in a help desk setting.
Salary range: $35,750 - $46,250
Salary change: 6.5 percent
10.?Staff consultant
What they do: Assist with project planning and requirement specifications; create prototypes and alternatives with colleagues.
What you need: Bachelor?s degree in computer science, business or a consulting-related field. Industry-specific proficiency, plus business experience and two or more years of consulting experience are also typical requirements.
Salary range: $59,250 - $82,250
Salary change: 6.4 percent
What they do: Assist with project planning and requirement specifications; create prototypes and alternatives with colleagues.
What you need: Bachelor?s degree in computer science, business or a consulting-related field. Industry-specific proficiency, plus business experience and two or more years of consulting experience are also typical requirements.
Salary range: $59,250 - $82,250
Salary change: 6.4 percent
7 Tips to speak English fluently
1-Build your emotion:
It's one of the most important steps to speak English fluently but most students forget it, when you are motivated you learn fast and easily. think about building your motivation just before starting to study English (do it each time you want to study English).
2-Study English everyday:
If you want to speak English fluently and you study just one day per week, you're totally wrong!
A question that you may ask will be: I don't have time to study English everyday, how can I do?
it's so simple! take this rule: short time everyday for studying BETTER THAN long time every week.
3-Find material that goes with your level:
Each English student has a different level, for example, if you are an intermediate English student, you should find some English material for intermediate students.
For example, don't listen to English MP3 where you understand nothing! Just listen to English MP3 where you can understand about 80% or 90%
4-Repeat what you studied:
Whenever you want to study English, repeat what you studied the last time. Don't go to a next step until you're comfortable with the actual one.
5-Don't forget new technology:
I just made an article where you can learn how to use new technology to improve your English skills.
6-Find some English friends:
I call them "English friends". They are students you learn English with. Don't study alone if you have some friends. It can help you to build your emotion which means you learn English fast and easily.
7-Practice English:
even if you don't have some friends, practice English alone. Talk about the lessons you just learned, use the new vocabulary, try to make correct sentences...
It's one of the most important steps to speak English fluently but most students forget it, when you are motivated you learn fast and easily. think about building your motivation just before starting to study English (do it each time you want to study English).
2-Study English everyday:
If you want to speak English fluently and you study just one day per week, you're totally wrong!
A question that you may ask will be: I don't have time to study English everyday, how can I do?
it's so simple! take this rule: short time everyday for studying BETTER THAN long time every week.
3-Find material that goes with your level:
Each English student has a different level, for example, if you are an intermediate English student, you should find some English material for intermediate students.
For example, don't listen to English MP3 where you understand nothing! Just listen to English MP3 where you can understand about 80% or 90%
4-Repeat what you studied:
Whenever you want to study English, repeat what you studied the last time. Don't go to a next step until you're comfortable with the actual one.
5-Don't forget new technology:
I just made an article where you can learn how to use new technology to improve your English skills.
6-Find some English friends:
I call them "English friends". They are students you learn English with. Don't study alone if you have some friends. It can help you to build your emotion which means you learn English fast and easily.
7-Practice English:
even if you don't have some friends, practice English alone. Talk about the lessons you just learned, use the new vocabulary, try to make correct sentences...
Twitter launches own photo-sharing tool
The feature first began trickling out to users after it was introduced in June. Twitter said this week that it has been made available to everyone on the site.
When a user clicks in the "What's Happening?" box, a camera icon now appears at the bottom. The user can click it to add an image to the tweet.
Twitter's photo-sharing is powered by Photobucket, which will host all uploaded images.
Photos can be up to 3 MB. Depending on their size, they may affect the amount of text, usually up to 140 characters, that the user can tweet.
The photo feature isn't yet available for mobile users. It is expected to arrive on smartphones in the fall, when Apple is expected to roll out its new operating system for mobile devices.
Twitter is expected to be heavily integrated in that system.
The company also plans to add galleries to its photo feature, letting users view every photo someone has taken in one place.
In essence, the rollout throws a chill into the developers of third-party photo apps. Twitter's platform will still support those tools, but it stands to reason that most users will default to the site's in-house photo sharing.
This isn't the first time Twitter has essentially stamped out third-party apps that it had allowed, or even supported.
"Twitter has come under criticism for competing with third-party services built on its platform," Mashable's Ben Parr wrote Tuesday. "Developers don't know whether Twitter will suddenly start competing with their products, an issue that has created a cloud of uncertainty over the Twitter ecosystem."
In Twitter's early days, several mobile apps sprung up as developers harbored the belief that Twitter had no plans to launch an official app of its own. Then, in April 2010, the company bought Tweetie, transforming the popular app into its own official, and free, app.
Then, in May, Twitter bought TweetDeck, a third-party tool used by many Twitter members to sort their feed.
In an e-mail to Mashable in June, Twitpic CEO Noah Everett said he was blindsided by the news that Twitter was planning to add a photo-sharing feature.
