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The SAT will drop the pencil and go completely digital by 2024
The SAT standardized college admissions tests will be taken exclusively on computers starting in 2024.
College Board prepares digital SATs in case schools remain closed
Digital versions of the SAT and ACT exams are being developed in case school shutdowns continue.
Globalstar Sat-Fi satellite hotspot available now for $999
Globalstar, the company behind the affordable Spot satellite phone, has a new device on the market that can turn any smartphone into a globally connected handset. Sat-Fi is not a WiFi hotspot in the traditional sense -- you can't simply connect and expect limitless web browsing and media streaming -- but it can support email, SMS and voice calls for up to eight connected devices simultaneously. Transfer rates are capped at a paltry 9.6 Kbps, so you're really limited to text applications, and data is billed by the minute, just like a voice call. Like other satellite devices, you also need a line-of-sight connection between Sat-Fi's external antenna and the big bird hundreds of miles above in order to make and receive calls, but assuming you're able to meet that requirement you should be good to go in remote areas all around the world. The device is reasonably priced, at $999, and per-minute rates top out at $1. There are plenty of monthly plans to choose from, too, ranging from $40 for 40 minutes to $150 for unlimited service. Sat-Fi is available now.
Watermelon Express now BenchPrep, publishing academic prep texts to iPad
Educational app maker Watermelon Express has shifted gears and entered the electronic textbook market. The Chicago-based company, now known as BenchPrep, has over 75 educational apps in the App Store, most of which were interactive textbooks and test prep materials made for larger, more traditional textbook publishers, like educational publishers McGraw Hill and John Wiley. BenchPrep CEO Ashish Rangnekar told VentureBeat that a single, stand-alone free BenchPrep app made more sense than multiple educational apps, hence the shift in business to interactive prep textbooks for the iPad. Rangnekar also noted that the future of educational materials isn't limited to e-textbooks on the iPad. "Our definition of content is much broader than the textbook," he told VentureBeat; he said that in addition to books, BenchPrep will eventually branch out into other electronic educational materials, such as videos and presentations.
Liberty Media rescues Sirius XM from bankruptcy
We guess those bailout talks with DirecTV weren't so futile after all, huh? The satcaster's parent company, Liberty Media, has just stepped in to rescue Sirius XM from the clutches of bankruptcy, providing a $530 million life raft that it will use to pay off looming debt payments and keep operations humming. Liberty will write a $280 million check immediately, of which $171 million will go straight to debtors. Another round of funding (to the tune of $250 million) will be available to Sirius XM in order to "help it pay its debts and ward off a potential takeover of Sirius by Charlie Ergen's DISH Network." In return for this mighty appreciated favor, Liberty Media will own 12.5 million shares of preferred stock in Sirius XM, which it can convert into common stock should it so choose. Also of note, founder John Malone and Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei are likely to join Sirius XM's board of directors. Is that a collective sign of relief we just heard, or what?[Via Denver Business Journal, thanks Michael]
Joystiq impressions: FutureU, Kaplan's SAT prep game for DS
Thanks to Brain Age, millions of kids have been able to trick their parents into thinking that the Nintendo DS is being used as an educational device. With the help of popular college prep company Kaplan, the trickery can continue. They announced their plans to create a SAT prep game for the Nintendo DS with the help of developer Aspyr only a few months ago. Now, they have a fully functional prototype ready, and a name to boot.FutureU will feature at least four different question types, and over 1200 questions. Now, we asked why it wasn't called something a bit more marketable, like R0x0rz the SATs, or SAT Test Prep DS, and a Aspyr representative informed us that The College Board has strict control over the SAT brand. The title won't have "SAT" in it, but the packaging will make it very clear what the product's purpose is.A very early version of the game we saw featured some rudimentary character customization, added to give the illusion that FutureU is more of a "game" than a "learning experience." The DS version of the game won't offer any real questions from the SAT, nor will it try to grade you. Instead, players will go through various games that test the concepts found in the SATs. For example, Glyphs will have players attempt to figure out the meaning of a word by deconstructing the word's various roots. Predictions train reading comprehension by removing a word from a passage. Players can then scribble predictions on what should be in the missing blank(s). Then, players will be able to choose from a selection of possible words, and use their predictions to choose the correct missing word.While its interface is more "game-like" than most edu-tainment titles, it's still clear what FutureU is and what its purpose is. And that's to let you carry your DS around and claim you're "studying." FutureU will be available on DS, PC and Mac this Fall.%Gallery-27372%
