Uncategorized – Page 225 – Tech & Book Talk at SSCL

2014 Consumer Electronics Show, Belkin’s WeMo Switch Update & Respected Tech Reviewers Walt Mossberg & Kara Swisher Launch New Tech Site

January 5, 2014January 5, 2014 Linda Reimer

The 2014 Consumer Electronics Show: The annual Consumer Electronics Show, which is usually known by its initials CES, is kicking off in Los Vegas on Tuesday. The show showcases new tech gadgets and highlights upcoming tech trends. And some of the items this years’ show is expected to highlight include 4 K Television technology (for an incredibly clear picture), 3 D Printing technology (which allows you to use plastic, metal and other materials to create items at home like chess pieces and a new cover for your smartphone), driverless cars and what USA Today tech columnist Jefferson Graham describes as “connected everything.”

And the term “connected everything” simply means the increasing trend of everyday devices being connected to the internet so you can control them via your smartphone or tablet either when you’re at home or if you’re away from home. And by everyday devices I mean dishwashers, washing machines, lamps, stoves, televisions, crockpots and just about any other electric device you use on a daily basis. This is cool technology! Imagine being out and about during the day and being able to turn up your heat, turn on the lights in your house, turn on the radio for your cats and even turn on your coffee maker to brew coffee so it is ready for you to drink when you get home — before you get home! And this technology isn’t years away either! You don’t have to buy a new lamp, radio or coffee maker to have a smart house you can buy a gadget like an outlet switch that connects to your Wi-Fi network and allows you to plug in any electric item you’ve got and turn it on or off via an app on your smartphone or tablet!

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/01/03/ces-2014-preview/4264441/

Belkin’s WeMo Switch Update: And speaking of acquiring the ability to turn on and off a lamp, radio, TV, iron or other device you have at home, remotely; my Christmas present to myself in 2013 was a Belkin WeMo Switch. You have to have Wi-Fi at your house to use this gadget – however, the set up took only moments. I plugged the switch into an electrical outlet, plugged my lamp into the switch and downloaded the iOS WeMo app to my iPad and presto I can turn that lamp on and off with my iPad or an iPhone or iPod Touch from where ever I am. And you might think too, what I thought at first, which is that you’d only use a device like this when you are away from home and on your way home so that the lights are on when you come into your house at night. You might think you’d just use it to turn on the lights in the living room before you leave the office for home…However, I find I use it to turn that lamp on and off when I am at home too! I can get ready for bed at night and leave that lamp on until I’m in my bedroom and then turn it off. And since it is the time of year when we have so much dark, cloudy weather – I can also wake up in the morning and turn that lamp on in the living room before I walk out of my bedroom so there is light in my living room when I enter it. This is a neat gadget and I will certainly be purchasing a few more of them in the near future!

If you’d like to know more about the Belkin WeMo switch, which retails for $49.99, here is a link to the product page on the Belkin Home Automation website:

http://www.belkin.com/us/Products/home-automation/c/wemo-home-automation/

Respected Tech Reviewers Walt Mossberg & Kara Swisher Launch New Tech Site: Respected tech reviewers Walt Mossberg & Kara Swisher, who both previously offered tech reviews for the Wall Street Journal’s All Things D tech blog for more than ten years; have launched a new and independent tech review & news site. The new site is called re/code and can be found at the following link:

http://recode.net/

And if you’d like to know more the new re/code review site that features reviews and tech news stories by Mossberg, Swisher and other former All Things D reviewers check out this The Verge article on the subject titled “Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher launch re/code news site, Code Conference series;”

http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/2/5264506/walt-mossberg-and-kara-swisher-launch-recode-code-conference

And if you’d like to know more about Walt Mossberg, Kara Swisher and the other staff of the new re/code site click the following link to access their “Who We Are” page which offers bios of the staff:

http://recode.net/about/

Have a great day!

Linda R.

