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The battle of the ecosystems: Apple, Google, Microsoft, & Amazon.com [Christian]

On 08/12/2013, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, Apple, business, changing business models, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, computer science, corporate / business world, corporate universities / corporate training, Daniel S. Christian, education technology, educational games / serious games, elearning, emerging technologies, Google, higher education, innovation, internet, IT in HE, K-12 related, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning spaces, media/film, Microsoft, mirroring and/or multiple devices, mobile learning, mobile technologies, more voice more choice more control, multimedia, music, new business models, online learning, online media, online tutoring, platforms, productivity / tips and tricks, programming, second screen apps, smart classrooms, smart/connected TV, social media, student-related, tablets, technologies for your home, technology (general), tools, trends, ubiquitous learning, vendors, videoconferencing, virtual K-12 schools, virtual tutoring, workplace, by Daniel Christian

The battle of the ecosystems: Apple, Google, Microsoft, & Amazon.com — by Daniel Christian with thanks to Krista Spahr, Michael Mandeville, Bill Vriesema, and Adam Tozer from Calvin College for their feedback/inputs on this.

PDF version here [1.35MB]

Also see:

A game of ecosystems: Measuring ecosystem performance — from visionmobile.com by Andreas Pappas

Addendums on 8/13/13:

Battle of the media ecosystems: Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft — from computerworld.com by Michael deAgonia, Preston Gralla, JR Raphael
Four large tech ecosystems are currently vying for our attention — and for our dollars. How well are they succeeding?
Apple still tops the App Store despite Google Play growth — from tapscape.com

Also see:

A “Napster Moment” in Education — from news.yahoo.com
Excerpt:
Digital education is like whitewater rafting. Or like the Napster era in music. The two analogies were among many that came up yesterday as panelists considered the future of technology in education at a Scientific American and Macmillan Science & Education summit on “Learning in the Digital Age,” at Google’s New York headquarters.

Plugin-free video conferencing now in Chrome Beta Android [Parrish]

On 07/18/2013, in Google, innovation, internet, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, telecommunications, web-based collaboration, by Daniel Christian

Plugin-free video conferencing now in Chrome Beta Android — from tomsguide.com by Kevin Parrish

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

Google is growing ever so closer in bringing the Chrome desktop experience to Android. The company said that the latest browser beta release for the mobile platform now supports WebRTC and the Web Audio API. That means web developers can create real-time communications applications that can be used within the Chrome browser on Android devices without the need for a plugin.

“WebRTC enables real-time communication such as video-conferencing in the browser,” the Chrome team said on Tuesday. “It consists of three independent components: getUserMedia, which provides access to the user’s webcam and microphone; PeerConnection, which sets up calls with the ability to traverse NATs and firewalls; and DataChannels, which establishes peer-to-peer data communication between browsers.”

Also see:

Google releases updated Chrome for iOS, new Chrome Beta for Android — from eweek.com by Todd Weiss

Technologies often have a life of their own; here’s a good example. [Christian]

On 07/18/2013, in emerging technologies, ethics, Google, innovation, society, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
After being introduced, technologies often have a life of their own; they go in directions — for better or for worse — that the original developers didn’t really envision . Below is a good example of this:

Clever hacks give Google Glass many unintended powers — from npr.org by Steve Henn
Excerpt:
“Essentially what I am building is an alternative operating system that runs on Glass but is not controlled by Google,” he said.
…
But hackers are proving it’s possible to re-engineer Google Glass in any number of creative ways. And in the process, they’ve put Google in an awkward position. The company needs to embrace their creative talents if it hopes to build a software ecosystem around its new device that might one day attract millions of consumers. But at the same time, Google wants to try to rein in uses for Glass or spook politicians pointed questions about privacy.

Addendum/also see:

Google wants to nip this cheap Italian alternative to Google Glass in the bud — from businessinsider.com by Megan Rose Dickey

The science-fiction world continues to develop — but it’s often for real!

