Niklas.Hemdal

Ok, so Alina and I unboxed the Kindle Fire today.  It was great to have almost a full charge directly out of the box.  I struggled briefly with the Wireless Network connectivity and Amazon Account registration even though I was seated next to the wireless router.  The jury is still out whether or not this was a PEBCAT (problem exists between chair and tablet) issue.  I would like to think that it wasn't, but I am human.

One of the disappointing things about the Kindle Fire is the absence of a microphone.  While there certainly are a lot of creative uses for a microphone on tablet devices, I'm truly disappointed that I can't use the Kindle Fire for VOIP.  As Alina will be the largest user of this device perhaps this isn't such a disappointment after all.      

Up until now, and even though I utilize an Android smartphone, most of my app purchases or free app downloads have been for iOS.  I didn't find much help from the web community on essential Kindle Fire apps; therefore, here is my list of essential Getting Started Kindle Fire applications.

1.  Evernote
2.  WolframAlpha
3.  Seesmic
4.  CalenGoo
5.  SketchBook
6.  AndroXplorer
7.  Netflix
8.  Hulu Plus
9.  Slacker Radio
 

Today I tested mapping a walking route with my Droid X.   I downloaded the iMapMy app for Android.  iMapMy is free, and also available for the iPhone and Blackberry.  Although, there is also Cyclemeter on the iPhone.  I need to find an armband as I held the Droid X in my hand for the entire walk, and was somewhat cumbersome when I had to work with the dogs.  I'm thinking about a DIY bicycle mount for cycling routes.  I really like the 3D Flyover Video.

This year my children are exploring the use of digital flashcards as a learning aid.  The ease of transport, connectivity, audio/video capabilities, and long battery life of small hand-held devices/tablets (i.e. iPod Touch and iPad) helps makes digital flashcards an ideal learning aid over paper index cards.  Furthermore, it's impossible to record/playback audio/video, jump to an internet website instantly, or easily include pictures/snapshots using a paper index card. 

A core requirement is that the digital flashcard study process mimics the traditional index card process (either independently or Q&A with another person) and runs well on a device that can be easily put in a pocket or school backpack.  While it is possible to create digital flashcards with presentation tools, wikis, Google Apps, etc, these are typically better consumed with larger devices and might require connectivity to use.  My kids are currently exploring an application named Mental Case using the iPod Touch and iPad.

The Mental Case Desktop UX for creating digital flashcards is very straightforward, and the Bluetooth sync to the iPod Touch is also easy.  The iPad is also capable of creating digital flashcards on its own.  Outside of mimicking the traditional uses of paper index cards, I'm also encouraging my daughter to use digital flashcards for her Chinese study.  She works with a native Chinese speaker for an hour on Sunday nights, and could use Mental Case to take full-advantage of the screen capture (using stylus to handwrite Chinese characters on screen) and audio capture capabilities for instance.

It's unfortunate that my children are currently unable to benefit from personal digital learning aids like this because of policies that ban personal device use during the school day.   From personal research, more schools are piloting "Bring Your Own Technology" programs.  It is inevitable that BYOT is the future. 

See Also:  The Mental Faculty Website