mip's scan

Thoughts on the Apple iPad

 What can be said about the Apple iPad?  I got asked over the weekend in person and via email: So mip?  What do you think of the iPad?  

In truth I haven't written anything since I heard about it for a number of reasons:

1) what else is there to say at this point that hasn't already been said about the specifics of the device.  

2) I haven't used it or seen it, so it's hard to comment, beyond what the tech specs are

3) I wanted to mull it over a bit; it left a deep impression on me.

Let's get a few things out of the way straight-off the bat.  Of course, I'm excited about the iPad.  I'm looking forward to buying one.  For all those people who want to complain about it's lack of camera or lack of GPS, or lack of [insert whatever you like here] - they are the same people who would have complained about the price, about the battery life, about the resolution of the camera, about [insert what you like here].  Many people are going to bash the iPad - they did the same thing when the iPhone came out and look foolish for it now.

I think that the iPad will surprise us, like the iPhone did.  I believe that somewhere out there, someone is creating an app right now that will take advantage of this new category of device and unlock potential we haven't yet thought of.  There will be an ah-ha moment like so many of us have had when we use our iPhones with that certain app that is just perfect for us.  I believe that certain industries will suddenly have ah-ha moments and be able to leverage the device in unexpected ways.

The other thing that amazes me when I watch the video of the iPad is that it is really freeing the Internet.  The Internet has been "stuck" in our computers - we have gone to it. Smartphones have given us some mobility, but their smaller size limits that experience.  The iPhone browser has done a decent job of tackling that size problem.  The applification of aspects of the web via the iPhone apps has further liberated the web.  The iPad, however, changes the game further.  It allows the Internet to come to us.  In a sense, when I look at the iPad, I don't see a piece of a hardware that has been elegantly engineered.  I don't see beautiful, user-friendly software.  I see the Internet incarnate.  You are holding the web in your hands.  That will change the way we interact, use, leverage, contribute, and consume the "Internet".  I will change the way we think about it.  

And that is really what Apple causes us to do - to think differently.  

The Emergence of Mobile Business Intelligence

I was listening to the keynote speech here at the MicroStrategy World conference (follow it live via this social media equipped page) at the start of the day and I was really excited by the keynote that was delivered by MicroStrategy CEO Michael Saylor.  The reason I was excited was because the core message regarding MicroStrategy for 2010 was centered around mobility.  With the advent of the iPhone and the new paradigm that has evolved, MicroStrategy has seen how that will unleash business intelligence. I think they are correct in this thinking.  It was the core message the other day in the videocast I posted of Stephen Hayward and myself.  

I have often said to client, unrelated to BI, that the new model that Apple has introduced to the world is accelerating the widgetization, or from Apple's perspective, the applification of the Internet.  The web can't be consumed on a phone like it is at the desktop.  Apple got this.  They created a really robust browser, but more importantly, they gave developers and ultimately users applications that are like small packaged up piece of web content and functionality.  This drove a more natural usage of the web because it could be done when you needed it.  

iPhone App for mip's scan Now Available

Well dear readers, ever evolving how this blog reaches out to you, I am pleased to let you know that an iPhone app for mip's scan (iTunes link) is now available!

I read about an interesting service online that would create an iPhone app for users leveraging a wizard-like approach.  Being the tinker that I am, always wanting to try things first hand to see if the value is there and not just the hype, I gave AppMakr a try.  

I have been working on some actual apps for about a month now with the purpose being to really learn how it all hangs together.  I will blog and share some of that with you in the next while.  While doing this I came across AppMakr, and this service from them intrigued me and so I wanted to try it out and see the end result.  I will create a full post on the experience shortly as well and my thoughts on the future of mobile app development.  

It was a great experience and in the process, I created an iPhone app for mip's scan.  You can download it for free from here. 

Demonstration of Lazyfeed

I started using an interesting online tool called Lazyfeed that has an interesting way to stream (visually) updates from the web along topics you want to follow.  I thought that rather than trying to describe this via a written post that a quick screencast would best demonstrate how this tool works since it is highly visual in nature.  You can either play the video below, or go to YouTube and select HQ for a higher quality version of it.

