iPad in Education - Could this be revolutionary step in eLearning?

Apple recently announced that they would offer a new way of delivering textbooks to the iPad

Watch the video on video textbooks from the link above, it is quite exciting for the elearning and school systems as kids today are having trouble staying up to date and engaged in the classroom. It also opens up a brand new marketplace for selling learning content as apple is offering a free creation platform to make your own textbooks and sell them in apple's textbook store.

Coming from a technology and education background I couldn't be more excited to see this evolution happen. I always envisioned this may be possible with the iPad but to see it in action it's truly stunnning. I also encrouage you to watch the video episode below of iPad today talking about the subject as well.

Another interesting point is that iTunes U is also now an app where you can download lectures from the most prestigius universities in the world. Having access to the most brilliant minds and their teachings for free? You have got to be kidding right? NO! Go to the iTunes app store and look up iTunes U. Absolutley amazing, now they get downloaded to you iPad.

Do you have knowlege in something interesting? If you own a Mac and have extra time, download iBooks Autor and create your own textbook. The information and knowlege revolution is upon us. As the iPad is more integrated in our lifestyle, I can see more and more how this will help connect our world together with the best knowedge our society has to offer. 

Upgrade Your MacBook Air Memory

Bought a macbook air from 2010 or 2011? Angry that your out of memory, or speed isn't as fast as you thought? Otherworld computing sells upgrades for your SSD (Solid State Drive).

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Why you should be concerned about the Playstation Network being hacked

If you haven't heard now there was a slight (I mean major) problem with the playstation network April 20th, it was hacked! Officials learned days before a hacker stole personal information from its 77 million users.

Yes you read right 77 MILLION people's Name's, Birthdays, email address' and basic login information (address, phone, username, password, and possibly Credit Card info) was compromised for players using its PlayStation Network (PSN). That includes me, I by having a playstation 3 and being on their network is quite certainly on that list.

So what does this mean to everyone NOT on the playstation network?This should be a warning that even Sony, on of the top technologically adept companies is not immune from online intrusions. I'm not too surprised, but they will not be the first or last on that list of corporate hacking casualties moving forward. The good thing is that this will be an example for others to see how things CAN go terribly wrong, then LEARN how to avoid the massive security and PR hit if something like this happens to a Fortune 1000 company.

What can WE do to learn from this? In this world today where Facebook is basically auctioning off your life to the highest bidder, and membership sites are getting profile information hacked... we have to keep a fresh perspective. Like Spiderman's uncle Ben said, "with great power, comes great responsibly" Not every company will always take responsibility for their shortcomings, for every Sony in the news, there are likely hundreds of online stores hacked every month.

Were still living in the infancy of the internet and the new information age. Here is a good example; in the early 1900's when the automobile became popular, there was no car insurance, seat-belts, even driver's licences. The drivers license was actually invented in 1915 by Jim Jordan when he was injured by an underage child driving a car recklessly. The Supreme Court finally passed it in 1923. It took almost a century to perfect the automobile, the infrastructure, and a few generations of humans getting used to the whole idea. The internet is in the same place! Were all getting used to the internet being a CONSTANT part of our lives, not knowing that it's really only about 20 years old. Remember we had Cars around for 20 years before anyone had to even get a licence!

Times they are a changin'. I love Bob Dylan, and he was right, technology and the way of life we see online is now in hyperdrive, so what do we do? We're all sucked into this vortex... do we dare get out, or just ride it out? Here are my 4 easy steps to avoid over-thinking this whole thing and go back to living life:

#1, Get some type of credit card or identify theft protection and check your bank statments. Banks are pretty good about calling you when there is a lot of activity on big purchases these days, but you may not notice that $25 charge every other month. Banking online is OK, it IS about the most secure thing you can do online these days. It is convenient to just log in once a month or so and review all you most recent activities from the month. As a technologist I embrace the convenience, banks have the most to lose in a case of a security breech, so they spend the most money protecting and insuring themselves.

#2, Try and reduce the amount of Credit Cards, Bank accounts, and other credit places of your life. Less is more, keep it simple. Part of the reason why people get robbed is that they have too many places to review every month so they don't even try. If you sign up for a new credit account, or open a new bank account, try to close an old one to make up for it. Otherwise you are creating more work for yourself.

#3, Create and use 3 sets of passwords. This one seams a bit silly, but so true. Start training your kids to setup a standard password system, when they grow up they will have to remember many passwords every day so get organized. I recommend you put your passwords in 3 categories: basic, work, and financial.

Basic Passwords: This is a password you should use for everyday websites like the playstation network, amazon, ebay, yahoo. It does not mean it shouldn't contain letters and numbers, but IF one of these websites get's hacked your going to be ok because there is not banking connections to them. "what about ebay or amazon?" your asking "they have the ability to make purchases in your name". Well, they also have insurance and if they or you get hacked, you can always call their customer service and get any purchases revoked quite easily if you tell them about the security breech.

