Russian Schools All Go OS

UK Blogger Glyn Moody shared with us this morning that Russian Schools will be purchasing no more software, and only go with free, open-source software. Read his post here.

This is an interesting move, and could have some interesting repercussions down the road for both the school system and the software markets in Russia and beyond.

In schools I've worked in, I have always promoted Microsoft's Office Suite for in school use, mostly because of my belief that part of a schools responsibility is to prepare students for the workforce, of which 90+% use Microsoft Office on a very regular basis. Teaching students to effectively utilize the software in their work (note I'm not promoting teaching the software itself, but the use of it as a tool) helps them make smooth transitions to post-secondary and the work force, where they will undoubtedly encounter the monopolistic MS office.

Recently, I've turned to promote Google Documents as a valuable option, free option, to MS office. The skills are relatively the same, and a transition should be relatively smooth. It seems the Russian Schools are moving in that direction as well.

My biggest question in this decision is "why?" If the decision was made with sound pedagogical rationale, I'm OK with that. If it was a financial decision, I have to question the validity of it.

If you read the article, please also read through the reader comments following the post. Often times, these are as interesting as the post itself.

Microsoft's Photsynth May Be the Next Step in Photography

Photography is 180 years old, and has been through a few revolutions over the years - the latest being the digital revolution. Microsoft's recent release of a program called Photosynth may be the next revolution in this two-century old medium.

This remarkable software takes dozens, if not hundreds, of pictures and analyzes them, arranging the images into a 3D browsable model.

Best of all, it's free!

The ides of 3D/360 degree view of images is not new, but a program that analyzes photos from many sources/days/times and stitches them together is revolutionary.

Their site has many submitted views you can preview with a simple download and install of this free software.

Flip for the new Pearl

Blackberry's Pearl has been a bestseller for ages now, and with new phones coming out fast and furious (Storm, Bold), RIM has added a new flip to the Pearl, as a flip phone, the 8220.

This cross between the consumer generic flip phone and the button-down business Blackberry may tie the two markets, or alienate them both.

Check out a review from Wired here.

Storm Enters the Fray

Blackberry's newest phone is yet another direct iPhone competitor, again showing the influence the Mac handset has had over the industry. The Storm seems to be somewhere in between the market of the Blackberry Bold's business market and the iPhone's consumer market.

CNET puts together a nice comparison of the two here.

Google vs. Apple, Phone-War!

Android, Google's entry into the cell phone market, has been out for about a week now, and the reviews are coming in.

Google's Android seems squarely aimed at iPhone, the hottest and best selling all around phone. While Blackberry seems to be holding on to the business marketplace so far, iPhone is no doubt the darling of the cell phone industry. Google has aimed their sights at the iPhone user.

With that in mind, Popular Mechanics pits the two against each other. Read the results of the battle here.

Pittsburgh Schools have 50% Minimum Policy

Pittsburgh Public Schools have implemented a 50% minimum score for all students for tests and assignments. This procedure has raised some questions and some support. Read about it from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette here.

GM Reveals the Volt

GM revealed the Volt today, the much-anticipated electric vehicle touted as many as the future of the auto industry. More than a hybrid, the Volt runs exclusively on battery power, with an anticipated radius of 40 miles before the small gas engine kicks in to replenish the batteries.

Seen as a revolution in the auto industry, GM has poured much of its future in this one vehicle, and has spent massive amounts of money in its development. It is expected to be in showrooms by 2010.

Wired's review of the reveal can be found here.

Dell Launches Ultra-Port for $99 w/ Purchase

Crave tells us that the Dell ultra-portables are coming, and starting tomorrow, Sept 5, the mini is available for $99 with a laptop purchase. News came from Dell's Blog.

Sounds like a great deal, but only if you are in the market for a laptop right now. Do be sure to read the fine print.

Read the story here.

First Looks at Chrome

Chrome has been out a day now, and the reviews, feedback, and questions are coming fast and furious.

WebMonkey has a nice, clean look at Chrome, complete with screen shots.

Although it's in BETA testing now, the majority of feedback has been positive, highlighting Chrome's simplicity and sleek elegance.

The obvious next step will be Chrome for Android, Google's mobile platform.

In whatever form, Google is entering a new area with a eye on cloud computing. The browser will only further amplify Google's cloud computing empire.

"Chrome" Puts a Shine on Google's World Domination

Tuesday, September 2 will be the day Google releases the long-awaited, much-anticipated 'Chrome' browser, as announced on the Google Blog today.

The announcement was done as a comic, an innovative way (and somewhat questionable) of starting the marketing, which you can see here.

Google is using Chrome to step up the pressure on it's rivalry with Microsoft, whose Internet Explorer dominates the Web Browsing market with over 75%. With Microsoft pouring millions and millions into their own search engine, Google is also firing salvos.

How it looks, how it works, how it'll be received and how much of an impact it will make on the market place is yet to be determined. Whether it'll knock Mozilla's Firefox out of the title of 'best browser' is the biggest question of all!