Also see:
On 10/10/2011,
in 21st century, A/V -- audio/visual, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, convergence, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, television,
by Daniel Christian
The Cloud & HTML5 — Smart TV’s Dynamic Duo — from itvt.com by Edgar Villalpando
Excerpt:
Why is HTML5 so awesome for smart TV?
- HTML5 standards are managed by a non-corporate entity (the W3C), and are non-proprietary.
- HTML5 utilizes the existing skill sets and tools of an enormous, established development community.
- HTML5 is one of the few technologies that receives nearly ubiquitous support from the big players in technology and media alike. Apple, Google, and even Adobe have endorsed it.
- HTML5 allows developers to create one application that will run on many different devices, including TVs, STBs, PCs, tablets and mobile devices.
For the smart TV space, HTML5 will speed app development cycles, reduce development costs, provide a much larger reach, and make integration of apps with the Web, and Web-connected devices, much smoother.
We’re about to exit the Walled Garden era of smart TV, and enter the Smart TV Everywhere era.
On 10/05/2011,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, Apple, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, assistive technologies, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, computer science, convergence, digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, disruption, education technology, emerging technologies, expectations, future, innovation, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, interactivity, interface design, internet, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, mirroring and/or multiple devices, mobile learning, mobile technologies, multi-touch, multimedia, programming, technology (general), television, tools, transmedia, trends, usability, user experience (UX), user interface design, vendors, videoconferencing,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC: Expectations, today, are getting hard to beat
Since Apple’s event yesterday, I’ve heard some conversations on the radio and reviewed several blog postings and articles about Apple’s announcements…many with a sense of let down (and some with the usual critical viewpoints by the backseat drivers out there who have never tried to invent anything, but who sure like to find fault with everyone else’s inventions and innovations).
It made me reflect on how high our expectations are becoming these days! It wasn’t enough that iCloud is coming on 10/12 (and who knows the directions that will take society in). It wasn’t enough to introduce some serious software-based innovations such as Siri (which bring some significant advancements in the world of artificial intelligence) or AirPlay for the iPhone. It wasn’t enough to enter into the multi-billion dollar card industry with their new Cards app for the iPhone. Wow…tough crowd.
What might these announcements — and expectations — mean for education?
Well…I can see intelligent tutoring, intelligent agents, machine-to-machine communications, the continued growth of mobile learning, learning from the living room, the initiation of programs/events caused by changes in one’s location, continued convergence of the television/computer/telephone, continued use of videoconferencing on handheld devices, cloud-based textbooks/apps, and more.
Some items from Apple today:
- iCloud goes live on October 12
- iPhone 4S launches October 14, $199, $299, $399, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, US & International
- New iPod Nano Is Clock and Fitness Watch in One
- Apple iPhone 4S: The 4 most important features
- Apple Unveils Siri, the iPhone 4S Voice Assistant
Apple has unveiled Siri, a new iPhone 4S feature that lets you complete tasks on your phone by talking to it. During an on-stage demo at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, CA, Apple VP Scott Forstall demonstrated Siri’s ability to process natural language and respond accordingly. When he asked the iPhone 4S, “What’s the weather like today?”, it responded with the weather forecast. It is capable of parsing natural human language, rather than simple commands. - AirPlay Mirroring coming to iPhone 4S, not just for iPads
- New iPod touch: cheaper, iOS 5, and now in white
- Apple Unveils iPhone 4S: Faster CPU, Better Camera and Voice Controls
On 10/04/2011,
in 21st century, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, e-books, e-publishing related items (EPUB and more), e-readers, publishing, strategy, textbooks, trends,
by Daniel Christian
Presentations from the Digital Book 2011 Conference — from idpf.org with a special thanks going out to Mr. Steven Chevalia — who had pointed me to a great presentation by Liisa McCloy-Kelley:
Learning to Juggle and Picking the Right Balls
(AKA adapting organizations for the future of digital publishing)
Liisa McCloy-Kelley
VP, Director of eBook Production Strategy & Operations, Random House, Inc
Liisa McCloy-Kelley is VP, Director of eBook Production Strategy & Operations at Random House, Inc. where she has been an eyewitness to an evolution in the way that books are produced, marketed and sold for more than 20 years. She currently leads the team responsible for eBook development and production and keeps Random House on a focused strategic path for digital product development. She has spoken at a variety of conferences and has taught at Wellesley, NYU and Yale. As a digital book evangelist, she has given up reading in print form to become an expert in the variety of digital reading systems and the ways they can present content.