Work Passwords: DON'T MIX PASSWORDS FROM HOME WITH WORK, often times you may have to give out your work password to a college, or frequently change it because they make you. Using your Basic or Financial Passwords will either cause you to eventually have to tell an IT guy or work partner your password to your life, just to they can help you fix a virus or login to your profile.

Financial Passwords: These are the passwords that are most important, they are usually the longest and hardest to figure out, UPPERCASE lowercase, numbers, symbols, yikes! Yes, you can create one master password here, but only use it to login to your credit card, mortgage, bank account, investor accounts. Anything  you can transfer money in and out of from. Don't use it for facebook, that is by far most frequently hacked password these days.

There are many ways to STORE all these passwords, the best way i have found is to use a hand written notebook (it is more likely a thief will get your passwords off your computer than off your desk), consider using a password program like RoboForm or Password Safe. Of course another safe place is to store it in your head. Here is a great article in the NY Times on passwords.

#4, Never respond to an email asking to update or change your password for "security purposes". Banks or Paypal will NEVER ask you to change your password via email. This is a clear attempt to send you to a fake website that looks just like your banks, and when you enter in your username and password and it will give it directly to them. Check the addressbar, it should always read your banks web address.com. The email they give you in those scams will not always take you to the same address that shows in the hyperlink. Bottom line, always use the addressbar to type in bankofamerica.com instead of clicking a link in some email. 99.9% of the time, you will never have to change your password once it has been set anyway, so any email asking you to do so should always be a red flag.

Remember, if you get hacked or your credit card is stolen and used, most banks and credit card companies will refund your the same or next day in most cases of fraud. Be nice to their customer service people and tell them the truth. Have them re-issue you another card witha new number. If you shop online a lot, it's not all that uncommon, so don't think it's the end of the world... it happens every day, take a deep breath and call them... talking to someone will ease your frustration and fear as well as assure you it gets done. Sometimes changing your credit card number is a good thing, it causes you to re-evaluate all those companies setup on a re-occurring charge which could save you some cash in the long run anyway.

Apple Poised for World Padination?

So it now seams commonplace that, we all wait every other month for Apple to release it's latest device that we all want... even before we have even seen it, held it, or even checked our bank account to see if we can afford it! Somehow Steve Jobs is able to walk on stage and throw down the 50,000 pound Thor Hammer that is the "next awesome" thing we won't be able to live without for the next 8 months.

Apple aside there was a lot of big developments in the tablet space this year. Motorola has a wonderful Xoom tablet, Blackberry has one now, and even HP's doesn't seam too shabby. But hey with 90% (yes i said 90%!) of the tablet market going to Apple's iPad (they invented the space a year ago, I would hope they could keep a hold of it up until now) we all now await what is in the apple store for us tech junkies.

Let me begin to generalize a bit. What is a tablet? Will I really use it? And is it for everyone? I will begin to answer these 3 most important questions.

What is a tablet? A tablet is a thin, light, ultra portable computer that is larger and more powerful than a cell phone (Most can actually make and receive calls) and less bulky and expensive than a laptop. Remember netbooks? Yes, their dead now. Feel free to go ahead and throw them on the heap of smoldering newspaper subscriptions, AAA maps, and blockbuster video cards that we are all now so glad to see out of our lives. I had a kid knock on my door tonight and try to sell me a newspaper subscription to the chronicle. HA!! I gave him $10 NOT to put me on their list. I should have told him he should try selling iPad apps to get to college. Back to tablets, sorry... So a tablet is something like a notepad that you can take to meetings, but also on vacation. You can take it to a baseball game to keep score & watch replays, or to class to record a lecture. A tablet is up to the owner to what it's real purpose is, and that is the real beauty. It's anything and everything we always never knew we needed.

Will I really use it? At first it when I got one, it was the worlds greatest pooping device. I never went to the bathroom without it. From games like Angry Birds, or surfing internet sites, I began to realize this thing could work pretty well in business too. Walking into a meeting, I leave the laptop in the car and only carry in my tablet. It's easier to carry, take notes, show examples, view presentations, do research, etc. If you don't know why you need one, but have one anyway... just take it with you, everywhere you go. You will be surprised how often it replaces a laptop in its so many ways throughout the day. Hey it's not perfect, I'm writing this article on my laptop, but the world is rapidly seeing just how ultimate technology at your fingertips is now a complete reality!

