Tablets Perfect In An Office And For Those On the Move

I'm at home mostly when I'm not at work or the gym. Okay, scratch the gym part. But I do move around from one location to another. Today, I had to move around quite a bit as the cleaning crew worked on my house. I also move around the office from time to time.

This is where a laptop comes into play. And soon, tablets. Be it for meetings or moving around as the cleaning crew work, I have had to vacate to get out of their way. Right now, I use my Macbook but I also use my G1 and iPhone when I don't need the power of a laptop. If I want to update Facebook or Twitter, do a quick e-mail check, or scan the headlines, the iPhone and G1 works nicely.

What if I don't need a full sized laptop but I want a bigger screen and a bit more freedom? Ah, this is where Steve Jobs put the iPad, right between the iPhone and the Macbook.

What I like mostly is the long battery life that comes with the iPad (hopefully, other tablets will also have long battery life). For this class of light weight devices, long battery life is a must.

For meetings, many people drag their laptops into the conference. Instead of that, tablets will be used. Notes, schedules, and any information gathered that are typed can quickly sync to the users' databases from the tablets. Google has really made this so easy with their cloud oriented services. Apple and others are trying to duplicate that. I'll get more into this later but for now, easy access to data is a must. It's a killer app as far as mobility is concerned.

But the fact that the iPad sits snuggly between the iPhone and the Macbook (for others, it's a smartphone and just about any laptop), Apple is trying to convey that the iPad has more to offer than the netbook. I can't say I agree with that though. I've got a netbook and it works very well.

My main gripe about netbooks is the portability if you want to compare it to the tablet. Plus, most netbooks doesn't come close what what the battery life of coming tablets offer. On top of that, netbooks doesn't run specialized OS catered to this class computers. As a result, there could be a lot of processing power wasted, sucking up energy. I think Chrome OS might change that a bit but we won't know until the end of the year.

The main advantage the iPad has is this specialized OS that runs on it. It'll be interesting once people start using them in the wild how much of an impact it will have on the mobility realm.

Personally, I'm a geek-wannabe (I don't claim to be once, they wouldn't have me) and I like new technology. And the iPad is just such a new tech with the potential to really improve how we do things. And this is "change" that we can see and believe in quickly.

Weekend Mobile: Tablets On TV And Movies and Cleaning the House

I'm cleaning up my house ahead of the cleaning lady coming over tomorrow. Yeah, I have to clean up a bit before she comes. It's just the nature of things are for me. And no, it's not that I can really afford a cleaning lady, it's just that the house really needs cleaning.

Having said that, two things about mobile here.

First, as I'm working on putting things in order, making it easier for the cleaning lady, I'e got Stargate Atlantis running in the background (house is quiet). One of the most interesting aspects about the show, other than the ability to travel between worlds (and that ever alien race speaks English), is that the personnel on Atlantis uses tablets a lot.

Had Atlantis been made this year or next instead of 5 years ago, instead of laptop tablets, we'll see iPads or maybe even Android pads. Think about it, the iPhone already owns a big chunk of air time on primetime shows. Next year, we will likely see tablets dominate shows that utilize tech. CSI, shows in Syfy, and thrillers like "24".

Should there be a straight-to-DVD movie made for Stargate Atlantis, I'm pretty sure McKay and Zelenka will be saving the universe from the Wraith or Replicators using iPads instead of the bulky Toshiba tablets they had to lugg around on Atlantis.

iPad Craze: Just Warming Up

It's time.  I'm talking about the iPad frenzy that is about to start.

In the last couple of weeks, Apple has laid low while allowing pundits and bloggers to talk up the iPad.  There was a good mix of doubters as well.

With today's announcement, Apple is gearing up for a major public push to get the iPad into the forefront of the tech world.

Starting March 12th, you will be able to pre-order and iPad and it will be available for sale or pickup on April 2nd, a month from now.

Over at On Apple, I've laid out how Apple will continue to march forward with the iPad push in the coming months.  Oh, the next version of the iPhone won't be too far behind.

So, for whatever reason you missed the iPhone frenzy the last time, here's your chance.  the iPad craze might just match that of the iPhone.

More at On Apple.

Lessons From Nexus One (For All Device Developers)

One of the hottest mobile devices on the market is no doubt the iPhone.  And with the new version potentially just 4-5 months away with the iPad looming, much of the work on the hardware has already been completed.

But the main component, the OS, can continue to evolve.  Macworld came up with a post on what the iPhone can learn from Nexus One.  But the underlying subtext is the power and versatility of Android.  Therefore, just about any other mobile OS can learn from exactly the same lessons taken from the post.

Flexible home screen is what Android has been known for.  Whether it's HTC or Motorola, they've been able to craft individual skins for the home screen, allowing users access information they typically find use and more quickly.  IM, SMS, and Facebook updates.

