18 handy tablet apps for AEC professionals | Building Design + Construction

The SmartBidNet Construction Bid iOS App, a product of JBKnowledge, made a recent Building Design + Construction list of helpful AEC industry tablet apps for everyday design, construction, BIM/IT and LEED processes. 

Click here to read the full list

Tech of the Week | JBKnowledge | BlackBerry With Wrap Around Screen

Practical or not - the designs inspired by the competition between smartphone developers are pretty fantastic. It's not often you see a BlackBerry design concept, more often the iPhone or Android take the stage. But designer John Anastasiadis took a pretty good stab at a BlackBerry revamp with a wrap around screen you've probably never seen the likes of before. Before you mention it, he even says the phone can tell the difference between a touch command and someone simplying holding the phone. 

"John explains, 'The front and back cameras are positioned underneath the screens. When needed the area around the camera lens becomes transparent. The wrap around screen can allow for separate workspaces and/or a more three-dimensional interaction with the device. Obvious benefits apply to business, entertainment and navigation applications.'”

Click here to check out photos of this incredible BlackBerry design and learn more

Tech of the Week | JBKnowledge | Smartphone + Car Stereo = Dash

"Since the advent of portable electronics, man has been trying to jury-rig portable electronics into automobiles to replace the lowly car stereo. Those days may soon be coming to an end."

Dash, currently a project raising funds on Kickstarter, is essentially a device/system that turns your smartphone into your car's stereo system. The body (double din standard, 4inx7in) of the device is installed in the car, replacing the current stereo, and the interchangeable face plate on the front can be adjusted to fit whichever smartphone you insert to operate your stereo. Once placed into the body, your smartphone controls your entire entertainment system, from an interface you're already used to. Via your phone, Dash can access: your entire music library, streaming radio, bluetooth, video, car computer, phone calls, and more.

"The whole getup is scheduled to launch in July for $300, provided Dash meets its $45,000 fundraising goal. If it gets off the ground and works as advertised, we’ll have come a long way from the early days of in-vehicle entertainment. More importantly, we’ll be closer to a future where your phone is your main computer and you simply go around docking it into things."

Click here to learn more about Dash 

Mobile Technology in Construction

The two most well quoted predictions in the mobile device industry are:
1) 50% of American mobile users will own a smartphone by Christmas 2011
2) One in three of Americans will own a tablet PC by 2015

comScore statistics from June 2011 show that with only a few months left until Christmas, the amount of smartphones users is only at about 34%. And we’ll give prediction 2 at least a year or two before cross-examining, but note that as of June 2011 still only 8% of Americans own tablets.

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