Cell-Phone Prison

For some, Fall 2012 at the University of Delaware isn't just the beginning of another semester, but a chance to improve grades and study habits to get that desired GPA. A cheap, simple device known as the "Cell Phone Prison" may one way to get work done quickly, efficiently, and distraction free! Check out this new cell-phone accessory that keeps away the temptations to play apps or text during study time: Gizmodo.com

Retina Display

I saw reports of Apple possibly adding retina sisplay to its 13-inch MacBook Pro, when I realized I was asking myself just what it was since the idea was introduced. I found that retina display referred to the limit of the human retina to see pixels from a certain distance. Simply put, Apple upgraded the resolution and used more durable materials to make the protective glass for the screen. The article below has comparative information for interested Mac users as well.

Gizmodo article

Custom Keyboards

Have you ever wanted to have a keyboard that had special characters, icons, or just something unique? WASD Keyboards is an online keyboard manufacturer that lets you fully customize your input device, letting you choose what switches, colors, images, and text goes on each key. There is a customer creation gallery that lets you see what some other people have created for ideas on your own project.

Custom Photoshop CS5 Keyboard

Here's a few cool custom keyboards created at WASD:

A very patriotic approach

Minimal with no marked keys

My Little Pony keyboard. You can import images to put on any key. I believe you need to do it in Illustrator or another vector program.

Another design with no marked keys, but color coated for easier key location.

These keyboards can be as funky or creative as you want them to be, but they can really improve your workflow on programs like Photoshop or Premiere without having to deal with keyboard covers. 

Have you heard the latest iPad Mini rumors???

According to CNET, Apple is planning on releasing a new iPad but this time its a Mini! The iPad Mini has been on the rumor mill for a very long time, but it has officially been declared and named!

As of Monday, August 27, 2012, the iPad Mini will reflect Apple's other product, the iPod Mini, instead of creating a new product name all together.

Can't wait until the release the iPad Mini, don't worry, we completely understand! Until then, at SMDC, you can still enjoy the full size iPad!

To keep up with the latest rumor mill be sure to follow CNET's, updated daily, site on all the iPad Mini's latest announcements!

Apple iPad Mini: The ultimate rumor roundup

Libraries and Ebooks

I found this to be an interesting piece on libraries and ebooks.  The author, Ursula K. Le Guin posted a well written post on this blog.

2012 Fall Workshops at Morris Library!

The University of Delaware Library is offering free workshops that are open to all UD students throughout the fall semester. This is a great opportunity to learn various skills from our knowledgeable UD Library staff. Workshops include Student Multimedia Design Center Orientations, iMovie 2011: The Essentials, Getting Started With Patents, and many others! For a full list of all fall workshops including the date and time for each, click here. Seating is limited so register now by finding your desired workshop here.

Zeega: New Multimedia Tool

Zeega is an online platform for combining images, sound, video, and text into a HTML5-compatible, interactive experience. Their mission with the project is "To help tell rich multimedia stories by improving a toolkit that allows people to collaboratively produce, curate and publish multimedia projects."  I could definitely see classes using this platform in the future.  (It makes citing your sources mandatory!)
Although it is very new, there is already an online journal of stories made in Zeega. This one about Revere Beach in Boston is particularly well-done (warning: works best in Chrome browser).
In the future, I think it will be free for everyone to use, but right now it is in beta and is invite-only.  I asked for an invite one year ago, and just got one this afternoon.  So if any one wants to try it out, let me know, and I can sign you in.
-Nico

National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest 2012 Winners

While the Winners Gallery includes impressive shots, one may still view all the entries and "like" favorites.  Some stunningly beautiful travel photos demonstrate what good composition brings to still photography. 

Best smart phone camera lenses

Want to take more professional photos with your smart phone?  There's a lenses for that!  Check out the story here.  There is a video that shows the improvement in the photos with an added lenses as well as a disadvantage on some phones with the flash.

More on hacking and security breakdowns

Wired published Mat Honan's nightmare story, "How Apple and Amazon Security Flaws Led to My Epic Hacking" in which his digital life is destroyed by hackers.   This story will be followed by an article detailing how he's putting his life back together.

Ever have your email account hacked?

Ever have your email account hacked?  You may want to consider backing it up.  Here are some directions to do this for Gmail accounts.

One of our own at the Delaware State Fair

Our very Mike Gates was teaching children at the Delaware State Fair about "green" plants with a UD-created computer game.  You can read more about it at UDaily.