Hardware posts

There has been a push to replace books in the educational arena for some time now. This push hasn’t been in Washington or school board meeting rooms even though they are happening there as well. The big push is happening in the minds of students who are growing increasingly tablet-savvy and almost “spoiled” to the point that paper-products are old, almost archaic. Today’s children can work an iPad more adeptly than they can ride bikes. There’s a social question that rises with over-teching our children, but that’s not really a part of this discussion (yet). For now, the way that educational materials…

Connectivity and the possibility of not having access to data is a risk with cloud computing, as is speed based upon a faltering internet infrastructure, but the primary reason that people are hesitant to adopt the cloud for all of their business needs is security. The intermingling of our bits with their bits makes people nervous, but perceptions are quickly changing. This graphic by CIO examines the numbers and presents us with some facts that help explain how we got to where we are as well as giving us a glimpse of what the future of cloud computing may hold. …

While browsing tech posts on Google Plus (yes, I’m the guy who’s still using G+) I came across an advertorial infographic by Intel discussing the growing needs of the world when it comes to storage and connectivity. The graphic was more of a pitch to use Intel cloud services, but the data portion (image above) got me thinking about a looming challenge. With data creation, storage, consumption, and sharing growing at such a great pace, will the infrastructure be able to improve quickly enough to meet demand? We’re already seeing signs of increased expenses, systems breaking, and delivery elements…

We often look back at the great minds of the past in wonder as their predictions of what the future would look like. Sometimes, they are relatively accurate. Other times, they’re way off. In an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation in 1974, Clarke nailed it. He said that we would all have computers, not like the ones that surround him in the video but much smaller ones.  As he describes them, he motions with his hands an approximate size and shape and one can imagine a laptop resting in his hands as they were perfectly positioned. He said we would be able to talk to people around the…

There was an exchange between James T. Kirk and Spock regarding a proposed bailout of the beleaguered Klingon Empire. Kirk: Don’t believe them. Don’t trust them. Spock: They are dying. Kirk: Let them die. Today, the Klingons in question do not have boney ridges on their foreheads. They have no cloaking devices or batleths in their arsenal. The only real similarity between Research In Motion (RIM) and the Klingon Empire is the thought that, “perhaps today is a good day to die.” For the 5th consecutive quarter, RIM missed their earnings estimate. This prompted chopping at the top with former co-CEO…

The Tek Robotic Mobilization Device developed by Istanbul, Turkey-based AMS Mekatronic, bridges the gap between bulky wheelchairs with the inherent problems that come with them and mechanical engineering that will give many paraplegics more and easier access to their world. The idea is brilliant in its simplicity to the point that one wonders why something like this is new. Using a combination of balancing mechanisms, manual attachments and pulleys, and robotic engineering, the AMS team has reduced the horizontal size of mobility devices while solving other challenges such as mounting…

Google has had limited success with their Nexus-branded smartphones to date but that isn’t stopping them from moving the brand over to the tablet market. Now, rumors are circulating that they’re going to throw their name in the hat with prices starting at $149, joining the trend of reduced tablet pricing that even Apple is doing (even though only with their older iPad 2 as the New iPad rolls out). Amazon’s success with the properly-priced Kindle Fire over the holiday season and beyond has sparked more tablet makers to shoot for affordable rather than feature-rich. Ironically, this trend really…

When Meg Whitman declared late last year that WebOS tablets would be made again in 2013, the concept was met with hope by developers. As a newly-released open source platform, webOS on tablets would allow faster advancements than what can be done strictly in-house, so it made sense that the company whose financial fortunes are in doubt to release some employees from the division. The releases occurred today, but it wasn’t what most expected. Rather than simply software people, many of the 275 employees released worked on the hardware side. That’s not a good sign of things to come for HP, webOS tablets,…

Some day in the (very) near future, we may no longer need a traditional backpack at school. Rather than carrying around a laptop and textbooks, we will be consolidating the various components of school gear down to a single device that fits nicely within our hands: an iPad. Many schools are already considering adopting a tablet-based educational style that focuses on electronic devices rather than paper and pen. It’s the way that the world is quickly starting to work; why not prepare our children today to face the world of tomorrow? This infographic breaks down the coming paper vs tablet war by…

The over-$500 tablet war was, for all intents and purposes, over once the iPad 2 came out with a front- and rear-facing camera. It was the missing feature that kept some people from buying the original iPad and pushed sales of the sequel to a higher level than many thought possible. Still, there were competitors lingering with hopes of stronger reviews, more appropriately-sized screens, and most importantly a faster network. The last part may be changing if rumors of the iPad 3′s imminent announcement on March 7th are true. Here are the features that are being discussed” 2048×1536 Retina Display…