C’est déjà compliqué de ne pas craquer et d’acheter le nouveau Blackberry Bold 9700, mais si en plus ColorWave (société qui propose déjà la customisation de vos écouteurs Beats) permet de personnaliser le dernier smartphone de chez RIM, ça devient carrément de la torture. Chaque partie peut être remplacée par un cache coloré sur mesure soit par ColorWave, soit par vous même directement si vous pensez pouvoir replacer le trackpad correctement, pour un résultat unique.

Alors oui, les milliers de combinaisons possibles sont très moches pour la plupart, mais avoir la puissance d’un Bold dans un design de Curve aux couleurs de son blog (par exemple hein), ça vous rend un geek heureux.

Plus d’infos sur la personnalisation du Blackberry Bold 9700 si vous cliquez ici (environ 105 euros pour la personnalisation seule, et 565 euros pour le téléphone + la personnalisation)

Via

Yes, we know, this is not a hack, yet it just has the vibe of something we’ll likely be seeing in many small form-factor systems and wearable hacks in the future.

The USB Wireless Handheld Keyboard is a diminutive keyboard and mouse replacement with a passing resemblance to a BlackBerry PDA — where the screen has been replaced with a laptop-style trackpad sensor. This seems a shoo-in for home theater PC use; it’s unobtrusive and won’t look out of place on the coffee table alongside the universal remote. But any tiny system requiring only occasional input could likely benefit.

The keyboard layout is funky as heck, though likely adequate for its intended use of couch web-surfing and interactive messaging (or whatever wild applications our readers will surely come up with). A USB wireless receiver and a charging cable are included in the $62 package. Video after the break…

[USB Geek via Engadget]

Este puede ser un alivio para las personas que tienen conectada la pc al televisor de la sala

Estar tirado en la cama y no tener que levantarse para ir hasta el ordenador es una de las cosas más lindas que le pueden pasar a un geek con todas las letras como nosotros. Pero eso es algo prácticamente imposible porque siempre aparece algo que nos hace levantar.

Este dispositivo, llamado USB Wireless Handheld Keyboard and Touchpad, podría solucionar todos nuestros problemas ya que se trata de un trackpad y teclado inalámbrico que recibirá la señal a través del USB.

Es cierto, escribir con él será algo bastante incómodo ya que será como redactar con una BlackBerry, pero teniendo en cuenta que es para utilizar ocasionalmente será bastante útil.

Vamos a ver cómo te explicamos esto: no es un ratón inalámbrico y tampoco un teclado sin cables… ¿o sí? Este misterioso dispositivo ha sido bautizado como USB Wireless Handheld Keyboard and Touchpad y es mucho más de lo que parece. Por apenas 62 dólares (L.1200, al cambio) te llevas un teclado con un trackpad inalámbricos que tiene todos los ingredientes para ser un mando a distancia perfecto.

Sin lindezas como pantalla multitáctil o LCD, pero posiblemente en su sencillez radique su eficacia. Si todavía te estás rascando la cabeza preguntando qué es esto, mejor que mires el vídeo abajo.

So, as my friends know, I’m pretty much unhealthily obsessed with having whatever BlackBerry is new on the market.

Over this past week, the 9700 finally became available, and I took advantage of my premier status on AT&T to get one.

Judging from the press on the device, this is supposed to be the greatest thing since sliced bread and peanut butter. What I’m finding so far?

The trackpad really IS the greatest thing since sliced bread, but outside of that, for my purposes-99% email and listening to music in the nail salon, its no faster than my Tour. I guess the super fast processor is for some other features I’ll never use, but it’s nice to know they’re there.

I love the keyboard. While it’s smaller than the original Bold and the Tour, it has a very similar form factor, and I was typing error free within the first five minutes of using it.

It’s SMALL. Unlike it’s fat auntie, the original Bold, or it’s chunky cousin, the Tour. However, it still feels sturdy, and has a good grip in the hand. See the size comparison for the Tour and Bold 2 below:

If you had the old Bold-you will definitely love the camera. It’s the same one that came on the 8900 and the Tour, and it is marvelous. No more blurry shots of Mo Rivera in the Airport, or seeing Michael Kay as a spec in the broadcast booth. No friends, this camera takes REAL photos.

It also runs on OS 5.0.0.296, which is pretty similar to my Tour’s .230-except almost everything works.

