Excerpt:
We were asked to consider the Internet of Things (IoT) from the user’s viewpoint. Well, my viewpoint is exactly this, since I’m neither a company director nor a software coder or a hardware creator. From an user’s viewpoint I think we are undergoing a big transformation. The Internet of Things comes out from an evolution process which involves calculation power, connections, networking, personal technologies, and that can be resumed in four phases.
Gartner identifies the Top 10 Strategic Technologies for 2012
Analysts Examine Latest Industry Trends During Gartner Symposium/ITxpo
Excerpt:
The top 10 strategic technologies for 2012 include:
Living Actor™ Presenter is a new Web platform developed by Cantoche, an international company well known for its unique expertise in 3D avatar technological innovations.
Various benefits depending upon the solution that you go with:
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.
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:
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.
Also see:
Addendum on 9-28-11:
9 Essential Resources for User Interface Designers — from Mashable.com by Kelli Shaver
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
From DSC:
I want to post a thank you note to Mr. Steven P. Jobs, whom you most likely have heard has resigned as Apple’s CEO. Some articles are listed below, but I want to say thank you to Steve and to the employees of Apple who worked at Apple while he was CEO:
Thanks again all!
I am troubled by the devaluing of the word ‘design’. I find myself now being somewhat embarrassed to be called a designer. In fact I prefer the German term, Gestalt-Ingenieur. Apple and Vitsoe are relatively lone voices treating the discipline of design seriously in all corners of their businesses. They understand that design is not simply an adjective to place in front of a product’s name to somehow artificially enhance its value. Ever fewer people appear to understand that design is a serious profession; and for our future welfare we need more companies to take that profession seriously.
— From Dieter Rams: “Apple has achieved something I never did”
10 Best UX (User Experience) Design Blogs — from blogs.com by Whitney Hess
Amazon acquires Pushbutton — from pushbutton.tv
Excerpt:
Pushbutton have announced today that Amazon.com, Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN). have acquired Push Button Holdings Ltd.
“Pushbutton has a strong reputation for delivering amazing user experiences on connected devices,” said Greg Greeley, Amazon’s Vice President of European Retail. “They were instrumental in helping launch the LOVEFiLM player through a variety of devices, and we look forward to helping them continue to innovate on behalf of customers.”
“With Amazon and LOVEFiLM’s support, we look forward to offering our clients, as well as their customers, even more ways to access digital services in the future,” said Paula Byrne, Pushbutton Managing Director.
Also see:
Planit, a concept app from Pushbutton.
Image: Pushbutton
From Brett Victor’s “Kill Math” page
The power to understand and predict the quantities of the world should not be restricted to those with a freakish knack for manipulating abstract symbols.
When most people speak of Math, what they have in mind is more its mechanism than its essence. This “Math” consists of assigning meaning to a set of symbols, blindly shuffling around these symbols according to arcane rules, and then interpreting a meaning from the shuffled result. The process is not unlike casting lots.
This mechanism of math evolved for a reason: it was the most efficient means of modeling quantitative systems given the constraints of pencil and paper. Unfortunately, most people are not comfortable with bundling up meaning into abstract symbols and making them dance. Thus, the power of math beyond arithmetic is generally reserved for a clergy of scientists and engineers (many of whom struggle with symbolic abstractions more than they’ll actually admit).
We are no longer constrained by pencil and paper. The symbolic shuffle should no longer be taken for granted as the fundamental mechanism for understanding quantity and change. Math needs a new interface.
Also see:
Intel predicts Smart TV is the device of the future — from nyxiotechnologies.com’s blog
Chipmaker Intel believes that the Smart TV is the electronic device of the future, in the living room anyway.
Excerpt:
The Smart TV is already upon us, in its various forms from various manufacturers. It has arrived with 3D capabilities, web browsing and social networking and applications. Currently Samsung and LG seem to be two of the big players pushing the Smart TV to consumers.
Also see:
