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Los Angeles Plans To Supply 640,000 Students With Free iPads
iFixit Tears Down Nexus 7 2nd Generation Tablet
Sorry, iPad Mini Fans - Once Again, Google Has The Better Tablet Than Apple
Diminutive, Slow Nexus 7: Pixels Don't Make It An iPad mini Killer
CONTEXT Data Shows Android Tablets Leading Europe; iPads Slipping
Hot Off The Press: Tekserve Releases Its First iOS FAQ, Alongside the 12th Edition of Their Mac FAQ
Apple Assembling Speech Recognition Tech Team In Boston To Improve Siri
Los Angeles Plans To Supply 640,000 Students With Free iPads
CiteWorld's Todd R. Weiss reports that students in the Los Angeles Unified School District will receive 31,000 free iPads this coming school year under a new $30 million program launched by the district, with the nominal objective to improve education and prepare students for the workforce with new technology skills they are not getting at home.
Weiss cites Mark Hovatter, the chief facilities executive for the LAUSD noting that the first tranche of 31,000 iPads is only the initial phase of the program, which plans to buy and distribute iPads to all 640,000 students in the nation's second-largest school district by late 2014, contending that "The most important thing is to try to prepare the kids for the technology they are going to face when they are going to graduate".... We're targeting kids who most likely don't have their own computers or laptops or iPads. Their only exposure to computers now is going to be in their schools."
For the full report visit here:
http://www.citeworld.com/tablets/22178/ipad-los-angeles-unified-school-district
iFixit Tears Down Nexus 7 2nd Generation Tablet
iFixit Chief Information Architect Miroslav Djuric writes:
Heads up - Nexus 7's up! We didn't get enough Google this morning with the Chromecast, so without even waiting for our spudgers to cool down, we eagerly dove into the deep, dark depths of their newest tablet.
Even though the new Nexus 7 opening procedure is identical to the previous model's and even though we were quite careful while opening it - the rear cover managed to crack in the lower-right corner. Although that was a not-so-fun start to the teardown, we managed to power through the non-proprietary screws and removable battery with no other snafus, and arrived at the fitting 7 out of 10 repairability score.
Teardown highlights:
• Comparing the second generation Nexus 7 to the first, we notice a drastic change in body type. The second generation is thinner, narrower, and taller than its chunkier predecessor, and lacks texture on the rear panel.
• But wait! There's an inductive charging coil? Hats off to the great Nikola Tesla, forefather of wireless charging. Although inductive charging has been around for a while, this is the first time we've seen it in a tablet. We're pleased with the trend, as it may help eliminate wires as a source of e-waste in the future. Now, if we could only make batteries infinitely rechargable...
• The NFC Module is layered on top of the inductive charging coil. We just call it like it is.
• Seals cover two of the screws in the Nexus 7 one on each of the main boards so replacing either board will likely void your warranty. Unlike food, we don't like our electronics "sealed for our protection."
• The battery is rated at 3.8 V, 15 Wh, and 3950 mAh. Despite the 4326 mAh battery of the original Nexus 7, this new generation boasts an extra hour of battery life. Devices with lower power consumption give more bang for the ecological-impact buck, so it's definitely a nice trend.
• The daughterboard houses a single IC nested among the connectors. ELAN eKTH325BAWS, which we guess to be the capacitive touchpad controller from ELAN's eKT line.
• If you see Bigfoot and need to take a picture with your new Nexus 7, you'll be getting a 5 MP image. For selfies, you only get 1.2 MP. Both cameras are easily replaced once inside.
The hardware powering this nifty trick of a tablet:
• Qualcomm APQ8064 Snapdragon S4 Pro Quad-Core CPU (includes the Adreno 320 GPU)
• Elpida J4216EFBG 512 MB DDR3L SDRAM (four ICs for 2 GB total)
• Analogix ANX7808 SlimPort Transmitter
• Texas Instruments BQ51013B Inductive Charging Controller
• Qualcomm Atheros WCN3660 WLAN a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, and FM Radio Module
• SK Hynix H26M51003EQR 16 GB eMMC NAND Flash
• Qualcomm PM8921 Quick Charge Battery Management IC
The updated speakers come out next.
What do we know about these speakers?
They're stereo.
They sound cool (we tried them briefly before taking out our spudgers).
They are labeled DN17128L000.
Miroslav Djuric
Chief Information Architect
iFixit
Teardown:
http://goo.gl/5Gq2Zz
Sorry, iPad Mini Fans - Once Again, Google Has The Better Tablet Than Apple
Forbes Contributor Robert Hof notes that several reviewers are rating Googles'a newset Nexus 7 tablet ahead of the iPad mini, thanks to a combination of Nexus 7 features that beat its main rival:
(*) Its cheaper. iPad mini that costs a full $100 more.
(*) It has a better screen than the iPad mini, not to mention snappier graphics and app switching thanks to more powerful silicon.
(*) It has wireless charging
(*) It has fixed some shortcomings, notably the Nexus 7 now has a rear-facing camera in addition to the front-facing one, like the iPad mini, and tnd the better-placed, better-engineered speakers have much better sound
On the other hand, Hof acknowledges that the current model iPad mini has some advantages over the Nexus 7, with a bigger screen, a wider range of storage options, and a more polished high-end design. Apple also still offers many more tablet-optimized apps, and if you have an iPhone, you may want to stick with an iPad for compatibility, and so you don't have to buy music twice.