The Rise of eBooks & the eReader

eBook and eReaders have been around for some time now.  I had used a Cybook for some time, but always found it to be poorly constructed (plastic) and not easy to get books from my Mac to the unit.  It was also sluggish at times, which detracted from the experience.

Still, I very much liked the ability to carry multiple books with me when I wanted.  I never wrote a post about my experience as I felt I didn't have much to say beyond my personal opinion, which was, that the eReader was something I liked, but not entirely practical or ready for prime time.

A short while I go, I started using the Sony eReader.  It was the Touch edition that allowed me to literally "flip" pages.  The device is incredibly solid; very well built.  I have very much enjoyed using it and like the fact that it is more open than other units, like the Kindle (for a comparison of the features, click here).  I particularly like being able to download books from the Toronto library. As with my original eReader, I like the immediacy of buying a book and downloading it.  It is akin to the way I buy music and movies. 

The question for today's post is whether this device will replace the physical book?  Will students, for example, carry an electronic reader rather than house dozens of textbooks in their lockers and school bags?  Blyth Academy here in Toronto has begun to utilize the Sony eReader.  The video announcing this historic move is below.  Will this be something that catches on? 

Transforming Education

I've spent some time over the past few months carrying out some strategy work in the education market as a part of our Education Transformation solution offering.  The way technology is leveraged by kids has always been something I've been interested in (here are past posts), both because I have children of my own & because I am always looking for ways that organizations can extract real value from their investments in information technology.

As I have worked with my own children over the past couple of years, I've come to see more and more that this generation of children is really changing due to being a digital generation. I saw this as well when I created and operated the Youth Technology Camp program for children.

Our children are changing, the world they will enter after school is changing, so why is it that education has not changed that much?  I don't think that it has kept up with the changing nature of the world with which it has found itself (a good video that drives home the point of rapid change is this one titled Did You Know).

So how is education changing and where is it all going?  What does it mean to transform our education system into a 21st century model?  To best understand this change, we need to understand the changes as they relate to the various stakeholder, processes and objectives.  The transition from Education 1.0 to today's Education 2.0 and eventually the future Education 3.0 is causing a fundamental paradigm shift in various aspects of education.  The diagram to the left tries to capture this change.  Most importantly is the move to a customized approach for each student.  That is truly disruptive.  It is akin to the the level of customization we receive in so many other areas of our lives.  For example, banks have embraced technology to try and deliver us a more customer-intimate experience, a one-on-one relationship between the bank and its customers.  The expectation is part of the culture today and kids are growing up with that.  Education needs to strive to deliver that type of learning environment to today's youth. 

What's All The Fuss About Netbooks?

I must admint that netbooks are a tech that puzzled me somewhat.  For a time I felt they were too small and, more importantly for me, too underpowered.  Of course, what I was thinking about were mini laptops that I tested over the years - there was no netbook category.  They were ultraportable laptops like a Sony UX50 or a Fujitsu Lifebook.  I liked their size (for the most part) but found them to be pokey/sluggish when it came to performance.  I loved the concept of the OQO as this really tiny computer you could use at your desk, plugged into a keyboard and monitor.  Then, when you had to leave the office, you simply grabbed the OQO, put it in your pocket and off you go.  A very appealing idea for me.  The problem again, was performance.  The device is somewhat underpowered.  The other issue - price.  You were really paying a premium for that portability.

All those things I mentioned above came back to me (mixed feelings) when I started to see this new category emerge called Netbooks.  They have been taking the markets by storm though, in a time when laptops and PCs have been taking a beating.  I often see articles that talk about how business users are warming to the netbook and how the overseas market has been soaring for these low powered mini devices, but still I scratched my head in wonderment.

Tweetdeck

I posted a blog a few days ago about my surprisingly positive experience with using Twitter.  As a part of using Twitter, I've found there are many ways to update the "what are you  doing?" field.  I'll blog tomorrow about how I do this on the iPhone when I'm out and about, but the reality is that predominately, my time is for the most part spent in front of a computer.  