On 07/17/2013, in 21st century, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Augmented Reality (AR), computer science, Daniel S. Christian, digital video, engineering, global / globalization, Google, interactivity, internet, learning ecosystem, robotics, society, telecommunications, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
Some items that made me think of this posting:

DARPA unveils Atlas DRC Robot — from spectrum.ieee.org by Stephen Cass

Specs:

Six feet, two inches tall (1.88m)
330 pounds (150kg)
On-board real-time control computer
On-board hydraulic pump and thermal management
Tethered for networking and 480-V three-phase power at 15 kW
Two arms, two legs, a torso and a head
28 hydraulically actuated joints
Carnegie Robotics sensor head with LIDAR and stereo sensors
Two sets of hands, one provided by iRobot and one by Sandia National Labs

Drone Home — from time.com by Lev Grossman — also see TIME: “Rise of the Robots” Special Issue

Excerpt:

Flying a drone, even just a Parrot, makes you realize what a radically new and deeply strange technology drones are. A drone isn’t just a tool; when you use it you see and act through it — you inhabit it. It expands the reach of your body and senses in much the same way that the Internet expands your mind. The Net extends our virtual presence; drones extend our physical presence. They are, along with smart phones and 3-D printing, one of a handful of genuinely transformative technologies to emerge in the past 10 years.

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Bioengineers 3D print tiny functioning human liver — from wired.co.uk

Peek inside Tesla’s robotic factory — from wired.com

Image from
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/alternative/1206_2012_tesla_model_s_first_drive/photo_11.html

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From DSC:
And, if you are up to filtering through a great deal of content, create some Google Alerts on the following things to see what’s happening with them:
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Internet of Things
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Augmented reality
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WebRTC
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Artificial intelligence
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Self-driving cars
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Wearable technologies

Shortfall in educated U.S. workers to worsen: study — — from reuters.com by Paige Gance

Excerpt:

WASHINGTON | Wed Jun 26, 2013 5:55pm EDT (Reuters) – U.S. workers with advanced skills in areas such as math, science and healthcare are growing more scarce, with a shortfall of 20 million adequately educated workers expected by 2020, a study released on Wednesday found.

“The United States has been under-producing workers with postsecondary education since the 1980s,” researchers at Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce said in the study. “Jobs will return, but not everyone will be ready for them.”

They predicted that 65 percent of the projected 165 million jobs in 2020 will require more than a high school diploma, up from 59 percent in 2010.

From DSC:
IF the status quo is maintained, the outlook for the U.S. is not good.

That is, if the prices of obtaining a degree in higher ed keep going up and the middle class continues to be hollowed out, a smaller pool of people will even be able to afford getting a postsecondary education (regardless of whether it’s in healthcare, math, or science).

How much longer do the status quo’ers think that the U.S. Federal Government will wait around, watching this situation develop? How much longer before the Federal Government looks elsewhere for its workforce development (let alone the students out there who need to make a living)?

There is not an infinite period of time for institutions of traditional higher education to respond. MOOCs are a start, but they are but one option and they need to be improved. Along those lines:

The organization who can collaborate with those perfecting IBM’s Watson, Apple’s Siri, or Google Now — and integrate those technologies into a low-cost solution for postsecondary education — will be a potent force in the future.

iPad still dominates in latest tablet web usage numbers — from ipadinsight.com by Patrick Jordan

From DSC:
This is especially important data given the ever increasing trend towards mobility as well as when you are considering which ecosystem(s) to build up and around (i.e. consider things such as BYOD, what apps and platforms your students are going to develop for, digital textbooks, smartphone/tablet-based “clickers,” etc.)

Heads up Jony Ive! You need to see this brilliant concept for the Apple TV! Superb work by Sam Beckett!

