Podcast Series: Innovations in Education

Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.

Jobs breaks from medical leave to unveil iPad 2

Underscoring the tablet's importance to Apple, CEO Steve Jobs briefly emerged from a medical leave on March 2 and made a surprising appearance to unveil the iPad 2 himself.

Apple is back with a second-generation tablet computer that squeezes more power into a thinner shell while keeping prices in check. Underscoring the tablet’s importance to Apple, CEO Steve Jobs briefly emerged from a medical leave on March 2 and made a surprising appearance to unveil the iPad 2 himself.

With the original iPad, Apple proved there is great demand for a tablet that’s less than a laptop and more than a smart phone, yet performs many of the same tasks. Dozens of copycat touch-screen devices are in the works, but so far none has broken into the mainstream consciousness the way the iPad has.

“The competition is essentially going to be picking up the crumbs that Apple decides to leave behind,” said Ashok Kumar, an analyst with Rodman & Renshaw.…Read More

Tablets, compared

2010 was supposed to be the Year of the Tablet, says the New York Times. That did not really happen–the flood of product was reduced to a trickle, as many manufacturers awaited a more tablet-friendly operating system from Google. So, once more, with feeling: 2011 will be the Year of the Tablet. Several new models have either been released, or are in a very advanced state of preview. This interactive guide can help sort through the latest offerings. Use the checkbox at the top of each listing to select it for comparison. And check back frequently–this page will be updated as new information or models are released…

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Electronics show to bring fiercer competition to iPad

 

Analysts believe the iPad will account for the bulk of the 55 million tablets that Gartner Inc. expects will be shipped.

 

Apple Inc.’s popular iPad is getting its strongest competition thus far as consumer-electronics manufacturers unveil tablet computers with bigger screens, front-facing cameras for video chatting, and other features that could be useful for education.…Read More

iPad tablet’s popularity has rivals scrambling to roll out competing devices

The success of Apple Inc.’s iPad has prompted other tech companies to plunge into the market for tablet computers, with start-ups and major PC makers racing to introduce their own competing devices before the end of the year, the Los Angeles Times reports. Verizon Wireless Inc. confirmed Tuesday that it has a tablet in the works. Speculation is swirling around the intentions of Hewlett-Packard Co., the world’s biggest PC maker and the company that some believe has the best shot at catching up with Apple’s early iPad lead. Meanwhile, everyone from upstart Fusion Garage to established names such as Dell Inc. is jumping into the pool. Experts say the iPad’s early sales figures — Apple reported it sold 1 million units in four weeks — are proof there’s a strong market for such products. But it’s unclear whether other manufacturers can duplicate the iPad’s appeal, or whether Apple will dominate the market in the same way its iPod is king of the portable music player market.

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New electronic devices could interest schools

The Skiff eReader is among new technologies with implications for education.
The Skiff eReader is among new technologies with implications for education.

New netbooks, tablet computers, and eBook reader devices, as well as fresh developments in television and even a wireless tether to keep cell phones from getting lost, are among the technologies being unveiled this week at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas–technologies that might hold interest for schools and colleges as well.

Small and inexpensive netbooks have been among the most popular computers during the recession, wooing schools and consumers alike with their portability and prices that were often below $400. Now, with the economy improving, computer buyers will be asked to open their wallets to new styles of computers, including some costing a bit more.

Among the new offerings introduced at CES: lightweight, medium-sized laptops meant as a step above netbooks in price and performance, as well as a new category of device called the “smartbook,” a tiny computer that combines elements of netbooks and so-called smart phones.…Read More