Summer 2013
AUSTIN’S TECH See how bringing more tech stores to Austin affects us
MUSIC ON THE MIND How music affects our life more than by just being entertaining
BE SMART WITH YOUR PHONE The ins and outs of the smartphone market
Summer 2013
“..a superphone that surpasses all other handsets on the features front...strong mix of extremely competent hardware and aspirational software� -CNET Editors
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Table of C onte nt s 13
Letter From the Editor
Why we think this magazine will benefit technology lovers.
Author Bios
Meet the authors of Charged.
How to be Smart with your Phone
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Which Smart Phones are best for which reasons and which phones provide the best value.
The Best Games of 2012 Find out what we say are the best games of 2012.
Music on the Mind How music affects people mentally and emotionally.
My Phone is Ruined!
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How you can save your phone from water damage.
Pokemon X and Y
The facts on the new evolution of the Pokemon experiences.
The Future of Austin’s Technology Stores
How the swarm of technology stores coming to Austin will affect its economy.
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Letter from the Editors
Greetings technology lovers and welcome to Charged. As a welcome
present we, the authors of Charged, will save you time and money! As you read our magazine, we assure you that you will learn helpful information and tips on how to save money in the technology industry, and we will inform you on what products have the best value considering their price. These products that we speak of range from videogames to smart phones, and everything in between.
We also believe that everything in the technology industry is a rip off.
With this in mind, everything that you buy is really not worth as much as it seems. Our mission is to find the products that are actually worth closer to what the price tag says that are still good quality. We will also give you insight on the future of technology stores, how big the technology economy could get in Austin, and what upcoming products show promise on being good.
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Me e t t h e Te a m Malik Offor Malik, currently a 9th grader at LASA, loves music and technology. He has loved listening to music ever since he was a child. His favorite artists consist of Maroon 5, Lauryn Hill, Alien Ant Farm, and Michael Jackson. He also has a love for movies: he perfers to watch drama movies to any other genre and his favorite movie of all time is Schindler’s List.
Avishka Suduwadewage Avishka, currently a 9th grader at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy, loves researching and writing about technology. He hopes of becoming a software engineer when he grows up and in his free time he enjoys playing trumpet, riding his skateboard, and playing video games. The types of video games he likes are role playing games, MOBA’s, and shooters. Of all of his games, he pefers playing League of Legends with this friends.
Phillip Woolley Phillip Woolley, a 9th grader at LASA, has a keen interest in technology in the forms of media. Of the multiple forms of Media Technology, he pefers the forms consisting of video games and movies. These are also the two things that he prefers to do most in his free time, playing role playing, shooter, and adventure games, and watching blockbuster action movies, but he also appreciates movies with plots that provoke thought. 5
Summer 2013
How to be
Smart
with your
Phone
By: Avishka Suduwadewage
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Jacob Stephens also believes that Android phones offers better integration with Google products. “I use a lot of Google products such as Google calendar, Gmail, Google voice, things like that, and their integration with Android is much nicer than Apple. Again I think they’re getting better and better with apps on the Apple devices, but they’re not quite as tight as Android,” Stephens said.
To the left is an Android phone running on Honeycomb, a version of Android. The Android developers like to name their new updates names of sweets. The most current version of Android is named Jellybean.
Another reason people decide to buy Android over Apple products is for the variety that Android offers. There resides hundreds of Android phones that people can choose from while Apple only makes one type of iPhone. “Apple has a fairly limited device selection and that might have [inhibited] some people from buying, where Android has a much wider line of devices that people can buy from,” Stephens said. This variety also encourages “companies to experiment with certain features in their phones,” Patil said. For example companies can “experiment with certain features in their phones [and] if the feature isn’t great, there are hundreds of other phones to replace it. If the feature works, then the company just discovered a very profitable feature to patent, and will go on to make more phones to use that feature,” Patil said. This Variety also allows for “more competition between Android phone
Five years ago, Android owned very little of the smartphone market. However today Android resides being head to head with Apple. Android has grown to become a major competitor to the iOS and “in Europe’s five biggest countries…sales of devices running Google’s mobile operating system stood at 61%,” said Parmy Olson a writer at Forbes magazine.
the customization it allows. “As a person who programs, I prefer the customization, open characteristics, and modification capabilities Android offers,” said Neil Patil, a young Android app developer. Patil programs on the Android platform for the ease of use and resources, while the profit from the Android app store exceeds the one of the Apple app store.
