iPad naujienos, aptarimas

Sveiki,

Taigi, pagalvojau, kad reiktų ir iPad temos, kurioje skelbtume viską naujo ir seno (bet naudingo) kas susiję su iPad.

Tonight Apple released brand spankin' new iPad commercial dubbed "iPad is Iconic". The usual soundtrack is accompanied with our well known "iPad is..." theme, as it flashes examples and words across the screen.

Taupau centus ant šito gėrio. Planuoju nusipirkti, kai Apple išleis iPad 2, t. y. pavasarį, nes pirmas turėtų atpigti.

as kazkaip linkstu prie analogisku android irenginiu, bet sito varianto tikrai neatmetu.

Geresnė naujiena kam neužtenka iPad'o atminties.

HyperJuice at MacWorld has the largest booth at the show and they’re showing off their latest iPad accessories. The first one is called HyperJuice Stand and no it’s not a late night infomercial for a juicer, it’s an iPad stand with a battery. The second item is the HyperDrive, a hard drive for the iPad. Both are available now.

 

The HyperJuice Stand ($129.95) is an iPad stand that can power your device while you use it. It features a 40Wh (11,000mAh) battery that can extend an iPad by 16 hours or recharge an iPhone up to 9x. The device has a 10W USB port to charge the iPad, so a cable is required. The advantage of this is that you can charge just about any USB powered device with it as well. Because the stand doesn’t require you to dock your iPad with it’s 30-pin connector, it works perfectly well with an iPad in a protective case.

 

The HyperDrive Hard Drive for the iPad is the only drive that can connect directly to an iPad and also be used as a regular hard drive as well. You can transfer 1 GB of data to the iPad in about a minute. The HyperDrive also features a memory card slot that accepts most major card types except Sony’s memory stick. You can backup a 2 GB memory card in about a minute. It also has a 3.2-inch QVGA (320x240 pixel) LCD screen to preview saved images. The HyperDrive is available in a variety of capacities. The 2600mAh battery can backup 250 GB of data on a single charge.

 

HyperJuice is committed to keeping your devices going no matter where you head off to in the world. I can’t wait to see what the Hyperize next.

iPad 2 in Production, Will be Thinner, Lighter, Faster, No Retina Display

The Wall Street Journal reports that the next-gen iPad has already entered the production stage, and that it will be thinner, lighter and faster than the current iPad and with no Retina Display to go with it.



The new iPad will be thinner and lighter than the first model, these people said. It will have at least one camera on the front of the device for features like video-conferencing, but the resolution of the display will be similar to the first iPad, these people said. It will also have more memory and a more powerful graphics processor.

Also, according to the “people familiar with the matter", the iPad 2 will come in both GSM and CDMA flavors, and it will be initially available through AT&T and Verizon Wireless only.

The new iPad will initially be available through Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc., but not Sprint Nextel Corp. or T-Mobile USA in the U.S., according to some of the people familiar with the matter.

First Screenshots of Opera Browser for iPad

At Mobile World Congress 2011 the folks over at Softpedia managed to get their hands on preliminary version of Opera for iPad, and apparently they were impressed by the speed of the browser. Released on the iPhone last year, Opera for iOS raised some doubts over the quality of the app, mainly due to scrolling smoothness and font rendering on pinching and zooming — clearly inferior to Apple’s Mobile Safari. Opera for iPad is set to provide a much better experience on the tablet screen, with an interface that reminds of the desktop version (visual tabs on top) and menus accessible from a huge Opera button in the upper left corner. The developers also confirm the iPad app has been built on the same engine the powers Opera desktop.

"The app runs very smooth, and allows for some rapid movement between visual tabs (open pages). Visual tabs allow users to have several web pages open concurrently and quickly switch between them using tabs. Each tab allows users to preview a thumbnail, as well as the page title and icon for each web page they have open.

Where the default touchscreen keyboard provides a less-than-optimal user experience, users can take advantage of Opera’s virtual keyboard to type and edit information without having to leave the page they are viewing."

I’m curious to see this Opera virtual keyboard and see how it compares to the iPad’s default one. No release date was provided by Opera at MWC, but Softpedia speculates we might see the app in the Store as early as next week. It will likely be free, and quickly jump the charts of free software like the iPhone counterpart did.

iPad To Be Used By Pilots for In-Flight Mapping Data

The iPad is a magical device and a new one is set to be announced tomorrow, but that didn’t stop the Federal Aviation Administration from confirming that the current-gen tablet can now be officially used by pilots instead of paper charts while on duty. That’s right: after hundreds of hours of tests that put the iPad under “rapid decompression” and “electronic interference testing” with 55 pilots on 250 flights, Apple’s mythical slate got a thumbs-up from the FAA and can now go on board without being restricted in any way.

