google-reader-imported
Yet Another New iPhone Gets the Photo Treatment
Thursday, May 13th, 2010 | google-reader-imported | No Comments
This time it is from Vietnam. Apparently a Vietnamese business man bought this prototype of the new iPhone for $4000. Of course, he took it apart, took some pictures, and now we’ve got another case of new iPhones in the wild. This is getting a bit tiring, especially when you read the breathless accounts of the major difference between this and the “stolen” iPhone. Two screws are not present around the dock connector as they were on the previous prototype. Whew. We needed to know that. Engadget has photos and a video of the device.
Almost parallel to this story comes word of yet another suicide by a worker at Hon Hai Group, who the Chinese company that works on iPhones. I’m not implying any connection here but my goodness, things are out of control.
Microsoft Touch Pack open to [some] Windows 7 users
Thursday, May 13th, 2010 | google-reader-imported | No Comments
Announced last night on the Windows 7 Team blog, the Microsoft Touch Pack is now available as a free download for anyone who has a multi-touch PC but got cut out of the fun by their OEM.
From the blog:
Until today, the Microsoft Touch Pack for Windows 7 was only available for OEMs to put on new Windows 7 PCs capable of Windows Touch. Due to feedback and requests from both partners and customers, we are releasing the Microsoft Touch Pack for Windows 7 for anyone with Windows Touch capable devices to download.
Apparently all those complaints (and presumably pressure from the competition) paid off. Now anyone with a touchscreen on a Windows 7 PC can enjoy:
- Microsoft Blackboard, an intricate game of physics in which you solve a puzzle by creating a fanciful machine on a blackboard.
- Microsoft Garden Pond, a tranquil game that takes place in serene Japanese water gardens.
- Microsoft Rebound, a game in which you use your fingertips to control Tesla spheres with an electrical field between them to catapult a metal game ball into your opponent’s goal.
- Microsoft Surface Globe, a program that you can use to explore the earth as a flat 2-D map or as an immersive 3-D experience.
- Microsoft Surface Collage, a program that you can use to explore and interact with your photos and arrange them as a desktop background.
- Microsoft Surface Lagoon, a screen saver and interactive water simulation, complete with a meditative rock arrangement and playful, shy fish.
You will need multi-touch input to get the full effect from these apps, but even with single touch or pen, you can enjoy some of their interactivity. Be sure to check out our InkShow on the Touch Pack, and our other random encounters with it over the past year.
Update: Okay, so apparently you need certified multi-touch input to enjoy any of the interactivity, and this is really only for people who bought multi-touch PCs from OEMs who skipped the Touch Pack. Pity. Was hoping to see how multi-touch displays and tablet peripherals could take advantage of this.
Tweet/Blog Roundup On New ESRI iPhone SDK
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 | google-reader-imported | No Comments
May 3: “The Mobile team is excited to announce that the ArcGIS API for iPhone is now in public beta!”
- ESRI announcement on ESRI Mobile Blog
TWEETS
@marsofearth: #GIS okay ESRI released the ArcGIS iPhone API this week. I have not seen anyth…Read more
The Latest Worry: Stored Data on Second Hand SatNavs
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 | google-reader-imported | No Comments
If you buy a used car and it comes with a nav system, that system may offer you a “road map” to the previous owners life - where they lived, where they shopped, even a button to open their garage door. Apparently there is no law that requires dealers…Read more
Augmented Reality Tidbits
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 | google-reader-imported | No Comments
Swing your iPhone and send the ball flying. Find it and then tee off again… Did Joe Francica just note at Directions Magazine that Augmented Reality was trivial just now?
via Business Insider
TagWhat offers virtual tagging and image uplo…Read more
iPad finally set to launch in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, UK
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 | google-reader-imported | No Comments
Apple announced that May 28th is the day that the rest of the world gets to unpack their iPads. Well at least some of it.
The iPad will be released to Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK on a Friday in a little over two weeks. If you live in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand or Singapore you’ll have to wait a bit longer…
However, if my experience is anything to go by, many international customers have not been prepared to wait for Apple to deal them into the iPad game.
I took my iPad (picked up from the US the week after launch) to the ABITE Business and IT Expo in Sydney 2 weeks ago. I was naively expecting to be the only person there with a shiny new iPad. As it turned out, the guy at the stand next to me had one too and there were at least 2 other iPad owners present at the small expo in Sydney.