“This is a battle that, I don’t know how long it’s going to wage on for, like at this point I don’t realize that you can say anyone is really winning or losing,” said Jacob Stephens, a computer science teacher at the Liberal Arts and Science Academy in Austin.
“This is a battle...I don’t know how long it’s going to wage on for”
For programing purposes, app developers prefer Android phones over Apple phones because of
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Summer 2013
companies, which spurs innovation in the design of these devices,” he said. However, because of the large variety in Android phones, this might help or hinder the experience of some Android users. “It’s kind of a blessing and a curse. You have this ability for all these different devices which is really nice but that also means user experience is going to vary very widely,” Stephens said. Furthermore “Android’s bigger issue is still fragmentation, like the percentage of people running jellybean right now is very small,” said Stephens. Because of the large variety in Android phones, this fragmentation occurs frequently and continues to reside as a leading factor of user experience. Even though Android and Apple products differ from the amount
“Ubuntu is rolling out their version of tablets which is streamlined across all devices” - Jacob Stephens of customization and variety they have, Apple brings an abundance of cleanliness and stability. “Because Apple controls both the hardware and the software that goes into the device, the phone is made to work seamlessly with the operating system,” Patil said. Apple provides the ease of use that a new smartphone user needs, where with Android, navigating through its OS can challenge some new users. Also because Apple controls the manufacturing of the iPhone, it prevents bloat ware (software that serves no purpose and takes up memory and space) from being installed on the phone. “Carriers can...install bloat ware on Android, while Apple does not allow
[that],” Patil said. Bloat ware can get very annoying to some users and removing it would “make the Android experience a whole lot cleaner,” Patil said.
Also “the way iOS is right now, you cannot extensively customize or modify your phone,” Patil said. This lack of customization capabilities provoke some people to “jail breaking” the consumers Apple product. Jail breaking is the process of bypassing the restrictions Apple puts on its products. Jail breaking allows the user to “install apps and tweaks that aren’t authorized by Apple,” says Linda Rosencrance, a writer at Tech News Daily. Another problem with some aspects of Apples products is that they “need to integrate some standards into their phones every other phone nowadays has - for example a micro USB port instead of a proprietary one and NFC technologies,” said Patil. Even though Apple and Android reside as the two main operating systems dominating the smartphone market, other OS’s keep trying to gain areas of the market as well, for example the Windows Phone. However competing in the smartphone market for Microsoft will impose a challenge. “[Microsoft] had a large user base and they’re having a hard time getting back into it,” Stephens said. Some other new systems that reside in testing right now include t-sim, an “OS that [Samsung is] thinking about putting on their lower-end smartphones,”
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he said. Another operating system that resides in development includes the Ubuntu OS for tablets. “Ubuntu is rolling out their version of tablets which is streamlined across all devices and that’s very interesting one,” Stephens said.
To the right is the Ubuntu symbol. Ubuntu is one of the most popular version of Linux, because it provides a very simple and easy to use operating system that many people enjoy.
Apple and Android have waged this battle on the smartphone market for a very long time, and we will just have to wait and see for what will happen in the near future. This competition will drive companies to create new technologies in this field and will help better user experience. “I still think that for the foreseeable future, the next 3 or 4 years, [Apple and Android are] going to be where they are today,” says Stephens.
Picture Attributions: -iPhone 5 image taken by Zach Vega -Android image taken by Google -Apple image taken by Apple inc. -Google Apps image taken by Valentyna Sagan -Apple App Store image taken by Apple inc. -Ubuntu image by A-Bit-Of-Zero -Windows logo by Jackson Henney 9
Summer 2013
Game of the Year
Action: Dishonored Dishonored can best be described as a different experience. Among other plain action games with the standard shooting gameplay, Dishonored tries to do things differently. It contains wide open levels to explore where the player has a wide choice of options and a list of powers or weapons to use. Cam Shea, a professional game review from IGN described this as, “a refreshing experience... Dishonored puts choice back in the hands of the player.” Depending on how you play the game also affects the story, specifically the ending. Playing in more of a violent manner gets you a darker ending, with more death and destruction overall, but playing in a more merciful manner gets you a happier ending, with less destruction and death. The overall story unfolds in a cliche manner, following the hero cycle closely with elements such as “belly of the beast,” or “wise mentor,” but this formula works for the game because the gameplay quickly turns into the highlight of the whole game. You play as Corvo Attano, the bodyguard to the empress, who falls victim to the corrupt government leaders, who frames you for her murder. You escape from prison where the corrupt government leaders had you held, and with the help of allies you work to defeat the current leaders of the empire and save the city in the process. The game has great replay value and should be played by fans of the stealth/action genre.
