Crossing the Digital Divide: Bridges and Barriers to Digital Inclusion. The term digital divide was coined in the mid-1990s as a way to describe the gap in equity between those who have access to computers and the Internet and those who do not. Today, the conversation has shifted to this question: How do we define access when the price of personal computers and related technologies has dropped dramatically over the years and, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 95 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 29 use the Internet?
And all of this is happening while we are in the midst of an explosive rise in mobile technology. "Wireless is being sold as the bridge across the digital divide," says Amalia Deloney, grassroots policy director at the Center for Media Justice. "But what we know is that wireless is not a substitute for a wired connection. " It's very difficult to apply for a job or college, for instance, on a mobile phone. How the Landscape Has Changed Mobiles: The rise of mobile technology in the past few years is mind-blowing. Finding a Voice Through Twitter. One student tied it to the war that followed: "the gov prolly didn't stop 911 cuz they prolly had more benefits from the aftermath. Ie. Patriot act,war,etc. " Most of the kids immediately took to the idea for a number of different reasons. “I think that using Twitter to do an assignment is maybe the coolest assignment in school," said Jason Wong.
"I like how we are able to do this through the phone and people can see our thoughts. " Nikko Maraya piped in: "We should do it in every class.” Beyond the novelty of tweeting, the students said they felt their voices were being heard and they created a connection to the topic. “I learned about 9/11 that many of my peers were too young to understand about the situations and they were really clueless about it," said Japhet Sabucdalao. For Sherry Wu, the gravity of the attacks on 9/11 sunk in during this assignment. Eric Johnson who didn't want to mix his two very different sets of followers created a separate Twitter account for school.
Tools for learning: Mobile phones and authentic learning tasks | edtalks.org. Text a Librarian: Text Messaging Reference Software | SMS Mobile Reference Technology | SMS Text Messaging in Libraries | Mobile Software for Public | Academic | Medical | Corporate | Law and Special Libraries | Mobile Lib | Mosio | Answers. AppMakr :: iPhone App Maker | Make your own iPhone App | Free iPhone App Maker. With the rise of smartphones and mobile apps, businesses of all sizes are looking for ways to develop their own applications without the need for extensive coding knowledge or hiring expensive software development team members.
In this era of technology, no-code app builders have emerged as a popular solution, allowing individuals and businesses to create their own customized applications with ease. Appy Pie is one such no-code app maker that has gained significant traction in recent years. But how does it compare to traditional app development? Here, we’ll explore the key benefits of using both the app development methods.
Minimize risk Building an app from scratch is fraught with potential pitfalls, and investing a significant amount of resources into traditional app development can leave you exposed to considerable risk. Manage your app without a developer For many people building their first app, managing it effectively can be an afterthought. Faster GTM Cost-effectiveness. Mobile Web Resources | Mobile Web Best Practices. More Google Wallet merchants are live. Now you can pay AND save in a single tap.
We’re hearing from people at check-out counters throughout the country that paying with your phone is a little like magic. Just look at the ecstatic reaction on the faces of our friends who made their first Google Wallet purchases last Thursday. Today, our partners American Eagle Outfitters, The Container Store, Foot Locker, Guess, Jamba Juice, Macy’s, OfficeMax and Toys“R”Us are rolling out an even better Google Wallet experience. For the first time ever in the U.S., at these select stores, you can not only pay but also redeem coupons and/or earn rewards points—all with a single tap of your phone.
This is what we call the Google Wallet SingleTap experience. With Google Wallet in hand, you can walk into a Jamba Juice, American Eagle Outfitters or any other partner store. The Offers tab in Google Wallet has been updated to include a new "Featured Offers" section with discounts that are exclusive to Google Wallet. Organizing loyalty cards in your wallet is getting easier too. What Smartphone Internet Usage Means for Libraries. eBooks have been the hot topic in libraryland for a few months now and with good reason. It seems like every other day there is some new revelation that makes us either jump for joy or groan in agony.
While these conversations and revelations have been happening, there has been another revolution underfoot. The Pew, Internet, and American Life Project released a report last month on the usage of smartphones. We have known that smartphone ownership was increasing dramatically, and that use was up among minorities, and this report confirms the trends. According to the study, 35% of adults own a smartphone with the numbers of ownership being slightly higher at 44% for African-Americans and Latinos. The numbers cited above confirm the trends we are seeing, but the trend that the report revealed that I think is even more important for libraries is that for some of the population, their phone is their Internet access. For libraries, these findings mean two very different things. eBooks & Learning. The birth of the Kindle Fire and the death of the public library. On Wednesday, Amazon is expected to release or announce the Kindle Fire, an Android-based 7-inch touchscreen device that will embrace, extend, and enhance Amazon’s bag of highly-successful tricks.
The Amazon Appstore will provide easy access to thousands of cheap or free apps. Amazon MP3 and Cloud Drive will be built right in — kind of like iOS and iCloud, but with streaming, web access, and cross-platform compatibility. There’ll be an easy, touch-friendly one-poke shopping experience, too. Obviously, though, front and center will be Kindle for Android — or, perhaps, a brand new, tailored-for-the-Kindle-Fire version. You see, first and foremost the Kindle Fire will be designed for consuming content, and in all likelihood, the Kindle Fire will be the best content-consumption device in the world. Let that sink in for a moment: for $80 per year, you would get unlimited library-like access to Amazon’s e-books. You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave Hook, line, and… Top Mobile Activities in the U.S. – February 11, 2011Posted in: Mobile, News & Information, U.S.
The comScore 2010 U.S. Digital Year in Review is now available for download. Text messaging lead as the top mobile activity with 68 percent of Americans texting in December 2010, while more than half took a photo with their mobile device (52.4 percent) and 39.5 percent of subscribers accessed news and information. Although application usage continued to grow in 2010, slightly more Americans (36.4 percent) used their mobile browser than accessed applications (34.4 percent). Mobile Ad Spending In The U.S. Expected To Grow 65 Percent In 2011 To $1.2 Billion. Spending on mobile ads is expected to reach $1.23 billion this year, according to a revised estimate from eMarketer, which represents a 65 percent increase from 2010. The estimate is slightly up from the $1.1 billion number eMarketer put out a year ago. The estimates for future years out are also up. They are as follows: Mobile ad spending 2010: $743 million 2011: $1.2 billion 2012: $1.8 billion 2013: $2.5 billion 2014: $3.4 billion 2015: $4.4 billion These numbers include display, search, text ads, and even video ads (which are the fastest growing mobile ad unit).
How the Millennial Generation Uses Mobile. Millennials — that is, American consumers between ages 18 and 34 — are a mobile generation. That much is clear from the infographic below. According to data collected by location-based ad network JiWire, Millennials own an average of 2.4 Internet-connected devices. Of those who connect to JiWire's free Wi-Fi networks, 62% percent are using smartphones and nearly a third are using tablets. Twenty-eight percent use location-based apps multiple times per day for locating stores (54%) and points of interests (46%), as well as connecting with others (40%) and checking in (32%).
Surprisingly, there is one area where older generations are more active on mobile. How do these findings align with your own mobile behavior?