The One S is a classy looking device, even if it does not sport the advanced finish of the International version. The fit and finish is great, the aluminum body is a departure from what most companies are using on “flagship” phones. It it’s a very thin, but substantial enough to hold.

The OS is solid. Android 4.0 with HTC Sense 4.0 is a workable combo. Coming from Samsung’s TouchWiz skin, it is refreshing. There are some changes, but not so many that you wonder where android went.

The hardware is fast. The Snapdragon S3 was fast in TMO’s Galaxy SII. But the new S4 chip is even faster. A typical quadrant score was in the 3500 range for the Galaxy SII. The One S was close to 5000!!

I have not had the unit long enough to test battery life. It seems to be at least as good as the SII.

Amazing is not enough to describe the camera. You can shoot stills and video.at the same time!

Overall it is a great device. I highly recommend it.

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There are many tools available now for use in homeschooling that were simply not available just a few years ago. One of those tools is the iPad. We were blessed to be able to get ours free (If you’d like to know more about that, go here..)

Ages and stages…

The iPad is a “shared” device in our house. Everyone has their folder, with apps (most free, some paid) for their developmental stage.

Our youngest (3) has her folder full of apps that teach shapes, colors, letters, etc.

Our middle child is finishing up kindergarten (5), so his apps are reading words, basic math, and grammar/sentence construction.

Our oldest (7) is finishing up 2nd grade, so apps involving science, more advanced grammar, cursive handwriting (even though it is no longer required to teach it in Indiana!…), geography, and etc.

We have one more collection of apps that is the “everybody” folder. It has some educational games and items like the PBS Kids app that allows you to see video on demand of many of their shows. These are very “free time friendly” apps that can be used to fill time when one child is done with their work well before the others. It is a nice incentive for getting work completeted correctly.

We do not have a ton of money invested in the apps, as most are free and the rest were largely under $3. It is probably around $20 total. The hardware is by far the largest expense.

A nedded expense is also a case that gives better grips to little hands. We use the Griffin/Crayola Trace and Draw ($30 – includes screen protector), largely because I got it free in a contest. If i were to buy one that works with Pre-K to Early Elementary, I would look at a Zagg Screen Protector and one of the cases from Gumdrop. The cost is far below relplacing an iPad…

I am sure that if you do some looking around, there are even apps that handle the progress reporting and recording that is required in some states. We have a great paper-based form that works for us, so we have not done a lot of research on it.

If there are particular apps here you’d like to know more about, leave a comment below.

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If you ever wondered, here is your answer. The phone on the left is a Sprint Galaxy S II, which is the same size as T-Mobile version and the ATT Skyrocket. Wonder no more.

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I am looking to get one of these. (A Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 – 7.0) to replace my original nook. I would prefer to do it with as little out of pocket as possible (I did an iPad 2 and accessories for less than $50 out of pocket this way, so pay close attention!)

I made an account with YourFreeTabletPC.com. The short version of how this works is that you do one trial offer (Free or Cheap) and get a few friends to complete an offer, they get paid by the advertisers, you get your reward (gift card or tablet) – and everyone is happy. I have a more detailed explanation here…

It is legit.

They have paid out for me 3 times already (iPod Touch, iPhone 4, and iPad 2).

The iPad2 was really a blessing. My wife and kids are making great use of it in homeschooling . I am amazed what is now available to them on a slab of glass, aluminum and silicon.

If you want to know more about how this works or have questions, visit the explanation, comment below, or click here to get started!

You can watch my progress below…

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I won a Griffin/Crayola Trace and Draw case for the iPad 2 from iMore. I received it about 2 weeks ago, and my kids love it! It is large and gives them good grips. Here are some of my other thoughts about the product in no particular order:

•  I am leery of the idea of a child using a marker on an iPad, period. An iPad 2 is a rather large chunk of change in my book, so we “failed to tell” my kids about that app/feature
•  It does offer a decent amount of protection, but it is not an Otterbox/Gumdrop grade case. But the price is also substantially lower.
•  They made the ports fairly accessible, once you realize that the pull-out trays at each end give you more clearance
•  Be careful sliding on and off. you can peel up a thick screen protector like a ZAGG Shield…
•  I love the ease of removing the case to shift to a more “Adult-Friendly” case. (Almost makes me want to walk into a meeting with it on, and see what happens… But don’t try it!)
• It really is a kid-appealing design. It looks very nice with a white iPad2.

