The Hard-boiled Egghead

On Thursday Apple released a revision of its popular iBooks app along with two new apps, iTunes U and iBooks Author, both in a push to revolutionize textbooks.

The applications, design for iOS devices like iPads, iPhones, and iPods, are the next step in furthering education by offering courses and textbooks that are interactive.

iTunes U is the new app that lets teachers create and manage courses including essential components such as lectures, assignments, books, quizzes, and syllabuses, and be able to offer them worldwide to millions of users. Top universities like Cambridge, Duke, Harvard, Oxford, and Stanford are already offering content. In addition, any K-12 school district can offer full courses through the iTunes U app.

The newly released iBooks 2 application provides iBooks textbooks at a fraction of the cost of traditional textbooks, most priced at $14.99. These new interactive books offer iPad users gorgeous, fullscreen textbooks with animations, diagrams, photos, videos, and lots more. And, because these are digital, they can be updated quickly, don’t weigh down a backpack, and never have to be returned.

Phil Schiller, Apple’s section vice president of Worldwide Marketing said, “Education is deep in Apple’s DNA and iPad may be our most exciting education product yet. With 1.5 million iPads already in use in education institutions, including over 1,000 one-to-one deployments, iPad is rapidly being adopted by schools across the US and around the world. Now with iBooks 2 for iPad, students have a more dynamic, engaging and truly interactive way to read and learn, using the device they already love.”

With most teens and young adults having iPads on their wish list, this new tool might be the incentive to provide young people with device in order to offer the latest generation in digital textbooks and courses.

For those wanting to author a textbook, Apple announced iBooks Author, a new app for designing textbooks, cookbooks, history books, and more and publish them to the Apple bookstore. The app is free, but does require Mac OS X Lion in order to run. Users still on OS 10.6 will not be able to install the app. Authors and publishers of any size can start creating with Apple-designed templates that feature a wide variety of page layouts. iBooks Author lets you add your own text and images by simply dragging and dropping, and with the Multi-Touch widgets you can easily add interactive photo galleries, movies, Keynote presentations and 3D objects.

As bad as I want to go to CES 2012 this year, alas, I cannot. But, here’s a brief description of what is expected this year at the international innovation show.

Some 2,700 companies are expected to fill up the over 1.8 million square feet of show space to demonstrate their contribution to next-generation innovations. Although a closed show, over 140,000 tech executives and 5,000 reporters will be on hand to review the latest offerings and give the general public (us) a glimpse of what is to come.

Some of the bigger expectations this year include Microsoft’s new Windows 8 operating system. Microsoft will also be showing off the new Xbox720, which allegedly will boast better Kinect integration as well as better graphics, and the ability to run Windows 8.

Also expected is a large turnout of what are now called “ultrabooks”. These are thin, lightweight notebook computers that typically have long battery life and SSD hard drive technology. Kind of reminds me of the Apple MacBook Air.

Last, but likely the biggest displays at the show, will be the unveiling of extra-large televisions. Sharp, Sony, LG, and others are revealing these super-big displays this year, with some featuring sizes in the 80-inch class.

Super-thin organic LED televisions in large sizes are still in the $5,000-plus range, but such innovation drives the price down on smaller sizes like 32”-47”. Some 70-inch class models are even getting below $2,000 as a result.

CES 2012 starts Tuesday, January 10. Expectations are not as high this year for any unusually new technology, but the excitement remains for the show itself and for the innovations that have not yet been revealed.

As the industry changes, we find more and more consumers choosing internet-based services to get their entertainment. Back in September, I wrote about how the DVD market is shrinking and how online streaming is increasing.

While rural America is still in its infancy when it comes to broadband services, the areas that are getting it are consuming more and more entertainment via the internet.

One indicator of the eventual demise of DVD is the fact that half of Apple’s product line no longer has optical drives, and that it has dropped the popular iDVD software from its standard iLife package that comes with new Macs. Couple that with the rumors flying around that Apple will be getting into the smart television business soon, and you have a recipe for DVD doom.

It’s not surprising that trendsetters like Apple and HP are lighting the path for the entertainment industry as new consumer electronics are developed.

–

Speaking of consumer electronics, software giant Microsoft has been slowly, and somewhat secretly, developing more hardware than software lately.

On the heels of the Xbox Kinect motion detection interface, Microsoft’s Edison Lab is now developing a virtual environment that literally surrounds the user using projections and camera sensors. Stereoscopic panels that reflect their surroundings are also part of what is being developed, to provide a realistic perspective view for each virtual “screen”.

This interactive system will revolutionize not only the gaming industry, but also the medical and manufacturing industries.

The Verge has a video out on YouTube showcasing some of the system’s possibilities:

So, you are thinking of purchasing a tablet. And, you are not sure which one to buy. Here are a few things to consider before you run out and get anything.

Kindle Fire

This tablet’s main feature is that it primarily consumes Amazon content – books, movies, audio, etc. It does sport a browser, albeit a limited one. It also does some gaming. And, for the $199 price tag, it is not budget-killer for most people.

Keep in mind, though, that this is not anything like an iPad and really is targeting a different kind of consumer. If you read a lot of e-books and purchase a lot of Amazon content, then this tablet is for you. Its 7” screen is very clear, but the size can also be its downfall. And, it is definitely not a laptop replacement. In addition, it is only available in a Wi-Fi model.

iPad

The elephant in the room here cannot be ignored. But, its $499-$829 price tag puts a lot of people off. If you are looking for good email, video, gaming, and a potential laptop replacement, this would be the choice. Although I could never see it as a laptop replacement, some folks have done it successfully using bluetooth keyboards.

