If Sesame Street or Mr. Rogers were created brand-new today, in the age of the Internet, what would they look like? Ryan Budke has some ideas: "I will never forget the day I saw Sesame Street do a tour of a crayon factory …
Making Sense of Digital Books for Kids – Part 2 Wired News Then, there is Red Jumper's Book Creator for iPad app, which lets you create your own iBook right on your iPad which is a very powerful self-publishing tool, a bit more complex for younger children, but something many children could handle. …
Amadeus Consulting Discusses: My Four Kids: Blackberry, iPhone, Android and Windows Phone 7
My Four Kids
A “father’s” perspective on iPhone, Android, Windows Phone 7, and BlackBerry
I’m the CIO at Amadeus Consulting, a custom software development company based in Boulder, Colorado. I’m fortunate because I get to work daily with my four adopted children: BlackBerry®, iPhone™, Android™ and Windows® Phone 7. Of course they are not my real human children, but they all have their own personalities and characteristics that make them as unique as any two people.
As CIO I oversee many projects that involve creating custom mobile apps for these platforms and I regularly help clients decide which platforms will best fit their needs. This is a brief overview of “my children” and how they are suited to custom mobile app development.
BlackBerry
Brief History: Created by Research in Motion, BlackBerry has been around since 1996 and was the dominant player in the smartphone market for some time. However, newer and more nimble competitors have since overtaken BlackBerry’s market, forcing it to reevaluate many of its key functions and capabilities and provide better tools to independent developers.
Most Current Major Version: BlackBerry OS 6.0, launched August 12, 2010
Demographics: BlackBerry originally appealed to business users who needed to stay connected to email while on the go. Over time it expanded its range to include many students and more casual users, but it has always remained a primarily business-oriented device.
Distribution: 100 Million units sold
Share: Approximately 27% of the Smartphone market, 8% of the total US cell phone market
The Good and Bad: BlackBerry has recently reorganized some of its internal structures to make it more developer friendly, as well as modified pricing limitations and standardized the share it receives for app sales. This makes it more accessible for consumer apps, but it still presents challenges as multiple versions and varying device capabilities threaten compatibility and complicate development.
Also, BlackBerry is quickly losing ground to the iPhone and Android platforms as people renew their mobile carrier contracts and are able to upgrade their phones to a newer model. This presents a hard case to those looking to invest in mobile application development for their company since they will be launching in a shrinking market by launching in BlackBerry first.
Even so, BlackBerry has a very strong security background, including heavy mobile email encryption, which makes it preferable to security-conscious individuals. Also, the inclusion of a physical keyboard and other features make it especially popular and useful in many situations.
App Recommendations: BlackBerry is still a very strong platform and the new OS version does provide some interesting features. In other words, if not for the popularity of the iPhone and Android, BlackBerry would still be a strong choice for app developers. For BlackBerry app development, we generally recommend launching new apps on a different platform and then porting them over to the BlackBerry once the demand and market have been established, since the app store is still generally weaker, and other platforms provide greater distribution potential.
This may not be true in all cases, as some business and productivity apps are very well suited for the BlackBerry (and now Windows Phone 7 too), and the BlackBerry audience, and we would be happy to make recommendations on a case-by-case basis, if you would like to contact us.
iPhone
Brief History: The iPhone was originally launched in 2007 and has been growing rapidly ever since. In addition to its advanced features and ease of use, it also brought the concept of the “app” into mainstream use.
Now developers could develop and easily distribute single-purpose apps to a very broad audience. This meant that for a relatively small investment (ranging in the tens of thousands, rather than in the hundreds of thousands or millions, in most cases) companies could create consumer-ready software and be able to reap a profit from it.
Also, it meant that Apple® only needed to focus on creating a good environment for independent developers, rather than trying to create every feature itself. Subsequent versions of the iPhone, and OS upgrades, have provided additional features and capabilities without causing severe fragmenting (yet) as is seen on many other platforms.
Current Version: iOS 4
Demographics: The iPhone started out as being characterized as a product for the young and rich, which has shaped its image ever since. However, as far as smartphones go, it is widely distributed among different audiences and is very popular internationally. For app publishers, the ability to reach younger audiences through the iPod and wealthier audiences through the iPad are also a bonus.
