The Professor's Notes

Must content and delivery be inextricably entwined?

For centuries our ability to gather content and disseminated wirh tide is not just to the content but to the media and the physical media that was used for delivery. If you wanted to read a book you would buy both the content and the delivery media simultaneously. The words in the paper on which they were printed or written were forever enmeshed. Even in recent decades with books on CD or tape you were still purchasing both the delivery media and the content as an inseparable unit.

We have an opportunity to day with the development of digital content and robust data exchange standards to forever separate the content from the media, or at least that will we use to receive the content. We’re at a crossroads. We can choose to follow the path of standards allowing users to decide on the delivery mechanism they prefer, or we can continue to develop content for delivery in specific devices and tools.

We’re currently entering a world where we have a wide variety of choices for the personal technology we use to access media. For instance, we have both been nearly ubiquitous iPad and now more and more android tablets on the market. We’re also seeing the early stages of windows eight tablets being previewed. If we take a device centric approach content will be developed and delivered as operating system specific applications. This will enable content creators to leverage the unique creative aspects of each of the operating systems and the devices. Read the rest of this entry »

Continuing on my recent vein of discussing Presentations, I wanted to share with you my latest find.  (Bottom line: I highly recommend it.)

I used to use a Targus Wireless Presentation Remote for presentations.  I love the sleek design, and the fact that the USB wireless connector would fit inside the remote.  It was easy to use, and flawless in execution.

And alas, easy for me to lose the USB dongle.

I recently attended a conference where I presented my paper on eTextbook pricing (more to come on THAT later) and I found myself in desperate need of a remote.  Nothing is worse than wanting to be able to roam the room to connect with the audience, and yet become trapped to the front of the room hitting the “ENTER” key.  My first thought was that I would need to walk a mile or two to the closest office equipment store.  But then I realized that I had a IOGEAR Bluetooth dongle already on my computer.  It was a simple matter of finding the right software to run on my android phone.

Enter PPT Remote Control.  I searched the Google Market and found a number of options.  I read the reviews, and then downloaded the “free” version of the application (limited to 15 slides.)  I liked it, so I went ahead and bought the full version.

So what did I like?

First, it did exactly what I needed it to do.  It controls my PowerPoint presentations, but there is more to it. The app downloaded the slides to the phone so I could look at my phone and see where I was in the presentation, and it also downloaded any notes.  I was able to have my crib notes right there in my remote control!

Some of the additional details (after the break): Read the rest of this entry »

Hat tip to my brother for point me to the link

Don’t miss the EXCITING news for winning prizes-including TWO TICKETS to Michigan at Penn State (Football).  Listen to Real Tech for Real People for how to win!

Engadget is reporting today that Samsung will finally be releasing the FroYo Android 2.2 update for their Galaxy S phones, including the Captivate for AT&T and the Fascinate for Verizon.  I hope this is the real deal.  We have had so many rumors floating around.

There are many new and interesting features in the 2.2 Android OS, including the new GMail application, and voice dialing (finally?), in addition to “built-in” tethering.

Fingers crossed…

NOTE:  This blog post is based on a conversation we had about the future of smartphones on Real Tech for Real People, in episode 56 “The LT Episode”.  Give it a listen, and let us know what you think.

Since the start of the smartphone experience, the hardware and the operating system have been so tightly integrated that one is hard to distinguish from the other.  This started as far back as the Springboard Sprint phone hardware attachment for the Handspring Visor, and continues today with the Windows 7 phones, the iPhone and in reality the Android phone.  But what if the phones (hardware) and the soul of the phones, the mobile OS’s, could be separated?

As the Windows 7 phone rolls out we are once again introduced to a wide array of mobile phone models, names, and interfaces.  We have been seeing that with the Android, with several different Galaxy S phone from Samsung, as well as a variety of “Droid” branded Motorola phones with Verizon.  And of course, as mentioned in the NY Times recently, if you want to get the iOS on a phone, you have to get an iPhone.

But imagine a different world: Imagine a world where the hardware becomes separate from the OS.  Imagine if you could go into a cellphone store, and decide on the hardware you wanted, and then purchase (or just install in the case of the Android) an operating system?  It would seem we aren’t all that far away from this reality.  The processors in the Windows Phone 7 are the same as many of the Android phones.  The memory, displays, and cameras are all essentially commodities these days.  The only real difference is the cellular radios that are included in the phones, and that is network dependent, not OS dependent–three “flavors” for each OS and you are done.

Does this open up a whole new world, or just add to more confusion?

Would YOU want to be able to mix and match the OS with the hardware that you prefer?

Let me know your thoughts.

Much of this episode is about charging. No not for the podcast, but charging batteries! Those things we use every day! Imagine a battery on paper! It’s in this episode!

