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Nike+ Basketball and Training slamdunk the FCC, jog one step closer towards availability
It was back in the cold, cruel darkness of February -- when physical exertion was far from our mind -- that we learned about Nike+'s Basketball and Training experiences. Now, in the warm glow of early summer, here they are, limbering up at the FCC. So, it might be a little too late for you to inject a little tech-spice into your college season, but you'll have all year to train up for the next one. Either way, looks like Nike is going to cross the line in plenty of time for that June 29th release date.
RED goes beyond cameras with $15,000 REDucation X showbiz immersion
RED's dabbled in the workshop arena with its three-day REDucation classes, but the cinema company's new program ups the session time to a full 16 weeks. REDucation X, which kicks off on October 1st, will run you a cool $15,000 -- approaching the cost of an entire Scarlet-X package. While getting REDucated at RED Studios in Hollywood, you'll learn from high-end film pros alongside 20 other deep-pocketed students as you cover digital production from A to Z, including lighting, shooting and equipment brass tacks, followed by a one-week shoot, and finishing with editing, grading and big-screen delivery. So given the choice, should you buy a new Scarlet, or take the training? We'd love to own one, but it would be nice to know how to use it properly, too.
Articulate launches Storyline authoring tool, outputs training modules to iPad and HTML 5
Learning professionals have long been familiar with Articulate's Studio line of e-learning tools. The suite allows content developers in both enterprise and educational contexts to easily leverage PowerPoint slideshows in building out interactive, scored and narrated lesson modules. The Studio suite of apps (Presenter, Quizmaster and Engage) offer a good mix of powerful capabilities and a relatively shallow learning curve, at a premium price -- the current special deal offers Studio for just under US$1,400. Studio '09 is a Windows-only offering, but that's not the limitation that has proved most challenging to users over the past two years. It's the suite's lack of a compelling Flash-free output option for mobile devices (for all values of "mobile device" = "iPad") that's been a thorn in the side of content pros desperate to get their modules out to the iOS ecosystem. While Studio itself won't gain iPad or HTML 5 savvy until the subsequent Studio '12 version ships, there is an all-new platform rising for training designers who need those flexible output choices. Articulate Storyline (Windows only, US$1,398 with a 30-day demo) steps away from the PowerPoint underpinnings of Studio and delivers downloadable, playable content for iPad users via the Articulate Mobile Player app (free in the App Store). Storyline users can take advantage of accessible slide templates and animated character presets, slide layers with multiple interactive moments, a full set of action triggers and object states and more. Storyline can set and read variables, making it easier to track user activity across a slide or a module. Assessment tools, quizzes and a full screencasting environment round out the feature set. iPad and HTML 5 output are both one-click easy. The Mobile Player doesn't yet fully support SCORM tracking or other enterprise e-learning management features, but they are on the way. It may take a while for Studio customers to get comfortable with the new toolset in Storyline, but the opportunity to get content onto the iPad easily should help motivate them.
Sprint begins employee training for Galaxy Nexus, launch looks imminent
First it appeared in a slipped ad, and then on The Engadget Show during CES. More recently, Sprint's variant of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus was spotted coasting through the FCC, and now it's practically a lock to launch between three and six weeks from now. We've received word that Sprint has initiated employee training specifically for the Galaxy Nexus and Android 4.0, which will enlighten staff on the benefits of the handset, ICS and Google Wallet. Those involved with the training have to wrap things up within the next fortnight, leading us to believe that it'll make its way into retail outlets in late April or early May. In related news, the coursework also makes mention of enabling LTE on a heretofore unannounced "LG Fury" -- presumably not to be confused with the similarly titled handset from ZTE. Unfortunately, details beyond the name on that guy are nowhere to be found, but we'll be digging for more in the days ahead. Update: We've since stumbled upon a full slide deck of the training guide, and while there's nothing too surprising here, we are seeing that early units will ship with LTE turned off by default, though the company will change that at an undetermined time in the future. Call us crazy, but it sounds like Sprint may start hawking these prior to its LTE network being fully active.