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There was one segment that was very interesting to me… 

The reporter described the process one goes though before you can enter the production floor. You put on the static free suit (like the Intel “bunny suit”), then you go down a long corridor with air jets that blow on you removing all dust, because just one small speck will contaminate the whole line. Sounds intense.

Here is the spiritual application:
What is God’s standard of purity? Perfection. We cannot attain that on our own, so we must accept the invitation that God extends to us. We “put on the new man” as Paul writes about in Romans, and we strive to let the Holy Spirit cleanse and convict us of sin as we live our lives in preparation for eternity in Heaven with God. God cannot allow one sin into Heaven, or it would be corrupted. When man sinned, it broke that relationship with God. Only through Jesus living a perfect life, dying on the cross, and raising again three days later (Romans 10:9-10) could that brokenness be restored. Purity is an all or nothing deal. We have nothing, Christ offers us all we need. We just have to accept it and Trust in Him.

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“It looks like it is designed for teenagers and guys whose wives think they work waay too much..”

Ouch.

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http://phandroid.com/2012/01/12/hands-on-asus-padfone-is-it-a-phone-tablet-or-both/

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Ubuntu Linux powered TV

iRig Stompbox (I would love to demo one of these!!)

Vlingo Voice Assistant coming to TV…

Polaroid Smartphone/Camera Combo

1st Intel Based Smartphone

Gorilla Glass 2 

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Five that will boom:
1. Any device with Android 4.0 – If you have had your finger on the pulse of this story, you have seen the future, and it is good…

2. Ipad 3 and Iphone 5 – These will both hit in 2012. not if, but when. Apple is fairly predictable in their product cycles. Based on what is out now, the next steps are good ones.

3. Mobile Apps for Ordering food – I used the Papa John’s app the other night while on a youth conference and it worked beautifully. I was able to discuss with the group what we wanted, put it in, and send the order. 30 minutes later, the delivery guy was there with the pizza!.

4.  Entry Level Smartphones – As the price becomes less of an issue, and the line blurs between feature phone and smartphone, the winners become the entry and mid level smartphones. If carriers can keep the required data pricing attractive,  more and more customers will make the jump.

5. Mobile payments -  I use square, paypal, my starbucks app, and other methods to move money to an from my accounts. I am not convinced that NFC (Near Field Communication) will go big in 2012, but the mobile payments industry has many other ways of getting your money to someone who wants it….

5 Technologies that will Bust in 2012

1.  Ultrabooks -  There, I said it. I love the idea, I really do. However, the implementation has been slow and expensive. The MacBook Air has had too much of a head start on the Ultrabooks to see much of a threat. There will be a few niche adopters, (maybe business travelers) but I believe that widespread adoption will not take place in 2012.

2. Google TV –  The set top box has been tried and tried again, with little success. Anyone remember Microsoft WebTV? Many would just rather have a means to hook something like a laptop, Gaming Console, or HTPC (Home Theatre PC) to their TV, and use a Hulu or Netflix app.

3. Blackberry –  Unless things drastically change, Blackberry is soon to become not much more than a footnote in tech history. Slow design-to-market timing is keeping RIM in a constant game of catch-up. The Playbook showed promise, but was late to market and incomplete when it got there.

4. Near Field Communication (NFC)-  As I noted in above, NFC is not quite ready for adoption. There are only a handful of devices that carry it, and it is going to take a couple years of development and adoption to really see what NFC can do.

5. Microsoft Office – I am not saying that Office is going away in 2012, but with so many other free and cheap options, combined with more tablet options that run compatible suites, The market share has got to be shrinking for MS. I have Office, but usually use Google Docs for most of my Word Processing and Simple Spreadsheet work, due to simplicity and the availability online.

These are my best guesses. I may do an article like this in 2013, and say “wow, I was wrong”. If you think I am right or wrong, let me know below in the comments section. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

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