| Teachers Claim Overexposure to Tablets Stunt Motor Skill Development and Memory Posted: 16 Apr 2014 11:30 AM PDT  Infants raised on iPads have trouble using building blocks, teachers say
Maybe parents should rethink giving their children a tablet this holiday shopping season, especially if their lifestyle makes it difficult to limit use to such devices. Members of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers are speaking out against overexposure to tablets, warning that a growing number of infants aren't developing the proper motor skills to play with building blocks due to their "addiction" to tablet PCs and smartphones. According to a report in the U.K.'s The Telegraph, teachers claim that three- and four-year-old children known how to swipe a screen just fine, but beyond tablet controls, they lack dexterity in their fingers after spending hours a day playing on the iPad. "I have spoken to a number of nursery teachers who have concerns over the increasing numbers of young pupils who can swipe a screen but have little or no manipulative skills to play with building blocks or the like, or the pupils who cannot socialize with other pupils but whose parents talk proudly of their ability to use a tablet or smartphone," Colin Kinney, a teacher from Northern Ireland, told the The Telegraph. The article makes several references to Apple's iPad and iPhone devices, though the concern isn't limited to those specific models. It just so happens that Apple holds a large share of the mobile market and so iPads and iPhones are more prominent. However, it's a problem that extends to mobile gadgets in general. Teachers have also noted a decline in pen and paper exams, saying that kids who spend a lot of time using mobile gadgets rely on the instant support of their electronic device. The obvious way to combat against all this is for parents to do a better job monitoring and limiting the amount of time their children are allowed to use tablets and smartphones. In addition, teachers recommend turning off Wi-Fi access at night. Image Credit: Flickr (Gustavo Devito) Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Microsoft Builds a Wireless All-in-One Keyboard for Smart TVs Posted: 16 Apr 2014 11:02 AM PDT  An all-in-one keyboard with an integrated touchpad
It's been 20 years since Microsoft released its first keyboard. Called the "Microsoft Natural Keyboard," the Redmond outfit went after the ergonomic category with a curved design intended to reduce or prevent carpal tunnel syndrome and other stress injuries associated with typing at awkward angles. Two decade later, Microsoft is adding to its peripherals line with the All-in-One Media Keyboard (N9Z-00001). This time around Microsoft is going after smart TV owners and the home entertainment crowd in general. The AIO Media Keyboard sports a full-size keyset with low profile keys and an integrated multi-touch trackpad on the side where you'd normally find a numpad. The trackpad supports gestures, allowing you to tap, swipe, drag, zoom, and click for easy navigation. Sitting above the trackpad are customizable media keys for quick acces to your music, photos and videos. Volume controls are found way over on the other side. It's a wireless keyboard that communicates with a mini USB dongle. Microsoft says it can hold a connection up to 30 feet. It also features a durable spill-resistant design. 
