I was on Special Needs Talk Radio, Autism As They Grow with Bobbi Sheahan!!

Autism Help USA/Technewszone
Autism Help USA/Technewszone
Autism Help USA/Technewszone

I had the opportunity to speak on Bobbi Sheahan and Amalia Starr’s Special Needs Talk Radio, Autism As They Grow’s Second to last show. I really appreciate it.

We are trying to make a difference for people with autism for quality of life, education, vocation and to help them find enjoyment in their lives, and promote inclusion as possible in schools. We are trying to do this by giving the gift of music, the arts and technology and by partnering with tech like Android, Blackberry and Apple Ipad Tablets to schools and individuals, music, and arts related organizations and people to help us get funding and reach people.

We would love to be on more shows, to gain support and make a difference.

Here is a link to the show–>http://www.blogtalkradio.com/specialneedstalkradio/2012/05/24/autism-as-they-grow-1

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/specialneedstalkradio/2012/05/24/autism-as-they-grow-1

A bio on Bobbi Sheahan–>

Catch my new show, Autism As They Grow, on Special Needs Talk Radio, Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. EST!

Do people suggest that your child is different – really different? Are you wondering how to make sense of your child’s behavior (or your spouse’s – or your own)? Don’t despair; help is on the way! Bobbi Sheahan and psychologist Kathy DeOrnellas, Ph.D., offer themselves as your scouts in the field. They have valuable information to share – from the moment you realize your kid is different (“My, what a quiet baby I have!”), to the self-righteous moms on the playground, to holding your marriage together in the realm of routines, they candidly tackle autism spectrum issues such as picky eating, bedtime battles, potty training, speech delays, discipline, early intervention, sibling rivalry, and much more!

Bobbi Sheahan is the mother of four children; Grace, her second-born, has been diagnosed with autism. Her new book, What I Wish I’d Known About Raising a Child With Autism: A Mom and a Psychologist Offer Heartfelt Guidance for the First Five Years, has been published by Future Horizons, the world’s largest and most authoritative autism publisher. Bobbi says, “Dr. Kathy DeOrnellas, my co-author, knows more about autism than anyone you will ever meet. Since I can’t bring you to her office – and I would if I could – this book is my way of bringing her to you.” In Chapter 2 (entitled Autism 101), Dr. DeOrnellas brings you more than 20 years of experience, teaching, and research in the field of autism in a readable, conversational manner.

Autism is not only a challenge to a family’s emotions; it can also be a financial drain. Bobbi says, “With families routinely spending thousands of dollars out of pocket each year, we are here to help to point families in the direction of meaningful, affordable help.”

For her part, Bobbi pulls no punches in telling the story of her family’s road to discovering Grace’s autism. “The entire family comes along on this journey, believe me,” she says. “There is a reason that my favorite chapter heading is: Fun and Folly With Self-Diagnosis: Is Asperger’s German for Engineer?”

The book is also enriched by quotes from more than two dozen families who have been breathtakingly honest about everything, from speech delays to potty training, from doing battle with professionals who are supposed to be on your family’s side; this book is an indispensable resource for families. From reading lists to guidance about building a personal and professional support system, the authors offer a crash course to families who don’t have time to waste. The wit and humor with which the information is conveyed is a much-needed breath of fresh air for families who desperately need a break – and a friend.

Available now at Future Horizons, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, and wherever books are sold!

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CES 2012 Blackberry Playbook and Deals on the Playbook

I had the opportunity to check out the new os update for the Blackberry Playbook 64gb version. It is a great deal for $ 299.

With the new version of the OS I am more impressed by it than in the previous iteration.

It reminds me of the HP Touchpad with a better user interface and support.

The application support is getting better.

Here is a video overview of it:

and one on their communications from Blackberry’s website.

and another–>

Features–>http://us.blackberry.com/playbook-tablet/#!tabletFeatures

HELO TC: Helicopter, Remote-Controlled by iPhone, iPad or iPod touch at CES 2012

While at CES 2012 I visited the Griffin booth and wound up “winning” a Helo TC remote controlled Helicopter. On of my fellow aspie sons and I were very impressed by it. We plan on doing some tests and videos of it this weekend. I would like to the thank the folks at Griffin for it.

Here is a nice and funny video on Youtube with regards to it.

Press Info:–>

Rule the office airspace with HELO TC, the touch-controlled RC helicopter you control with your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad.