While electronic devices used instead of paper charts are nothing new to the FAA, the iPad and its relatively cheap price set it apart from the competition, allowing pilots to quickly open a dedicated app to receive live information and details about the flight. The device’s form factor and OS helped during the adoption as a replacement unit can easily be carried around and, apparently, the software developed by the FAA never crashed during testing. I’m pretty sure they didn’t use the buggy iOS 4.3 beta — although gestures for pilots would be awesome, in my opinion.

So there you have it. An iPad 2 may be announced tomorrow, but the iPad 1 is ready to fly. This time not just off the shelves.

Volkswagen’s Bulli Concept Brings Microbus Back, Supports iPad

Some things never die. Other things, the ones we don’t really care about or feel affection towards, are easily dismissible after a few years. Like gadgets, video game consoles, or clothes. But what about cars? Many say you are the car you drive. While we’d prefer to pass on discussing this very specific philosophy, there’s no doubt a car is something people usually keep for several years, as it ends up holding memories of friends, family, loved ones.

So here’s what German automaker Volkswagen is doing: they’re bringing back the memories of the mythical Microbus with their latest Bulli concept, a modern re-imagination of the legendary car that made history in Volkswagen’s portfolio. The best part, design aside? It’s got built-in support for the iPad as a control station for music and other information:

Of course, the full slate of new-age technology is on hand, including an Apple iPad that controls all infotainment functions, mated to a Fender USA-designed premium audio system. The Bulli uses a lithium-ion battery pack to drive a 113-horsepower electric motor and interestingly enough, Volkswagen says that the van can be fully charged in less than one hour. Good stuff.

Apple’s Digital AV Adapter Works With 1st iPad

 

If you’re looking for HDMI out video on devices other than the iPad 2, you might be happy knowing Apple’s Digital AV Adapter works with your iPhone 4, iPod touch 4th gen, and first iPad if you’re inclined to hold onto it for another year. These devices will only output 720p video, however, but keep in mind that’s still technically HD quality. If you’re looking for video mirroring, it appears to only be supported by the iPad 2. The Digital AV Adapter is available for $39.00 in the Apple Store.

Na toks tikrai praverstų. Ir iPad abu, ir iTouch 4G, ir iPhone 4...

There's never been anything like iPad. It changes the way students learn and teachers teach. It transforms how businesses do business. It helps doctors take better care of patients. And it's a whole new way to see the world.

Apple confirms $100 refund for those who recently purchased an original iPad

Much like the company did when it suddenly dropped the price of its original iPhone, Apple is giving $100 back to those who purchased an iPad up to a fortnight before the March 2nd unveiling of the iPad 2. If our math is correct, that makes February 16th the cutoff date, and it's being reported that those in the US will see $100 placed back on their credit card, while those overseas will get £100 / €100 back in their pocket. Very much unlike the iPhone example, this is cold, hard cash that's being returned -- no Apple Store credit here. If you've suddenly found yourself in this pool, you'll need to head back to a brick-and-mortar location with your receipt to get the refund processed, or if you ordered online, you'll need to call Apple's 1-800 number and use your smoothest late-night voice when asking nicely for your Benjamin back. Godspeed.

Clamcase Turns An iPad Into A Clunky Laptop Wannabe

Everyone seemed to be pretty excited about the Clamcase for the iPad, from Clamcase LLC. I was a bit puzzled by that after all the iPad is a tablet and a real laptop, like my MacBook Air, would be a better replacement for an iPad stuffed into a keyboard case.

Yet people wanted to be able to covert their iPad into a laptop and if you build it they will come right? Well build it they did and now you can have a Clamcase of your very own to turn your iPad into a clunky laptop wannabe.

Physical Characteristics

The product literature and website showed a Clamcase with a glossy black finish, but luckily reality was a shipping product with a flat black matte finish. I like that over the glossy finish because this one is less likely to show finger prints. Once the iPad is installed into the Clamcase and closed the whole thing reminds me a of a big clunky Windows laptop.

My iPad, where thin is in, usually resembles my MacBook Air, but all that goes away when the iPad is used inside of the Clamcase. Although the overall foot print is smaller than most Apple notebooks it weighs a lot — the Clamcase alone weighs about 1.8 pounds. The added weight will make you feel awkward for a while after carrying your formerly bare iPad inside of the Clamcase.

