Tag: Corning

Apple iPad Event Announced & Today Is Ada Lovelace Day!

Linda Reimer

Apple iPad Event Announced: Apple officially announced today that it is holding a press event next Tuesday, October 22 in San Francisco. Of course, Apple likes to keep the wraps on its new products and product upgrades until it unveils them so Apple didn’t say in the press invitations that it is actually going to launch an updated version of the iPad next Tuesday. Instead, Apple sent out invitations that feature multicolor elliptical shapes on the front and say on the inside: “We still have a lot to cover.” So it while it is almost a sure thing that Apple will unveil an upgraded iPad model on the 22nd they might also be unveiling something else but we will have to wait until October 22 to find out!

Here’s a link a to a USA Today article on the subject titled “Apple invites go out for Oct 22 event in San Francisco” which features a photo of the colorful invitation:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/10/15/apple-invite-oct-22/2986851/

Today Is Ada Lovelace Day! If you have never heard of Ada Lovelace before you’re not alone! I had never heard of her before today either. However, Ada Lovelace was a 19th century mathematician and she is credited with creating the first computer program!

When she was young Lovelace was encouraged by her mother to study mathematics and science as a determent to the romantic lifestyle of her father the famous poet Lord Byron. And Ada Lovelace Day is celebrated annually to both spotlight the contributions women have made to the math and science fields and to encourage young women to study and pursue careers in the math and science fields.

Here’s a link to a New York Times Bits blog article on Ada Lovelace Day:

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/15/a-day-to-remember-the-first-computer-programmer-was-a-woman/?ref=technology&_r=0

And a link to a biography of Ada Lovelace who was born Augusta Ada Byron on December 10, 1815:

http://www.biography.com/people/ada-lovelace-20825323

Have a great day!

Linda R.

References

Ada Lovelace. Biography. Online. Accessed October 15, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/ada-lovelace-20825323

Barr, Alistair. & Baig, Ed. (2013, October 15). Apple invites go out for Oct 22 event in San Francisco. USA Today. Online. Accessed October 15, 2013,  http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/10/15/apple-invite-oct-22/2986851/

Miller, Claire Caine. (2013, October 15). A Day to Remember the First Computer Programmer Was a Woman. New York Times Bits. Online. Accessed October 15, 2013,

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/10/15/a-day-to-remember-the-first-computer-programmer-was-a-woman/?ref=technology&_r=0

New Digital Catalog E-Books, Audio Books & Videos Available Now!

Linda Reimer

Our October order of new e-books, e-audio books and e-videos has just been processed and you can browse the following new titles in the STLS Digital Catalog!

And of course you can download e-books and e-audio books to your computer, smartphone or tablet.

The educational & children’s videos can currently only be downloaded to a Windows computer.

And without further ado here’s the list of new titles!

Audio Books:

3 Dozen Poems: From the Writer’s Almanac

Writer’s Almanac

A Boy’s Will by Robert Frost

Bird Songs in Literature: Bird Songs and the Poems They Have Inspired by various authors

Birds & Don’t Look Now by Daphne du Maurier,

Classic American Poetry by Emily Dickinson, Robert Lowell, Robert Frost, et. al.

Complete Sonnets of William Shakespeare   

Crucible Arthur Miller, Richard Dreyfuss, Stacey Keach, et. al.

Death in the 12th House: Where Neptune Rules; Starlight Detective Agency Mystery Series by Mitchell Scott Lewis 

Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises         

Faery Tales & Nightmares by various authors

Hemingway’s France: Images of the Lost Generation by Winston Conrad, Tom Parker

History Speaks – Volume 1: History Speaks Series, Volume 1 by various authors

Naked Lunch: The Restored Text by William S. Burroughs

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck,

Reign of Terror by David Andress

Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning: Best Loved Poems

Robert Browning: Selected Poems by Robert Browning

What Went Wrong? Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response by Bernard Lewis

E-Books:

An Account of Egypt by Herodotus

After Twilight by Dee Davis

The Anti-Christ  Friedrich Nietzsche, H. L. Mencken

April Queen: Eleanor of Aquitaine by Douglas Boyd

Bagombo Snuff Box: Uncollected Short Fiction by Kurt Vonnegut

The Bargain: Regency Series, Book 1 by Mary Jo Putney

Becoming King: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Making of a National Leader by Troy Jackson

