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Overall they are really cool gadgets. For a few hundred dollars (some are only $100-$150) they are not expensive and in a pretty good price range. You definitely do not need one though. I tell my students that they are the perfect gift for the ‘techy’ that has everything. Otherwise they probably are not worth it for most people unless you really want a new watch. The cool thing about them is that you do not need to take your phone out of your pocket, you can just check your wrist when you get a text. Essentially they are an extension of your cell phone. Another neat feature is that you can remotely control your phone. So if I am taking a family video/photo I can set up my phone and then use the watch at a distance to get all of us in the picture. That is the most useful feature I have found for the watch thus far and it is pretty cool although a timer on my phone works just as well. However a major concern with these devices is that they do release radiation (microwave radiation) so in addition to your phone you now have more radiation from another device. That is just a point to consider. I personally do not wear my watch too often for that reason and the fact that I do not like wearing watches. But I will admit they are kinda cool devices and you will not be upset with your purchase if you think you want one. But they are not something you need. They do not do anything your cell phone doesn’t and they require your cell phone to even work.
* I did want to add a quick note. There are many other kinds of watches out there for sports like surfing, running, etc. I am not discussing those in this post. The watches I am referring to are the android/apple based watches. The sports watches look awesome but I have yet to try them. A watch that calculates my waves sounds really cool as does a fitbit with GPS/heart rate data on it.
]]>Pros:
-Functions as laptop – ie it IS a laptop
-Has full version of windows 8-Plugs right into a mouse and has a physical keyboard
-Its a PC so it works with all software
-Good battery life
-Same size as ipad (although thicker/heavier)
Cons:
-Price. The pro is almost a $1000 dollars but it does replace a laptop
-Heavier and thicker than an ipad but not by too much.-Lack of apps. While it does do everything since its a full laptop it just doesnt have good app functionality. For instance, the facebook app is terrible and I am not even sure it was made by facebook.
Overall if I had to choose this vs the ipad or kindle, I would definitely choose this. Its a full laptop. It does everything. I cannot do much on my ipad other than browse the web and check email. I love the physical keyboard and mouse capabilities of this as well. This is definitely what every single business person needs instead of an ipad. Hands down this is much better to take to meetings and such. Having said that, if price is a concern the ipad/kindle are much more affordable. Also if you are just going to browser the web, go on facebook, and play with apps the ipad might be your best bet. Its all going to come down to your personal use. For me, this surface tablet takes the cake. Good job MS.
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Now for my students – please remember you get a huge discount at your school on MS products like office (among other software). So before you graduate, go to the bookstore and buy your $20 copy of Office because once you leave the price goes up a few hundred dollars:)
]]>“The University of Western Sydney said in a statement that it plans to distribute 11,000 iPads next year to every new student and member of the faculty “to support learning and teaching innovations across the curriculum and in informal learning environments.””
“The iPad initiative is part of a curriculum overhaul at UWS that will stress “flexible study options” and “a blended learning model,” The Australian reports. Traditional lectures will be augmented by a more interactive learning approach, Krause said.
“Mobile technologies will be a key part of this strategy,” she said. “We want to support our academic staff to make the most of iPads and custom-designed apps in class so that, even in the largest lecture theater, students have access to just-for-me, just-in-time interactive learning experiences.””
My thoughts:
While I am personally more inclined to use laptops over tablets because they do so much more, I think things like this can be very beneficial if implemented correctly – and that is the key. If they just buy professors and students a bunch of iPads, I would not expect much good to come out of them…at least not a large % anyway. Now if they train the professors and students how to use them, provide good resources, and support, then it could be an awesome initiative.
]]>So for those that still want to burn DVD videos, there is a free opensource software package called burn that will do this for you:
Directions:
]]>MIT Version: http://el.media.mit.edu/logo-foundation/index.html
Download an original version: http://www.sydlexia.com/logo.htm
From the site above “Logo is a programming language that was created in 1967 that was a fairly popular teaching tool in the 80s. It has taken on many forms, appearing on platforms such as the IBM, Commodore 64, MSX, Atari, and Apple II computers. Variants of Logo have been used to guide robots and build shit with Legos. It is still around today, but it is largely defunct. Although it bills itself as a programming language, Logo is really more of a CAD. By inputting text commands into a prompt, the user moves a triangular cursor known as a turtle around the screen to create squares, circles, and other shapes that can be made in Microsoft Paint in much less time. There have been dozens of version of Logo, each with slightly different commands and interfaces. This was even true on a single platform. The Apple II offered versions such as Apple Logo II, Terrapin Logo, and LogoWriter. “
“Apple asked Scott Forstall to leave the company because Forstall refused to sign his name on a letter apologizing for Apple’s Maps app, according to a report. Citing “people familiar with the matter,” The Wall Street Journal reports that Forstall (pictured), a 15-year veteran at Apple, wanted the company to address the poor reception for Maps without apologizing. However, CEO Tim Cook disagreed and sent an e-mail to customers on Sept. 28 stating that Maps “fell short.”” – Source
I think the main question is why did Apple even try to compete with Google Maps? Google has invested so many millions into making their apps perfect. Why did Apple care to compete? Was there really more money to be made by having their own maps? The reason I ask this is because a large % of Apple users had no idea Google made their maps and still has no idea that Apple now makes them. They really dont care. They just want maps and gps. Apple should have never tried to compete with Google on the maps app unless Apple was planning to do something innovative with the product…like what they did when iPhone was first invented. Sure their maps is going to get better and get good but Google maps is really good and is getting better too. Why they chose to compete with that app is beyond me. So here is my message for Apple: Do not compete for the sake of competing and having a monopoly. You will never be better than everyone at everything. Let this be a lesson learned. If you cannot improve something why try to recreate the wheel? Unless you can make that wheel better do not waste your time and energy on it. Why not invest in making iTunes user friendly? It has to be the worst piece of software I have used (from an HCI perspective that is). I could think of a 20 things off the top of my head that Apple would have been better off investing in or improving. Why they thought Apple Maps was a good idea I will never know.
]]>Remember you do need an Apple developer ID to do this or you can apply for an education one for free that allows you to test the app on your iOS device here:
]]>Its good because now Apple will have a product to compete with the Kindle Fire and Android tablets in the 7 inch range. There were a whole host of people who like that size over the original iPad (myself included so this is a welcome change).
Now what is interesting is that Steve Jobs was against a mini-tablet and I believe this is why:
Apple makes an iPod touch that sells for $199 – the same price as the kindle fire and other android tablets. So if Apple wants to compete with the Kindle, they needed a cheaper device but they could not meet the $199 price point unless they made their iPod cheaper. So what did Apple do? Start the base model of the mini ipad for $329, which is still significantly higher than the kindle. Will people buy this new device? I am sure they will sell millions. Will people who are leaning towards the kindle for the price point buy this? I do not think so. $130 is a lot of people who are struggling with money right now.
Will I be buying this device? Well I already have an iPad so since this does nothing new, I will not be. In the future though, I would prefer this size device to my currect iPad when I replace it. And that is where this device will shine – I think people will replace their current iPads (when they are ready to) with this device. People getting new iPads will get this device, not the larger one. That is where I see the future of this device headed.
Command+Shift+3: takes a screenshot of the full screen and saves it as a file on the desktop
Command+Shift+4: Allows you to select which part of the screen to capture and then saves it as a file on the desktop
]]>Link for jailbreaking: http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/20/ios-6-jailbreak-a4-devices/
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