Mike Elgan

When did technology become a bad thing? The world of technology used to be a source of inspiration and excitement. And it still is in some quarters. But lately, I’m hearing far too much grousing about technology — the complainers, fear-mongers and Debbie Downers have emerged as the dominant sentiment in conversations about new technology. […]

 Facebook is the most “valuable” social network on the planet, at least on the basis of a phenomenon called “network effect.” “Network effect” products are those that derive their value from the number of people using them. The classic example is the telephone. If you were the only person with a phone, its value would […]

The telecom industry’s old strategy of barely keeping up with the public’s demand for faster, cheaper Internet speeds (while simultaneously trying to suppress that demand) is dead. And good riddance. Now it’s all they can do to keep their biggest customers — Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon and others — from taking control of their business. […]

 “At its simplest level, Google+ is a social layer across all of Google’s services.” The words of Google’s senior vice president for Social, Vic Gundotra, sound good. But what the heck do they mean? What does a “social layer” look and feel like? We finally found out this week when Google announced a new way […]

Google Glass is taking technology-based privacy violation and rudeness to a whole new level, right? Google Glass users are “plugged into the machine,” casually surveilling everyone around them and tuning out their family and friends while being distracted all day by that little screen over their right eyes. Or so we’re told. But is it […]

Suddenly, everybody seems to be talking to their computers, TVs and mobile gadgets. Voice command software has been around for decades. The software currently sold as Dragon NaturallySpeaking by Nuance had its origins in a 1982 prototype — more than three decades ago — and as consumer product in 1997. Since then, voice command features […]

Lots of people say: “I would never wear Google Glass. They look ridiculous.” But the appearance — love it or hate it — is going to be considered by buyers along with what you can do with it. And the public hasn’t really thought about what’s coming for Google Glass functionality. For example, if you […]

The only thing YouTube fans and Google+ freaks can agree upon this week: YouTube users are revolting. Last week, Google implemented the previously announced integration of YouTube with Google+. Some prominent YouTube personalities have created videos expressing outrage that YouTube users now need Google+ accounts to comment. They say Google+ ruins YouTube. But big-name Google+ […]

Quick: What’s your FaceTime phone number? What’s your Hangouts phone number? They’re trick questions, of course. In both cases, you call people based on their identity as registered by Apple and Google, respectively. In the case of Apple, the identity is associated with your Apple ID, and with Google, your Google+ account (which itself is […]

Science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke said that “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” But even Clarke never envisioned Google’s Magic Picture Machine. Let me show you a magic trick. My wife, Amira, is walking on a sidewalk parallel to a wonderful beach on the Italian Riviera. Tourists are all around walking all […]