Super Phone! The New Educational Toy!

It was time for an upgrade.

The old cell phone was two years old, which was just too old.

The new Motorola Q was the thinner winner. This new cell phone has a built in MP3 player, 1.3 megapixel camera, and Microsoft operating system with wireless Internet access and Bluetooth capability. You can also record video and watch video on the unit.

The built-in memory is pretty tiny, but there is a mini-SD slot that can accept 1GB memory cards for additional music and photo storage.

The camera resolution is not very high and the lens is very wide angle, but it is perfect for some quick web-sized images that are perfectly acceptable for web use.

The data package is quite pricey ($45 extra each month on top of normal cell plan package), but can be purchased on a month-by-month deal. Also - the battery life is tiny (I've purchased a AC charger for home, another for the office, and also a high current car charger).

So, why all the fuss?

This is a great tool for teaching and learning!

See something interesting while walking down the street?

Take a quick photo.

Want to do something intellectual while exercising?

Download and listen to a web podcast from your favorite news or education site.

One the run?

Check email and even surf over to your course site to see the newest postings.

The ability to carry all of this functionality in your shirt pocket is fantastic.

I'm looking forward to being able to add more image content to my courses quickly and easily, such as the photo of Ken Hess (below) taken with the new Q-cell.