That said, we don’t charge for our podcasts, but we would love it if you would show your love of Real Tech for Real People, through purchasing yourself, or your loved one, a Real Tech for Real People gift.  A mug, a T-Shirt, a Mousepad… they are all available over at

http://cafepress.com/rtfrp

Take advantage of 15% off on orders over 60%

And if you do, send us your photo with the item, and we will post it here, and over at http://RTFRP.com!

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Select YOUR version of Real Tech for Real People!

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Free Phone Fridays at Best Buy! For the month of October! Each week they will include at least one smart phone.

Flexibility is the key to air power, AND ereaders. The F-15C gets a new set of eyes and Sony debuts a bendable e-screen!

AND Flexibility making it’s move to batteries. LiIon battery made on paper by Stanford researchers. Probably won’t be in phones, but could make for “active” RFID technology, among other thin uses.

Speaking of Batteries, Panasonic is finally creating rechargable AA batteries that recharge through frustration! (er, shaking…) Great they say for remote controls, and other hand held devices. About time, *I* say.

We discuss an article that challenges the notion thatAndroid is Open:

Android Is As Open As The Clenched Fist I’d Like To Punch The Carriers With

MG Siegler

Sep 9, 2010

This past weekend, I wrote a post wondering if Android was surging in the U.S. market because Apple was letting it? The main thought was that by remaining exclusively tied to AT&T, Apple was driving some users to choose Android, which is available on all the U.S. carriers. In the post, I posed a question: if it’s not the iPhone/AT&T deal, why do you choose Android? Nearly 1,000 people responded, and a large percentage focused on the same idea: the idea of “openness.”

You’ll forgive me, but I have to say it: what a load of crap.

Old News, but worth mentioning: Gorilla Glass is also in the Samsung Galaxy S displays (and it is transparent aluminum. Sort of.)

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It should be no surprise to my readers that I am a big fan of the Kindle writ large–that is, the Kindle as an ebook reading ecosystem.  I have written previously about the ability to highlight, and add notes.  I created a VBA program/macro for word (windows only–sorry)  that would export and sort the clippings file containing your highlighting and notes to a useable “book” form.

And with the Kindle for the iPad/iPhone that feature became even easier with the ability to highlight with your fingertips rather than a joy stick or a wheel.  One of the more recent additions to the various Kindle incarnations is the showing of passages that others find useful as well.  This is done through underlining and when you touch that section of the book it tells you (for instance) “76 other people highlighted this part of the book” which is what it has for a section of “SuperFreakonomics” (The quote being:  ”Doing the math, you find that on a per-mile basis, a drunk walker is eight times more likely to get killed than a drunk driver.” Italics original to text).¹

Of course, all this was made easier by the Whispersync network, ensuring that I could easily move between devices (and moving us one more step closer to ubiquitous reading.)

When I switched over the Android Captivate (AT&T) I was elated to see the Kindle app there as well.  But that enthusiasm was quickly reduced to a sense that I would only read “leisure books” because the Android did not support highlighting, or note taking, although it would “sync” to the furthest read location in my other device(s).

That changed a couple days ago.  The Android Kindle was updated to include the features I wanted most:  adding, editing and deleting of notes,  and the ability to highlight. But the Kindle Krew also added full text search (find those pesky quotes you KNOW are there, but can’t quite remember where^{voice search!}

I downloaded it immediately, and upon opening it went to the book I am currently reading, Wrong: Why experts* keep failing us.  I am happy to report that the Kindle App took me to the part of the book where I left off (correctly identifying that I was last reading on the iPad.)  It also showed immediately the highlighting that I had created with the iPad, let me add highlighting, and add notes.  Most importantly when I closed the app and switched to the Kindle on the iPad my new highlighting was there (and it moved me to the latest spot–from my Captivate Kindle!)

No other eReading platform is as diverse or as available as the Kindle platform, and with this revision Amazon once again asserts their commitment to digital books and the eReading public.

I am still left with one question though:  Will the Android Kindle version port well to the Barnes and Noble Nook? After all the Nook is based on the Android OS…

This week Tony and I tackle the big issue:  Should broadband pricing obey the law?  Yes, some have argued that broadband pricing is in violation of the law–and we rip that idea apart.

In addition, Tony shares his thoughts comparing his iPhone 4 to his newly purchased Samsung Captivate.  It’s Android vs iOS.  Certainly a don’t miss episode!

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Click Here to listen to Real Tech 53

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LISTENER QUESTION: Sgt Slade asks…

NEWS:
Amazon takes aim at iPad in the sun. Snarky?

HP Announces an Android Based Tablet (but it seems rather hamstrung)

“Why isn’t the pricing of Broadband obeying Moore’s Law?” The article title is a bit OTT, but the bottom line is quite interesting: Since the buildout is nearly complete, they author(s) argue that the revenue now is almost “pure profit.” Should we expect prices to come down? Or are they displaying a common misperception of economics, assuming that there is a relationship between “cost” and “Price” (there isn’t.)