2012 By Phillip Woolley
So many to choose from... 2012 had a lot of great games released, but if you have a budget, you might need some help with what games to buy. With most games priced at $60 apiece, buying a bunch of games can really stack up the total price spent on video games. No matter the category, the staff of Charged rounded up some recommendations so that you can spend your gaming money wisely.
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Adventure: Assassin’s Creed 3
Competitive Shooter: Halo 4
To put things simply, this game improves a lot from its predecessor. The game takes place in the time of the American Revolution and you play as a half Native American and half colonial named Connor, and throughout the game he must help the rebels win the Revolutionary War as well as help protect his own tribe from colonial destruction and relocation. Right off the bat, the combat (as intense as ever) pulls the player in an engrossing experience. Exploration also unfolds as a big part of the game allowing the player to explore the cities of New York and Boston, as well as the American frontier. After the main story concludes, the people of the world have hidden things that the player collects such as treasures, feathers, and British forts to take over, features that remain similar to prior Assassin’s Creed games. Regarding the combat, it’s fluid and the player has more weapons to use, and overall more choice when in combat. The parkour in the game is also improved, being even easier to use. Matt Miller from Gameinformer describes the game as, “the crown jewel on an already excellent series.” For third person open world lovers who enjoy good adventure in a game, Assassin’s Creed 3 is right for them.
Halo 4 should be placed among the other best shooters out there. The graphics and sounds take the title as the best, Matt Miller from Gameinformer describing them as phenomenal sound and detail to the graphics, as well as the overall gameplay. The gameplay stays the same as the gameplay in the previous halos with some new additions. The armor abilities have improved and a few more are added to the list, making them more of a gameplay element rather than being just a cool factor. For those new to the Halo series, armor abilities serve as suit powers used in battle to help the player: invisibility, jetpacks, see-through-goggles (known as promethean vision), etc. Whereas the campaign doesn’t take too long to beat, the multiplayer and new Spartan ops missions allow you to come back to the game long after the initial playthrough. The multiplayer could be considered the true gem in the Halo 4 package, and is nothing short of amazing with new game modes bringing more variety to an already diverse game. The maps look great, diverse, and span over large distances with new vehicles and weapons as well. For those who have loved previous Halo games, or those who love first person shooters in general, Halo 4 is a game to own.
Cooperative Shooter: Borderlands 2 Borderlands 2 is a hysterical, intense, and overall great game. The game contains only one huge campaign, but up to four players can play at the same time. At the beginning of the game, the person chooses one of four classes: The Commando- Gets to activate and upgrade a gun turrent The Gunzerker- Gets to dual wield guns for a short time The Siren- Traps an enemy in a vortex, making him immobile for a short time The Assassin- Is able to turn invisible for a short time 11
Each class has its pros and cons, but there is a class for everyone. In some games, when four people play the same campaign in a game, the game difficulty gets easy and the benefits that you gain aren’t as great as if one person plays by themselves. However, in Borderlands 2, with more people, more enemies spawn, the enemies put up more of a fight, and loot is more plentiful, which can be spent on new gear. The game also has an absurd amount of guns and grenades so the customization possibilities can go on forever. Dan Ryckert from Gameinformer calls Borderlands 2, “One of the best action experiences in gaming.” For those interested in co-op games, this should be a game to buy.
Summer 2013
Role Playing/ Storytelling/ Game of the Year:
The Walking Dead
“Using player choice, award-winning writing, and your own emotions, The Walking Dead: The Game delivers an experience that’s... unforgettable”.
