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Five useful Apple accessories for students heading off to college
Whether you're on your way back to college, or you're the parent or friend of a college-bound Apple fan, there are a lot of great items on the market this summer that are both functional and fashionable. Back in the prehistoric 1970's when I was a civil engineering student at the University of Colorado Boulder campus, I made the mistake of rooming one year with two high school buddies. One of them, Chuck, was a real stoner and was impossible to wake up (even a stereo with the volume turned up to 11 didn't work). His 2009 counterpart would hopefully wake up on time every morning with an iHome iP9SR iPhone alarm clock (US$99 MSRP). It's an iPhone charger with shielding to prevent that annoying buzz from GSM transmissions. It's an alarm clock that can play tunes from your iTunes library, AM/FM radio, or just blast out an annoying noise to wake you up. It also has some pretty nice speakers for listening to your music while charging your iPhone prior to your next class.
iStudiez Pro helps to get you back on schedule
It's been a long summer, and students everywhere are starting to head back to universities and colleges around the country. It's not easy to get back into a daily grind of classes, assignments and activities but a new application called iStudiez Pro [iTunes Link] is here to help! Created by Andriy Kachalo and Michael Balashoff, iStudiez Pro is designed to help you take charge of your own schedule by always keeping you on top of where you need to be and what needs to get done. With an intuitive interface, the application promises to make sure "you never miss another course, lecture, and lab, track tasks and deadlines, plan homework, arrange assignments and much more." Some notable features include: Smart day view that automatically displays summary of currently classes and tasks Detailed schedule planner to break down classes and assignments A view to suit everyone including expanded month and week views, with colored labels for each course Specific icons for different types of classes Supports iPhone features like touch gestures and device rotation Integrated address book keeps your contacts and professor's information close at hand The application, available for both iPhone and iPod touch, is selling for $2.99 on the App Store. If you're looking to snag a copy of this app for free, the developers are currently offering a deal that if you see the demo version of iStudiez Pro being used in an Apple store and take a picture, they'll send you a free promo code! Here's a couple images of iStudiez Pro in action: %Gallery-70083%
Snood Redood coming to the iPhone
Fortunately, World of Warcraft didn't exist while I was in school, otherwise I might not have finished my venerable BS degree at the storied Ithaca College at all. But if there was one game that almost kept me from finishing all of those essays and homework... well, it was Civ. But if there were two games, the second was Snood. And now that game is due in iPhone form soon as well. It features the same creature-matching gameplay (with both new and old graphics, as you can see above), which means it probably has the same addictive quality that kept me playing long after I was supposed to have read those excerpts the professor gave to us in English class, and three gameplay modes, including Story, Classic, and even a Time Attack mode. "Coming soon" is the word on when it'll be out, though the main webpage actually says "play now," so it probably isn't that far off. It's not the only "Bust a Move" style game out on the App Store, but it is Snood, and that itself is enough to take me back to the days of pizza and beer in the dorm room.
Complete Yale courses now on iTunes U
What a great opportunity to brush up on controversies in Astrophysics, Game Theory, or France since 1871. Apple and Yale University have partnered to bring complete Yale courses to iTunes U and they are free for the clicking.Apple was already offering significant quantities of lectures and interviews from Yale, but now complete courses are being offered for free. For now, there are 13 complete courses online, one subject area is composed of about 40-50 separate podcasts. That's a lot of information and precious knowledge.If learning about the American Novel since 1945, or Biomedical Engineering is your thing, click right on over. There is probably something on the list you'll find interesting, to say nothing of the many great lectures.The twists and turns of the digital revolution have been breathtaking to watch. From my home, an office, sitting at an airport, or riding along in a car, bus, plane or train I can take my favorite music, movies, or listen to experts relate the latest discoveries about Black Holes of the history of Psychology. What a world.