Hof also notes that Google and its manufacturers support of their older machines can be hit-and-miss after a new model comes out, while you can be confident that Apple won't orphan your iPad for years to come.
For the full commentary visit here:
http://goo.gl/K91CeM
Diminutive, Slow Nexus 7: Pixels Don't Make It An iPad mini Killer
The Stabley Times' Jake Robison says that while the new Nexus 7 is a hundred dollars cheaper than the iPad mini and offers a higher pixel density, that doesnt make it an iPad killer by any stretch of the imagination. He agrees that the new Nexux 7 offers solid value, and is tha best seven inch Android tablet on the market, but achieves its price point by going cheap in places that count for a lot in the long term user experience. And he notes that the pixel-rich screen ends up feeling like a parlor trick once you do the math on the resolution. Robison cites four reasons to think twice about buying the new Nexus 7.
Pixel overkill with even greaster pixel density than and Apple retina display, and if that sounds too good to be true, it is.
Size: Seven inches may not sound much smaller than the 7.9 inch iPad mini, but those are diagonal measurements, and if youlace two next to each other it'll be obvious that the Nexus 7 has a significantly smaller screen.
Specs: five megapixel camera average; snapdragon processor meage; Android 4.3 system software, and dont expect it to run Android 5.0 well, making it not a long term investment.
Android: means lower quality apps available than for the iPad across the board, with many of the most popular apps arriving on Android six months to a year late. Android devices are also more crash prone.
For the full report visit here:
http://goo.gl/2FcUUC
CONTEXT Data Shows Android Tablets Leading Europe; iPads Slipping
TereRead's Paul St. John Mackintosh reports that the latest data report from London-headquartered tech sales and pricing research firm CONTEXT shows tablets holding up the otherwise declining consumer PC distribution business across Western Europe, specifically, Android tablets, which now account for 61.2 percent of the Western European tablet market, more than double the 25.1 percent recorded the same time last year, and Apple iOS devices meanwhile, fell to 37.2 percent of Western European tablet market sales by distribution, declining from 71.2 percent at the same time last year.
St. John Mackintosh says that according to the CONTEXT figures, sales of tablets rose 137 percent in the first half of 2013, with low-end Android devices leading that trend, citing Marie Christine Pygott, Senior Analyst at CONTEXT noting that increasing availability of attractively priced Android systems means consumers can easily buy a tablet as an additional product to their home PC, which means they postpone the replacement of the PC. As for Windows 8, it's having no impact on iPad sales according to CONTEXT, with uptake, even in business quarters, having been been meager, and Ms. Pygott seeing the attempt to transmute tablet popularity into Windows demand through hybrid systems as gaining little traction.
For the full report visit here:
http://goo.gl/6ZPoQk
Hot Off The Press: Tekserve Releases Its First iOS FAQ, Alongside the 12th Edition of Their Mac FAQ
"Tekserve's decision to come out with an iOS FAQ speaks to important changes in the Apple market," Aaron Freimark, CTO of Tekserve, explains, "The first iOS users were traditionally Mac users and the Apple faithful. As iOS devices quickly saturated the market, there were, almost overnight, a lot of people using them without the experience of having used another Apple device. The need for a getting started guide quickly became obvious, with plenty of questions to answer even on devices as easy and user-intuitive as the iPhone and iPad. and it was all about sharing information. At some point I realized that a lot of the same questions appeared over and over again. I decided to turn them into an easy-to-use handbook."
"Tekserve has, for more than twenty-five years, been a go-to resource for Apple solutions. As NYCs iconic Apple service provider and technology retailer, they are known for their innovative technology solutions for consumers and corporate clients alike, ranging from the iPad deployments in the new LaGuardia Airport Delta Terminal, to televising the world's most important sporting events, to serving the largest film, networks and advertising agencies in New York.
Tekserve's first Mac FAQ book was released in 1998. David Lerner, one of the founders of Tekserve, wrote that first version. I was very active on the online bulletin boards of the Mac community at the time, he remembers, and it was all about sharing information. At some point I realized that a lot of the same questions appeared over and over again. I decided to turn them into an easy-to-use handbook. That first booklet was printed on company printers and stapled together. Todays version is much spiffier, with a bright cover sourced from a prize-winning competition of local graphic designers.
"The Tekserve Mac FAQ book is appreciated by an audience far wider than those around our town, for its accessible language and fun approach; which demonstrates, as Aaron Freimark notes, how We love Apple products at Tekserve! Both the Mac and the iOS FAQ booklets are available for free to anyone who makes a purchase from Tekserve at and are available as a free download online. Full FAQ content can be browsed online at Tekserve with new material added all the time:
http://faq.tekserve.com/
Additionally, the booklets can be purchased on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Apple Assembling Speech Recognition Tech Team In Boston To Improve Siri
Appleinsider's Katie Marsal reports that Apple has put together a small team of experts in speech recognition technology in Boston, in an effort to bolster its voice-driven Siri personal assistant service.
For the full report visit here:
http://goo.gl/gZ15c8
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