References

Cheng, Jacqui. (2012, August 2). A thermostat that learns? Three months with the Next. arstechnica. Online. Accessed January 5, 2014, http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/08/a-thermostat-that-learns-three-months-with-the-nest/

Graham, Jefferson. (2014, January 4). CES 2014: A tech extravaganza in Vegas. USA Today. Online. Accessed January 5, 2014, http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/01/03/ces-2014-preview/4264441/

re/code. Online. Accessed January 5, 2014, http://recode.net/

Topolsky, Joshua. (2014, January). Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher launch Re/code news site, Code Conference series: With investment from NBCUniversal and Windsor Media, the duo moves its act to a new venue. The Verge. Online. Accessed January 5, 2014, http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/2/5264506/walt-mossberg-and-kara-swisher-launch-recode-code-conference

Who We Are. re/code. Online. Accessed January 5, 2014, http://recode.net/about/

YouTube Channel Comes to Roku!

December 18, 2013 Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, and an special hi to video streamers fans out there!

The YouTube channel (aka app) is now available on the Roku media streamer.

One of my two three favorite video streamers (the other two are Google’s Chromecast and Apple’s Apple TV).

Here’s a link to a CNET article that offers more info on the new accessibility of YouTube via the Roku player.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57615907-93/roku-enters-early-21st-century-offers-youtube/

Have a great day!

Linda R.

OverDrive To Offer Streaming Videos & Music To Library Patrons

December 13, 2013 Linda Reimer

OverDrive is the name of the STLS Digital Catalog platform vendor. To translate that into common every day American English OverDrive is the name of the company that provides the software that allows library patrons to check out e-books, downloadable audio books, downloadable videos and music. And right now you can check out e-books and downloadable audio books to your smartphone, tablet or computer but video and music titles must be downloaded to a Windows computer which is a bit awkward to do. And of course, most people would rather be able to stream music and video titles to their smartphones, tablets and occasionally to their computers so they can watch or listen to library videos or albums whenever they want to without having to wait forthe title they are checking out to download.

And the good news is that streaming is coming to all libraries that use the OverDrive service to offer their patrons digital content – and that will include our library system in the near future – hurray!

The first library to get this new option for their patrons to be able to stream albums, movies and TV shows via OverDrive is the Los Angeles Public Library. OverDrive is expected to roll out streaming options for all libraries that it serves in the U.S. in the very near future.

And in the meantime – here’s a link to a No Shelf Required article by Wright State Universities Libraries Librarian Sue Polanka that offers more info on the OverDrive streaming service currently being offered to patrons of the Los Angeles Public Library:

http://www.libraries.wright.edu/noshelfrequired/2013/11/20/overdrives-streaming-video-lending-service-launches-at-lapl/

And a second related article from Library Journal’s Digital Shift blog on the same subject:

http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2013/11/digitization/overdrive-rolls-streaming-video-service-pilot-los-angeles-public-library/

And we will alert all our library patrons about the streaming option of titles they can check out from the STLS Digital Catalog – just as soon as that option becomes available.

Have a great weekend!

Linda R.

ZDNET’s List of 11 Amazing Technologies, Aereo Ask Supreme Court To Determine Its Fate & Walmart To Put iPhones 5 On Sale!

December 12, 2013 Linda Reimer

ZDNET’s List of 11 Amazing Technologies: The tech site ZDNet offers a cool article that discusses 11 technologies that either are already transforming how we live or are expected to in the near future. The article discusses the following eleven tech categories: Fiber Optics, Graphene, Cell Phone technology, Personal Computing Devices (desktops, laptops, tablets etc.), Nano Robots, Satellite Communications, Solar Cells, The Internet of Things, Transistors, The Internet and one of my favorites – 3 D Printing technology!

Here’s the link to the article:

http://www.zdnet.com/11-amazing-technologies-that-have-totally-changed-our-world-for-the-better-7000024091/

Aereo Ask Supreme Court To Determine Its Fate: As you may recall Aereo is a tech company that assigns a small antenna and DVR to each of its customers. And this tech set up allows its customers to receive over the air broadcasts of network television shows and to stream those shows to their smartphones, tablets and computers and watch them whenever they want to!