The battery life is ridiculous. Wow. After it took me two days to run the battery down to zero, I am just going to put it on the charger tonight for the second time. It is so much better than the Bold, the Tour, or the 8900.

I got rid of most of my themes and have been using mostly 5.0 themes and themes built specifically for the 9700. So far so good. What do I like most about this device? Well, because I’m crazy, the white letters and numbers on the keys make me happier than the red from my Tour and T-Mobile 8900 keys. I can use pink wallpapers and not feel nauseous.

I’ve ordered a Coveroo and will be using the holster that came in the box. I’m hoping I don’t drop it before all the good cases come out. This is probably the most aesthetically pleasing Berry released to date.

If you’re in the market for a new BlackBerry and you use AT&T or T-Mobile, do yourself a favor, and get your hands on the Bold. You won’t regret it.

Hari ini, BlackBerry Bold 9700 a.k.a Onyx secara resmi diperkenalkan di Jakarta. Dalam sebuah perhelatan di Dragon Fly, Jakarta, smartphone itu dipamerkan ke hadapan para jurnalis nanti sore pukul 15.00 WIB.

Dijual dengan harga eceran Rp 6.450.000 (di luar pajak dan tanpa kartu), seri terbaru BlackBerry teranyar ini dijejali sistem operasi versi 5.0 untuk komunikasi high-end, wifi, dan koneksi GSM berbasis 3G — seperti yang sudah ada di Bold pendahulunya. Kabarnya, jaringan BlackBerry messenger di versi ini sudah tingkatkan sehingga jauh lebih nyaman dibanding pendahulunya.

Apa lagi yang baru? Seperti BlackBerry Gemini 8520, seri Bold 9700 Onyx juga telah mengganti Trackball dengan Trackpad yang lebih sensitif. Dengan alat navigasi tersebut, pengguna terhindar dari risiko tombol ngadat gara-gara debu yang menumpuk.

Mengenai spesifikasi lengkap BlackBerry Bold 9700, silakan baca-baca penjelasannya di sini. Soalnya, terus terang saya belum merasakan sendiri keasyikan memainkan perangkat baru ini.

Saya malah sudah lebih dulu menjajal BlackBerry Curve 8520 a.k.a Gemini. Ini BlackBerry tipe paling murah, dijual sekitar Rp 2,1 juta – Rp 2,4 juta (tanpa kartu dari operator). Di tengah eforia pasar Indonesia yang tengah tergila-gila pada semua produk buatan RIM Kanada ini, Gemini tampaknya cukup cepat terserap, terutama di kalangan first BlackBerry users.

Sosoknya mirip BlackBerry Curve 8900 (Javelin), lengkap dengan keyboard QWERTY. Curve 8520 atawa Gemini adalah produk pertama Research in Motion yang menggunakan trackpad optik sebagai perangkat navigasi menggantikan trackball yang juga terdapat pada seri Javelin dan Bold.

BlackBerry 8520 Gemini

Peranti anyar ini, bagi saya, lebih nyaman ketimbang trackball. Sebelumnya saya sempat memakai Curve 8310 dengan trackball. Dua kali saya harus membawanya ke tempat servis untuk dibersihkan dan satu kali membeli trackball baru. Navigator berbentuk bola ini cepat kotor dan membuat fungsinya terganggu. Trackpad nyaris bebas dari gangguan semacam itu.

Trackpad tampaknya merupakan jawaban RIM atas keluhan para pengguna terhadap trackball. Tak heran bila seri-seri BlackBerry berikutnya pun memakai sistem navigasi tarckpad sebagai pengganti trackball.

Curve 8520 juga dilengkapi media keys di bagian atas untuk mengakses musik dan video, seperti play, repeat, dan mute. Lalu ada BlackBerry Media Sync yang memudahkan sinkronisasi dengan iTunes atau Windows Media Player.

Untuk membantu orang-orang seperti saya, disediakan BlackBerry App World, bursa aplikasi khusus BlackBerry. Dengan fasilitas ini, saya bisa menjelajah situs BlackBerry untuk mengunduh, misalnya, theme, wallpaper, ringtone, dan sebagainya. Aplikasi itu ada yang gratis, ada pula yang berbayar.

Namun, ada sedikit pengurangan pada Curve 8520 seperti kamera hanya 2 megapiksel, sedangkan pada Javelin 3,2 megapiksel.