The salesman at the store in Austin, Texas related that he had made a number of sales to visiting Australians in the opening week. It shouldn’t surprise me really because living down under means that we are expected to wait for a lot, but that doesn’t mean that we are patient.
One thing that I am looking forward to is being able to use my Australian credit card in the App store. Finally I’ll be able to purchase the all important “apps” like Flight Control HD! Hoping to finally pick up a good case for it too.
WiGig Standard to Increase Wireless Speeds
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 | google-reader-imported | No Comments
The WiFi Alliance, the organization that sets standards for WiFi is announcing new standards for a new technology that is aimed at increasing wireless speeds dramatically. Working with the Wireless Gigabit Alliance (WiGig) the new technology is not a replacement for WiFi, but an add-on or compliment to WiFi.
Supposedly due out in the next few years, WiGig has less range than WiFi and is targeted for the home and all that streaming of video and media that you do. The WiGig standard runs on the 60GHz spectrum and promises speeds of 7 gigabits per second.
Via The LA Times
Getting Started with digital forms – Infopath and Access 2010
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 | google-reader-imported | No Comments
One of the huge benefits of Tablet computing is the ability to extend digital work into the field. I think of the field as the frontier of personal computing. Currently, there are plenty of basic PDA solutions for field workers, but they often leave you going back to the car, truck, cart or the office to get any real work done on a PC.
Rugged Tablet PCs with digital ink input and outdoor screens can take all of the functionality you need right out to the point of sale, point of care, point of service or any other point that you have.
If you have a Microsoft Access or SQL server database that you use to collect data, you’re in luck because buried in Microsoft Office is a super simple way to collect data in the field with digital ink using Microsoft InfoPath. If you don’t use an access database you can still use this solution by linking to your data via ODBC.
To get started, you simply open a Table in your database and click on the “External Data” tab on the Ribbon (for Access 2010). Look for the “Collect Data” section and click on “Create E-mail”. 
Run through the wizard and select InfoPath… I’ll leave you to figure out the rest, but it is very straight forward for a reasonably tech savvy user. Feel free to post questions below.
Data is sent from the field via email through outlook. Replies are collected back in the office via a PC that is directly connected to your database.
The best part of it all is that you can collect your data with digital ink straight onto the form. No mucking around with the Tablet Input PaneI, just write on the form.
Voila! Your Access database is now field ready. Whilst I’ve demonstrated this in Office 2010, the same functionality exists in Office 2007 as long as you have InfoPath and Access.
From the Beta version of Office 2010, it looks as though InfoPath will come in a “viewer” and “designer” flavour which will hopefully reduce the licensing costs for InfoPath and drive adoption of the product.
President Obama warns of iPad, media misinformation, and stuff
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 | google-reader-imported | No Comments
President Obama took a big crap on the iPad at some school in Virginia yesterday. Or at least that’s the impression I got skimming headlines today. Something about media being a distraction or something like that. I don’t know. All I read was “iPad” and was hooked.
From his commencement speech at Hampton University via the Huffington Post:
“You’re coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don’t always rank that high on the truth meter,” he told the students. “And with iPods and iPads, and Xboxes and PlayStations — none of which I know how to work — information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation. So all of this is not only putting pressure on you; it’s putting new pressure on our country and on our democracy.”
Can you believe that? Blah, blah, blah, truth meter, blah, blah, blah, iPads, blah, blah, blah, diversion. That’s crazy, right? Outrageous that the president would waste time ranting about iPads and stuff rather than make a responsible statement against the current state of our 24/7 media cycle and the misinformation and distractions it spreads through our always-connected, mobile tech-enabled society. Thank goodness seasoned media is there to direct us to the real story hiding beneath talk of emancipation and empowerment and stuff with headlines like, “Obama Criticizes iPad During Commencement Speech”, ’cause that part’s really important. And now here is a video of a cat using an iPad.
P.S. Yes, that was irony, and so is the fact that media outlets have gone echo chamber, stuffing my feeds with this distracting diversion, exactly as the president warned. Or if this was on a message board: media outlets, YHBT. In case anyone cares, here are two links to responsible reporting on the speech.
Steep.it Times Your Tea Brewing for Perfect Flavor [Tea]
Tuesday, May 11th, 2010 | google-reader-imported | No Comments
Steep.it is a great looking web-based timer for timing tea brew time—though it could easily be used for French press coffee or any other steeped drink. More »
Tea - Food - Beverages - Shopping - Drink