Needless to say the traditional television networks and cable companies are not thrilled with Aereo and its business model which they believe hurts their financial bottom line. Aereo has so far been triumphant in the court cases brought against it by several traditional cable companies – the courts have ruled that the service is legal and Aereo can continue; however, the company has decided to appeal to the Supreme Court to answer the question once and for all of whether or not the Aereo service is legal within the United States. No doubt Aereo has decided to make this move because it takes money to continually counter court cases brought against the company by networks and cable companies in each new market Aereo is expands into. And if the Supreme Court takes the case and rules in Aereo’s favor than that will settle the legality matter within the United States and allow Aereo to continue expanding its service without having to fund and fight a continuing series of court cases.

If the Supreme Court takes that case – it will be an interesting ruling to watch for because if Aereo wins it will change how we can access TV shows.

Here’s a link to a Gigaom article on this subject titled “Aereo asks Supreme Court to take copyright case, stop broadcasters “war of attrition”

http://gigaom.com/2013/12/12/aereo-asks-supreme-court-to-take-copyright-case-stop-broadcasters-war-of-attrition/

Walmart To Put iPhones 5 On Sale! According to a Los Angeles Times report Walmart will begin selling the iPhone 5C for $27 and the iPhone 5S for $127 on December 13; of course you have to sign up for the standard two year contract to use the phones. However, if you’ve been waiting to pick up a new iPhone now might be the time as you’re unlikely to find lower prices on the new iPhone 5 models than those!

Here’s a link to that LA times article:

http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-walmart-iphone-5c-27-20131211,0,5607180.story#axzz2nIkXVh8s

Have a great day!

Linda R.

References

Brown, Eileen. (2013, December 9). 11 amazing technologies that have totally changed our world for the better. ZDNet. Online. Accessed December 12, 2013, http://www.zdnet.com/11-amazing-technologies-that-have-totally-changed-our-world-for-the-better-7000024091/

Roberts, Jeff John. (2013, December 12). Aereo asks Supreme Court to take copyright case, stop broadcasters “war of attrition”. Gigaom. Online. Accessed December 12,2 013, http://gigaom.com/2013/12/12/aereo-asks-supreme-court-to-take-copyright-case-stop-broadcasters-war-of-attrition/

Rodriquez, Salvador. (2013, December 11). Wal-Mart to sell iPhone 5c for $27 with contract on Friday. Angeles Times. Online. Accessed December 12, 2013, http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-walmart-iphone-5c-27-20131211,0,5607180.story#axzz2nIkXVh8s

Boston Globe Article on MakerBot 3 D Printer

November 23, 2013 Linda Reimer

Here’s a link to a cool article from the Boston Globe that relays the fact that the 3 D Printer company Makerbot is opening store to sell its 3 D Printers in Boston so people will be able to buy the printers both online and in an actual store.

This is cool because A. 3 D Printing technology is going mainstream and will change the way we live and B. because the library owns a MakerBot 3 D Printer! We’ll be doing some programming in the new year with the printer; however, if you’d like to know how it works and see some of the items it has “printed” off — ask the staff for details!

And I say “printed” off because the objects don’t actually get printed but instead are created by the laying down of layers of materials.

Have a great weekend!

Linda R.

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/11/22/makerbot-opens-boston-store/VXp6uGAVq7QL2uTcLkm83L/story.html

December 2013 Tech Programs @ The Library

November 20, 2013November 20, 2013 Linda Reimer

November is waning fast so pasted below is the listing of all our personal technology programs for December 2013.

And here is a link to a PDF version of our December tech programs flyer — feel free to print (on legal size paper) and share!

December 2013 Tech Programs @ SSCL

And on to the listing of personal tech programs for December!