Distribution: Approximately 10 million iPads, 74 Million iPhones (all types), 50 million iPod Touches sold to date.
Share: Approximately 28% of the smartphone market, or 8.2% of the entire US cell phone market.
Good and Bad: Although suffering from some criticism of obscure app store rules, Apple has responded by clarifying submission guidelines, and providing better feedback to apps that are rejected. However, Apple’s guidelines are still the most stringent of any app store, which means that certain types of apps will not be accepted.
The iPhone also suffers by being wholly tied to AT&T, which means that many potential customers do not purchase the iPhone simply because they prefer their current carrier. This may be solved in 2011 with a new iPhone model that will run on other carriers, but for now it is somewhat limited. Even so, app compatibility on other OS4 devices (the iPod and iPad specifically) provide improved accessibility to teenage markets, and unique media opportunities on the iPad.
Another challenge to the iPhone market is that there are already hundreds of thousands of apps on the market, which makes it harder for your app to stand out without marketing your product. However, iPhone app development is still a very powerful and capable option, and has been very successful for many app developers and publishers.
App Recommendations: The iPhone is an excellent place to launch an application, especially a paid application. Users are more accustomed to paying for apps, and are much more willing to buy apps than they are on other platforms. Apple also has the largest potential market for app distribution, although Android is catching up, which provides a very large potential audience.
There are some technical limitations that in some cases make other platforms more attractive (such as being able to run apps in the background), but really the iPhone has the popularity and performance most publishers need for a solid launch.
Android
Brief History: Originally independent, Android Inc. was purchased by Google™ in 2005. However, it wasn’t until the end of 2007 that the mobile OS was announced, and devices running Android didn’t really start appearing in mainstream markets until 2009.
Even with its relatively late start getting a product to market, Android is quickly becoming the largest player with dozens of devices, and is anticipated to overtake Apple in 2011. However, this is mostly achieved by taking market share away from BlackBerry, rather than from Apple, and by converting a larger share of former feature phone users as they upgrade.
Current Version: Android 2.2
Demographics: Thanks to a wide variety of devices, including many low cost options, Android has the broadest distribution of any smartphone OS.
Distribution: Approximately 70,000,000 Android phones have been sold to date, and Google is currently selling over 200,000 phones per day, which makes it the fastest selling mobile OS on the market today.
Share: Approximately 23% of the smartphone market, or 6.7% of the entire US cell phone market. It is projected that Android will overtake the iPhone in 2011.
Good and Bad: The Android platform is by far the most open mobile platform with very few content restrictions, although a maturity rating system is being implemented to provide age-appropriate levels for some apps. Android also allows “beta” apps to be uploaded to the market and tested, and allows users to install non-market apps without hacking the phone. This can be helpful for development, but it also means that there are a lot of very poor quality apps in the market.
Also, Android comes in many shapes and sizes meaning that there are a lot of options for consumers, but different screen sizes, different resolutions, and varying capabilities make development challenging. Even so, most phones fit within three or so categories, so for most applications very few changes or modifications need to be made to include most new Android devices.
Another unique characteristic of Android is that users are much more accustomed to free apps, and on average download far fewer paid apps, and fewer apps in general. This is because Android comes preloaded with many of the most popular apps (Google Maps, Gmail, Web Browser, YouTube, and in some cases Facebook and Twitter), all of which are free anyways. This leads to a lot of free/trial version apps with upgradeable options, as well as more ad supported apps.
App Recommendations: As Android quickly becomes the largest smartphone platform, Android app developers are finding that they have a huge market for launching new apps. Its open nature and large demographic range make it appealing to a broad range of apps. Android is also very receptive to high quality development especially since there is a large amount of poor quality apps on the market. This benefits quality developers and designers who can produce high quality apps and interfaces because they immediately stand out over others. However, there is still a lot of competition on the app store and so it is a good idea to plan out your mobile app marketing strategy before launch.
Windows Phone 7
Brief History: Launched in 2010, Microsoft® is revamping its mobile operating system to remain competitive in today’s market. Microsoft has been in the mobile market since 1996 with various versions of Windows Mobile and Windows CE, which still remain popular in industry specific devices and kiosks.
