iPad: Not Just for Hipsters—It's for Grandparents Too!

In the Spring of 2010, weeks after the Apple iPad hit store shelves, my wife and I were enjoying dinner with my grandparents when the subject of email arose. "I'm the only person in my golf foursome who doesn't have an email address," my 86 year-old grandfather submitted. "I think it's time to get a computer." After years of pleading from his children and grandchildren to get a computer and email address, the final straw for Grandpa to get digital was that he wasn't getting his tee times.

He then proceeded to pull out an ad from Reader's Digest for some all-in-one PC that was definitely marketed to the 55+ crowd. "I'm thinking of buying one of these. What do you think?"

A video I sent my Grandpa of my nephew, Henry, using an iPad

Looking at that computer ad, I was having flashbacks from 10 years earlier when I set my grandparents up with an old Mac desktop and dial-up internet. Between Grandpa having trouble with the mouse and both grandparents not really understanding that they couldn't use the phone when they were on the internet, I was in 24/7 tech support purgatory. Barely a day went by when I didn't receive a tech support request. After two months, Grandma called me and asked me to remove the Mac from their kitchen. They were breaking up with their computer. And if the computer had feelings, I'd bet that the split was mutual.

There was no way that I was going to recommend another desktop to my grandparents. "We just got a new iPad from work. It's basically a like a big iPhone," I suggested as I pulled my iPhone out to show them. "I think something like this will suit you guys well. Let me bring it over next week and you can see if you like it." Intrigued, but unimpressed with the iPhone, they agreed.

I brought the loaner iPad to their condo the next week and Grandpa immediately fell in love with it. Being in their eighties, neither Grandma's or Grandpa's eyesight is what it used to be, and the ability to zoom in on text by pinching the screen was amazing to them. The touchscreen was so intuitive. If you wanted to select something on the screen, you just touched it. There was no fussy computer mouse and cursor. It was so simple, so user-friendly, and, most importantly, it was so grandparent-friendly. I left their condo with Grandpa's Visa card in hand and instructions to return with an iPad.

They opted for the iPad with 3G, so we wouldn't have to worry about ordering DSL and then installing a wireless router. With 3G, the iPad just gets internet access from the cell tower. There was only piece of equipment for me to support: the iPad.

Within one hour, they had a new Gmail account, had an app where they could play the card game Bridge, had other family members' email addresses in their address book, and some interesting websites  bookmarked. They were all set.

I could really tell that Grandpa loved his iPad when he arrived at a family BBQ with it tucked under his arm. This was definitely going much better than the Mac desktop experiment from a decade ago. But outside of an occasional email from Grandpa, I didn't know how much he used his iPad. But one day he called me and asked, "How do I get on facebook?" It was right then that I knew that I would not be getting a request to return the iPad. It was here to stay.

We live so much of our lives online. This is how we share pictures, videos, and stories. For so long, my grandparents were not a part of this digital community. Now they can follow the lives of their children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren scattered around the Midwest. And they can share their lives, too.

For all the criticism people have for the iPad (underpowered, overpriced, doesn't support Flash), it has been a transformative product. The iPad has opened the digital world to many people that wouldn't be online using a traditional computer. It has made my life richer by being able to share my digital life with my grandparents.

Now I'm just waiting for Grandpa to ask me to set him up with a twitter account.

The Day The Textbook Died?

Image from Amazon.com

Today, Amazon.com announced that Kindle book sales have outstripped paperback sales. All I can say is "Wow".  I am not surprised that this day has arrived, but I am a bit surprised that this day has come so soon.

Part of me credits this to wide availability of paperbacks to public libraries (where I usually get my paperbacks) and the relatively unavailability of Kindle books from lending resources such as libraries.  In addition, this is another indication that we want things instantly and maybe $9.00 is worth the cost to read the new best-seller now opposed to waiting three weeks to get the hard copy at your library.

The other big factor is that you can read Kindle books on many different devices. And the whispersync technology is pretty slick.

The much lower prices on Kindle books doesn't hurt either.

From an educator's perspective, what does everyone think of this sea change in the publishing industry? What does this mean for you, your classroom, and the courses you teach? I'd love to hear you thoughts.

The Problem with the Kindle Store and eBook Adoption

The textbook for my Instructional Applications of the Internet course is "Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools for Classrooms" by Will Richardson (3rd Edition, 2010). So, like any good Kindle owner, I purchased this book for the Kindle instead of purchasing the physical book. Not only did this save me a few bucks and a few days in shipping, but it also lets me use some of the advanced technological features of my new Kindle.

