How often do you find a program that transitions easily from mobile device to browser to desktop/laptop? It’s rare to discover a decent one that allows all the same compatibility and functionality.
During Professional Development Week in January 2013, EdTech introduced Pocket (formerly Read It Later) at an iPad user group session.
Pocket is a program that allows you to save articles, Tweets and several other content types into a list for reading at a later date. This is a cloud-based app and is compatible on a variety of devices (mobile devices, Mac, PC, or browser-based) and from within other consumption-based apps (such as Flipboard and Zite).
The app now allows for different display layouts to make the content you save more enticing. Some setup is needed to link Pocket to the apps on your mobile devices, but once this is complete, using Pocket is a snap!
Traditional list view:
The Pocket app can display your saved content in two formats. This image shows a list format.
Tile view:
The Pocket app can display your saved content in two formats. This image shows a tile format.
During our last LinkEd, I experimented with an app called SlideShark. I’ve had SlideShark on the iPad for a while now, but never really had the need to delve into it too much.
I painstakingly created my PowerPoint and then wished I had a better way to transport the content other than lugging the laptop. SlideShark allows iOS users (iPhone & iPad) to create PowerPoints, upload them to SlideShark online, download them and present them from their mobile Apple device.
My experiment was to use the iPad as the device showing the presentation on-screen with a VGA adapter and to use my iPhone as a remote to control the progression of the slides (see image).
iPad 2 and iPhone 4S with SlideShark app installed. The iPhone is acting as the remote control to advance the slides that are displayed on the iPad.
It was flawless. And that’s saying quite a bit because I’m notorious for breaking technology or at least having to do the hokey pokey repeatedly in order for something to function properly right out of the box.
The remote feature with the iPhone allows you to swipe left or right to advance slides and a swipe upwards to bring up the slides and select a specific one to jump to. A reassuring vibration setting gives the presenter notification that a command has been sent to the presentation device (the iPad in my case).
SlideShark was easy, quick and didn’t require too much setup. They also give you the option to share or keep your slideshows private.
If you have a tablet or smartphone (iOS or Android) and you haven’t checked out Flipboard yet, I can safely say, you’re missing out!
Flipboard screenshot featuring three stories: An image of Mulnomah Falls, Oregon (left), “Sweet ‘Potatoes'” (top right), “Fake It ‘Til You Make It: What Came Before Photoshop” (bottom right).
Earlier, I posted about my affinity for Twitter. If you aren’t ready to commit wholeheartedly to Tweeting, but still want to read and share brilliant articles, tweets and other contributions from your favorite sources, try Flipboard.
I’ll admit, this is one of the few apps I jumped onboard with early-on (you could call me a Flipboard hipster, I guess). When it was first released, few articles had the capability of being “flipped” through as if they were pages in an ebook. Now, more and more producers are gravitating toward creating articles using the interactive Flipboard format.
Certainly some of the most impressive topics are those with a high degree of visual impact or imagery. Choosing the category of “Flipboard Picks” will yield articles that tend to take full advantage of the app’s interface and are photo-heavy.
The brilliant part about Flipboard is that you can choose content that appeals to your tastes. You can choose specific news sources (The New York Times, bon appétit, The Guardian, Oprah, Fastcompany, to name a few) or general categories which will aggregate articles from various areas. Admittedly, I’ve never been a big fan of the newspaper because nothing really grabs my attention when it’s buried five pages down and I despise having to work too hard to find articles on their online counterparts. Flipboard is an addictive means for delving into news with a focus on your passions. You can flip past titles that are of no interest only to uncover more interesting stories with the swipe of a finger. Sharing features embedded into the program allow you to send the articles to your Facebook, Twitter or even via email. You can also add your Twitter/Facebook/Google + accounts to view content within Flipboard.
I find this app to serve as a great replacement for visiting a single news site or only reading the limited kinds of musings I read on Twitter due to the relatively narrow list of individuals I follow.
desktop/laptop? It’s rare to discover a decent one that allows all the same compatibility and functionality.
