It’s an exciting time to be in the tech industry and see the advancement of technology first hand.  From how social media is affecting the way we communicate, to the evolution of smartphone cameras and mobile payment solutions – there’s always news to catch up on in our weekly Weekend Reading series.

Has Twitter become the new 911 for emergencies?

This week Tech Vibes posed an interesting question to their readers: Social Media and Emergency Response: Would You Tweet or Dial 9-1-1? In their post, they look at the changing landscape of technology, and how real-time capabilities have altered our methods of communication.

How far have we come? A whopping “63% of Canadians think disaster and emergency response agencies, including fire and police, should be prepared to respond to calls for help that are posted on social networks.” But how much faith do we have in response times, and which news source do we trust the most? Find out in the full article here.

Digital cameras vs.smartphone cameras

Cameras are a unique piece of technology– they’re the rare device that remains in constant demand for the tech world.Everyone wants to capture memories, and the addition of cameras to smartphones has made it that much easier to snap and share your adventures.

Gizmodo wrote a brief article this week on just how far smartphone cameras have advanced, claiming that some tech devices have better cameras now than traditional point and shoot cameras from just five years ago! Check out the full article for their comparisons and let us know your fave smartphone cameras in the comments below.

Speaking of smartphone cameras, we also did a Q&A with photographer Alex Evans earlier this week about his experience with the camera on the new Motorola RAZR HD LTE. Check out the post, and some of his pictures here.

Mobile Wallet Updates

Mobile wallets remain a hot topic in the news this week. Shortly after our announcement of our partnership with Gemalto for secure mobile NFC payment solutions, eMarketer published an article called Mobile Wallets or Fully Digital Wallets? In it, they examine why consumers want mobile payments extended beyond their mobile wallets to their PC, and what steps companies are taking to get there.

iPhone in Canada also shared their thoughts on our announcement, reminding readers of our current partnership with CIBC to pilot NFC-enabled devices. Tech Vibes also published a post about mobile wallet. In it, the included excerpts of a conversation with David Robinson, VP, Emerging Business at Rogers about mobile payment security measures.

Got more tech news? Tweet us @RogersBuzz!

Kelly is a regular contributor for RedBoard