Sportiiiis: a heads up display for the athletically inclined
When we're not blogging, we're training for marathons, triathlons and the like, and we're constantly looking for ways to maximize our athletic performance. Ok, not really, but there are plenty of folks who are athletes looking for an extra edge, and 4iiii wants to give it to them with a heads up display called Sportiiiis. It's a small plastic boom that attaches to your shades and provides information to the wearer via multicolored LEDs programmed to your liking with its companion software. It can pull data from up to eight ANT+ devices at once to provide Ironmen with heart rate, speed, power, pace, and cadence information. There's also a built-in speaker that provides audible cues, and users can switch between visual and audio output by simply tapping the side of the boom. It's available now on the company's website for $199, and you can read more in the PR below.
iBike Powerhouse to be unveiled at CES 2012, a cycling computer to shed your holiday excess
Just like the iBike Dash from the days of yore, Velocomp is back with the Powerhouse -- a cycling computer that integrates with any standard bicycle along with the iPhone and iPod Touch. Designed in collaboration with cycling coach Hunter Allen, the Powerhouse features distinct fitness plans tailored to the goals of training cyclists and lazy bums alike. Regimens last four to six weeks and include iSlim, Express Fitness, Brazilian Butt, Kid Fit, Weekend Warrior, Zero to 50 miles in Three Weeks and Healthy Heart. Perhaps more intriguing, however, is the ability to purchase additional training routines within the iBike app. The product will be fully unveiled at CES and will retail for $269, which includes a water / shock-resistant case, a universal mounting system, all the necessary electronics and the iOS app -- which lets cyclists listen to their music as they train. Those interested in the finer details may check the PR just after the break.
Android team takes developers to school with Android Training program
Dust off your Trapper Keeper and strap on those brand new sneakers, because Android school is now in session. Yesterday, the Android Developers team announced the launch of Android Training -- a set of online classes designed to help users create better apps. The tutorials, available for free, provide aspiring devs with step-by-step instructions and tips on how to implement effective navigation tools, optimize battery life and solve other "common Android development problems." At the moment, the program is divided into 11 sections with a total of 34 individual lessons, though the team plans to expand its offerings "over the coming months." Try it out for yourself at the source link below.
Daily iPad App: Wild Chords
Wild Chords is a really amazing app -- at its absolute base, it's an excellent and easy-to-use guitar tuner, perfect for kids or adults. But the real magic of Wild Chords is in actually playing the guitar along with the main game; this game will teach you, chord by chord and string by string, how to strum away some really excellent tunes. The app very colorful and well-made -- its simplicity hints that it's for children, but even as a beginner-to-medium guitar player, it was never condescending. The app starts easy, with a quick tune-up and then just an open chord test, and things get harder from there. The basic idea is that you're playing along to tame animals, so you need to play the right chord as your in-game character passes them while walking down a street: Eventually you'll be playing the A chord to tame an Ape, and a C chord to tame a crocodile, and so on. The game even shows a really nice sense of musical wit: The A minor chord is portrayed by a sad ape, the A major is a happy ape, and so on. The other level type, meant to teach individual string plucking, features birds sitting on five different telephone wires, with each of them given a number. On that game, you're mean to hit the fret marked by their number, and then strum the string they're sitting on. It's a very nice visual way to show tablature, and it works great. The feedback isn't perfect -- strumming the birds just puts them to sleep, and that's not too instinctively positive. But once you get the feedback whether you're doing it right or not, it works. The best part of this is that all of the animals you're collecting and taming are all attached to real songs, so as you strum to hit the right notes, you're actually accompanying an original song on the iPad as you play. Even the first lesson of the open chord is included in this, so Wild Chords pulls off the impressive feat of going from no guitar experience to being able to play along with a song in seconds. The later songs are really great too -- unfortunately, there are no lyrics, and these are all original songs, not pop hits or even the "traditional" tunes most people learn early on in guitar lessons. But they're