Hasta La Gadget!

Big Data—information sets too large to be effectively computed on desktop systems—isn’t just the buzzword du jour. It provides an unprecedented ability for business and industry to precisely model the effects of past managerial decisions on the bottom line. But an emerging analytical process called prescriptive analytics could help companies not only learn from previous decisions, but predict and plan for upcoming issues as well. It’s Big Data evolved, and could change how the world does business.

Read more…

Apple won a contract this week with the Los Angeles Unified School District to provide iPads to its students, netting Cupertino $30 million across the next two years. The agreement will roll out iPads to students at 47 campuses; the iPads cost $678 apiece (nearly $200 more than a standard entry level iPad) and come loaded with educational software. Bizarrely, with tablets priced at $678 apiece, $30 million only nets LA schools approximately 45,000 iPads, while the school district comprises 640,000 students. We asked Apple to clarify and were told that the contract is for 31,000 iPads (for both students and teachers) which come with “Pearson Common Core System of Courses delivered via a new app.” That’s in addition to Apple standards like iWork, iLife, and iTunes, as well as “a range of educational third-party apps” included. The first iPads arrive in classrooms this fall, in what is deemed the “first phase” of a larger rollout.

The battle for LA’s school contract was hard fought, with both board members and a Microsoft rep pushing back against student / teacher ratings and the overall cost. The teachers union president Warren Fletcher requested the money be spent on hiring new staff over mass-buying iPads, while district officials argued that national student tests require computer literacy, the LA Times reports — the board voted unanimously (6 – 0) to approve the contract.

Traditionally, iPads have been used in college-level education — both Seton Hill (not Seton Hall) and Tennessee’s Webb School use Apple’s tablet.

[Image credit: ‘flickingerbrad‘]

Filed under: Handhelds, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Apple

Comments

You might be a budding writer with a script for what you think could be the next big thing in movies. But making the words leap out of the page and onto a storyboard is difficult if you don’t have the artistic skills to carry out your concept. The Storyteller tool that Amazon has just debuted is designed to help you out with this.

Bring your ideas and vision to life by clicking through the Storyteller’s various menus and adding pre-drawn and custom backgrounds, characters, props, and settings. This will help you sell your story and hopefully find a director or producer who’ll be willing to work on your film once they see what your concept is all about.

Amazon Studios director, Roy Price, explains why they came up with the tool: “We’ve found that many writers want to see their story up on its feet in visual form but find it harder than it should be to create a storyboard. Storyteller provides a digital backlot, acting troupe, prop department and assistant editor – everything you need to bring your story to life.”

Sounds neat, doesn’t it? You can try out Amazon Storyteller here.

[via Dvice]

If Vine still leaves you pining for the choppiness of GIFs, Microsoft’s got you covered — on Windows Phone 8, at least. Redmond’s Blink app, which helps smartphone photographers capture bursts of images, has hit version 2.0 and scored the ability to create short animated clips, aptly dubbed Blinks. In addition to the bite-sized videos, the latest update bakes in camera settings in capture mode, sharing to social networks and web galleries for shared creations. Microsoft Research also released Blink Cliplets for Windows 8 and RT, which allows users to layer static and dynamic elements atop footage. Hit the break to check out the new release of Blink in action, or jab the first source link for the download.

Filed under: Software, Mobile, Microsoft

Comments

Via: Windows Phone Blog

Source: Blink (Windows Phone Store), Blink Cliplets (Windows Store)

Rounds is doing the rounds (natch!) this morning with a significant update to its video calling and instant messaging app. The company teamed up with Channel.me to add co-browsing to an already broad list of features. Users can now browse the web together during a video chat and see / control the same page at the same time. In terms of security, the experience mimics two people surfing the web in the same location (usernames are visible but passwords are hidden. for example). While users can enter any URL, the app also includes an icon grid of compatible sites, such as Google (for search), Wikipedia, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Reddit, Amazon and eBay — to name a few. As a refresher, Rounds lets friends watch YouTube videos and play games together during a video chat and even apply filters and scribble over each-others live video streams. It also supports instant messaging and photo sharing and ties it all together with Facebook Login. The app is available for most Android and iOS devices but is optimized to run on phones. Hit the break for the promo video and obligatory PR.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile

Comments