Blind Justice: William Monk Mystery Series, Book 19 by Anne Perry

Break Point by Kate Jaimet

Carrying the Rancher’s Heir & The Cowboy’s Pride by Charlene Sands

Cat in Glass: And Other Tales of the Unnatural by Nancy Etchemendy

The Cement Garden by Ian McEwan

The Child in Time by Ian McEwan

The Children Of The Mist by Jenny Brigalow

Christmas Chaos by Jennifer Conner

Christmas Stockings by Karen Hall

Claudia Silver to the Rescue by Kathy Ebel

Cowboy Deputy & The Cowboy’s Secret Twins by Carla Cassidy

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: And Other Tales of the Jazz Age by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Dead Is a Killer Tune by Marlene Perez

A Deadly Draught: Microbrewing Mystery Series, Book 1 by Lesley A. Diehl

Death at the Alma Mater: St. Just Mystery Series, Book 3 by G. M. Malliet

Death of a Cozy Writer: St. Just Mystery Series, Book 1 by G. M. Malliet

Demigods and Monsters: Your Favorite Authors on Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series by Rick Riordan

Discourse on Method and Meditations by René Descartes

A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century by Barbara W. Tuchman

Earthbound by Richard Matheson

The Eternal Son  by Cristovao Tezza, Alison Entrekin

Everything the Bible Says About Angels and Demons: What Do Angels Look Like? Is Satan a Fallen Angel? Are Demons Real? Are Angels Sent to Protect Us? by Bob Newman

The Explanation for Everything: A Novel by Lauren Grodstein

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream by Hunter S. Thompson

A Forest Apart by Troy Denning

Gap Creek: A Novel by Robert Morgan

The Giant Among Us: Forgotten Realms: Twilight Giants Series, Book 2 by Troy Denning

The Hallowed Ones: Hallowed Ones Series, Book 1 by Laura Bickle

Hauntings of Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Jamestown by Jackie Eileen Behrend

The Histories Book 1: Clio by Herodotus

The Histories Book 2: Euterpe by Herodotus

The Histories Book 3: Thaleia by Herodotus

The Histories Book 4: Melpomene by Herodotus

The Histories Book 5: Tersichore by Herodotus

The Histories Book 6: Erato by Herodotus

The Histories Book 7: Polymnia by Herodotus

The Histories Book 8: Urania by Herodotus

The Histories Book 9: Calliope by Herodotus

A Holiday Fling by Mary Jo Putney

A Kiss of Fate: Guardian Series, Book 1 by Mary Jo Putney

Lauren Yanofsky Hates the Holocaust by Leanne Lieberman

The Link by Richard Matheson

Mage’s Blood: Moontide Quartet, Book 1 by David Hair

The Mammoth Book of How it Happened in Britain by John E Lewis

Midnight Sons Volume 2 by Debbie Macomber

Midnight Sons Volume 3 by Debbie Macomber

The Mom 100 Cookbook: 100 Recipes Every Mom Needs in Her Back Pocket by Katie Workman

Murder by Syllabub by Kathleen Delaney

Myths of the Afterlife Made Easy by Annamaria Hemingway

No Wind of Blame: Inspector Hemingway Series, Book 1 by Georgette Heyer

The Ogre’s Pact: Forgotten Realms: Twilight Giants Series, Book 1 by Troy Denning

One Wild Cowboy & A Cowboy to Marry by Cathy Gillen Thacker

The Perfect Christmas by Debbie Macomber

The Rationalists by Rene Descartes by Benedict de Spinoza, Gottfried Wilhelm Von Leibniz

The Road from Gap Creek: Gap Creek Series, Book 2 by Robert Morgan

Sam’s Book by David Ray

Sanctuary by William Faulkner

The Second Christmas Megapack: 29 Modern and Classic Christmas Stories by Reginald Robert, Mary Wickizer Burgess, Booth Tarkington

Shabanu by Suzanne Fisher Staples

Sheepish: Two Women, Fifty Sheep, and Enough Wool to Save the Planet by Catherine Friend

The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Gladys Malvern

Spirits of ’76: Ghost Stories of the American Revolution by Daniel W. Barefoot

Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative by Austin Kleon

This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Thunder and Roses: Fallen Angels Series, Book 1 by Mary Jo Putney

Thus Spake Zarathustra: A Book for All and None by Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, Thomas Common

The Time Ship: A Chrononautical Journey by Enrique Gaspar, Yolanda Molina-Gavil?n, Andrea L. Bell

