The Mario Blog

04.12.2010—8am    Post #895
iPad discovery: piano playing, sketching, and more

TAKEAWAY: With the second iPad weekend behind us, we discover what this four-button wonder is capable of doing, and the more we use it, the more we like it. PLUS: Speakers confirmed for The Power of the Tablet conference at Poynter

Update #3: Monday, April 12, 10:06 EST

TAKEAWAY: With the second iPad weekend behind us, we discover what this four-button wonder is capable of doing, and the more we use it, the more we like it. PLUS: Speakers confirmed for The Power of the Tablet conference at Poynter

The iPad: by air, train or car……it travels well

blog post image
Photos by Stefan Seffrin

Don’t miss this New York Times story on how iPad has “inspired” rivals to move into fast action with their own tablets:

After iPad, Rivals Offer Variations on a Theme
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/technology/12slate.html?ref=business&pagewanted=all

If, as I think, the practice of daily blogging involves a continuum of what the blogger is thinking and doing, then this Monday, April 12, I start reporting early.

It is 6:03 in the morning, and, as always I am fascinated with the punctuality of European trains. At exactly three minutes after six, still dark and barely 4 cold degrees Celsius, the long and comfortable train departs Luxembourg for Paris-Est, about a two-hour ride.

As I continue to adapt my lifestyle to the iPad (or should I say, adapting the iPad to my lifestyle?), I find me getting a copy of The International Herald Tribune at the train station before embarking, but soon whip out my iPad and realize that, indeed, I am connected, so I can access my favorite New York Times Editor’s Choice. It is only 8 stories that the editors have chosen for me to sample today, and it is the perfect dose, allowing me to get my eyes into a very exclusive group of stories that fall into what I call the “must know” category. Like a good energy bar, it gives you what you need, but does not make you feel guilty that you could not eat the whole thing.

iPad discovery highlight: during the weekend I downloaded Pianist Pro, and I will no longer miss my Baby Grand Piano when travelling. I am an amateur pianist who loves to play by ear, so now I have my own little piano to take along (and it plays drums in the background too).

I also read two books at a time, check The Weather Channel regularly and, presto, discovered a sketching pad that takes no space: Adobe Ideas.

My iPad discovery should continue for several days, I imagine.

iPad photo session

Meanwhile, spent Sunday morning and part of the afternoon doing an iPad photo shoot in Luxembourg. With Frank Deville coordinating the shoot and German photographer Stefan Seffrin applying his fantastic photographic skills, we covered a lot of ground: I show you a couple of images here.

Link of interest

Rob Layton, from Australia, sends us this take from an Australian commentator:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/04/08/2867104.htm?site=thedrum

Also of interest, related to iPad:

– No, Apple’s iPad cannot ‘save newspapers’, nor can it save journalism
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2010/apr/12/ipad-rupert-murdoch

– After iPad, Rivals Offer Variations on a Theme
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/12/technology/12slate.html?ref=media

– Steve Jobs: Here’s How Apple Will Beat Google At Mobile Advertising
http://paidcontent.co.uk/article/419-steve-jobs-heres-how-apple-will-beat-google-at-mobile-advertising/

– What does Apple’s new mobile iAd format mean for news publishers?
http://www.ojr.org/ojr/people/robert/201004/1840/

– Beecher: Why Murdoch defies gravity while other owners have to play by the rules
http://www.crikey.com.au/2010/04/07/beecher-why-murdoch-defies-gravity-while-other-owners-have-to-play-by-the-rules/

The Power of the Tablet: Poynter Conference, June 14-15

blog post image

For application and more information:
http://www.poynter.org/seminar/seminar.asp?id=5515

We can now confirm the following speakers for the Poynter conference: Latest to join is Alfredo Triviño, Director of Creative Projects, News International (London). Al leads the process of visualizing and showcasing potential products for all News International titles—from print to mobile and tablet apps. Al has been working with tablets since 2007 when he invented the Newsbook, a platform where to read, view,
listen to, share and store newspapers, books and magazines. Some of the ways
of editing and delivering content that are central to the Newsbook will be
tried out for the first time with The Times and Sunday Times iPad apps.

Also confirmed speakers and resource persons at the conference: D.W. Pine, design director of Time Magazine; Jennifer George-Palilonis of Ball State University; Joe Zeff of Joe Zeff Design; Gary Cosimini of Adobe; Steve Dorsey, vice president, research and development, Detroit Media Partnership and Mario Garcia Jr., Garcia Media.

It is an exciting return to The Poynter Institute for Media Studies for me, as I have been invited to organize and to direct this key seminar, The Power of Tablets: How the iPad and Others are Reshaping the Digital Revolution. Working closely with my Poynter colleagues Stephen Buckley, interim dean at Poynter and publisher of Tambay.com, the digital publishing arm of the St. Petersburg Times, and Regina McCombs, faculty for multimedia and mobile at Poynter. we are still crafting the program, but I know that anyone seriously considering publishing tablet editions will benefit from attending the one and a half day program.

Goal of the seminar: To introduce editors, publishers, managers and designers to what’s ahead and what they can expect when tabletizing their print products.

The conference will touch upon the four main themes involved in tablet planning: storytelling (presentation modes), advertising innovation, technology/usability and revenue producing strategies.

I will continue to update this information as speakers are firmed up.

We envision this introductory seminar as perhaps part of a trilogy of programs devoted to tablet publishing, with this one as the introductory one, then perhaps one on storytelling/presentation modes/technology, and one devoted to advertising/revenue producing.

I urge those interested to apply immediately as there will be a limited number of spots available.

TheMarioBlog post #531

The Mario Blog