Outline: The Education Apple - episode 23

“The show that discusses Apple technology in the formal Classroom as well as in the classroom of our daily lives”

1. The Cast

 

• Barrett Mosbacker, Superintendent of Briarwood Christian School, publisher Christian School Journal

• Bill Brazeal, Technical Architect, Technology Specialist and Principal - ezNet Solutions

2. Technology Review

 

• Samsung Goes First, Google Experiments And Apple Refines

  • Samsung is building a reputation as the most brash and quick-to-act (first to market)

  • Google plays the reasoned experimenter

  • Apple hangs back and refines the best ideas

  • Samsung - Galaxy Round is the latest from the Korean smartphone maker

    • $1,000 boondoggle has a curved face, and otherwise resembles a Galaxy Note

    • Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch style over substance ($299)

      • Is attractive, comfortable, and makes it easy to see incoming calls

      • A lack of email and social network support, limited compatibility with other devices (Galaxy Note 3), the external charging case, and hit-and-miss voice control seriously limit its usefulness

    • Samsung  taking an advanced prototype, charging too much for it and releasing to the public

  • Beta versions of products or product ideas it’s refining into something more palatable for a general audience

    • The Chromebook Pixel, a touch-based notebook with Chrome OS and a high-resolution screen that retails for an absurd $1,600

    • Glass, offering face-based computing to a select small group of beta testers for the “low” cost of $1,500

    • Google is arguably the first to do this on a massive scale, using its millions of customers as the beta testing group

  • Apple content to do R&D behind closed doors and to watch the successes and failures of its rivals for clues as to where to go next

    • The fingerprint scanner, not new in concept or necessarily in design, but its execution is polished and tied to a usability that actually works for the mass-market consumer

    • Apple resisted on NFC, saw the tech develop through the trials and tribulations of Google the Experimenter, and decided on use of Bluetooth Low Energy and iBeacons

    • The iPad wasn’t the first tablet, just the first tablet to get it right

  • Samsung (Lead), Google (Test), Apple (Refine) - Competitors that are helping each other

• Google Watch

  • Google is putting the finishing touches on a smartwatch built around its Google Now service

  • Google Now offers the contextual information at a glance that could be useful and invigorate the smartwatch market

  • The information in Google Now is more about the “here and now” which may work well on a watch that’s intelligent

• Apple iWatch

  • 799 US consumers were surveyed regarding the long-rumored Apple smart watch.

  • Between 2%-4% of current iPhone owners would buy an “iWatch”

  • Apple has around 293 million customers with iPhones, that translates broadly between 5 and 10 million sales in the first year of its existence

  • The survey in question pitched the iWatch at around $350. 12% of all respondents said they would be interested

  • Currently nothing that’s entirely compelling

    • Ones that look really cool (Fuel Band/Up) are limited in functionality

    • Ones packed with features are either too ugly, too impractical (Galaxy Gear) or not fully optimized to work with an iPhone

• Push alternatives for your Gmail messages on iOS

• • Google’s service for push email on iOS will go away for many users when they upgrade to a major new iOS version, or they get a new device (apparently has existed since end of 2012)

  • Gmail set up via Exchange ActiveSync protocol

  • Mail quits working if you have this situation (device is restored, updated to iOS7, or new device entirely)

  • Fix by setting up to GMail config (this will then change to “fetch” service as opposed to “push”)

  • -or- You have three other options if you want to keep “push” service

  • 1) Google Apps for Business paid account ($50 / yr)

  • 2) Forward your Gmail to another push account

  • 3) Use Google’s Gmail app with iOS notifications

  • Gmail is the only popular email solution no longer supporting push
    

 

Follow-up Category

 

• Fixed keyboard problem on new iPhone with General>Reset>Reset All Settings

 

3. Apps and Followings

 

• Barrett -

  • App pick (Parcel) Tracks 180 delivery services, sync tracking across all devices, push notification via notification center, text, and email as desired.

  • Hardware: Energizer 180W Inverter

    • Powers up to 5 Devices at Once

    • Ultra Silent (thermal fan)

    • 4 x USB Charging ports 2.1A (Shared)

    • Tablet Charging compatible from USB ports

    • Fits securely into most cup holders

    • 180W Continuous / 360W Peak Power

    • 1 x Standard North American AC Outlet

    • Cigarette Lighter and Battery Cables included

• Twitter pick (@Macdrops)  Tracks App deals and Mac discounts. Macdrop is part of Mactrast.

• Bill -

  • App pick (Pedometer++, AirPedometer, M7 Pedometer - Steps, Pacer)

    • Apps that tap into the new M7 motion sensing chip

  • Twitter pick (@finertech)

    • They like to celebrate the surprise features and interface gems that developers slave to add to the hardware, apps, and websites we use every day.
      

 

4. Wrap up and closing remarks...

Don’t forget to follow us on the Internet

 

Bill: Twitter - @billbrazeal         Web - http://billbrazeal.com

Barrett: Twitter - @BMosbacker

 

Blog:  Christian School Journal http://christianschooljournal.com/

Thanks for listening in, be sure to tell your friends, watch for our next episode coming in two weeks.  So long for now.