On 05/31/2013, in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, A/V -- audio/visual, analytics, Apple, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, attention, changing business models, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, convergence, cost of getting a degree, creativity, Daniel S. Christian, digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, disruption, e-books, e-publishing related items (EPUB and more), education technology, educational games / serious games, elearning, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, experimentation, future of higher education, game-changing environment, Google, higher education, homeschooling/homeschoolers, human-computer interaction (HCI), IBM, innovation, instructional design, intelligent systems, intelligent tutoring, interaction design, interactivity, interface design, internet, learning agents, learning ecosystem, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, learning spaces, lifelong learning, love of learning, machine-to-machine communications, media/film, Microsoft, mirroring and/or multiple devices, mobile learning, mobile technologies, MOOCs -- Massive Open Online Courses, more voice more choice more control, multi-touch, multimedia, Near Field Communication (NFC), New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, new business models, new media literacies, online learning, online media, online tutoring, personalized/customized learning, platforms, second screen apps, simulations, smart classrooms, smart/connected TV, social learning / networks, social media, streams of content, tablets, teaching & learning, technologies for your home, technology (general), telepresence, television, transmedia, trends, ubiquitous learning, user experience (UX), user interface design, using teams, videoconferencing, virtual field trips, virtual K-12 schools, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, virtual tutoring, vision/possibilities, web-based collaboration, webinars, by Daniel Christian

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From DSC:
Now picture this from the educational standpoint — and what MOOCs could morph into. The foundation for some serious learning power (from the living room) seems to be developing!

Streams of content/learning channels/cloud-based applications that each of us can create and make available.

Voice recognition, learning analytics, machine-to-machine communications, transmedia and more! Wow!

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Nuance: Virtual Assistants will work across platforms within two years [Fried]

On 05/30/2013, in Apple, Artificial Intelligence/Agents/LLMs/and Related, Google, IBM, platforms, technologies for your home, virtual tutoring, by Daniel Christian

Nuance: Virtual Assistants will work across platforms within two years (video) — from allthingsd.com by Ina Fried

Excerpt:

Siri is good at predicting the weather on your iPhone. And Google Now can tell you a few interesting things.

But within two years, virtual assistants will be able to do a wide range of tasks from handling all types of media to making reservations to offering full control of devices. More importantly, they will work across tablets, televisions and phones.

“I think we will see virtual assistants within two years that are quite robust,” Nuance CEO Paul Ricci said, speaking at D11. “I also believe that within two years we will see that virtual assistants will work across platforms.”

Google and SAP offer courses

On 05/29/2013, in change, changing business models, corporate / business world, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, elearning, Google, learning ecosystem, MOOCs -- Massive Open Online Courses, more voice more choice more control, online learning, workplace, by Daniel Christian

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SAP launches MOOC style online courseware — from technorati.com by Adi Gaskell

Excerpt:

Last year I looked at the impact of Massive Online Open Courses and other forms of online learning were having on learning in the workplace.

So it’s interesting to read that software giant SAP are to launch their own MOOC style platform.

The site, called Open.SAP.com, aims to offer employees and other people interested in the SAP environment, a range of courses on topics that the company believe are key to success in the SAP world.

For instance, the first module available is an introduction to software development on SAP HANA. SAP recommend that people spend around 5 hours per week for six weeks on the course, which has thus far attracted around 20,000 students.

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Mapping with Google

Excerpt (emphasis DSC):

Discover new ways to navigate the world around you with Google Maps and Google Earth.

Improve your use of new and existing features of Google’s mapping tools.

Choose your own path. Complete a project using Google Maps, Google Earth, or both, and earn a certificate of completion.

Briefly able to check out Google Glass today — very cool; I also appreciate the concerns

On 05/08/2013, in Daniel S. Christian, Google, by Daniel Christian

Daniel-Christian-Google-Glass-May-2013

From DSC:
Thanks to Mr. Andrew Vanden Heuvel (one of the early explorers), I was able to briefly try Google Glass out today

I can see numerous applications involving augmented reality, journalism, videography, medicine, and other disciplines/areas. However, I can also see how this sort of thing comes with concerns re: privacy and security. But as with any technology, the technology itself is neither good nor bad — it’s how we use it.