This game is best described as a simple, dialogue and story-based game. You play as Lee Everett, a convict, put in the middle of the Walking Dead world with walkers and survivors alike. The story consistently stays well written throughout, adapting to the decisions that you make throughout and the characters grow on you the more you play the game and get to know them. The characters actually play a large role in the game, being the driving force to your decisions. For example, if you don’t like the way one character acts, you can be more aggressive towards him. In other instances, the player is thrown huge decisions to make in a matter of seconds, like whether you should save someone from danger or leave them to die. The dialogue between the characters stays fluid and well done, the dialogue sequences come together as the core of the gameplay instead of other games where the action becomes the core of the gameplay. The gameplay in these situations can be compared to other dialogue-based games, where the game gives the player a list of responses to input into the given conversation, with each option having a different significance than the last. With some games where dialogue is supposed to be the main aspect of the game, the dialogue ends up feeling dull and choppy. In the Walking Dead, however, the dialogue ends up feeling fluid and responsive where your decisions end up impacting the way that the story unfolds. The staff of Charged has agreed that the Walking Dead is not just the best overall game of the year, it’s one of the best games ever made. Sources: - Cam Shea, Oct. 7 2012, IGN -Greg Miller, Dec. 12 2012, IGN -Hollander Cooper, Nov. 26 2012, Gamesradar -Evan Lahti, May 1 2012 pcgamer.com -Matt Miller, Nov. 21 2012, Gameinformer Magazine -Dan Ryckert, Sep. 17 2012, Gameinformer Magazine -Ben Reeves, Nov. 20 2012 Gameinformer Magazine -All pictures courtesy of Phillip Woolley - Walking Dead picture courtesy of Harry Bana
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-Greg Miller, IGN
“One of the most memorable gameplay experiences ever created.” -Hollander Cooper, Gamesradar
“Genuinely great survival storytelling.” -Evan Lahti, pcgamer.com
“With its excellent design, useful software features, and low starting price, the Nexus 7 is the cheapest way to experience the best that the Android OS has to offer� -Cnet Editors
The Nexus 7
Speed and ease of use for only 200 dollars
Summer 2013
Music On The Mind By Malik Offor
From a slow ballad that evokes a feeling of sadness to the high energy beats of pop that make you feel like you can take the world on, music appears in all of our lives. For some a world without music seems unimaginable. “Music can change feelings and opinions of some people, through things like political rap, and poetry,” said Sean McDonald, a 9th grade LASA student. Most LASA students have to deal with an insane amount of homework and long nights. Most times music gets them through this. Sean said he listens to a lot of hip-pop, and reggae. Odd future, Tyler the Creator, Awolnation, and Alex Clare are some of his favorite artists. Sean loves how an artist has the creativity to show what a they like to do through music.
Some students like AJ only listen to music in their free time, while others like Sean study with their music on to help them do things like math homework. Mike Marcionetti, a music a therapist at the Austin State Hospital said that it depends on the student when they listen to music when they do homework. “My wife (who is largely an introvert) can’t concentrate at all with music on. It distracts her and she can’t get any work done. I (generally extrovert) can’t concentrate in silence at all. I need something going on in the background to remain calm and focused,” Marcionetti, said.
An extrovert is a person who is energized by being around other people. An introvert is generally a person that likes to keep to themselves. A 2013 study by the Stanford University School of Medicine shows that music activates the parts of your brain that have to do with paying attention and committing things to memory. The same study also states that songs with words can distract from time to time, but this also depends on the person. A second study proves that when the right music is played, students can learn hundreds of vocabulary words. “Music activates the ‘pleasure center’ of the human brain,” said Laurel
LASA freshman AJ Carter, who plays in the LBJ band, listens to composers like Mozart and Brahms, said,“Music gets me going, whenever I’m in a bad mood I’ll put some music and it makes me feel better”. Dr. Joel C. Robertson, author of Natural Prozac said ,“Virtually all the great composers have created music that alternately boosted serotonin and increased norepinephrine and dopamine,” and most of theses hormones factor into sleep. “Music definitely changes your mood because the ups and downs in the song definitely changes the mood of a person--from hard rock, making you smile, to a calm and mellow song, making you sad or even fall asleep,” AJ said.