15 Minutes of Fame: WoW 101 -- yes, WoW for college credit
15 Minutes of Fame is our look at World of Warcraft players of all shapes and sizes – from the renowned to the relatively anonymous, the remarkable to the player next door. Tip us off to players you'd like to hear more about.WoW.com's Adam Holisky has been itching to take a WoW course for quite a while now -- so Adam, this 15 Minutes of Fame is for you. While some people still don't get that playing WoW doesn't lead to becoming a college dropout, there are plenty of others who recognize the game to be a rich resource not only as entertainment but even as a venue for anthropological research.And now, this: "Warcraft: Culture, Gender and Identity," a credit-awarding class being offered at Inver Hills Community College in Minnesota. At the helm of this innovative course is Landon Pirius, Ph.D., also known as Nodnal the Gnome Warrior of Blackwater Raiders-US. No stranger to the convergence of WoW and academia, Dr. Pirius wrote his doctoral dissertation on "Massively Multiplayer Online Virtual Environments: A Potential Locale for Intercultural Training." We didn't go quite that deep in this interview; we simply visited with him about his wildly successful college course and how it's helping shape modern educational methodologies.And before you ask -- yes, Dr. Pirius returned the answers to our interview questions in impeccable outline form.
15 Minutes of Fame: WoW 101 -- yes, WoW for college credit Part 2
Students interact with you and classmates via an online system called Desire2Learn. D2L is a course management system and is the platform we use to deliver all of our online classes. Students log into D2L and can interact with fellow students and the instructor.
Missouri School of Journalism's iPhone "requirement" a clever interpretation of financial aid rules
Here's an interesting new mandate for all of Missouri School of Journalism's incoming freshman: equip themselves with iPhones and iPod touches. Actually, let's go ahead and clarify what "mandate" means here, as associate dean Brian Brooks has stated that no one will a be punished for not buying / owning one. While noting the audio recording and playback capabilities were motivation for this decision, he explains the reason it's classified as a requirement is because it lets students include it in their financial need estimate -- wholly beneficial when you're figuring out scholarships and loans. It doens't look like there'll be any direct discounts from U of M, however, unlike some other schools with similar initiatives. It's a clever loophole, to be sure, but we'd wager there's more than a few undergraduates who are none too pleased at the Apple favoritism, and to be honest, we love nothing more right now than imagining a large group of S60 and Zune supporters gathering in a field for frisbee, picnic, and lots of protesting. [Via Macworld]
Found Footage: Blackboard course management system coming to iPhone
If you work in any type of academic environment, there's a huge chance that you might be using Blackboard for your CMS (Course Management System). Blackboard is a system that is prevalent across many college campuses and is even used by some high schools to manage course work, grades, assignments, and more. In this found footage, Northwest College of Agriculture captured a video demo at ConnectED of the upcoming Blackboard application for iPhone and iPod touch. The application will allow you to connect to your schools Blackboard server and get important information from your account. I personally can't wait for this application to ship, and I'm sure many college students and professors are eager to use it. According to the representative in the video, the application will be free when it launches. If you didn't catch the application layout, you can see it on Flickr.Thanks, Micah!
UK college begins testing facial recognition attendance system
It's something we never really appreciated when waltzing into class way back when, but the ability to show up at your leisure without having to "clock in" and "clock out" was awesome. If you agree, you'll probably want to shred that application for City of Ely Community College in the UK, which has become one of the first UK schools to trial a new facial recognition technology from Aurora. Officials suggest that knowing who is on campus at any given time helps them in case of emergency, as they can easily see if they've collected everyone into a safe area; being the Big Brother haters that we are, we tend to see things a bit differently. And besides, who really wants to show up two minutes early to class to have some machine look at your groggy, tattered up face? Have a look in the read link for a quick video of what you are (or are not, we suppose) missing.[Via Slashdot]
Clemson develops ballin' system to measure slam dunk intensity
For those of you who think knowing the miles per hour of each pitch is the best part of a baseball game -- and sometimes, it really is -- Clemson University civil engineering professor Scott Schiff and his students have created a system that'll measure the force of the dunks and display it on the overhead screens instantly. In one game against East Carolina, Clemson forward Raymond Sykes managed a dunk that measured 30 G's -- which we're told is mighty impressive, but really, we don't have much comparison at this point. The team hopes its system gets adopted for other venues, and for sake of having more excuses to stare at the giant TVs and not the court, we hope so, too. Hit up the read link to see video of the system in action.[Via PhysOrg]
College Basketball Invitational signs up with HDNet
The Super Bowl isn't even underway, and our HD gluttony is already warming up for March college basketball. Only a couple of years old, the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) has agreed to bring its 16 team bracket to HDNet in March. Normal folks might think that three basketball tournaments running simultaneously from the second half of March to the beginning of April -- the NCAA, NIT and CBI -- might be too much, but serious fans (or those unfortunate enough to have favorite teams spread across tournaments) know better. For those people, we suggest getting a hold of as many tuners as you can and buying Visine in bulk.
