Software : 80 million iPhone 6 units expected to roll off assembly lines this year |
- 80 million iPhone 6 units expected to roll off assembly lines this year
- Microsoft merges enterprise tech conferences but not BUILD
- BBC Sport app does a little Grandstanding with Chromecast support
- In Depth: 10 inexpensive apps every educator should know
- Facebook Save feature lets you keep News Feed content for later looking
| 80 million iPhone 6 units expected to roll off assembly lines this year Posted:  Apple apparently knows you want a new iPhone, and Cupertino is apparently ramping up orders with partner factories across Asia to produce an unprecedented amount of handsets for this fall's big launch. The Wall Street Journal today reported that Apple may be gearing up for "its largest initial production run" ever with the forthcoming iPhone 6, an increase largely attributed to the smartphone being available in dual screen sizes. Last year's iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C models combined conjured up an initial order somewhere between 50 million and 60 million units, but Apple appears to be aiming much higher with this year's iPhone refresh. According to unnamed "people familiar with the matter," Cupertino is calling for suppliers to pump out between 70 million and 80 million handsets, which are expected to be available in both 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch models. Big devices, big demandSupply chain insiders claim the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6 could be in short supply at launch due to Apple's use of sapphire crystal displays instead of glass and more complicated in-cell technology, which integrates sensors into the screen for a thinner, lighter handset. To compensate for a reportedly higher failure rate of such displays, sources reveal Apple has tasked component suppliers to prepare up to 120 million units by the end of 2014, offering some breathing room in the supply chain; Cupertino made a similar request for last year's iPhone 5S, due to the sensitive Touch ID component. As any technology pundit will tell you, Apple will be joining the so-called "phablet" craze somewhat late in the game, but analysts have been beating the drum for months in advance of what is believed to be pent-up demand for larger iPhones. Expected to launch by mid-September, the iPhone 6 will reportedly feature "metal cases similar to the iPhone 5S," with recent leaks revealing more rounded edges matching the recent iPad Air and iPad mini 2 with Retina Display.
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| Microsoft merges enterprise tech conferences but not BUILD Posted:  Microsoft will merge all its major enterprise-focused conferences into one, the company has revealed on its Channel 9 blog. The decision was apparently suggested by Microsoft's customers although at least one respected analyst suggests it might have something to do with saving money. Last week, Microsoft announced its biggest employee cull ever with over 18,000 set to lose their jobs as the software giant chose to put mobile first. Not everyone however was enthused by the decision with some pointing out that it is easier for enterprises to send a pair of delegates to different events spread over a year than 10 to a single conference. The event, which has yet to be named, will take place in the week starting May 4 2015 (Star Wars day) in Chicago and will bring together TechEd, Microsoft Management Summit, Sharepoint, Lync and Exchange events. Microsoft also said that it will provide more details later this year. TechEd Europe, which will happen in Barcelona later this year from October 28 - 31 will be the last standalone event of its kind. As for BUILD, the company's developer conference, and the Worldwide Partner Conference, they will still remain separate events for the foreseeable future given that they target different audiences. ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley notes that Microsoft might be following a similar strategy to Oracle and Safesforce, both holding events that sync the developers and system administrators across the whole product gamuts.
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| BBC Sport app does a little Grandstanding with Chromecast support Posted:  The BBC Sport apps for iOS and Android have become the latest to join the Google Chromecast party. Mobile device owners with equipped with the Chromecast HDMI streaming dongle can now stream content and directly to their television set or computer screen. That means like all of the live sporting action screened via the app, such as the Commonwealth Games which gets underway in Glasgow this week, can be easily viewed on a larger display. "Cast live and on-demand video to your TV using Chromecast," says Google in the new release notes. AirPlay alternativeThe BBC Sport app joins the iPlayer in the Chromecast stable, as the platform continues to look more like a viable alternative to the Apple TV AirPlay functionality. Early this month Google rolled out full screen mirroring on Android devices, allowing smartphone and tablet owners to send their entire display to the television. The new BBC Sport apps for iOS and Android are available to download now from the respective portals. |
| In Depth: 10 inexpensive apps every educator should know Posted:  10 inexpensive apps for educatorsBack-to-school shopping used to mean a trip to the neighborhood's office supply store to purchase notebooks, pens, pencils, calculators and backpacks. Today, savvy students and teachers rely more on technology than on physical tools to get them through the school year. Education apps have enabled schools to collaborate, helped teachers with their lessons in the classroom, and resulted in students becoming increasingly interested in learning. Apps have also been observed to help students and teachers with organization in and out of the classroom. As more schools incorporate tablets into the classroom, educators are realizing the necessity of apps. We've compiled a list of ten important and inexpensive apps for schools that help administrators, teachers and students excel. EpicWin Perhaps the most "fun" of the educational iOS apps, EpicWin users customize an avatar, such as a warrior or princess, and complete learning quests in order to score loot. The more quests successfully completed, the higher your level. EpicWin includes time-critical exercises, repetition tasks, reminders for overdue quests and planning for future goals and quest completion. This is an especially great app for students to use as enrichment at home or even as a classroom activity with a substitute teacher. Parents also can use EpicWin to encourage successful completion