Techno-News Blog

by Simson L. Garfinkel, Technology Review

Can a $35 computer persuade kids to put down their smartphones and try their hands at programming? You can get a lot for $35 these days. It bought me what looks like a credit card-sized James Bond gadget prototype, but is actually a fully functional computer. It has an ARM processor like those in many cell phones, 256 megabytes of RAM, a wired network connection, two USB ports, an HDMI video connection, and a graphics coprocessor able to decode a Blu-ray DVD. It’s powered by a cell-phone charger and is intended to revolutionize technology education by helping to create a new generation of hackers and makers (see “An Ultracheap Computer”).

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/429048/review-raspberry-pi/

by Julia Zappei, Phys Org

Online university education is expanding quickly in Asia, where growth in technology and Internet use is matched by a deep reverence for education. “I chose e-learning because it is so flexible,” Ndongfack, 42, told AFP via Skype from his home in the Cameroonian capital Yaounde. Web-based courses dramatically boost opportunities for students and are often cheaper than those offered by traditional bricks-and-mortar institutions. But online learning has also caught the eye of some of the world’s most prestigious universities, with Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology recently teaming up to offer free courses over the Internet.

http://phys.org/news/2012-09-online-universities-blossom-asia.html

by INGRID LUNDEN, Tech Crunch

We’ve seen a lot of images of an (alleged) iPhone coming soon with a bigger screen, and some numbers out from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, the WPP-owned market analysts, underscore how a bigger iPhone may not be coming a moment too soon. In the last 12 weeks, it found that Android-based smartphones have continued to extend their lead over the rest of the pack, and the charge is being led by the big boys — literally. Of all the Android devices that have been sold in the last three months, nearly one-third (29%) of them had a screen size of over 4.5 inches, with large-screened devices from Samsung, HTC, LG (pictured), Huawei and more. Apple’s current iPhone has a screen of 3.5 inches.

http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/03/android-smartphone-sales-led-by-big-screens-are-growing-everywhere-except-in-the-u-s-kantar/

by Lauren Goode, All things D

Moving your digital music files from your old computer to your phone to your laptop to your new computer used to be a lengthy and annoying process, especially for consumers with thousands of tracks from different music sources. Now, with tech companies offering “cloud,” or Web server-based, storage solutions for music, you can theoretically access files from any device with an Internet connection. But for most consumers, the concept of cloud storage and music “matching” services are still confusing, even as these services aim to streamline your music-listening experience.

http://allthingsd.com/20120903/demystifying-amazons-cloud-player/

BY SCOTT MCLEOD, Dangerously Irrelevant

Got 13 minutes? Watch this video from Michael Pershan. Plain and simple, American math teachers teach differently than Japanese (and other international) math teachers. What would Khan Academy look like if it came from Japan?

http://dangerouslyirrelevant.org/2012/09/a-japanese-approach-to-khan-academy.html

by Tom Cheredar, Venturebeat

The last time Apple updated its earphones was back in 2008 when it added an ability to alter the volume of your device using a control built into the wire, but the basic design of the earbuds remained unaltered. The new earbuds, however, are said to be smaller to presumably cut down on the “hurting” trauma that the current Apple earbuds cause. While Apple hasn’t sent out an official statement regarding an event to announce its iPhone 5, several rumors indicate that it should happen in mid-September, with the device going on sale shortly there after. Apple is also rumored to offer other audio improvement announcements, like an upgrade to its Airplay feature for Bluetooth speakers.

http://venturebeat.com/2012/09/02/new-apple-earbuds-for-iphone-5-leak-online/

By KEVIN J. O’BRIEN, NY Times

The summer Olympics gave Britain not only a psychological lift, but a spate of free, public Wi-Fi networks as well. In preparations for the Games, the operators O2 U.K., Virgin Mobile, BT and The Cloud carved up public venues across the British capital, broadcasting open Wi-Fi networks in major public squares, airports and subways and on train platforms. Free Wi-Fi service is becoming an important tool for operators in maintaining quality mobile service during a time of skyrocketing data traffic, congested mobile networks and, for travelers, costly roaming charges.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/03/technology/from-london-a-lesson-in-the-benefits-of-free-wi-fi.html

by Jacqui Cheng, Ars Technica

Apple and four publishers are reportedly trying to come up with an agreement that would make both Amazon and European regulators happy, as a way to settle an e-book price-fixing investigation. According to a source speaking to Reuters, Apple and the publishers are proposing a plan under which other e-book retailers—namely, Amazon—could sell e-books at a discount, rather than at the price set by publishers. The European Commission has not yet accepted the offer, according to Reuters, but is informally “market testing the commitments” to see whether such a solution would be workable.