Layarnya 2,64 inci TFT LCD 320X240 piksel — lebih cerah dan tajam ketimbang 8310. Ketebalan bodinya hanya 39 sentimeter, panjang 10,9 cm, dan lebar 6 cm. Beratnya 106 gram. Fiturnya juga belum mendukung 3G, baru GSM/GPRS/EDGE. Tapi tersedia fasilitas WiFi dan Bluetooth.

Curve 8520 menggunakan prosesor 52 MHz, memori internal 256 MB, dan mendukung slot memori eksternal microSD/SDHC dari 16 GB yang kini tersedia hingga generasi berikutnya 32 GB.

Memori itu cukup memadai untuk mengakomodasi kegiatan saya sehari-hari, seperti browsing, membuka dan menulis email, berkicau di Twitter, Facebook, dan membaca blog. Jam pasir yang kerap keluar di BlackBerry 8310 saya dulu, sekarang tak nongol lagi di Gemini.

Bagaimana dengan daya tahan baterai?

Pada seri 8310, saya bisa menggenjot baterainya hingga sekitar 12 jam untuk pemakaian normal. Sedangkan daya tahan baterai 8520 sedikit lebih panjang, sekitar 18 jam dalam pemakaian normal. Mungkin karena lebih baru. Yang jelas, kalau saya pakai untuk membuka UberTwitter secara nonstop, daya tahan baterai, baik 8310 maupun 8520, menyusut drastis.

Last but not least, pilihan ada di tangan sampean. Setiap pilihan hendaknya didasari oleh kebutuhan, dan bukan sekadar gaya-gayaan atau mengikuti trend semata. Jadilah konsumen yang cerdas.

>> Selamat hari Rabu, Ki Sanak. Apakah sampean tertarik memiliki salah satu dari dua seri BlackBerry terbaru itu?

There are a lot of MacBooks out there, but someone pointed out to us that not everyone is using the glass trackpad to its full multi-touch potential, especially if you’ve just bought your first Mac. With this being said, we’ve decided give a few pointers on how to use that fancy new trackpad.

Read More…

I’ve read a few reviews of the Magic Mouse and find it unfortunate that the functionality of the multi-touch trackpad on my MacBook is not available on the Magic Mouse. It sounds like a bit of a nerfed interface that comes across somewhat disappointing. So here’s an idea – why not create a wireless trackpad that retains all the functionality and replaces your mouse. (Although you’d have to do a LOT to make me replace my Logitech MX Revolution, now updated!)

The mouse is a wonderful invention and the multi-touch trackpad on my MacBook is the first device of its kind that I actually use. Generally the first thing I do when I get a laptop is buy a suitable mouse to go with it. Now there’s finally a device that comes with my laptop that doesn’t make me curse it’s inclusion and replace it immediately. Sure you couldn’t really use a trackpad like the one above for gaming like you can with Microsoft’s concept multi-touch mice, but for all other work activities it would be suitable except for where an actual tablet is required.

In the picture above, of the wireless Trackpad, there’s space for your palm to rest on that can serve as the storage area for the batteries.

I’d love a trackpad like this for my desktop.

Wouldn’t you?

Why not organise a scavenger hunt on the web for your students?  The internet is a vast mountain of information and with a bit of direction your students can find some valuable information,  and maybe stumble across some unexpected gems along the way.  This is the first in a series of posts on creative classroom ideas you can run utilising Moodle.  Read on to find out more.

There are several ways you could run this activity but I am going to outline a way that takes advantage of a module called Trackpad which is a todo list module for Moodle.

I like giving students freedom in their learning.  I am also a big fan of getting students to create rather than just absorb (check out Blooms Taxonomy for an awesome read on this).  This is an awesome activity as the students are responsible for compiling and organising the material and you act merely as a guide.

This activity can be done as a class,  in groups or individually so is very flexible.

We start off by creating a list of items we want the students to find.  As an example I am going to pick the topic of computer history.  Here is a list of some of the things I may ask the students to find:

• Who invented Boolean algebra and why is it important?
• In what year was the first computer invented?
• Who’s law describes the trend in improvement in computer hardware and why is it important.
• etc

I would put these into a Trackpad list and get the students to tick them off as they find them.  As they find pages that contain the answers we will compile them in a Wiki.  Now you may be asking,  why not just put the questions striaght into the wiki?  The reason I don’t do this is that I don’t want the students just to list them in the wiki.  I want the wiki to have a logical structure,  which is not present in the list they start off with.  Not only do they have to find the information but they also need to organise it and decide how it all fits into an overall big picture.  This way they can’t blindly copy and paste the material but have to think about how it all fits.

