The iPad surely holds the current title as the leading personal sized multipurpose digital device of all time.
A category possibly began by the Newton? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton_(platform)
I personally would never get an iPad for a kid. They will do fine with a Touch for a lot less money. iPads are for the whole family, or older users that want to cross the digital divide without all the tech mumbo jumbo of computers. Good vision and great dexterity, required on the ipod Touch, are not necessities on the much larger surface of the iPad.
An app paradigm enforces simple, discreet, focused applications. Priced at free, or not a whole lot of money each, they allow people to focus on what they want to do, instead of the technology that may be required to do it.
A full fledged laptop or even a netbook may be able to do most of this, but not nearly as simply or to the same level of user interface quality. Portability and battery life are other considerations that favor the iPad. And the possibilities are just beginning to be explored. This affordable, medium sized touch screen has only been out a few months, expect more great things as the technology matures.
An internet connection is required for some, but by no means all of these features.
Alarm Clock --Built in, Calendar with alarms
Audio mixer --App http://www.groovemaker.com/ipad/features/ Free and $9.99 versions
Audio player -- see iPod
Audio recorder --App, Voice Memo http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/voice-memos-for-ipad/id364295267 $1.98
Calculator --App Pcalc http://www.pcalc.com/iphone/index.html $9.99 or free lite version
Computer Terminal Display --App iSSH http://www.zinger-soft.com/iSSH_features.html $9.99
Computer Productivity Suite --Apps, numerous, including MS file types -- http://www.dataviz.com/products/documentstogo/iphone/index.html?device_id=735 $14.99
Computer Monitor , Second Screen --App, Air Display http://avatron.com/apps/air-display/ $9.99
Dictation machine --App, Dragon dictation http://www.nuance.com/news/pressreleases/2010/20100402_iPad.asp Free -- Internet connection required
Digital Picture Frame --Built in
Doodling
Finger Painting -- http://www.phonedog.com/2010/04/16/ipad-app-review-doodle-buddy/
Etch-a-Sketch/drawing tablet -- http://www.techeblog.com/index.php/tech-gadget/incredible-beyonce-ipad-finger-painting
eReader , for viewing and reading, or have text read aloud to you. --Built in
--Apps are many, digital Yellow Pages are free, internet connection required -- http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/white-yellow-pages/id349502924 Free
Fax machine --App, http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/fax-print-share-for-ipad/id363282155 $8.99 + per fax charges
Game Controller with wii like motion sensor
--Apps, too numerous to count, cards, chess, right on up to modern day
-- http://www.tuaw.com/2010/05/25/tchess-pro-for-ipad-is-very-very-good/
Gaming Display for multiple devices --App http://www.padracers.com/ $4.99
iPod --Built in, audio, video player
Lighting and special effects
--From free to whatever you want to pay, flashlight, strobes, etc.
Mobile email and Web browsing --Built in, wifi standard, 3g cellular service option
Music player -- See iPod
Navigation System , Maps are built in, require internet connection.
--App, http://www.alk.com/it/copilot/ipad/ $29.99
PDA/PIM Personal Information Manager, Simple Version --Built in
--Works with Exchange http://www.apple.com/ipad/business/
PDA/PIM Complex Too numerous to count
--For example works with Sharepoint http://southlabs.com/detail.aspx?id=SharePlus $9.99
Remote Control for Home Entertainment
--App http://itunes.apple.com/app/remote/id284417350 Free
--Apps to control many popular home media solutions
Thumb Drive , mobile file storage -- Built in, requires custom setup in iTunes
Touch Screen Display
--App, home automation http://www.perceptiveautomation.com/indigo/touch.html Controls other hardware and software.
--App Malaysia Airlines http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/25/malaysia-airlines-now-offers-ipad-check-in-video/
Walkie Talkie or Intercom --App http://iphonemart.net/application/bluetooth-walkie-talkie/ 99 cents
Weather Station --App http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/the-weather-channel-max-for/id364252504 Free, ad supported
A phone dialer, like the ones you could hold up to any handset, does that simple touch tone tech work any more? If so, it would be handy to output the tones through the iPad speaker to dial numbers from any phone. Could not find that capability anywhere, if it is available. Possibly there is no longer need in the cell phone world of today.
Roughly $3,000 worth of electronic paraphernalia if purchased individually. Likely nobody needs them all, but by replacing just a few, the cost of the iPad may be largely offset. All built into one thin package with excellent tech support for the hardware and basic operating system. Mobile life tech support showdown results at http://www.laptopmag.com/mobile-life/tech-support-showdown-2010.aspx?page=15 And remember, it has only been four months after first release. The best is yet to come, as software matures based upon how people actually use the device.