Travels with Herodotus by Ryszard Kapuscinski

Valley of the Vanishing Men by Max Brand

Valley Thieves by Max Brand

Wake Up and Smell the Coffee by Eric Bogosian

The Wild Medicine Solution: Healing with Aromatic, Bitter, and Tonic Plants by Guido Masé

Work Hard. Be Nice.: How Two Inspired Teachers Created the Most Promising Schools in America by Jay Mathews

Videos:

All About Horses

Anchors Away (Paddington)

Benji’s Very Own Christmas Story                 

Christmas Blast

Dare Devil Bear

Franklin’s Christmas Gift              

Horse Crazy       

One Bear’s Treasure      

Princess And The Pony 

And here’s a link to the STLS Digital Catalog just in case you’d like to browse!

http://stls.lib.overdrive.com/AB2F119D-AC5F-4721-A66F-A09DD6A43F66/10/50/en/Default.htm

And if you have questions about the library e-book app — it is called OverDrive Media Console — please ask the staff at the library! We will be happy to help you put the app on your tablet or smartphone and walk you through the download free library e-book ropes!

Have a great day!

Linda R.

New iPads Being Unveiled October 22

Linda Reimer

Hi everyone, it is super, crazy busy in library land!

So here’s a very short posting to say that according to a CNET article Apple will be announcing new iPads on October 22.

Here’s the link to the CNET article:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57606589-37/apples-ipad-event-reportedly-set-for-october-22/

Have a great day!

Linda R.

Where To Find The .com key If Using iOS 7

Linda Reimer

Where To Find The .com key If Using iOS 7

Where To Find The .com key If Using iOS 7

Where To Find The .com Key in iOS 7: If you own an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch (5th Generation) and have just upgraded to the latest Apple mobile operating software iOS 7, then you may be wondering where the .com key went that used to be on the keyboard!

The .com key, which displayed when you were using the Safari web browser, used to be found at the bottom of the Apple keyboard under the letters.  And pressing this key allowed you to press one key to bring up online domain extensions including .com, .org and .edu– at least those are the Internet extensions you’ll see if you’ve got your keyboard set to display “English” – as your language.

And you’ll notice I’ve got the word “English” in prentices? That is because that just plain “English” keyboard setting probably should be termed “American English” and there are other keyboard settings including Spanish, Chinese, French and British English! So if you use the other keyboard language you’ll see the extensions and all the text display in the language you’ve selected – which is cool!

And I’m digressing in my technological enthusiasm!

The bottom line is that you can now access Internet extensions, so you don’t have to type out .com, .edu or .org, by holding down the period on your keyboard when you are using the Safari browser!

And if you’d like to see more pictures than the one included in this post check out the CNET article “Where to find the ‘.com’ button in Safari on iOS 7” – here’s the link:

http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57602657-285/where-to-find-the-.com-button-in-safari-on-ios-7/

25 Cool House Cleaning Gadgets!: Being the kind of girl that loves technology but not house hold cleaning chores; I’m thrilled with an article I came across today titled “Best 25 Gadgets to Keep Your House Clean.” The article shows off cool circular robot-like floor cleaners (iRobot), circular cleaners for carpet-less floors that double as cat toys (Robomop), automatic cat box cleaners (LitterMaid), a high tech trash compactor (Broan) and a magic sanitizing wand (Clean Wave) that you wave over keyboards and other surfaces to clean them among other neat gadgets.

Now granted, some of these high tech cleaning gadgets are a bit on the pricey side – the Broan Trash Compactor, which is supposed to cut down the bulk of your trash by 75% costs $800! However, that cool sanitizing wand cost less than $100. And all the cleaning gadgets are cool!

The article is I came across that showcases all these neat house hold cleaning gadgets is titled “Best 25 Gadgets to Keep Your House Clean” and is from the TP (aka Technology Personal) website. Here’s the link:

http://techpp.com/2013/10/02/house-cleaning-gadgets/

Have a great day!

Linda

References

Tyrsina, Radu. Best 25 Gadgets to Keep Your House Clean. (2013, October 3). TP. Online. Accessed October 3, 2013, http://techpp.com/2013/10/02/house-cleaning-gadgets/

Cipriani, Jason. (2013, September 19. Where to find the ‘.com’ button in Safari on iOS 7. CNET. Web. Accessed October 3, 2013, http://howto.cnet.com/8301-11310_39-57602657-285/where-to-find-the-.com-button-in-safari-on-ios-7/

Mark Zuckerberg On Making Internet Access Available For Everyone & Unlocking Your Car Without A Key (Smartphone Required!)

