I have had my iPad for a little bit now and so far it has been a wonderful device for the consumption of media. It has allowed me to be free of using a regular computer in order to browse the web for meaningful purposes. No longer does it feel clunky or hold me back as other portable devices like cell phones continue to do. What would really take things further is the ability to do work.
People will say that if you want to get things done there are better options than an iPad. I have heard about others and their accomplishments for the work that they can get done on their iPad. For myself right now I have just recently downloaded a wordpress app and am typing this article on my iPad. I know the web portal for wordpress would probably give me a decent experience but with this type of device, apps can really add features and make the experience more fulfilling. With an open source app like wordpress, which is free by the way, I don’t feel cramped and overall the feeling I get is that of being productive. I am challenging myself to adapt the way I go about business and to integrate the use of the iPad more and more. This wordpress app is just the first step towards changing the iPad from a consumption device to a creative wonderland not limited by what it can do.
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TELUS Mobility (TSE:T) has launched their HSPA 3G+ line-up upon Saskatchewan this week. The launch has been long overdue and has been dependent upon Sasktel to build the new network in the province. The new network already provides the largest HSPA coverage in the province and covers most of the main highways. The real highlight to the new network isn’t so much the speed or coverage but the selection of devices.
The phone selection is a very big contrast to the previous offerings which lacked any new releases. From BlackBerry there is a the regular selection of BlackBerry Bold 9700, BlackBerry Pearl 9100, and BlackBerry Curve 3G. Nothing here really blows away any previous offerings that couldn’t have been found before. On the other side of the fence, the initial batch also includes FIVE android models: Motorola Charm, Motorola Backflip, Motorola Milestone, HTC Hero, and HTC Desire. The Desire is a fantastic phone and I fully recommend checking it out for anyone looking to be impressed and move beyond the iPhone hype. Android is really catching on and gaining a lot of popularity and market-share. Beyond this there are a number of newer devices in stores on the 3G+ network:
Nokia E72, INQ Chat 3G, LG Cookie Plus, Samsung Elevate, Nokia 3710, LG Breeze, LG GB-255G, Samsung Advance, and LG New Chocolate. Something for everyone and a breathe of fresh air for the province of Saskatchewan.
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Sasktel effective June 1, 2010 has cancelled all newsgroup services. The services were previously powered by GigaNews. Sasktel’s reason for cancelling such a wonderful service is that the popularity in the service has been on the decline with more people browsing the web and reading RSS feeds. Really..? So their suggestion to users of newsgroups is to subscribe to GigaNews. I took a quick look at GigaNews and to subscribe for unlimited usage for a month is $24.99 or $12.99 for 50GB. For myself, moving into a new house, I was looking at going with Sasktel because they provided the newsgroup service. Now that I will have to subscribe to usenet separately, why would I choose Sasktel when Access Communications will provide me the same service? Sasktel probably looked at the decision to cut out usenet as a cost saving decision but it might just lose them a customer.
Sasktel Notice
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I just found out about a new web page that is currently being developed and under beta by Regina Transit. The new site, called TransitLive seems to be an integration of a number of technologies and ideas under one hat. First off they have the mapping technology that is from Google Earth. Using this type of map shows a different view on the city and allows for transitional effects which really add to the experience. The next element that was added is all of the bus routes and stops on the routes. This makes it very nice for those new to public transit to find stops along their path. What really sets this new webpage apart from anything else is the introduction of GPS on the buses. They take this real-time GPS data and through it onto the maps. From this you can see the buses as they travel along their routes and their expected time to reach certain stops. There are also options to setup SMS alerts which means never missing a bus again and not having to wait outside forever. I believe this new technology will go a long way to introduce more people to riding the bus as it will make the system more transparent and less of a surprise. I am looking forward to what new ideas they implement next and see how this all develops. It will be nice if there was more customization options in the interface to allow for setting up schedules. Also, being able to see historic data on buses to see which routes are more prone to be late would be nice as well.
