The Buzz: Tools, Trends, and Gizmos

Props for the iPod

Another day, another stylish gizmo for the Apple line. Portable stand iBend props up an iPhone or iPod Touch for viewing a movie or video. There’s a basic model ($4.99 for two) and three colorful artists’ versions. Increasingly, schools are adopting iPods for the classroom and on a larger scale. The Calgary Board of Education is embracing the media players and other handhelds as part of an effort to enhance school libraries, reported the Calgary Herald. Stateside, the Florence (SC) School District has received a $498,688 grant to improve local media centers. On the requisition list: iPods.

Psyching Out Google Wave

Invites have started to go out for Google Wave, the much-anticipated new service that essentially turns email on its head, allowing users to text and collaborate in real time, creating documents called waves. But how the new tool will scale depends a lot on human behavior, according to Leon Watts, a psychologist who studies digital communication. Social protocols have evolved around email, lending those messages a certain formality that has become second nature to us, the University of Bath researcher told New Scientist. The live aspect of Google Wave may make those exchanges more conversational, but time—and a critical mass of users—will tell what behavior patterns will result.

Pulse Smartpen Updated

The Pulse Smartpen won high praise from Jeff Hastings in our Test Drive column last November (bit.ly/1UuPKc); now the line is expanding. Livescribe is adding 4- and 2GB models to boost storage capacity of the digital pen, which captures and syncs handwriting and audio. The 4GB model holds 400-plus hours of recorded audio and will accommodate a variety of tools available from an app store to launch in late 2009. It’s Mac and Windows 7 compatible, too. 4GB: $199.95 2GB: 169.95.

Clue Me In

The classic game CLUE has a new feature: text messaging. In the latest Secrets & Spies edition, the usual suspects have been promoted to secret agents. Using their cell phones, players assume the identity of agents Scarlet, Mustard, Plum, and so on, and receive text messages that help them complete secret meetings and earn points toward becoming the ultimate spy. Meanwhile, Hasbro is ramping up its technical investment after fans eager to play the new Google Maps version of MONOPOLY overwhelmed its servers.

Wikipedia: Anytime, Anywhere

A new, pocket-sized handheld lets you store more than three million English- language articles in Wikipedia for on-the-go access. The $99 WikiReader, a streamlined affair by former Apple designer Thomas Meyerhoffer, turns on instantly and has a touchscreen, allowing users to scroll articles with a finger stroke. Created by OpenMoko, maker of the FreeRunner open-source phone, the WikiReader also sports parental controls. thewikireader.com.

Wolfram|Alpha Offers Homework Help

Computational search engine Wolfram|Alpha has created a homework site, where users can contribute ideas, lesson plans, and multimedia projects related to the resource, named one of the 50 best websites of 2009 by Time magazine. Led by Wolfram|Alpha creator Stephen Wolfram, a day-long Homework Day webcast on October 21 brought together students, educators, and topic experts to tackle school assignments. homeworkday.wolframalpha.com.