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This is how most people portray the brain. The creative side of the brain on the right side and the left side is used for more logical function. 14
Trainor, Ph.D., director of the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. In addition, music has changed the way we think of the brain. J. Cromie of the Harvard Gazette did a study that says that people that have damage on either side of the brain reveals that the perception of music appears in both side of the brain. This disproves the thought that the right sides of the brain was the center of the interpretation of music, as thought before. This also involves the frontal cortex of the brain. Masateru Uchiyama of Juntendo University Hospital in Tokyo gave mice a heart transplant from donors that were expected to reject the heart. Then they played pop music and classical music on two groups of the mice. Researchers came to the conclusion that the mice that listened
the Austin State Hospital with 8-15 clients and lasts around 45 minutes. What happens during these sessions “largely depends on what the goals and objectives of the of the clients in the group. We may be working on goals related to relational skills,
“This largely depends on the goals and objectives of the clients in the group. We may be working on goals related to relational skills” mood stabilization, relaxation, reality orientation, self esteem building, etc.”, Marcionetti said. Depending on the base of the session, he does see a change in the mood of
they are trying to achieve. “Research shows that clients receive the most effective music therapy when they have the power to choose music for the session,” Marcionetti said. “Understanding client’s music preferences is part of the process of developing rapport and building an effective therapeutic alliance. So, whenever possible I try to use client preferred music.” Marcionetti explains how music stacks up against other media by saying music as well as other types of media have their own strengths and weaknesses. “All are positive interventions that have the ability to meet the client where they are currently functioning, and hopefully help the client work to meet the goals and objectives of their sessions.” At Austin State Hospital, they provide music, art, dance and movement therapies. All of these can be used to take the edge off of every day life. In a day of a normal LASA student‘s life, music seems like a must have. Music gives some students a place to escape from homework and life all together. So in short, the next time you’re feeling bad, play whatever music makes you feel better. Music can help connect people and brings them together.
This is an I phone it is one of the most popular phones and is also used to play music.
to the classical music lived two times longer than the ones who listened to pop music. Heart Transplants aren’t the only thing that music can help with. Marcionetti holds therapy sessions at
his clients. “Research states that the elements of music are able to bridge the gap between the right and the left brain functions.” The music that plays in the therapy varies between the clients, and what 15
Summer 2013
My Phone is Ruined! By Avishka Suduwadewage
Do you love your smartphone?
Have you ever dropped it in water? Do you want to pay a large sum of money just because your very expensive smartphone got some water on it? People take their smartphones with them everywhere and this fact increases the probability of them dropping your smartphone in water. And because most carriers do not cover water damage, they leave you paying the bill. Even if you try to “pull a fast one� on your carrier, the majority of smartphones have a sticker that permanently changes color when wet. We asked experts and they gave us some very simple and easy tricks to save your phone and wallet.
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Photo courtesy LG Blog UK
Photos on this page by Avishka Suduwadewage
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The first step consists of geting your phone out as fast as
possible. The longer it stays in the water the higher the probability of it not working. If you dropp your phone in the toilet, all anyone can say is good luck. Also if you dropped your phone is salt water, experts reccomend lightly rinsing out the phone with fresh water because it will remove the salt wter. Salt water leaves crystals behind when it evaporates, which can damage components. When you get your phone out, do NOT turn it on, no matter how much you want to check your Facebook. This will most likely short out the circuits and you can say bye bye to your beloved phone.
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The second step consists of removing parts of the phone for
the water to be withdrawn. David Court, a writer from PCAdvisor, says to “take the battery and sim card out straight away.” You do this so you can remove water more easily from the phone. You can try blowing or sucking the water out or you can use a can of compressed air to get rid of the water. Also, letting the water naturally evaporate out of the phone just increases the probability of corrosion so experts do not recommend this. Another important note that you should remember, NEVER use a hair dryer because the heat might just fry inner components.
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The last step includes removing any water left in the phone. A
very simple and easy trick for doing this is just leaving your phone and its components in a bowl of uncooked rice overnight (image to your left). If dust or even rice lodging in your phone concerns you, Joel Johnson from Popular Mechanics advised using packets of Silica Gel, a desiccant helped to regulate humidity. Therefore when it comes in contact with your wet phone, it will, over time, dry your phone.
Some very important things to remember
Some very important things to remember include avoiding exposing your phone to heat such as blow dryers, extended exposure to sunlight, etc. Remembering this tip can save your phone because excessive exposure to heat can deform some of the components and melt some adhesives. Also, acting fast can mean the difference between spending another 300 dollars on another smartphone or using that 300 for more important uses. If you don’t want to go through these processes beforehand you can always buy a waterproof case instead. Joanna Stern from ABC News recommends using LifeProof cases. These cases can withstand water up to six feet deep while including dustproof and shockproof features as well, however the cases are very expensive. For example a LifeProof case averages about 71 dollars. 17
Summer 2013
Pokemon
XY +
By Malik Offor
What’s in store for the new game On Jan. 13, 2013 Nintendo released an announcement that caused an uproar among Pokemon fans. The news of the upcoming games Pokemon X and Pokemon Y, showcasing many new exciting features and pokemon peaked fans’ interests. Even though information about the game lacks, many have made speculations based on the pictures and information that Nintendo released. Debate on the significance of the X and Y in the titles filled forums all over the Internet.
