The earliest pics of iPad prototypes show a much bigger device.
The device has the look of earlier iPods or MacBooks.
Would you have carried this device around?
iOnApple: Earliest known photos of an Apple iPad prototype.
Augmented Reality
Next week I’m taking off for a few days in the Boundary Waters wilderness area.
The cell phone is staying home.
I have no problem when I think that folks won’t be able to call me for a couple of days. I am looking forward to escaping communications.
What I’m realizing I am really going to miss is the increased reliance on my access to knowledge.
I had to buy a map… a paper map. I also bought a compass for this trip. If I catch a fish, I will need to know something to be able to identify the species. I will even have to bring along a paper copy of the fishing regulations for that area.
Augmented reality is no longer a sci-fi concept. It’s something I am already using every day. Easy access to Google, GPS map data and my entire social graph is something that is no longer enhancing life… it’s become life.
Now I’m REALLY looking forward to disconnecting!
Time to paddle.
From Cyborgs to Project Glass: the Augmented Reality Story – SlashGear.
22 Percent of Pages Link to Facebook
This is significant.
A study by Zyxt Labs looked at nearly 1.3 billion URLs.
- 22% of the pages crawled contained a link to Facebook (a like button, a traditional link etc).
- And 8% of the pages used Facebook’s Open Graph in some way.
(And than participate in the statistics… this site has Facebook links… AND uses the Open Graph API… So hit “like”)
Facebook adds music sharing feature and more to artists’ pages
Facebook integrates trending content and sharable Spotify links to artist Facebook pages.
From insidefacebook.com:
GroupMe Rolls Out Group Event Service – NYTimes.com
It’s fun to see relatively simple concepts as they struggle to stay relevant.
My family uses GroupMe as we chat across devices (a couple retired iPhones, a feature phone, Mom and Dad’s phones), but I’ve had the most success with this application at major event like SXSW (“Hey… are you guys out of that session yet? Wanna grab dinner?”)
It’s cool to see GroupMe looking at that event based usage a little more as they try to keep up.
If I’m reading this right, it’s even a little foray into the mobile payment space.
GroupMe, a Messaging Start-Up, Rolls Out Group Event Service – NYTimes.com.
Google+ app for iPad
I wish more of my “community” was on Google+ if for no other reason than I am really digging the experience of their iOS apps.
It’s now available for the iPad.
Google+ app for iPad available now in the App Store | Official Google Blog.
Growth in Mobile Globally
Great look at global growth in mobile Internet usage and year-to-year growth by country.
More online:
Geoloqi and Cyborgs
Amber Case has the coolest job title ever.
The self-proclaimed “Cyborg Anthropologist” is an experience designer who focuses on the mobile environment and the augmented reality concepts we use to extend our capabilities. Case argues that, because we have all become cyborgs. Not in the Robocop/Terminator sense of the word, but we all inserted devices into our lives in a significant way, that seek to greatly extend our capacity in a non-physical way.
Geolocation beyond the Check-in
In her March 11 keynote at the 2012 South by Southwest Interactive Festival, Amber indirectly encouraged location based technology to begin looking beyond the concept of ‘Check in’, to the use of location based systems to enhance our existing interactions with our surroundings.
Current geo-location apps (think Foursquare), allow us to check in and push our behaviors out to our digital world. Case encouraged the attendees to think beyond that and to consider using location data to enhance more passive activities. From narrative Wikipedia information on a historic building you passed, to the new location based reminders; how can we use our location aware devices to pull rather than push.
Dissatisfied with the current location based platforms, Amber founded Geoloqi. The Geoloqi platform allows app developers to layer location data, analytics and messaging onto their apps in a powerful way. At the tail end of the keynote, Case took a moment to highlight new partnerships with Appcelerator, Factual and Locaid that would extend the platform.
One of the most intriguing features of the Geoloqi platform, is a “geofence” algorithm that seeks to preserve battery life and provide more control over the interaction by allowing the developer to limit spacial and temporal conditions for the app interaction. Beyond a space based geofence, developers can use other information such as time of day, speed, altitude and address location information to trigger app events.
More on the Web:
(Photo)
Facebook Timelines for Brands
AdAge reports that Facebook is expected to release the Timeline profile concept for brands later this month.
It will be interesting to see how brands take advantage of a feature that seems to be intensely personal.
Wireless Baby Scale
The French company Withings, who has had a fairly successful wireless connected body scale, is showing off a similarly connected baby and toddler scale at this week’s CES show in Las Vegas, NV.
With WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, the device allows Mom and Dad to progress over time, and even share it with others.
Parents can use their iOS devices or an Internet connected computer to access information or history on their baby’s growth, and even send it via email to a doctor or family member. OR for the parent who has to share every detail of their child’s development, the device can even allow you to post Facebook and Twitter updates.
The product is expected to be available in the 2nd quarter of 2012.