Apple iPad

So, I've taken my time, but I've finally decided to write about the iPad.  As you probably know from previous posts I was pretty excited about the release of the Apple iPad (Year of the Tablet & E-Reader). One of the reason's I've waited so long to post is that I wasn't sure what I thought about what Apple is releasing.  On some level I'm very please and think the iPad has great potential, but I'm also a little disappointed (here are the technical specs).  Let's look at the good and the bad:


The Good


Large screen - the iPad features a large 9.7" screen.  This increase in real estates makes it a huge plus over the iPod Touch & iPhone.  As you know I use these devices currently with my students, and some have trouble accessing them due the the size of the buttons, just too small.

Accessibility Options - the iPad will have the same accessibility options that the iPhone has which includes screen magnification, audio preview of items, white on black display, mono audio & closed captioned content.

The Price - $499 for a basic model with Wi-Fi, that's a great price point and not out of range for lots of people.  Most analysts expected it to be much higher ($999 or more).

The Access - for a small amount you can be constantly connected, $29 a month for unlimited 3G access. There's even a cheaper plan for 3G access.  The iPhone has created a culture of people who expect constant connectivity and the iPad is just going to fuel that need!  This may be the push to get better wireless standards adopted quicker - 4G or LTE.

The Apps - All of the 150,000 iPhone apps will work on the iPad (including Proloquo2go!).  They will work in a small form or you can stretch them to take the entire screen, but from what I've heard they do not look very good like that.  Also if you have already purchased the app, it will work on your iPad without having to purchase again.

The Bookstore - it's being called iBook and so far all the publishers are inline to provide content.  This is the area the iPad is going to excel.  This is going to be a device consume content on - books, TV shows, and movies.  I think Blio was specifically designed for this device in mind, but that's just my speculation!

The Speed - not having actually touched one I cannot fully attest to this - but I hear it's fast!  As fast as you PC or laptop, but that's not surprising because everything gets faster.  From the reports it makes the experience of using it very pleasant.


The Bad

No webcam - not sure on why they left this out, seemed like a very basic feature...

$130 for 3G - really it costs $130 to outfit a device with a small radio to pick up 3G signals?  Seems a little far fetched to me...

No Flash - the iPhone & iPod Touch have not suffered without Flash, but it is a very integral part of the web.  Until HTML5 becomes the standard this will be a problem for the iPad.

No video output - while not a critical feature, this would make it a great device to store some content and watch on a TV or projector.


My Thoughts
So, what conclusions have I come to?  First, I don't think I can make a real decision until I hold and use an iPad.  Second, it has potential, as a content consuming device (book reader, movie watcher, music, etc...).  Also as a communication device, with external speakers and Proloquo2go it would make a very interesting platform.  Third, I think the size makes a huge difference, the reason the iPod can be hard to use for many students is the size, this fixes that.  Fourth, we'll just have to wait and see.  There is no way to know if this device will take off or not, but I think I'll be waiting for the 2nd generation before I get one.


Patrick

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Pointscribe

One product that I had decided to check out at ATIA is Pointscribe.  I'd heard about it on the QIAT list and thought it sounded interesting.  Basically it's software for teaching handwriting.  Sounds simplistic, but it's more than that.  It has several very interesting features - it works with touchscreens & tablet computers (that work with pens). It includes auditory & visual feedback and can teach basic shapes/lines, and will move up to letters, numbers and even cursive.  You can even create own scripts and have kids trace over it.

At ATIA I took the opportunity to try out the program, it worked extremely well, was responsive, and was easy to use.  It worked well with both the pen from a tablet computer as well as using my finger on a Magic Touch screen.  You can download a free 30-day trial from Pointscribe - Free Trial.  At this time the program is only available for PC, but I'm told a Mac version is forthcoming.  Try out your copy today!

Patrick

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Apple Event

If you are eagerly awaiting Apple's next announcement (Jan 27, 10:00 PST) like I am, you may want to watch the action live! If you head over to the Technologizer blog you can watch the event as it happens - Apple Tablet Event. The blogs are abuzz that a Tablet device will be announced as well as new iPhone software, but we won't know until Jan. 27, so check it out!

