- Tablet PC in K-12 Education Book Released
-
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) just released a new volume, Tablet PCs in K-12 Education. Here's the description from their site:
Despite the many advantages of computer-aided instruction, standard notebook computers are restricted by their keyboard and mouse inputs. Not so with tablet PCs. Using the tablet PC—basically a notebook computer with an interactive screen—teachers and students can write, draw, and sketch directly onto any computer document, in real time, and at a fraction of the cost of hard copy documents. Teachers can transmit lessons to student computers for their annotation. Students can respond in their own hand. A math teacher can show how a function changes over time. A Japanese language teacher can demonstrate the sequence of strokes to draw a character. Students can go home after school, go online, and review both lessons as they happened. This book is a practical guide for educators who would like to use tablet PCs to instruct, communicate, and collaborate in the classroom.
The book contains background materials about the Tablet PC form factor, methods for implementation in 1-to-1 learning, and even lesson plans! Two of my passions rolled into one source. Sweet! And it's not even my birthday.
- A $10 Computer Announced in India
-
From Computerworld
"BANGALORE -- India is developing a laptop to be sold at $10 that will target higher education applications, a minister of the federal government said today in Delhi.
Research on the new low-cost laptop is being carried out at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore and the Indian Institute of Technology in Chennai, said D. Purandeswari, minister of State for Higher Education, at a conference in Delhi. This measure will help raise the quality of higher education in India, she added."
The next day the Indian govern published a correction. The computer will cost $100, not $10. Still, that's pretty remarkable, especially considering the OLPC cost of close to $200. The other thing that caught my eye is that this model is for higher education rather than for lower ed. I've read glowing reports about the use of technology in early education, but those are most universal linked to great resources and immersion. I've heard of programs that have used technology intermittently and seen minimal or no results. Luckily, I've never heard of children's education being harmed by computers. This attempt to enable all higher education students access to a working computer looks good, at least on paper.
- The $100 Windows SDK Question
-
I try to get your attention in devious ways. But this is worth being tricked.
The Windows SDK is looking for feedback about that gigantic product, The Windows SDK. More than feedback, they are dying to know what you'd change and what you want to see added. So, in their own words:
The Windows SDK Team is looking for customer input into what should change/improve in the Windows SDK and how it interfaces with Visual Studio. Please participate in the short surveys:
How would you spend $100 to improve Windows SDK components?
What NEW Windows SDK Features do you want?
Speak up. You want changes and they're listening!!!!!!
- Star Power Behind Tablet Advertizing? That's So Dirty!
-
I'm hoping that the title got someone's attention. Did it? Let me know. I get so little mail these days......
Anyway, I found this a little while ago, and immediately thought to put it up here, but then promptly got busy with SDK topics, reviews, newsletters and stuff. Better late than never.
HP has released a series of internet ads for their tx2000z Tablet PC, starring (drum roll)
Mike Rowe, from Dirty Jobs.
OK, it's not earth shattering, but it is, at least a little bit. Over the past five years there have been a few Tablet PC commercials that have made the airwaves. I remember the Lenovo ad with the ink; Microsoft Office had an ad where some workers spun a Tablet PC in an end-zone-like celebration; Gateway had an commercial in which a Tablet PC had a brief cameo; Best Buy had one appear as well. But these were small potatos next to a production of five vignettes of up to five minutes, each starring a recognizable talent. To me, this trumpets that HP sees return on investment. I'm sure Rowe doesn't come cheap, and you need to sell a lot of Tablet PCs to recoup the investment.
I am truly glad that they have taken the lead and produced these bits. They're really funny, especially if you are a fan of Dirty Jobs. And Tablet PC. Or just poop jokes.
My favorite exchange: "Hey, Mike. I got the massage table ready...That folds into a tablet, you know? You can write love notes."
Tablet rocks.
- Pen Attention - Highlights Your Pen Cursor for Presentations
-
Kenrick, an Associate Professor of Computer Science at the University of Alaska Anchorage, posted a blog entry in which he highlights something he calls "PenAttention." It's a little add-in he created that creates a sort of halo around the pen cursor. Usually, the cursor looks like the tip of a pen. With the add-in, you can also use the cursor as a pointing device. This is super useful when using a Tablet PC for a classroom lecture or a presentation.
Kendrick also got a nod from The Chronicle of Higher Education.
