schools

In an Apple event this morning in New York, Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, took the stage to introduce iBooks 2, an update to the popular e-reader for iOS devices that adds textbooks.

As Apple's flagship e-reader, iBooks is already a crisp-looking app and storefront that runs on iOS devices. But today, iBooks 2 moves into the world of education by adding interactive textbooks with the aim of keeping students' attention (and certainly adding yet another revenue stream for Apple). … Read more

After a long, hard semester of classes, manually calculating your GPA might be the last thing on your mind. Give your brain a rest and try some of these GPA calculators:

Web There are a lot of GPA calculators on the Web, but one of the better ones is from Koofers.com. The Koofers GPA calculator allows you to add up to eight courses and grades before tabulating your final GPA. It's also flexible enough to allow you to modify the GPA scale. If your school uses a unique scale, you can change it to match the one your … Read more

Joseph Kaminski fills in for Wilson again on today's 404 podcast to mediate a most divisive argument: "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" vs. "Dumb and Dumber": who did it better?

We'll also wag a finger at Sony for pushing the U.S. release date back to February 2012, show off a YouTube educational feature guaranteed to upset a ton of schoolkids, and discuss a couple scientists claiming they're getting very close to Matrix-style instant learning.… Read more

Grab your Android device and experience a blast from the past with ChuChu Rocket, the classic puzzle game originally released for Sega's Dreamcast console in 1999.

Previously only available in the iTunes app store, the classic puzzler has finally made its way into the Android Market, and can be had for a mere 99 cents. It's just as fun as it was back in the day, and lucky for us, today's touch-screen interface hasn't slowed it down a bit. In fact, we think the swipe gesture actually lends itself quite well to the game.

In ChuChu … Read more

In ChuChu Rocket, your objective is to guide hordes of frantic mice (ChuChus) to their rocket ship by dropping arrowed tiles on the ground. As the mice move about the screen, simply swipe in front of them to drop a tile and point them in a direction to run. While the game may not sound very difficult, there are, in fact, an assortment of obstacles and an army of evil cats that very well could have you pulling your hair out by level 10.

There are three different game modes to choose from in ChuChu Rocket: Puzzle, Challenge, and Battle. … Read more

Social learning startup Grockit has raised an additional $7 million in venture funding to expand its online test-preparation services.

Although not related to the funding, Grockit also recently launched a new service called Grockit Answers that can turn any YouTube video into a Q&A session. (Here's a company-supplied example on the credit crisis.)

Grockit's tools draw on social networking and online gaming to personalize learning outside of the classroom--ideally, to help students conquer their academic weaknesses and ace test preparation. The company's tag line is "Test Prep Made Fun." Grockit claims one million … Read more

When it comes to laptops in 2011, "thinner is better" seems to be a consistent trend. The MacBook Air and Samsung Series 9 head the pack in that regard, but laptops such as the Sony Vaio SE and Dell XPS 15z have followed suit. It's no surprise, then, that the mainstream Dell Inspiron line has gotten its own thinned-out model in the Inspiron 14z. If the name rings a bell, that's because there was a previous Inspiron 14z released in 2009, with a Core 2 Duo processor, but that "thin" laptop was inferior to … Read more

Customers who purchase a 2012 Ford Mustang Boss 302 will be able to push the limits of the performance vehicle at the Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah.

Ford on Thursday announced "Boss Track Attack" days, a program to provide comprehensive hands-on track experience for Boss 302 owners.

The program will be offered by Team Mustang and Ford Racing instructors at the Ford Racing High Performance Driving School at the high desert track.

The street-legal 2012 Boss 302 was announced last summer as a performance vehicle, but drivers may not get a chance to really test the limits … Read more

Does your spawn need a new laptop for college, high school, or even middle school? Heck, do you need a new laptop for everyday life? Either way, I've got just the system.

While supplies last (and they may not last long), Frys.com has the Acer Aspire AS5552-7819 15.6-inch laptop for $299.99, plus sales tax in a handful of states. If you live near a Fry's Electronics store, you can pick up the Acer for free; otherwise, plan on about $10 for shipping.

Update: As I predicted, the Aspire is now sold out--at least online. You … Read more