Technology Information

What is new at SMART Technologies? 3D-Ready SMART Board 600i, Mixed Reality Document Camera, Scholastic's Story Stage App for the SMARTTable, an IPO, and more!

What is new at SMART Technologies? 3D-Ready SMART Board 600i, Mixed Reality Document Camera, Scholastic's Story Stage App for the SMARTTable, an IPO, and more!


What is new at SMART Technologies? 3D-Ready SMART Board 600i, Mixed Reality Document Camera, Scholastic's Story Stage App for the SMARTTable, an IPO, and more!

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 11:09 AM PDT

A lot is happening at one SMART Technologies, one of my favorite "interactive" companies.  Not long ago, SMART Technologies, a company most known for interactive whiteboards found in classrooms and businesses, acquired one of my favorite interactive touch-screen display companies, NextWindow. (SMART Technologies' acquisition of NextWindow: A "smart window" to the world)

SMART Technologies is moving ahead into the world of augmented reality (AR) with a new document camera.  The company's latest interactive whiteboard, the fourth generation 600i,  is ready for stereoscopic 3D content, which is on the way via the Discovery Channel and other media companies.  The SMARTTable looks like it will be provided with more content, at least in the UK, where Scholastic has partnered with SMART Technologies to provide multi-touch and multi-student interaction via the collaborative Story Stage application.

For those with money to invest, SMART Technologies has filed for a proposed initial IPO (Initial Public Offering).


-The SMART Table at Wolfe School 

New SMART Document Camera 330 is mixed reality ready:  Document camera enables exploration of 2D, 3D, animated and audio-enriched content
"Mixed Reality Technology -Manipulate and explore 2D, 3D, text, animation and audio-enriched content on the SMART Board interactive whiteboard by placing a physical object bearing a digital marker under the SMART Document Camera lens"


SMART introduces next-generation SMART Board™ 600i: New projector lowers total cost of ownership and is 3D-ready
"Available in both standard and widescreen formats, the latest generation of the 600i system features an improved and easy-to-use extended control panel (ECP) and a fully integrated short-throw projector that is 3D-ready and has a longer lamp life. The newly designed ECP is mounted to the interactive whiteboard bezel, not to the wall, making it aesthetically pleasing and easier to install."


SMART and Scholastic to develop multi-touch educational content:  Story Stage application for SMART Table to encourage student creativity and collaboration
"Story Stage is an easy-to-use resource designed to facilitate collaborative literacy work. The interactive activities use digital puppets to encourage pairs or groups of children to work together to create their own imaginative retellings of familiar stories."


SMART Classroom Suite 2010 enhances interactive learning: New version offers improved wireless performance and greater support for formative assessment
"The software combines classroom management, assessment, lesson creation and assignment management tools in one offering."


RELATED
SMART Technologies Files for Proposed Initial Public Offering: Stock to be listed on NASDAQ and TSX
Scholastic Story Stage
SOMEWHAT RELATED
Updates: Cognitive "bursts", technology-supported interactive whiteboards, digital storytelling, social skills, and reflections about a new SMARTtable. (long post)
SMART Technologies' acquisition of NextWindow: A "smart window" to the world
InfoComm AV Whitepaper:
Reaching Learners: Immersive Education through Interactive Multimedia (pdf)
By Lynn V. Marentette, Sp.A., NCSP and Anthony Uhrick, VP Sales & Marketing, NextWindow "The value of an immersive approach to education, using multimedia technologies, over traditional classroom environments."












Also posted on the TechPsych blog.

Design for Emotion and Flow: Trevor van Gorp's Presentation Slides & References

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 07:35 AM PDT

Trevor van Gorp works at Affective Design. He presented at the iA Summit 2010, a conference sponsored and run by ASIS&T, the American Society for Information Science and Technology.

In this presentation, Trevor discusses concepts such as emotion, attention, and arousal, the differences between novice and experienced users, differences in goals, such as experiential, goal-directed, how stress affects arousal and performance, and other topics, accompanied by clear examples, of ways to incorporate "emotion and flow" principles into web and information design.

It should be noted that "emotion and flow" strategies have been consciously implemented in video games by designers/developers for a long time, and these concept most likely have value across various digital domains, such as multimedia journalism, interactive television, and interactive surface or large display applications.
Design for Emotion and Flow
View more presentations from Trevor van Gorp.


Below are the references from the presentation, as posted on SlideShare:



  1. References


    • Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. (1990). Flow - the Psychology of Optimal Experience . New York: Harper Perennial.
    • Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. (1990). Flow – the Psychology of Optimal Experience. New York: Harper Perennial.
    • Desmet, Pieter, R. (2002). Designing Emotions . Pieter Desmet. Delft.
    • Russell, J.A. (1980). "A circumplex model of affect". In Journal of Personality and Social
    • Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2008). Creativity, Fulfillment and Flow, TED talk. 2008
    • Fehrman, Kenneth R. and Cherie Fehrman. (2000). Color - The Secret Influence . New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc.
    • King, Andrew B. "Chapter 2 – Flow in Web Design." 2003. http://www.websiteoptimization.com/speed/2/ accessed on January 21/2007.
    • Hoffman, D.L, Novak, T (1996), "Marketing in hypermedia computer-mediated environments: conceptual foundations'", Journal of Marketing, Vol. 60 pp. 50-68.