The recent earnings call from Apple stresses the importance of thinking in terms of ecosystems/platforms

On 04/26/2013, in Apple, business, corporate / business world, Daniel S. Christian, Google, learning ecosystem, Microsoft, platforms, tools, workplace, by Daniel Christian

Apple Inc. (AAPL), Google Inc (GOOG), Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN): Ecosystems are widening moats — from insidermonkey.com

Apple smartphone strategy: It’s the ecosystem — news.investors.com

The strength of Apple’s ecosystem remains its greatest asset and will secure customers and profits despite slowing growth and margin dips — from tbrnewsommentary.wordpress.com by Beau Skonieczny, Analyst
iPad continued to fuel growth and healthy margins for Apple despite headwinds

From DSC:
Those of us working in the tech side of the house know how difficult it is to navigate this space. The targets are always moving, and determining which tool to go with has changed through these last few years. It used to be about individual tools (and sometimes still is). But increasingly, one needs to fly at the 50,00-foot level and ask how the ecosystems are playing out and how an individual tool fits into a greater ecosystem or platform. Some ecosystems that come to my mind right now include: Apple, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft.

Bad move Google…

On 03/14/2013, in blogs / blogging / vlogging, cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, Google, RSS, strategy, Uncategorized, by Daniel Christian

Google is retiring Google Reader as of July 1, 2013.

Excerpt:

We launched Google Reader in 2005 in an effort to make it easy for people to discover and keep tabs on their favorite websites. While the product has a loyal following, over the years usage has declined. So, on July 1, 2013, we will retire Google Reader. Users and developers interested in RSS alternatives can export their data, including their subscriptions, with Google Takeout over the course of the next four months.

From DSC:
To Google (and others) —

You should know that when you do this sort of thing, it creates a great deal of nervousness and uncertainty in K-12 and in higher ed. We ask, well if we go with (Google Docs, Google Drive, Google ___) will they pull it in the future? What would we do at that point? It also causes us to pause in moving things to the cloud…

Below, I will be adding some alternatives that I’ve seen people mentioning:

Addendum on 3/15/13 and in defense of Google…
As Google stated, usage is low and RSS didn’t hit the mainstream in the current form. Which is too bad, because it’s a very promising technology! Also from this page, here’s a solid graphic that shows the decline in usage:

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Sharp! Some news re: Google Glass.

On 02/20/2013, in Augmented Reality (AR), digital learning, Google, human-computer interaction (HCI), innovation, ubiquitous learning, by Daniel Christian

Here’s how it’ll feel to wear Google Glass –from mashable.com by Pete Pachal

New Google Glass UI video shows off search, camera, and voice translation features — from theverge.com by Amar Toor

Google Glass in the classroom — from Andrew Barras at educationstormfront.wordpress.com

Excerpt:

Did you notice it didn’t have anything about being in a classroom? What would it look like if it did? Tie together facial recognition, speech to text transcription, and IBM’s Watson (or Google’s version of it, Google Now) and what do you get?

Google Glass augmented reality project now open to regular people — from readwrite.com by Dan Rowinski

Also see:

Stanfords VR Lab offers wild glimpse of the future — from huffingtonpost.com Steve Rosenbaum

NASA hosts its first Google+ Hangout connecting with space station [nasa.gov]

On 02/09/2013, in collaboration, communications, Google, social media, videoconferencing, virtual field trips, web-based collaboration, by Daniel Christian

NASA hosts its first Google+ Hangout connecting with space station— from nasa.gov

Excerpt:

WASHINGTON — NASA will host its first Google+ Hangout live with the International Space Station from 11 a.m. to noon EST, Friday, Feb. 22. This event will connect NASA’s social media followers with astronauts on the ground and living and working aboard the laboratory orbiting 240 miles above Earth.

From DSC:
Talk about some serious communications!

The words “mini MOOC” come to my mind…

Learning Ecosystems

Plugin-free video conferencing now in Chrome Beta Android [Parrish]

Technologies often have a life of their own; here’s a good example. [Christian]

Shortfall in educated U.S. workers to worsen: study [Gance]

iPad still dominates in latest tablet web usage numbers [Jordan] — esp. important when considering ecosystems

Google and SAP offer courses

Briefly able to check out Google Glass today — very cool; I also appreciate the concerns

The recent earnings call from Apple stresses the importance of thinking in terms of ecosystems/platforms

Sharp! Some news re: Google Glass.

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