Posts Tagged ‘ipad’

Google Update

Monday, December 6th, 2010

Here’s what happening with Google today:

Google eBookstore

Did you buy someone an internet-connected gadget for Christmas, such as an iPad, Android tablet, eReader, or netbook? Chances are it can take advantage of Google’s eBookstore that offers millions of free and pay-for ebooks. Google announced and opened the eBookstore today which combines the selections from some of the big ebook providers with Google’s own library of digitized books. One nice feature of Google eBookstore is that the ebooks that you add to your collection remain on the web, so you can read them on your smartphone and then switch to your netbook without having to download your book again. Your whole library is available to all your internet-capable devices. It also remembers where you left off, even when switching between devices.
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iPad = iMac?

Monday, August 23rd, 2010

So, thanks to Mashable, we might be in on a little secret:

“If recent patents are any indication, your future iMac might just include a built-in iPad.

The website Patently Apple has uncovered some European patent filings filed in September 2009 and first published in January 2010. The document outlines a system for an iMac touch, a device that acts like a standard desktop computer in one orientation and a tablet in another.

The idea is that when the device is in the upright position, like a standard iMac or flatscreen monitor, it can be controlled using a mouse and keyboard. When reclined, an accelerometer will trigger advanced multi-touch mode and switch the operating system from Mac OS X to iOS.

In addition to seamlessly switching modes/operating systems, the patent information also details a system that would allow peripheral control of an iPhone or iPad from the iMac touch.

The idea of the two operating systems co-existing and switching seamlessly based on orientation is awesome for a desktop and even more killer for a netbook. I love both my MacBook Pro and my iPad, but if I could combine them into one super device, that would be the best of all worlds.

Some of the information in these patents go back to 2007, so it is clear Apple has been hard at work perfecting touch for the desktop for quite some time. The company’s most recent accessory, the Magic Trackpad, is just another indication that the company is slowly but surely aiming to bring touch to the desktop.

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The Future Doesn’t Want a Keyboard a.k.a. The Tablet Rush

Monday, August 16th, 2010

My roommate recently got a new toy in the mail. It’s a Chinese product called the APad which is a little tablet computer running Android 1.6. Yes, you read that right, there are other tablets out there not created by Apple, running a variety of different platforms. The two most popular platforms are the iPhone OS and Android, but there are some newer tablets predicted to come out by the end of the year that run Windows 7 or Windows CE, and even a rumored Blackberry tablet. There are also projects like MeeGo that run on mobile phones, tablets, netbooks and carputers.

The early 1990s had a big rush of Tablet computers, and a lot of money was thrown at tech companies to develop handwriting recognition software, and tablet-style interfaces. These were the days of Windows 3.1, with big clunky machines running at sub-Ghz speeds (we had a Pentium 2 90Mhz computer with one gig of RAM at my house). Now that we can all hold a >1Ghz computer in our palms, the tablet rush is back. Add the ability for anyone to write an App and get it into the hands of millions of users, and it’s no wonder why this time around the Tablet rush is looking to explode.

I’m curious to see how this Tablet trend is going to effect the future of programming. Will we begin to see mobile app development courses show up in CS degree programs? What do you think? Is this just another fad?

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