MMDA app

The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) released an iOS app!  And it looks quite useful and functional.  You can view the traffic situation along the major thoroughfares like EDSA, C5, SLEX.

Presenting with an iPad

Presenting technology topics to non-technical business users has always been a challenge.  There is the jargon and the acronyms to contend with.  To effectively communicate to a non-technical audience, I found it’s best to present a series of slides with simplified diagrams and animations.  Peppering your audience with a lot of techno terms is a guaranteed cure for insomnia.

One time I had to do a presentation to all the branch managers regarding the ATM configuration and how our ATMs interface with the ATM switch and with the core-banking system.  It required me to show the flow of money from the deposit in a branch and how it can be withdrawn from an ATM. I had to articulate what was meant by “stand-in,” what would happen if a customer withdrew funds when the ATM was in “stand-in” mode, and why an account would be overdrawn if the ATM is in “stand-in” mode.  I figured that the best way to show this was to to show a simplified diagram of the ATM network and to show how many virtually traveled from the ATM to the switch to the core-banking system.

Now without a doubt, Apple’s Keynote rules in terms of presentation software.  For years, I have been a Powerpoint user but my slides have always been static slides with minimal animation and transitions.  I gave myself one full day to prepare the presentation, but using Keynote I completed the slides in just over one hour.  The whole process was incredibly intuitive.  I couldn’t believe that I could create a complex presentation is so short a time. I trotted confidently to the training room with my Macbook Pro, hooked it up to the projector, and drove the presentation using a wireless remote presenter.  All my notes and scripts were displayed through the Macbook by the actual slides was projected onto the wall.  This enabled me to deliver the presentation without looking at the slide show behind me as if I had memorized my entire material.  I know that Powerpoint has the same feature (I think it’s called something like Presentor View) but it isn’t enabled by default.  Contrast that with Apple’s Keynote which enables it by default once it detects a second display device attached to it. Needless to say, I had the audience riveted and they graciously awarded me with a loud applause at the end.  Branch managers approached me and thanked me for explaining it to them, saying that they had finally understood the process.

My problem now is that my Macbook Pro is dead.  And I have a series of presentations in the pipeline.  And my office uses Windows.  So what can I use to drive a Keynote presentation?  I scoured the web for options.  I could export it to Powerpoint but some animations may not render properly.  I could export it as a Quicktime file but what if the computer in the boardroom doesn’t have Quicktime?  Or if the Quicktime version is a lower, incompatible version?  I needed a guaranteed solution.

Fortunately there is a Keynote app for the iPad.  While I can probably build my presentation slides using that app, I figure that it would be faster and easier if  I use my desktop computer.  And importing a Keynote presentation from the desktop—or even a Powerpoint presentation if you are into that thing—is easy and straight-forward.

And what’s more I found out that I could project the Keynote presentation stored in an iPad using a VGA connector.  With our office’s not-so-current Epson project up and running, I attached the 30-pin connector to the iPad and connected the other end to the projector.  The Keynote slide was instantaneously projected onto the wall and the Presenter View was displayed on the iPad screen.  Truly plug and play! No need to fiddle with function-keys!

There are, however, a few caveats with the VGA connector.  First is the price.  At close to P1400, it isn’t cheap.  But again, Apple products are really not for the spend-thrift.  Second is more a matter of managing expectations.  The VGA connector doesn’t allow mirroring.  In other words, aside from the apps that allow it (like Keynote), what you see on the iPad screen won’t be projected.  So you can’t use the VGA connector to view Angry Birds!

What I’d like to see in the iPad 3

While people are spewing accolades and gushing with tech-envy at the newest iteration of the iPad, I am, on the other hand, slightly disappointed and unimpressed.  If ever, it made the original iPad a more compelling purchase if ever they drop the price even further.

I know there are several worthwhile updates in the new iPad, but none are truly revolutionary.  Front and rear cameras?  Big deal.  I doubt if people will be using the iPad as a photography tool.  My suspicion is that it was added just to achieve parity with the other tablets, and I sincerely doubt if the other tablet users are using the camera anyway.  If ever there was a need for a camera, it would have been the front-facing camera, which makes sense for video-chatting.  Unfortunately it’s a VGA camera, and it’ll look pretty blocky if viewed with another iPad.

So, If ever anybody out there wishes to sell their existing iPad, I volunteer myself as a willing buyer.  I would probably hold out for the next version.

And what would I want to see in the third version of the iPad?