The iPad gives a simplified pathway to digital media in an increasingly digital world. Nobody needs to know, nobody need care whether it is a device or a computer. -- http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/ipad_the_first_real_family_computer.php
iPad home page -- http://www.apple.com/ipad/business
The real magic is how quickly innovation begets innovation, as decision makers are given an "awesome" new tool that allows thinking outside the box. Then the focus turns squarely toward improving the flow of information, outside of classic Information Technology constraints.
The question is no longer "how to input xx into a spreadsheet". It is how best to track the number of bolts in bin 21.
DRY
The old database mantra of DRY, Don't Repeat Yourself, comes to mind immediately.
The current, soon to be classic way, repeat yourself. Buy everyone a spreadsheet, teach everyone how to use a spreadsheet. Try to figure out a way they can all collaborate with their spreadsheets.
The new way, real time updates of just the critical piece of information needed.
Information transfer can now be in the simplest formats for provider and consumer. Use email or a lightweight Web form. Fill it out just in time. Post it wherever needed on the network. The information is immediately available, has traveled the shortest path to get there, and is not duplicated elsewhere.
From that point, with all info digital, data is easily archived, searched, and transferred as needed. Data management finally gets simpler than pen and paper, instead of so complex that nobody knows for sure what the heck is going on.
Data as data.
Use plain text, an email, a video chat, whatever works for the worker .
Some of the financially oriented types may still want to put some of this data into a spreadsheet. Nothing wrong with that.
But there is no longer a need to force everyone into learning and using spreadsheets just because that is the only thing the financial types understand.
There is no longer a need for archaic duplications of user interfaces, softwares, training. Productivity gains should be noticeable, as the burden of artificially imposed data management practices is lifted from the shoulders of people who just want to do their jobs.
We will look back on these days and wonder how people ever got anything done. All the time wasted working on computers, when all that was needed was the right devices and some architectural information management.
How much Apple can a shoe box hold?
A lot. Apple is a devices and innovation company above all else.
First in is the Mini Server
A terabyte of storage and full server capabilities including file, database, email, Web serving, and podcast producing all on an unlimited client access license.
http://www.apple.com/macmini/server/
Next the Touch and Nano
The Touch can do about 95 percent of what most people need in the way of information technology, and is easily slipped into a pocket. Unlike the iPhone, no camera is included. Also no long term service contracts! Other than that, much the same device. At least until the new iPhone starts shipping.
-- http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/
The Nano is an engineering feat that any manufacturer would be hard pressed to match.
8 or 16 gigs of digital media storage for music, video, photos, and podcasts. Also:
- Voice memos
- A pedometer
- Built in microphone and speakers
- Video camera with special effects
- FM radio tuner with live pause and resume
- Stop watch
- Alarms
- Calendar
- World Clocks
- Address book
- Notes
And a real pretty little screen in a package that weighs less than two ounces.
-- http://www.apple.com/ipodnano/
The inevitable iPad
A pretty good stack of them can fit in a shoebox with Touches and Nano's and Mini. In this setting, it becomes obvious how well an iPad fits where nothing else does, device-wise. Big enough, but small enough. -- http://www.apple.com/ipad/
Cloud computing with server and clients, within the form factor of a shoe box.
Macbook Pro is a Monster
Pictured is a 15" model. It will not fit. Laptops are kind of taking over the old roles of workstations. They are a nice form factor with a real keyboard and major processing power.. Carry it in one arm, a shoe box in the other, and be ready for just about any information challenge or just having fun.
By definition, there is only one easiest way to do anything.
Long standing open publishing leader lulu.com appears to have the easiest way of getting content into the iBookstore.
Apple
For the Apple way, start here..
-- https://itunesconnect.apple.com/WebObjects/iTunesConnect.woa/wo/0.0.0.5.7.7.1
Lulu
For lulu, start here..
-- http://www.lulu.com/apple-ipad-publishing/
Lulu is the brainchild of Red Hat Software co-founder Bob Young. Bob Young's accomplishments and dreams are outlined in a recent blog post on localtechwire.com, where local refers to the Research Triangle Park area of North Carolina.
-- http://localtechwire.com/business/local_tech_wire/opinion/blogpost/7519260/
Enterprise Content
Getting enterprise content onto the iPad, without going through anybody's store or application procedures, is easier still. The easist way IMHO is using Calibre as the <your format> to epub intermediary. Details here..
-- http://ipliance.com/index.php/eng/Blog/Roll-Your-Own-iBooks-for-the-iPad
iBooks in List View on an iPad
Very intriguing to me, how users can change the virtual interface in real time to suit their needs. Web 2.0 started it, HTML5 embraces it. Signs of a fifth generation information technology where users will change the environment to suit their needs in real time.
Point, click, boom! You just blew up the HTML canvas right where you were pointing. The canvas in this instance is an animated movie.
