by David Lee King on January 28, 2010
I don’t attempt to predict stuff very often, but I think this one’s safe – I think Apple’s new iPad is most definitely a game changer.
Why? Because it combines so many things into one handy, easy-to-use device. Just watching the video about the iPad and poking around on the website a bit, you find out all that the iPad will supposedly do, including:
- web browsing
- email
- photo viewing
- watch videos (even YouTube videos)
- listen to music (it has iTunes built in)
- buy and read ebooks
- a cool map
- note taking
- a calendar
- Contacts list
- iWork (Apple’s answer to Microsoft Office) is rebuilt for the iPad, so you have word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation software
- The App Store works here, too, which opens up 140,000 apps that all do different things
And of course, it’s multi-touch. So instead of having to use a mouse or keyboard shortcuts to operate the thing … you just touch the screen. I’m just amazed that Apple seemingly rolled up a Microsoft Surface, a tablet PC, a video player, a netbook, an iPod, and an ebook reader, and came out with something light, cool, and truly unique. Except maybe the name – sorry Apple, but the iPad is a silly name.
Apple could turn this thing into a student’s best friend. Instead of carrying a heavy backpack around, students could use the iPad to carry all their textbooks (assuming Apple partners with textbook companies), any multimedia they need to watch, their word processor to write papers (or they could just use Google Docs via a wifi connection), multiple ways to take notes, communicate to classmates and teachers via email/IM/Facebook/Skype/etc. And still have their favorite photos, their grand music collection, and a couple of fun games with them, too.
How about for libraries? Think Reference Desk and roving reference here. It’s the same price as a netbook laptop. But probably easier to carry around, easier to show stuff to people, easier to make the text larger for people who need larger text (you just touch and stretch the screen with your fingers to make the text larger – just like an iPhone). And has a 178 degree viewing angle, so it would work well to show stuff to patrons.
Game changer? I think so … or maybe I’m just gushing at the cool new toy. What do you think?
Tagged as:
apple,
ebooks,
ereader,
ipad,
tablet
by David Lee King on April 1, 2009
Ben Smith, Sheryl Bai, someone else…, Aaron Schmidt
First up – Handhelds at UCHC School of Medicine
PDA Program:
- PDAs supported by the library since 2001
- Library purchased PDAs for staff
- Did an in-service class for staff
- did some student and faculty training, too
Ben:
Current PDA Initiative:
meet with faculty, then test handhelds, create instructions.
Train students so they can be a resource to ther students. Cool.
They hold PDA clinics, help them install apps, etc.
Considerations:
- which handheld platform?
- Windows Mobile 2003 or Mobile 5?
- Smartphones?
- They’re limited because they’ve developed stuff on Windows Mobile platform, so they have to use those…
Smartphones:
- two devices in one
- cheaper
- you have a phone contract too – have to make sure students understand this
- screen resolution can be worse on a smartphone (aside – I love my iPhone)
- not all have touch screen functionality
Handy software utilities:
- dotPocket
- DeepFreeze
- ActiveSync
- Microsoft Remote Display Control (displays the PDA on a computer screen, hence a live demo during a presentation)
- My Mobiler
- Windows Mobile Device Center
Chris Tonjes, Aaron Schmidt
Chris (CIO, DC Public Library)
their iphone app:
three layers – transaction layer, data layer, presentation layer (I think)
Goals:
- continue horizontal integration of our ILS
- presents an alternative delivery of online catalog – like most, not happy with their ILS. So this gave them a great excuse to start experimenting
- first foray into mobile world
- leverages the power of the iTunes app store – the delivery method of the future
- model for other projects
- provides tangible near term ROI and extended library use and awareness
- leverage! Code and analysis used for …
- They have a blackberry version too
- more online catalogs! playing with VuFInd
- Integration/direct download target for content from our electronic resource providers 9Gale and Overdrive)
- iPhone 3.0! Ecommerce – fine and other payments from within app!
- model for near future projects (kindle or other readers)
Showing their release roadmap – they are planning for the future
DCPL iPhone App – fast facts:
- 2199 downloads so far
- 85 in the last week placed holds with it
- works with SirsiDynix enterprise portal search discovery tool
- plug in web service
- took about 100 total hours of programming time
- we can forecast LOE to modify for use with ibistro and elibrary
- code available for download
DCPL SMS Text Msg – Bill
Reach out to the younger people is a goal
they send notices, announcements
patrons opt-in on website registration page
increase library event participation via same day notifications – great reminder of events.
messages and notices tailored to SMS limitations/requirements (ie., message size & delivery)
Normal txt stuff: small messages, if you have more than one to send, you have to do each as separate messages
Cost to the library = 0
They schedule the txt msgs in the middle of the day – important point. You don’t want them sent at 2am! And you WANT them sent when people can see them, for reminders…
Aaron:
in charge of how this should look and feel.
started making paper prototypes
Even did user testing with paper mock-ups to see if the idea worked
It IS possible to design a BAD iphone app… they wanted to avoid that
There’s a PSD element library for iphones so you can quickly create a photoshop mockup
Giving examples of how it works
Next?
QR codes,barcode reading.
HUGE potential for these mobile devices.
Tagged as:
app,
apple,
cil09,
cil2009,
handhelds,
iphone,
iphone app,
mobile,
PDA
by David Lee King on September 29, 2007
Click To Play
Quicktime version | YouTube version
I’ve owned an iPhone for about two months now, and thought I’d make a video sharing my likes and dislikes.Dislikes:
- Stocks icon – works great, but I could care less about the stock market, so it’s not terribly useful to me
- Calendar – again works great… but I have a work calendar and an everything else calendar… so I have both synced up to Google Calendar. That works fine. Usually. [translation=I haven't quite figured it all out yet].
Likes: Pretty much everything else. Ease-of-use is awesome. Included apps are great. I originally thought I’d get a Treo, but waited for the iPhone to come out to see what it was like… and haven’t been disappointed!
Update: I had a little trouble viewing the video, so I’ve been playing around with it. It should work now! And there’s a .mov and a YouTube version now, too.
Tagged as:
apple,
iphone,
video