However, Microsoft seems to have learned the most from its competitors and has tried to take the best of everything that the iPhone, Android and BlackBerry systems have to offer.
Current Version: Windows Phone 7
Demographics: Unknown at this point, but it is designed to appeal to a range of people from business professionals to gamers
Distribution: Windows Phone 7 reportedly sold 40,000 phones its first day, with steady but slow sales since. Distribution may be limited by availability issues as many retailers reportedly do not have any in stock, but it may also be impacted by the massive numbers of people in the US who have already renewed their contracts this year to take advantage of new iPhone and Android models, and who are now unwilling to switch devices again.
Share: Currently less than 1% of the smartphone market.
Good and Bad: Windows Phone 7 is a great addition to the phone market and I personally have very high hopes for Windows Phone 7 in 2011 and beyond. WP7 also benefits from integrating naturally into Microsoft’s other products, including Office, Outlook, Windows, XBOX, and many others. For users, this means that they can easily set up and sync their device to their computer without the need for additional dongles, data charges, or a tech degree.
For Windows Phone 7 app developers this also presents many opportunities to provide productivity applications which take advantage of its cross platform syncing ability. Microsoft has also set strict device requirements for manufacturers which will help limit fragmentation in the future. In fact, the current minimum standard for WP7 phones currently exceeds the raw power and capability of most of the phones on the market. In other words, these phones will all be very powerful and capable.
App Recommendations: Launching into a new platform is always a little bit risky since your app’s success depends heavily on the success of the platform, which has only been out for a month as of this writing. We’re confident that it will do well because of how well it incorporates current technologies and brings them together into a very usable interface. By using familiar technologies such as .NET and Silverlight development languages, Microsoft has made it very easily accessible to a huge range of developers, which will help its success.
For new app publishers, Windows Phone 7 is definitely a platform to keep an eye on. Its ability to easily interface with most Microsoft technologies makes it very appealing, as well as the ability to publish private apps (apps for only your employees, for example) make it the only phone that can do proprietary industry apps.
About John Basso
John Basso is the CIO at Amadeus Consulting. His passion is evenly divided between cool technology and the importance of sustainability. As a result, he helped create the BLAST! (Business Leaders in Action for Sustainability Today)! program and is the executive director. His vision has helped Amadeus Consulting become a zero-waste company, and his Green Blog is full of tips and ideas to inform others of the latest in the sustainability market.
“To be effective, the preacher’s message must be alive; it must alarm, arouse, and challenge. It must be God’s present voice to a particular people”. –AW Tozer Throughout the generations, false prophets and insincere teachers have always pretended to have the best interests of God’s people in mind. They claim they are human instruments who have received direct words of the Lord through the Holy Spirit. But in the final analysis, they do not represent God, and they harm the sheep often to the point of costing them their souls. Who are these false shepherds and how can we distinguish a true shepherd from wolves in shepherds’ clothing? That is the question Pastor Tavares Robinson explores in Shepherds, Hirelings, and Dictators: How to Recognize the Difference. In this eye-opening book he covers: –Is it biblical to judge? –The “American” gospel versus the gospel of Christ –The scheme of Scripture-twisting –The “first fruit offering” scam –The truth about the prosperity gospel and more Pastor Robinson shows readers how to open their eyes and come out of false teaching into God’s marvelous light where there is true healing, encouragement, and restoration. Tavares Robinson is the founder and senior pastor of Sound the Trumpet Ministries of Miami in Miami, Florida, and serves as publisher of The Trumpet Magazine. The Lord has graced him to speak with a bold prophetic voice which turns the hearts of people back to God. He and his wife Cardra live in South Florida with their … Video Rating: 5 / 5
Free Sites and eBooks Like Harry Potter Encourage Reading For Kids
E-books, such as The Harry Potter series, are becomingly increasingly popular in the market today. E-books like Harry Potter and Twilight and E-Reader devices like the Kindle and iPad mean that anyone can download an eBook and read it on the go without having to take a heavy paper-back book around with them.
In recent years there have been problems of children not reading enough at school.However, with eBook technology and the possibility of Download PDF ebooks, teachers and parents can simply get children to read books on the PC. It is much easier to get a child to sit down at a computer to read than with a physical book.