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Pokemon’s New Look When the trailer came out, Nintendo also the fans that the entire game will include 3-D graphics. Nintendo usually makes new pokemon in almost every game this holds true when it comes to this game. Fans have to get a new system to play on, because of the 3D graphics. The change of battles, point of view, and other things shown in the trailer proves that game play will never quite look the same. The player will be seen from the back instead of the top like games before this. These changes put a different spin on the game that almost seemed iconic to the franchise.
New features
Starter Pokemon
Some people think that the new game will come with new features such as the ability to change the appearance of the player. This piece of speculation comes from a few seconds in the trailer; during this part, the trainer can be seen in front of the mirror. Instead of the bike in prior games, they seem to have added skates to the game.
Fennekin the new fire-type starter Its art, based on a Fennec fox and the most popular of the three. People speculate that Fennekin will become a fire and psychic type pokemon.
Chespin the grass-type starter It resembles a chipmuck or squirrel and speculated to become a dark and grass type pokemon.
Eeveeloution
Froakie the new water-type starter He looks like a frog and guessed to become a water/fighting or water/ flying pokemon.
The New Legendaries
A New Eeveeloution, an evolution of the pokemon Eevee, was revealed by the Pokemon Company on the Official Pokemon Website. Though the new pokemon’s type remains unknown, people think the type is flying. When the Pokemon Company released it they told us to look closely at the chart and people noticed that all of the evolutions are arranged so that the evolution that it is a cross from is either weak against or stronger than.
Every time a new game comes to light new legendaries, pokemon caught towards the end of the game, represent the games. This time Xerneas and Yveltal represent them. The types of these remain unknown to the public , but people think that there will be new types in this game. Xerneas a deer-like pokemon that weighs 474 pounds and towers off the ground at 9 feet 10 inches tall. The other pokemon named Yveltal resembles a bird and it stands over Xernas at a staggering19 feet tall and weighs 445.7 pounds.
All pictures and some information courtesy of bulbanews. Information Courtesy of the official pokemon website.
Summer xx 2013
TheFuture of
A u s t i n Te c h By Phillip Woolley
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In 2007, Wal-Mart planned to put up
a store in North Cross Mall, an area of Austin primarily dominated by local businesses, one of the areas where the Keep Austin Local Campaign shined for many years. But when Wal-Mart planned to put up a store, people responded in a very negative manner. People would protest the Wal-Mart by putting up signs, gathering with others, and going down to city hall to try to stop the construction of the Wal-Mart, saying that it will out compete the local shops nearby, getting rid of some of the ‘weirdness’ about Austin. As more and more nationwide technology stores come to Austin, will a similar response be given? Apple, being the main company in question has already brought stores to Austin and plans to bring in more. Will technology stores such as Apple out compete their local counterparts, in the process weakening the Keep Austin Local Campaign, or will people protest in a similar fashion before the stores even take off? “Well of course I support it [The Keep Austin Local Campaign],” said August Stromberger. “I really think that there are a lot of really interesting and
Apple is one of the many technology shops that are coming to Austin and may affect the Keep Austin Local Campaign
unique businesses in Austin and we should do our best to preserve them.” August isn’t the only one who feels a sense of loyalty to local stores, and furthermore the Keep Austin Local Campaign. “I really like the Keep Austin Local Campaigns and trying to preserve the feeling of Austin,” said Neil Loewenstern, another local Austinite. Others don’t feel so loyal. “I’d say that it’s moderately successful in South Austin,” said Cody Moody, another Austin resident, “but otherwise it’s just a catchy trend and fad.” More and more nationwide companies have come to Austin, most ending up in either far north or south Austin. The
Wal-Mart incident of 2007 quickly became one of the first instances where a large nationwide chain started to make its way into central Austin, the part of Austin where the Keep Austin Local campaign holds the strongest influence at. When the Wal-Mart started planning to go up, people had to consider whether they wanted more nationwide companies coming to Austin, and how it may affect Austin in a positive or negative way. “I mean, I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” said Loewenstern. “A lot of local stores can’t provide the scale or variety.” Over the past decade, Austin has become more of a technology hub for America, bringing in more and more nationwide technology chains to help
The Domain is one of the several areas of Austin where the Keep Austin local campaign is losing control to national chains such as Apple and Microsoft
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The ‘Inspiron’ is one of Dell’s many products that are sold from both national chains such as Best Buy, but also local stores such as Discount Electronics.