Apps are here to stay. When so many people bought that first palm treo, it was a game changer. A all-in-one phone that now semi-replaced a laptop. Email, text messaging, universal contacts, calendar, and even light web surfing was now in a pocket. But that was really it, no-one was using the palm app store to buy apps. It was practically impossible to buy them in the first place. The apple/android marketplace has now given the world a wonderful dose of American ingenuity and invention. Have any problem? Someone has likely written an app to solve it. I'm constantly amazed how many apps truly change my way of life and perception solving problems and retrieving information. So rightfully when tablets stepped up to the plate we now really see the apps true purpose, "to boldly go where you never thought you could with integrating technology & lifestyle"

Is it really for everyone? As a true geek I find it important to always push the comfortable limits of my daily life to see if i can replace certain aspects with tablet technology. In some ways its a success (finding cheap plane tickets, converting currency, sharing photos of my son) and in others not so much (to-do lists, shopping for clothes, finding the nearest/cheapest parking space). All in all, I consider myself a "crash test dummy" with technology, slamming into the technical wall so you don't have to. With tablet technology there are the 3 S', smart, social, and sexy.

Smart, carry one around... you feel smarter, you have the power of the internet with you at all times. Whether your just checking the news and weather, or looking up that trivia question, the internet provides humans with a collective intelligence that is instantly honest and it is silly for my NOT to want that with me at all times.

Social, "phones are personal, tablets are social" with the larger screen it now is something you can share with others. "Hey, check this out" "Let's take a look at..." Tables are able to cross the personal boundrys where multiple fingers can interact and contribute.

Sexy, "paper is so 20th century" the new camera in the iPad 2 means not only can you take notes at lunch, you can record the conversation to review later, snap a photo of the lunch receipt to write off, review the hamburger you just ate, and sign the contact with a finger. Just make sure you wipe the mustard off before touching the screen, it's 21st century etiquette :)

Verizon SchmeiPhone Launched!

So the much anticipated Verizon iPhone was launched this week. I went out and got one on launch day. For those of you not in the "know" about this controversial subject, let me fill you in....

a&tt/Cingular signed a 5 year exclusivity agreement with apple in 2007. 

An ongoing California class-action lawsuit filed in 2007 claims that Apple and AT&T illegally exerted a monopoly over iPhone service by telling customers the iPhone's required service contract was two years long when the Apple / AT&T exclusivity deal was actually for five years -- thus requiring buyers to re-up with AT&T for three years (and not, say, T-Mobile) if they wanted to keep using the iPhone. Obviously Apple had to respond to these allegations, and in addition to arguing that no one was ever promised an unlocked iPhone after two years, the company's lawyers repeatedly confirm the existence of the five-year agreement while noting it was publicly reported in USA Today.

So because at&t was the only company with the iPhone, problems arose as more and more iPhones sprung up throughout the US, especially in major cities like the bay area. Eventually the towers carrying all those calls would fill up and have to either do one of two things: drop the circuit, or pass your call on to another tower. This was not a good thing for at&t's 3G gsm technology which although a bit faster than cdma (verizon/sprint), was not built for that much traffic.

Dropped calls on at&t's network was very typical and unpredictable. I remember so many days driving home through San Francisco and as soon as I got into the city my call would drop. Because of the iPhone's popularity, thousands and perhaps millions of people who all want the same phone were stuck with at&t's crummy network. The birth of the Verizon iPhone was a long awaited rumor even since 2008 when the 3G model came out and began its revolutionary technology trail of demand and attention.

Now on to my review: My new verizon iPhone so far is GREAT! 3 first reactions, it's exactly the same as the at&t model that came out in July but with some differences:

1. The service works! I drive everywhere on the phone and in 3 days and a few 1 hour+ calls have not dropped one call yet.
2. You can't surf the internet while talking, had this happen to me once now too. Driving on the phone, need to get driving directions, google maps doesn't work without internet so had to finish my conversation before getting online to find the address. Verizon says they will have an update that will ALLOW this in the spring, so look for that ViPhone users. NOTE: With Verizon you will have UNLIMITED data, unlike At&t who is now capping their data plan to 2GB/mo.
3. You can pay extra per month for a feature called "personal hotspot" it will allow you to share the verizon internet connection with up to 5 computers via wifi, it will cost an extra $20/month. This is similar to at&t's tethering package but only allows a wired connection with one computer. (If you jailbreak the phone with GreenPois0n & download/buy the MiWi application you can do the same thing for a $20 one time fee, I just did it and it works great!)

Well, on to my final opinion; Verizon was anticipating a large launch event with daunting lines at every store filled with angry at&t customers eager to get am iphone that would work. They didn't get those long lines and crazy media attention they might have expected but they did fill up their preorders and have converted many frustrated bay area residents. Because the iPhone 4 is exactly the same and doesn't really offer much more than the last at&t launch, there wasn't much sizzle in this story.

The bottom line is... if you like making phone calls consistently and have the money or contract freedom to switch from at&t to verizon, it was worth it for me. Verizon is primarily a cell phone company, and they are way ahead of at&t with their LTE/4G rollout of the new faster network. In the future... the verizon customers will have the upperhand with coverage reliability and network speed. At&t does also plan on a 4G rollout, but not until 2012. Long after a new 4G iPhone will be released and on the market.