iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad

The iPad hit the international scene on May 28th. As of that morning, many units were appearing around campus and in offices of Information Technology staffers. Embracing the new tech, we've added the iPad to our blog.

The expanded screen area of the iPad has added to the easy-to-use interface that iPhone and iPod touch users have enjoyed for some time. Many of your favorite applications have be re-released to accommodate the increased resolution.

One of the updated applications is GoodReader. At $.99, the application provides a lot of processing punch without a heavy hit in the wallet.

Within moments of downloading GoodReader, you'll be transferring files directly from your computer over a Wi-Fi connection, from the Internet or from email attachments. It also easily integrates with MobileMe iDisk, box.net, MyDisk.se and other popular WebDAV servers, and also with non-WebDAV services like Google Docs and Dropbox.

For UofS users, you can connect to network drives like Folder or Cabinet. To Connect type the following into the WebDAV settings in GoodReader: https://webshare.usask.ca/cabinet/abc123
Be sure to add your NSID in place of abc123.

Stay tuned for more iPad news!

Posted by jdd623 at 03:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

iPhone in Ed is a blog dedicated to educational uses of the iPhone and iPod Touch. You can see it at http://iphoneined.com/.

Posted by Kevin Lowey at 04:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here's a unique use of an iPhone. Jon Oxer added some hardware to his RX-8 which allows him to use his iPhone or iPod Touch as a remote car starter, GPS locater, performance monitor, etc. He does it by using a custom computer in the car to hook into the car's diagnostic port, with access to this over the G3 cell network. For details, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nInbHSFFG5k. You may wonder why I put this in a blog dedicated to Educational use of the iPhone. I see many applications in our Engineering college.

Continue reading "iPhone as an RX-8 Remote Control" »

Posted by Kevin Lowey at 07:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Blackboard has recently announced free software for the iPhone. For information see http://www.blackboard.com/Teaching-Learning/Learn-Resources/Whats-New/Learn-for-iPhone.aspx. The application allows you to get announcements, grades, and other course related information on your iPhone or iPod Touch.

The bad news is that this application only works with Blackboard Learn Release 9.0 so it won't work with the blackboard system currently in use at the University of Saskatchewan.

The good news is that the U of S intends to have a Blackboard Learn 9 system ready for people to pilot courses in by September 2009.

Posted by Kevin Lowey at 07:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Apple has released a developers version of its new OS 3.0 for iPod Touch and iPhone. Some cool new features include an integrated voice recording service, a new "shake to shuffle" feature, cut and paste, "find my phone" in mobileMe, support for bluetooth in the iPod Touch 2G, and enhanced bluetooth functionality letting it connect to other local iPods or more devices.

For more details see this article:
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/articles/comments/16469/

OS 3.0 is expected to be released this summer.

Posted by Kevin Lowey at 05:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

SwitchEasy has released a very cool microphone to plug into the iPod Touch 2G headphone jack. It looks like a standard plastic push-pin and only sticks out of the touch about half an inch.

For more information see http://switcheasy.com/products/ThumbTacks/ThumbTacks.php

UPDATE: My mic arrived yesterday. It works well enough if the mic is close to my mouth. But it might be too quiet for recording a meeting or lecture.

Also I forgot one very important thing. I thought I might be able to use this for VoIP programs. However, as soon as you plug the mic into the headphone jack, the speakers on my 2G touch turn off. So if I want VoIP I'll still need to get a combination mic and headphones.

Posted by Kevin Lowey at 05:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here are a few useful iPhone and iPod Touch blogs which the readers of this blog have found.

http://www.theiphoneblog.com/
http://www.touchtip.com/

Posted by Kevin Lowey at 02:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Computer Science is offering more iPhoneU workshops. The beginner session is on March 21 and the advanced session is March 28 2009. These sessions are for people interested in developing both native iPhone / Touch applications in Objective C and web-based applications in Javascript.

For more information and to register please see http://iphoneu.usask.ca/

Posted by Kevin Lowey at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Did you ever want to use your iPhone / Touch as a portable disk drive to copy files between home and school? Did you ever want to take MS-Office documents with you to review at a meeting or PowerPoint files to review in class? If so, check out the free "Discover" program from B-Base Development Inc. in the Application Store.

Continue reading "Discover: Turn your iPhone into a Disk Drive" »

Posted by Kevin Lowey at 02:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Diagnostic Imaging Atlas (DIA) from Webster Veterinary provides high-quality illustrations of normal biology and pathologies for both cats and dogs. It is useful as a reference for Veterinary students, as well as a useful tool for educating clients about pet pathologies. You can find it in the Application Store by searching for "DIA".

Posted by Kevin Lowey at 07:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wired Magazine has released a review of the Apple Earphones with Remote control and Microphone. Overall they find both the audio and microphone use acceptable, if not outstanding. See details at http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/02/hands-on-with-a/.

Posted by Kevin Lowey at 06:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

OmniUpdate is providing a free webinar on Wednesday February 18 at 1:00pm CST called "Using CSS with Mobile Devices". While not specific to iPhone or iPod Touch, the information in this seminar is useful for designing web sites that are usable on mobile devices.

For more information see their Registration Page.

Posted by Kevin Lowey at 12:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This blog article from a first-year nursing student discusses iPod Touch / iPhone applications useful for nursing students. You can read about it at http://www.brainscramble.org/?p=219.

Posted by Kevin Lowey at 05:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Google Books and Project Gutenberg both make books available for use on mobile devices. These are excellent resources for accessing classic literature and other public domain books.

Continue reading "Books Optimized for Mobile Devices" »

Posted by Kevin Lowey at 02:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)