Retina Display.  Screen size is ok for me.  Yes it could be a bit bigger but I would rather see a higher pixel density.  The difference in clarity between the iPhone 3 and the iPhone 4 is evident—text is crisper, blacks are blacker, whites are whiter.

Bigger storage.  If I go on extended photo shoots, I am still forced to lug around a laptop.  It’s not because I need to do edits or post-processing, but it’s more for backup.  In a world where the cost per GB is getting cheaper and cheaper, why is the iPad 2 stuck at 64GB of storage, the same amount as the original iPad?  I’d love to be able to backup my RAW files on the iPad, freeing me from having to carry a bulky laptop.

Bigger memory.  Why is the iPad 2 spec sheet silent about the memory?  Is it still the original 256MB memory?

Lose the 30-pin connector. We have Firewire 800, USB 3.0, even Thunderbolt.  So why is Apple still stuck with the 30-pin USB connector?  Why not a faster connection?  Or even go wireless? Why do I need wires to sync with the PC to download content?   In the iMac, Apple has already ditched the wires for its keyboard and mouse.  Why not do the same for the iPad?

Camera connector.  And while we are at the topic of connecting to external devices, I’d like to see the capability to tether a camera to the iPad for video-conferencing and image capturing.  The camera on the iPad is unimpressive.  VGA on the front. And all the specs states about the back camera is that it is  720p.  Moreover, based on how one cradles the iPad on one’s lap, the camera angle is not flattering, unless your intention it for the other party to view your nostrils.   What I’d like to see is the capability of the iPad to tether a external camera, or maybe even the iPhone 4, so I have the flexibility of positioning the camera wherever I want.

Better notification.  Ok, this is more to do with iOS than with the iPad 2.  My major complaint with the notification engine is that it freezes the current application and forces me to attend to that notification.  It is most annoying when I am watching a movie or composing an email.  There must be an option to either shut-off the notification engine depending on certain applications, or even to make it as unobtrusive as possible.

What do you think where lacking in the iPad 2?  And what would you like to see in iPad 3?

My thoughts on the new iPad 2

Today, Steve Jobs revealed the new iPad 2.   It has a new dual-core 1GHz A5 chip, touted to be twice faster than the original iPad, and—finally—the much bally-hooed front and rear cameras.  I am sure, being known by my friends as a techno-gadget freak, that I will be asked my thoughts and assessments.

iPad or Galaxy Tab

That's my good friend Ed Bonoan, a senior executive of Epson Philippines, fiddling with the Samsung Galaxy Tab

A friend of mine brought along his latest gadget: a Samsung Galaxy Tab. I had the opportunity to play around with it. It’s a nifty device.  When compared with the Apple iPad, a lot will be discussed and debated about the form-factor, the presence of cameras, the screen resolution and quality of images, and the phone capabilities.  As the established techno-geek among my friends, the question will be eventually asked on which is better: an Android-based tablet or the iPad?

Ok, let me get this out of the way first:  I don’t like the 7-inch form factor.   After handling the Galaxy Tab, I agree with Steve Jobs’ assessment that 7-inch tablets are “too big to compete with a smartphone and too small to compete with the iPad.”  As a phone it is big.  You look ridiculous if you hold it close to your ear as you would a regular-sized smartphone.  You’ll either resort to the speaker (which could be inappropriate if in a public place) or you’ll have to fumble to whip out the earphones. Yes it can fit inside a jacket pocket, but I don’t walk around with a jacket and it doesn’t fit in any ordinary pocket so it’ll end up being hand-carried, which kind of defeats the purpose of having a smaller form-factor.

And yes it is great for reading books—the size mimics that of a pocketbook—but it becomes cumbersome when reading magazines and comic books.  I need something whose size is closer to a magazine format.  Want a comparison?  Get a pocket-sized reading material then find a friend who has an iPad and download the Flipbook application. Or check out this video.

The rest of the features don’t grab me.  It can handle websites with Flash?  I don’t access a lot of sites with Flash anyway.  And besides, many of them are moving to HTML5, which can be viewed in an iPad / iPhone.  It has a front-facing camera?  I guess that is ok if you want to highlight your nostrils to the person whom you are talking to.

However, if you are considering between an Galaxy Tab and an iPhone, then you should seriously consider the Galaxy Tab.   Price-wise, the Galaxy Tab is much cheaper.  For the price difference you could get the Galaxy Tab and a regular phone and then forward calls to your Galaxy Tab to your second phone.  I use my iPhone more for the apps and for accessing the internet than as a regular phone.    And pretty much you’ll find the same apps in an Android platform as that in an iOS platform.