Agabus (mark adams)

I have already stated my objections, but, nevertheless, I was tempted.

But I didn’t.

• The iPad is heavy (it would be light if it were a fully-functional computer)
• The screen really isn’t that impressive (pixels are very evident)
• It’s not that zippy (boots up quick, but aps take a while)

The iPad might be selling well, but perhaps not for long. Faced with “iCan’t” at every turn, users might feel betrayed. (Really, not having flash is pathetic.) Then again, if used solely as a gaming/entertainment device, perhaps people won’t notice that they just paid $500 or $700 for a toy.

© 2010, Mark Adams. All rights reserved. For inquiries press here.

That the iPad lacks USB support is not merely a technical nuisance. As one who enters much of his data using voice recognition software (both to spare my eyes, which can’t spend too much time looking at a computer screen, and my back and neck, which equally can’t spend too much time before computer), not having a USB port means not being able to use MacSpeech Dictate. (This blog entry was dictated.) Perhaps Apple has worked in some sort of voice recognition functionality, but I’ve not heard much about it. This makes me wonder how accessible the iPad will be to those who have physical limitations. I hesitate to say disabilities, because all of us have physical limitations of some sort. That’s why having multiple ways to enter data is important.

As it is presently configured, there two ways to enter data into the iPad. You can either use the onscreen fingerboard or else a Bluetooth connected Apple keyboard. However, if Apple truly wanted to make a device for every person, that device would have multiple means for entering and receiving data. Again, this is a case of iCan’t.

Apple may have engineered the iPad to be a commercial success, but they have not engineered it for accessibility.

© 2010, admin. All rights reserved. For inquiries press here.

Good grief. Now, there is a website that lets you broadcast your spending habits. Called Blippy (see MSNBC story), registered users input their credit card numbers to track — publicly — their purchases on the world-wide web. Friends and even total strangers (although there is a setting to block strangers) can view your transaction history — not critical details such as credit card numbers, but general stuff like: “Joe1234 spent $2.98 at iTunes.”

In an age when privacy is diminishing daily, why on earth would anyone want to advertise his spending habits on the Internet? For fun? To show off? Have we lost all sense of decency? Is there no modesty? Good grief, there are just some things that should be private… like your private affairs.

© 2010, Mark Adams. All rights reserved. For inquiries press here.

It’s just not cool. Once you get past the privacy concerns — “unfollowing” mere acquaintances and business contacts — all you’re left with is Twitter/Facebook feed hybrid… with none of the pizzaz, none of the excitement. This is not the way to break into social networking, Google. Buzz, frankly, does not create a buzz.

© 2010, admin. All rights reserved. For inquiries press here.

It’s got a processor, but it can’t compute. This isn’t a limitation of the hardware, but a marketing strategy.

I’m not buying it.

It seems Apple wants everyone to own three devices — a computer, an in-between “media” device, and a smartphone. That’s cynical. Starting at $499, the iPad could serve as a laptop replacement, but Apple doesn’t want the iPad to be a laptop replacement (MacBooks, mind you, start at $999). So they’ve created an “in-between” device. I call it the iCan’t.

The iPad can’t…

1. Record video (no camera)
2. Browse all websites (no Flash plugin)
3. Connect to external devices (no USB connecter)
4. Play DVDs, CDs, etc. (no drive)
5. Install third-party software from non-Apple vendors
6. Multi-task (an Apple can’t multi-task? — what’s that all about?)

Considering that the iPad can run games, video, music, etc., it’s not as if the iPad couldn’t run versions of MS Office, OpenOffice or any other piece of software. Only consumers will have to buy programs from their app store. There, consumers will be limited to a “tablet” version of iWork; they won’t have access to MS Office or OpenOffice. This is a built-in limitation, not a technological limitation.

It’s not as if the iPad is a strike-out — it’s a remarkable device, really — but it’s not a home-run. For any tablet computer to succeed, it will have to hit one out of the park, but the iPad can’t.

© 2010, Mark Adams. All rights reserved. For inquiries press here.

Update: Be sure to visit PluginsPress.com, where I am now posting reviews of WordPress plugins.

I’ve been using the WordPress blogging script for a little over a year now, having migrated from ExpressionEngine in the summer of 2008. (Apologies to the general reader; this post is directed toward fellow web bloggers.) A few weeks ago, I reevaluated the types of plugins used at Agabus.com, eliminating a few, but keeping the majority. I’ve also found a few others I’d like to now recommend.

Read the rest of this entry »

© 2009, Mark Adams. All rights reserved. For inquiries press here.

Israeli researchers said Thursday they are developing a computer program to make ancient documents more legible and easily indexed, which could eventually lead to a searchable catalog of archived historical texts.

via Israeli team works to decipher ancient texts – Science- msnbc.com.

Behind every lay-scholar’s work stands the efforts of countless scribes, technicians and scientists. What a wonderful thing it is that God provides such faithful workers.

© 2009, admin. All rights reserved. For inquiries press here.