mobile, nokia

Toshiba reveals plans for mini-book

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It would appear Toshiba (the originator of the classic Libretto small form factor laptop) is looking at the mini-book market.

From PC Authority:

The notebook giant is planning an ultra low-cost portable to join the ranks of the Eee PC and MSI Wind (though not necessarily a direct competitor, they say).

Officials won’t reveal details, yet, but they are showing a prototype of a device they’ve created to spur development ideas. The tiny handheld (shown in the main pic below) reminded us more of a UMPC than a notebook, with the keyboard ditched in favour of a touchscreen keyboard.

Toshiba reveals plans for mini-book

Looks interesting, more like the Nokia N810 rather than a true UMPC.

For me Windows Vista is not really the best operating system for these internet devices, a bit too much power and as a result poor battery life and lots of heat!

flickr

So you want to know about Flickr…

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I have been meaning to write a blog post on Flickr for some time now.

So you want to know about Flickr...

Well now I don’t need to as TASI have done an excellent guide on Flickr.

This document looks at the ways you can use Flickr and some of its associated tools and services to help organise a collection of images.

Whether you have a small number of photographs you would like to share privately with a few colleagues, or a larger collection you need to make more widely available, Flickr offers a possible alternative to setting up an in-house image database.

I found it very interesting and learnt a lot from it. One interesting fact was the way in which other institutions and museums are now using Flickr to host digital collections.

You can view my Flickr images here.

mobile

Intel says “world of mobile internet devices is set to explode”

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Intel says world of mobile internet devices is set to explode

BBC reports on research carried out on behalf of Intel says that we will see a huge increase in the use of mobile internet devices.

The world of mobile internet devices is set to explode in the next four years says chip maker Intel.

Research carried out for the company suggests portable net-enabled devices will grow to 1.2 billion by 2012 as the need to be connected increases.

Intel’s predictions were unveiled as it launched a series of chips designed for portable web-browsing gadgets.

I certainly find I am using the internet on mobile devices more then ever.

I expect that learners will also be doing the same as devices get cheaper and smaller; and (importantly) internet access gets cheaper too.

apple, iphone, ipod touch

MacBook touch (perhaps?)

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Okay this is a rumour, which basically means that it may have absolutely no foundation in truth and is just purely a figment of someone’s imagination.

It is rumoured (did I say this was a rumour) that Apple in October may be releasing a MacBook touch.

MacBook touch (perhaps?)

This product would have the touch interface of the iPhone and the iPod touch with the capability of a proper MacBook.

Gizmodo quotes MacDailyNews:

Think MacBook screen, possibly a bit smaller, in glass with iPhone-like, but fuller-featured multi-touch. Gesture library. Full Mac OS X. This is why they bought P.A. Semi. Possibly with Immersion’s haptic tech. Slot-loading SuperDrive. Accelerometer. GPS.

I would certainly like to see an Apple Tablet type device.

e-book, kindle, sony

Sony’s Reader to be available in the UK

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Here in the UK we have been unable to get hold of Amazon’s Kindle we will soon be able to get hold of Sony’s Reader for eBooks.

Reader doesn’t have to replace your traditional books – it’s just a new way of enjoying reading. With Reader you can carry far more books with you wherever you go, so whatever mood takes you you’ll have a book that fits it. And using Reader couldn’t be simpler:

When you buy a Reader, install the supplied software on your computer, connect Reader to it with the cable provided and voila! Create and manage your eBook library on your PC and transfer your eBooks to Reader exactly like you do with your music on your mp3 player.

Need a new book? Choose from around 25 000 titles available from waterstones.com the online store of Britain’s best-loved bookseller. Simply buy the ones you want and import them into your PC’s Reader library.

Store up to 160 books at a time on your Reader. If you’re a real bookworm add to your collection and store thousands more using a Sony Memory Stick Duo™ or SD memory card.

Bookmark pages or magnify text on a page; Reader will also remember where you last left off – even if you don’t.

It’s slim and light so you can take it with you wherever you go and the long battery life means you can enjoy nearly 7000 page turns without recharging – that’s like reading War and Peace five times over.

Reader (model PRS-505) will be available from early September.

So why would you want to use an eBook reader?

Well though you can use eBooks on a regular computer or laptop, the battery life on eBook readers is a lot longer and therefore will probably last the week unlike a laptop which would probably only last the morning.

Thanks Engadget.

blog, iphone, ipod touch

WordPress App on the iPod touch

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As you may have already seen, with the new WordPress App for the iPhone and the iPod touch, it is possible to easily blog from the iPhone or the iPod.

Wordpress App on the iPod touch

The interface is not fantastic, though having looked a little more into it, if you had an iPhone (it has a camera) you can add photos quite easily; from the iPod touch you can only (obviously) use images stored on the device.

Wordpress App on the iPod touch

I am reasonably impressed with the app and if it allows me to blog more easily and more often then that can only make my blog better (or will it).

blog, iphone, ipod touch

Posting from my iPod touch

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With the release of firmware 2.0 for the iPhone and iPod touch you can now install third party applications on your device.

One which has just been released is a WordPress app which allows you to write and publish blog entries from your iPhone or iPod touch as I am doing now.

Seems to work well so far.

Though it has to be said that typing on an iPod touch is not fantastic, and without copy and paste means you can’t copy stuff from another application or the web.

stuff

CherryPal launches $249 cloudy mini PC

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Is this the future of home computing?

CherryPal launches $249 cloudy mini PC

A small $249 box with access to the web (and 50GB of online storage).

The Register reports that:

Start-up CherryPal is taking pre-orders today for its partly cloudy “desktop” that mashes web-hosted computing, going green, open source, and social networking into a 10 ounce box.

The (self-titled) CherryPal systems are $249, and surprisingly won’t require a monthly subscription despite the fact that most of its storage capacity and several of its features hosted in the cloud.

CherryPals are thinned-down computers running an ultra-low power chip from Freescale. They’ve got 256MB memory and 4GB solid-state capacity.

The future of computing?

What do you think?

psp

Say goodbye to the computer mouse

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According to a Gartner survey we are going to see the end of the computer mouse in the next three to five years.

The BBC reports:

It’s nearly 40 years old but one leading research company says the days of the computer mouse are numbered.

A Gartner analyst predicts the demise of the computer mouse in the next three to five years.

Taking over will be so called gestural computer mechanisms like touch screens and facial recognition devices.

With devices such as the Wii remote and the PlayStation cameras which allow you to interact with the game visually I can understand where this report is coming from.

However…

We are still using the keyboard aren’t we?

Say goodbye to the computer mouse

news and views on e-learning, TEL and learning stuff in general…