all very catchy across a nice variety of styles, and given that the game doesn't ever punish you for experimenting (as long as you hit the notes you're supposed to hit), you can improvise and play in between the beats all you want, and it all works great. That said, if you're already a guitar expert, this might not quite be challenging enough. While the levels do get tough (you can even demo the more advanced levels, just to see what they're like), expert guitar players might not find much to learn until the very last few areas. Still, I think what's there does fit in with what most amateur players would want to learn, and Wild Chords does a lot with very little. I don't know what note detection system they're using or how it was designed, but considering that I was simply using the iPad's microphone in a quiet room with no special connection or setup, I was impressed by how well the app detected what I was playing and rewarded me accordingly. And here's the real kicker: The app is completely free to play. There are a few in-app purchases for extra content, but there's enough content in there already that you'll know after downloading and playing with it for a while if you need any more levels. I haven't done a lot of shopping for guitar tuner apps on the App Store yet, so I'm sure there are more advanced or feature-filled tuners out there, but in my mind this tuner is nice and works well enough that it alone is worth downloading the app for. Wild Chords is a really excellent app for the iPad -- it has already won awards in Europe, but just recently arrived on the North American App Store. If you've got young ones who've been looking to start learning guitar, or wouldn't mind figuring out a few chords for yourself, grab a five-string and the app, and see what you think.
Apple training retail managers on union awareness
CNET has obtained an internal document which details training Apple has given its retail managers on how to respond if employees unionize. Said training has likely already taken place by the time of this publication, and it's mandatory for all new Apple Store managers. According to the training description, "This course is intended to provide managers with a practical understanding of how unions affect the workplace, how and why employees organize, and the legal do's and don'ts of dealing with unions. This is a mandatory class for all new managers, and is required biannually for all managers." This training comes about six months after Apple Retail workers in the Pacific Northwest made an attempt at unionizing. "We work in one of the most demanding retail environments while suffering through unfair treatment and compensation among many other various issues," the group claims, and CNET has cited many other practices the group considers unfair. Unionizing would allow retail employees the opportunity to negotiate these grievances, but CNET notes that an expert on unions told them that Apple's gargantuan retail success makes it unlikely that any such negotiations would go very far.
Garmin announces FR70 fitness watches to keep you on track
Looking to keep those New Year's resolutions past the first week of January in 2012? Garmin's out to help you stay the course with its FR70 fitness watches for both guy and gals. Using this trainer's timepiece, you'll be able to track your workout time, heart rate and calories burned right on your wrist. Powered by ANT+ technology, the FR70 can connect to compatible devices like treadmills, bikes, elliptical machines, your boyfriend's Segway, etc. For avid runners, pairing the watch with a wireless foot pod will clue you in on speed, distance and cadence during your training sessions. If biking is more your style, a pace sensor is available for you as well. Combine an FR70 with the Tanita BC-1000 system and you can track weight, water levels, body fat and a handful of other measurements that will be stored right on the device. Once all the data is collected, it can be sent to Garmin Connect whenever you return with range of your PC. The pair will be available in the UK, starting in November, for £129 / €139 ($197). If you need some reading while you're lacing up those Nikes, hit the PR button for the full skinny.
Quark will host iPad publishing seminars
As noted by MacObserver, Quark is pushing the new App Studio feature of QuarkXPress 9.1 by offering designers two seminars to help them use this new publishing tool. App Studio lets designers create their own multimedia-rich iPad magazine app using the familiar interface of QuarkXpress. It includes a suite of tools that'll let you create the app, distribute it through the App Store and publish new content as issues that customers can buy or download for free. Quark will be holding two one-day training events in October that'll walk attendees through these new iPad tools. The first event will be held October 20 in Denver and the second will be held in London on October 26.