The top portion of the Clamcase where the iPad is installed is the lightest. It easily accepts the iPad for installation, but it is a bit trickier to remove the iPad later. I don’t think that an iPad would fall out if properly installed in the Clamcase.

The bottom containing the keyboard, battery, etc. is the heaviest. Both pieces are connected by a hinge that allows the Clamcase to be flexible.

The flexibility of the case allows you to use the entire set up in a mode resembling a laptop computer as well as various modes where you can use the iPad without the keyboard. The hinge allows the set up to be arranged in just about any angle so that is helpful.

Keyboard

The keyboard wasn’t the most comfortable one I’ve used, but it wasn’t completely bad either. However, it left me feeling a bit cramped just like most laptops do when I type on them. The keys were bit small and too close together. Typing was problematic and I found myself making frequent corrections. I’m sure with time and practice these would be reduced.

On the positive side the keyboard had specialty keys just like Apple’s keyboard dock that support features in iOS. There were keys for home, lock, search as well as keys for media control like play/pause, volume up/down, mute, and forward/back. Finally some other keys included power on/off, Bluetooth, cut, copy, paste, slide show, and a key that would show or hide the virtual keyboard.



A Week with the Clamcase

I spent a week with the Clamcase and these are the impressions it left me with:

* It felt heavy and bulky after months of using my MacBook Air. I will be the first to admit that my MacBook Air has spoiled me and trading its place in my lap with the Clamcase was difficult. I found myself wishing that it were lighter and thinner. Ironically Apple has started a trend where I consider these factors now when I buy things. I guess I’ve had too much Kool-Aid.
* The illusion of using a laptop made me frequently reach for the track pad that wasn’t there. Silly I know, but after you get muscle memory for something it is hard to shake.
* Using the touch screen instead of a mouse or trackpad was awkward. I can understand now why Apple doesn’t seem to keen on producing an iMac or even a laptop with a touch screen. It just doesn’t make sense and felt awkward. I’ll lay the blame for this on all the time I’ve spent using devices like laptops the traditional way.
* The above feeling of awkwardness was enhanced when selecting text since you had to use your finger to do so by using the touch screen. Afterwards you could use the specialty keys to do cut, copy, or paste.
* When the Clamcase was closed it did not give me a strong impression that it would stay closed and it was positively heavy. It also didn’t seem balanced due to the weight difference between the two halves. Using it on a flat solid surface was okay, but in your lap or otherwise wasn’t always okay.
* It will not currently work with iPad 2 unless the vendor releases an adapter or a new model.

Conclusion

Although I consider this to probably be the best of the iPad keyboard cases I’ve tried the weight and cramped keyboard were enough to keep me away from full-time use. I think a lighter version of this product with a better keyboard could be a big hit for people on a budget, students, or even bloggers. The experiment of turning my iPad into a clunky laptop is gratefully over. The Clamcase is back in its box where it belongs.

For additional product images see Feast Your Eyes On The Clamcase for iPad. If you are interested in purchasing a Clamcase you can do so at clamcase.com for the current sale price of $119 for a limited time. The regular retail cost is $149.

Could Smart Covers Help iOS Notifications?

With much talk going around about iOS notifications and Apple’s plans to purchase a third-party developer to improve the system in iOS 5, it doesn’t come as a surprise that someone decided to realize yet another mockup of how notifications should work. What is interesting this time, though, is that the brief concept video put together by Tapmates is actually based on Apple’s Smart Cover promo video, with a twist. Tapmates thought that the possibility to quickly open the Smart Cover and take a peek at the iPad’s screen would make for a perfect implementation of the new iOS unread badges / notifications. If the Smart Cover reveals a portion of the screen when you start opening it but you can’t use the iPad like that, wouldn’t that portion of the screen be perfect for quick notifications?

This is a curious mockup for something that will likely never happen, but it makes me wonder whether or not there’s more than just display awakening in the future of the Smart Cover. What about a “smart lockscreen” that takes advantage of the cover? This is an incomplete mockup, of course, but I like the idea of replacing a part of the screen with useful information. Perhaps unread badges aren’t perfect, though. Anyway, check out the fake promo video below and discuss below if you think Apple could re-imagine the way the Smart Covers work just a bit.