Ebooks are also generally much lower priced than paper-back copies because there are less issues with transport and publishing etc. Once the liscence is obtained, a downloaded eBook can be sold on many times without a new copy having to be purchased. This leads us to yet another unique benefit of free ebooks: they do not suffer from wear and tear.
Free eBooks are now widely available online and there are little hidden charges involved. There are many websites available that give unlimited access to free eBooks. Children can download free comic books, ebook educational books, and free entertainment eBooks like free Harry Potter ebooks.
Harry Potter ebooks are extremely popular with both kids and adults alike. Harry Potter is also a great way to get kids involved in reading. The will have loved the movies and will be excited about exploring the stories via a free Harry Potter eBook.
A really good site for downloading free eBooks is The Reading Site. The Reading Site gives its members unlimited access to free eBooks. Both the Twilight Series and The Harry Potter Series are included as part of the package of The Reading Site.
To learn more about The Reading Site visit The Reading Site eBooks review page.
God created man in His image—with the five senses: seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and feeling. God intended for man to worship Him through those five senses as well as to enjoy life to the fullest. When the Messiah came into the world and saw people who had lost any one of their God given senses, He was moved with compassion. God became a Man with all of the five senses in order to sympathize with humanity. After conquering death, Jesus used those senses to show His disciples that He was still in a bodily form. This book will take you on a unique spiritual journey to help you enjoy the abundant life Christ gives to all. Video Rating: 0 / 5
Make Your Own Photo Book for Your Vacation, Wedding, Kids and More
Is your hard drive overflowing with digital photos of you and your family? Sometimes sending them by email or posting them on photo sharing sites just doesn’t seem as enjoyable as looking at a real a photo album with your family and friends, recalling great memories as you turn the pages. Bu you don’t need to limit your digital photo collection to the computer screen. In fact digital photography and digital publishing means that you can display your photos in more interesting ways than ever before. You can even print t-shirts or coffee mugs using your photos. Photo books are a wonderful way to show off your photos in a personal and beautiful way and with so many more creative options than a photo album. And it so easy to make your own photo book and such great value!
A photo book is different from a photo album in a few ways. Photos are not glued into the book or inserted into pockets. Instead, you design the pages of your book on your computer and then the book is professionally printed in full color. The final result looks like a professional phoot book that you can buy in a bookstore. Photo books can have fabric or leather die cut covers or you can have a photo or image printed on to it, along with your own text in a font of your choice. Your photo book is professionally bound by gluing or sewing and will last for many, many years.
When you make your own photo book on your computer, you can get really creative with your pages! All photo book publisher will provide free software for you to make your own photo book. The provide a wide selection of background designs and frames and other embellishments, as well as plenty of premade page layouts that you can drop your photos in to. Then you just add a background, frames and any text that you want and your page is complete! For artistic types among you, you can create your own pages from scratch in photo editing or digital scrapbooking software and import them into your book.
For people who are too busy or who aren’t confident of their artistic abilities, there are plenty of shortcuts that you can use to make your own photo book. Some software will allow you to pick a theme and group your photos into pages. It will then create the photo book automatically. You can always add text and make minor changes before you purchase the final book.
Photo books are a wonderful way for you to present your digital photo collection and to enjoy it with family and friends. When you make your own photo book, you are creating something that will bring joy to you and your family that you can enjoy together now and in the future. This is a wonderful way to keep your precious memories. Photo books are not expensive. You can make your own smallphoto book for about or for a 8.5 x 11 inch hardcover book.
This is all my previous uploads with PDF versions, plus a few more that didn’t have MOBI or EPUB formats when I was uploading those. From this point onwards I’ll include the PDF in releases if one exists.The PDFs are again the native …
This is all my previous uploads with PDF versions, plus a few more that didn’t have MOBI or EPUB formats when I was uploading those. From this point onwards I’ll include the PDF in releases if one exists.The PDFs are again the native …
The all-new Kindle has a new lectronic-ink screen with 50 percent better contrast than any other e-reader, a new sleek design with a 21 percent smaller body while still keeping the same 6-inch-size reading area, and a 17 percent lighter weight at just 8.5 ounces. The new Kindle also offers 20 percent faster page turns, up to one month of battery life, double the storage to 3,500 books, built-in Wi-Fi, a graphite color option and moreâall for only $139.
