It’s no secret that I like gadgets – and up until now it’ always been a BlackBerry device. But following on from the various Macs I have when Apple released the iPhone 3G here in Italy I jumped at the chance of getting one and thought I’d be a paradise, I wasn’t, I missed the BlackBerry that I had become accustomed to, the battery life that lasted me all day, the multitasking and the speed of the e-mail and messaging services not to mention the reliability. I left my iPhone on my desk to collect dust for such a long time, but would occasionally use it as a calculator lol. It wasn’t until my presence on Twitter and forever hearing and noticing that most of my colleagues supported an iPhone – after a while I found I was quite curious to understand why they raved so much about the iPhone, I wondered if there was perhaps something I was missing so I dusted down my iPhone and gave a it a second try. The first thing I did notice after a long time of not using it was the vast amount of apps, this is very much the down side with the BlackBerry some of the popular apps that the iPhone has aren’t available on the BlackBerry or aren’t as good as and sometimes the BlackBerry folks miss out completely. This was really the only thing that hit me initially – I tried to use the same programmes I have running on the BB, wifi and 3G , push notifications you name it everything that I use on the BB, guess what??? The iPhone’s battery was flat by lunchtime whereas the BlackBerry would get me through the day – how ever would I survive on the iPhone? I actually bought a battery booster which gives you 3 extra full charges, not cheap and seeing as Apple doesn’t give away iPhones it really is a let down.

That said after the initial Keynote at the beginning of the year with mention of the new iPhone os and then with the recent one earlier this month announcing the latest iPhone4, excites me and that much to get another one, what you say after moaning about the other ha ha. The things I complained about multitasking and battery life will be a leap forward and many other added new features one of which is FaceTime. If I abandon my BlackBerry completely then it will mean that Apple have put their finger on the button if not I will continue to use both devices as I do now, some things a BlackBerry does better and viceversa.

A growing number of teachers now use smart phones whether BlackBerry, iPhone or something else. Personally I find for social networking I couldn’t live without my gadgets, I can be on the go and be updating my Twitter account answering tweets, messages and emails, chatting on Skype and/or booking lessons for students – I would never have the freedom and extra time if I had to do this stuck sitting in front of a computer.

Do you use a smart phone? Are you passionate about the BlackBerry? Are you tempted by the iPhone4? Have you already pre-ordered it? I know a lot of my colleagues who do use smart phones but there are many of you who I don’t know. Leave a comment with your preferences of what and why you use them or if you hope to get one in the near future – finally, how can education benefit from this forever growing technology?

Fuze meeting is an online web tool that lets you host meetings (and of course lessons, need be) so what, you say, well the interesting part about it, is that you can host them via your mobile device, thus being BlackBerry or iPhone wow!!! Having said that it is early days yet (a few teething problems) but this could be a big break through for the future.

I tested it out on both devices, the iPhone was straight forward and you just download the app via the app store whereas the Blackberry, you have to add you mobile number in the appropriate box for it to arrive via mail, I didn’t received a mail, so I wrote to fuze meeting’s customer care, and they sent me the link for downloading via mail. I was able to enter the meeting room with my iPhone on wifi whereas the BlackBerrry didn’t want to know. I was not on wifi at the time, perhaps I should have tried that option out.

Anyway I will be interested to find anyone else using this tool, perhaps let me know and we can try it out together, it would be too premature to actually give a lesson on the platform, but it could be an alternative in the future.

Here is what Fuze meeting say ..

1. Manage remote teams

You’ve got a talented team. But one of them is in Boston, two are in Minnesota, and yet another is in Silicon Valley. Get ‘em all on the same page with a daily 20 minute online sync up. You’ll get more done and have fun doing it.

2. Join meetings on different continents

Flying from the U.S. to Bulgaria to meet with your offshore development team? Don’t do it! Stay up a little later one night and save $2,500 by meeting online.

3. Stay at home in your slippers

Web meetings let you meet your boss or employees wearing your favorite bunny slippers — or nothing at all. When was the last time you went to a face-to-face meeting buck naked? Yet another online meeting benefit!

4. Conduct sales presentations

Make sales presentations, demonstrate applications, and even review contracts online. Web meetings aren’t just for nerds anymore.

5. Demonstrate products and software

Remember Show & Tell in kindergarten? Nothing beats being able to “show” while you “tell”. Get your point across and dazzle your audience with a couple of clicks.

6. Train customers, partners, and employees

Train your customers, partners, and employees anywhere in the World. Or around the corner.

7. Hold a meeting…on a train

Got an iPhone or Blackberry? Join a Fuze Meeting from the train because your daughter insisted on an early morning game of scrabble.

8. Hold a meeting…with a dude from Spain

If you read #7 but never take a commuter train, then find a reason to meet with Pablo in Spain.

9. Conduct a meeting going 600 miles per hour

If you’re a Virgin America customer, join a board meeting five miles in the air while going 600 miles an hour. Why? We say, “why not!”

10. Share your next big idea

You are a superstar at your job. You have great ideas. Don’t just share them with your immediate colleagues. Go big. Go wide. Go online and reach the remote corners of the world.

Fuze Meeting for BlackBerry and iPhone is available free and offers a range of features, including:

• Instant web conferences – host audio conferences with full dashboard controls, and attend online meetings – all from a single, intuitive interface
• Live desktop sharing – see files and presentations in perfect sync with the meeting presenter
• HD-quality content – view crisp, detail-rich video and imagery
• Integrated IM – log in to multiple IM platforms simultaneously through one application – Yahoo!®, AIM®, MSN®, Google™ Talk and others

Source www.fuzemeeting.com

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Another great way to learn English is by podcasts..

It seems worth highlighting some podcasts that can help you improve your English. (We’re assuming that you already know some English, or you wouldn’t be here in the first place.)

The most obvious podcast to start with is the aptly titled English as a Second Language Podcast (iTunes- Feed - Web Site). Put together by two former professors, this very rich and deep collection teaches students proper pronunciation, idioms and slang, and it generally gets high marks. These guys seem to have a good corner on the market, and they’re worth your time.

Now, there are other, more focused ways to learn English. If you’re a native Spanish speaker, you may want to give some attention to English for Spanish Speakers, which is otherwise called, Por Fin Aprende Ingles (iTunes - Feed - Web Site).

Or if you’re mainly looking to improve your English for business purposes, you can check out Business English Pod (iTunes - Feed - Web Site), which will teach you to function effectively in an American business environment. Another option is ESL Business News (iTunes - Feed - Web Site), a

weekly podcast that presents international business news in clear, slowly spoken English. As you listen to the podcast, you can also read a transcript at the same time.

Finally, if you’re looking for something less formal and a little more quirky, you can also always spend a little time listening to The Bob and Rob Show: Weekly English Lessons from a Yankee and a Brit(iTunes - Feed - Web Site). This unconventional show often uses humor to teach grammar and idioms to intermediate-to-advanced students, and you’ll get a feel for both American and English accents.