Download the free HELO TC app onto your iOS device, load your device into HELO TC’s Flight Deck and you’re ready to fly indoors in either of two ways:

Touch Control: Use a virtual joystick on your Multi-Touch display to maneuver the chopper.
Tilt to Steer: Tilt your iOS device to move the chopper forward, backward, and side to side.
Use the app to record and store up to three Flight Plans so you, or another pilot, can easily repeat a favorite flight pattern. Make up routes among the furniture, missions to fly, obstacles to avoid, goals to achieve, and replay them later with your friends.
Ready to Fly?

HELO TC comes complete with a precision twin-rotor remote-controlled helicopter and Flight Deck. The Flight Deck plugs into your iOS device’s headphone jack and translates your commands into infrared signals that beam to the helicopter.

HELO TC’s intuitive, easy-to-learn controls and twin-rotor design make for stable, controlled flight. And the HELO TC app provides features not available with other RC helicopters, such as Auto Land so you can bring HELO TC down for a safe landing with just a tap of the Multi-Touch display.

HELO TC requires full volume output from your iOS device, and will not work properly with devices purchased in the EU, the UK, or any other region with volume limitations that cannot be turned off.

Features

Control HELO TC from your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad using the HELO TC app
Use joystick controls on the Multi-Touch Display, or tilt your iOS device to fly
Make up missions and record up to three flight plans for later recall
Control the chopper’s five super-bright onboard LEDs
For indoor use only, designed for ages 14 and up
HELO TC is AppPowered
HELO TC requires full volume output from your iOS device, and will not work properly with devices purchased in the EU, the UK, or any other region with volume limitations that cannot be turned off.

Toshiba Excite X10 Tablet Demo CES 2012 – HotHardware a nice review from our new friends at Hothardware.com

I am a lover of tablets, especially since they show promise for autism education.

I had heard about Toshiba’s new Excite Tablet, missed it a the show, will take a look tomorrow.

I found this nice review from the fine folks at www.hothardware.com, link–> http://hothardware.com/

Intel at CES 2012 Press Conference and Releases Ultrabooks, Smartphones and Tablet Platform

First a light hearted start of the press event the history of Dance–>

Next

Press Release from CES 2012–>

Intel Strikes Multi-year, Multi-Device Strategic Partnership with Motorola Mobility*, Including Smartphones that Motorola Will Begin to Ship in 2H 2012

Lenovo K800 Smartphone Based on Intel® Technology Available in Second Quarter 2012 in China

INTERNATIONAL CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW, Las Vegas, Jan. 10, 2012 – Intel Corporation today announced a number of advancements across its smartphone business, including a multi-year, multi-device strategic relationship with Motorola Mobility*, Inc. and a handset by Lenovo* based on the company’s new Intel® Atom™ processor platform. Several smartphones based on the new Atom processor are expected to come to market in 2012.

“The best of Intel computing is coming to smartphones,” said Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini. “Our efforts with Lenovo and Motorola Mobility will help to establish Intel processors in smartphones and provide a solid foundation from which to build in 2012 and into the future.”

Otellini made the announcements during a keynote address at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show. He also detailed Ultrabook™ category momentum and described how the company is innovating to deliver superior experiences across a range of mobile devices.

Intel Computing Inside Smartphones and Tablets
Intel CEO highlighted the Intel® Atom™ processor Z2460 platform, formerly “Medfield,” which was specifically designed for smartphones and tablets, and delivers leading performance with competitive, energy efficiency.

Sanjay Jha, chairman and CEO of Motorola Mobility, joined Otellini onstage and the two executives detailed their companies’ multi-year, multi-device strategic relationship. The effort includes smartphones that Motorola will begin to ship in the second half of this year using Intel Atom processors and the Android* platform. The collaboration, which also covers tablets, combines Intel’s leadership in silicon technology and computing innovation with Motorola’s mobile device design expertise.

Liu Jun, Lenovo senior vice president and president of Mobile Internet and Digital Home, also joined Otellini onstage to debut the Lenovo K800*smartphone based on Intel technology and running the Android* platform. Liu Jun said the K800 smartphone will be available in China in the second quarter and will run on China Unicom’s 21Mbs network. The smartphone features the low-power Intel® Atom™ processor Z2460 with Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology, support for HSPA+ with the Intel® XMM™ 6260 Platform, and the Lenovo LeOS user interface for a localized experience in China.