From a computer, you can of course simply update via the web when you are at www.twitter.com.  This works effectively, but I was looking for something more.  After trying a number of client apps I feel the best for me is a wonderful applications called Tweetdeck.

Tweetdeck uses columns to give you a kind of dashboard of all your Twitter activity.  It is an Adobe Air application, so you can easily install it on a Mac or Windows (not sure about Linux - their site doesn't mention it).  I have installed it on all the machines I work on and I leave it running all the time.  While I'm working, I get subtle alerts when there is a new Tweet.  If I'm not at my computer, when I bring up Tweetdeck it brings up all the info for me to see:  Tweets from all the people I am following, Tweets that are replies to me, Direct Messages for me.  I keep an added column open on the far righthand side that shows me TwitScoop trends - it is like a "cloud" of words that grows and shrinks in near real time (updated by the minute) that gives at a glance a snapshot of what people are Twittering about.    

Here is a video tutorial with tips on how to use Tweetdeck.

For me, Tweetdeck has become an indispensable application on my Mac and Window machines.  I launch it and use it as often as I do my email application.  If you are looking for a great desktop Twitter client, I'd highly recommend Tweetdeck.

Livescribe Pen

Over the years I have tried a number of tablet PCs in an attempt to have something that I could write my notes on and they'd then exist on my computer.  Try and try again, no matter what devices I've tried, the promise of enhanced note taking just hasn't been there for me unfortunately.  This lack of value for me was due to any number of things, such as:

• size of the unit - either they are too big and clunky to carry around or they are too small to effectively use
• battery life - nothing worse than having the unit not turn on in a meeting or die half-way through the meeting due to a drained battery 
• format of the notes - too often, systems I tried used some kind of proprietary format for the files that contained my hand written notes, effectively trapping my notes if I ever wanted to change systems 

Despite the above shortcomings however, I have still lusted quested for the holy grail that would enable me to hand write my notes, but still have them captured digitally.  Several months ago, my prayers were answered and I'm here to tell you about one of the most  valuable devices I've had the pleasure to use in the past year.  

I'm talking about the Livescribe Smart Pen, which has transformed my note taking in absolutely wonderful ways.  You can of course can all kinds of technical details on the Pulse Smart Pen from Livescribe over at their site, but I'd like to relay some real world experience with this little wonder.

Awaiting the iPod Touch

Of course by now you know that Apple introduced a refresh to its iPod line and in that announcement, the also introduced the iPod Touch.  I can hardly wait for this device to arrive!  I didn't want to write anything about the iPod Touch until I'd actually received it, because I like to be able to give firsthand info about the tech I write about, and not just regurgitate the news.  And rest assured, I will do a detailed post on the iPod Touch when I receive it at the end of September / start of October. 

But I thought I'd would post a thought about one application I am really looking forward to using on my iPod Touch, an application that hasn't appeared anywhere in the demos or other press releases.  I'm looking forward to being able to use Typepad, the tool I use for posting my blog.  I read with interest the details this morning as I was working on some posts-in-progress.

I have a small Typepad app on my HTC smartphone that I've used from time-to-time, but I find it to be a very bare-bones, lackluster application that misses key functionality for me. The Typepad interface for the iPhone looks gorgeous, but more than that, it looks very functional.  It allows me to manage my blog and not just put out posts.  I like that a lot.  I have found that the Typepad application I use on my HTC is more like a simple text editor, while the one for the iPhone give a much richer end-user experience to make posting blog items as natural as when sitting down at your computer.  Of course, to use this on an iPod Touch, you'd need to be leveraging the WiFi rather than being to type up a post and then simply push it out.  But the reality for me is that I'm always around WiFi enabled locations, from my home, to coffee shops to being up at the cottage, so I don't see this as being an issue. I think being able to simply turn my iPod Touch on its side, have the screen automatically go into landscape mode and begin typing posts will be an absolute joy!

And so, of course there will be many many things for me to like about the new iPod Touch, but knowing I can blog easily from it is the icing on the cake for me.  The sad part is....the end of September seems so far away. 

Stay tuned for more!