Pinterest: Join hostess Jenn for a program based upon recipes and DIY projects found on the fun social networking/personal interest website – Pinterest! Each program offers a delicious recipe which we then use to create the delicious dish of the day and a home decorating craft. Program Date/Time: Tuesday, December 3, 2013; 5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

iPad Workshop: This workshop offers new iPad owners an overview of how to use the iPad; and includes a discussion of useful suggested apps in categories that iPad owners might enjoy. The iPad app categories discussed include: News, Entertainment, Sports, Cooking, Games, Books, Weather and more! Program Date/Time: Wednesday, December 11, 2013; 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p. m.

Try It Before You Buy It! This program offers holiday shoppers the opportunity to come to the library and compare a variety of e-readers, tablets, Windows and Mac laptops and see how they work and thus determine which device they prefer to purchase as a holiday gift before purchasing a tech gift! Members of the library’s tech team will be on hand to answer any questions! Program Date/Time: December 14, 2013; 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Digital Literacy*: This informal program offers patrons a chance to try out a variety of tablets (including the iPad and Google Nexus 7), e-readers, Windows 8 touch screen laptops and Macs in a relaxed setting and either ask questions about how to use those tech device or simply sit down and try one more of them out!
Program Date/Time: Wednesday, December 18, 2013; 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p. m.

American Dream Program*: This program offers a fun presentation spotlighting historical and popular culture events that occurred during the month of the program. This program is intended for Adult Learners of English and anyone else who likes American history & pop culture history. Program Date/Time: Thursday, December 19, 2013; 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.

Teen Tech: GIMP: Teen Tech Fridays will be held the third Friday of the month and will be led by Kayla Crane. This month learn to use GIMP. Discover this freely distributed program for photo retouching, image composition and more. Program Date/Time: Friday, December 20, 2013; 3:30—5:00 p.m.

You can also make a free One-On-One appointment with a member of our tech team! We’ll assist you in learning how to use a new computer, e-reader, tablet or other tech device you own (this includes learning how to use new software and create resumes)! Just call the Reference & Technology Desk at 607-936-3713 extension 502 to make an appointment.

Registration is required for library programs (just so we know how many people to set up for!). To register call the library at (607) 936-3713 or send an email to REIMERL@STLS.ORG

The library is handicapped accessible. If you require special accommodations contact us in advance of your visit please call us in advance: (607) 936-3713.

If you have questions regarding the information on this flyer or about any upcoming library programs send an email inquiry to reimerl@stls.org

* This program is made possible through a generous grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, the American Library Association and its Office for Literacy and Outreach Services (OLOS).

Netflix Streaming Interface Upgrade Coming, iPhone Book Covers, Making Videos Look Better On Your TV & New Gaming Consoles Coming But Is Gaming Changing?

November 15, 2013 Linda Reimer

It has been another super busy week in library land! So here is a short series of personal technology related topics and related articles for your weekend perusal!

Netflix Streaming Interface Upgrade Coming: Netflix is going to shortly upgrade its streaming video interface and make it much more modern looking and add more search options – it should be a cool upgrade.

The tech site The Verge offers and article on this subject titled “Netflix introduces one unified TV interface to rule them all: The streaming-video giant turns into a TV channel programmed just for you” and here’s the link to the article:

http://www.theverge.com/2013/11/13/5098224/netflix-introduces-one-unified-tv-interface-to-rule-them-all

iPhone Book Covers: The New York Times offers a neat article, titled “An iPhone Case Hemingway Would Love” on new “Pocket Book” cases for the iPhone 5 that make your iPhone truly look like you just took it off the shelf of your own high class library-bound-volumes included library.

Here’s the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/14/technology/personaltech/review-pad-and-quills-little-pocket-book-iphone-case.html?ref=personaltech&_r=0

Making Videos Look Better On Your TV: The New York Times also offered an article this week that includes helpful hints on how you can improve the quality of the picture on your TV – simply by adjusting your TV settings as you sit on your couch.