The program is free and requires .NET 2.0 or higher and Windows XP Tablet or Windows Vista with a tablet pen.
- Tablet PC MVPs Are in Town
-
Baseball season's barely underway, so we don't know the MVPs yet. But I've been lucky enough to meet with many of the Tablet PC MVPs this week. Flying in from all around the world, these folks are the cutting-edge when it comes to what's happening around tablet and touch computing. They're giving up a week's worth of their time to come to Redmond and engage the product team members in discussions about customers, trends, and where we can improve Microsoft.
They are focused on all segments: consumer, IT Pro, developer, and OEM. They each have their favorite hardware and software. And they each have their audience and following. Consider these few sites, run by MVPs:
Wonderfully passionate, it's been a pleasure talking shop with them this week.
- Still Time to Enter the Imagine Cup
-
Do you know a student who is creating great UI? Or who has a passion for Accessibility UI? Or someone who can tell a great story through photography? If so, there are still four categories in the Imagine Cup that are open for submissions.
Photography (closes May 2)
Interface Design Accessible Technology Award (closes May 2)
Software Design Interoperability Award (closes May 15)
Software Design Windows Live Award (closes May 15)
The Imagine Cup is one way Microsoft is encouraging young people to apply their imagination, their passion and their creativity to technology innovations that can make a difference in the world – today. Now in its sixth year, the Imagine Cup has grown to be a truly global competition focused on finding solutions to real world issues. The theme this year is The Environment, and students are encouraged to submit software that has some impact on environmental issues.
Additionally, the Imagine Cup encourages entrants to concentrate on the world's rural poor:
As you explore ideas for your 2008 Imagine Cup Project we invite you to consider a particular segment of the world’s population that is underserved. Today there are over 3 billion people living under $2 a day and 1 billion people that are illiterate. This is a situation that is exacerbating the world’s poverty-wealth gap, making rural sustainability an urgent priority for governments. As the number can be telling, so are the stories of the people who are often forgotten, but who directly impact the longevity and potential of the Earth.
Here’s your chance to create relevant and sustainable technology, and make a social and economic impact to underserved communities around the world.
The competition is keen, the prizes are grand, and the excitement around the Imagine Cup is palpable. And hey, the world finals will be held in Paris, France, in July. That alone is almost enough to get me to register for a semester again.
Almost.
- Sales Are Looking Good--if you're stocking laptops
-
Last week I published an article in the Mobile PC Newsletter (brash and brazen plug, go subscribe through https://profile.microsoft.com/. You just need a Windows Live Passport.) that Mobile PC Growth in India Is Almost 20 Percent in 2007. And then today I saw an article in Ireland's Silicon Republic that talks about how Notebook momentum is driving European PC growth. To quote:
European demand for notebook computers showed no signs of abating in the past year and resulted in over 88 million devices shipped in the region but going into 2008, connectivity alliances between PC vendors and telcos will transform the shape of the market.
The Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) PC market recorded an outstanding year in 2007, according to IDC’s latest tracker, as PC shipments increased 15.9% year-on-year.
Those are some mind-boggling numbers. There are a lot of machines out there that need good software to perform well. A LOT.
The other thing I think is interesting is that this means that we're definitely shifting to where more and more people are using mobile PCs--notebooks, Tablet PCs, UMPCs, desktop replacements--and the applications that run on them. We're talking about a computer that's only sometimes plugged in, encounters multiple networks through a session, relies on power management to make it through the day, and is asked to work well indoors, outdoors, in coffee shops, on my desk, and in someone else's home. There are the obvious hardware needs--take for instance that it must weigh less that 8 pounds (I hear you laughing)--but there are also many software considerations.
I worked on the team that spent two years documenting the considerations for Mobile PC Developers. You can find them all in the User Experience Guidelines for Developers in MSDN. I think we did a good job laying out the various categories unique to notebook development. I know the APIs are not that difficult, because I understand them. And yet I see precious few applications availing themselves of power management, network location, and Tablet and Touch technologies.
I wonder why. Seems to me that anyone whose app absolutely shone on notebooks, Tablet PCs, UMPCs, and other portable computers would stand to make a huge splash, earning enough money that, as former governor Haley Barbour said yesterday, "they could burn a wet mule."
Well, you know what I mean.
