Page 188 - Using MIS

156 Chapter 4 Hardware, Software, and Mobile Systems

e. Either (1) download and install the programs in 4-4. Describe how the class enrollment application at your
your answer to part d or (2) explain why you would university could benefit from a mobile application
choose not to do so. that uses the cloud.
f. Does DreamSpark provide an unfair advantage to 4-5. Judging from your personal experience, describe the
Microsoft? Why or why not?
BYOD policy that appears to be in place at your uni-
4-2. Visit the Open Source Initiative’s Web site at www versity. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of
.opensource.org. Summarize the mission of this foun- the policy to you as a student and to the organization
dation. Find the definition of open source on this site, as a whole. How do you think that BYOD policy will
and summarize that definition in your own words. change in the next five years? Explain your answer.
Explain this foundation’s role with regard to open
source licenses. Summarize the process for having a 4-6. Read Q2, if you have not already done so. Critically
license approved by the foundation. Describe the ad- evaluate the opinions of the author. Do you agree
vantage of having the foundation’s approval. that advances in the IoT and self-driving cars will
make life easier? Better? If so, say why. If not, ex-
4-3. Suppose that you are Lucas at AllRoad Parts. List plain what you think will happen when more smart
five criteria you would use in helping AllRoad Parts devices and self-driving cars are adopted. Explain
decide whether it should develop a native or a Web how you could prepare for a future high-tech job
mobile application. Justify your criteria. market.

Collabora tIon exerCISe 4

Using the collaboration IS you built in Chapter 2 (page 74), Currently, Microsoft PixelSense is marketed and sold to
collaborate with a group of students to answer the following large-scale commercial organizations in the financial services,
questions. healthcare, hospitality, retail, and public service business
In the past few years, Microsoft has been promoting sectors. Also, smaller organizations and individuals can pur-
PixelSense, a hardware–software product that enables people chase a PixelSense unit from Samsung (www.samsunglfd.com/
to interact with data on the top of a table. PixelSense initiates a solution/sur40.do).
new product category, and the best way to understand it is to One of the first implementers of PixelSense was the iBar
view one of Microsoft’s promotional videos at www.microsoft. lounge at Harrah’s Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas,
com/en-us/pixelsense/default.aspx. Nevada. The subtitle for the press release announcing iBar’s
PixelSense paints the top of the 30-inch table with invis- system read, “Harrah’s Reinvents Flirting and Offers New
ible, near-infrared light to detect the presence of objects. It can Uninhibited Fun and Play to iBar Patrons.” 41
respond to as many as 52 different touches at the same time. The potential uses for PixelSense are staggering. Maps
According to Microsoft, this means that four people sitting can display local events, and consumers can purchase tick-
around the PixelSense table could use all 10 of their fingers to ets to those events by just using their fingers. PixelSense
manipulate up to 12 objects, simultaneously. can also be used for new computer games and gambling de-
PixelSense uses wireless and other communications tech- vices. Children can paint on PixelSense with virtual paint-
nologies to connect to devices that are placed on it, such brushes. Numerous other applications are possible. At the
as cameras or cell phones. When a camera is placed on product’s announcement, Steve Ballmer, former CEO of
PixelSense, pictures “spill” out of it, and users can manipu- Microsoft, said, “We see this as a multibillion dollar cat-
late those pictures with their hands. Products can be placed egory, and we envision a time when PixelSense computing
on PixelSense, and their product specifications are displayed. technologies will be pervasive, from tabletops and counters
Credit cards can be placed on PixelSense, and items to be pur- to the hallway mirror. PixelSense is the first step in realizing
chased can be dragged or dropped onto the credit card. that vision.” 42

41
Microsoft press release, “Harrah’s Entertainment Launches Microsoft Surface at Rio iBar, Providing Guests with Innovative and Immersive New
Entertainment Experiences,” last modified June 11, 2008, www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2008/jun08/06-11HETSurfacePR.mspx.
42 Microsoft press release, May 29, 2007.