Daily iPad App: Extra Innings Mobile Instructor
Extra Innings Mobile Instructor is a training app to help you analyze a baseball swing or pitch. It records or imports video and provides you with a set of tools to mock-up the video as you critique the player's movement. You can also use the app to submit the video clip to an expert who'll professionally analyze your swing or pitch. To use the app you'll need a baseball swing recorded using an iOS device (iPhone, iPad 2) or imported from your video library. If you're a coach, you'll have ample opportunity to take video of your team. The video recording feature has a nice focus box that helps you line up the player to get the perfect shot for the analysis. Once the video clip has been added to the Extra Innings, it only takes a few clicks to send the video to EI for analysis by a baseball professional. Each analysis is available as an in-app purchase that costs $15. If you want to analyze the video yourself, you can launch the editing feature and mark up the video using a built-in set of tools. You can add shapes, draw freehand with a pencil tool, add text notes and even record audio. You can add these overlays to the entire video or apply them to specific sections. When you are done with your analysis, you can export the video and email it off to the recipient. The app supports folders so you organize your videos by player, team, and more. The Extra Innings app is a must have for any parent whose children play baseball or a coach of a team. It's great for little league all the way through high school. Colleges can also use it, but if you're playing at that level, you likely have high-speed cameras and other advanced tools for analysis. Extra Innings Mobile Instructor is available for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch running iOS 4.2 or later. It's priced at a very reasonable $4.99.
Apple's training site back online, Lion certifications due this fall
For the past couple of weeks (since shortly before the Lion introduction, I believe) Apple's professional training and certification site at training.apple.com has been under renovation. Today it's back with a new Lion-esque look and previews of new training courses and certifications for Apple-centric IT professionals. The three new tracks/certs are for Lion (no surprise), Final Cut Pro X and Mac Integration Basics 10.7. None of the certification exams for those tracks are ready yet, nor are most of the course materials -- only the MIB class has full documentation available right now. Lion certification testing is due to start up in the fall, and FCP X certifications are "coming soon." The Snow Leopard 10.6 certification courses/testing suite is still available, and according to Apple's internal sales web site it will remain on offer until January 2012. Snow Leopard certification will not expire when the Lion exams come online, so if you get certified now you're still considered up to date well into 2012. Thanks, Wheat!
Are Sprint's employees getting the lowdown on the Samsung Conquer 4G?
There's a long-anticipated Samsung handset with 4G which has Sprint employees hitting the training manuals. Nope, not that one. It's the Conquer 4G, a midrange Android phone that's finally receiving attention after weeks of obscurity. AndroidCentral uncovered an image of a PowerPoint training presentation that offers only a few new specs: we already knew about the 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, Gingerbread, 3.5-inch display, and dual cameras with LED flash, but the slide seemingly confirms it'll also have Sprint Mobile Wallet, Swype, and Sprint ID included. Again, we don't have much to go off of here, but the slide -- if genuine -- is a solid clue that we may be seeing the shy guy again very soon. To be honest, though, we'd like to see if its more attractive cousin is deeper in the deck.
WWDC 2011 videos reportedly not working in some browsers
Apple released its session videos from WWDC and many people are having problems watching them. Apparently, Apple is limiting playback to Safari on the Mac. If you try to watch the videos on an alternative browser, even on a Mac machine, you receive the stern warning that "You need to use Safari on the Mac to view this video. We have no idea why Apple has this policy. Both the keynote and session videos are encoded in H.264 so they're in a format supported by a variety of platforms. The easiest workaround for this problem though is iTunes. All these videos can be watched from the media software without worrying about which OS or browser you are using. [Via Electronista]
Final Cut Pro X video tutorials available
The reviews of Final Cut Pro X (US$299.99) are mixed, but the latest incarnation of Apple's Pro video editing app is here for better or worse. For those video wonks who would like to get up to speed quickly on the new product, MacProVideo.com now has a complete set of Final Cut Pro X tutorials available for sale. The tutorials are the brainchild of Michael Wohl, noted as one of the original designers of Final Cut Pro. Each of the tutorials, with the exception of the free Final Cut Pro X: Overview and Quick Start Guide, cost $19.50 each. Alternatively, potential trainees can subscribe to the complete library of tutorials for $25 per month. There are eight titles in the MacProVideo tutorial series, ranging from the initial overview through ingestion and organization of video, editing, titles, effects, compositing and exporting and sharing videos.
