LabQuest 2 from Vernier- Connected Science System

It has been a couple of years since I last reviewed the Labquest from Vernier, so when I was able to get my hands on the LabQuest 2, I was really excited to find out about all the new enhancements in this new handheld connected science system. The LabQuest 2 is about the size of large cell phone with a high contrast screen that is powered by a high capacity rechargeable Lithium battery. The Labquest 2 has a great design and feels very solid in your hands as you use the device. The high resolution touch screen is great for viewing when you are using it outside in the field. Vernier did not skimp on the processing power in this device and you will find it very responsive when you are collecting or analyzing data on the device. The LabQuest 2 supports all of the Vernier sensors making it easy for schools who have invested in their devices and probes. The LabQuest 2 now includes both WiFi and Bluetooth which opens up all kinds of possibilities which I will discuss later in the post. Additionally, the LabQuest 2 has built-in accelerometers as well as GPS which can be utilized with other sensors for recording such data. I should mention that the LabQuest 2 is compatible with both Mac and Windows computers.

LabQuest 2 Screenshot

But no matter how good the hardware is-how does the LabQuest 2 hold up when in use? This is where this device really shines! Teachers will find that the LabQuest 2 is a dream to use-just plug in the sensor which will be automatically detected by the LabQuest 2 and press the Collect button to get started. Instantly students will be able to see their data being displayed on the screen. Once the data is collected students can spend their time using the analytic tools built in or transfer the data to a computer. Teachers can also have students email the data, graph, or screenshot directly from the LabQuest 2, that was captured, which makes it easy to include in a lab report. The LabQuest 2 supports analysis with linear and curve fits and allows students to record their notes on the device, with the on-screen keyboard. Teachers will enjoy the fact- knowing that the LabQuest 2 comes with over 100 experiments that are pre-loaded on the device which students can access. If teachers would like to customize the labs, Vernier has a handy Lab Creator Tool that is available to teachers that allows you to tweak the lab to your liking. 

Vernier Data Share on iPhone 4S

In this age of bring your own device (BYOD) Vernier has taken this model to heart and created the "connected science system," allowing anyone with a browser to view and interact with the collected data. This enables students with iPhones, Android Phones, iPod Touches, and iPads, to launch their browser and view the data live as it is being collected. All the students need to to do is go to their Settings and make sure that their device and the LabQuest 2 is on the same wireless network. Now simply launch the browser and enter in the IP address or name of Network and voila you are ready to view the data being collected in real time. I have tested various browsers, using my iPhone, iPad, and Kindle Fire with the LabQuest 2 and in each case the data was instantaneously available for me to preview in real time. For a richer set of tools, teachers can purchase the Graphical Analysis for iPad app from the App Store.

With the LabQuest 2, Vernier has transformed the way teachers need to think about teaching science in the classroom and provided them with an easy and powerful solution for capturing data in real time. Utilizing their "connected science system" with the LabQuest 2 it is now possible to extend their set of tools to students, so that they can collaborate in real time-by simply launching a browser. For teachers that want to create more interactive science lessons and give students the opportunity to collect data the LabQuest 2 is certainly an outstanding tool you should include in your classroom. Giving students the opportunity to both visualize and analyze data is at the heart of science and what better way to make it hands-on than with the LabQuest 2. For ore information about the LabQuest 2 you can click here.

If you are considering using the LabQuest 2 in your classroom Vernier will be offering free 4 hour workshop sessions in the Fall. For more information about the workshops click here.

Swivl-The Hands Free Way to Record Video on Your iPhone

I would like to thank the folks at Satarri, Inc for sending me the Swivl to review, which arrived this past week. The Swivl is an innovative product for the iPhone 4, 4S and iPod Touch 4th generation that lets you capture video without the need for a camera-person. The Swivl is comprised of two different units-the Swivl base and the Marker. The Swivl base is a motorized turret that houses your iPhone and allows the base to communicate with the Marker which can follow your movements as you record. Set up was a breeze at the company provided a Quick Start Guide that got you up and running quickly.

To get started I downloaded the free Swivl app to my iPhone 4S, placed the provided batteries (nice touch) into the Swivl base and Marker and then seated the iPhone on the Swivl base and plugged in the connector. I powered up the Swivl base and the Marker, opened the Swivl app and hit the record button to start the video recording. As I moved around the Swivl followed me which made recording a snap. The actuators in the Swivl base are very quiet and barely perceptible. I should note that the Marker in addition to being used as a way to track your movements, includes a high quality digital microphone that is used in the recording process. Once you have finished recording you can quickly upload your video to YouTube directly from the Swivl app which makes this a great tool for bloggers, educators, or anyone that wants to incorporate more video into the work that they do. Having the freedom to move around while doing your videos and not be constrained is really a fantastic feature. The Swivl is easy to use and I know that I will be doing more video blogging with it in the future. So if you find yourself wanting to do more video work and you usually work on your own, this is the perfect gift for you. You can purchase the Swivl on the Swivl website or on Amazon.com.

