Barnes & Noble Nook eBook Reader
Barnes and Noble have launched a class beating eBook reader. Utilising two screens – an e-ink reader and a colour touch screen for navigation and control – it ticks all the boxes. It also includes a 3G connection via AT&T and WiFi. I suspect it will be some time before we see this device in Australia. It would be nice to dream that one day the “powers that be” see these devices as an opportunity rather than a parallel importing threat. Look out for an extensive review of the International Amazon Kindle here in the next week.
Related articles by Zemanta
- Kindle Killer? (technologyreview.com)
- Barnes & Noble Reader Allows Book Sharing (ubergizmo.com)
- The Kindle Killer Arrives (tech.slashdot.org)
- The $259, dual-screen Barnes & Noble Nook reader gets official (crunchgear.com)
- A Sneak Peek at Barnes & Noble’s Nook (blogs.wsj.com)
Augmented Reality
- Image via Wikipedia
The other day I sat down with my seven year old daughter to show her a new iPhone app that I had installed. Not that this was a first – even my three year old has been quite competent with the iPhone since she was just turned two – a testament to Apple’s interface design! What made this occasion different was my insistence that she remembered where she was on this day – the first time she played with a true augmented reality application.
Such applications are really only possible since the advent of the iPhone 3GS which has a compass, GPS and accelerometers which give it a fairly accurate idea of its location in three dimensions.
For some time web applications such as Google Maps have been overlaying data onto the maps and we have become quite used to finding information about surrounding businesses in such a way. The iPhone 3GS allows developers to go one step further – taking away the 2D view of the map and replacing it with a real-time view of the world using the camera and screen as a viewport. The application I was playing with is called NearestWiki. You start the application and move the 3GS to look at the world around you – information badges appear in space which draw information from Wikipedia. I was surprised how many entries there were near my house – I should imagine that when visiting a city it would be fascinating!
Probably the most exciting of such applications at the moment is called the Bionic Eye – which sadly does not have Australian data at the moment. This shows shopping and public transport venues nearby. When one is selected simply point the iPhone camera towards the pavement and arrows appear giving directions.
I believe that fairly quickly such technology will find its way into, perhaps, an attachment for glasses and will become ubiquitous. Whilst the benefits of such data overlays are of interest in daily life – in medicine they are truly astounding!
Related articles by Zemanta
- Bionic Eye app creates augmented reality on your iPhone 3GS (mobilecrunch.com)
- Bionic Eye: Augmented Reality App for the iPhone (thenextweb.com)
- BIONIC EYE: Augmented Reality on the iPhone (mashable.com)
Livescribe Pulse 2Gb Smartpen
- Image by Becca Taylor via Flickr
For those of you that are avid readers of this column it should have become obvious that whilst I am a committed computer geek – I also have a love of fine pens, paper and writing instruments. In this months column I have managed to combine both – and find a tool that is invaluable to doctors, especially when studying or at a conference. The device in question is the Livescribe Pulse Smartpen. Physically it is a slightly chunky ball pen – but this pen will digitise everything you write and save it to a desktop application. An addon called MyScript then does a reasonable job of converting it to typed text.
Alone this would be quite impressive – but this pen can also record the ambient audio at the same time – and link it to your written notes. Excellent for conferences, lectures and meetings. On the desktop the whole becomes searchable – and it seems to use the audio and text together to make the search quite accurate. Even better – you can return to your printed notes and tap on any word with the pen and it will play the audio from that point in the meeting.
The secret behind all of this is the use of special paper which is covered in microdots to form a unique map the size of Europe and Asia combined. This means you have to use special notebooks – but they are reasonably priced. If you have access to a laser printer the Windows desktop software allows you to print your own paper. The Mac software works well but so far lacks some of the features available to Windows users.
The 2GB pen holds about 200 hours of audio and is available from Officeworks or smartpen.com.au for $329 - smartpen.com.au has the wider range of accessories. More information at livescribe.com.
Related articles by Zemanta
- My new favorite gadget: Livescribe Pulse pen (jamesfallows.theatlantic.com)
- Livescribe Pulse Smartpen Tidbits (geardiary.com)
- Livescribe Pulse Smartpen (tom-watson.co.uk)
- Livescribe for Mac gets handwriting recognition thanks to Vision Objects (tuaw.com)
- I Love the Livescribe Pen (chrisbrogan.com)
Skype
- Image via CrunchBase
Most people by now have heard of Skype which has become the defacto standard for internet telephony. However, many users only use Skype computer-to-computer and miss many of the great benefits Skype offers when using one of their excellent subscription plans.
As a computer only client, Skype is an excellent choice for text, voice and video messaging. Many accessories are now available that free Skype from the computer such as the Netgear WiFi telephone or several models of Philips USB phones.