Kaplan to train you for the SATs through your DS
For those of you looking to bone up on your college-level analogies, Kaplan, Inc. has teamed with Aspyr Media to bring you a SAT prep title for the DS. The project is still early in development, so there is no name or screens yet. Sadly, that's about all we have to go on right now.We must say, the decision to bring such an application to the DS shows (to us, at least) the kind of smarts that would score well on the SATs. [Via Joystiq]
Kaplan SAT test prep coming to Nintendo DS
Kaplan, Inc. has teamed with Aspyr Media to create an SAT prep game for the Nintendo DS, according to Newsweek. Versions are also on their way to PC and Mac, where the test prep software is already fairly common. The project is early in development and does not yet have a name. Newsweek reports that it was Aspyr who pitched the idea to Kaplan. If this is a success, can we get a DS game to help us understand Special Relativity? Perhaps we can get Professor Layton or perhaps even Wario as our virtual teacher.
Kaplan SAT prep on your iPod
There are two things the kids love today : iPods and standardized tests. Apple has teamed up with Kaplan, one of the leading test prep companies in the world, to create a product that combines both of these things into one: Kaplan SAT Prep 2008 for the iPod! These three iPod games (there are three different versions, each covering a different area of the SAT: math prep, reading prep, and writing prep) are probably the most boring games available for the iPod. Each features the kind of questions you would find on the SAT, and boasts the ability to let you listen to your music whilst you prep.The three games are sold separately for $4.99 and are available now.
Celrun's Freesat do-it-all handles GPS / DMB / PMP
While the PMP / GPS market continues to converge and pop out more and more jack-of-all-trades devices, Celrun is looking to join the ever-growing fray by dishing out an (admittedly impressive) all-in-one unit of its own. Starting with the sleek black / silver design scheme and ultrathin frame, this Windows CE-powered conglomerate does a fine job of packing the features in a sexy enclosure, and offers up a 520MHz Intel PXA270 processor, navigation, DMB, a text viewer, MP3 player, video playback, and a seven-inch 800 x 480 touchscreen to boot. Moreover, all the buttons are of the side and top-mounted variety, and while it doesn't appear to house any type of internal storage, SD / CF cards are more than welcome here. Although we're sure you saw this coming, only folks camped out in Korea will be receiving this here luxury, but we're not sure just how long they'll have to wait, nor how much coinage it'll end up demanding.
GSM for when you're near civilization, sat for when you're not
Sure, a satellite-only handset can cover you virtually regardless of where you happen to be on the globe. But what's the fun in paying those multi-dollar per minute airtime charges for those times when beaming your voice to space and back might be a little, shall we say, overkill? Asia Pacific Satellite Industry feels our pain, prepping their SG-2520 phone with GSM for everyday use plus satellite calling for those days when you find yourself inexplicably trapped on the summit of K2. Hybrid satellite/GSM handsets are nothing new, but what sets the SG-2520 apart is that it's doing its best to front like your average trendy, feature-rich candybar: besides voice calling, your hard-earned cash is going to get you a color display, GPS, Bluetooth, a music player, 1.3-megapixel camera, all crammed into a relatively svelte 19mm of thickness. Hip or not, folks are going to know exactly what you're up to when that monster of a sat antenna is at full mast.[Via Mobile Magazine]
Overheard in New York...
Overheard in New York (City) poster, Everclear, caught this snippet of a conversation on the 2 train near Borough Hall:SAT* prepping kid #1: What's 'hydrolysis'? SAT prepping kid #2: Dude, don't you play Grand Theft Auto? Hydrolysis is what makes the cars bump up and down. SAT prepping kid #3: Um ... Hydrolysis is the splitting of things in water. SAT prepping kid #2: Whatever. Same thing.*standardized test[Thanks Lex!]