of otherwise dreaded chores. Price: $2.99 (about £1.75, AU$3.19) Google Drive Group projects used to require careful coordination with students' schedules to ensure successful completion. With Google Drive, students can take digital notes, collaborate with their peers on joint documents, charts and presentations, and interact in real time with their teachers. Teachers also use Google Drive to create lesson plans with fellow faculty members, create paperless classroom handouts, assignments and assessments, and backup files without taking up precious hard drive space. Google Drive is compatible with Microsoft Office products, so all documents and presentations can easily be downloaded in a variety of formats. Price: Free (accounts come with 5 GB of storage) Grammar Jammers Grammar Jammers is an iOS app that provides primary, elementary and middle school students with entertaining and catchy songs to teach lessons and encourage studying. To ensure understanding, students complete a short quiz about the material at the end of each song. Made by leading learning company Pearson, Grammar Jammers takes the dread out of otherwise boring language lessons. Old, dusty grammar textbooks are a thing of the past with this creative app. Grammar Jammers teach grammar concepts including parts of speech, sentences, punctuation and capitalization. Price: Primary level is free. $2.99 (about £1.75, AU$3.19) for Elementary and Middle editions. iTunes U Teachers can create courses and easily manage virtual classrooms with Apple's iTunes U. In turn, students receive a customized learning experience from their iPads with easy access to classmates and teachers. The app allows teachers and students to track assignments, organize notes and access materials at any time. By enrolling as an institution, K-12 school districts, colleges and universities can distribute courses and education content by signing up with the public site manager. Price: Free NASA App Designed for students in grades four and up, the NASA App provides access to NASA news, more than 13,000 images, on-demand videos, live streaming of NASA TV, ISS and Earth orbiting trackers, and mission information. This is a great app for students working on school projects and for teachers creating lesson plans about the solar system. The best part? The app is free, which provides schools with quality and engaging teaching material for students without breaking the bank. Price: Free Nearpod, Skype, Socrative, TeacherKit, YammerNearpod Nearpod is an iOS app that allows teachers to deliver customized presentations directly to students' devices, and allows them to interact with their classes through customized assessments. The multimedia content will capture the attention of students of all ages, keeping them focused and eliminating off-task behavior. In fact, teachers can actually control students' devices when delivering a presentation through Nearpod. The reporting tool enables teachers to monitor individual results and analyze student progress. Absences also become less problematic since students can join in a Nearpod session from anywhere. Price: Free Skype In today's age of being constantly connected, Skype is an essential app for the classroom. Parents unable to attend a crucial teacher conference? Skype makes virtual conferences simple with its easy-to-use interface. Other uses for Skype include incorporating a pen pal program with students from around the world or using the app to coordinate with guest speakers to offer virtual class visits. Price: Free Socrative Socrative is a smart student response system that allows teachers to engage with the classroom through a series of educational exercises and games via smartphones, laptops, and tablets. One version is downloaded on a student's device while another is downloaded on a teacher's. Students can respond to multiple-choice, true/false and essay questions, and teachers control the flow and selection of the questions. Teachers have the option to view results in real time, or download and assess the results upon completion with the app's detailed reporting tools. Price: Free TeacherKit Having a teacher's assistant in the classroom can be quite useful, but not every school has the budget for the expense. TeacherKit is a school-wide tool that keeps teachers, students and even administrators organized. It is also a virtual organizer that can be used to take attendance, enter grades and manage and analyze student progress and behavior. Administrators can also use the tool to track all student and teacher performance. Price: Free Yammer Yammer isn't just for the enterprise. The popular business social network provides administrators, teachers and students with the full cloud suite of Microsoft Office productivity, email, file sharing, communication and IT management tools. Discussion and assignments can extend out of the classroom with Yammer's collaboration tools, encouraging more communication among peers and teachers. Yammer's specially priced solutions for academic institutions also make it a value for educators and students. Price: Range from free to $3 student/month (about £1.75, AU$3.19); $6 teacher/month (about £3.50, AU$6.50) |
| Facebook Save feature lets you keep News Feed content for later looking Posted:  Facebook has introduced a new 'save it for later' feature that allows users to store interesting web links, pages, movies, TV shows and music for a more convenient time. The new 'Save' tool, which is rolling out to the web, iOS and Android apps, makes it easier to keep track of interesting News Feed content without it getting lost in the scroll-through shuffle. The Saved content, be it a checked-in restaurant the user may wish to try or a shared album they want to hear, will be accessible via the 'More' tab on mobile and within the sidebar on the web. The feature apes the functionality offered by apps like Pocket and the Reading List feature in Apple's Safari web browser but with a Facebook funk. The social network is taking it upon itself to remind users about their Saved content if they don't check it after a period of time. Productivity boostSuch is the exponential growth of sharing web content on Facebook, the feature comes at a time when many users are struggling to keep up with everything posted by their friends. While checking out interesting links over the lunch break can offer a welcome distraction from the grind, an all-day presence on social media can be a productivity catastrophe. The Save option will let users get work done while promising the treat of Facebook-saved content for the commute home, all without the risk of being infiltrated by a trillion Buzzfeed posts. |
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