The HandStand: The iPad Case With A Hand Strap

Similar to the Meglio whose Kickstarter we promoted yesterday, we’d be remiss if we didn’t talk about The HandStand for your iPad. A velcro strap secures the iPad to the palm of your hand, and allows the iPad to rotate a full 360 degrees for comfort and mobility. It offers a slight typing angle with its studded back, and provides full protection against scratches and dings. It might not be as functional in the movie stand or hanging shelf department, but this could be a better alternative for iPad walk-a-roos. You can get one for $49.95 if you’re holding on to your original iPad (an iPad 2 version is coming in the Spring).

The HandStand iPad Holder

Kickstarter Project – Meglio: Rotatable Handle & Stand for the iPad

It’s just another iPad stand right? Maybe you’d be intrigued if I told you this particular handy iPad accessory was made out of Carbon Steel. The Meglio consists of an iPad grip that rotates on a handle that can be gripped with your hand, or stood on a table face down or face up for typing. An intriguing concept, the Meglio is built around the idea the iPad is just too heavy and flat to comfortably accommodate your computing needs. In fact, the handle can be used to free-ball your iPad from the shower railing. Carbon steel probably doesn’t rust, but I wonder if he realizes that he’s one mis-flush away from triggering the water sensor in his iPad?

If you pledge $40 or more, you’ll get a Meglio of your very own to accompany your iPad (and iPad 2), and you can catch the project pitch after the break.

Will The iPad 1 Keyboard Dock Work With The iPad 2? Yes

A notable lack on Apple’s accessory page for the iPad 2 is the Keyboard Dock the company used to sell last year for the original iPad which allowed you to dock the device, charge it, and type with a physical keyboard at the same time. I own a 2010 Keyboard Dock and, in spite of its portrait-only functionality, it is a well-made piece of tech that I used a lot last summer when I needed to write my articles on the go.

Keyboard Dock is no more. Apple isn’t selling such an accessory for the iPad 2 (they only have a new dock for sale), and AppAdvice reports the dock you bought last year won’t work with the iPad 2: it doesn’t fit well and doesn’t charge the device.

The decision doesn’t come as a surprise considering Apple’s rapid move to touch interfaces instead of physical keyboard input. Clearly, Apple thinks the iPad’s virtual keyboard is great for most of the typing you’ll need to do, and if you really want a physical keyboard you can still get one of the third-party ones that will come out in the next weeks — or just buy an Apple Bluetooth wireless keyboard that works perfectly with the iPad. But that is, no native option for the iPad 2.

iPad 2 Benchmarked

Performance benchmarks run on the iPad 2 underscore what new tablet owners have seen for themselves: Apple wasn't exaggerating when they claimed that the second-generation tablet device is twice as fast is its predecessor. Tests done using common performance tools have shown improvement across the board, with floating point operations many times faster than the original iPad. While we won't know for sure until someone takes a saw to the chip, the results indicate that the A5 is packing dual Cortex-A9s.

Apple never reveals what's inside its devices, and doesn't publish many specs on performance. This is purely a marketing gambit: Apple's competitors - as well as repair shops and technically adept users - promptly tear apart every device as soon as it's released. With the custom Apple system-on-a-chip (SoC) introduced with the iPhone 4, teardowns have gotten more complex. However, using performance testing software, it's possible to identify what's on the hood with a fair degree of certainty.

Engadget used Geekbench to benchmark the review iPad 2 they got before it was released, and found that it had 512 MB of RAM a dual-core CPU clocked at 800 MHz. The Geekbench result of 721 was almost twice the original iPad's 375. And Anand Shimpi and his crew at AnandTech have done the most exhaustive benchmarking yet, getting detailed results from Geekbench, Linpack, JavaScript and browser speed tests. The floating point unit on the iPad 2 has 400% better performance than the original iPad, and integer calculations are closer to twice as fast. Memory bandwidth is also much improved, and the increased power shows up in both single- and multi-threaded tasks. Based on the results, Shimpi along with other observers is concluding that the heart of the A5 is a pair of Cortex-A9 cores and a dual-core PowerVR SGX545MP2 graphics coprocessor.

What this means in the real world is that the iPad 2 gives much faster, smoother performance than the original, and that there's that much more horsepower to do things - like advanced graphics manipulation and video - that haven't even been tried on the iPad yet. It's worth remembering that the Geekbench score is referenced against a Power Mac G5 @ 1.6GHz, which gets 1000 on their combined test. The iPad 2's score of 721 puts it on a par with desktop computers like a 2005 PowerMac G4. Pretty impressive for a $500 device without a keyboard.