Example slide:
On 09/28/2011,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, Apple, architecture, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, collaboration, communications, convergence, Daniel S. Christian, disruption, emerging technologies, future, Google, innovation, Microsoft, mobile technologies, multimedia, strategy, technology (general), telepresence, television, tools, transmedia, trends, usability, user experience (UX), vendors, videoconferencing, web-based collaboration,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
This posting evolved after having read $500 billion TV market new battlefield for Internet companies (from forbes.com and the Trefis Team therein) as well as the posting at Future TV disruption – Forbes says it’s worth half a trillion dollars for Internet companies (from appmarket.tv).
As the convergence — and the movement of data/apps/content/services towards the cloud — continues, I wanted to jot down some thoughts re: the current field:
- Apple, Google, Cisco and Microsoft seem to be solid players to watch in terms of cloud-based computing architectures, tools, and functionality — something to keep in mind when planning for the future directions of your organization’s set of tools and technologies.
- Personally, I vote for vendors that “get the web.” Apple and Google have traditionally been very solid innovators on the web and have turned in solid report cards in terms of innovation, performance, and web-based applications. (Adobe — with their Macromedia purchase years ago and their current lineup of tools — has also done a pretty good job, but doesn’t have the arsenal to make my top 4 picks here.)
- I don’t need to say much about Apple in terms of innovation — as they have out innovated every company on the planet while becoming the world’s most valuable company in terms of market cap. Apple is on the verge of adding enormously powerful, cloud-based functionality and apps to their ecosystem when they introduce iCloud this fall (and perhaps a web-connected/smart TV type of device in the future). They have proven themselves to be #1 in terms of working with multimedia-based content — its creation and distribution. Given the continuing trend of the convergence taking place with computers, telephones, and televisions, the ability to create and work with multimedia is key for many technology-related vendors, and, in my mind, Apple leads in this area.
- Google has shown themselves to be solid innovators as well — and they “get the web.” Their current set of web-based apps — including Google Docs, Calendar, Hangouts, Reader, Alerts, etc. — provide a solid menu of web-based apps to choose from.
- Cisco has proven themselves to be innovative as well, and owns some powerful technologies in their WebEx Meeting Center, Videoscape, networking infrastructures, and some of its other tools.
- Though traditionally not a leader/innovator on the web, I think that Microsoft has deep pockets and they are a savvy business (having just purchased Skype as an example). So with SharePoint, Skype and Office 365, Microsoft is laying the foundation for a solid, web-based collaboration space.
Having said this, one can see that it is getting harder to practice the KISS principle in the IT departments out there. But where we can do so, it makes sense to do so — as there is less finger pointing and more accountability. It’s easier to support a fewer amount of tools and, often times, it seems that things simply work better with a reduced amount of vendors/technologies involved.
So I’ll wrap up this posting by listing some of the things that I’m trying to (simultaneously) keep in mind:
- Web-based collaboration tools such as videoconferencing, shared interactive whiteboards, shared document creation, calendars/scheduling, form creation and reporting tools, chat, other
- Cloud-based content/data/apps/services
- Synchronization across multiple types of devices
- Web-based updates (think publishers’ content in addition to apps)
- Storage plans and pricing
- Types of integration and tools a vendor provides on the cloud
- The end user experience and the usability of proposed solutions
- A vendor’s strategic direction(s) for the future
On 09/27/2011,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, active learning, animation, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, convergence, digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, disruption, e-books, e-publishing related items (EPUB and more), e-readers, education, education technology, educational games / serious games, elearning, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, innovation, interactivity, interface design, mobile learning, multi-touch, multimedia, online learning, online media, personalized/customized learning, publishing, storytelling, tablets, textbooks, trends, usability, user experience (UX), user interface design,
by Daniel Christian
Also see:
- The page is no longer a cage – publishing books on iPad — from Mag+
- Publishing in the digital era [infographic] — from visual.ly
Addendum on 9-28-11:
- Everything you need to know about how to digitally self publish — from livingdigitally.net
On 09/23/2011,
in cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, computer science, digital learning, digital textbooks, e-books, e-publishing related items (EPUB and more), e-readers, future, more voice more choice more control, multi-touch, multimedia, new business models, new media literacies, online learning, online media, online tutoring, programming, publishing, textbooks,
by Daniel Christian
Via: OnlineEducation.net
From DSC:
This graphic nicely illustrates how “textbooks” are morphing into “apps.”