Below is the video that was captured using the iPhone and Swivl with Medium Video size setting in the Swivl app. The Notes for this video were captured using Quartet Kapture, a digital flip chart capturing tool. For more information about Quartet Kapture click here. Please let me know how you might use Swivl?

Skype for iPhone Now with Video Calls

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I could remember back to 1964 at the New York's World Fair being transfixed as I spoke to my mother an father and was able to see them on the video phone in the ATT Pavilion. It sure has taken a long time for the idea of video calls to take hold. But if there is one prediction which will really take hold in 2011 it will be how we begin to make more and more video calls on our mobile phones. Apple lead the way this year with their  application FaceTime running on the iPhone 4 and iPod Touch, allowing users to have video conferencing calls on the go when they are within earshot of a Wifi network. Skype today announced the release of Skype for iPhone which is free that will allow users to place video calls over a 3G or Wifi network.

With Skype, you can:

• Make video calls to people on their computers as well as other iPhones (details below)
• Make free audio calls to anyone else on Skype
• Make great value calls to landlines and mobiles around the world

The new app is compatible with the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and iPod touch 4th generation with i0S 4.0 or above. You can also receive video calls on the iPod touch 3rd generation and iPad. Calls can be made between devices using the new Skype for iPhone app and desktops including Skype for Windows 4.2 and above, Skype for Mac 2.8 and above, Skype for Linux and the ASUS videophone.

So enjoy the New Year and reach out and touch someone with Skype for the iPhone!

Totally Tubular with iPevo Bluetooth Speakers

The number of new Bluetooth devices that roll out each and every week is astonishing. If you want to keep you can go to the official Bluetooth Site and check out all of the new products. Since doing the iPevo Point 2 View Webcam review, iPevo was kind enough to send me the iPevo Tubular Wireless Speakers to review, which takes advantage of Bluetooth, to stream the audio from your iPhone, IPod Touch, BlackeBerry or your PC to their speakers. I have to tell you when Bluetooth was first introduced I was not a real fan. I'm sure many of you spent countless hours as I did trying to pair up your Bluetooth devices. But Bluetooth has come a long way in the past couple of years with vast improvements in speed and pairing your device.

With this in mind, I set off to take a look at the iPevo Tubular Wireless Speakers which when paired with your audio device lets you transmit audio to the speakers without the need for a physical connection. The iPevo Tubular Wireless Speakers has a unique design and lives up to its name-you see the two individual speakers when stored are in the shape of a tube. The iPevo Tubular Wireless Speakers design works well and makes it easy to store the hidden USB cable and Mini RCA jack to connect the two halves of the speakers together. The built-in rubber spools on each speaker makes it easy to store the cables.The iPevo Tubular Wireless Speakers ships with a built in rechargeable battery which should give you 6 - 8 hours of listening pleasure. When it is time to recharge the battery you simply plug in the USB cable into your computer and charge it up. Each of the iPevo Tubular Wireless Speakers output up to 3 watts of sound which should be enough to fill a small room with your music.
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As recommended I initially charged the iPevo Tubular Wireless Speakers for about 2 hours to charge the battery. The indicators on the iPevo Tubular Wireless Speakers will let you know when the speakers are fully charged.Once charged I took out my BlackBerry Curve and started the pairing process to the speakers. The steps to do the pairing were prominently printed in the speakers and withing 30 seconds I was up and running. Pairing the iPevo Tubular Wireless Speakers with my BlackBerry was a cinch! Now the moment of truth! I opened my media player on my BlackBerry Curve and started to play a song and lo and behold the music was directed to the iPevo Tubular Wireless Speakers. The volume controls on the iPevo Tubular Wireless Speakers worked well and the sound quality was very good.

My next attempt to use the iPevo Tubular Wireless Speakers was with my MacBook. Once again I went through the pairing process very quickly and then went to my Sound Preferences and selected th iPevo speakers as my sound output. I fired up iTunes and had the music streamed to the iPevo Tubular Wireless Speakers. It truly was a very easy process and one that gives you the flexibility to play your music with just about any music device. Based on my experience I would say that you can successfully stream your audio from about 20 feet from the sound source. I was thinking that this would be a great device to use with the iPod Touch in the classroom especially for students that might be using Proloquo2go.com. Imagine a student sitting at their desk with the iPevo Wireless Speakers using their portable augmentative communication device and not having the burden to be physically connected to speakers. Let me know what you think.