Another aspect that needs to be touched on is the quality of the material found and being able to judge this quality is an important skill for students to learn.  To incorporate this we will include a forum.  Each website that material is obtained from must put in the forum as a new discussion topic.  We can then discuss as a class our opinions of the material and offer any alternatives.  (This bit can be done as  a real discussion in class too if you like).

This activity has combined three Moodle activities:

• Trackpad
• Wiki
• Forum

and in doing so has created a highly interactive class that incorporates several levels of Blooms Cognitive Domain to create a deeper understanding and appreciation of the material.

• They have had to understand the question
• They have had to analyse the material they have found and decide on it’s suitability
• They have then had to evaluate the material in the discussions on the material
• They have had to create a framework in which to contain the information

They will also put in more effort as the product at the end will be theirs.  It is something they made and this ownership will instill a greater motivation and enthusiasm in the material.

Last week we released Trackpad,  a todo list/ task list activity for Moodle.  This activity has a lot of potential and several ways in which it can be used.  Todo lists are useful in many different ways and education is definately one of them.

Trackpad is simple yet very flexible.  It can be set in the following modes:

• Single – each person gets a single todo list
• Personal – each person may set up as many lists as they like for themselves
• Team – teachers/ managers may create lists and assign people to them
• Course – a single list for the entire course or group
• Social – anyone may create a list and invite people to join

There are a variety of permisions levels and you may also set up preset tasks to populate new lists with.

This presents some nice opportunities for teachers to encourage planning and collaboration whilst also being able to keep an eye on how people are progressing.  Below are some ideas on how you could incorporate Trackpad into your class:

• Daily/ Weekly task list for each student
• Management for Projects
• Running a meeting – the agenda is the todo items and you can tick them off as you talk about them
• Checklist for an assignment – use presets to fill in the main items to be covered,  let the students expand the list with their own requirements (teacher can check up on students to make sure they are on track)
• Internet scavenger hunt – put a list of questions that must be answered in the list and people check them off as they find the answers.

This activity also works quite well in conjunction with other activities.  For instance in partnership with Focuspad and a forum you may set up the following:

• A Focuspad activity encouraging the students to plan how they are going to solve the task at hand.
• A forum for students to state their general approach.  Each student must start a discussion stating their general approach and must comment on atleast 3 other students.
• A Trackpad in which they must plan out their solution before tackling it.
• A Focuspad activity in which the students keep a journal while they are undertaking the activity.

The above layout is nice as it provides a solid framework for the students.  They start off having to think about how they are going to attack the problem.  A template could be used here to guide the students on aspects they should consider.  Then they must discuss it and consider alternatives.  Then they undertake planning.  All the while they are also reflecting on what they are doing.

Another feature of Trackpad which lends itself nicely to this scenario (but which is good in many others too) is that it places an emphasis on the task at hand.  It is often easy for students to lost sight of the goal they are heading for.  Trackpad has a large area for you to outline what the target or goal is.  You may also put a template in to encourage them to organise this nicely.  They will then see this every time they work with the task list and this will help keep them on track.

Chi usa il portatile spesso, come me, preferisce non usare un mouse per molti motivi: non si sa mai dove appoggiarlo se si è in treno o senza un tavolo, non si sa dove metterlo, occupa la metà delle porte usb a disposizione…

Se anche voi vi avete rinunciato definitivamente ma vi manca il terzo tasto presente sui mouse (cliccare la rotellina sull’ormai vecchio mighty mouse), spesso utilizzato nei programmi di grafica o nei videogiochi, ecco che MiddleClick ci aiuta a ovviare a questa mancanza. Finalmente qualcuno che ci ha pensato!

Revamped iMac

Apple Inc. beat Wall Street expectations earlier this week when they announced their Q4′09 earnings. Considered to be the worst economic recession since the Great Depression, Apple Inc. simply asks “What recession?” Today, Apple Inc. continued their spectacular October when they announced several new products across their computer line.