TIPS

Photo: Just for fun (or is it Phun?) you can get make an overlay to put on your (i)Phone to make it look like a camera. So now, it really CAN be a camera! (or just go to step 7 and download one…) http://content.photojojo.com/diy/make-your-phone-look-like-a-camera/

PICKS:

Steve: TuneIn Radio for the Android
Tony:  TWIT for iPad

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Steve’s info:  [blog] http://theprofessornotes.com[twitter] @scmprofessor

Tony’s info: [blog] http://getthenext.com [twitter] @tonypittman

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For Episode 52 we had a special event–Tony was in PA, so we recorded our first episode together.  I drove up to University Park, dragging the equipment with me, and Tony and I sat down with my brother in front of a “live audience” and talked tech.

Sadly, one of the problems with moving the equipment around, and doing something for “the first time” is that I make “first time mistakes” and this was no different.  I tried to use the Zoom H4 recorder, but ran out of room.  Luckily we caught it early, but sadly you will hear the difference.

Let us know what you think of the podcast, though, and please, share it with your friends!

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Live From Penn State

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Boxing Great Mayweather arrested for stealing iphone:
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=5554683

WINDOWS TIP: Spread a Windows desktop image across two monitors:

• Follow these steps in to display a large image across multiple monitors:
• Right click on the background and select Personalization.
• Click on Desktop Background
• Select a background image that is at least as wide as the combined resolution of both of your monitors. For Example, I have two 19â€� monitors that have a resolution of 1280×1024. I need an image of 2560×1024 or greater so that it can be displayed across both monitors.
• Next, this is the step that most users would never even think about trying: Select the Tile picture positioning option as shown below. This is the only option that will display your background image across multiple monitors.

GOOGLE VOICE AND SKYPE Read the rest of this entry »

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I have now had my Android phone (The Samsung Captivate) for about 2 weeks and really have enjoyed the transition to the Android OS, and learning a new way of doing things.  Of course, with learning, comes wanting…

K-9 Email. Scan QR with camera to install

I wanted to switch email programs. I don’t like the email program that comes “stock” on the android phone and, after trying a few, decided that I really liked the K-9 email application.^{review of it here.  It is quick, customizable, and quick.  Did I mention quick?}

So once I decided that this was the “One App to rule them all” (well, rule the email apps) I saw no use having the stock email icon cluttering up the dock on the bottom of the screen (that’s the row at the bottom that presents the four most commonly used icons: phone, email, browser, and applications.)

But how do you do that?  It isn’t as obvious as “hold the icon until it selects and drag to the trash” (the way you delete other icons from the home screen-but not the applications themselves).  Luckily I found the instructions on the Android Forums website.  Here it is:

It looks like you can customize the dock on the bottom of the screen, but only the two icons in the middle. (ed.–not true) To do this, you much (sic) go into your app launcher, and make sure the View Type is on Customizable Grid, which you can change by hitting Menu > View Type > Customizable Grid. While still in the Application launcher, hit Menu > Edit to change the two middle dock icons.

Note though that it turns out (at least on my Captivate) you can swap out, or delete, the icons for all 4 items in the Dock.  Not sure I want to–but nice to know I can!

I am slowly working to catch up on posting some of our recent “Real Tech for Real People” podcasts.  Episode 51 was where I revealed that I had made the switch to an Android phone, having decided to purchase the Samsung Captivate.  This of course, also meant that I was staying with AT&T.  I will have a review on the website here soon with my thoughts about the phone and the OS, but my initial thoughts were in the podcast.

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ANDROID – Will the Google Android OS take over?

Click Here to listen to Real Tech 51

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NEWS:Amazon has amazing prices on Cell Phones. Especially if you are wanting to get a new contract, but great prices even on renewing. A Captivate ($249 for 2 yr contract at ATT store) will sell for $40 with a new contract, or only $99 to renew (Addendum:  that’s $99 for a renewal for an individual plan.  It is $149 for a family plan phone)! Other great deals as well. Just go to wireless.amazon.com and check them out.

SECURITY ALWAYS:

• Steve was visiting his grandmother’s and found an unsecured WiFi. Not a problem–necessarily, EXCEPT the Router had NO PASSWORD.
• Tip to listeners: at least enter a password for the router (especially DLink routers that have as their default “NO” password)

PICKS of the Week:Steve: Paper.li Build your own online newspaper based on your friends on Facebook or Twitter. Works from any OS on any browser.

Chris: iPad Twitter App

Tony: eCamm Skype Recorder

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Steve’s info:  [blog] http://theprofessornotes.com[twitter] @scmprofessor

Tony’s info: [blog] http://getthenext.com [twitter] @tonypittman

Chris’ info: [blog] http://targuman.org/blog [twitter] @targumanJosh’s info: [twitter] @joshfink

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