boost Austin’s economy and increase the popularity of the products. Already, stores such as Apple or Microsoft have already opened up stores in either far north or far south Austin, but other technology stores such as National Instruments have been opening up store more close to central Austin. But what many of these nationwide companies might not understand is that coming to Austin may become a dangerous decision. These companies that want to bring offices here, might not know how local store friendly Austin is. “People will respond both positively and negatively,” said Moody, saying that at this point Austin has become a, “magnet for innovation, a hub that businesses are attracted to.” At this point people will have to decide which side to take, local business, or nationwide company. Each side has its benefits and its disadvantages. Potential benefits include Austin becoming more of a “globally integrated global city,” says Moody. In this situation, a globally integrated city is one where the Austin economy will become boosted in result of lots of income from nationwide businesses. This may in turn also bring more businesses in keeping the economy growing. If the right types of stores
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would come in, a larger creative class in Austin may become the result. Loewenstern explained the creative class as something that attracts other creative people to Austin. This would allow not just more technology companies to come, but more video game developers, musicians, or movie makers. In the long run, if Austin’s people would like Austin to become more of a metropolis, this would become an option to consider with businesses and growth. The only thing that could possibly stop this idea of national growth would be the people of Austin. The point in time with lots of economic growth in the technology industry might not come to pass unless the people of Austin accept the potential benefits or disadvantages of bringing in nationwide companies and the effects that they might have to local businesses. This attachment to local stores generally is found in those who have lived in Austin for the majority of their lives. “It pains us a little bit to see these things demolish or fade away,” said Moody. Moody later describes this situation as one with a feeling of nostalgia attached to the long-time Austinites that creates an emotional bond to the Austin of 22
old, where local shops dominate the economy and the money stays with the community, which in return creates a good sense of community. This connection to local stores can make people very protective over them, becoming resistant to change, even if it does nothing but benefit Austin. The sense of loyalty was expressed a lot with the Wal-Mart incident, but many of the reasons to side with the Keep Austin Local Campaign during that incident might not show up this time around. Regarding what some may think, this growth in Austin may leave the Keep Austin Local campaign unscathed. Some of the only local technology businesses that national stores could possibly affect include Dell and Discount Electronics, them being the only dominant local technology stores. This is mainly because most of the local businesses are, “still rooted more in the service sector than in the technology sector,” said Loewenstern. During the WalMart incident, people thought that having the Wal-Mart grocery store would drive other grocery stores out of business. If that was the case then, then the only impact nationwide technology stores could make to the
Keep Austin Local Campaign now is only towards local technology shops. However, the possibility still remains that if a nationwide store was put up in an area with local shops, the local shops could become overlooked by the big and daunting nationwide store. Another possibility is where there contains a, “mix of national stores and local stores,” that’s, “healthy for any community,” said Loewenstern. The result mixes both types of stores, where one benefits the other by bringing more people to shop into the area, which brings in more business for all stores around. With all possibilities considered, the most likely scenario is
where having more nationwide chains does nothing but benefit Austin’s economy leaving the Keep Austin Local Campaign untouched. Each possibility benefits Austin in different ways, taking Austin in a different direction, either a more technology-based direction or a more local-based direction. To retain the ‘weirdness’ of Austin, the local stores would need to stay, which would end up with siding with the Keep Austin Local Campaign. But in order to create a global integrated city with a larger economy, Austin will need to bring in more nationwide technology stores. Regardless of the possibilities, however,
only time will tell which direction the Austin people wish to go in, but in order to make the best decision for Austin, the people must understand the benefits of each option.
Dell is, as of now, the ultimate local technology store. How it is to be affected by other technology companies coming to Austin remain unknown, however.
Picture Attributions: -Austin at night picture is courtesy of Phillip Woolley -Domain picture is courtesy of Phillip Woolley -iPad White picture is courtesy of William Hoot -Inspiron picture is courtesy of Intel_DE’s photostream on Flikr -Dell Logo picture is courtesy of DELL
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Summer 2013
Evolution Begins
WorldWide October 2013 Charged
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