Mobility

A First Look at Google’s Moto X Smartphone

Here’s a roundup of the best higher ed stories this week.

Twitter

Jimmy is a writer and editor who publishes a weekly newsletter. You can find him on Twitter.

This is part of our series of weekly roundups curating the best higher education technology news, articles and resources from around the web. Tweet us to suggest an article.

The Campus Technology Summer Conference Was a Hit on Twitter

Attendees were all over social media, sharing photos, ideas and tips for the higher education community. To make it easier to follow along, we created a list of all of the people tweeting from the event. Here are a few of our favorite tweets:

You cannot bottle and mass market a good class. Good classes are individual artisanal affairs --> my thought of the day #campustech

— Apostolos K. (@koutropoulos) July 31, 2013

New open source response system from University of Oregon called Ripple. Very cool. http://t.co/p1HYnXjiwf #CampusTech #opensource

— Dan case (@kachoodan) July 31, 2013

"google never laughs at you for asking a stupid question" @DrTonyWagner #campustech

— Lance Eaton (@leaton01) July 31, 2013

First Look at Google’s Moto X

And, wow, does it look nice. David Pierce over at The Verge got his hands on a Moto X and reports that this device is a realistic approach to the smartphone. The specs aren’t overwhelming, but the experience is consistent and enjoyable. A few key features:

Google Now is always on and can be trained to respond to only the owner’s voice.
It automatically detects when the user is in a car and opens the Google Maps app.
It doesn’t run stock Android but is reported to be very close. As Pierce writes, it’s “stock Android with some interesting flourishes.”
There are 504 possible color combinations.

Check out the Verge’s video to learn more:

Number of the Week

3: The number of years it took tablets to overtake smartphones in web traffic. (Source)

The Best of EdTech

We were busy covering Campus Technology this week. Here are three excellent stories that Tara Buck, our managing editor, wrote from the show:

Lev Gonick Urges IT to Drive the Innovation Conversation

The former Case Western University CIO laid it on thick during his keynote presentation: “It’s no longer simply sufficient to say we were there at the beginning of the digital revolution."
Closing the Skills Gap by Educating Innovators

Harvard’s Dr. Tony Wagner believes that colleges aren’t addressing the skills that students will need to succeed in the real world. Technology has been extremely disruptive but now presents an incredible opportunity. “Innovation demands that you take risks, make mistakes and learn from them,” he says. “How come we don’t organize schools that way?”
Are Campus Technologies Preparing Students for Future Success?

When it comes to tech on campus, who better to hear from than college students? Andy Lausch, CDW•G vice president of higher education, led a panel discussion with three students about how they use — and how they wished their colleges used — technology.

But that wasn’t all we did this week. Here are few other must-reads:

Preparing for the Journey to the Private Cloud

Colleges are finding that private clouds provide the perfect balance between security and convenience.
How to Avoid Excessive BYOD Costs

BYOD is not a silver bullet; not by a long shot. Here are a few tips to keep costs down.
Rural Colleges Break into the Wi-Fi Market

With the introduction of TV White Space, rural colleges have a fighting chance to survive the education-technology revolution.