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Youtube, the largest social video network on the Internet as well as Vimeo have both recently  launched HTML 5 video players which is the newest version of the web development language that is used to write all websites! It now has added support for embeded video! I think this is a major game changer because, it undermines the current Flash video standard which has given Adobe a lot of power with their Flash Player being installed on millions of computers. However, if more video site switch to HTML 5 then, less people would both using Flash to watch video if they could just as easily watch the video in H.264 format and not need to install any other software. However, the current version of Firefox, which is my favorite browser, does not yet support HTML 5 but, it will be coming soon I’m sure!  Right now HTML 5 video is a beta feature of these sites, mainly because all browsers don’t support it. But, this can easily become a standard and make watching internet videos much easier! Browsers need to add the support for HTML 5 and once it becomes a standard, Flash usage will greatly decrease. Flash will still be used for internet games but, for video HTML 5 will take over! Another advantage is that HTML 5 that it streams higher-quality video than Flash and gives the viewer a better experience.

I have heard about Audiobooks, from Leo Laporte and services like Audible but, never put any thought into listening to audiobooks but, I recently tried a free trial of Audible and have enjoyed every minute of listening to my audio book. When I got my book I started to read it while I walked to classes and it is just great. I actually tried to spend more time walking so I can hear more of my audio book. When I listened I felt like  I got all the information out of it because I could hear it. Now, that I listened to my first audio book, I plan to go back and listen to more books because I get the information more easily and really enjoy the experience. I also can carry several books on my iPod and carry them wherever I go. The only downside is that every book is not able to heard as an audio book somewhat restricting your choices but there are still thousands of books in a variety of genres to listen to and enjoy!

The iPad which is the long awaited tablet from Apple, has be called by some, “Just an iPod Touch with a bigger screen”, although I think it is some-what accurate, I think there are certain jobs that the iPad is much better at than the iPhone. I do think it still needs further development to make it a more viable device, but, there are some uses that I think the iPad can do very well already.

1. Netbook

Although Apple has mocked Netbooks in the past, this device would work very well as a netbook because you really don’t need a full operating system on a netbook which is used primarily for surfing the internet, checking email, and word processing all things that the iPad is great at. For those who don’t want to use the touch screen keyboard, you can either use a Bluetooth keyboard or the keyboard dock to have the ability of using a hardware keyboard. This is also great for traveling because it won’t take up too much space.

2. Ebook Reader

One of the newest applications introduced on the iPad is the iBooks app and the iBook store which allows you to browse, buy and read books on the iPad. Although other, Ebook readers are less expensive, the iPad also allows you all the functionality of an iPod Touch as well as an ebook reader. It also has a full color display!

3. Video Player

Although you can watch videos on an iPod Touch, the screen is only 3.5 inches and makes it a little difficult to see all the details. With a full 10 inch screen, the iPad is perfect for watching videos and enjoying content on the go.

Wednesday is the big day! Apple is having their big press event at 10 AM Pacific time, 1 Pm Eastern and the rumors of the fabled tablet have been circulating for well over a year now! The event invitation said “See Our Latest Creation” and had paint splatters which, would indicate it to be a creative product announcement, but I think it will be more than a tablet release. I think they will be announcing several new products and save the tablet as the “One More thing”.  These are a list of what I think Apple will be announcing at their event on Wednesday.

1. iLife 2010

This is logical, since they are making this seem like a creative event, they should update their iLife Suite and hopefully add some more significant features, since the last version iLife ‘09 added very few new features, it’s time for an real upgrade!

2. Macbooks/ Macbook Pros

I’m not expecting a major change, but just a bump in specs and maybe, the rumored Core i5 and Core i7 Macbook Pros, will hit the market!

3. iPhone Software update

Rumor has it, that Apple will unveil their new operating system for the iPhone and iPod touch, i’m not 100% sure that they will becasue they traditionally announce the new OS in March and launch new hardware either in June or July.

4. Tablet

I’m not going to say much about the tablet, because I have covered it with my two articles [article 1] [article 2]. The one thing I will say is that I don’t expect it to come out this week, I would expect it in a month or two, but definitely not right away

As I usually do with Apple events, I will write a wrap-up/ reaction article after the event which I will release either on Wednesday or Thursday to summarize what happened at this event. I think that this event will be a major, revolutionary event and Steve Jobs will compare it to other revolutionary products Apple has released in the past: Macintosh (1984), iMac (1998), iPod (2001), and iPhone (2007). I think this event will be one of the great ones!

I know I already wrote an article about what I think the Apple tablet will be, but after I wrote it more news came out and I thought of more things that I didn’t include in the first article and wanted to add them on now before it is too late.

First, I think it will look like the top/lid part of a Macbook Air or Macbook Pro meaning a metal enclosure and glass screen. I think it will run a modified version of Mac OSX for tablets but will work more like a regular Macbook. I think the name will be Macbook Tablet or something with Macbook in it because it will be more a notebook than a iPod Touch.  The only other thought I have about the tablet is that it will be a major announcement and will probably be the “One More Thing” of the keynote and will be accompanied by other new products as well, I will predict the other new products in a later blog post closer to the event.

I know having cables all over your work area is a pain at times, but wireless is no  better. I had a Wireless keyboard and mouse for less than a month and then decided to return it because it was not reliable. First, if you don’t want to spend more that $50 on a wireless device, you will have to plug in a dongle so that you can use it, if you spend more than $50 you will be able to find a Bluetooth device so that you can use the Bluetooth that is built-in to most new computers. Plus, you need to make sure you computer and the device are in sync so that they can be used, and connections can be broken at random time making it a major nuisance. Another issue is that because there is no cable connecting it to a USB port, the device requires batteries to power it which is another annoying thing you need to worry about,  making sure your accessory’s batteries are fully charged and that is also not good for the environment.  The final major problem is that there seem to be more random problems than it’s wired counterpart and makes the cable clutter more worthwhile.