On 09/20/2011,
in Apple, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, future, Google, Microsoft,
by Daniel Christian
Who will win the cloud war? Apple vs. Google vs. Microsoft — from TechNewsDaily.com by Dan Howley, LAPTOP Staff Writer
Excerpt:
Defining the Cloud
Although the cloud and the various services it supports have been around for quite some time, tech companies have done a fairly poor job of explaining exactly what the cloud is. “When you say cloud services, it’s pretty broad,” explained Michael Gartenberg, research director with the technology research firm Gartner. “Are you talking about digital lockers? Are you talking about cloud-based applications? Streaming music services? Cloud sort of becomes one of those catch-all phrases that becomes hard to define.”
In truth, the cloud is a nebulous term to describe the Internet and the various ways it can be leveraged by users.
For example, cloud storage allows users to upload and access their data via the web, much like an Internet-connected hard drive. When you upload a document or photo to Dropbox, you are storing it on the company’s servers, which allows you to access your files from any computer. Playing a game on Facebook? That also uses the cloud as a backbone.
Cloud-based applications, such as Google’s Docs productivity suite and online music services such as Grooveshark and Pandora, give users access to programs that they previously would have had to install on their PC. Such services save precious resources on users’ computers. However, most of these cloud apps require an active Internet connection. If you’re offline, for the most part you’re out of luck.
On 09/16/2011,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, analytics, change, changing business models, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, convergence, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital video, disruption, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, mirroring and/or multiple devices, social learning / networks, social media, television, transmedia, trends,
by Daniel Christian
On 09/14/2011,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, 3D, A/V -- audio/visual, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, convergence, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, media/film, mirroring and/or multiple devices, technologies for your home, television, transmedia, trends, user experience (UX),
by Daniel Christian
Ixonos Showcases an Interactive Multichannel TV Experience at Intel Developer Forum 2011 — from marketwatch.com
Excerpt:
“More and more television viewers have begun using a computer or a smartphone while watching TV”, says Sami Paihonen from Ixonos’ User Experience Design Centre. “Consumers across age brackets are going online to look up additional information on editorial and commercial content and wanting to share their thoughts and ideas with friends.” To address this, Ixonos has designed a solution that offers a seamless transition between broadcasted content and other online content. For TV viewers, this means a consistent and engaging user experience regardless of which device they use.
“We discovered that TV viewers are constantly looking to enrich their viewing experience by multitasking, and we believe the constant flow of information can be harnessed better for the benefit of TV viewers as well as companies promoting their content. We designed the TV Compass user experience framework to address this need for sharing information”, Sami says.
Cooperation among competing bodies appears possible as TV mulls future direction at IBC2011 — from broadcastengineering.com
IBC Showcases Television’s Future — tvtechnology.com
To cloud the future of television is — from flixya.com
On 09/13/2011,
in 21st century, A/V -- audio/visual, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, convergence, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, technologies for your home, television,
by Daniel Christian
5 reasons smart TV isn’t even born yet — from the Digital Living Room blog
- A Smart TV knows who you are.
- A Smart TV doesn’t make you hop from App to App looking for content.
- A Smart TV fully utilizes its most valuable asset.
- A Smart TV doesn’t over-utilize screen space.
- A Smart TV has an intelligent input device.
Also from the Digital Living Room site:
On 09/13/2011,
in A/V -- audio/visual, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, convergence, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, smart classrooms, technologies for your home, television, vendors,
by Daniel Christian
On 09/09/2011,
in Adobe, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, convergence, mirroring and/or multiple devices, technologies for your home, television,
by Daniel Christian
On 09/06/2011,
in analytics, Augmented Reality (AR), cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, education technology, educational games / serious games, emerging technologies, future of higher education, global / globalization, higher education, innovation, mobile learning, pedagogy, research, tablets, teaching & learning, telepresence, trends, UK,
by Daniel Christian
Also see:
- The NMC Announces New Horizon Report Series of Regional Analyses
Under the umbrella of the NMC Horizon Report, The NMC has launched the Technology Outlook, a new series of regional analyses aimed specifically at understanding both local and global differences in technology uptake, as well as the current and future state of education in different parts of the world. These publications are a product of collaborations between the NMC and innovative organizations across the world that seek to leverage the well-known medium of the NMC Horizon Report to bring important research, trends, and challenges in their regions to light. The Technology Outlook series furthers the NMC’s goal of driving innovation in every part of the world.