A neat way for users to interact with the virtual environment using the html5 Canvas tag. Demo by the folks at craftymind.com. Don't worry, the video will slowly re-assemble as it progresses. See the video in action here.. http://craftymind.com/factory/html5video/CanvasVideo.html
Recommended for the latest Webkit browsers only, tested and works great with Safari 4.0.5 on a Mac. Google Chrome is another webkit browser option.
Update Feb 2011: Almost a year has passed, where are the developers? All in iOS?
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Video from Big Buck Bunny
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Video from Big Buck Bunny
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Video from Big Buck Bunny
"In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is." -- Yogi Berra
Google translate for fast simple Web page translations -- http://translate.google.com/
In this case, an Apple-eZ Publish conference in Norway.
Before..
Apple and eZ Publish in Norway
After plugging the url into google translate..
Apple and eZ Publish in Norway - English Translation
Just that simple.
More..
US Government Language Courses in the Public Domain -- http://fsi-language-courses.org/Content.php
- Starting with a Mac with Snow Leopard installed.
- Open a flash video in the pre-installed media viewer, Quicktime 10.
- From the main Quicktime menu, Share->iTunes.
- The list of choices is based upon the quality of the input video. If choices are grayed out, it is because the video resolution of the source is too low to support the format.
Thats it! Next time an iPod, iPhone, or iPad is connected, synchronization with iTunes pushes the video onto the device.
Flash Video to iTunes Conversion
Notes
iPhone size is the best choice for the iPad.
"AppleTV" sized video transfers from iTunes and plays on the iPad. But TV format requires far more storage space, with little or no improvement in video quality.
"Computer" sized video will not transfer from iTunes to the iPad.
iPod size is best for iPad
Go look in a mirror. If you see a bunch of venture capitalists with $$$ signs in their eyes, or the mythical pack of SEO (search engine optimization) gurus, please report back.
For years I have been preaching Web presence as the key marketing function of the future.
The Web is the always on, 24x7x365, multimedia channel that offers shortest path information for exactly what users seek at any given place and time.
When people seek information about your ideas, organization, company, products or services, they are going to find something. No doubt about that. With 200 million sites and growing, it is a constant battle for "eyeballs and enthusiasm". It does not matter what the idea, industry, trade, or profession, the Web is important today, and growing in importance daily. What people discover can be at least in some small part under your control. In the ideal situation it is totally under your control. All this is news to very few.
Tell Me Something I Don't Already Know
What is newsworthy, is just how simple it is to start taking control of the message. The Web was originally built for interpersonal shortest path communications. In the words of the original designer "I designed it for a social effect — to help people work together — and not as a technical toy. The ultimate goal of the Web is to support and improve our weblike existence in the world ." -- Tim Berners-Lee in "Weaving The Web"
The Web can still work that way today. Here's another news flash, getting back to the core concepts may work even better today than it has in a whole lot of years.
Too Much Stuff
The cacophony of "stuff" on the Web, the social networking, the search engine battles, the this and the that, is leading people back to the original concept of shortest path interpersonal communication. It is just human nature.
I go to the internet seeking information. I prefer to get that information as quickly and with as little interruption as possible. Then on to the next piece of required information.
Everything else is clutter. Sure the Web has it's share of pleasant diversions. But when I am ready to make a decision or research something of importance to my life, I just want the facts as quickly and painlessly as possible.
It is Time to Take Control
An article in Lifehacker* discussing how each person can exercise control over their personal Web presence was the inspiration for this post. Yet these principles apply even more strongly to businesses. By waiting, many are letting their rightful presence get taken away from them by others.
Now is the time to start taking control. Combine the founding principles of the Web, with modern tools, and create a great Web presence that rises to the occasion when potential clients come knocking.
PS: Who Controls the Search Box?
Did you know you can be in control of the search box for your site? Type "Web" into the search box above and hit enter for an example that searches the lakedata.net site.
Consider that searches that do not return results, are logged for future reference.
Discovering what visitors seek and do not find is an excellent method for determining future directions and enhancing online identity.
*Lifehacker article:
Jason Fitzpatrick -- http://lifehacker.com/5531465/establish-and-maintain-your-online-identity
This was on the old lakedata.net site. Moved here and put in same location so links and bookmarks set by others still work.
http://lakedata.net/sounds/tad-does-dying-woodpecker-sceery.mp3
- It can be automated at the tiniest levels. Get just the info needed, from-to, anywhere needed.
- The Web was originally designed for direct user-to-user communications.
- There are simple metrics that anyone (even your competitors) can use to gauge your Web penetration and presence.
- Many fine Web developers prefer shortest path communications and working directly with business decision makers.
- Small organizations is where most Web innovation occurs. Google, two guys, Facebook, one guy, Twitter two guys, etc
- Big media style advertising is boring and in the way if not pertinent to the information currently sought.
- Spam was the original Web advertising
- The best search engine optimization is having the site content users want to see.
- A Web site is seldom a finished product.
- The Web is the least expensive way ever to provide key information 24x7x365