To my chagrin, the digital version of the book that I received is from 2006 (still the 3rd Edition, though). If I was reading "Jane Eyre", "The Catcher in the Rye", or "Animal Farm" this wouldn't be a problem at all. But five year-old book written on Web 2.0 technologies isn't worth the e-ink and e-paper used to print it.

As you can see on the image on the left, which was taken from the Amazon page for the physical book (2010),  the link to the Kindle book is a bit deceiving—leading me to believe that I am purchasing the exact same product in a digital format. To be fair to Amazon, if you dig deep enough on the webpage for the digital version, it does list the publish date as March 6, 2006. But to make matters worse (or more confusing) for the consumer, Amazon displays the customer reviews for the paperback version of the book on the webpage for the digital version.

So far, I absolutely love my Kindle and I've alerted Amazon about this issue. I'm hoping to receive a refund or a credit for this purchase. My past dealings with Amazon support have been positive, so I'm thinking this won't be a big issue with Amazon.

But this scenario brings up a larger issue with adopting new technology, especially in terms of digital media.

Are we sacrificing convenience and lower prices for quality? I would say we are, even if just a little bit. But I would argue that sacrificing a little quality is worth it.

Does a Kindle version of a book have same feel as a physical book? Not really. But I can read for hours on a Kindle with no strain on my eyes.

And these types of issues have been discussed ad naseum in terms of digital music. Does an MP3 from iTunes have the same fidelity as a physical CD? Not quite. But it's close enough to the point where most consumers don't care or can't tell the difference.

But this issue I am experiencing with Amazon is not a quality issue, it is an accuracy issue. How many songs would iTunes sell if they sold an album like "Led Zeppelin IV" without Stairway to Heaven? I'm confident that it wouldn't be even close to the well over 6 billion iTunes songs sold as of 2009.

So we've been hearing so much buzz about the widespread adoption of eBooks and eReaders, but for these to become as commonplace as MP3s and iPods, the onus is on the content creators (authors, publishers) and distributors (Amazon, B&N, Apple, etc) to provide the same content in the digital version as they do in their tangible counterparts.

I'm hoping this isn't too much to ask. If it is, I guess I'll just stick to reading the classics on my Kindle and read my technology books in paperback. Sounds a little ironic, doesn't it?

Running and Technology

courtesy of Apple.com

One of my goals for 2011 is to increase the number of days out of the week that I run. I hope to run five days a week. In order to track my mileage (since I run indoors in the Winter), I purchased a Nike+ sensor that tracks my speed and distance and sends this info to my iPhone (also works with some iPods). 

Screenshot of my Nike Running web page

While my intention was really just to have a relatively accurate way to track my mileage indoors (which this does pretty well), I have been pleasantly surprised by the rich web experience on Nike Running's website. Not only does the website track my speed and distance, it provides detailed graphs of my speed throughout the run (which allows me to pinpoint what points in a when I get fatigued, etc), allows me to add additional information (weather, road conditions, etc) about particular runs, and even allows you to create an avatar called a Mini (think Mii for Nintendo Wii) that acts as a virtual cheerleader.

My Nike Mini

There are other features of the Nike Running website I am not yet using. There are different training programs (virtual coaches) and a social media component to the site that I have yet to try. I am using a training program independent of Nike and don't have many friends that are also using the Nike+ system.

I would highly recommend this system to anyone looking to get more serious about tracking their runs. I am, by no means, a fast or competitive runner, but this site helps me stay motivated and accountable—especially on the Winter mornings that I don't feel like running at all. 

Sometimes I think it's funny that while running is viewed as a sport where the only thing to you need is the open road and a pair of shoes (and sometimes you don't even need shoes!), that I am connecting a sensor in my shoe to my iPhone, which is also connected to a pair of bluetooth headphones playing a customized running playlist. And when the run is over my iPhone uploads all of the data to Nike's server, where all of the data is tabulated and analyzed while a mini, digital version of myself cheers the real me on. 

Fitness in 2011, isn't it great?

My New Kindle

I received an Amazon Kindle from my wonderful wife for my birthday this past weekend. I received the 6" Wi-Fi Kindle.

So far, it is great! I was able to download the textbook for my Instructional Applications of the Internet course and start reading within minutes.

I been pleasantly surprised with the quality and contrast of the e-ink, the battery life, and just how small and light the device is. Unlike the Apple iPad, I could read the Kindle for hours without it getting to heavy or getting eye strain.

Using the Kindle store was a breeze also. While many of Kindle books are less-expensive than buying hard copies, I am a bit concerned that Amazon's DRM is not conducive to public libraries and that I may be buying more digital books instead of checking them out from my local library.

After a few months of use, I'll post a comprehensive review of all of the pros and cons of the Kindle.