The Intel Classmate by Chester Creek

Earlier today, I was browsing articles online, and I came across this list of tech innovations that could change the world. Included on this list are improved sanitation, alternative energy, and one item we're fairly familiar with here at Chester Creek:  The Intel Powered Classmate. The Classmate is part of an initiative by Intel to bring technology to children across the world.  In fact, they have sent over four million laptops to places with low technology availability like Argentina.



This rugged tablet computer is particularly suited to the task at hand.  The tablet PC has been created to be durable, with a rugged case - drop tested from desk height - and some models have also been tested in extreme temperatures.  The other thing that really sets this line apart is that they include a "software suite of education tools to help teachers in the classroom," and keep students engaged.

You can read more on Intel's press release fact sheet.  You can also see Chester Creek's own version of the Classmate with the our unique, color-coded keyboard
specially designed to improve typing skills in students on our website.

Google Plus

Google is the number one search engine.  When they roll out algorithm updates, it shakes the SEO world and everyone scrambles to catch up.  Adwords and Analytics are household names in the web industry, like how most disposable adhesive bandages are automatically referred to by the brand name Band Aid.

In the past, Google's forays into the world of social media have been pretty un-spectacular.  Now, however, they have started to release what may well be a game-changer.  Google+ is a social networking application for PC or mobile that brings all of the best features of sites like Facebook and combines then with the Google innovation and resources.  Tying in to their array of currently available services, this new product is currently available through invitation only.  This makes it more desirable and allows the early-adapters to get the hang of it before it becomes widely used.  It also allows Google to respond in real-time to any concerns from users.  I found in my research a couple of places where users had made suggestions and replied a day or so later, thanking Google for actually responding - something many people have despaired of in regards to Facebook for ages.  (Internet ages of course, something like several months or a year in the real world, I suppose.)

The down side to the invitation only releases of Google+ is that a social networking site can only get so far if only a fraction of your social network has it.  If no one you know is no it, the only draw is the novelty - there is no practicality until it becomes more widely used.  That same factor was probably the largest downfall of Google Wave, discussed in my previous post.  Every network has to start out with only a few users, however.  The bigger question is whether Google+ will be able to over take or co-exist with Facebook, as Facebook was able to do with MySpace.  (In related news, I have heard rumors that Justin Timberlake recently was involved in a buy-out of MySpace, with plans to revamp it largely as a music sharing site.)

Some distinctive features of Google + include:

• Circles.  Rather than a post going out to everyone you know and then some, you will be able to filter your posts and feeds by your social circles - work colleagues, family, friends from school, friends from *insert hobby here*, etc...
• Sparks.  I haven't used Google+ yet, but it sounds like this feature includes things you're likely to be interested in in your stream without requiring that you go out and find it first.  It also allows you to connect with others with similar interests.
• Hangouts.  This features allows you to jump into a video conference when you feel like it, "stopping by," effectively.  This allows multiple users to swing in and out of video chats as they are available and smoothly shows all the webcams.  Don't have a webcam?  Get one.  Or get an awesome, rugged, portable laptop that comes standard with a great one built in.
• Mobile Upload.  Google+ allows you to sign up for a service that automatically adds pictures to a private album in the cloud so that you can post them anytime any where without the hassle of uploading.

Will these features be enough to push Google+ past the shiny-and-new-and-exclusive stage of its current popularity?  That remains to be seen, but there are rumors and comments indicating that there may be a multitude of extra new features in the works, including shared games directly on the networking service, among other things.  I for one am anxiously awaiting an invitation from my early-adopter friends.  

The Wireless Problem

If you are like most individuals today, you own or use at least one wireless device.  In fact, current statistics show that nearly 1/3 of the world's population, including individuals residing in third world countries, are internet users.  In the US, approximately 90% of the population accesses the internet via wireless devices.

As I speak, I am writing this log post from a personal netbook computer - like a laptop, but smaller, lighter, more portable.  I am posting from a private wifi network, while sitting next to me, a friend surfs the web on their own wireless device.  Meanwhile, a third wireless device, this one a phone, automatically connects to the networks for faster and constant communication.  Also accessing the wifi network, passively and constantly, are a printer, a gaming console, a dvd player, an ipad, television, a sleeping netbook, and an ipod.  You may be thinking that this is excessive, but what is becoming more and more common is a constant connection for instantaneous access to communication and information.  The wifi router - the device that makes the internet connection from a provider accessible to devices in the home or business - here is an N-router.  This is one of the fastest single antenna routers available.  The connection is a 12 mbps downlink cable connection.

don't worry, I barely understand all that myself.  What it boils down to is that is this connected, private household, there is a fast, robust wifi connection available that can support the myriad of devices listed without considerable internet slow-down.

The reason I am writing this blog from a private wifi network in the first place is this: I could not load the page from the internet coffee shop down the block.  Because it is a public location, with advertised free wifi for customers, one would think that the connection available would be robust enough to support the needs of the users.  However, with ten customers sitting with their coffee, four on laptops or netbooks, and (let's estimate) 9 of the 10 carrying smartphones that automatically connect to the internet, the connection was so bogged down that I could not load a webpage.  As a matter of fact, I couldn't load any webpages for a while.

The router at the coffee shop is likely built into a DSL modem.  This means that the equipment comes from the phone company, is less robust to begin with, and is doing double duty.  It simply cannot support the needs of customers on an average Sunday afternoon.

This is a growing problem for the millions of wireless users that expect t to be able to obtain their content quickly and anywhere. The equipment is outdated and not up to par with the technology being used.  The wifi networks simply are not up to the task required by growing numbers of wireless devices.

Until such time as that changes, plan to pull internet from friends and family, not from cafes and coffee shops struggling to support growing numbers of users.  And you might want to consider a larger data plan for the a smart phone -- the wifi connects just aren't cutting it these days.