http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/08/the-return-of-cheap-e-books-apple-e-book-publishers-bend-in-europe-too/

by University Professional and Continuing Education Association

Your humble editor is chairing a seminar on the management of online programs November 6, 7 and 8 in New Orleans. We have a wonderful line-up of dozens of top-notch presenters from the major online programs across the country who will address the important current and emerging issues and opportunities in online learning. Join us if you can.

http://conferences.upcea.edu/online/

by Chris Foresman, ArsTechnica

Apple’s rumored iPad mini could very well be a shrunken-down iPad 2, according to analysis by Instapaper developer Marco Arment. He recently discovered references to two previously unknown iPad models in logs that track device usage among Instapaper users, which suggest Apple may soon release two new variations of the iPad 2. Arment theorizes that these models in fact represent two variations of the rumored iPad mini, reportedly launching in October, and re-engineered to be less expensive than the existing iPad 2 model selling for $399.

http://arstechnica.com/apple/2012/08/how-apple-could-build-a-249-8-tablet-and-beat-the-nexus-7-at-its-own-game/

by Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica

The next version of Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet may use advertisements to lower its price to consumers, sources have told the Wall Street Journal. According to the sources, the advertisements would appear on-screen after the user wakes the tablet from sleep. Amazon’s E Ink Kindles have already been using a similar strategy for quite some time—both the Kindle and Kindle Touch are offered in standard and “with Special Offers” forms, the latter of which costs $30 less than the non-ad-supported Kindles. Users can choose to pay the extra $30 at any time to permanently dismiss the ads. Whether the amount of the ad subsidy (or the option to pay to dismiss the ads) would differ for the Kindle Fires is unclear.

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/08/advertisements-may-lead-to-a-cheaper-kindle-fire/

by DAN ROWINSKI, ReadWriteWeb

What Is It? Think of a thing. Really, it could be anything. A chair, a toaster, parts of a car, the lights in your house, the electricity meter, the security cameras in your offices, a fire hydrant, traffic lights … really, anything or everything that can exist could be connected to the Internet. Another name for the Internet of Things is a network of things. The network can monitor your home, your car, infrastructure (utilities such as electricity or water), traffic patterns and a variety of other possibilities to create a more informed and responsive system through data analysis. How It Works Do you really need an Internet-connected toaster? Probably not. But, the toaster is a good place to start when discussing the Internet of Things.

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/futurists-cheat-sheet-internet-of-things.php

by Scott Merrill, Tech Crunch

An important, but oft-overlooked ancillary benefit to Facebook’s vanity-free and minimalist designs is that they involve less waste, both in the production process but also in the disposal process. When you’re buying thousands of servers, this becomes a very important ecological issue. Computer waste is a serious environmental concern, and too many consumers of technology ignore the consequences of disposal. Recognizing that their data center headaches couldn’t possibly be unique, Facebook shared all of their design specifications, CAD drawings, and reference materials under open licenses to their newly formed Open Compute Project. The reason for this decision, as Michael said in his presentation, is that “openness always wins.”

http://techcrunch.com/2012/08/31/open-compute-project-can-facebook-help-save-the-world/

By Robert Andrews, Gigaom

Consumers now think iPad is better value than iPhone, and they are more likely to recommend it to friends than the phone, according to new data from YouGov’s BrandIndex…: “This overtaking of the iPhone by the iPad is a reversal of the usual patterns which have seen the phone traditionally well ahead of its tablet counterpart… “This marks not only a shift in comparison to the iPhone but also the culmination of an incredible hike in perceptions for the iPad’s value over the past few months…” This should not come as a surprise. Not only is iPhone 4s almost a year old, while rivals like Samsung have since launched sparkly new handsets; many consumers are fully aware that a new iPhone is due to be announced in September. That would, of course, render iPhone 4s a poor-value buy at this moment – no wonder fewer people would recommend the phone to friends. Apple is readying to announce the new handset just in time to arrest this perception decline.

http://gigaom.com/apple/research-consumers-now-more-excited-about-ipad-than-iphone/

By: Don Reisinger, eWeek

Apple on Aug. 24 was awarded a $1.05 billion ruling by a jury in San Jose, Calif., that found that Samsung had violated several of the iPhone maker’s patents. Now, Apple is trying to have a host of Samsung products banned from sale in the United States, and Samsung, desperate to not let that happen, has already indicated that it’ll do everything in its legal power to have the ruling reversed. As one might expect, much of the attention surrounding the trial has centered on Apple and Samsung. However, there are other companies that will be affected by it. Chief among them is Google. Google is best known as a search company, but Android and Google’s acquisition of Motorola Mobility has made it a mobile market giant. Make no mistake about it, the Android operating system is as much a part of this legal mess as Samsung. Google will be impacted greatly by the ruling.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Apple-Samsung-Patent-Verdict-10-Ways-It-Could-Affect-Google-452438/

