Over the Christmas break I got a chance to play with the Azend Zippy BT-500 bluetooth keyboard. I went through a series of emotions about this little thing. Initially, I was not too impressed with how cheap it felt in my hands (like a dollar store toy for my daughter). Mainly, that was just because the bottom looked very toy-like to me. Then after flipping it over, I was a bit overwhelmed with all the stuff on the keys. I know it can do a lot of things but I dunno, it doesn’t really ALL need to be printed on the keys, does it? It connected extremely easily to both my iPhone & iPad and also only took a second to connect to my Mac so that was pretty cool. The bluetooth switching is what I thought was super impressive. You can connect the keyboard up to six different devices and with a quick key combo (seen in the picture above), switch back and forth between them. That’s pretty sweet!

Additionally, I know this is suppose to be an ultra lightweight, compact keyboard and that it surely is. I guess maybe my fingers are a little fat for it though as I kept hitting 2 keys at a time and missing. Other people I had try it didn’t have as many issues as I did so I’ll just chalk that one up to me. All in all, I like the keyboard but just wish it was SLIGHTLY bigger and not so plastic. It fits in my back pocket and I feel like I’m going to break it. But that’s probably just me.

iOS has been around for a while now. I have been using an iPhone since the first one was released. The iPhone was a revolution to the cell phone industry. Not only did it revolutionize the cell phone market, it also revolutionized what “Smart phones” could do. Then once Apple showed everyone how to use a phone, they changed the face of tablet computing. But the key to the adaptation was iOS.

Many years ago when Apple created the iMac. It was said that the “i” stood for internet. Now all these years later, I think the “i” is for incredible. It took a few years, but the current iteration of iOS (5.0.1) is one of the best I have ever used. While many people are infatuated with the Android operating system saying that they use the Google operating system, because it is open. While in theory it is great to think that open is better, having read Steve Jobs book, you understand why he wanted the “walled garden”. When you manage the user experience end to end, you can ensure that experience is a good one. Android being open allows the user to do whatever they want. The downside to this is that people with bad intentions can influence the experience. For example, a few months ago, someone downloaded all of the top apps in the Android Market, injected them with malicious code and uploaded these virus ridden applications. Using the Apple model, this is impossible. For example every application downloaded from the App store MUST be signed with an Apple certificate. If the certificate does not match, the application will not run.

I am not a smart phone snob (even though the only smart phone I have ever owned is an iPhone) I have used a Blackberry as well as an Android. In my opinion the iPhone has the best user experience I can imagine. Many Android users claim that the iPhone has stolen functions that Android utilizes, it is the Apple implementation that makes it stellar. Apple has always understood what people want. (sometimes even BEFORE the people knew they wanted it.)

iOS is an extremely user friendly, intuitive operating system. Without iOS the iPhone and the iPad would not bet the pleasurable experience we see today. This is one of the issues that I have seen with some of the Windows tablets. Microsoft refuses to separate the the mobile (tablet) OS from the desktop OS. This is the primary reason Apple has the lead in the tablet market. Once again Microsoft doesn’t get it. They continue to insist on usage a stylus. The problem with a stylus is it is something else to lose, and navigation is clunky at best.

Whether you are a fan of Apple or not, they just get it. Everyone else is trying to get their queue from Cupertino, but still can’t match Apple’s style or insight into the user experience.

What do you think?

I was poking around the internet today and added a few interesting things to my wish list. I thought you might find them interesting too. Here’s what I found:

GRID-IT! Organizer Case

MiLi Pico Projector

Wacom Inkling

Perpetual Calendar

The Magic Charger

Resonant Decor

Solar Window Charger

That’s just a few

Last night I noticed that my MacBook Pro was acting a little strange so I decided to take it in to the Apple store for a check up. I started to go about the traditional method of booking a genius bar appointment.

> Go to Apple.com… <wait> <wait> <wait>

> Go to APPLE.COM!!

At that point I realized that my Internet was completely down, how convenient! Then I remembered that there was an Apple Store app for the iPhone. After a few seconds, I downloaded the app and was browsing for my store. In a few more seconds, I had booked my appointment and was packing up the MBP for it’s ride in the car. As I was pulling in to the parking lot of the Apple store, I got a notification asking me if I wanted to check in for my appointment. Cool! I checked in and was notified that there was 1 person in front of me (all before I even walked in the door). Once inside, I walked up to the genius bar and was promptly greeted by one of the geniuses asking “Are you Brent?” again… COOL!

We worked through several things on the MBP which turned out to be small minor issues and I was off with a much healthier Mac. Needless to say, I was incredibly impressed by the Apple Store App. It does a lot more than just what I used it for but that was just a great user experience. Here’s what Apple is saying about it:

It’s the easiest way to get an iPhone 4S – right from your current iPhone.* Wherever you are, you can research and buy products, read reviews, make Genius Bar and One to One appointments, view in-store events, and more. And when you’re in an Apple Retail Store, you can request help, meet up with a Specialist, and more.??Here’s what you can do with the Apple Store app:

• Research and buy the latest Apple products, accessories, and software and get them shipped to your door.
• When at an Apple Retail Store, request help, check in for reservations, meet up with a Specialist or Trainer.
• Make Genius Bar and One to One reservations and sign up for workshops and events.
• Get free iPad and iPod engraving and signature gift wrapping for select Apple products.
• Custom-configure a new Mac with the options you want, including larger drives and more memory.
• Reserve iPhone and other select products for pickup at an Apple Retail Store.

*Rate plans for AT&T and Verizon Wireless are available through the Apple Store app. To purchase iPhone with a Sprint plan, visit the Apple Online Store or an Apple Retail Store.

I discovered LiveView by Nicholas Zambetti. This little (free) app pairs your desktop with your iDevice of choice. By placing a little window on your desktop (zip file), you can use the app (iTunes link) to connect to your Mac and see what it will look like on the iDevice screen in (fairly) real time. It refreshes pretty quickly and even supports some touch response on your iDevice back to your Mac kinda like a mouse. So… As you can guess, this came in super handy laying over the top of my Photoshop window while I designed the interface screens and mockups. Thanks Nicholas!

Note: Mac OS X 10.5 and iOS 3.1 Required

The iPad (the January demo) isn’t meant for us everyday consumers at all. It’s targeted at schools. I read this blog post today from TUAW and it kind of sealed my theories that I was developing in my absent mind. We have all been asking three major questions about the iPad, right?

1. Why no iSight?
2. Why no Multitasking?
3. Why no Flash?

I will attempt to answer 2 out of three of these questions (cuz flash just needs to go anyway IMHO). If you were Apple, you might think that you need to sell as many iPads a humanly possible even before they are released. You might also think that the one by one sales market, although lucrative, probably isn’t the lowest hanging fruit. You may also think that if you could build a product that an institution of hundreds, if not thousands of people could sign on for a big multi-iPad deal, that’s a better route to cashing in on your nifty ideas. Then you look through your ideas and find this iPad and think, “What would these Colleges want?” …

I’ll tell you what they WOULDN’T want… Video chat, music, video or anything going on during a lesson. Books on a tablet are awesome and makes for a win in so many ways but allowing these young people with ways to talk to each other or get distracted during MY lesson isn’t interesting at all. So… Let’s release a perfect device for the lowest hanging fruit, make them happy, sell them all out and re-invent for round 2. Then we can sell to the regular public.

I submit there will be several iPad options (and VERY soon). iPad for Education, iPad for People, and iPad for Geeks

More thoughts to come later. Like I said this is just a theory. What do you think?