- Power Management in Windows Vista
-
Stephen, a program manager on the Windows Kernal team, posted a response to a question in the General Windows Vista Development Issues forum, and I thought it could bear repeating here. The original question was about how to control the processor throttle in Windows Vista. Apparently, some of the calls that used to work in an application geared to Windows XP were not acting the same way in Windows Vista. Here's Stephen's response:
Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 use a new power policy infrastructure and API. This page details all the power APIs and indicates what is supported by the various Windows versions:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa373163(VS.85).aspx
While some of the older APIs are supported in Vista, it is recommended that you use the new APIs on Windows Vista and later versions.
To give some background, in Windows Vista a power plan (sometimes called a power scheme) contains the power setting values that are actually in effect on the system. A power plan is uniquely identified by a GUID and contains an AC and DC values for each power setting. There can only be one power plan active at a time on the system. The current plan can be obtained using the PowerGetActiveScheme.
Like power plans, power settings are also identified by unique GUIDs and include a friendly name, description, allowable values, and default values for AC and DC. Power setting values can be modified using the PowerWriteACValueIndex and PowerWriteDCValueIndex routines. Note that you must call PowerSetActiveScheme after modifying any of the power settings in order to activate the new values.
Specifically to your question, there are two settings that allow you to adjust the minimum and maximum state for processor power management. These are expressed as a percentage of the maximum processor frequency. Here is a summary of these two settings:
|
Description |
Minimum processor performance state. The performance state is specified as a percentage of maximum processor frequency. |
|
GUID |
893dee8e-2bef-41e0-89c6-b55d0929964c |
|
PowerCfg Alias |
PROCTHROTTLEMIN |
|
Minimum Value |
0 |
|
Maximum Value |
100 |
|
Label |
Percentage (%) |
|
Hidden |
No |
|
Description |
Maximum processor performance state. The performance state is specified as a percentage of maximum processor frequency. |
|
GUID |
bc5038f7-23e0-4960-96da-33abaf5935ec |
|
PowerCfg Alias |
PROCTHROTTLEMAX |
|
Minimum Value |
0 |
|
Maximum Value |
100 |
|
Label |
Percentage (%) |
|
Hidden |
No |
Additional information on Vista power policy is described in detail in the following whitepaper:
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/system/pnppwr/powermgmt/PMpolicy_Vista.mspx
Cheers,
Stephen [Microsoft]
- Microsoft Continues More Openness for Developers
-
Well, just as I was finishing the last entry, mail comes screaming in from Steve Ballmer. I general take a gander at the CEO's mail, and I was glad I did this morning. There has been an announcement about how Microsoft will continue to drive to make our platforms more open to interoperability and innovation. I'm sure that the words were carefully chosen, so I will let the press release do the talking:
Microsoft today announced a set of broad-reaching changes to its technology and business practices to increase the openness of its products and drive greater interoperability, opportunity and choice. These changes are codified into four new interoperability principles and corresponding actions: 1) ensuring open connections; 2) promoting data portability; 3) enhancing support for industry standards; and 4) fostering more open engagement with customers and the industry, including open source communities.
Highlights:
I have to tell you, as the owner of a large developer documentation set, this makes me both happy and nervous. We've been trying to ensure all of our docs are complete and accurate for years, and I think we've succeeded to a great extent. On the other hand, this sounds like there may be more work heading my way in future releases. That's OK by me. It's a weird sort of job security. Sort of. =:7P
- TechEd is Around the Corner
-
Seriousy, is it June already? Is it time to plant the tomatoes? Are the kids getting ready for summer break? Of course not, but it is now the time to register for TechEd. Do it today and save yourself $200 (US) with an early bird discount.
Speaking of birds (I so rarely get to use a good segue), this is the PERFECT time to submit a proposal for a birds-of-a-feather session. Want to talk with other Tablet PC developers about ink on the Web? Need dire information about app compatibility? Got an itch to drive Silverlight extensions? Go ahead, suggest a session; moderate it. What the heck, you're almost certain to make new contacts and discover important information. Overall, TechEd is about the combination of technology and community. What better way to get value from attending than to drive the discussion?
Here's the skinny straight from the TechEd 2008 homepage for developers:
Tech·Ed U.S. 2008 Developers is Microsoft’s premier technical education conference just for developers. For four days, you and over 5,000 of your peers have endless opportunities to learn about Microsoft’s latest cutting-edge technologies. What better way to start your experience than with a keynote from Bill Gates.