Mac Mini Server

The Mac Mini was one of the computer models that got an upgrade. The $599 model got a spec bump with a faster processor (now 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo, up from 2GHz), twice the memory (now 2GB, up from 1GB), and a larger hard drive (now 160GB, up from 120GB). The $799 has the 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo with 4 GB of RAM (up from 2GB) but the same 320GB hard drive. Both price points still have the GeForce 9400M GPU and 8x SuperDrive. In addition to the upgrades to the Mac Mini line, there is now a “Server Edition” of the Mac Mini that forgoes the 8x SuperDrive and instead packs in TWO 500GB hard drives. This $999 model packs a 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB of RAM, and GeForce 9400M GPU. Snow Leopard Server is included of course.

Next, Apple updated the iMac line with two screen size choices (21.5 inches or 27 inches) that are 16:9 displays and are all-aluminum bodies. Both have IPS panels that are LED-backlit and have a 178-degree viewing angle. Also both models come with wireless keyboard and Magic Mouse at no additional cost. Starting at $1199, the 21.5 inch has a 1920×1080 resolution and starts with a 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo (upgradable to 3.33GHz), 4GB RAM standard (upgradable to 8GB), 500GB hard drive (1 & 2TB options available at $1499 price point), andGeForce 9400M GPU (ATI Radeon HD 4670 256MB GPU option available at $1499 price point). At $1699, the 27 inch has a 2,560 x 1,440 resolution and starts with a 3.06GHz Core 2 Duo (upgradable to 3.33GHz), 4GB RAM (upgradable to 16GB),  1TB hard drive (upgradable to 2TB), and ATI Radeon HD 4670 256MB GPU (upgradable to ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB GPU). Finally, at $1999 the 27 inch comes with the 2.66GHz Intel Core i5 (upgradable to 2.8GHz Core i7), 4GB RAM (upgradable to 16GB), 1TB hard drive (upgradable to 2TB), and ATI Radeon HD 4850 512MB GPU. All models have 4 USB 2.0 ports, Gigabit Ethernet port, one FireWire 800 port, and SD card slot (finally), and 8x SuperDrive. The 27 inch has a video-in.

Unibody Macbook

The low-end Macbook gets a makeover with a new white unibody polycarbonate design (similar to Macbook Pros), built-in 7 hour battery, LED-backlit display, Glass Multi-Touch trackpad, 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM (upgradable to 4GB), 250GB hard drive (upgradable to 500GB), and GeForce 9400M GPU starting at $999.

Perhaps the most intriguing announcement today is the new Magic Mouse (no longer “Mighty”) for $69. It is the first multitouch wireless mouse on the market meaning you use your fingers to scroll, swipe, and click. The Magic Mouse is supposed to last 4 months on AA batteries.

Apple also revamped their remote with a new aluminum finish that is kinda like the bastard child of the iPod Nano and the old iPod Shuffle. It can control your iPod, iPhone, and/or Mac for $19.

Lastly, Apple updated the Airport Extreme and Time Capsule for better performance.

Magic Mouse

Apple Remote

Credits to engadget.com and gizmodo.com for the story and pictures.

ひょんなことからアップルの発表があるかもしれないという話が出てきた。

マック世界の有名人が角突き合わせてしまったのだ。

仕掛けたのは偽ジョブズ（FSJ）ことニューズウィークの Dan Lyons。明日アップルの発表があるのだが John Gruber は知らないだろうと挑発したのだ。

The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs: “We’re going to have news tomorrow” by Dan Lyons: 19 October 2009

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明日はニュースがある。

We’re going to have news tomorrow

もちろん何かはいえない。でも何かが起きようとしている。グルーバーだって何だか知らない。しかし我が愛するひとびとは事前にブリーフィングを受けている。マックあるいは iPhone の傍にいて、ちゃんとクレジットカードを準備しておきなさい。

Can’t tell you what, obviously. But there’s something brewing. Gruber doesn’t know about it, but the people we care about are being briefed in advance. Stay close to your Mac or iPhone, and have your credit card ready.

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これを読んで頭にきた（？）Gruber が、ただちに反撃に出た。

Daring Fireball: “Dan Lyons Apparently Thinks Yours Truly Hasn’t Heard About …” by John Gruber: 19 October 2009

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偽ジョブズらしくもないが、私は知っているのに大きな間違いをしている。もっとハッキリいえば気にかけてもいないのだ。

Unseemly for the Fake Steve character to be so wrong (or, frankly, even to care) about what I know.