The article is titled “Enriching Your TV Picture, From the Couch” – here’s the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/07/technology/personaltech/enriching-your-tv-picture-from-the-couch.html?ref=personaltech

New Gaming Consoles Coming But Is Gaming Changing? And the New York Times also offered an article this week on the upcoming gaming consoles from Sony and Microsoft that will shortly go on sale; the article also speculates on the state of gaming and ponders the fact that with the growing popularity of smartphones and tablets and the corresponding great variety of inexpensive games that can be played on smartphones or tablets – will we still be buying gaming consoles in another year or two or will the soon be going the way of the 8 track tape?

The article is titled “New Gaming Consoles Coming But Is Gaming Changing?” and here is the link:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/12/technology/sony-and-microsoft-ready-with-new-game-consoles.html?src=me&_r=0

Have a great weekend!

Linda R.

References

Bishop, Bryan. (2013, November 12). Netflix introduces one unified TV interface to rule them all

The streaming-video giant turns into a TV channel programmed just for you. The Verge. Online. Accessed November 15, 2013, http://www.theverge.com/2013/11/13/5098224/netflix-introduces-one-unified-tv-interface-to-rule-them-all

Furchgott, Roy. (2013, November 6). Enriching Your TV Picture, From the Couch. New York Times. Onlne. Accessed November 15, 2013, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/07/technology/personaltech/enriching-your-tv-picture-from-the-couch.html?ref=personaltech

Schmidt, Gregory. (2013, November 12). An iPhone Case Hemingway Would Love Review: Pad and Quill’s Little Pocket Book iPhone Case. Online. Accessed November 15, 2013, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/14/technology/personaltech/review-pad-and-quills-little-pocket-book-iphone-case.html?ref=personaltech&_r=1&

Wingfield, Nick. (2013, November 11). New Consoles on the Way, but Gaming Isn’t the Same. New York Times. Online. Accessed November 15, 2013, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/12/technology/sony-and-microsoft-ready-with-new-game-consoles.html?src=me&_r=

Tech Programs @ The Library November 13 – 30, Target Offers $200 Credit For iPad Trade Ins & Smart Home Technology Update

November 6, 2013November 6, 2013 Linda Reimer

Tech Programs @ The Library November 7 – 30:

Digital Literacy*: This informal program offers patrons a chance to try out a variety of tablets (including the iPad and Google Nexus 7), e-readers, Windows 8 touch screen laptops and Macs in a relaxed setting and either ask questions about how to use those tech device or simply sit down and try one more of them out! Program Date/Time: November 13, 2013; 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.

Teen Programming: Inkscape: Teens will be learning how to create imagery and text with this program using tools and techniques including layers, nodes, gradients and filters. Program Date/Time: November 15, 2013; 3:30 – 5:00 p.m.

American Dream Program*: This program features a fun presentation spotlighting historical and popular culture events that occurred during the month of the program. This program is intended for Adult Learners of English and anyone else who likes American history & pop culture history. Program Date/Time: November 20, 2013; 10:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Try It Before You Buy It!: This program offers holiday shoppers the opportunity to come to the library and compare a variety of e-readers, tablets, Windows and Mac laptops and see how they work and thus determine which device they prefer to purchase as a holiday gift before purchasing a tech gift! Members of the library’s tech team will be on hand to answer any questions! Program Date/Time: November 21, 2013; 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Free One-On-One Appointments: On a tech program related note, if you can’t make one of our tech workshops you can always make an appointment to meet with a member of our tech team to go over the personal technology subject of the workshop – or any other personal technology (aka Digital Literacy subject! We’ll assist you in learning how to use a new computer, e-reader, tablet or other tech device you own (this includes learning how to use new software and create resumes)! It is free! Just call the Reference & Technology Desk at 607-936-3713 extension 502 to make an appointment.

* This program is made possible by a grant awarded to the library by the American Library Association and the Dollar General Foundation.