Another plus over the Fire is the option for a 3G model, giving you total mobility. Apple’s iCloud service is nice, but most people will need more than the free 5GB they offer.

A downside is that if you are planning to use it like a laptop, you cannot tether a mouse to it. Plus, it is limited in functions compared to a laptop. The other big downside is the price tag.

Deciding

As you can see, comparing the two tablets is a bit of an apple-orange comparison (pun intended). But neither device requires a PC or a Mac. The iPad features a large amount of storage, the ability to read a variety of documents, and a large screen. The Fire features a large array of books and movies, a small form factor, and totally free cloud storage for all your content.

Kindle Fire and iPad are content-consumption devices mainly, and not designed for content creation. With iPad you can create some content with certain apps. Whether or not Fire will support this remains to be seen. Both devices will serve a particular need, and you must consider yours before making the choice.

There is more information about you online than you think.

As a study, I used the information website spokeo.com to look up a few acquaintances and was surprised at how much information there was available online about them. Their general age, a map pinpointing where they live, and a street view image of the front of their house was all visible without setting up an account.

Some people’s profiles included their political position, and a general range of their income.

A bit scary, huh?

Sites like this one are huge information aggregators. Stalkers, nosy people, identity thieves, and more have access to this information, too. So how do you protect yourself?

Most informational websites offer some kind of removal service to get your information off their databases. Spokeo.com made it easy for me to remove all information about me I wanted removed in a few clicks. This, of course, made me feel a little better about how much personal information was out there.

Another way to protect yourself is not to put any unnecessary personal information into online forms. Also, be sure any social network profiles are limited in how much info is public. Avoid sharing your email address with persons you do not trust. I’ve gone so far as asking for a verbal agreement to certain conditions of use of my personal email address before disclosing it.

Granted, legitimate users of such information, like law enforcement and private security firms, can use it to assist in investigations. And that, I am all for, especially if it reduces crime (both the physical and cyber variety).

Some information is public by law. If you’ve ever held a government-issued professional license, like a pilot’s license, medical certificate, or radio license, the information may be widely available on a government site. No sites out there release your social security number, although some may release your birthdate with proper authorization.

Be a wise user of the web, keep your personal information private, and protect yourself!

Getting and keeping a web domain can be a tricky business. Part of the solution for your business or personal website is making sure you are getting the best for your dollar, and the best service.

Popular domain registrars like GoDaddy, Register, and eNom, have all shown what good customer service means. Not only are their prices usually competitive, you can almost always rely on their ability to respond to technical issues or general questions quickly and efficiently.

Sticking with a good name like the above, or at least choosing an authorized reseller, is sure to prevent problems in the future. Consider, too, the cost. Some registrars are charging outrageous fees for domain names. Almost all .com, .net, and .org domains are around $10-$12 per year. Your .cc and .tv domains can run $20-$30 per year, and if you need even more specialized domains, the costs can even go higher.

Now, the ugly. Several domain registrars are following bad business practices when it comes to registering and maintaining your domains. Stay away from these companies that promise super-low cost domains, or even free domains. These often come with unwanted advertising, restrictions, or most often poor customer service. Go with companies that offer 24-hour service across the board. I’ve had bad experiences with companies like 1and1.com and others who have made little efforts to keep customers.

The question needs to be asked – do you register for one year, two, five, or more? If it’s a new venture, it’s a good idea to only register a year or two to start. But keep tabs on your expiration dates. A good registrar will notify you at least 60 days in advance of expiration. If you are well-established, it might not be a bad idea to land 5 to 10 years’ registration.

Another good practice is to buy up related domain names. If you buy chuckswidgets.com, it could be practical to get chuckswidgets.net. Or maybe even the .biz extension.

Once you’ve bought a domain, choose practical hosting. Large companies like DreamHost and GoDaddy offer lots of value-added services. A reseller of these services can usually get you a really great deal on shared hosting. Just be sure to read the fine print before you start building your site.

So, your password is “puppy”? Or is it “ilovemom”? Or how about “stud1985”?

As creative as these passwords may seem, they fall prey to security vulnerabilities out there in our online adventures. Keeping track of passwords can be a daunting task, since websites frequently have different requirements for password schemes.

Almost all sites allow for letters, numbers, and some special characters. Variations of what you normally prefer in the way of a password is a good way to heighten your security and protect your interests. Substituting numbers and characters for letters can be the most creative.

An example could be writing “b33fc@k3” instead of “beefcake”. Using your birthdate or marriage date is not a good idea, since these can often be found through online sources.

Some sites require that you change your password often, especially banks. This is for your protection, even though it seems an inconvenience at the time. Always look for the little padlock symbol in your browser when you are at a secure site, indicating that your information is being encrypted for your protection.

There are some handy smartphone tools that allow you to keep track of multiple passwords easily. One for the iOS platform is called Keeper, and it does very well. Check your app store for details.

As for your privacy, be sure that you understand the privacy settings at social networking sites, especially Facebook. Facebook is notorious for changing their look, and changing the way privacy settings work, without offering much explanation on how to change them. It’s a good idea to read the new information before you attempt any significant changes.