"We had no idea Twitter was building a photo feature. Communication between developers and Twitter has never been very clear and the relationships between Twitter and its developers has changed a lot. ...," he said at the time. "A more clear feature roadmap and better communication would have been much appreciated by all their developers."
When a user clicks in the "What's Happening?" box, a camera icon now appears at the bottom. The user can click it to add an image to the tweet.
Twitter's photo-sharing is powered by Photobucket, which will host all uploaded images.
Photos can be up to 3 MB. Depending on their size, they may affect the amount of text, usually up to 140 characters, that the user can tweet.
The photo feature isn't yet available for mobile users. It is expected to arrive on smartphones in the fall, when Apple is expected to roll out its new operating system for mobile devices.
Twitter is expected to be heavily integrated in that system.
The company also plans to add galleries to its photo feature, letting users view every photo someone has taken in one place.
In essence, the rollout throws a chill into the developers of third-party photo apps. Twitter's platform will still support those tools, but it stands to reason that most users will default to the site's in-house photo sharing.
This isn't the first time Twitter has essentially stamped out third-party apps that it had allowed, or even supported.
"Twitter has come under criticism for competing with third-party services built on its platform," Mashable's Ben Parr wrote Tuesday. "Developers don't know whether Twitter will suddenly start competing with their products, an issue that has created a cloud of uncertainty over the Twitter ecosystem."
In Twitter's early days, several mobile apps sprung up as developers harbored the belief that Twitter had no plans to launch an official app of its own. Then, in April 2010, the company bought Tweetie, transforming the popular app into its own official, and free, app.
Then, in May, Twitter bought TweetDeck, a third-party tool used by many Twitter members to sort their feed.
In an e-mail to Mashable in June, Twitpic CEO Noah Everett said he was blindsided by the news that Twitter was planning to add a photo-sharing feature.
"We had no idea Twitter was building a photo feature. Communication between developers and Twitter has never been very clear and the relationships between Twitter and its developers has changed a lot. ...," he said at the time. "A more clear feature roadmap and better communication would have been much appreciated by all their developers."
Twitpic and Yfrog did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment for this story.
Do people really care how their gadgets sound?
(CNN) -- HTC is making a $300 million bet that people want cell phones capable of producing high-quality audio. But will it pay off?
The Taiwan phone manufacturer said Thursday that it plans to acquire a majority stake in Beats Electronics, which designs headphones and other audio equipment endorsed by Dr. Dre, Lady Gaga and other musicians. Dre, more officially known as Andre "Dr. Dre" Young, co-founded Beats with record producer Jimmy Iovine.
HTC CEO Peter Chou intends to utilize Beats' technology to improve the audio fidelity on HTC devices, he told The Wall Street Journal. HTC's portfolio includes high-end Android smartphones such as the Droid Incredible.
"With the magic of mobile devices, it is easier than ever to discover and buy new music," Chou told the website AllThingsD. "However, without great sound experience, it is a shame."
HTC's stock closed Thursday on a high note, defying the weak performance of the Taiwan Stock Exchange and seemingly reflecting an endorsement of the Beats deal from shareholders.
"We need to continue to innovate and have products that differentiate and make more of an emotional connection with the consumer," Chou told The New York Times.
What's not clear, however, is whether consumers are actually clamoring for better speakers in their gadgets.
We see plenty of people on the streets listening to music with headphones -- increasingly those made by Beats -- but rarely do people crank tunes from their phones' speakers. (Unless it's that irritating Katy Perry ringtone that's always going off in Starbucks.)
That probably has less to do with phones' subpar audio performance and more with the impracticality of listening to music in that way. For now, a sound maker built into a small gadget cannot come close to the quality of solid headphones or a standalone speaker system.
Besides, many music consumers are already used to the less-than-stellar sound quality of digital songs, whose files are usually compressed to make them download or stream faster.
Two years before the HTC deal, Hewlett-Packard similarly surmised that outstanding audio quality in its hardware devices could position them to consumers as superior products worthy of a price premium. So it signed a deal with Beats.
The computer giant said it sold 1 million Beats laptops during the first 16 months of the partnership. HP typically sells as many computers in about 16 days.
HP also tapped Beats for its TouchPad tablet, touting the "amazing sound quality thanks to Beats Audio" and parading Iovine onstage for the product's unveiling. But HP cut the TouchPad's price by 20% on Thursday, less than two months after it hit stores, in a move that analysts say suggests poor sales for the touchscreen tablet.
The exclusive partnership between HTC and Beats only covers phones, AllThingsD reported. Beats CEO Iovine told AllThingsD that the deal with HP is unaffected. An HP spokesman declined to comment on the matter.
A record-industry initiative that would increase the sound quality on iTunes and other services, first reported by CNN in February, hasn't yet borne fruit. That could indicate that better-sounding music files is not a priority, according to some industry insiders, who are bullish on the convenience of streaming services as a selling factor.