Target Offers $200 Credit For iPad Trade Ins: Target is offering older iPad owners who’d like to upgrade a really great deal. Now through Saturday you can take in your old scratch free iPad – no matter the model – and receive a $200 gift card from Target which you can then use to buy a new iPad if you wish.

So if you’ve got a 1^st generation iPad you could get a $200 gift card for turning it in and the new iPad Air (16 GB version) would cost you $299 instead of $499 – and right now Target is offering the new iPad Air for sale for $479 so it would actually only cost you $279.

Now if you’ve got a 3^rd or 4^th generation iPad you might be able to sell it for more if you try and sell it yourself but if you’ve got a 1^st or second generation iPad then this might be a good deal for you.

Target is offering this deal in its store through November 9^th.

Here’s a link to a Mashable article on the Target deal which is aptly titled “Trade In Any iPad, Get $200 at Target:”

http://mashable.com/2013/11/05/ipad-air-target-trade-in/

Smart Home Technology Update: On the smart home front there is news from Apple and Viper.Tech giant Apple has just patented a home automation system that would allow your home to become “smart” by having your Apple devices talk to each other. The patent seems to indicate the system would work something like Apple’s reminders app in that it would note your geographic location within your home and could be programmed to do things like turn off the lights in your study when you leave it for more than 5 minutes or turn the appliances off in your kitchen if you leave if for more than half an hour or you could set your lights to come on in your entryway when you enter your house and the TV and/or stereo to come on when you enter your living room – all automatically.

I came across a Tech Crunch article today that offers more information on Apple’s new home automation system patent. And the article offered a really neat summary of what a smart home is supposed to be and how Apple is in a good position to offers its device owners a smart home system in the near future; the article states that “A smart connected home is one thing, but the really desirable goal of all home automation is a system that anticipates your needs and responds without any user input, operating at maximum efficiency. That’s exactly what Apple describes in this system, and it’s done using devices that Apple is already actively selling to users, with the very same capabilities already built-in.”

Cool stuff!

Here’s the link to the Tech Crunch article on Apple’s new home automation patent:

http://techcrunch.com/2013/11/05/apple-patents-home-automation-technology/

Viper is a tech brand, part of the Directed Electronics Company, known for their car accessories and security systems which they’ve been making for 30 years. And today they launched a new home security system called “Viper Home.” The Viper Home system allows you to keep track of what is going on at your home when you’re not there!

The Viper Home starter kit, which costs $229, comes with a door and window sensor, a motion detector and a hub. You can add a camera for $49 and correspondingly for $9.99 a month the Viper Watch service that allows you to see what is going on in your house in remotely, from your smart phone or tablet (via the Viper Connect app), in real time.

And you can add more bells and whistles to the system so if you want your home to be really, really, really safe you can add up to 64 home security devices including extra cameras, indoor sirens, motion detectors and more door & window sensors. And if anyone trips one of those motion detectors or door or window detectors while you are away from home you’ll immediately receive notification through the Viper Connect app that works with both Apple and Android smart phones and tablets.

Here’s a link to a CNET article titled “Secure your house with Viper Home” on the new Viper Home security system:

http://reviews.cnet.com/smart-home/viper-home/4505-9788_7-35831276.html

Have a great day!

Linda

References

Etherington, Darrell. (2013, November 6). Apple Patents Home Automation Technology That Adjusts Settings Based On Device Location. http://techcrunch.com/2013/11/05/apple-patents-home-automation-technology/

Schroeder, Stan. (2013, November 6). Trade In Any iPad, Get $200 at Target. Mashable. Online. Accessed November 5, 2013. http://mashable.com/2013/11/05/ipad-air-target-trade-in/

Secure your house with Viper Home. (2103, November 4). Online. Accessed November 6, 2013, http://reviews.cnet.com/smart-home/viper-home/4505-9788_7-35831276.html

The Near Future Of Smart Homes & National Geographic Offers Map That Shows The Earth With All The Ice Melted

November 4, 2013 Linda Reimer

The Near Future of Smart Homes: Right now we’ve got cool devices that make our “dumb” homes semi-smart! Items like the Belkin WeMo Home Automation Switch, which looks like an outlet you plug into an electric outlet and when you use it you can control whatever devices (i.e. lamps, coffee makers etc.) you have plugged into a switch and remotely turn that device on or off via your smartphone or tablet or the Nest Thermostat which also allows you to remotely, via an app, turn the heat up or down in your house.