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Valve finally confirmed today that they will be bringing Steam over to the Mac. This announcement had been expected following the teaser ads they had out last week. Some very cool points made in the announcement are people who already own a game for the PC can re-download it for free for the Mac. Another note is that they are considering it to be a tier-1 platform so everyone can expect releases the same day as their PC and Xbox 360 counterparts. The first simultaneous release is going to be Portal 2! It seems like Apple is finally going to be able to rid themselves of the stereotype that in order to play games you have to have a PC.
Source
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MasterCard Canada with a partnership between Bank of Montreal and Research in Motion announced they are bringing the “tap and go” contact-less payment technology to Blackberry devices. The initial trial will allow participants to purchase goods wherever PayPass is accepted. It appears as though the phones will have a self adhesive device attached to them to allow for this. No word on when this will get past the initial trials and into everyone’s hands but it seems very cool. I imagine that if you wanted to try this out yourself you could just tape your existing MasterCard that has PayPass to your phone and it would work. It should work; however, there may be some interference between the phone and the card.
Press Release
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Workers at Bell Mobility (TSE: BCE) client care department in Mississauga yesterday were ordered to a unionization vote by the Canada Industrial Relations Board. The actual vote will take place December 2 and 3. They have been assisted by the largest telco union in Canada, the Communications, Energy, and Paperworkers Union, since November 2008. This union already represents 25,000 Bell employees.
Press Release
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On the spur of the moment given the opportunity to save I picked up Borderlands for the Xbox 360. As had already been seen once before with the launch of Batman : Arkham Asylum, Borderlands was introduced at a very cool $39.99 (Canadian Dollars!). Wal-mart Canada appears to have started off this (limited time/limited quantity) pricing strategy but have been matched by Future Shop and Best Buy. This kind of launch will not only spur a whole lot of sales but may also bring about a new way to release games. The traditional model of the past has always been to release the game for a lot, and then after a long while slowly bring the cost down possibly in the form of a greatest hits packaging. With the huge commercial success of Batman, which is sure to be followed by Borderlands, a new model has been created. Reports are coming in across Canada about the game selling out and stock moving very fast across store shelves.
Lets not forget about the real winner of the day, Borderlands! The game is actually very well done and seems fresh. The game can be quickly described as a Action FPS RPG. The game takes the shape of the traditional FPS but puts together a string of tasks and weapons that follow the structure of an RPG. The game is said to contain 100′s of thousands of unique weapons. The game can be played solo but from most opinions it is best played with 4 friends in online coop. Early reviews are giving the game an 8 – 9 out of 10 which is fair. I won’t make any critical remarks about the game until I can put a little bit more time into it but from what I’ve seen so far I have enjoyed. If you can still manage to find the game for sale before October 27 at the sale price I would say to go for it. Even afterward I am sure the game would be worth the full price at $69.99.
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Air Canada (TSE: AC.A) became the first North American airline to release an application for the Blackberry platform. The new application brings more real-time information to customers and allows them to check-in, board, and obtain flight details for Air Canada flights. The application is available for download from the Blackberry App World or directly from the Air Canada mobile site. The new application is launching at the same time as a revamped mobile site at http://mobile.aircanada.com for other mobile device users. The application for the iPhone is also available for download as well.
Source
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I just received my Motorola Rival A455. I won it in a random draw at work for completing a Motorola etraining course. It is a very sweet prize indeed. I ended up getting the purple Rival, a weird t-shirt and some strange card game. The prize is alright but I was looking forward to the silver model. The phone itself is kind of cool for text messaging with its side sliding full keyboard. Telus is selling it right now $399 no contract, $349 on 1 yr, $299 on 2 yr, and $99 on 3 year. I wonder what mine would be worth on the open market? I have to thank Motorola again for such an awesome contest and the great prize. I doubt I will be using it as my primary phone is still holding strong but I am sure it will find itself being used sometime.
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