Patrick

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Products for a Tablet?

Last week I published that this year might be the year of "The Tablet", and with the Consumer Electronics Show just ending there are no end to the number of Tablets that have been introduced. While none of them have all the features that the Mythical Apple Tablet might have, they are fully featured devices. One software piece that is needed is an e-reader. There are e-book readers, Stanza, Kindle for iPhone, Barnes & Noble e-reader, etc... they all lack certain features - text-to-speech, highlighting to name a couple.

Well, that all changes with Blio. Developed by Ray Kurzweil, creator of Kurzweil 3000 and pioneer in Optical Character Recognition, synthesizers, and lots of other things, Blio is a full color, full featured e-book reader (to be released in February)! Here are some posts on Blio:

First Look
Blio e-book reader

Interview with Ray Kurzweil


Some of the features include:
*multiple platform support - iPhone/iPod Touch, PC (sorry no Mac at this time), mobile devices, netbooks, etc...
*Full Color - it looks like a book, not just text like the Kindle
*embedded graphics, hyperlinks & video!!
*Text-to-Speech, with word highlighting
*adjustable font size & reading speed
*insert notes, drawing, images, video, or recording into your text
*over 1,000,000 free books available
*synchronization between platforms - so where you left off on your iPhone is updated to your laptop!

This software alone could make "The Tablet" a success. I can only imagine a world where every student has a tablet that they can customize, and use on a regular basis to read and help them! Blio could completely change the way we read books. I can imagine so many possibilities for this software and devices like "The Tablet"! I can't wait to see what happens!

Patrick

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The Year of the Tablet

Around the geek community it's been much discussed that Apple will soon be releasing a new product. Dubbed "The Tablet" there are many rumors, and thoughts about what this device may be. The basics are this - the device would be either 7 or 10 inches, full color screen, 3G & Wi-Fi connectivity, a forward facing camera, and tons of other possible components. One of the best thoughts about the device is from the Daring Fireball. And check out This Week in Tech episode 228 (around 3 min they talk about the Tablet)

So these are all rumors, but some seem more plausible than others. Most of the rumors center around a 10 inch device, so about the size of a piece of paper. That's a great size to view books, magazines and textbooks. They also focus on the fact that publishers have been contacted by Apple execs to see if they would be interested in publishing on a device like this. The implications for AT are large. Imagine a device that could read text, re-size text, and include graphics, videos, and interactive content. A textbook would be something interactive, and could include content from all over the internet. Textbooks are usually out of date before come out and have no way to make them more accessible (see Joe's Non-Netbook) this device would create something that could be changed at any time.

Connectivity is what everyone is looking for in devices these days (just look at the rise of the iPhone, Droid, etc...) and more than likely a Tablet would include 3G cellular service. Personally I'd love to see 4G or WiMax (broadband speed access spread over an entire city), but not sure that's a possibility due to limited coverage (only available in about 20 cities around the country). Now imagine an always on internet connection combined with Alexicomtech. Now you have a portable communication device, that can be changed as a child grows. Combine that with the ability to access the internet, and you have an amazing AAC device for any student.

Another rumor that seems to be prevalent is a forward facing camera. This would allow a person to hold the device and look into a camera, making video conferencing very easy. Programs like Skype are great, but they are tied to laptops and desktop computers. The iPhone has a Skype app, but you are limited to voice calling. I can imagine using "The Tablet" device for students to sit at their desk and contact other students, professionals, or friends.

I am really excited by the possibilities that 2010 seems to be bringing. I'll be looking forward to seeing what Apple might do (apparently they have reserved a space at the end of Jan. for a product announcement) and will post once something is announced! It's going to be an interesting year!

Patrick

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Touchbook

Karen Jankowski of EdTech Solutions announced a great product that will be shipping soon! The Touchbook is a netbook with many great features.
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