Future of Computing and Learning ...iPad,iPhone - iDock

iDock concept

The problem

Okay so in brief this is the story ...... I have an iPhone, iPad, a Netbook (Dell mini 9), MacBook Pro and and Mac Mini ....you would ask where do I use all this technology and what for:

1. iPhone - almost everytime, probably the best investment of all the technology
2. iPad - in meetings and as an entertainment unit
3. Netbook - sometimes use it, haven't used it for a while now .... but are handy in conferences due ti its portability
4. MacBook Pro - @ work and home when I need something decent to work on
5. Mac mini - well again use it only when I feel I don't need to use the MacBook pro ......have to start it up, connect to power ........ Mac mini is always convenient, just jump on and get started....

So where does the iDock concept fit in the already long list of things at home and work?

Well the iDock is to solve the problem. The new iPhone 4 comes with a A4 processor (1GHz speed), 512MB RAM ...... well if this is the way than future phones will be much faster with bigger RAM meaning almost as powerful as a normal desktop or a laptop or even faster ...... let's put it this way, there is more potential .... the number of apps on Apple store for iPhone is growing at an exponential rate ... not just growing but growing with more features enabling the ability to do more on a cellphone. For example things possible on an iPhone: editing Videos, Audio, Pictures, Edit/Create Documents (excel, ppt, word an more), eMails, web browsing, entertainment (high end graphics better than same desktop and laptop games, geo-tagging, and more)

The iPhone (or other smartphones) will have the capability to perform complex and big tasks almost the same as a computer ...... the iDock concept does what a docking station for a laptop does .... provides more power and ability such as USB ports, monitor out, printer port etc. The iDock will do the same and in doing so convert the iPhone into a desktop computer .... better, it allows the user to carry important documents and data on the phone and still have to power to do anything at anytime...... the iDock will provide a DVD drive, USB, Firewire and monitor out this of-course depends on Apple and other smartphone manufacturers to open the platform and upgrade the hardware in future handsets to allow these capabilities ...... it's not that we don't have the technology or ability it's more that we need time and perhaps vision from leading phone manufacturers to take this further.

How it will work?

Dock your iPhone on the iDock and away you go. Plug in the peripheral devices you use for example, USB keyboard, an external monitor and perhaps an external harddrive. The iDock is a dumb unit (meaning it has no operating system), the iPhone and the apps on the iPhone is the main unit. Although the iDock may have RAM and a processor to ease the load on the iPhone processor, it is to 'enhance' the ability on the iPhone. The apps on the iPhone are like apps you have on a desktop or laptop.

The way things are moving at the moment, you wouldn't really need a huge processor to perform your tasks. Cloud computing is growing at the same rate as the smartphones are growing in power and ability perhaps leveraging off each others success and complementing each others strengths and weaknesses.

What is the future than?

The future is cloud computing and in mobile technology like smartphones. Ubiquitous computing - being everywhere and having the power of a computer and more in your hand.

The iPad ..... Finally

Blogging from the iPad Wifi: 

Now that I have an iPad, I can finally have a play. Here is my initial reaction, typing on the notebook app:

"First play with the iPad ..... Testing the keyboard ..... Awesome love it love it" ..... just a suggestion please don't try to use your thumb to type .... turn the iPad around to landscape mode this will give you a bigger and better virtual keyboard to type.

Ok now to some serious stuff:

It is good to know that the iPad has thousands of apps already on the store and I am sure many are on the way but surely you wouldn't have an app for every possible case, at some point you'll have to use the web and for that you'll need a browser. It's not that the iPad doesn't have a browse, the problem is it's not the full version. Safari for the iPad and iPhone has limited capability to that you use on your computer, this causes a few problems.

I tried to format some topics in this blog post on the iPad, I wasn't able to this because of limited java support. I tried running Google documents ... again Google popped up a message saying the browser you are using doesn't not support full capability.

The lack of a camera combined with the limitations discussed above, iPad will be a nightmare to use with students for learning. For students to blog they'll need to download a blogger app, this may cost money, no camera means they'll have to use something else ...... just makes a simple process for students so much harder and painful. Ubiquitous learning yes but could be limited to transmission only ...... careful planning and choice of tools is recommended if you were thinking of using an iPad with your students.

Gaming front:

Enjoyed a short game .... loved the experience. I think I'll now sell my Xbox ....don't have time to play it and when I do, I don't have the Xbox anywhere near me .... I guess an iPhone and having an iPad makes total sense.

One month later ......

I bought an iPad 3G in Singapore and have been using it for sometime now. Most of the free apps I was using on my iPhone cost money to use on the iPad :-(. This may change when iPads are available globally ....... my frustration still reminds with the limited browser capability on the iPad. I downloaded some paid apps that allows me to work around the limitations mainly being able to create/edit Google docs on the iPad. This however is a concern if we required students to use it. The 3G model gives me ability to run navigation apps. I found some apps I installed in Singapore really useful for moving around the city.

Here is a list of some apps I have on my iPad at the moment:

1. Mobile Maps by Sygic (New Zealand and Australia) (Paid) - Turn-by-turn Navigation app that I paid for for use on my iPhone, works fine on the iPad.Having a bigger screen is really cool.
2. Tumblr (Free) - blogging/note taking app
3. Evernote (Free) - blogging, note taking and more
4. IM+ Lite (Free) - messaging
5. Tweetdeck (Free) - Keep in touch with your Tweeps.
6. Quickoffice (Paid) - gives you ability to create/edit documents and sync it with Google and others.
7. FeeddlerRSS (Free) - access your RSS feeds from Google Reader
8. GoodReader (Paid) - file management with VGA out
9. Expedition (Paid) - Web browsing with VGA out
10. HelloTXT (Free) -  aggregate your social sites in one place, you can update your status or post to your blog from one place. It supports upto 52 social networking sites this includes Blogger, Twitter, Buzz, Tumblr, Flickr, Foursquare, LinkedIn, Facebook and others
11. RunKeeper (Free) - trace where you are going. I downloaded this app for my iPhone but my use has been different. This app keeps a record for how far you have ran, speed and traces your route in real-time. I have used this app to walk around new places ..... being able to see whether you are heading in the right direction makes a difference.
12. Acrossair (Free) - augmented reality app designed for use on iPhone. The iPad has now camera but this app still functions minus the camera view ofcourse ..... found it useful on my recent trip to Singapore and Malaysia. I used it multiple times to find restaurants, and other POI.
13. N.O.V.A (Paid) - You gotta have fun!!! I downloaded this for play on my iPhone and found the graphics to not too bad on the iPad.
14. AccuWeather (Free) -  best free weather app for the iPad.
15. Google (Free)
16. QuickVoice (Free) - Pro version allows longer record time.
17. Facebook (Free) -  using the iPhone version since there is none available for the iPad.
18. AudioLite (Free) - write (free hand or type) record and sync with the text, you can also share via email, Pro version allows other options! Lite version allows upto 20 minutes of record time.
19. Kindle (Free)
20. Wikipanion (Free) - wiki search made easy.
21. Google Earth (Free)
22. Remote (Free) - control your iTunes music from your iPad, iPhone or iPod.
23. Tunes Remote (Paid) - control the music on your iPad, iPhone or iPod. So your are playing music from your iPhone now you need an app to control the music from another portable device like the iPad or iPod, this is the app.
24. Documents 2 (Free) - access your docs on Google, create or edit.
25. Quick Graph (Free) - graphs for mathematical equations.
26. Atomic Lite (Free) - multi-tabbed browsing.