Linda Reimer

Mark Zuckerberg On Making Internet Access Available For Everyone: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has created a new organization called “Internet.org” in conjunction with tech companies Nokia, Qualcomm and Samsung. The goal of this new organization is to make Internet access available to everyone in the world.  According to Internet.org two thirds of the people in the world cannot currently access the Internet; and Zuckerberg and the other members of Internet.org are determined to change that fact.

Internet.org has released a three minute video featuring Mark Zuckerberg;  in which Zuckerberg notes that Internet access is a necessity for people today to be able to be innovative and creative and that the creativity and innovation of individuals can benefit humanity if those individuals have Internet access. Additionally, Zuckerberg offers some information on just how Internet.org intends to reach its goal of making sure all the people on Earth have Internet access.

I applaud the goal of Internet.org to make Internet access available for everyone across the globe!

Of course, access to information is a prime public library goal too. Public libraries exist to serve their patrons and one of the ways we do this is to offer patrons access to information contained in books and other printed material and information and resources they can access online. And with that information in hand our patrons can do all sorts of things including create a resumes to land a new job, learn how to create a new product and get a patent for it, write a book and self-publish it online, read public domain books, learn how to do algebra, learn more about history and much, much more. So here’s hoping that Internet.org is successful with their global Internet access project.  

Here’s a link to a Next Web article titled Mark Zuckerberg: How to make the Internet 100x more affordable by lowering costs and reducing data which offers more information on Internet.org and links to both the Mark Zuckerberg video and the Internet.org site:

http://thenextweb.com/facebook/2013/09/30/mark-zuckerberg-how-to-make-the-internet-100x-more-affordable-by-lowering-costs-and-reducing-data/

Unlocking Your Car Without A Key (Smartphone Required!): The Wall Street Journal offers a press release by the Voxx company. Voxx has announced that it has created a new keyless system for the Ford Motor Company. Customers who purchase select Ford Lincoln cars will be able to unlock their cars without a key. Instead of using a key the system allows car owners to unlock their cars with their smartphones via Bluetooth technology and an app called Lincoln Remote Access.

Being one of those people that locks myself out of my car on a regular basis; I find this new technology super exciting! Of course, I suppose I could leave my phone in my car with my keys but then I could simply pull out my iPad and use the Lincoln Remote App on it to unlock my car – if I owned a Lincoln Ford! I guess I have to still key track of my keys for the moment though…

Here’s a link to the Wall Street Journal webpage:

http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130930-905573.html

And here’s a link to the iTunes webpage which tells you more about the Lincoln Remote App:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lincoln-remote-access/id587055049?mt=8

Have a great day!

Linda R.

References

Young, Ken. (2013, September 30). Mark Zuckerberg: How to make the Internet 100x more affordable by lowering costs and reducing data. TNW. Online. Accessed September 30, 2013, http://thenextweb.com/facebook/2013/09/30/mark-zuckerberg-how-to-make-the-internet-100x-more-affordable-by-lowering-costs-and-reducing-data/

VOXX International Corporation Announces New Accessory Product Collaboration With Ford Motor Company. (2013, September 30). Wall Street Journal. Online. Accessed September 30, 2013, http://online.wsj.com/article/PR-CO-20130930-905573.html

New iPhones Go On Sale & Apple TV Has An Update

Linda Reimer

It has been another super, super busy day in library land so this will be brief tech blog posting to simply note that the new iPhones, the iPhone 5 S and the iPhone 5 C, have gone on sale today; and that if you own an Apple TV video streaming player there is a software update for it today that no doubt complements the new Apple iOS 7.

Here’s a link to a Verge article on the just-went-on-sale-today iPhones:

http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/20/4749888/iphone-5c-5s-begin-sale-in-stores-gold-numbers-limited

And a link to a Wired article regarding the new Apple TV update:

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/09/apple-tv-updated/

Have a great weekend everyone!

Linda R.