World of Warcraft college course has to be next
Out on the internet today the story that UC Berkeley is offering a course in StarCraft is spreading like wildfire. Joystiq covered the news today, and you can also find an extensive Digg on the subject. The course description partially reads: "What may look like complex topics are just ways we want you to think more deeply about the game to derive a greater satisfaction from playing."So... who wants to take bets on how long until there is a World of Warcraft course?If they're offering a StarCraft course aimed at "thinking more deeply about the game to derive a greater satisfaction from playing," imagine what a World of Warcraft course could do for that. Taking down raid bosses with 24 other people is quite satisfying, especially if it's the first kill. The communication and leadership skills necessary to successfully run raids are akin to running a small business, and the mathematics and statistics behind the true upper echelons of play require a solid understanding of calculus.That would be a course I'd be interested in. Not that I wouldn't sign up for a StarCraft course in a heartbeat, mind you.
FCC Commissioner blames WoW for college drop-outs
Yes! Finally, we have a new target of blame for college drop-outs. According to FCC Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate, online game addiction - namely World of Warcraft - is "one of the top reasons for college drop-outs." And here I was thinking it had something to do with decreased funding for education or lowered standards for college admission. Silly me. This statement by Tate was in addition to a similar statement by University of Minnesota Duluth officials that voiced the same concern in an interview with GamePolitics. Needless to say, they're pretty fired up about this over at our sister site WoW Insider with what is mounting up to 130+ comments on the post so far! Leave us your own comments below and let us know what you think about this.
NYU to debut gaming degree program next fall
Students at New York University may soon study how to make games instead of simply skip class to play them. A first for any college in New York City, beginning next fall NYU will offer "long-term undergraduate and graduate degrees in the research, design and development of digital games." With around 70 different game design courses planned, the sure to be popular program will likely fill up quick, with only 10 to 12 NYU students allowed to participate in 2009, with additional Master's and certificate programs planned for an even smaller group beginning the following year. So, do you have what it takes to tighten up the graphics on level 3?[Via Wonderland]
Gifts for the Apple-loving college student
With Macs growing more popular on college campuses, why not get the college student in your life something they'll actually use? This gift guide is filled with things that any Apple-loving college student should want/need. For the dorm If your dorms are like most, then you might be sharing a room with up to four others. With limited space, you shouldn't have to sacrifice with limited computing/entertainment. The Griffin Simplifi is a great place to start. The Simplifi does tripple duty as an iPhone/iPod dock, USB hub, and media card reader. With the Simplifi, you can have one USB cable to plug into your Mac (or PC) and get instant access to iPhone/iPod syncing, downloading pictures from your media cards (it supports SD, Media Stick/Pro, SDHC, xD, and CF). If you like rocking out in your dorm, then look no further than the Logitech Pure-Fi Anywhere 2 speakers. These speakers have a great sound and look. They also don't take a ton of space, come with a portable case, and they have a remote control. The speakers are compatible with all iPods/iPhone with the 30-pin dock connector on the bottom. For the walks between classes You can easily brighten the long walks in between classes with an iPod nano (or any of the other numerous iPod/iPhone devices). Sure, you could use the plain old earbuds that come with the iPod/iPhone, but you might also want to take a look at the Coosh headset for iPhone/iPod. This headset is perfect for the walkers/runners in your life, because the loop on the headset keeps the earbuds from popping out of your ear and breaking. You also get good sound, without sacrificing the fashionable white earbuds. If you're look for some good, cheaper sound-isolating in-ear headphones for iPhone, look no further than the Radtech ProCable headset. Other goodies that college students love: We can't express how great iTunes Gift Cards are. You can pick them up almost anywhere (including online), and they can be used to purchase music, movies, TV shows, and iPhone/iPod touch applications and games. If you are regularly missing your favorite TV shows, then it might be worth it to invest in an Apple TV and hack your Apple TV with Boxee. You can also install Boxee on your Mac and save a few hundred dollars.
