Reading barcodes (A UPC-A, Lorem ipsum, QR Code, etc.)

If you have and iPhone or any smartphone, you have to have unloaded the iTunes software in your computer which is free unloading, you get it from the web site and you unload it, then to your iPhone. After that you have to get an iTunes account and that software will keep your smartphone updated; also you can download music in it with that if you want. In the iPhone there is an application named "app store" which is already unloaded in your smartphone and that one allows you to look for different web applications which can be or can not be free. When you want to unload a barcode application in your smartphone it will asks you about your iTunes password: after you type it, it will unload it (without plugging your iPhone to the computer). Application you can unload to read barcodes in your smartphone is "bakodo", but there are lots of different ones you can use, you can look for them in the internet search, type "barcode" and you will get the following ones and more: "shopSavvy, "qr droid", etc.

Thanks and ALWAYS ENJOY LIFE IN ALL WAYS!.

ALD App not just for Apple Products!

I am confessing an assumption I recently made. After downloading the ALD app to my iPad, I "assumed" it was only available for Apple products. And you guessed it, that's what I get for assuming such a silly thing! I recently checked the App Market on my Android phone and was pleased to see the ALD app available for my phone. And, I can't quite say enough about this fantastic app, powered by Boopsie. I love placing items on hold with a few quick taps on my screen. Checking my account is also a breeze (and renewing items, as well!)

Finding branch locations, hours and programs is also available.

Did you know you can quickly look up materials with the app's bar-code scanner? If you're shopping and find an item that looks interesting, simply pull up the app, touch the "BookLook" tab and then activate the scanner. Position the scanner over the ISBN bar code and shake to focus.

Question: I am struggling to properly maneuver the scanner. Any tips? I shake to focus, tap the screen when the small green dot appears and even change the lighting above the book itself.

Thank you for any help you can offer me.

Digital Resolutions!

We're almost done with January--how is everyone doing on their New Year Resolutions?

Yeah, me neither. :)

I came across this list of recommended action steps to stay on top of your digital presence. Some of them are specific towards educators, but almost all of them--like changing your passwords, backing up your data, and checking your privacy settings--are valuable reminders!

10 Super Geeky Tips for the New Year

Pandigital Novel

My Pandigital is back to life. I checked everything I downloaded, and I found out there were no books which I downloaded using Overdrive app. Remember ? The pages were not formated and text size adjustment didn't work. I decided to practice downloading again. Dowloaded an e-book on my computer and started reading it. Following Katya's recommendations, which I didn't remember well, I dragged the ebook from the computer into Pandigital. It died again. While Katya says "opening it with some other than Overdrive". As Customer Service didn't get in touch with me, I will probably go to Barnes and Noble to register it and see if they could help me.

When I got my Nook Simple Touch last year I was excited to pick out a cover for it. I didn’t really know anything more about covers than what I saw at Barnes & Noble so I found one in a nice color with a nice quote on it and bought it. When I bought the Nook Color Tablet I again looked at the covers at Barnes & Noble and wasn’t very impressed. Nothing I found really said anything about me – the owner of that particular e-reader (although I did like the simple sophisticated Saffiano leather Kate Spade cover – I just couldn’t justify the $89 price tag). So I did what I do so often in my purchasing role for Neighborhood Libraries – I started researching what else is out there. I found a lot more covers – pages & pages on Amazon – but still nothing was catching my eye. Then I searched for “the best Nook tablet covers” and finally found what I was looking for. Oberon Design (www.oberondesign.com) offers handcrafted leather covers and sleeves for all Kindle and Nook e-readers in a variety of designs and colors. They are unique and my red paisley sleeve is a beautiful work of art. So if you’re looking for an e-reader cover, check out Oberon Design’s website.

E-Reader Notes

My e-reader is Nook Simple Touch. I found it to be easy and pleasant to use. I discovered that in order to operate a Nook the owner has to register it with Barnes & Noble. To register the e-reader, the owner has to establish a Barnes & Noble personal account. The registration process requires access to wireless Internet connection. The easiest place to register a Nook is one of the Barnes & Noble stores. After registering my Nook, I was able to check out ALD e-books. I also wanted to read books in Russian. I used Katya’s article in Tech Talk blog at http://aldnlreadtolead.blogspot.com/2011/06/popular-russian-formats-for-e-books.html  to guide me through the process (thank you, Katya!). I was able to download a book in Russian to my computer and convert the Russian format to e-pub. I could read the book in Calibre, a format converter I used. However, when I transferred the book to my Adobe Digital Editions library, the text consisted of question marks. I went through the procedure several times but could not make Adobe display the Russian text. I decided to connect my Nook to the computer and see if I would get question marks there as well. To my surprise, the Nook displayed the text properly. I realized that Calibre did accomplish the format conversion. Even though Adobe could not display the Russian font, it transferred the format conversion to the Nook.

Compact flash cards and new XQD

This blog may not interest everyone but if you or your patrons own and use Nikon or Sony cameras that use Compact Flash Cards, you may be interested in this article. http://news.yahoo.com/goodbye-compactflash-cards-nikon-sony-welcome-xqd-format-021005443.html
I know I have had a harder time finding Compact Flash cards in the last few months unless I go to a camera store etc. I used to be able to buy them almost anywhere, including Costco but no more.

NEW NOOK COLOR USB PROBLEM

My Nook Color worked fine in the beginning and there was no problem using ALD's website, checking out and reading overdrive materials, etc. Last week I got an error message when trying to Sync my Nook Color with my Computer to pick up my overdrive epub hold. When I plugged my Nook's USB into my computer an error message/warning came up saying that the USB device is not recognized by this computer. I rebooted my Computer and the Nook, made sure the Nook was fully charged and turned on when I connected it. I also tried plugging in to a different USB port. Nothing worked. I "Googled" this problem and see lots of other NookColor owners have experienced similar problems. B & N Customer support is not very helpful. I requested a new USB cord. Any other suggestions????
Thanks

Overdrive issues in Pandigital Novel device

Here is an Overdrive issue with Pandigital Novel I came across while doing a BAL and I think it may be an issue for some other non-mainstream e-readers.

The problem is that even though one can easily download both Overdrive app and e-books on Pandigital, when opening such a book in Overdrive one can see only a part of the text: about 2/3 to be exact. Text size adjustment does not do the trick, nor do any changes in Settings.

The only way out that I found was sideloading a book on the device and then opening it with some app other than Overdrive (such as B&A app on Pandigital, for example) or getting a Kindle app and downloading a Kindle format book from our collection.

Online Education for Kids

Hi NL Staff! This perhaps a strange topic to be posting for work, but it is a new technological adventure I have embarked on and one that I am extremely excited about!

Some of you may be familiar with all of the educational options out there for students. I only recently became aware of online schooling options for my 13 year old, 8th grade son. What I learned, and what we ended up setting up for him, is that you can create a combination of online and "traditional" (brick and mortar classroom) learning. This was all done for FREE through the school distrcit we live in, they even provide a macbook which they check out to us. So my son takes his "core" classes online and attends his former middle school for two electives and after-school athletics. I cannot say enough about how well this is working out for him and for our family.

What is super exciting to me is the technology piece in this. This is a real world opportunity for my son to continue to develop his skills technologically by using the following on a regular basis:
*Virtual Classes weekely using camera, mike, and/or instant messaging
*Online presentations with peers including presentations and desktop sharing to present
*Updated/latest technology for documents, presentations, etc
*Google docs, calendars, etc between teachers and with students
*Variety of communications tools with teachers and students
*Online textbooks, assignments, quizzes, tests

Additionally, this gives him a great combination of structured and independent learning/working...a great lifeskill for the future. Because parental involvement is such an important piece with this type of learning, I have been able to brush up on my tech skills and learn new things!!

I thought I would pass this information on as you may find more and more online learners in your libraries...the numbers keep growing annually!

December Techie of the Month

Hi all! December was an exciting month on our NL Tech Talk blog! We had lots of great posts to help us learn, especially about ereaders. Thanks to all for sharing.

So who wins the honors this month? After much deliberation, our esteemed panel of judges decided that Sharon Chinn of Sheridan Library deserves to be the December Techie of the Month for her post on 12/3. We were impressed with Sharon's discovery of a children's book that integrated new technologies into the text to make it an interactive experience for families. Sharon showed curiosity about a new kind of children's book, talked to the author, and generated excitement about how families could use this book. We liked learning about this from Sharon. This very same book was featured in the Denver Post soon after Sharon's post. We heard about it here first! Congratulations, Sharon! An Amazon gift card is on the way to you.

Multimedia Novel 7"

Time to share my experience with my device - Multimedia Novel 7", or Pandigital Novel, Android system, Multimedia Tablet and Color eReader. It was a gift from my children for my birthday, which was in June. I was excited very much. First of all, downloaded pictures of my family and my friends, but of course! Then I practised downloading Ebooks (EPUB and PDF are the supported formats). Then I was happy to download music from Freegal! Told my granddaughter that she would be able to do this, 3 songs per week for free!
Not long ago I booked a librarian (Thank you Katya!) and learned how to download Russian books.
Then time came to learn how to download ebooks directly on my device using Overdrive (Thank you Laura!). We all noticed that the device was a little bit too slow. But I said : "Patience, Tanya! You are discovering a new land!"
So I was enjoying reading my books. One day my husband decided to buy a memory stick for my Novel. We incerted it, found it in the Novel, formatted it, and ..... the device died, I remember the date - January 7. We kept it charged and in 2 days it came back to life! Hurray! I worked with it for some time, for an hour or so, wanted to download another book from the library, did it and it died again!.
I registered it on Pandigital website, asked if they could help me, because I am not satisfied with it.
Does anybody else has the same device and can share their experience with me? Was it just my luck? Because I am on the edge of saying: Don't buy it guys!

Free method to sign and send digital documents

SignNow.com is a free website which allows users to sign and send digital documents. It includes features like uploading or creating a new document, inviting another signer, adding notes and CC emails, and drawing, printing or uploading your personal signature. Check it out; it can be useful for you or your patrons http://signnow.com

About my Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus with 16GB Memory

I spent some time for comparing all Tablets before I chose to buy the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus with 16GB Memory. Finally I made my decision. Some of the reasons are:
1. The Samsung’s are known to have amazing screen quality.
2. The Samsung’s hardware has a great reputation in the business when it comes to quality.
3. This device is amazingly Thin, Light and Stylish
Once I get to use the Tab more, I'll update on books, music, movies and other uses for it. I've only had it for less than a week so hasn’t had time to get fully acquainted with it.
If you are looking to get a tablet now for yourself or someone else, you will not go wrong with the Samsung Galaxy Tab, no doubt. I know I am more than delighted about mine!

I wanted to add a bit of my own advice on how to protect these great devices that we have all become to love! Touch screens have become the standart for ereaders, but let's face it, they are delicate, and it makes me nervous to drop my iPad in my purse/backpack and just go. I would first recommend a cover for your device, and second, I think it is imperative to purchase a screen protector. If you go to a major retailer you can pay big bucks for one of these, some people pay up to $60! I went online to ebay, and bought a pack of 3 screen protectors for only a few dollars! The screen protector I am using is: 99% transparent, anti-scratch, reduces smudging and the material is from Japan. Small tip on the application of these protectors that I found from research online: apply the screen in a humid bathroom after a shower, it minimizes the tiny fuzz particles and makes your device look like you don't even have a protector on it!

First of all, I would like to add my thanks to ALD for their generosity and desire to truly integrate their staff with today's technology. I purchased an iPad, and although it was daunting to use it at first, I quickly learned how easy it was to download books from our web site, surf the web, and do so much more. What great timing from ALD for this reimbursement opportunity, many patrons came to the library after the holidays to ask our assistance, as ereaders have become such a hit in the market and were given as gifts to many. Although training was helpful and created a great foundation for this technology for the staff, it is of course the personal hands on experience you gain from owning one of these products and using it daily that allows you to really understand it and its capabilities.

Ten years later, Windows XP still dominates the Web

By Philip Elmer-DeWitt January 1, 2012: 10:56 AM ET

And in the Apple market, Lion is still trailing two-year-old Snow Leopard

In its final monthly report for 2011, NetApplications offers a window on the shifting fates of the various flavors of Microsoft (MSFT) Windows and Mac OS X that show up at its 40,000 clients' websites.

As a rule, creaky old legacy systems dominate.

Windows XP, which Microsoft introduced in August 2001, is still the single most-present PC operating system, with a 46.5% share of global Web traffic.

And Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard), which Apple (AAPL) launched in Aug. 2009, still has a 3.1% market share to Lion's 2.0%

But despite the persistence of aging OSs, there was a lot of rapid movement in 2011. Lion's Web presence went from 0% to 2% in just over two months. And Windows 7, for its part, went from 21.7% to 37% in the space of a year, a 71% increase.

It was not a good year for Vista or "Other," however. Both experienced significant share drops in 2011