Spotify, the popular music-streaming service, added high-quality tracks two years ago. A spokesman said then that the company would continue updating its catalog until the entire library was available in high fidelity. A blogger recently analyzed a sampling of Spotify songs and found that a substantial number were still not available in high quality.
The Walkman players of the '80s and '90s didn't have speakers. Last decade's iPods contained only a tiny speaker to produce the recognizable click noise when turning the wheel. Apple gave the iPhone a speaker because most phones need a speaker-phone option, and so the iPod Touch followed suit.
The Taiwan phone manufacturer said Thursday that it plans to acquire a majority stake in Beats Electronics, which designs headphones and other audio equipment endorsed by Dr. Dre, Lady Gaga and other musicians. Dre, more officially known as Andre "Dr. Dre" Young, co-founded Beats with record producer Jimmy Iovine.
HTC CEO Peter Chou intends to utilize Beats' technology to improve the audio fidelity on HTC devices, he told The Wall Street Journal. HTC's portfolio includes high-end Android smartphones such as the Droid Incredible.
"With the magic of mobile devices, it is easier than ever to discover and buy new music," Chou told the website AllThingsD. "However, without great sound experience, it is a shame."
HTC's stock closed Thursday on a high note, defying the weak performance of the Taiwan Stock Exchange and seemingly reflecting an endorsement of the Beats deal from shareholders.
"We need to continue to innovate and have products that differentiate and make more of an emotional connection with the consumer," Chou told The New York Times.
What's not clear, however, is whether consumers are actually clamoring for better speakers in their gadgets.
We see plenty of people on the streets listening to music with headphones -- increasingly those made by Beats -- but rarely do people crank tunes from their phones' speakers. (Unless it's that irritating Katy Perry ringtone that's always going off in Starbucks.)
That probably has less to do with phones' subpar audio performance and more with the impracticality of listening to music in that way. For now, a sound maker built into a small gadget cannot come close to the quality of solid headphones or a standalone speaker system.
Besides, many music consumers are already used to the less-than-stellar sound quality of digital songs, whose files are usually compressed to make them download or stream faster.
Two years before the HTC deal, Hewlett-Packard similarly surmised that outstanding audio quality in its hardware devices could position them to consumers as superior products worthy of a price premium. So it signed a deal with Beats.
The computer giant said it sold 1 million Beats laptops during the first 16 months of the partnership. HP typically sells as many computers in about 16 days.
HP also tapped Beats for its TouchPad tablet, touting the "amazing sound quality thanks to Beats Audio" and parading Iovine onstage for the product's unveiling. But HP cut the TouchPad's price by 20% on Thursday, less than two months after it hit stores, in a move that analysts say suggests poor sales for the touchscreen tablet.
The exclusive partnership between HTC and Beats only covers phones, AllThingsD reported. Beats CEO Iovine told AllThingsD that the deal with HP is unaffected. An HP spokesman declined to comment on the matter.
A record-industry initiative that would increase the sound quality on iTunes and other services, first reported by CNN in February, hasn't yet borne fruit. That could indicate that better-sounding music files is not a priority, according to some industry insiders, who are bullish on the convenience of streaming services as a selling factor.
Spotify, the popular music-streaming service, added high-quality tracks two years ago. A spokesman said then that the company would continue updating its catalog until the entire library was available in high fidelity. A blogger recently analyzed a sampling of Spotify songs and found that a substantial number were still not available in high quality.
The Walkman players of the '80s and '90s didn't have speakers. Last decade's iPods contained only a tiny speaker to produce the recognizable click noise when turning the wheel. Apple gave the iPhone a speaker because most phones need a speaker-phone option, and so the iPod Touch followed suit.
The speakers on most gadgets nowadays leave something to be desired. But is consumer desire strong enough to warrant added investment? Would you pay more for devices with higher-quality audio?
Bringing solar light bulbs to the world
Inventor Steve Katsaros perfected his design in June 2010, and four days later he had a patent in hand.
He knew it was a good product, but he didn't know what to do with it.
"It wasn't until after we created it that we asked ourselves, 'How do we market this,'" Katsaros says. "And we learned that the largest market was the developing world."
As Katsaros began researching markets in developing countries, he began to realize that his solar light bulb could potentially make a huge impact on the 1.4 billion people around the world who don't have access to an electrical grid.
Many use fuel lamps that burn kerosene, which is costly, dirty and can also be unhealthy.
He dubbed his company Nokero -- short for "No Kerosene" -- and set out to get his bulbs into as many hands a possible in the developing world.
First, Katsaros had to answer a key question that would determine how he would have the strongest impact: should his company be nonprofit, or for-profit?
Katsaros found inspiration from the 2008 book by Paul Polak, "Out of Poverty."
Communities that do not have access to electricity could benefit from Katsaros' solar light bulbs.
Polak, who has worked in developing nations for 30 years, believes that the charity model of aid used by nonprofit organizations doesn't work -- despite its good intentions
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