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そういって彼は、洗いざらいぶちこんで次のようなタイトルをつけた・・・

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Dan Lyons は明らかに小生がつぎのことを聞いていないと思っている。すなわち、新デザインのプラスティック MacBook、新デザインの「すごい」iMac、アップデートされた Mini（Mac OS X サーバと一緒に出荷されるものを含む）、「マルチタッチマジックマウス」（Multi-Touch Magic Mouse）、それにシリコンバレー以外では・誰も報じていない・信じていいかどうか分らない・隠し球のウワサとして、デスクトップ向けの「マルチタッチ・トラックパッド・ガジェット」（Multi-Touch Trackpad Gadget）などをアップルが明朝発表するかもしれないということだ。

Dan Lyons Apparently Thinks Yours Truly Hasn’t Heard About the Redesigned Plastic MacBooks, Redesigned (‘Impressive’) iMacs, Updated Minis (Including One That Ships With Mac OS X Server), the Multi-Touch Magic Mouse, and, as the Wildcard I’m-Not-Sure-I-Really-Believe-It-Myself Out-There Rumor, Maybe Even Some Sort of Mentioned-Nowhere-Else-But-in-This-Very-Headline Multi-Touch Trackpad Gadget for Desktop Macs That Apple Might Release Tomorrow Morning

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異例の直前予想になってしまったわけだが、さてあとはフタを開けてのお楽しみ・・・

Technorati Tags: Apple, Mac, Mouse, Multi-touch, Trackpad, Rumor

Mon boulot c’est de faire des interfaces homme machine, donc évidemment l’ergonomie ça m’intéresse. Je suis assez emballé par ce concept proposé par 10/gui qui a déjà le mérite de rappeler quelques évidences:

1- on ne peut pas manipuler son ordinateur via son écran tactile, ça fait mal au bras
2- on ne peut pas mettre son écran à l’horizontal, ça fait mal au coup.
3- il ne faut pas que le pointeur soit masqué par l’outil qui pointe (une excroissance de l’homme en général)
et quelques autres…

J’ai récemment pu expérimenter la puissance du Trackpad multitouch Apple sur le nouveau MacBook de Madame et ce n’est vraiment pas un gadget. A l’instar des raccourcis clavier pour les OS et les applis, cela demande un tout petit peu d’apprentissage, mais le bénéfice est considérable en terme de performances pour l’utilisateur. Il m’arrive de le chercher quand je suis sur mon iMac

C’est un peu ce que propose 10/gui: une extension du principe, un Trackpad multitouch géant qui utiliserait les 10 doigts (sauf erreur Apple est allé jusqu’à 4). Ils proposent la solution ergonomique globale avec l’approche système des menus: à la zone d’interaction avec l’écran sont ajoutées des bandes latérales virtuelles, une a droite pour le menu système, une à gauche pour le menu appli. Les fenêtres qui se multiplient sont organisées en un workflow horizontal. Enfin le mieux c’est de regarder:

Au final ce Trackpad géant serait à intégrer au dessous d’un clavier, à la mode MacBook donc, et c’est un peu ce qui m’étonne: ne pourrait-on pas imaginer que cet outil de “super-pointage” serve également de clavier?

Tiens juste pour le plaisir, je te remets le Trackpad Apple

Source: un tweet de SmashingMag

Oh aren’t living room computers just the best idea!  There’s nothing like having a huge keyboard on the coffee table hugging that hardcover copy of ‘Finest landscape photography’, and how about that wireless mouse which can double up as a paperweight for the New York Times when the windows are open.

Hmmm…someone needs to make a cute, tiny and usable media center keyboard and mouse which can be hidden away real quick when necessary.

To be fair there’s already one solid player in this market, the Logitech diNovo Mini, which at $150 is just too darn expensive to merit widespread consideration.

Fortunately there’s now a more affordable contender in the form of the iPassport.  Available for around $40 plus shipping, this mashup of a smartphone-style thumboard and notebook trackpad aims to take two familiar input methods and turn them into a tiny wireless solution for controlling a computer…and it works.

