The Buzz
By Staff -- School Library Journal, 11/1/2006
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Also in this article: Zune, Zune, Zune  Silly Wabbit Go Forth and Make Wikis Easy Reader Beat Bandwidth Limits Call of the Wild A New Kind of Calling Card My First Database USB Rechargable |
The 30GB Zune digital media player, Microsoft’s much anticipated “iPod killer,” will hit stores on November 14, just in time for holiday shopping. Retailing for $249.99, the Zune features wireless capability, allowing Zune-to-Zune sharing of music and image files, a built-in FM tuner, and preloaded content. www.microsoft.com.
Silly Wabbit
Bred by French outfit Violet, the WiFi-enabled Nabaztag Smart Rabbit can read your e-mail and weather reports out loud and tell you the time. He can also move his ears, play music, talk and whistle, and display lovely patterns of light. Bunnies being bunnies, the Nabaztag can “marry” another rabbit, allowing the two devices to move in tandem. In the interest of full disclosure, we must admit that we’re unsure of the potential educational application here. But the thing sure is cute. $149.99. www.nabaztag.com.
If you need a little incentive to build a wiki—those fun Web sites where users can freely add or update content—Wikispaces has an offer for you. The online service is giving away 100,000 wikis to K–12 educators. The wikis can be made public or private, have no ads, and include all the features that normally cost $50 a year—for free. Wikis are ideal tools for collaboration and educators nationwide have been using them to foster student discussion and collaborative writing projects, and share links and other resources. Once on the Wikispaces site, the sign-up process takes a mere 30 seconds. So what are you waiting for? www.wikispaces.com.
The Sony Reader, available on retail shelves for about a month, has received largely positive reviews. The device’s new E Ink technology, sleek profile, and long battery life have won praise. However, the $350 price tag and relatively modest selection of titles via Sony’s CONNECT eBook store have gotten the thumbs-down from some critics. Besides e-books, the Reader can store and display text and image files. You can also download via PC selected blog and news feeds—such as Salon, engadget, and more—for free from the CONNECT eBook store Look for SLJ’s own review of the Reader coming soon in a future TestDrive column by Jeff Hastings. www.sony.com/reader.
Library Video Company has released the SAFARI Montage WAN Manager. It’s the first video-on-demand system for schools that delivers over a Wide Area Network (WAN), giving districts the capacity to manage digital video assets centrally, offering a solution to site-based bandwidth limitations. In addition to SAFARI’s video packages, districts can upload and manage their own staff- and student-created videos with WAN Manager. “Districts no longer need to shuttle video tapes to schools since this process can be accomplished more efficiently via digital video delivery,” says Andre Schlessinger, CEO of Library Video Company. All district pricing for WAN Manager is custom quoted based on size and configuration. www.safarimontage.com.
Treat your students to an African safari or take a virtual tour of a great city with a new series of podcasts from National Geographic. The venerable source of educational materials is now offering audio and video podcasts, which cover weekly science news, interviews with top innovators and explorers, and broadcast-quality videos, from “The World’s Most Unusual Foods” to “Extreme Healing.” The podcasts are available for free download at www.nationalgeographic.com/podcasts, iTunes, and Yahoo!
Sharing online photos is fun, but sometimes the virtual experience just doesn’t cut it. Enter Moo. A new kind of printing business, as it bills itself, Moo will transform images from your Flickr photostream into small cards (about 1 x 3 inch), with space for personal details on the back. Pass ’em to your friends or “the cute guy on the bus,” suggests Moo. Or use ’em with students, perhaps? It costs $19.99 for 100 cards, plus $4.99 for delivery anywhere. Gumby and Pokey not included. www.moo.com.
Looking for a kid-friendly introduction to databases? A new program, MaxData, promises to be just that. Just released by Tom Snyder Productions, a Scholastic company, MaxData helps youngsters in grades two to six learn basic database concepts such as fields, records, tables, and filters, and guides them through the simple representation of data. With three grade-appropriate levels, the program’s accessible interface allows students to concentrate on the ideas, relationships, and information being explored. MaxData can be purchased individually or as a bundle with Scholastic Keys, a student interface for Microsoft Office. For pricing information and to access a trial, visit www.tomsnyder.com.
There’s a new, highly practical USB-enabled goodie in town. The USB Cell looks like a regular AA battery, but the top flips off to reveal a USB connector, which you can then plug into your desktop, laptop, or game console for recharging. The Cell frees you from having to tote a separate charger and reduces the wasteful consumption of single-use batteries. Currently available only in the U.K. for about $24 for a two-pack, the USB Cell will soon be on sale in the U.S. and elsewhere, says its creator Moixa Energy, and will be expanded to a full range of battery formats. www.usbcell.com.