DARPA setting up a $130 million 'virtual firing range' to help battle cyber attacks
The US government is serious about online security, just ask any one of its cyber commandos. Adding to its arsenal for battling the big bad hackers, Reuters reports that DARPA is working on a National Cyber Range, which would act a standalone internet simulation engine where digital warriors can be trained and experimental ideas tested out. Lockheed Martin and Johns Hopkins University are competing to provide the final system, with one of them expected to soon get the go-ahead for a one-year trial, which, if all goes well, will be followed by DARPA unleashing its techies upon the virtual firing range in earnest next year. The cost of the project is said to run somewhere near $130 million, which might have sounded a bit expensive before the recent spate of successful hacking attacks on high profile private companies, but now seems like a rational expenditure to ensure the nuclear missile codes and the people crazy enough to use them are kept at a safe distance from one another. DARPA has a pair of other cleverly titled cybersecurity schemes up its sleeve, called CRASH and CINDER, but you'll have to hit the source link to learn more about them.
Polar RCX5 training computer feels your multi-sport pain
The French didn't only invent the guillotine. They also bequeathed us something even more painful (though that's hard to prove): "Les trois sports", aka the Triathlon. A swimming-cycling-running succession of pure hurt, which Polar's latest RCX5 training computer seeks to measure using an array of sensors -- much like its rivals the Garmin Forerunner 610 and Timex Ironman Global Trainer. You can buy the RCX5 now for $350 in a basic pack, which includes the watch plus the WearLink+ Hybrid, an amphibious chest-strapped heart rate monitor. Alternatively, you can pick up a pricier bundle containing an extra sensor of your choice. The Bike bundle ($390) includes Polar's CS W.I.N.D. speed sensor that installs on a fork and spoke. The Run bundle ($420) comes with a s3+ stride sensor that clips to your laces. Finally, the top-of-the-range Multi bundle ($480) replaces both those options with a G5 GPS sensor, which ought to work equally well for both both runners and cyclists thanks to our shiny friends out in orbit. Hit the PR after the break for further details or the extra coverage link for triathlete DC Rainmaker's seriously in-depth review.
Rumor: Apple planning something in stores for retail anniversary
Just this morning we were hearing rumors that Apple was planning some sort of event for this weekend's retail anniversary, and now BGR has heard that there's a flurry of activity behind the counter at Apple Stores. There are some overnight shifts planned for this weekend, black curtains to go up and hide the storefronts, secret information going out to managers and trainers, and mandatory meetings for all employees on Sunday. BGR speculates that it's a secret product launch, but that's a little overblown -- it's highly unlikely that Apple would launch a product directly in the retail stores. It's more likely a simple store refresh; a rollout like this is basically standard procedure for switching up the displays, and especially since most of the storefronts are still featuring the MacBook Air and the iPad 2, they're due for a refresh anyway. Apple's not much for anniversaries, but 10 years is a milestone for the very popular retail effort, so there may even be a congratulatory line or two in any new displays. Fortunately, we won't have to wait long. If the black curtains go up this weekend, everything Apple's working on will be public by Sunday. We'll keep an eye out, and if you happen to know more about what's going on, be sure to let us know.
French basketball team 'trains' with robots, learns how to 'win'
To the list of French accomplishments you may now add "robot basketball training" -- at least if the video above is to be believed. But you probably shouldn't believe it when members of Poitiers Basket 86 testify that amusement park rides improved the team's "spatial orientation" and helped them defeat top-ranked Chalon. It'd be different if the "robots" were teaching them perfect free-throw or helping them walk, obviously, but PB86 is known for its innovative advertising, and this seems like a quirky example. Hit the video above to see the pranksters at work, but know that, as with Sartre and Camus, something gets lost in translation. [Thanks, Antoine]