I recently went out and got a IPhone this past April and I haven't been able to put it down since I got it. Its my new favorite way to waste my time this summer. I was amazed to see the number of apps that are available and what they can all do. A friend of mine downloaded a bunch of 3rd to 4th grade level education apps and every time he flys with his family, which is very often for some reason, he gives his phone to his son and he plays the games on the flight to keep him occupied.
There were a few limitations that I found with these portable devices. First is the battery life. If you were working on a personal PC, it would be plugged in and you could work all day on it. You can plug the portable devices in too, but they were made to be taken with you and the batteries don't last very long if you are constantly using them. Another limitation is the amount of computing power that their processors have. Since they are so small, they don't have they capabilities that lap tops or PCs have so they can't run a lot of the more complex software that is out there like AutoCad, Photoshop, or others that need a lot of RAM, video cards, and memory storage.
You can link up your portable devices up to come computers that have the right connecting bay. This increases the devices computing power because you are using the computer's power to run your device. The Internet will run faster, use peripheral devices that make the device easier to use, and a much bigger screen to view. The obvious downside to using something like the Asus is that you have to carry it with you everywhere you go which makes me question why someone wouldn't just carry along a laptop instead.
One app that I use everyday in my woodworking class is the bubble level on my phone. I know it isn't very fancy or ingenious design, but I can't tell you how much easier it is to just carry my phone around with me and check all of the projects for squareness instead of carrying around a rusty metal square instead. Plus it never becomes uncalibrated and it has three different levels in one. I can also use the camera on my phone to measure squareness over long distances if we are doing basic construction. The best part is that its free! Another app that I am thinking about getting is Home 3D. You can design a one level house on the device as a blueprint and then add wallpaper, flooring, windows, doors, any picture that is in your photo library, fixtures, and appliances. Then it will give you a 3D walk through of your dream house. Plus you can export it to your computer and save it as a dwg. or PDF file and print them off. This would be nice to use for my intro to drafting class so they can take a 2D drawing and turn it into a 3D video. The last app that I would like to use in my classroom is TeacherPal. I don't have a computer in my classroom because it wouldn't survive with all of the sawdust that we make on a daily basis. This means that I have to go from my shop to my office to do roll for the day. I found an application that would let me do roll on my phone so I don't have to leave the students by themselves and unattended. I can upload pictures of the students and get e-mail addresses so I can instantly e-mail the absent students what we went over that day.
Aren't the apps fun to play with? :) Those gadgets can surely take time away from you. I cannot understand how 15 minutes go by so quickly!! I love the Bubble app. I have that on my Android and I use it here and there. My husband is the one who does most of my hanging and he loves it. Like you,no more carrying around a stick (and I didn't know until this post that you have to calibrate it). Great post!!
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