I especially don’t recommend using wireless for anything that need to be high quality like audio recording or any audio for that matter because wireless just has too many variables. I think that wireless technology needs to be better developed before it is ready to be used in daily life. I still prefer Bluetooth because it is more standard and because you don’t need any extra devices to be plugged into the computer. But, for now I am going to stay wired because it is still much more reliable and hassle-free.

The Consumer Electronics Show has been for many years the place to see a preview of the new gadgets coming out in the coming year. Thanks to Leo Laporte and his TWIT Network as well as Revision3 I was able to see everything that was going on at CES without having to go all the way out to Las Vegas! One thing about CES is that there is a lot of weird or gimmicky stuff but, along all that, there are some really cool gadgets and I would like t share them with you.

One of the biggest things of CES this year were tablet PCs, although I have in the past not been much of a fan of Tablet PCs, but these new ones are really cool. The one that I liked the most was the Lenovo U1, this is a truley innovative device because it has a base that when it’s docked, it looks like a normal latop computer and runs Windows 7! However, you can pull the monitor part off the base and allow it to work as a slate and once it is off the base, it instantly switches over to Linux and goes right back to Windows 7 when you re-dock it.  This device is the best tablet computer I have ever seen, but, I have a feeling Apple will one-up Lenovo at there even at the end of the month.

One of the biggest gimmicks of CES, was 3D TVs, personally I don’t want to watch TV in 3D and definitly not if I have to wear 3D glasses. I think this will be a passing trend and won’t catch on.

Something, I found interesting is the Boxee Box which allows you to watch internet content both from television networks and web content on your TV using an internet connection and is a competitor to the very popular Roku box. Between these two boxes, I think I won’t need a Mac Mini for my media center in the future and I can use either a Roku or Boxee box and save over $300!

Another big thing was smartphones, Google’s Nexus One was released just before the show adn was there on display. The other big announcment is that the Palm Pre and Palm Pixi will be coming to Verizon in the first quarter of this year!

There were many other smaller gadgets that you may want to look at but, these are just my thoughts and what stuck out to me!

The rumor of a touch-based Apple computer have been floating around for over a year now and it sounds like the device is going to be announced in their press event on January 26th.  Reports have stated that Steve Jobs has been working on this device for three years now and that he is happy with the tablet, although both of these are rumors. There is a chance that there will not be a tablet announcement but, I think it is time for them to announce the tablet even if it is just a preview. I am going to give my thoughts about the tablet and what I expect out of it.

Two Theories:

Version 1: Touch Screen Macbook:

If Apple were to make the Tablet more like a Macbook with a touch screen, then it would run a Touch Version of Mac OSX. At this form factor I would expect the device to be priced between $700 and $1,500 and to have at least a 13 inch screen. I think there most likley will not be a hardware keyboard and would have a webcam built-in to the device.

Version 2: Large Screen iPod Touch:

The giant iPod Touch would run iPhone OS and would definitely not have a hardware keyboard. The screen would be between  7 and 10 inches and will run iPhone OS. This iteration would cost somewhere between $300 and $600.

I think that Apple will use one of these two tablet form factors for the device.

Other Thoughts:

1. NO STYLUS! – Why bother when the iPhone doesn’t need to have one
   
2. Ebook Reading capabilities- Apple ebook store?
3. Cellular internet- Hopefully optional
4. Handwriting Recognition???- Would require pen

I will be covering what happened at the Apple event and give my thoughts the day after the event, as I usually do and will give my thoughts about the tablet if it is announced.

Since we are now in a new year, I thought it would be a cool idea to make technology New Years resolutions and post them and then follow up with them at the end of the year to see how I did.

1. Use more Cloud Computing

I have been a strong advocate of Cloud computing for a while and although, I use many Cloud services, I plan on using more in my daily life and I will continue to update all of you with my articles of services that I begin to use and tell you what changes I will make during the year.

2. Responsibly Dispose of Old Electronics

As you can imagine, being a technology enthusiast, I have collected many old electroncis that no longer are useful for me and just take up space sitting around. I plan to take them to places that will recycle them and dispose of my old gadgets in a responile way that will not be harmful to the environment. This will be also covered with a blog article once I have completed this so that everyone can do this with their broken and unwanted gadgets.

3. Reduce papers and use more Digital Documents

As I have mentioned in a previous article, I am trying to reduce my papers and replace them with digital copies so that I can have access to the data and not have papers lying around.

I will follow up with these goals as things happen and post advice if you are interested in these as well!

Well, this year and this decade is almost over! As I do every year, I am going to write my predictions for what big technologies will be coming out in 2010!

1.    Apple Tablet
This device has been rumored for over a year now, and I think the rumors are pointing to the January 26th Apple event for the release of the Apple Tablet!
2.    More Set top Boxes
Set-top boxes that allow users to access internet content on their living room television sets. This is going to be more common because more people have stopped using cable and just use the internet to watch the TV shows they want to see.
3.    iPhone on a New Carrier
All iPhone users know the pain for having AT&T service. Apple has been exclusive with AT&T since the iPhone was released but that exclusivity expires in this June and I think at the very least, Apple will be adding an additional carrier if not replacing AT&T, rumors suggest Verizon which I think would be awesome!
4.    More 4G Coverage
Although 3G internet is just starting to roll out, it is still not finished but, the next generation of cellular internet, 4G is coming out and is being rolled out in major cities. In 2010, I think 4G will become much more common and will continue to roll-out into