SeniorNet Federation Newsletter Dec 2013

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GizmoeThis is your December edition of Gizmoe - the sixth and final edition in 2013.

Gizmoe will also be posted on our website www.seniornet.co.nz on 11 December 2013.

Technology highlights in 2013

Its been another year of massive change so I thought listing the highlights would be useful(scary for some!).

Heres my brief list:

Deep Learning . With loads of computational power, machines can now identifyobjects and translate speech in real time. Is this the start of artificial intelligence?

Additive Manufacturing . GE, the worlds largest manufacturer, is on the verge of using 3 -Dprinting to make jet parts. The new industrial revolution?

Memory Implants . An eccentric neuroscientist believes he has deciphered the code bywhich the brain forms long-term memories. Will implants for people suffering long termmemory loss soon be possible?

Smart Watches . The designers of the Pebble watch understood that a mobile phone is moreuseful if you dont have to take it out of your pocket. The watch makes a comeback?

Google Glass. This technology allows users to take photos, videos, surf the web, sendmessages and more, all hands- free. Its almost ready to launch, will you get one in 2014?

Responsive Web Design . This allows websites to respond to the device it is being displayedon, providing optimal viewing on any device. Responding to our preferences to connect to

the internet from any device.

Thank you

To all the volunteers and our many valued supporte rs thank you so much for being part ofSeniorNet, we value your time and the vitality you bring to the organisation.

Have a happy and relaxing Christmas.

Grant Sidaway Executive Officer
http://www.seniornet.co.nz/http://www.seniornet.co.nz/http://www.seniornet.co.nz/http://www.seniornet.co.nz/


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You the Grandkids and your Tablet!

Maybe you get to look after your grandchildren a fair bit and maybe you have a tablet device, thenmaybe you could introduce them to each other.

Here's a selection of some of the best apps for toddlers.

iPad Apps for Toddlers

Endless Alphabet

Endless Alphabet allows users learn the alphabet by sliding

"talking" letters into place to spell various words. They are then

rewarded with an amusing animation illustrating the definition .

Its free to download.

Press Here

Based on the Herv Tullet book, Press Here which gavechildren instructions to follow involving printed dots andswirls the Press Here app is more of the same. However,this time there's less imagination needed for thewonderfully simple games and animated activities.

Its US $1.99 to download.

WeeApps

As you and your grandchildren read about the likes of Charlie

the Chipmunk and Eli the Elephant, kids are encouraged to find

the first letter of the animal in the animations. They also get to

practice drawing letters on an interactive sketchpad.

This app will cost you US $2.99 to download.


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Sound Touch

When children tap illustrations in Sound Touch, they're

played a corresponding noise when the photograph of the

pressed object appears. There are five images and sounds for

each of the 72 objects, which include animals, vehicles and

musical instruments.

Sound Touch will cost you US $4.99 to download.

Intro to Mathematics

Intro to Math introduces children to the numbers 0-9

through a series of games and activities that include things

like arranging rods from longest to shortest or learning to

draw numbers by tracing them on the screen.

Its $4.99 to download.

And ro id a l so have swag of g reat apps fo r todd le r s too

ABC for Kids

Teach your grandchildren to write the letters of the alphabet

while having fun! ABC for Kids is an educational game

It features: Human voice for Alphabets Image of each Alphabet On touch you can listen to sounds again

Slideshow is Available where you can sit back and watch your

grandchild learn.

ABC for kids is free to download.


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Educational Games for Kids

Teach your grandkids with fun, they will learn alphabet,

numbers, colours, shapes, days of the week, months of the

year and much more.

The educational game shows children the alphabet letters

and teaches them to recognize letters as they appear. As a

result, pre-schoolers learn the letters sounds much faster.Educational Games for Kids Its free to download.

Kids Shapes

A hands-on, real-life way for kids to learn shapes.

Wouldn't it be just wonderful if there was a simple

game for pre-schoolers and kindergarten-aged children

that made learning shapes enjoyable? There is! It's

called Kids Shapes.

Kids Shapes is free to download

The move toward Apps and away from so called traditional software continues at pace. InJune 2009 when things just got started in the Apple app world there were a mere 50,000 inOctober, this year the one millionth app was listed with 475,000 native to the iPad.

Android has a touch under 900,000 apps with Microsoft some distance behind at around120,000.

Heres where to go for apps:

Apple iPhone and iPad the App store https://itunes.apple.com/nz/genre/ios/id36?mt=8

Android Google Play https://play.google.com/store

Windows - http://windows.microsoft.com/en-NZ/windows-8/apps#Cat=t1
https://itunes.apple.com/nz/genre/ios/id36?mt=8https://itunes.apple.com/nz/genre/ios/id36?mt=8https://itunes.apple.com/nz/genre/ios/id36?mt=8https://play.google.com/storehttps://play.google.com/storehttps://play.google.com/storehttp://windows.microsoft.com/en-NZ/windows-8/apps#Cat=t1http://windows.microsoft.com/en-NZ/windows-8/apps#Cat=t1http://windows.microsoft.com/en-NZ/windows-8/apps#Cat=t1http://windows.microsoft.com/en-NZ/windows-8/apps#Cat=t1https://play.google.com/storehttps://itunes.apple.com/nz/genre/ios/id36?mt=8


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Great offer from Westpac Bank

SeniorNet is pleased to announce a new corporate sponsor Westpac New Zealand Ltd. Westpac isthe first bank that SeniorNet has worked with, and we are thrilled to have them on-board.

Banking has changed considerably since Westpac opened its first New Zealand branch in 1861.However despite there being safer and easier ways to bank, many older New Zealanders are stillprimarily using cash and cheques. Working with Westpac, we will be running a number of workshopsto help you make the most out of banking technology including how to use Eftpos and ATMs, howto shop safely online, and how to use internet banking. Trust me learning these new skills willchange your life!

