Once upon a time there was a web browser called Netscape Navigator… The early days of the Internet! Those were the days with where people still used Windows 95, 98 and computer monitors with 800 X 600 screen resolution, among other unimaginable things today.
Some people would remember what Netscape Navigator was and what happened after that with Internet Explorer. The stuff competitive case studies and anti-trust stories are made of. We often meet people who never heard of Netscape. Ah! Youth!
For those developers who remember it, it was a time of confusion. For those who have never heard of Netscape – a quick history lesson. It was the first Internet Browser. It was a paid software (yes – browsers did not come free) till Internet Explorer was bundled free with Windows Operating System (wonder why people complained about Microsoft if they gave it away for free!). People were upset that Microsoft muscled in on Netscape by using its Windows dominance to shut Netscape out and Microsoft was forced to give options to users to add Netscape Navigator as well. That is the story of the original browser wars in brief – really brief. It makes for very interesting reading even today for geeks. Continue reading
iBook, iAuthors and the iTunesU from Apple, a great step towards changing the education system. For those who underestimated the announcement, this was a huge wake up call! Apple have been busy doing what they do best and that is innovating! Though targeted at schools and colleges and students right now, the impact that this could have on higher education companies, publishers, universities and colleges is mind boggling!
Almost feels like a Dear Santa letter for the people who love all things Apple. While we love their products too, there is no denying that Apple’s insistence on doing things their own way has quite a lot of people tearing their hair out. We would all be a little happier if they allowed Flash or perhaps were a little more open in terms of how we work with their products.
Questions that have suddenly engulfed all the stake holders in the e-learning industry are: What is the future of eLearning going be in a few years to come if the iPad won’t support Flash? Will we have to reduce the interactive quotient of our eLearning courses? Is HTML5 really a viable alternative to Flash? Or simply, why couldn’t Steve Jobs just decide to include Flash on the iPad and make lives simpler for everyone?
When you see a two-year old kid effortlessly using an iPad, you may think that is exceptional. But just dig around a little more and you realize he is joined by a whole new generation of kids. Parents across the world have shared anecdotes about their young ones (and yes, I mean as young as 1.5 years old) taking more and more easily to technology and being extremely comfortable with devices like the iPhone and iPad. Some of them might just actually own them!
Launched with much fan fare and a vision to empower the students on a mass level, Akash—the tablet priced at $35—is a much debated product amongst the technologists.