Wait for the 2nd maybe 3rd generation iPad

Now that most of the iPad hype has settled and we have a pretty good idea what Apple's newest creation can and cannot do and how much it costs and when it will be released, it's time to ask yourself is the iPad really for you?

I've been following the iSlate, iTablet, iPad, Nook, Kindle, Cool-er, Que proReader, Sony eReader, Skiff Reader rumors for months - daily, bookmarking articles and images in Diigo and Delicious.  My students have been writing reviews and reports on eReader technology since November. I even screen captured my Twitter page at 1PM on January 27th and honestly, by 3PM, I was, well, bummed out.

The iPad, as sweet and lovely as it is, just barely misses the mark for me. It's almost everything I thought it would be - Internet, email, photos, video, iPod, iTunes, App Store, iBooks, maps, contacts, 9.7-inch color display, but you can't multi-task, no video or still camera features, no Flash support, no port for SD cards and 3G flexibility will cost an extra hundred bucks.  My MacBook can do all of that (except for the touch screen functions) and my iPhone can do 95 per cent of that.  Maybe the specs will change when Apple introduces the 2nd and 3rd generation iPad, but until then, I plan to keep Stanza for the iPhone close and the idea of moving to the Barnes &  Noble nook even closer.

The images and articles below pretty much say it all.

Kindle's death sentence commuted from besttabletreview
 

This very sage piece of advice from nooktalk

And this very interesting perspective from Scott McLeod

The Twitter wire around 2PM on 1/27/2010
(note, 190.375 tweets within 5 minutes!)

H Songhai
1/28/2010

Google Docs Now Features Thumbnail View

Google Docs has made searching through your hundreds of Google Docs documents much more visually pleasing. Now you have the option to view your documents in thumbnail view.

Google Docs List View

Google Docs Thumbnail View

Thumbnail view is a really nice feature that allows you to see your documents in a more colorful and dynamic way.  It's much nicer than the static list view we've grown accustomed to over the years.  The thumbnail view really shines if you have slideshows and images at the head of your documents. 

Thanks to Wesley Fryer and Kevin's Meandering Mind for sharing this information.

H Songhai
1/27/2010

Voice Search With Microsoft Bing

Our Tax Dollars At Play

A friend e-mailed me this image along with the caption below.
How can we not leave our children behind when our legislators are behind their screens playing Solitaire and poking around of FaceBook?

Hot off the Twitter Wire

http://www.convergemag.com/workforce/5-Reasons-Why-Educators-Should-Network.html

Sent from my iPhone

iSlate/iPad/iTablet Rumors

hyperecipy (@hyperecipy) 1/21/10 12:29 AM RT @islateguide: Juicy new details on the #islate from the WSJ. newspapers, tv, textbooks & games http://bit.ly/72QD33

Sent with Tweetie

A library and more in your hands

bargainsdeals (@bargainsdeals) 1/20/10 9:27 PM Apple lines up 'iSlate' content deals for books and video http://bit.ly/6jRQpG

Sent with Tweetie

Sent from my iPhone

The Decade In Review

One For The Paperless Briefcase

I really like the idea of reading newspapers, magazines, books and assorted documents all on one slim electronic device.  

The e-Reader story of CES 2010

Check out: "The e-Reader story of CES 2010" - www.engadget.com http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/09/the-e-reader-story-of-ces-2010/?icid=engadget-iphone-url

One major trend dominating CES 2010 is the massive uptick in manufacturers showing off e-reader devices, software and technology. Vendors of all sizes are here in Las Vegas introducing products they hope will capitalize on piqued consumer interest and the predicted growth in the e-book market in the year ahead.


The biggest (literally) and most impressive electronic ink devices at the show are easily the 8.5 x 11-inch 10.5-inch Plastic Logic Que proReader and 11.5-inch (displays measured diagonally) Skiff Reader. Two touchscreen devices with integrated 3G targeting two totally different audiences. The Que proReader's gunning to replace bulky stacks of business papers with support for truVue PDF files, MS Office docs, e-mail, and Outlook calendar support. The Skiff Reader, on the other hand, is being pitched as a consumer device with a compelling value proposition for publishers (by publishers) and content owners that will ultimately deliver multimedia on a wide range of devices and display types hooked into the Skiff Store -- just not the flagship Skiff Reader with traditional e-paper display.


Otherwise, the CES show floor is absolutely littered with electronic ink also-rans, hybrids, and new screen technologies looking to knock-off the incumbent Kindle, underlying E Ink technology, and Amazon juggernaut. If we're lucky, that's exactly what's going to happen later in the year. Read on to find out why.


If electronic ink is your thing then CES 2010 is the place to be. We've already told you about Orizon from Bookeen, the RCA Lexi, iriver Story, the Jinke SiPix readers, Hanvon WISEreader, the Cool-er readers from Interead, the Ocean and Tidal series from Copia, and a pair of E6 and E10 e-book readers from industry heavyweight Samsung. And these are just the most interesting of the dozens of new devices on show.


Spring Design's dual-screen Alex is all kinds of sexy, even better than the Barnes amp; Noble Nook thanks in part to the Armada processor's ability to cut through Android like an angry Jedi. And by inking a deal with Borders, Spring Design has a real chance at usurping the (unholy?) alliance that brought the Nook to Barnes amp; Noble. Regardless, by all account this appears to be the hardware Barnes amp; Noble should have chosen for its dual-screen reader.


We're also seeing an incredible variety of display technologies gunning for current and future generation e-Readers. The most compelling remains Pixel Qi -- a hybrid LCD technology that can be switched from a standard, full-color LCD backlit mode to a Kindle-like monochromatic reflective mode viewable in direct sunlight (while consuming 80% less power than standard LCDs). Better yet, 10-inch Pixel Qi displays have just started to roll off the assembly lines. The only confirmed Pixel Qi device at the show is the impressive Notion Ink Adam tablet. Besides Pixel Qi, Qualcomm, Fujitsu, and Philips are trotting out their Mirasol (with a rumored Kindle destination), FLEPia, and Liquavista display demos, respectively, while LG is demonstrating its Metal-Foil e-Paper display for the first time on the Skiff Reader.


Finally, we've got knfb's Blio; the PC and mobile device software that gives you access to millions of books in their original format.


Put it all together and we begin to see the story of a 2010 e-reader market that extends way beyond just e-books to include newspapers and magazines augmented with audio and full-color animations, video, and imagery. As such, dedicated monochrome E-Ink devices like Kindle and the Sony Reader will be forced even deeper into the niche they now serve as the year plays out. One thing's for sure -- monochrome electronic ink displays are not the future of e-readers. If you ask us, the smart money is on multi-purpose devices running hybrid displays from Pixel Qi (or similar) like Notion Ink's Adam. Not only does this avoid lock in to a single content provider, but you maintain full Internet access with the ability to subscribe to materials from Skiff, Barnes amp; Noble, Borders, Blio, Google, and iTunes, for example, while enjoying the type of rich multimedia experiences that main stream media publications are keen to pursue.


Kindle, and its E Ink peers, are officially on notice. ------------------------------- This article came from the Engadget iPhone App, which features everything from the latest smartphone news, to reviews and hands-on looks at laptops, HDTVs, gaming, and more. To learn more about the app or download it go here: http://www.engadget.com/downloads/iphone

Sent from my iPhone

Computing for the new decade... Coming in less than a month