Otellini said enabling the best mobile experience is a priority for Intel. Michael Bell, general manager of Intel’s Mobile and Communications Group, also joined Otellini onstage to demonstrate the Intel® Smartphone Reference Design that aims to shrink device development time and costs for phone OEMs and carriers. This fully functioning smartphone features sleek packaging, a 4.03-inch high-resolution LCD touch screen for crisp text and vibrant images, and two cameras delivering advanced imaging capabilities, including burst mode that allows individuals to capture 15 pictures in less than a second with 8-megapixel quality.

Showcasing the popular Angry Birds* application on the phone, Bell pointed to broad Android* applications support that allows Intel technology-based smartphones to run the vast majority of Android* applications, including those compiled for other architectures.

Otellini said Intel will raise the bar on tablet experiences by offering compatibility with the millions of existing applications and devices; an instant-on, software and apps experience; and support of the Metro* user interface. Onstage was the world’s first public demonstration of the forthcoming 32nm Intel Atom SoC for tablets and hybrids running on Microsoft* Windows* 8, codenamed “Clover Trail.”

Ultrabook to Completely Redefine PCs
Intel is leading the industry to re-invent personal computing again with the creation of the new category of Ultrabook devices, delivering a no-compromise computing experience in thin and elegant designs.

In just eight months, and built on a foundation of broad consumer appeal and ecosystem support, the category has gained strong momentum with a total of more than 75 ultra sleek, ultra responsive and secure Ultrabook systems expected to ship this year from industry partners.

Jeff Clarke, vice chairman of Global Operations and End User Computing Solutions at Dell*, joined Otellini onstage to announce the company’s first Ultrabook, the new XPS 13* powered by the Intel® Core™ i7 processor. Scheduled for February availability, the sleek and stylish design weighs only 2.99 lbs and provides up to 8 hours of battery life.

Intel is committed to the continued rapid improvement in user experience. The company’s engineers will further accelerate Ultrabook innovation in 2012 with 3rd generation Intel Core processors, codenamed “Ivy Bridge,” with the help of Intel’s revolutionary 22nm 3-D Tri-gate transistors.

This next generation of devices will expand the computing experience beyond anything realized today. Two Ultrabook concept designs powered by “Ivy Bridge” were demonstrated during the keynote speech.

Intel’s CEO promised that these devices will be more secure and eliminate the discussion on trade-offs for computing, like form factor, user interface or performance. He also said Ultrabooks will offer a flagship platform for a premium, no-compromise environment that helps deliver on the Microsoft* Windows* 8 promise of re-imagining Windows.

Applications specifically suited for the Ultrabook are available from the Intel AppUpSM center, a one-stop shop for the latest PC apps. Intel announced a strategic relationship between Intel and Technicolor* surrounding M-GO, an app powered by Intel AppUp that will bring high-definition, premium digital content for television, movies, music and apps to Ultrabook devices and other Intel-based devices with Intel® Insider™ in the second quarter of 2012. M-GO will provide movies and TV shows from major Hollywood studios and help manage HD premium content across multiple devices and platforms via a single intuitive, secure user interface.

About Intel
Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) is a world leader in computing innovation. The company designs and builds the essential technologies that serve as the foundation for the world’s computing devices. Additional information about Intel is available at newsroom.intel.com and blogs.intel.com.

Intel, Intel Core, Atom, Ultrabook, the Intel logo and Ultrabook are trademarks of Intel Corporation in the United States and other countries.

Intel and has been an amazing organization, who offer exciting and cutting edge technology.

Engadget and their hands on with the Motorola Xyboard 10.2, and a video overview from Youtube

Are LTE speeds and an improved silhouette enough to lure wayward users back into the company’s willing embrace? Does anyone even care about non-Ice Cream Sandwich tablets? Read on as we explore the odd ends and angles of this curiously-shaped slate.
Motorola Droid Xyboard 10.1 vs Xoom LTE… fight!

So, let’s face that elephant in the Xoom head-on: this iteration of the Xyboard is lighter at 1.33 pounds (603 grams) and considerably thinner at just 0.35 inches (8.8mm). Gone are the hard edges that marred Moto’s original tab and, instead, we’re treated to the same curved edges that made their debut on the Droid RAZR, as well as a flanking of soft touch plastic. Immediately, you’ll notice the device’s ergonomic improvements over its predecessor, but it’s still a far cry from being a pleasure to hold. In fact, those awkward angles dig into your palms no matter how you orient the slate. Sure, the Xyboard’s looks serve to set it apart from the competition, but we’re not sold on this build as the model going forward.