Unboxing the iPassport

The iPassport ships in retail friendly clear plastic (which can easily be opened without needing a saw, yay!), and includes a USB dongle and separate USB charging cable.  The main unit sits comfortably in the hand and is exceptionally light.  Some may find it lacks a quality feel, although the plastic body seems fairly sturdy.  The keys are rubber with similar travel to a typical smartphone.  The keypad also has a backlight, which is a nice touch and essential for theatre-style viewing.

The trackpad buttons have a similar feel to the keypad buttons with minimal travel, but the trackpad itself defaulted to tap-to-click upon install which improves the experience in my opinion.  The one feature lacking from the trackpad is a scrolling area, so you’ll need to call upon the arrow buttons on the keypad.  There’s no multitouch support either, so no MacBook-style two finger scrolling which is a feature every trackpad should have.

Installing and using

I installed the iPassport into my ancient living room Pentium 4 which is running Windows 7 RC, and the OS had installed a device driver in the five seconds it took me to get back to the sofa, seriously!  Everything worked just great and my previous (very nice) wireless keyboard with its built-in trackball started the process of gathering dust.  The included documentation notes that recent Windows releases and Linux are supported but according to the reseller’s website the iPassport also supports Mac, Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii.

Now this device might not be the best choice for everyone.  If you struggle with the keys on smartphones then you may also find this thumboard tricky to handle.  Equally if you type a lot then you will probably get more words per minute with a larger keyboard on your lap.  Personally I find myself using my living room media center for watching media and surfing the net, neither of which requires a huge amount of typing.

Some compromises have also been made regarding the selection of keys on the device, probably due to the size of the unit.  For example there are neither F1-F12 keys nor a Tab key, which I missed when navigating web forms.  Other keys are curiously placed, such as the Enter key which is near the middle of the keypad instead of being on the right.  The arrow buttons straddle the Space bar instead of being clustered on the right and the numeric keypad is in two rows on the left instead of being grouped in threes.  I would have preferred to see a layout closer to a typical BlackBerry thumboard, or one inch of extra width added to the iPassport to accommodate more keys.  Text selection can also be a bit finicky as the arrow keys sometimes behave erratically.

The other caveat is around the design of the iPassport.  This device is likely to live on a coffee table and get plenty of curious attention from visitors.  Put simply the Logitech diNovo Mini kills it in the looks department, so if you’re a design conscious person then the iPassport might not meet your expectations.  It does come in white or black, but it goes about its business in a more functional than designer way.

Is it worth a try?

Overall I’ve been impressed with the iPassport.  Aside from a quirky key layout, for the money it’s a fun and unique controller.  The backlight and multi-platform support are the icing on the cake.

Neil Berman

www.theonbutton.com

Recently I was involved in a discussion regarding the use of visual and textual content in education.  This arose out of a presentation I did on some of my tools (Focuspad and Trackpad)  both of which present material in a textual manner.  The discussion centered around which methods were most effective but in reflecting on this discussion I have had some valuable insights.

Firstly,  a bit of background.  Focuspad is a tool to manage creative writing activities and Trackpad is a task list management tool.

I’m not going to deny that the use of visuals in education is a valuable tool.  However,  like most things,  it has to be used in the right situation. It is also interesting to note that approximately 90% of communication is non verbal (number varies based on different studies).

That 10% of verbal communication is very important however.  In the majority of communication it is the verbal that delivers the actual message and the non verbal that provides ancilliary information (allows you to assess the nature of what the verbal part is delivering).  As usual with these types of things,  both components are vital and depend on the other.  So it is still important to develop strong textual skills.

The premise was that my tools were predominantly textual and were poor as a result.  I feel that both a tool to foster creative writing and a tool to manage tasks are textual by nature but let’s leave that part for now.

Many examples were given to illustrate that visuals are important and necessary for effective education to take place.  What I realised after however was the distinction between our points of view.  The supporting material that was presented in favor of visuals was pretty much all to do with delivery of material.  The textual based however was largely to do with students creating and managing.  One was giving and the other was doing.  Both are important and both are to do with education but they are relly two distinct activities and the problem was that we were comparing them as one.

This isn’t to say that delivering content should only be visual and creating content should only be textual.  Far from it.  I do feel they favor being given in these ways however in the interest of creating a free flowing workflow when used on a computer.  Presenting information in a visual manner takes time to create (especially if done well)  yet is easier for the end user to absorb.  Vice versa,  textual material is easier to create however the end user requires more effort to absorb,  not just in the actual reading but also in the use of their imagination to recreate the model in thier mind.  This is also dependent on the tools you are using:

• With pen and paper,  or whiteboard,  it is often much easier to pen out a sketch of an idea than it is to write (especially if you have handwriting like mine).
• With a computer based medium it is often much easier to type out a description than it is to rig up a sketch.