References

Baldwin, Robert. (2013, September 20). Apple TV 6.0 Update Brings iTunes Radio and AirPlay From iCloud to the Streaming Box. Online. Accessed September 20, 2013, http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/09/apple-tv-updated/

Kastrenakes, Jacob. (2013, September 20). iPhone 5C and 5S go on sale with gold in short supply (update). The Verge. Online. Accessed Septemger 20, 2013, http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/20/4749888/iphone-5c-5s-begin-sale-in-stores-gold-numbers-limited

Speculation In Advance of Apple’s September 10th Press Event, New People Magazine Subscribers Must Pay for Digital Access & Oyster’s E-Book Answer to Netflix

Linda Reimer

Speculation In Advance of Apple’s September 10th Press Event: Unless you’ve been out of communications range, you probably already known that Apple is hosting a press event tomorrow to unveil a new iPhone or two and possibly another product or two. Apple being Apple, no official information has been released about what products will be unveiled in advance of the event. However, it is a sure thing that Apple will unveil a new iPhone tomorrow and to complement that the next Apple mobile operating software iOS 7; whatever else Apple might unveil is open to speculation until tomorrow! Will they unveil a new iPad or iPad Mini, a newer Apple TV player, an iWatch? We’ll just have to wait and see to find out!

Here’s a link to an NBC News article on the subject of Apple’s September 10th press event, titled On eve of iPhone event, Apple rumors reach fever pitch, that offers a nice overview of the tech rumor mill speculation on just what devices and software upgrade features Apple will unveil tomorrow:

http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/apples-new-iphones-what-we-think-we-know-8C11095778

New People Magazine Subscribers Must Pay for Digital Access: People magazine has changed its offerings for new subscribers. In the past anyone who paid for a print version of People automatically received access to the digital version of the magazine which they could then read on their smartphones or tablets. But new print subscribers will no longer automatically receive access to the digital version of the magazine. Instead, and you just knew this was coming, they’ll have to pay more. The new print and digital subscription package is called “People Digital Plus” and it costs $112 per year; and on top of that if you want print copies of the magazine that will cost you $20 more. In contrast, the print only People subscription simply costs $112 per year sans digital access for new People subscribers.

Here’s a link to a paidContent article on the subject titled No more free digital access for People print subs: New options are $112 to $200 per year:

http://paidcontent.org/2013/09/09/no-more-free-digital-access-for-people-print-subs-new-options-are-112-to-200-per-year/

Oyster’s E-Book Answer to Netflix: Oyster is a young start-up company based in New York that is launching an unlimited access style subscription service for e-books. Think of it as a Netflix service for e-books. More than 100,000 e-books will be available on launch day and the books will be offered by several hundred publishers including: Houghton Mifflin, Melville House and Harper Collins. And subscribers will be able to read as many of those books as they can all for only $9.95 per month.

The subscription service will be available on Thursday for iPhone users via a first-come-first-served invitation basis.

You can request an invitation at the Oyster site found at:

https://www.oysterbooks.com/

And here’s a link to a Mashable article regarding the new Oyster E-Book Subscription Service titled Oyster Releases the First True Netflix-for-E-books App:

http://mashable.com/2013/09/05/oyster-launch/

And as a librarian I have to say the idea of a subscription service for e-books, added to the fact that right now if you “buy” an e-book most of the time you aren’t “buying” the e-book itself you’re buying a license to access the e-book; gives me pause.

I am somewhat ill at ease regarding the fact that unlike print books, which you can own and access forever, licensed e-books can be rather unceremoniously deleted from your Internet connected device by the publisher or the e-book store you bought the e-book from on behalf of the publisher whenever said publishers or e-book stores deem it right to do so – as when a contract between a publisher and e-book seller expires. I also dislike the idea that unlike a print book that goes out of print; if an e-book goes out of print or out of license – you may not in the future be able to read that book because unlike printed books there may not be any digital copies available to read. Granted as long as print books are mass produced this may not be an issue but the day is coming when most books, sans special editions, will only be made as e-books and then this will be a real issue.

Ah well, I guess we’ll see if subscription model e-books are the wave of the future or if we’ll still be buying or licensing e-books in years come.

Have a great day!

Linda R.

References

Choney, Suzanne. (2013, September 9). On eve of iPhone event, Apple rumors reach fever pitch. NBC News. Online. Accessed September 9, 2013, http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/apples-new-iphones-what-we-think-we-know-8C11095778

Fiegerman, Seth. (2013, September 5). Oyster Releases the First True Netflix-for-E-books App. Mashable. Online. Accessed September 9, 2013, http://mashable.com/2013/09/05/oyster-launch/

Hazard, Laura Owen. (2013, September 9). No more free digital access for People print subs: New options are $112 to $200 per year. Online. Accessed September 9, 2013, http://paidcontent.org/2013/09/09/no-more-free-digital-access-for-people-print-subs-new-options-are-112-to-200-per-year/

 

 

Samsung Introduces Galaxy Gear Smart Watch

Linda Reimer

The biggest tech news story I’ve come across today is that Samsung has finally introduced its smart watch called the “Galaxy Gear” watch. USA Today offers a video showing the new watch – and the era of wearable technology just came several large steps closer to fruition!