However, homes are going to become even smarter in the near future. Imagine a home with connected display glass throughout it, just like you see on the Corning Inc. “Day Made of Glass” YouTube clips. You can be standing in your den and speak to the display on the wall and say “I’d like to order take out tonight” and the interactive computer system will display local restaurants that offer take-out. And if members of your family are in other rooms of the house they’ll be able to see the information on the displays near them too. Or you can be making coffee in your kitchen and have a co-worker send you a text or video that appears on your kitchen counter and you can reply to that text or message while sipping your morning coffee. And you get the idea! This is cool technology that is coming soon!

If you haven’t seen any of the three longer “Day Made of Glass” clips here’s a montage of those clips that Corning posted to their YouTube page which shows off the cool, computer connected display glass that is coming in the near future to a home near you! The clip is titled “A Day Made of Glass Montage:”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR7wx132REQ

And here’s a link to a Gigaom article titled ‘We need computer sight to make smart homes smart;” which offers more information on how homes will become smarter soon:

http://gigaom.com/2013/11/01/we-need-computer-sight-to-make-smart-homes-smart/

National Geographic Offers Map That Shows The Earth With All The Ice Melted: National Geographic has created a cool but frightening map of the world which shows both where the shorelines are now on all continents and where they will be if all the ice in the world melts. Here’s the link:

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/09/rising-seas/if-ice-melted-map

Have a great day!

Linda R.

References

A Day Made of Glass Montage. Corning Inc. (YouTube Channel). Online. Accessed November 4, 2013, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR7wx132REQ

Higginbotham, Stacey. (2013, November 1). We need computer sight to make smart homes smart. Gigaom. Online. Accessed November 4, 2013, http://gigaom.com/2013/11/01/we-need-computer-sight-to-make-smart-homes-smart/

IF ALL THE ICE MELTED: Explore the world’s new coastlines if sea level rises 216 feet. National Geographic. Online. Accessed November 4, 2013, http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/09/rising-seas/if-ice-melted-map

Pandora’s Updated Android App, All Things D’s Walt Mossberg Recommends The iPad Air, Pandora For Chromecast & The F.A.A. To Allow Passengers To Use Wi-Fi Devices All Flight Long

October 31, 2013 Linda Reimer

Pandora’s Updated Android App: The popular music streaming service Pandora has released a new and improved app for Android tablets. The new app has upgraded options which include options to easily find out more information about an artist or song title that listeners like and the ability to tweak the song list played on a listener’s customized station. So if you have an Android tablet you might want to check out the new app or update your old Pandora app.

Here’s a link to a CNET article titled “New Pandora app woos Android tablets as Apple radio grows” that offers more information on the updated Pandora app for Android devices:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57609908-93/new-pandora-app-woos-android-tablets-as-apple-radio-grows/

All Things D’s Walt Mossberg Recommends The iPad Air: The Wall Street Journal’s All Things D senior personal tech guru Walt Mossberg has tried out the new iPad Air, which goes on sale on Friday, November 1^st. And Mr. Mossberg, who has certainly seen a great many tablets in his career, said in his review that he not only likes the new iPad Air very much but to quote him that the iPad Air “is the best tablet I have ever reviewed!”

And of course, anyone who has read this blog for any length of time or who has encountered me in the library will know that I am a huge Apple fan.

