The competition narrows down between Microsoft HoloLens, Facebook Oculus and Google Glass. Each of them bets on different possibilities, which wearable bring.
Microsoft’s HoloLens prototype has all the innards of a computer built directly into the headset. That means no cords or even a smartphone required.
Just as VR rivals Oculus (owned by Facebook) and Google are trying to reimagine virtual experiences with their head-worn devices, Microsoft wants us to imagine a world without screens, where information merely floats in front of you.
Here is a wonderful interactive chart fromGlobal Network Discoverythat you can use to compare the affordances of different laptops. The chart compares a wide variety of laptops on criteria that include things such as : memory, storage capacity, screen size, and weight. You can also use the search functionality accompanied with the chart to refine your search by CPU, brand or model. Hovering your cursor over any laptop icon will display a small box with details pertaining to that product. These details include, besides the specs and features of that laptop, an updated version of its price.
Keep this interactive chart handy to use next time you want to buy a laptop. If you are looking for the best laptops for teachers, you can check this list instead. You can also use the “more” option in the chart to search for other comparison charts on smartphones, flash drives and SSD drives. http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2015/01/a-handy-interactive-chart-comparing.html
Facebook: awkward family dinner party we can’t really leave Tweeter: a lot of us simply do notunderstand the point of Twitter. There is always a core group at every school that uses it very religiously to tweet and another group that uses it to simply watch or retweet, but besides that many don’t use it. Tumblr: is where you are your true self and surround yourself (through who you follow) with people who have similar interests. It’s often seen as a “judgment-free zone” where, due to the lack of identity on the site, you can really be who you want to be. Instagram:“Everything about the application makes it less commercialized and more focused on the content, meaning more teens are inclined to visit it. Twitter:“To be honest, a lot of us simply do not understand the point of Twitter.” Snapchat:“Snapchat has a lot less social pressure attached to it compared to every other popular social media network out there. Tumblr:“Tumblr is where you are your true self and surround yourself (through who you follow) with people who have similar interests. Yik Yak: People reference Yaks all the time with each other or send screenshots
LinkedIn — We have to get it, so we got it. Many wait until college to get this (as they probably should, it isn’t for this demographic anyways).
Pinterest—It’s mainly female-dominated and is for those who have an artsy/hipster focus. Not too many people talk about it.
Kik—It’s a messaging application that is mainly used for messaging people on Twitter I guess? I don’t know anyone who uses it. The only time I ever hear this application is for the joke, “Aye you got Kik?”, normally seen as someone trying to “spit game” to attract a partner. It’s really difficult for me to describe it here but it isn’t super relevant.
WhatsApp—You download it when you go abroad, you use it there for a bit before going back to iMessage and Facebook Messenger, then you delete it.
GroupMe—Byfarthe most used group messaging application in college.
There is an informative discussion on the LITA board regarding signage, both hard/software-wise as well as design-wise.
From: Hess, M. Ryan [mailto:MHESS8@depaul.edu] Sent: Monday, January 05, 2015 6:14 PM To:lita-l@lists.ala.org Subject: [lita-l] Re: Digital Signs – Best practices, hints & tips
Hi Christa,
I don’t manage the signs in our library, but had a part in getting them put in place and designing workflows. Along the way, I found some interesting research on the topic:
San Jose Public Library (2009). San Jose Public Library Signage Design Guidelines. Retrieved from http://www.olis.ri.gov/ services/ ce/ presentation/ SJW-SignageDesignGuidelines.pdf
Barclay, D. A., Bustos, T., & Smith, T. (June 01, 2010). Signs of success. College & Research Libraries News, 71(6), 299.
Shooting more from the hip, my opinion on digital signage is that commonly made mistakes with content include:
– multiplied narratives don’t work in most library cases. Keep everything short and on a single slide
– keep the slide visible for at least a minute to give people a chance to read it
– make sure your graphics are appropriately sized for HD screens (keep those images sharp and avoid pixelation)
On a technical note, we use a mix of solutions:
– PPTs on USBs
– We’ve experimented with Google Drive Slideshows too, to help streamline the work
M Ryan Hess
Digital Services Coordinator
DePaul University
JTR 303-C, DePaul University, Lincoln Park Campus, 2350 N Kenmore Ave., Chicago IL 60614
office: 773-325-7829 | cell: 650-224-7279 | fax: 773-325-2297 | mhess8@depaul.edu
We are using a Plex Media Server feeding 3 Rokus over a wireless connection from a laptop. We use .jpg pictures for our slides. Each Roku is connected to a different folder on the Plex server since our displays are in different parts of the building.
Edward
—–Original Message—–
From: Junior Tidal [mailto:JTidal@CityTech.Cuny.Edu]
Sent: Monday, December 22, 2014 1:10 PM
To: lita-l@lists.ala.org
Subject: [lita-l] Re: Digital Signs – Best practices, hints & tips
Hi Christa,
We used two templates for our digital sign. We were using PowerPoint on a Windows machine.
Librarians would take turns updating the slides to promote databases, workshops, library hours, etc., and we had a stable of maybe a dozen or so slides. We updated the slides whenever we needed to promote specific events, usually a couple of weeks before it took place.
This made it much easier to update the slides, because we couldn’t remotely login into the PC with Powerpoint running. Now, we can connect to the RPi/Screenly, and upload images.
Best,
Junior
Junior Tidal
Assistant Professor
Web Services and Multimedia Librarian
New York City College of Technology, CUNY
300 Jay Street, Rm A434
Brooklyn, NY 11201
718.260.5481
Visually the tablet is a dead-ringer for the iPad mini, but the N1 actually manages to be both thinner and lighter than Apple’s tablet – just 6.9mm thick and weighing in at 318 grams.
The N1 looks very healthy spec-wise, with a 2.4GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and 8-megapixel and 5-megapixel cameras on the back and front.
‘Z Launcher’ software: essentially a customized lock screen that studies your habits to give you the right app at the right time of day (eg, email in the morning, Instagram at night) while also letting you launch apps by scribbling the first letter of their name.
The N1 is launching first in China February 2015 for $249 (around £160 – the same as the iPad mini) but it’s not clear when it’ll be making its way to the US or UK.