We’ll have to wait and see if Apple unveils a smart watch at their September 10 press event or not!

Here’s a link to a USA Today article/video on the Galaxy Gear smart watch by Samsung:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/baig/2013/09/04/galaxy-gear-first-impression/2763917/

Have a great day!

Linda R.

Baig, Edward. (2013, September 4). First Impression: Galaxy Gear – welcome to wearable computing. USA Today. Online. Accessed September 4, 2013, http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/baig/2013/09/04/galaxy-gear-first-impression/2763917/

Apple’s Chances On E-Book Appeal, Chromebooks Selling Well As Sales Of Most PCS Continue To Drop & Verzion Needs To Sell iPhones

Linda Reimer

Apple’s Chances On E-Book Appeal: As I’m sure most people already know Apple, which was the lone defendant in the U.S. Department of Justice e-book anti-trust lawsuit  came down on the losing side of the suite. The DOJ ruled that Apple did in fact collude with five major U.S. publishers to raise the price of e-books. The five published named in the suit were five of the largest publishers in the U.S. and they all settled the suit with the DOJ before the trail began leaving Apple as the lone losing defendant. Apple has said it will appeal the DOJ decision. And if you’re wondering what Apple’s chances of winning an appeal might be — the answer is apparently slim. I’m a librarian not a lawyer but I gather from what I’ve read that the DOJ ruling is that Apple engaged in anti-competitive behavior not that the company influenced the price of e-books per se. 

Here’s a link to an All Things D article on the subject titled “Apple’s Chances of an E-Book Ruling Appeal Are Lousy, Say Legal Experts:”

http://allthingsd.com/20130710/apples-chances-on-an-e-book-ruling-appeal-are-lousy-say-legal-scholars/

Chromebooks Selling Well As Sales Of Most PCS Continue To Drop: I came across an interesting ZDNet article today that discusses the fact that although PC sales in general continue to lose ground to tablet sales — there is one portion of the PC market that is growing and that part of the market is made up of laptops that are selling for under $300. Some of the super cheap laptops are running Windows 8 but 20 – 25% of that under $300 market each month is made up of Google Chromebooks. 

And I can understand why! 

We have a Google Chromebook at the library. It is the $249 Chromebook and offers users a basic, reasonably speedy computing experience. If you have Wi-Fi or access to Wi-Fi and use the web for the majority of your PC tasks than a Chromebook isn’t a bad computer to purchase as a second computer or an entry level computer for someone (you do need to have access to Wi-Fi). Stop by the library sometime and you can try it out!

Here’s a link to the ZDNet article titled “Chromebooks a Bright Spot in the Dark PC Market:” 

http://www.zdnet.com/chromebooks-a-bright-spot-in-the-dark-pc-market-7000017964/

Verizon Needs To Sell iPhones: I came across an article today titled “Verizon May Need to Sell $23.5 Billion Worth of iPhones by End of the Year” and thought I’d share the link because it seems Verizon made a deal with Apple in 2010 to sell a certain number of iPhones and they haven’t sold enough of them just yet — which may translate into the fact that Verizon may sell some iPhones at lower prices or as part of a more desirable-then-usual cell phone deals later this year. So if you’re in the market for a new iPhone in the fall you may want to check out the Verizon site before buying a new phone!

Here’ the link to the article:

http://allthingsd.com/20130711/verizon-needs-to-sell-23-5-billion-worth-of-iphones-by-the-end-of-the-year/

Have a great day!

Linda R.