Though this fella was meant to be a clean break from the company’s tablet past, it appears as though Motorola simply couldn’t part with its ill-advised decision to mount the power button and volume rocker on the device’s backside — here somewhat easily locatable on the upper right. It takes some getting used to, but we acclimated to this placement soon enough. Soft touch plastic surrounds the gunmetal grey aluminum back, which neatly stacks Motorola’s insignia atop that of Verizon’s own and the operator’s 4G LTE logo. Up top, the slate’s 5MP rear camera with single LED flash lies centered between the stereo speakers. Ports are mainly relegated to the bottom, where you’ll find a removable tray for the SIM card, as well as a micro-HDMI out and micro-USB. While the 3.5mm headphone jack is left by its lonesome on the opposite end, with the 1.3MP front-facing camera just beneath it.

With a dual-core processor bumped up to 1.2GHz and an ample 1GB of RAM, the Xyboard zooms along, hampered only by the addition of Moto’s Blurring of the Honeycomb OS.

The O.G. Xoom repped a 1,280 x 800 WXGA display which, although decent for its time, literally pales in comparison to the Xyboard’s TFT-IPS. Colors are noticeably bolder, the panel is brighter and images come across much crisper. Motorola’s claim of 178-degree viewing angles are no joke, either — the screen retains a stunning visibility even when tilted nearly full out of eyesight. Obviously, this bump in quality should go over well with folks who intend to consume mass amounts of streaming video on the tablet.

With a dual-core processor bumped up to 1.2GHz and an ample 1GB of RAM, the Xyboard zooms along, hampered only by the addition of Moto’s Blurring of the Honeycomb OS. Indeed, transitions are often choppy and lack the fluidity of Samsung’s TouchWiz UX. Why the company chose to break from offering users a pure Google experience and overlaid a choppy skin is beyond us. Again, tradition seems to prevail here. Save for the original Droid, all subsequent brand descendants shipped with the OEM’s special skinned touch. And so, too, has Motorola extended that consistently poor software customization to its successive Android 3.2 tabs.

With skinning comes crapware and the Xyboard has it a plenty. Third party apps like Amazon Kindle, Citrix, Dijit, Evernote, Fuze Meeting, Let’s Golf 2, Madden NFL 12, Netflix, Quickoffice, and Slingbox come pre-installed. That list doesn’t include Verizon’s own branded offerings which help to crowd the app drawer. Certainly, some of these applications are useful, but we’d like app downloads to ultimately be the user’s choice and completely uninstallable.

Verizon’s LTE service in New York City hasn’t fared so well in the past few days, dropping off and defaulting the Xyboard to a 3G connection due to network issues. Things look to have been fixed on the operator’s end since and we’re back to enjoying those blistering speeds, which maxed out at 27.64Mbps down and 8.12Mbps up on the Xyboard. Typically, performance will hover between 17Mbps to 22Mbps down and 5Mbps to 7Mbps up, so if you’re planning on a marathon Netflix session, you won’t be left wanting. Big Red’s 4G coverage has had the benefit of an early head start and, consequently, signal strength was relatively hardy.

Perhaps to add that extra value oomph to the Xyboard, Motorola’s bundled a stylus into the box. But don’t let that get your hopes up, the functionality reeks of last minute add-on.

Perhaps to add that extra value oomph to the Xyboard, Motorola’s bundled a stylus into the box. But don’t let that get your hopes up, the functionality reeks of last minute add-on. Wondering why Evernote comes pre-loaded? Wonder no more, the app is one of three options made available when the stylus icon is activated from the tablet’s dock on the lower right. Users wielding Moto’s pen, which itself is actually well-made and feels great in the hand, can choose between Floating Notes to create and save memos, Open to see a list of saved memos and the aforementioned Evernote. Integration doesn’t run too deep, as you’ll only be able to choose from three distinct pen tip / eraser widths and eight colors. The handwriting recognition software showcases an apparent lag, trailing behind our hand’s movements and forget about resting your palm on the screen, as that’ll impede your ability to write. That’s not to say it totally fail to recognize your attempts at legible scrawl, but it’s definitely a hit or miss experience. Navigation and typing can also be managed via the stylus, although it’s not ideal.