As an introductory offer, Westpac has made available a Term Deposit special rate just for SeniorNetmembers! You dont have to be a Westpac customer to access this just pop into a branch and theywill help you set up an account. For more details please refer to the promotion below.


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Lamentation from Archie MacDonald

SeniorNetIs the placeWhere I go to learn the idiosyncrasiesOf computers and tabletsBecome familiar with the programs I have chosen to useWhich often eludes me at a critical time?You remember your school daysWhen the shadow of the tutor darkens your keyboardYou discuss subjects not found in Mr Jones manualsYou frown because you have forgotten what you learnt in Files and FoldersYou hide behind I must be getting old

We growl, for when we are youngSchool terms were long and holidays shortNow school is all holidaysBut thats because of our age Here I go again its nice to hide behindSeniorNet is closed for ChristmasWe miss our friends, especially the tutorsSeniorNet is the star of our weekPerhaps I should stop reminiscing

Because the grey spots on the paper you holdWill give away as the tears flowI am bored and its only the first week of the holidays Oh well just remember when you see me nextI will be older and maybe more forgetfulAs it is 4.20am as I write and my driver is picking me up at 8.30 to go to GoreI had better have another coffeeMERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAVE A HAPPY HOLIDAY

Archie is a member of SeniorNet South(Invercargill) and is famous for his writing which hegenerously shares with other members. He wrotethe above on the morning of a recent regionalmeeting held in Gore.


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A worthy cause

A group of retired blokes in Nelson have got

together and fully restored a 1975 mini toraffle in aid of cancer. It has been an amazingand humbling project for all involved withsponsors donating everything down to apersonalised number plate for the car.Sponsors have also donated a very generousline up of prizes for 2nd, 3rd and 4th prize.

The raffle will be drawn late January and themen hope to raise $200,000 for the Cancer

Society. Tickets can be purchased onlinethrough Country Trading Co. a Nelson mailorder company.

To visit the raffle page on their website andbuy tickets go to:http://www.countrytrading.co.nz/products/cancersocietyminiraffle-1.

You can also see photos of the progress of the restoration on the Country Trading Facebook photoalbum pagehttps://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.763334477025340.1073741836.470688749623249&type=1&l=190e919565

Upgrading from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1

Having trouble upgrading from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1?

Neal Utting (Hamilton) did, and his experience could help otherswith problems.

When Windows 8 came out he installed it (to be able to learn about it) on a partition of his harddrive, but has kept using Windows 7. Then when Windows 8.1 came out he wanted to upgrade.

The instruction to upgrade is to click on the tile in the Apps Store in Windows 8 but he found thatthere was no Windows 8.1 tile to click on. He tried downloading the file from the Microsoft website,but this couldnt be installed because a couple of necessary files were not available. He then realised

that the problem might be that he hadnt opened Windows 8 for some months, and that theWindows 8.1 tile was probably included in an update, when Windows 8.1 was released.

After 67 updates were downloaded and installed the Windows 8.1 tile appeared, and he could then

update.
http://www.countrytrading.co.nz/products/cancersocietyminiraffle-1.https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.763334477025340.1073741836.470688749623249&type=1&l=190e919565https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.763334477025340.1073741836.470688749623249&type=1&l=190e919565https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.763334477025340.1073741836.470688749623249&type=1&l=190e919565https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.763334477025340.1073741836.470688749623249&type=1&l=190e919565http://www.countrytrading.co.nz/products/cancersocietyminiraffle-1.


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Prove who you are online, quickly and easily

With online fraud and identity theft on the increase, being able to prove who you are online hasnever been more useful.

RealMe is the new way to do just that.

Created by the government and New Zealand Post, it's highly secure,and has been specially designed to be trusted by New Zealandbusinesses.

This makes signing up for online services like getting a bank accountor mortgage quicker and easier, with no more needless trips to thebranch.

It's also completely free to sign up for and use.

Sign up now at www.realme.govt.nz

All I want for Christmas

According to the Guardian Newspaper the biggest sellers will be tablets. John Lewis, the big retailchain in the UK, expects to sell a tablet computer every 15 seconds during the festive period. Apple'sthinner, lighter iPad Air will be on many wish lists also, and Google's Nexus models will do a brisktrade, but the biggest selling piece of electronic equipment this Christmas is forecast to be the iPadMini.

"Tablets were top of the electrical categorylast year and they will be again this year," saidNeil Saunders of retail consultancy Conlumino.Many tablets will end up in the hands ofchildren, for whom screen-swiping often hasmore attraction than dressing dolls orassembling wooden railways. Perhaps asparents if we whine in similar tones our kids

will relent and buy us a Tablet!

The dilemma for parents is whether to opt foran educational tablet especially designed for children, such as the lower cost LeapPad, or give in tothe harassment and buy an adult tablet. One deciding factor is choice the best e-books and games,such as Angry Birds or Temple Run, are largely unavailable outside the Apple and Android realms.

"There is the biggest reluctance from the parents' point of view these are quite expensive things tobreak," said Saunders. "You can see why people have cashed in on making kids' versions of tablets,but the truth is when they get to five or six, they want the iPad because that's the thing they can domost on. We will see 'cascading' parents will get the brand-new model and pass the old tabletdown to the kids." The last thing we want is hand-me-downs from our kids those days are wellbehind us yes?

The LeapPad
http://www.realme.govt.nz/http://www.realme.govt.nz/http://www.realme.govt.nz/http://www.realme.govt.nz/

Documents

SeniorNet Federation Newsletter Dec 2013