This presents some interesting opportunities as education is both learning how to express ideas as well as learning how to absorb them.  Ideally we should have a mix between non technology based activities and technology based activities intertwined around a common objective. Students should be given the opportunity to explore and reflect on how they deliver and absorb information via the two.

When the student is being creative you want to provide as little resistance as possible to them getting their ideas out of their minds and into the open for everyone to share.  So when you are using pen and paper get them to draw pictures and when they are using computers get them to write.  The writing also presents other advantages in that they have to practice being eloquent (which is a valuable skill in itself) but also that the other students have to practice using their imagination in understanding and applying it.

An interesting exercise would be to get the students to pass a message from one to another in a chain like in chinese whispers.  The only difference is that they will alternate between drawing the idea and writing the idea. After you can present the chain to the class and see how the idea changed as it went along.

As with a lot of these things it appears to me that there is no black and white.  It isn’t one or the other.  The ideal is a mix of the two used in the right ways.

OMG!

I finally figured out how to stop the trackpad zooming/rotating thing in Photoshop.

It seems relatively handy in preview when you’re just looking at pictures, but in Photoshop, it goes haywire and spins TOTALLY out of control, and is just so freakin’ annoying.   ¬_¬

Anyway, I found out you can install this plug-in, and it stops.  THANK GOODNESS

Go here:

http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/thankyou.jsp?ftpID=4337&fileID=4026

To install it, open Photoshop.   In the menu bar, click on Photoshop, scroll down to Preferences.  Click on Plug-ins . . . .

This window should open up:

Check off “Additional Plug-ins Folder” and then choose the driver thing.  Woot!  Then close Photoshop and reopen it.  And Viola!  It should be installed.

Yay~  No more annoying spinning and zooming.

This news isn’t specific to Apple (s aapl), but it definitely affects Apple users. As a longtime Mac user and amateur digital artist, I’ve also owned many a Wacom tablet over the years. Most recently, I graduated to a Cintiq 12WX, but the Graphire was my primary workhorse for many years. The Bamboo is the successor to that mantle.

Now, the Bamboo line is getting a much-needed update, and part of that update includes multi-touch gesture support. That’s right, the staunchly stylus-oriented Wacom is releasing touch-enabled devices, available today.

Gradually, Wacom has introduced customizable buttons, scrolls, rockers, and touch strips to make them easier to use without the aid of a keyboard and mouse. And they’ve made great strides. My 12WX has 10 customizable keys and two touch-sensitive scroll strips, all of which result in a much less clumsy drawing experience than I ever had using any of my Graphire tablets. Still, it can’t help but feel somewhat awkward and counter-intuitive.

The new multi-touch controls so closely resemble those already in use on Macs with trackpads that experienced Mac laptop users will likely feel right at home with them. Judging by the promo video, in fact, having a Bamboo with touch could actually completely eliminate the need of using a mouse at all, which represents a massive technical leap for the tablet maker.

Pinch to zoom and spread to expand, two-finger swipe left and right to scroll or move backwards and forwards, two-finger swipe up and down to scroll, and two-finger rotation are all included as usable gestures, and more besides.

The new Bamboo line now includes five distinct products, including one that doesn’t support touch at all, so if you’re thinking about getting one, think carefully about what you want out of the device. Since I already have a drawing tablet, I’m thinking about picking up the Bamboo Touch ($69), which doesn’t allow pen input at all and basically just brings multi-touch to your desktop. Could come in handy for browsing through large photo libraries, for example.

For the same price, you can get the Bamboo Pen, which doesn’t allow finger input at all. Maybe good for digital artists who only need the very basics, or for business people who only use it to digitally sign documents, but I don’t see this one being a hot seller.

The Bamboo ($99), Bamboo Fun ($199), and Bamboo Craft ($129) all offer both pen and multi-touch input. Price differences account for size, mostly, since every device includes the same ExpressKeys and pressure levels sensitivity. If you manage to get your hands on one of these, let us know how the multi-touch experience stacks up. Check out the following video for more info.

Trackpad Drag Lock will not disable!