by Jack Clark, ZDNet

Summary: A look behind the scenes of Facebook’s hardware lab, the spiritual home of the Open Compute datacentre hardware movement, which may radically change the type of IT enterprises use, and who they buy it from. Amir Michael, Facebook’s manager of system engineering, is stood in the company’s hardware lab trying not to get in the way of the assorted engineers, wheelie-chairs and bottles of water scattered around the room, describing Facebook’s attempt to democratise hardware. “We’re trying to take away a lot of the uniqueness of server design” to create a “clean, open canvas” for companies to base their datacentres around, he explains. What Amir is talking about are the server and storage systems that Facebook uses in its datacentres and how the social-networking leader is hoping that by publishing the designs and specifications of this low-power, low-cost hardware, it can reduce the cost of infrastructure for businesses large and small.

http://www.zdnet.com/inside-facebooks-lab-a-mission-to-make-hardware-open-source-7000004557/?s_cid=e539

By: Michelle Maisto, eWeek

Dell introduced a 27-inch all-in-one PC, a 10-inch tablet with keyboard and a spinning XPS Duo 12 laptop-slate at the IFA trade show. Dell joined Hewlett-Packard and Samsung in introducing laptop-tablet hybrids at the IFA 2012 trade show in Berlin Aug. 30, though it did so with a peculiar twist. Or two, actually. Alongside its new XPS One 27 all-in-one, Dell showed off the XPS Duo 12, a device with a screen-surrounding machined aluminum trim that stays in place while the 12-inch display spins 180 degrees, enabling the device to be closed and used like a slate. It also showed off the XPS 10, an ARM-based, 10-inch tablet that runs Microsoft’s Windows RT operating system and comes with a keyboard dock.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Dell-XPS-10-Tablet-XPS-Duo-12-Hybrid-Get-IFA-Intro-491676/

by JIMMY DALY, EDTECH Focus on Higher Education

Keep your finger on the pulse of all things tech on Twitter. Twitter is easily the best way to stay on top of news on the web. These higher education experts will keep you informed and entertained. To read their blogs, check out these 50 must-read higher education technology blogs.

http://www.edtechmagazine.com/higher/article/2012/08/44-higher-education-experts-follow-twitter

by Wade Roush, Technology Review

Modern societies depend on systems of unique identifiers. If you’re a U.S. citizen, for example, it’s vital that your Social Security number be yours alone, or somebody else could start picking up your checks after you retire. Similarly, it’s crucial that no two phones have the same number, no two neighborhoods have the same zip code, and no two products at the supermarket have the same bar code. When an address system expands—say, when the phone companies introduce a new area code—it’s almost always because the community of users has outgrown the existing scheme; it means that the old identifiers either are in short supply or aren’t specific enough. But that’s not what’s prompting a huge expansion of Internet domains right now. This expansion isn’t happening because we’re running out of unique Web addresses under the existing set of gTLDs. Far from it. It’s happening because the body in charge of these things—the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN—thought it would be fun and profitable.

http://www.technologyreview.com/review/428911/icanns-boondoggle/

by FRUZSINA EÖRDÖGH, Read Write Web

YouTube has been steadily expanding into the livestreaming business, from concerts and obscure sports to the 2012 Olympics, and now, to political coverage of the upcoming U.S. election. Today marks YouTube’s first livestream on their “Election Hub”: the Republican National Convention in Jacksonville, Florida, will begin streaming at 7pm EST tonight in partnership with ABC News. Olivia Ma, YouTube’s News Manager, billed YouTube’s Election Hub as “a one-stop channel for key political moments from now through the upcoming U.S. election day on November 6” in an official blog post. Besides live coverage, the Google-owned Web hub also offers reporting, commentary and analysis from ABC News, Al Jazeera English, BuzzFeed, Larry King, The New York Times, Univision, The Wall Street Journal, and YouTube’s very own mega-personality and news commentator Phil DeFranco.

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/youtube-takes-another-swipe-at-tv-with-its-election-2012-livestreaming-coverage.php

by DAN ROWINSKI, Read Write Web

Computers as we know them manipulate information encoded in ones and zeroes, known as binary code. Instead of the customary binary computation, quantum computers will encode data in the quantum states of subatomic particles known as quantum bits, or qubits. These devices will be able to execute parallel computations orders of magnitude faster than today’s computers. The website AskAMathematician.com describes quantum computing, “A quantum computer can take many inputs, do many calculations, and produce many results at the same time.” The concept has been validated by systems involving very small numbers of qubits. However, cobbling together full-scale quantum computing systems remains a distant prospect.

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/futurists-cheat-sheet-quantum-computing.php