Category Archives: mobile tech

DIY: Make An App

Posted on by
17

AppMaker is a free, online application that enables tech users, regardless of digital skill set levels, to create and publish apps. Currently in pre-alpha phase, AppMaker’s long-term goals are to:

“[C]reate a mobile app drastically more accessible to a brand new set of app creators who are not self-identified as developers, and are primarily motivated by something other than “desire to learn the web”. We expect their motivations will range from creative satisfaction of ‘having made a thing that looks & feels real’ to a desire to have an app to send to clients of a small neighborhood offline service business.

The grand goal of AppMaker is for millions of people to be able to create apps that give them utility or joy. It need not be through the use of our software, although we expect that we’ll have to build or assemble parts of that whole product experience, partner for parts of it, and work with many, many people to both get input into both what the product should be, how our stuff does or doesn’t meet the needs of real people, and how to get the software in front of the right users.

To explore AppMaker, open a Firefox browser window and visit: http://appmaker.mozillalabs.com

To track AppMaker development, visit the GitHub repository: https://github.com/mozilla/appmaker

To learn more about building apps, begin with the following resources:

Experienced developers may download software development kits for Apple and Android platforms using the below links:

Talking Tech: The Evolution of Smartphones and Voice Recognition

Posted on by
811

Confessions of an early adopter

In the universe of smartphones, touch screen interfaces are no longer novel; they are the norm. As an avid mobile technology user, I sometimes forget that this is not the case for all computers. In fact, on several occasions I have caught myself pinching, tapping or swiping at my MacBook screen.

I know I am not the only one.

The Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project estimates that 56% of all American adults are now smartphone adopters (PewInternet). This means, it is highly probable that you, too, have attempted to swipe your laptop screen.

Simply put, we are products of our mobile environment.

In 2001, Apple unveiled its first generation iPod and so began a paradigm shift in how consumers expected their portable devices to look and behave. As an early-adopter, I personally expect a lot. My smartphone does more than connect me to other people; it manages and enhances my life. Just this morning, it woke me up, gave me a weather report, streamed bossa nova from Brazil and mapped my driving route.

Smartphones are getting smarter

It makes sense that as human needs, fascination and interactions with mobile platforms evolve, so too will our devices. Take voice recognition technology (VRT). VRT enables voice to serve as the main interface between the human and the device (i.e. Apple’s Siri.)

Previously considered futuristic, VRT was fodder for science fiction films (i.e. 2001: A Space Oddessy.) As the technology evolved, it was used primarily for academic (assistive technology) and business productivity purposes (dictation).

While VRT is still used for such purposes, today’s smartphones and tablets now offer speech recognition as a built-in feature. Because the mobile platform is a highly competitive market, it’s likely this technology will only get better. Some futurists predict speech to be the dominant computer interface in the next few years. (EdNET Insight)

Screen Shot 2013-08-23 at 11.40.21 AM
Online video: “90 Seconds With Pogue: Speech Smackdown: The Times’ David Pogue pits Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS against each other to see which voice recognition system is better.” (The New York Times, August, 21, 2013)

Academically speaking

In academia, there are many reasons to use and integrate speech-related technology. These include improving writing productivity, documenting and recording oral histories, facilitating language acquisition and creating digital narratives.

At Smith College, there are several resources available for further exploration:

The Center for Media Production – CMP offers equipment checkout, and includes: tablets (iOS, Android and Windows 8), digital video camcorders, digital audio recorders, digital photo cameras, wireless microphones, and lighting kits.

The Assistive Technology Lab – The ATL features a wide range of software and hardware tools, including: Dragon Naturally Speaking for dictating text; and Kurzweil, which will read text aloud.

Your Computer – The Windows operating system includes a speech input utility, Windows Speech Recognition. Mac OS X has standard range of assistive technologies, Universal Access.

Writing on my MacBook, I am a faithful user of the text-to-speech feature. With the stroke of two keys, the computer reads my writing out loud; reducing errors that even spell-check fails to catch.

And my favorite part—making it read my name.
Without fail, the robotic computer voice always makes me chuckle.

 REFERENCES:

Smith, Aaron. “Smartphone Ownership 2013.” The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, 5 June 2013. Web. <http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2013/Smartphone-Ownership-2013/Findings.aspx>.

Heller, Dr. Nelson. “HellerResults.” EdNET Insight, 2 Nov. 2012. Web. 23 Aug. 2013. <http://www.ednetinsight.com/news-alerts/hellerresults/big-data-in-k-12–is-voice-technology-talking-to-you-yet—part-ii-.html>.