Be a part of the experience
* Design a personalized schedule from 16 Technical Tracks
* Advance your development skills in one of over 340 Breakout Sessions
* Go deep with Microsoft experts in one of more than 220 Interactive Theaters
* Take your time and drill down on a specific task in over 145 Hands-on Labs
* Be a part of this year’s first U.S. Tech·Ed for Developers, June 3-6, 2008 in the Orange County Convention Center, North/South Building, Orlando, Florida.
And if you go, please stop by the Windows Vista booth and say hello. I'm part of the community, too.
- New Tablet PC App from Microsoft Research: InkSeine
-
I was just talking to a very special person today about how nice it would be to walk along the banks of the Seine, holding hands, this time of year. This has nothing to do with that.
InkSeine is an innovate note-taking, organizing, annotation application that was designed and build with the idea that you'll be commanding, entering data, and manipulating content with a tablet pen and ink. Menus, actions, commands, and more are all optimizrd for the Tablet PC. Just look at some of these features:
Of course, Microsoft Research has tutorials, Help documentation, forums, videos, and a blog up and running, just in case the app is not totally and unequivocally user-firendly.
.
- Have I Mentioned MIX?
-
If you don't know about it by now, it's probably too late to get a ticket, but MIX08 takes place March 5-7 in Las Vegas. But if you're a web developer, you probably already knew that, too.
Although it may be too late to attend in person, MIX08 will have tons of content up on its main website and also on www.visitmix.com. You can subscribe to The Signal, a weekly podcast that connects you to behind-the-scenes activity related to MIX08. They’ll interview speakers, attendees, staff, and other notables.
And don't forget to MIXTIFY.
mix•ti•fy [micks-tuh-fahy]
— verb (used with object), -fied, -fy•ing.
1. to share with everyone you know the coolness that is MIX08!
2. to download the latest and greatest MIX stuff by checking back often!
I was lucky enough to attend MIX last year for the launch of Silverlight. That was just an amazing conference, not only for the rock-solid technology that Silverlight offers, but also because Expression Studio came out at the same time. Happening technology with easy-to-use, feature-rich collaborative tools? Even I could handle that.
Beyond the new releases, MIX is a wonderful place for Web development and design discussions. Take a look at the agenda, and once the party starts, check for webcasts, notes, code, and more. And um, if you have an extra ticket, let me know.
- Windows Vista Developer Center Updates
-
I just want to get more details in about how the Windows Vista Developer Center has a fresh look and lots of new content. Since becoming the content manager for the site in December, I've been working with members of the Windows Partners Program team, Windows Product Planning, Developer Platform Evangelism, and MSDN to determine how best to get content--real, useful content--up on the developer center. Our first phase of implimentation went live last week, and I can't believe I haven't blogged about the details until today.
Some of the things we added:
But I know that I missed something. Probably a lot of somethings. Please leave a comment and tell me what you think of the redesign and also what you like to see added or changed.
Thanks, and Happy Valentine's Day
- Developer Security Enhancements in Windows Vista SP1
-
This comes via Michael Howard's Web Log. Take a look at the full post, but here are some salient bits.
New NX APIs added to Windows Vista SP1, Windows XP SP3 and Windows Server 2008
In the interests of helping secure the platform, we want more people to opt-in to using Data Execution Prevention (aka DEP aka NX), and we have lowered the barrier to entry for application developers in Windows Vista SP1, Windows XP SP3 and Windows Server 2008.
We've added some new APIs that allow a developer to set DEP on their process at runtime rather than using linker options. The new APIs also give developers some more flexibility if your application uses an older version of the Active Template Library (ATL.)
...
The most important API added is SetProcessDEPPolicy, which sets the DEP policy for the running process. You would normally use this function pretty early in main.
The function takes only one argument: the policy setting. The possible values are:
- 0x00000000 Turn off DEP for this process (Why are you doing this?)
- PROCESS_DEP_ENABLE Enable DEP for the process.
- PROCESS_DEP_ENABLE | PROCESS_DEP_DISABLE_ATL_THUNK_EMULATION Enable DEP for the process, and disallow ATL thunks.
The last option is the killer argument - if you build an application that hosts components that might not be DEP compatible because they were built using an older version of ATL, you can still use DEP for your process.
