iPad: First Impressions

So, I obsessed, I got one. I've spent two days with it, and here's a mini-review:

Getting Started:
First of all, Apple sucks. They make great hardware, incredible hardware, mind-bending how much better it is than anything else hardware. Other than that, they suck. The first thing you'll find with your new iPad is that you'd better have a computer with iTunes handy, or else your shiny new device will be good for only two things: Functioning as a mirror, and skipping over a lake or other large body of water (it's flat on the top, round on the bottom). Yup, this affordable little device aimed at making your grandparent's web-surfing so much easier requires a "real" computer just to get started.

A Button:
Once you get the thing going, you'll notice there's really only one physical button, located at the bottom of the screen. This is the "home" button. There is no physical "back" button, "menu" button, or "search" button. That's all taken care of in the software, with buttons often placed at the TOP of the screen. Trying to get a little work done on the iPad requires quite a bit of (unnecessary) arm reaches. Top, bottom, top, bottom, bottom, top... I can cancel my gym membership now.

Music and More:
The iPad ships with iTunes, but, it ain't the same iTunes that runs on a real computer. iTunes on the iPad doesn't seem to actually play any of your downloaded music or video. Find a song, elect to download, and..... wait for..... I don't know... it ain't going to play for you. To do that, you have to close out the iTunes window (with the physical home button), locate and open the iPod application, then search for your music. Unless you're looking to play a video, in which case you open the iVid.... wait, no, it's just called Videos. For reasons unknown, they neglected to preface that one with an "i". Back forth, back forth. This is simple?

Applications:
The App Store is big! Real big! People must really like these Apple products because developers sure are working hard to create content for them. Working with the App Store is a little like the iTunes situation, with a few differences. If you choose to download an application, the system closes you out of the store, swings you over to one of several "home screens" and displays a nice progress bar as you watch your application download. But it doesn't actually start the application for you, you gotta do that manually, if you want. And if you want to download multiple applications, you gotta find the particular "home screen" with the application icon and restart it. Over and over for each app you want to download. Blech.

Web Browsing:
There is no Flash player. Enough said? Not really... some videos will show up on some web sites, which is fine. However, Flash does more, MUCH more, than just serve as a video player. Thanks, "the Steve". Furthermore, popup windows are totally whacked, and you shouldn't attempt to do more on Facebook than you do with your handset.

iBooks:
This, finally, is the reason I broke down and purchased the iPad. I have not yet been disappointed. I like to read. It's fun and relaxing! I own a Sony 505 reader and I have a few quick complaints: The contrast is terrible and page turns are maddeningly slow. The iPad kills the eInk readers on those two fronts, plus it offers quick searching and dictionary capabilities that simply can't be touched. I totally fell for the iBook app, and, following a few tangents, started researching the ePub format. I decided for the 816 class I would do my final "Professional Development" project on creating your own electronic book in the ePub format. Perhaps I was reaching (OK, I was reaching) but I have to demonstrate my completed ePub book on a shiny new device, don't I? Speaking of which, I need to get started on that project.

Creating:

I'll tell you right now I'm typing on a laptop... no way I'd attempt this on the iPad. Granted, I am missing a few fingers and one of my favorites is damaged to the point where I have very little dexterity, but still, how is a person supposed to type on an iPad?

Conclusion:
I can't wait for an Android tablet to hit the scene.

Week12 Reflection

We got to re-define our definition(s) of web 2.0 and I have to say we were generally pleased with the work we did at the start of the semester. One major thing we wanted to do was point all of the elements in a specific direction. At first I thought everything should be under a massive, all encompassing "knowledge" unbrella, but I didn't think that metaphor really fit. Ultimately, we created a knowledge star at the center of our universe and pointed everything toward it. That's what it's all about: knowledge. Actually, it's about information, but we couldn't erase.
Kyle gave an informal talk on his experiences with the iPad, and I'm still not convinced I need to buy one. Why no Flash player? Why?
Eilleen gave a fascinating presentation on the Mechanical Turk. She used PowerPoint and apologized profusely for doing so, but I don't see why. PPT has a place in this web 2.0 world if that's what works for you!
Posted as an email composed on the Motorola Droid.

Google Docs Gets new Features

Well, well, well... looks like Google Docs is getting some of those Wave features we've been hoping for. I don't have much to say on this, as the video speaks for itself:

Session 9

I was once again blown away by the caliber of speakers we're treated to in this class. This time it was Eugene Lee, CEO of Socialtext. I assume I wasn't the only one blown away because after Mr. Lee's presentation he opened up the floor to questions and we all just sat there dumbfounded..... My jaw was still on the floor as I thought: Am I really experiencing this?

Many things resonated with me. First of all, I really like what he said about "Executive Trading Cards" with the Facebook paradigm. As one of many teachers with a Facebook profile at my work site, I often find myself in these discussions: Should you, or should you NOT, "friend" your students? I'm against friending students for various reasons, but one thing that really does concern me is the Executive Trading Card game. I often get friend requests from students that are not genuine, if you know what I mean. These people are just collecting friends for the sake of it. More important, though, is the game that gets played once I accept a single friend request.... then I have to accept them ALL, or start playing favorites. It's just a line that shouldn't be crossed in a student/mentor relationship. Students can subscribe to my Twitter feed, they can email me anytime they like, but I don't want to get into that friendship playing card game. Too much politics, too little time to navigate it. For the same reason, I have never tried to friend the admins at my school site. Although I do have a good relationship with a few folks, I don't think it would be fair to them or the rest of the staff to go the Facebook route.

The next thing that resonated with me: I am smart and hard-working, so I sometimes get to thinking I should be making much more money than I do. I have really expensive taste in furniture! But when I meet a person like Mr. Lee, I have to admit I don't want to work that hard! It's obvious he loves it, and I love my job, but he really LIVES it 24/7. That's part of the reason I asked him about the possible conflicts when there's no separation between work and personal life in the Twittersphere. I believe I asked if he and his workers have separate Twitter accounts for work and play. Apparently, there is no need for Mr. Lee to have a separate Twitter account because his work at Socialtext is his life. He made it clear what his morning coffee and news revolves around: work. Wow. Now that I think about it, I am somewhat the same way. My reading revolves around work, pretty much everything I do revolves around work. Hmmm. Perhaps Mr. Lee and I aren't so different after all... except he was wearing a really beautiful watch and I sport my The Pirates of Silicon Valley Casio:

Just kidding, I love my Casio!

Next up... using Twitter and other tech to collaborate and find what you're looking for as opposed to sending out the dreaded SPAM-like email to everyone in the organization. This is such a great idea and I sure wish my work-site adopted this paradigm. I could see it saving so much time and effort.

Finally: Wikis in the workplace. This is another great idea my tech department really needs to pursue. I spent hours trying to get my Android phone properly linked with my work Novell Groupwise account, because I couldn't find any of the correct SMTP settings (if they even exist). I know many other people in our organization have gone through the same slog, but I couldn't find the answer on our tech answers web site. Pretty much the only thing I found was a two-page .pdf on recommended file naming conventions (I am not making that up). I tried to make my own tutorial but abandoned it when problems arose with Groupwise again. My final solution: Forward everything to my GMAIL account.

To sum up... special thanks to Ethan for bringing in another amazing guest speaker, and special thanks to our speaker, Mr. Eugene Lee.

My Commute

Well, I figured I would try some more of this YouTube thing. Video Upload #2: