Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) is a digital TV service where the content instead of being delivered through cables, is transferred through technologies used for computer networks. It is a platform entirely based on interactive TV software and videoconferencing so the day is not far when you can actually respond to the game shows on your TV with your TV remote. IPTV can be bundled with web access and VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol).If you have ever watched a video on internet, in broader sense, it is the same technology. But for IPTV to work you need to have very high speed internet connection, a slow connection just won’t work. That’s why lots of telecommunication companies are eyeing this competitive market to make hay will the sun shines as they have their own local networks, a must for reliable IPTV, and all of them are getting ready to provide a triple play (IPTV, internet access and VoIP).Set top boxes are here to stay but with many modifications and advancements as it is not always possible to have a running PC beside your TV.

IPTV has many possibilites. Video on Demand is a reality with IPTV. You can browse online the movie catalogues and select a movie to playback. Interactivity, program guide, picture in picture are some of the other enviable features, which although is still possible with many satellite TVs but to a certain extent. Using wireless phones to schedule a recording of your favorite show, accessing photos, music from PC to TV are other features that can happen.

It comes with its own limitations as well. Since it uses Internet Protocol which transfers video stream in the form of packets, it is liable to loss of packets on the way and can cause delays, so is unreliable. Channel switching may take time because of the delay time in flow of packets. Internet connection has to be fast enough to prevent any breaks in the relay.

The deep pockets of telecommunication industry have already started pumping in the money to make it a success. Although many big challenges lie ahead for IPTV but with the way the technology is surging, high speed broadband reaching people and efforts being put into overcoming its limitations, IPTV is surely the next big thing in the league.

Virtualization allows multiple operating systems to co-exist and run at the same time on one host computer.   These operating systems are usually called guest operating systems and the platform where they are installed are called virtual machines.  For the guest operating systems to be able to access the actual hardware installed on the computer, virtual devices are created to represent these actual devices to the guest operating system.

Though this technology has been available since the 60′s, only with the advent of the Intel VT or AMD-V technologies did it become available to consumer hardware platforms.  Previously, support for virtualization on the PC was limited to software implementations which only allowed the guest operating systems to see virtual devices in the created virtual machine.  With virtualization now being available through hardware, it is now possible to create virtual machines that can provide performance similar to running the operating system directly on the hardware.

Some of the striking results of virtualization that is available in the market now is that of Mac OS X 10.5.  Now, it is possible to have both Mac OS X and Windows installed on a Mac computer.  So if you are a Mac user but you really have no choice but to use a Windows application, you no longer had to have two machines.  You can have the best of both worlds with your Mac computer.  Another good example is that of Ubuntu Linux allowing the user to install Ubuntu as a virtual machine instead of creating separate partitions for it on your hard drive before installation.  Ubuntu can now be installed just like a common Windows application all thanks to the new Wubi installer included with Ubuntu 8.04 and above.  Now, there is no risk to find out what Linux is all about while still having the ease of mind knowing that you can always go back to Windows if you need to.

Hardware OEMs are also starting to get into virtualization.  Asus recently implemented Splashtop features in some of its laptop and PC machines.  Splashtop, created by DeviceVM, allows the user to quickly boot up the computer in 4 to 5 seconds and immediately connect to the Internet while waiting for Windows to load in the background.  It is no longer required that the user wait for Windows to finish loading before they can enjoy going online.  It is really fast because the software needed for that feature is installed directly on the motherboard of the computer.

No doubt, power users of virtualization technology would still purchase separate software to allow them to create multiple virtual machines at will. But for most consumers, the added ability to run a whole separate operating system in their current machine or one that just allows them to use the computer quickly while waiting for their main operating system to boot up is already a great boon, and all that is possible thanks to virtualization.

The last time the computer industry became so excited with an input device was in the 80′s when Apple used a mouse on their Macintosh line of computers.  While the mouse has been invented and used in different platforms much earlier than that, Apple coupled the use of the mouse with an operating system which had a graphical user interface(GUI) that made the use of the mouse logical and essential.

On the gaming end of the computing spectrum, major innovations came in the form of the joystick.  First used in the arcades and later on in Atari consoles, the joystick then resembled a car’s stick shift and one or two buttons on top of the stick or beside it on the base of the stick.  The idea of the modern joystick however, arrived when Nintendo released their Family Computer in Asia whose counterpart is the Nintendo Enteratainment System(NES) in the United States.  Nintendo’s take on the joystick was to replace the stick to a cross-shaped directional pad.  It also featured more buttons which were placed on top of a flat rectangular plastic box.  Later on, the term gamepad was used to refer to these modern joysticks.

Fast forward to the present.  Surprisingly, both Apple and Nintendo continue to be the innovators for input devices.  

Apple is now gaining much popularity and accolades for introducing multi-touch into their devices.  The traditional touchpad which was largely used on laptops was already widespread but Apple enhanced it by allowing multiple fingers to be used to control the computer’s GUI.  Also, Apple started using touchscreens on their mobile products which includes cellphones and media players.  With the Apple iPhone and the Apple iTouch leading the way in multi-touch, it also features an accelerometer that detects the device’s orientation while it is held aloft.

Similar innovations were made by Nintendo when they introduced the Nintendo DS and the Nintendo Wii consoles.  The Nintendo DS featured dual screens one of which was touch activated.  This allowed gamers to have new gaming experiences previously not possible with the use of a gamepad.  A greater surprise was the introduction of the Wii’s Wiimote controller.  Instead of strictly using the gamepad buttons to control the games, the Wiimote allowed user control with a flick of the wrist or by simply tilting or rotating the controller wirelessly.  The Wii truly revolutionized gaming by bringing in a greater audience that included Mom and Dad, the casual gamer, and even the hardcore gamers together.  The simplicity at which the games can be played due to the intuitive nature of the controls allowed virtually anyone to simply pick up a game and have an enjoyable experience with little to no learning curve needed.  This eventually led to Nintendo winning console sales over its competition.

So what’s next in the future of input devices?  It appears that the next innovation in input devices are geared towards interactive experiences with the use of one’s hands.  Everyone who has watched Minority Report was astonished when 3D holograms were made out of thin air allowing one person to touch, move and interact with objects in the hologram using their hands.  Well, it may be a long way before input device technology reaches that level but for now, it appears that multi-touch screens and movement sensor controllers are going to be the standard input of choice for future devices.

From a logical point of view, touchscreen devices are more intuitive.  Instead of using several keypresses on your phone to navigate to a menu, you can simply touch an icon on the screen to accomplish the same task.  In this arena, the iPhone must be the most popular and innovative device, prompting other cellphone manufacturers to follow suit and create their own “touch” phones.  Before the iPhone came into the scene, most touchscreen devices made use of a stylus or similar tool to interact with the device.  However, they were not as successful as the iPhone in their implementation.  The touchscreen was more of a novelty than a tool that one can rely on when using the device, thus the need for a keypad or keyboard to still be attached to the device.  

Then came the iPhone.  The touchscreen on the iPhone was made the primary input tool.  Everything you had do on the iPhone, you can do with the touchscreen.  And it wasn’t just a normal touchscreen that was included in the phone.  The iPhone also offered multi-touch input.  Multi-touch allowed the user to use two or more fingers at the same time to touch the screen and provide a more intuitive way to interact with the phone.  You can now zoom in or zoom out a picture with the use of your thumb and index finger with a pinching motion on the screen.

Microsoft also had it’s eye on touchscreen technology for a long time now.  In 2007, Microsoft displayed a working version of their Microsoft Surface device which was designed initially to be used for kiosks found at hotels, restaurants, shops, etc.  The Microsoft Surface looks like a small table that had an interactive touchscreen for a tabletop.  The user can touch the screen, or even just put different objects like cellphones and digital cameras on top of the device to allow the user to gain access to the information on those devices or to transfer data into those devices.  It can also detect a glass placed on on top of it, allowing the Surface device to display animation or even display a menu of wine choices.  Credit cards can also be placed on top of the Surface device allowing one to pay for their bill without the need to call the waiter.

Touchscreen technology has also reached the gaming console world.  With the release of the Nintendo DS, gamers were immersed in an all new gameplay style that was never before experienced in other devices of its kind. This allowed game programmers to design games with more innovation which would be impossible to create with traditional game input mainly in the form of the joystick and buttons.

And this is just the beginning.  The number of touchscreen devices are only bound to get larger in the coming years.  As demand for such devices have increased considerably this year, more and more companies have started to put forward their own offerings.  While Apple still leads the pack in the touchscreen cellphone and media player markets via their iPhone and iTouch products, other cellphone companies are closely behind with their own offerings.  

Cellphones you may want to consider when purchasing a touchscreen phone, are:

• Apple iPhone 3G
• Nokia 5800 XpressMusic
• Sony Ericsson Xperia X1
• Samsung Omnia SGH-i900
• HTC Touch HD
• LG KP500 Cookie

If you are looking for a touchscreen PC on the other hand, you may want to check out the HP TouchSmart.  It features multi-touch similar to what the iPhone and Microsoft Surface has.  And as demonstrated by Microsoft, it works beautifully well with their upcoming Windows 7 operating system which should replace Windows Vista in the near future.

Truly, the touchscreen revolution in gadgets and devices is nigh!  Once the price of the devices come down to levels that are more affordable to the common person, it is not impossible that there will come a time that all devices will have an interactive touchscreen as a standard method for input.

So what makes up these current little darlings of the computing world?

A typical netbook will have the following specifications:

• Low-power processor like Intel Atom, Via C7-M, or AMD Geode
• Screen size ranging from 7 inches to 10.2 inches
• Hard drive from 2GB up to 160GB
• Small form factor design
• Keyboard with keys ranging from 83% to 95% of a full-sized keyboard
• 256MB up to 2GB of RAM (Random Access Memory)
• WiFi and bluetooth access.
• 3-cell or 6-cell battery

Typically, netbooks are also cheap with price ranges below $400. With this price range and the portability of these devices, they have become very accessible and popular to a vast range of users.  With everyone becoming more and more exposed to the internet, netbooks have become one of the most popular devices for people who want to get online while on the go.  One no longer has to lug around a heavy laptop just to be able to surf the internet or do some work while sitting at your favorite coffee shop or bar with WiFi access.  Parents who want to give their children a laptop they can use for school are also inclined to purchase netbooks instead.  Some netbooks like the popular MSI Wind U100 also come in a range of colors that make them appealing to the younger generation.  For rugged types who needs a laptop that can withstand wear and tear, netbooks like the Dell Mini or the ASUS Eee Pc with an SSD drive may be more appealing.  An SSD (solid-state drive), compared to a typical hard drive, is less susceptible to damage due to shock or jitter because it has no moving parts.  Surely, there is a netbook that can meet your basic needs for a portable computer.

Techies also love netbooks because these computers are highly customizable.  Some netbooks with lower specifications typically have Linux installed on them.  For most who have lost their love for Microsoft Windows, this is a major selling point.  Computer enthusiasts and geeks usually fit this criteria.  Some have even configured netbooks to run a hacked version of Mac OS X by Apple.  Though the process of doing so borders on legality issues, it does prove that the netbook is indeed a very flexible machine.

One caveat to the netbook that many may find disappointing, is the lack of a built-in optical drive.  Since netbooks are designed to be sleek and light, a CD or DVD drive will never be included in a netbook’s bag of tricks.  Also, since the device is small, some users may find squinting at a small screen too much of a pain.  Therefore, people with poor eyesight or people who need to view large presentations on their portable computers are advised to look somewhere else.  Power users and gamers may also find the speed of netbooks to be less appealing.  Compared to their bigger laptop counterparts, the processors usually included with netbooks are severely outclassed.  Netbooks usually have processor speeds from 900MHz to 1.6GHz while the current breed of laptops now sport dual-core or quad-core processors typically running at 1.8GHz up to 3.0GHz.  Playing high-end 3D games, producing Photoshop images, and creating CAD designs are out of the picture.  But for playing games around 3 years old or for some basic gaming, the power of a netbook would suffice.

Despite these shortcomings, the netbook has taken the world by storm.   All the major computer manufacturers have come up with their own netbook and we can expect that more are sure to arrive in the years to come.  If you’re in the market for a portable computer, you may want to consider getting a netbook if your main use for it would be for surfing the web, desktop publishing or the occasional World of Warcraft fix.  It would typically fill in the spot of your second computer or your main internet appliance and it definitely is a good choice for a computer you can give your children for school.

Some of the more popular netbooks you may want to check out are:

• MSI Wind U100
• ASUS Eee PC 901 or ASUS Eee PC 1000
• Lenovo IdeaPad S10
• HP MiniNote 2133
• Acer Aspire One

Principles

The virtual education as the education of the twenty-first century, has the following principles:
• Self
• Self Learning
• The orientation
• Virtualization
• The technology
• The virtual sociability

Features
• It is appropriate for data, text, graphics, sound, voice and images through regular television programming classes.
• It is cheap, because there is no need to scroll to the presence of teachers or to school.
• Is innovative as the motivation of new interactive learning scenarios
• It is a motivator in learning, to be in four walls of the classroom.
• It is present, because it allows the latest news via the Internet and information systems.

Positive Aspects To learners
• You can adapt the study to your personal schedule.
• You can make their holdings so meditated by the possibility of working offline.
• The student has an active role.
• All students have access to education, not to be harmed those who can not attend classes regularly for work purposes, the distance …
• There improving the quality of learning.
• Optimization of significant learning: At the same time assimilating other learning.
• Save time and money.
• The learner does not have to focus at the center of study.
• The student and player is responsible for their own learning process.
• The student receives a more personalized instruction.

Issues at institutional level
• It allows the university to offer training to businesses without the added weight of travel, accommodation and allowances of its employees.
• It enlarges its offer training to those people or workers who can not access the classes.
• Improved efficiency in the school due to technological advancement.
• Improving the performance of teachers, as part of the time previously devoted to the class, will be invested in better curriculum design and research.

Negative Aspects
• Unequal access to the population.
• Technical malfunctions that could disrupt classes.
• Lack of standardization of computers and multimedia.
• Lack of programs in quantity and quality in the Spanish language, although there are many in the English language.
• It can be slow and therefore unmotivated.
• Not offered the same person to person contact as well as classes.
• It requires an effort of greater accountability and discipline on the part of the student.
• Not everything can be learned from the Internet.

Role of Technology in Education
• Assistant students to write and calculate
• Guide to students.
• To facilitate the purchase of educational resources from remote locations
• To assist teachers in evaluating student progress and administration of the investigation.
• Encourage collaboration between students and teachers

Impact of computers in Students
• Learn more in classes where receiving instruction based computers.
• They learn lessons in less time with computer-based instruction.
• For students like most classes where receiving help from computers.
• Develop more positive attitudes toward computers when they receive help from them in the study.