Apple opens registration for 2008 Insomnia Film Festival
If you are a high school or college student, then you can now register a team for Apple's 2008 Insomnia Film Festival. The idea behind the festival is simple. Apple will post a list of elements you can use in your film, you pick three of them, and then take 24 hours to make a 3 minute movie.If you are the lucky grand prize winner, your team will receive: 5 MacBook Pro notebook computers, 5 Final Cut Studio 2 box sets, 5 copies of Shake, 5 Logic Studio box sets, and 5 One to One personal training cards. That sure is a nice set up! If you want to get in on the action, check out Apple's Insomnia Film Festival website, and register your team today! All the fun will start on November 15th at 9:00 a.m. EST. And if you like the Insomnia logo, Apple has posted wallpaper for both Mac and iPhone/iPod touch on the site.
Study shows 43% of college women prefer Macs
"Hi, I'm a Mac. And I'm a PC." -- You've probably heard those words more than a few times. Apple has been airing the "Get a Mac" commercials for a few years, and from the looks of it, the ads have been fairly successful. But has it really helped spread the word that Mac is better?iPhone Savior recently surveyed seven college women at a school in British Columbia (Canada) and found that almost half of them said they preferred a Mac over a PC. They note that their research on the subject was ended early due to "several unfriendly encounters with campus security."Numbers don't lie ... and Apple has the numbers (quite literally) on their side. Recently, Apple's market share jumped to almost 8.2% for notebook users. That's just amazing (especially for such difficult economical times).Please note: The iPhone Savior survey is very limited in statistical terms of population, and because of this, the data is probably skewed slightly. We should also note that before you take a poll on a college campus, make sure you're a student or have clearance from the proper school officials. That being said, feel free to take part in our own poll on this issue.%Poll-20789%
OC Register visits Blizzard Art Show
The Orange County Register has made the decision to switch their gaming blog from general coverage of games to strictly Blizzard news all the time (being in close proximity to Blizzard's HQ in Anaheim will help), and for their first feature, they've got a big writeup (and lots of pictures) from that Laguna College Art Show we mentioned the other day.Turns out it's an all-Blizzard art show, and there's art in there not just from Blizzard's past titles, but also from upcoming titles like Diablo III, Starcraft II, and our own Wrath of the Lich King. It all looks awesome, and the show lasts through the end of the month, so while that unfortunately means that these pieces won't be at BlizzCon (though there likely will be plenty of game art displays there anyway), it also means that if you can find the time to visit Laguna during the convention, you'll be able to check it out.The Register also has a couple of quick profiles of some student artists at the show, including a few samples of their work and why they enjoy Blizzard's art so much. It's very cool that Blizzard is giving back to their local community like this -- hopefully we'll get a chance to see even some student work at BlizzCon.
College Gaming League 3v3 Arena Tournament
Blizzard announced that World of Warcraft 3v3 Arenas are part of the new College Gaming League, the first official amateur league partner of the Championship Gaming Series. The Dell-spearheaded venture works with Intel and Microsoft to offer educational discounts and PC bundles for students, faculty and staff at numerous partner schools all over the United States. Students and faculty at Dell University partner schools can register and receive benefits like special offers on games and systems, access to public game servers, and compete in tournaments.Among the tournaments -- which include Xbox 360 and PC games -- is the World of Warcraft 3v3 Arena competition. Registration began last August 21 and closes on September 11, while the official matches span from September 15 to October 5. Loot up for grabs are three Alienware m15x notebooks as Grand Prizes, three Microsoft Zune players as First Prizes, and three $50 Dell gift cards for the runners-up. It's an underwhelming selection past the Grand Prizes, to be sure, but registration is free and members can participate in other tournaments with a host of other prizes to be won. Initiatives like these certainly give students something to while away their time... after they've submitted those term papers, of course.
ESPNU HD preps for launch Thursday
After ESPNews, now it's time for ESPNU to make the jump to 720p, as promised last year, on August 28. So far Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS, RCN, Atlantic Broadband and Broadstripe are signed on to distribute the channel, with ESPN "working on" deals with other providers. The debut event is the Vanderbilt vs. Miami (OH) football game at 7:30 p.m., with ESPN's fourth U.S. high definition station expecting to air over 200 HD events in its first year -- Thursday and Saturday live college football games, plus basketball, lacrosse, baseball, softball, volleyball, wrestling and hockey. Coupled with a 15-year agreement to air SEC matchups on its family of networks, there should be plenty of SPEED on tap for ESPNU HD.