Microsoft's AIO Media keyboard looks very similar to Logitech's recently introduced K830, though Logitech's sports a backlight and Microsoft's does not. That luxury carries a $60 premium, however -- the K830 goes for $100 while Microsoft's AIO Media Keyboard carries a much lighter $40 MSRP. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Newegg Daily Deals: MSI Z87-G45 Gaming Motherboard, Acer 27-inch LED Monitor, and More! Posted: 16 Apr 2014 10:26 AM PDT |
| Cotton White Version of Google Glass Sells Out During Public Sale, What Comes Next? Posted: 16 Apr 2014 10:07 AM PDT  KitKat is headed to Google Glass
Google made available its Glass Explorer program to the general public for a single day on April 15, and while we don't know how many of the $1,500 wearable devices it managed to sell, we do know that the "Cotton White" (white) version proved most popular. That color option sold completely out by mid-day, so anyone who purchased a Glass device afterwards had to choose from Charcoal (black), Tangerine (orange), Shale (gray), or Powder Blue (light blue). Now that the sale is done and over with, what comes next for Google Glass? We suppose Google will analyze the sales figures to gauge consumer interest while all of the early adopters Explorers continue to beta test the wearable tech. It remains to be seen if Google will make more tweaks to the hardware or physical design before rolling out a commercial launch. In the meantime, Glass owners will be receiving a software update sometime this week. Google described it as a "big one," as it rolls out Android KitKat to Glass. "We've been working on a significant upgrade to a new version of the Glass software. It's not a change you can see, but it brings improved battery life and makes Glass more reliable and easier to update in the future. And now that Glass runs Android KitKat, developers can write Glassware using the latest Android SDK goodness, along with new features from our GDK," Google stated in a Google+ post. Improved battery life is probably the most welcome upgrade by Glass owners, though it's far from the only update. As requested by users, photos will be organized into bundles for better viewing with less swiping. There will also be photo replies in Hangouts, voice command sorting, and a bunch of subtle changes. Interestingly, Google decided to remove video calls from Glass with this latest update. According to Google, less than 10 percent of Explorers use this feature. It also wasn't working as well as Google hoped, so it's gone "until the experience is better." Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Motherboard Makers Turning to Alternative Products for Bigger Profits Posted: 16 Apr 2014 08:56 AM PDT  As Intel's Haswell refresh looms, Asus and other mobo players look to other areas to boost profits
Intel is getting ready to refresh its Haswell platform, and when that happens, it should spark some sales in the motherboard industry. Motherboard makers should also get a boost from XP users looking to upgrade their ancient boxes. Despite these market drivers, however, word on the web is that Asus and other motherboard players have begun pushing their other products much more aggressively in hopes of pulling in a bigger profit. So says Digitimes, which itself is citing "market watchers" with eyes on the situation. Asus, Gigabyte, MSI, and ASRock are all focusing on their "non-motherboard businesses" pretty hard these days. Specifically, ASRock is making a big push in the server industry with related products after achieving flat performance on year with its motherboard shipments in 2013. It's a long-term strategy that ASRock believes will pay off in a couple years from now. MSI, on the other hand, is pushing mid-range and high-end gaming laptops. This is something we've seen ourselves, as we've posted several MSI gaming laptop announcements during the past year. It's a crowded field that also includes competition from Gigabyte and Asus. Gigabyte shipped 20 million motherboards last year and expects to ship 22 million in 2014. It's going to be a close race between Gigabyte and Asus for the top spot. At the same time, both companies are looking at notebooks, tablets, handsets, and networking equipment to generate additional revenue. Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
| Intel Sees "Signs of Improvement" in PC Sector, Reports First Quarter Profit of $1.9 Billion Posted: 16 Apr 2014 07:25 AM PDT  Earnings report sends Intel's stock soaring to a 52-week high
Talk is cheap at the end of the day, so despite doomsayers predicting the demise of the PC, Intel's sales and revenue proved those notions wrong. Intel, the largest semiconductor company in the world, beat out analyst expectations by reporting first quarter revenue of $12.8 billion, operating income of $2.5 billion, net income of $1.9 billion, and earnings per share of 38 cents. Intel's PC Client Group did decline 8 percent sequentially, but only 1 percent year-over-year, generating $7.9 billion during the first quarter of 2014. That's more than twice as much as Intel's Data Center Group, which ramped up 11 percent year-over-year to $3.1 billion. "In the first quarter we saw solid growth in the data center, signs of improvement in the PC business, and we shipped 5 million tablet processors, making strong progress on our goal of 40 million tablets for 2014," said Intel CEO Brian Krzanich. "Additionally, we demonstrated our further commitment to grow in the enterprise with a strategic technology and business collaboration with Cloudera, we introduced our second-generation LTE platform with CAT6 and other advanced features, and we shipped our first Quark products for the Internet of Things." Intel's performance impressed investors, who in turn sent the company's stock price temporarily above its 52-week high of $27.12. The stock price has since come down a bit and is currently trading at around $26.90, up around half a percentage point. Image Credit: Flickr (gogostevie) Follow Paul on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook |
