mLearnCon News and Updates

From Learning Solutions Magazine

Apple's iOS 4: Ready for the Enterprise, But What About e-Learning

Earlier this month, Consumer Reports published (http://bit.ly/auU0c6) a blog entry confirming a design defect in Apple’s iPhone 4 that can lead to signal-strength degradation and dropped calls for some users. Apple responded a few days later by announcing they will give current iPhone 4 customers a “bumper” case that alleviates the problem. Even with this dust-up, Apple sold some three million of these devices in a scant few weeks after its release.

This feat followed the no-less notable launch of Apple’s iPad. While the technorati rushed to issue their lukewarm reviews, consumers told a different story. Even the market tizzy generated by Apple’s decision to take a “No Flash Spoken Here” approach to its content gateway couldn’t keep customers away; sales of iPads hit the three million mark in the first 80 days following the product’s launch.

Read More HERE

From SFGate

How can employee-owned mobile devices be secured and managed on corporate networks?

With the rise of personal mobile devices, a growing number of enterprises have scrapped the homogeneity mandate: instead of requiring employees to use a standard smartphone, more IT departments are now looking at some degree of control over employee-owned (or "employee-liable") devices, to manage and secure them. 

"The corporate standards dam is breaking, as platforms like Android and iPhone push their way into the enterprise," says Gartner Vice President Phillip Redman. "Most companies will accept these, and prepare guidelines and processes for managing and securing them."

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2010/07/25/urnidgns852573C4006938800025776C001CF44D.DTL#ixzz0upkcKwO2

British Council Mobile Apps

These few sample mobile app for learning English may inspire you to look at m-learning in different ways. Check out more m-learning apps sponsored and supported by the Britisd Council HERE.

From Ignatia Webs

mLearnCon conference speaker, Inge DeWaard (Ignatia) blogs about her notes and reflection of the most recent mLearnCon Conference and Expo.

What to take into account when chosing a mobile device for learning?

Choosing the best phone for mobile learning can be quite a challenge. It also depends on what you want to do with it and how easy you can get used to technology. The amount of features you want to use will also allow you to purchase a low or high cost smartphone or mobile device.

Let's say you want to explore mobile learning, these are some of your options.

First of all if you are a tech savvy person you could go for a less expensive device which has all the options of the iPhone and more, for the iPhone costs a lot, yet is similar to many other mobile phones that are cheaper. The iPhone is above all an incredibly easy phone to use (very intuitive in its user interface), so for those not that comfortable with technology, the iPhone is the way to go (although it is expensive). If you do not want to pay the cost of an iPhone, you can also go for an iPod Touch, which is much cheaper and offers all the iPhone options, except phone possibilities (but the phone possibilities are not essential for mobile learning).

Read all about, and read more of Ignatia's blogs HERE

From  Mashable

HOW TO: Optimize Your Mobile Site Across Multiple Platforms

One of the most difficult aspects of designing for the mobile webis making your site compatible and accessible across different devices. A mobile-optimized site might look great on your iPhone or Android device, but utterly fall apart on Symbian or BlackBerry handsets. Likewise, a simple WAP-enabled site might be fine for feature phones, but fall short of expectations when it comes to newer and more advanced devices.

We’ve covered some of the ways to streamline the process ofcreating your mobile-optimized site in the past. Today, we want to take a look at some specific tips and tricks for testing and adding compatibility for different types of devices.

Read about these invaluable tips HERE.