    • Novak, T.P, Hoffman, D.L (1997), "Measuring the flow experience among Web users," Interval Research Corporation.
    • Novak, T, Hoffman, D, Young, Y (1998), "Measuring the flow construct in online environments: a structural modeling approach", Owen Graduate School of Management, Vanderbilt University, working paper.
    • Novak, T. P., Hoffman, D. L., and Yung, Y. 2000. Measuring the Customer Experience in Online Environments: A Structural Modeling Approach. Marketing Science 19, 1 (Jan. 2000), 22-42
    • Rettie, R., (2001), An Exploration of Flow during Internet Use, Internet Research, 11(2), 103 – 113.
    • Simon, H. A. (1971), "Designing Organizations for an Information-Rich World", in Martin Greenberger, Computers, Communication, and the Public Interest, Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins Press, ISBN 0-8018-1135-X. pp. 40-41.
    • van Gorp, Trevor, J. (2006). Emotion, Arousal, Attention and Flow: Chaining Emotional States to Improve Human-Computer Interaction. University of Calgary, Faculty of Environmental Design, Master's Degree Project
RELATED
Trevor van Gorp's Boxes and Arrows article:
Design for Emotion and Flow (8/7/08)
Affective Design Blog
Some ASIS&T Special Interest Groups:
SIGVIS (Visualization, Images, Sound)
Information Architecture (IA)
Arts & Humanities

Raymond.CC Blog - Restoring a Single Monitor Setup from a Dual Monitor Setup

Raymond.CC Blog - Restoring a Single Monitor Setup from a Dual Monitor Setup


Restoring a Single Monitor Setup from a Dual Monitor Setup

Posted: 12 Jul 2010 07:30 PM PDT


Well, it’s official. That someone who messed up the family’s desktop computer is also the same person who decided to use the TV we have for a second output. It’s understandable, that since we have an NVIDIA GeForce 5200, that also has a S-Video output, we would go out of our way to use it [...]

Raymond.CC Blog - Portable Application Launchers: Launch Apps with Convenience

Raymond.CC Blog - Portable Application Launchers: Launch Apps with Convenience


Portable Application Launchers: Launch Apps with Convenience

Posted: 11 Jul 2010 07:30 PM PDT


For those of us that are called upon time and time again to repair computers, after a while, it gets to a point where you will have all the necessary tools on you at all times. And what better way of doing this then to use a USB drive? I know for a fact that [...]

Tech Fashion: The iPad Murse (Murse = Man Purse)

Tech Fashion: The iPad Murse (Murse = Man Purse)


Tech Fashion: The iPad Murse (Murse = Man Purse)

Posted: 10 Jul 2010 06:05 AM PDT

I'm vacationing this week, but since it is impossible for me to fully pull myself away from tech, I grabbed my husband's arm and made a beeline to the iPad display during our walk around Historic Charleston yesterday.  Nearly every iPad on the display had been temporarily adopted by a kid. All of them wanted one, and it was clear that the interaction design was intuitive for them to use. 

My husband commented that he didn't see what the buzz was all about.  His first comment?  "How would anyone carry this? It is too big for a pocket or a purse!   I pointed out that unlike me, most of the women in the store had huge purses.  Huge fancy purses that could probably hold a bazillion iPads.   (My mind is made up. I need an iPad AND a huge fancy purse.)

I noticed that a dad of one of the iPad-exploring kids was holding an iPad in a zippered case in his hand, so I asked him about it.  It turns out that the guy is a "Virtual IT CIO",  so he knows his stuff.  He said that he loves his iPad and has no problem carrying it around.    Knowing my husband, carrying around the iPad in a case without a handle would be a problem.  A deal-breaker.

I guess that the lack of an iPad Murse (man-purse) is something worth considering.  We all want to project a professional image, right?  I chuckled to myself as I read the following article:
Scott Stein, CNET, 7/9/10

In the article, Stein reviews a variety of "murses" suitable for the iPad and netbooks, including Cocoon's Grid-It 10-inch Harlem Netbook/iPad and Gramercy Messenger slings, Booq's Taipan Slim XS, and STM Bags' Scout Laptop Shoulder Bag.
Searching for an iPad bag isn't easy.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)


(Credit: waynesuttun12, flickr)

For a smile: The TV Hat video (Via Tracy Swedlow, iTVT)

Posted: 09 Jul 2010 05:15 AM PDT


TV HAT - FORGET THE IPAD: THIS IS REAL PERSONALIZED MOBILE TELEVISION
-Tracy Swedlow, InteractiveTV Today, 7/5/10



Note:  It must be real, since here are a few pictures of people wearing it at tech conferences!



RELATED
TV Hat Website
Review: The As-Seen-on-TV Hat, an iPhone-Viewing Visor

Link to iTV Doctor Rick Howe's post about 2D to 3D TV, 3D TV data points, and 3D content distributors

Posted: 09 Jul 2010 04:55 AM PDT

The iTV Doctor is in!:   3D TV: The Gathering Firestorm

Raymond.CC Blog - Interesting Concepts in Future Computing

Raymond.CC Blog - Interesting Concepts in Future Computing


Interesting Concepts in Future Computing

Posted: 10 Jul 2010 07:30 PM PDT


It’s Sunday again, so today I’m going to be taking a wild U-Turn away from the normal stuff I post on the blog. I’m sure I’m not the first or only one to admit this, but at the young age that I am, I’ve still seen a lot happen in terms of computing. At the [...]

Enter your mail address:
Template by - ADMIN | HiTechvnn Template