A Completely New Style of Taking Notes

Posted by Lake Gensui Uchino , Saturday, May 29, 2010 9:29 PM

We've all taken notes before, whether it be in class, or at a meeting. But when we've finished writing, and look back at our notes, there's always a couple words or points that we missed. Now, wouldn't it be great if we could listen to a recording of the meeting that syncs with our hand-written notes? And wouldn't it be great if we could upload our hand-written notes onto the computer without having to go through the hassle of connecting our scanners?

Well I was browsing through Apple's online store (http://store.apple.com/us)today, and found something amazing. Take a look.


It's called the Pulse Smartpen. You might have either seen or heard of it before, but this is a great tool for all people who take notes in their daily life(eg students, businessmen, journalists etc).

What the Smartpen can do:
-record lectures or meetings WHILE writing.
-play back the part of the lecture that is synced with your writing.
-translate english text into different language
-and much more!

Check out this video below too see the Smartpen in action:

Apple iPad, coming out in Japan within a week!

Posted by Lake Gensui Uchino , Wednesday, May 26, 2010 3:51 PM

Hey guys. Lately, all I've been blogging about are things related to technology, and occasional posts about things I found interesting. So from now on, I probably might just blog about things that relate to computer software, and technology in general.

For all those Apple fans and Apple users out there, this next week or so should be an exciting one. It's going to be exciting because Apple's new tablet, the Apple iPad is coming out in Japan this week!

For those of you who don't know, the iPad is Apple's new cutting edge product. It basically looks like a giant iPhone, without the phone. However, if you have ever had the chance to use one of these things, you would know that the internet surfing experience is amazing. Imagine being able to surf the web with your fingers instead of a mouse cursor. Everything is controlled by you directly and the experience is just amazing.

You can even read books on the iPad as well. And again, even the books are as free as the web browsing! You can change the font type and size to your convenience, and even look up words on the spot with the built in dictionary!
There is just so much you can do on the iPad.

Check out this video below and let me know what you think of the iPad through my VoiceThread at the bottom of this blog!:

Adium!

Posted by Lake Gensui Uchino , Wednesday, May 12, 2010 4:40 PM

Most of you who are reading this blog post right now are probably familiar with online chat/messaging services such as AIM, MSN, Facebook chat, Yahoo! Messenger,etc.

I myself am a frequent user of these instant messaging applications, and I love how convenient they can be. However, and I think I speak for everyone when
I say this, I find that there are way too many instant messaging applications available to the point where you can't do everything with just one app.

This is where Adium comes in. Adium is an application for Apple (MacOSX) users that allows you to stay on various instant messaging accounts simultaneously through one account. This way you can stay online at all times, without having to go through the hassle of switching back and forth on applications to reply to messages.

It's just so much more convenient. I wonder why no one thought of this earlier!

For those who want to start using this application today, click the link below!

http://adium.im/

VoiceThread

Posted by Lake Gensui Uchino 2:50 PM

I actually went on VoiceThread for the first time today.

For those of you who aren't familiar with VoiceThread, I shall be kind and explain. VoiceThread is basically a more interactive version of thos discussion boards you see so frequently on the internet. You get to record your voice on certain topics t hat people post, so it allows more room for expression and it's easier than typing.

Below is an embedded VoiceThread that I thought was interesting:



Although this VoiceThread includes almost no audio or thread posts at all, I thought it was interesting how things such as math concepts and equations can be taught using VoiceThread. Many kids have problems with math equations and concepts, and these kinds of VoiceThreads can be very useful for them. You can even ask questions if you'd like, and get responses for further explanation!

I think VoiceThread would be a great tool for teachers and students in all grades.