For the power user, Motorola’s released a slew of accessories to extend the Xyboard’s functionality. There’s an HD station for docking the tablet that packs an extra three USB ports and HDMI out so you can watch content on your flatscreen, a portfolio cover that flips back to create an impromptu stand and a wireless keyboard with portfolio. We took the Bluetooth keyboard for a trial run and despite its decidedly less than premium construction, its usefulness actually exceeded our low expectations. The hard-edged square keys are stiff, but have just enough travel to make typing surprisingly fluid and natural feeling. We did occasionally encounter difficulty locating some of the modifier keys, shrunken as they are to fit the layout, but Motorola did manage to include shortcuts for menu, home, back and search. Depressing any of the alphanumeric keys while viewing the homescreen accesses the tablet’s search function, displaying a list of relevant contacts, search terms and applications. And to make up for the lack of a trackpad, there’s a soft rubber-coated mouse button that lies centered between the G, H and B keys. It’s implementation is actually more frustrating that helpful, as it’s overly sensitive and difficult to control. So much so, that we found ourselves defaulting to touch navigation out of resignation.

Amazon Kindle Fire A nice Youtube Review from A fellow vet, Soldier Knows Best, and others.

Here is a nice overview video with regards to the Amazon Kindle Fire–>

I like it and the Color Nook tablet.

Here is another nice review as well–>http://www.mobiletechreview.com/tablets/Kindle-Fire.htm

The Kindle Fire hardly needs an introduction, since Jeff Bezos, Amazon’s CEO showed it off a few months before launch, it’s been a seriously hyped and anticipated gadget. Billed variously as an iPad killer, the king of eBook readers and Amazon’s latest attempt to maintain your addiction to their various digital storefront; the Fire instead is the product of mere mortals and it has no intention of murdering larger, fruity tablets. The Fire is clearly designed to deepen your addiction to Amazon’s eBook, video, music and Android Appstore though–compulsive shoppers beware. That is the real charm of this 7″ Android-based touch screen tablet: easy access to Amazon’s stuff. If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you gain free (free other than the yearly $80 that gets you discounted expedited shipping on physical goods and 1 eBook/month on loan) access to 10,000 movies and TV shows, and they look fantastically sharp on the Fire. If you’re a Kindle owner with a large investment in Amazon eBooks, they’re all downloadable to the Kindle Fire, and your Amazon MP3s are available too. Since the tablet has only 8 gigs of storage and no microSD card slot, Amazon’s cloud for music, books and video are important; you can stream or download that content as you need it, then offload it.

Windows Phone 7

I have had an HTC HD2 for about a year. I have liked the size of the screen, it is great for watching movies. I have also liked the fact that is very customizable. It can run windows 6.5 and thanks to smart developers such as those on XDA developers it can also run windows 6.55, various iterations of Android OS, and now windows phone 7. I used to have a tmobile g1 and have had prior exposure to Android. It is getting better and better and from the examples of Honey Comb that I saw at CES 2011 it is on its way to becoming quite a nice system.

I recently have had the opportunity to use Windows Phone 7. I have actually been fairly impressed. It is a major improvement over windows 6.5. It is leaning more towards an Apple Iphone(trade mark of Apple) product in terms of the way it works.
One thing that has impressed me with Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 is that, though it has less applications than its’ competitors, it does have some decent ones out of the box. It has Netflix, which allows for watching movies and tv shows on demand. I have been reasonably impressed by Zune as well. I think that Android needs the option of a solution like Itunes or Zune for the people that want easy integration. Android does have the Android Market(Google) but it is not an integrated solution for apps, music and video.
I think that Windows Phone 7 had a few present limitations that might improve in the future. It lacks the mass storage capabilities of Android. I like to be able to easily drag and drop, business docs, music and video from my computer onto my phone and watch them or listen to or view the files.

I also think that Windows Phone 7 would benefit from a better keyboard solution such as either one know as “better keyboard” which can be purchased from the Android market. It allows total customization of the keyboard appearance.
I feel that Windows phone 7 is a decent product that can only get better. It needs the ability to easily install apps from the web or from your computer, videos from other sources, and music via drag and drop.
It does have a nice video and movie playing solution with Zune, and Netflix as well as carrier based video on demand services such as Tmobile TV.

I wonder why Netflix is not available for android it definitely needs to be.

What are your thoughts on Windows Phone 7?

link to windows phone 7–>

windows phone link

Link to Android–>