iPhone / iPod Touch / iPad

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)