References

Paczkowski, John. (2013, July 10). Apple’s Chances of an E-Book Ruling Appeal Are Lousy, Say Legal Scholars. All Things D. Online. Accessed July 11, 2013. 

http://allthingsd.com/20130710/apples-chances-on-an-e-book-ruling-appeal-are-lousy-say-legal-scholars/

Paczkowski, John. (2013, July 11). Verizon Needs to Sell 23.5 Billion Worth of iPhones by the End of the Year. All Things D. Online. Accessed July 11, 2013. 

http://allthingsd.com/20130711/verizon-needs-to-sell-23-5-billion-worth-of-iphones-by-the-end-of-the-year/

Vaughan-Nichols, Stephen. (2013, July 11). Chromebooks a Bright Spot in the Dark PC Market. ZD Net. Online. Accessed July 11, 2013. 

http://www.zdnet.com/chromebooks-a-bright-spot-in-the-dark-pc-market-7000017964/

 

 

 

Internet Television Update & Supreme Court Says Human Genes Cannot Be Patented

Linda Reimer

Internet Television Update: I’ve seen numerous articles in the last week that discuss the changing landscape of television – and by that I mean the fact that movie and TV fans are increasingly watching television shows and movies on their computers, smartphones and tablets whenever and wherever they want to through online sources like Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Hulu and YouTube. And in response to this trend the major cable companies like Time Warner and Comcast are dragging their feet as far as embracing this new way consumers increasing want to watch videos. The traditional cable companies would much prefer to hang on to their traditional status quote that demands their subscribers pay a monthly fee for many channels when those same consumers would really rather only pay for the channels and/or programs they want to watch and of course they’d like to watch the content they pay for whenever they want to on whichever internet connecting device they have on hand.

The tech company Intel is trying to change the cable company status quote by introduction a high speed internet connecting media streaming box that would allow consumers to accesses online video content quickly and easily – and would take its place alongside the Roku, Apple TV and Google TV media streaming players. We’ll have to wait and see how successful Intel is but for my two cents worth for whatever it is worth – probably about two cents! I think the traditional cable companies need to jump on board the internet TV bandwagon or eventually they will get left behind. I think those companies can delay the explosion of Internet accessed television for a while but eventually consumer demand will shift the money flow and more and more people will pay for internet accessed television shows, movies and subscription internet services like Netflix that they can then use to access the video content they want to watch when they want and where they want and on whichever internet connecting device they want to whether that device is a smartphone, laptop, tablet or the large HDTV in their living rooms.

Here’s a link to a Bloomberg Business Week article on the subject titled “How Big Cable Companies Keep Internet TV At Bay:”

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-06-13/how-big-cable-keeps-internet-tv-at-bay

A second link to a New York Times opinion piece on the same subject titled “The Television Will Be Revolutionized” which has tech writer Tristan Louis offering his five cents worth on the subject (I gave him three cents more since he’s a professional tech write and I’m a librarian!):

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/06/12/televisions-next-frontier/the-television-will-be-revolutionized

And a link to a New York Times opinion section on internet video aka streaming video titled “Streaming for the Small Screen: An Introduction:”

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/06/12/televisions-next-frontier

Supreme Court Says Human Genes Cannot Be Patented: The Supreme Court ruled today that human isolated human genes cannot be patented. The case was brought before the court by the Utah Company Myriad Genetics a company that does testing that shows a relationship between certain genes and a hereditary risk of getting cancer. The patents that Myriad was trying to protect had been challenged by a number of scientists and doctors because the costs of the tests – due to the patents – was around $3,000 which was making the genetic tests cost-prohibited for many people. So the cost of the genetic test should now come down. And interestingly the Court actually offered a split decision ruling that “isolated” genes couldn’t receive a patent but that genetically engineered genes can.

I think the entire subject is fascinating because it illustrates, among other things that we are on the cusp of revolutionary advances in medicine that may indeed one day soon lead to a cure for cancer and the common cold among other maladies.

Here’s a link a Washington Post article on the Supreme Court ruling titled “Supreme Court rules human genes may not be patented:”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/supreme-court-rules-human-genes-may-not-be-patented/2013/06/13/9e5c55d2-d43d-11e2-a73e-826d299ff459_story.html

And a second link to an article on the same subject from the New York Times titled “Supreme Court Rules Human Genes May Not Be Patented:”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/14/us/supreme-court-rules-human-genes-may-not-be-patented.html

Have a great day!

Linda R.

References

Bachman, Justin. (2013, June 13). How Big Cable Keeps internet TV at Bay. Bloomberg Businessweek. Online. Accessed June 13, 2013.

Barnes, Robert. & Brady, Dennis. (2013, June 13). Supreme Court rules human genes may not be patented. The Washington Post. Online. Accessed June 13, 2013.

Louis, Tristan. (2013, June 13). The Television Will Be Revolutionized. New York Times. Online. Accessed June 13, 2013.