This is one failing of the iPhone OS, or strength by some.  The Home screen for the iPhone is static as it is for many other mobile OS.

The article goes on to talk about widgets and notifications as well.  It's a recommended read for mobile buffs but for regular mobile warriors, it is worth noting that this holy-grail device Macworld is talking about doesn't exist just yet.

Maybe it will be the next iPhone or another device from Motorola that comes closer to an even more seemless mobile device.  I wager that all mobile fans will be happy to see the next crop of offerings in the coming months even if none of them encompasses everything mentioned in the article.

The iPhone OS isn't likely to gain true multi-tasking but users will accept any scheme created by Apple to offer more flexibility in operating the apps (largely due to Steve Jobs' reality distortion field) while Android, Windows Mobile, and others will come closer to some of the iPhone's user experience and maintain a lot more flexibility in dealing with apps and customizations.

Regardless, give the article a read as it is longer than most Internet posts on this subject.  I'm sure many developers have thought about these issues and it articulates many recommendations and shortcomings that many of us have argued about.

More at Macworld.

Hundreds of Millions of Mobile VOIP by 2012

One hundred million? Two? Nope, about 300 million mobile warriors around the world will have mobile VOIP by 2013. That is the latest study released by In-Stat. A more precise number is 288 million, a shade under the size of the entire US population.

Of course, this is a far cry from the 6.6 billion Earthlings currently populating our small world. So we're talking about 4.5%.

I think that is just the beginning. As more 3G networks are build out or upgraded while 4th generation wireless networks become commercially available in 2011 and 2012, we should see an even faster adoption of mobile VOIP.

I like to go out on a limb now and say that we should see a number of half a billion by 2013 than what In-Stat conservatively came up with. China and the rest of Asia will emerge from this global funk we're in strong with a population flushed with cash with a great appetite for new mobile technologies.

And given the deal Skype recently made with Verizon, Google hungrily looking to expand its reach in the mobile market with Google Voice and Android, and Apple's own solution with the iPhone, we are looking a a strong spark to move mobile communication using VOIP. These are companies with a lot of influence and cash.

In-Stat all report 400 million devices will ship with Wi-Fi and traditional cell connection.

For startups and entrenched companies like Skype (I'm a Skype fan by the way), the VOIP market is ripe for the taking and allows for multiple players.

More at In-Stat.

App Idea For Tablets: An Intelligent Music Sheet App

I have had house guests for the past 3 months and it was one of the best times of my life. But they’re gone now (almost), and I’m adjust to life, living alone again. I’m sorry to see them go but like most things in my life such as this, they’re fleeting.

However, I was able to find time this morning for a decent run, came home, showered, and found myself with some time. I suppose I work up early and found the empty house a bit discomfortable. So I sat at my piano that had no been used for these few months and started hacking away. Hacking because the pieces I was working on is taking me quite a bit longer than I expected.

But it got me thinking about the iPads and tablets that are coming. I would love a music sheet app. Not only that, I’m looking for some features that can’t be found on standard old paper sheets or books.

I want the following features:

• Ability for the app to listen in on the music being played.
• As it “listens”, it’s able to track your progress.
• It will turn or scroll as you play so there isn’t the turning of the pages like we have to do now.
• While listening, it can tell you what notes are being played and if you’re playing it right.
• While listening, it can provide you with the right pace of play.
• It will have a built in metrotone so you can hear the click of the tempo while you play. Or you can turn off the sound and see some kind of flashing indicator.

I'm sure there are other mobile musicians out there who would like to see something like this.  I'm sure I'll be asking too much of this app allows users to create their own music and share it on some kind of social network.

Hopefully, one of the music sheet sellers can create an app with just what I'm asking for.

WiFi On Amtrak - Shows More Needs To Be Done To Provide Wireless Access

It's great that Amtrak is now offer wireless Internet access on some of its routes but it really just shows that so much more has to be done and can be done.

For instance, in some places where public transportations and taxis are ubiquitous, it makes sense for the local government or private companies to install access points at intervals to allow wider Internet coverage. And it would be a great source of additional revenue in this kind of economy.

As the buses move around and the taxis serve the city, it allows patrons to be able to access fast Internet.  After all, not everyone has 3G access all the time and only a small minority of the workforce has a wireless-enabled mobile device for Web access. And I'm sure it won't be for some years before a large portion of the population has this capability.

As a matter of fact, this isn't without precedent as a school in Arizona provides Internet access on its school bus (Engadget). What started out as a pilot has turned into more as school officials found increased productivity (and likely, less wedgies and spitballs).

And in downtown areas where there are a lot of public transportions, installing wireless Internet access on taxis and buses allow a large portion of an area to be blanketed by WiFi coverage.  This is a cheap way to provide Internet access.

Along that note, it would be great if parking meters which are everywhere these days also act as access points.  Makes sense right?

More at Yahoo News.