As far as subscriptions go, there are two main packages: Unlimited Country at about AU$8 per month gives unlimited calls to landlines in Australia, and Unlimited World at about AU$18 per month offers unlimited calls to landlines across 36 countries – plus many other benefits such has voicemail, Skype-In (take incoming calls) and Skype-To-Go (a local number you can call from any telephone to make a call using your Skype account). If you make a lot of international calls this is great value, easy to use and worth a look. Make sure you check the country you want to call is included in the plan.
Related articles by Zemanta
- GrandCentral closes its doors – time to update to Google Voice (downloadsquad.com)
The BeBook eReader
- Image by Richard Clement via Flickr
As I mentioned in the November newsletter, I have for some years been doing my leisure reading on various PDA devices and mobile phones. This works but it is limited by battery life and the screen is typically small and a strain on the eyes.
A new generation of eBook readers use a technology called eInk and ePaper which use power only when turning the page and have a contrast ratio similar to regular ink on paper. A typical device is similar in size to a paperback book and can carry hundreds or thousands of books, including PDF versions of medical texts available from eBooks.com.
Of those available at the moment, only two are readily accessible in Australia – the iLiad from Dymocks which many reviews say is overly complex and priced well in excess of $500, and the second, the BeBook, can be purchased online, and is considered by many to be superior, as it reads many more formats and can be shipped to Australia for around $500. Additionally the developers are working hard to add in more format support all the time.
For a more complete review of the BeBook click on the link. You can order a BeBook from www.mybebook.com. If you enter [email protected] as a coupon code when you order, you will even get a 25 Euro discount. It’s the perfect Christmas present for avid readers.
A New Reading Paradigm – The eBook.
- Image by jessamyn via Flickr
I love reading and I love books. Luckily, I have a beautiful leather bound set of Britannica which provides a beautiful sensory experience when browsing the pages. Nothing can beat the smell of the leather or the feel of the paper. Bookworms will, I’m sure, appreciate my point.
My wife is less of a bookworm. I don’t mean she doesn’t like to read but she drew the line when she started tripping over large piles of Tom Clancy novels. At that point (late 2000) I began experimenting with e-books on a monochrome screen PDA with books from what was then a subsidiary of Palm Inc.
Software is available now for most PDAs and phones. Novels are widely available but originate in two main formats .prc files from Mobipocket.com and .pdb files from eReader.com. Mobipocket is now owned by Amazon, so it will likely become the defacto standard in time. For leisure reading the benefits are obvious – you can carry an entire library in your pocket and save room on your shelves for true ‘sensory experience’ books.
There are also a range of sources such as eBooks.com providing technical material in PDF format. This includes a wide range of medical texts but reading them on a PDA or mobile phone is next to impossible. You can read them on a laptop screen, but this will eventually cause some discomfort and eye strain. Fortunately there is an answer to this in the form of ePaper ebook readers on the way. Next month I will review a couple of the available ePaper readers … see you then.
iPhone 3G First Impressions
- Image via Wikipedia
Okay, I admit it, I’m a geek and an early adopter! Usually this simply means I end up paying more to access technology early. With the iPhone 3G, I am beginning to long for a return to my Nokia N95… Now don’t get me wrong. As a gadget, the iPhone isn’t so bad. I am enjoying playing with the applications from the iTunes App Store, and as long as I am on a Wi-Fi network at home or in the office, I get good results. Leave the office and rely on 3G and the problems start – poor signal, sometimes no service and slow download speeds.
Recent head-to-head studies have suggested that the problem is more with the networks than the device itself, with the worst carrier in the world having been identified as Optus. No prizes for guessing which carrier I am with!
My theory is that because Optus offered the best data plans in Australia they have garnered the lions share of the iPhone 3G business, putting undue (and I hope temporary!) stress on their network. Few complaints seem to have been received from Telstra customers. This could be because they have so few customers due to initially high data prices, or related to their operating on a different frequency.
In summary I would recommend holding off on the purchase of an iPhone until the dust settles a bit more. Apple has some imminent updates at the time of writing that may help with signal strength issues as well as rumoured iPod updates. Next month we will take a look at some of the potential benefits of QR codes
iPhone 3G
- Image via CrunchBase
On 10 June 2007, we had a glimpse into the future of computing when the new 3G iPhone was launched at the Apple World Wide Developers Conference.
By Christmas, iPhone 3G is likely to be THE ‘must have’ gadget for the cafe crowd everywhere – but the real excitment should be for what is happening behind the scenes – third party applications and Apple’s new MobileMe service.
Several medical applications were demonstrated during the launch presentations, including anatomy training and scan viewing. The iPhone also has a built in GPS which works with WiFi to accurately triangulate location opening up potential for location based services that we cannot even imagine at this stage.
One of the obvious areas of use for the iPhone is in the hospital environment. With integrated WiFi and a fantastic interface for image/video and document browsing, the iPhone lends itself to accessing patient records, X-rays and scans. Add to this, MS Exchange compatible email, web browsing, training via podcast (audio or video) – PLUS music for downtime – and you have a device that will be hard to leave in the store.
See you next month for a review of MobileMe.
The iPhone will be available from 11 July via Vodafone or Optus