Having said that for my two cents worth the best overall tablet experience includes the following general points:

How well a tablet operates

How many advanced features a tablet has

How often the tablet operating system is updated

The quality of the apps available for that tablet

And in my opinion, the best overall tablet experience today can be found by using an Apple iPad. I’ve owned an iPad since the day the first generation model was released in 2010. And I’ve now upgraded three times and have been equally pleased, with each upgraded model, with the performance of the iPad, the user friendly software that runs the iPad, the great variety and quality of apps available for the iPad and the ability to stream video content from the iPad to the HDTV in my living room.

And the new iPad Air is undoubtedly going to be even better than previous generations of the iPad not because Apple has added tons of new features but because they’ve simply made what was great about the iPad even better. The iPad Air has an upgraded the chip which makes it faster and more powerful, improved battery life; and it is much lighter than previous iPad models. In fact, the iPad Air is called the “iPad Air” because it is so light! The iPad Air weighs only a pound. Previous generations of the iPad were all heavier and the 4^th generation iPad weighed 1.44 lbs. so this new iPad is quite a bit lighter, has battery life that according to Walt Mossberg lasts 12 hours, runs faster and is more powerful than the last generation iPad because of the new chip it uses. So if you’re interested in buying a tablet in the near future check out Walt Mossberg’s review and stop by the library and try out one of our iPads!

And without further ado here’s the link to Walt Mossberg’s video review of the new iPad Air:

http://allthingsd.com/20131029/speed-and-power-packed-into-a-thin-ipad-air/

Pandora For Chromecast: The Chromecast, which if you’re not familiar with it is a cheap ($35), small flash drive sized device you plug into an HDMI input on your HDTV; and which once plugged in to your TV sends the video you bring up on your tablet, laptop or smartphone to your TV with Wi-Fi, has just added the Pandora music channel to its list of supported video services you can stream video content from; the other video services are Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, Google Play Movies & TV and Google Play Music.

And just to clarify, you can access any of the video apps previously mentioned through the Chromecast but you can also stream any video content you bring up using the Google Chrome web browser on your Internet connecting devices to your TV via Chromecast.

And here’s a link to a Tech Land article titled “Pandora Gives Chromecast Some Much Needed Tunes” that offers more information on the new Pandora music app for Chromecast:

http://techland.time.com/2013/10/31/pandora-gives-chromecast-some-much-needed-tunes/

The F.A.A. To Allow Passengers To Use Wi-Fi Devices All Flight Long: The F.A.A. has just announced that air plane passengers will shortly be allowed to use their Wi-Fi connecting devices in “all phases of flight.” However, cell phone use to talk or text will still be prohibited. The new F.A.A. policy is expected to be implemented for all U.S. airlines by the end of the year.

Here’s a link to a New York Times article on the subject titled “F.A.A. Allows Use of Electronic Devices Throughout Flights” that offers more information on the subject:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/01/business/passengers-to-be-free-to-use-electronics-on-flights-faa-says.html?_r=0

Have a great day!

Linda R.

References

McCracken, Harry. (2013, October 29). iPad Air Review: Apple’s Full-Sized Tablet, No Longer So Full-Sized: A whole new class of iPad — but instantly familiar and useful, too. Online. Accessed October 31, 2013, http://techland.time.com/2013/10/29/ipad-air-review/

Mossberg, Walt, (2013, October 29). Speed and Power Packed Into a Thin iPad Air. All Things D. Online. Accessed October 30, 2013, http://allthingsd.com/20131029/speed-and-power-packed-into-a-thin-ipad-air/

Solsman, Joan. (2013, October 30). New Pandora app woos Android tablets as Apple radio grows: The top online radio company rolls out a new version of its Android app designed specifically for tablets, tweaking it for bigger screens with more functions. CNET. Online. Accessed, October 30, 2013, http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57609908-93/new-pandora-app-woos-android-tablets-as-apple-radio-grows/

Wald, Matthew. (2013, October 31). F.A.A. Allows Use of Electronic Devices Throughout Flights. New York Times. Online. Accessed October 31, 2013, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/01/business/passengers-to-be-free-to-use-electronics-on-flights-faa-says.html?_r=0

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