iPad - page 251

Every time some company ships a touch tablet, the press immediately compares it to the Apple iPad.

“Motorola Xoom Android Tablet May Be First iPad Killer,” enthused MSNBC.com back in January.

As it becomes clear that Amazon’s long-awaited tablet is really an Android-based Kindle optimized for buying things from Amazon.com, some headlines are suggesting that it’s not a competitor to the iPad after all, but just a glorified eBook reader.

“No Worries, iPad, Amazon’s Android Tablet Is Just a Nook-Killer,” said Forbes.com.

These headlines have it all wrong. The upcoming Amazon tablet not only competes directly against the iPad, it’s the only tablet that does so.

No other company besides Apple and Amazon are selling tablets as part of a larger strategy to control the future of music, movies, TV shows, books and more.

Read the rest of the story here.

(Picture courtesy of WIRED.)

Parliamentarians in Western Australia demanded a trial of Apple’s tablet computer, waging the kind of epic battle between users and the IT department that happens in companies around the globe.

The lawmakers it so badly 15 of them threatened “industrial action” if iPads were not allowed on the list of devices for their laptop allowance after being told by the ICT gurus that the device did not yet meet existing IT infrastructure or security standards.

If you’re in the vicinity of the Tice’s Corner Apple retail store in New Jersey on Saturday, check out this iPad Art event and class.

Teamsters Union boss James Hoffa thinks Apple and other tech companies relying on overseas factories to make the gadgets Americans love are being unpatriotic. “Everything [Apple does] is in China, or in Asia somewhere…There’s something wrong with that,” Hoffa told a cable news interviewer on the eve of Labor Day.

The iPhone could generate nearly half of Apple’s revenue by calendar 2013, with the tech giant forecasted to sell 143 million smartphones and 68 million iPads, according to a high-profile analyst Wednesday.

This remote controlled monster truck is the coolest iOS accessory I’ve ever seen. Forget remote controlled helicopters; nothing wreaks havoc like a monster truck, and this one from Dexim is controlled entirely by your iPhone.

Facebook issued an update to its iPhone application last night, and while it introduces a number of nice new features, it also removes all code related to the iPad version — meaning you can no longer install the official Facebook app for iPad before its release.

There’s a treat for photography fans this morning, with the launch of the British Journal of Photography‘s official iPad app.

An Apple-related tidbit from the Carol Bartz-Yahoo saga that perhaps confirms the iPad’s dominance with corner office types. Her 42-word message about getting fired as CEO (over the phone, ouch) this afternoon ends with the “Sent from my iPad” signature.

An Australian judge suggests Apple pony up some iPad sales figures to bolster its argument for barring sales of Samsung’s Galaxy 10.1 tablet. Although it is was only a suggestion, the tech giant may have to disclose sales in the UK and U.S. – something Samsung attorneys have demanded.

As the number of gamers turning to Apple’s handhelds continues to increase, America’s largest game retailer is going to try to pander to them. GameStop is reportedly set to begin selling Apple’s iOS devices in a bid to stay relevant in the modern gaming market. You might think that’s a surprising move, but it’s really a desperate one.

Unsure of how Intel’s “Ultrabook” laptops will compete with the iPad and MacBook Air, manufacturers are “testing the water” by ordering less than 50,000 units for later this month. Acer, Lenovo, Toshiba and Asustek are reportedly uncertain how the revamped laptops will be greeted by consumers shifting to tablets and cloud computing. That sounds to us like they’re giving up and conceding victory to the MacBook Air before they even got started competing with it.

Apple has finally been granted certification to sell its 3G iPad 2 in mainland China, according to The Wall Street Journal. Up until now, the Cupertino company has only been able to offer its Wi-Fi only tablet, but it now has the ‘network access license’ needed to sell the 3G-capable device.

Happy Labor Day! If you’re stuck for something to do while you’re off work today, why not treat yourself to a new iOS game? Developers have been slashing their prices to celebrate the holiday, and there really are too many games to choose from. Here’s the huge list of reductions from just EA, Gameloft, Namco Bandai, Sega and Capcom.

Now here’s something else you don’t see every day: musician and entrepreneur Jean Michel Jarre has introduced the AeroDream One, an 11 foot tall technological marvel that combines an all-purpose iDevice dock and a 10,000W stereo system for the ultimate in colossal home entertainment.

Since the iPad first shipped in April of last year, the tablet has been slammed by critics as a content consumption device, a feature-limited Tablet PC and a pointless plaything for rich yuppies.

Apple itself positioned the iPad as a living room knee-top device, something for mindlessly flipping through apps or games while watching Comedy Central. Steve Jobs even introduced the iPad while sitting on a padded living room chair.

All this spin makes our friend, the iPad, come across like some kind of lazy slacker. In fact, the iPad has become a hard-working professional. But why? 

For those who love their iPads but miss the warm, muted sounds of a 78rpm phonograph, feast your eyes on the iVictrola iPad dock. A successor to the iVictrola iPhone dock a few years ago, this acoustic amplifier uses the speaker outputs of your iPad and an antique Magnavox phonograph radio horn to playback anything from Bix Beiderbecke to Lady Gaga – no electricity required.

They’re running through the entire playbook over at Pogoplug for a touchdown (yeah, guess I’m jonesing for the football season to start). Their latest move is the Pogoplug Mobile ($80), out today.

The studio behind the famous Halo game series, Bungie, has released a new game for the iPad. Crimson: Steam Pirates is a free game in the App Store that takes you on a pirate’s adventure of sinking ships while defending your own. Ahoy!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xfXIPJBUY8

It looks as if just about every expat in Asia with a black turtleneck and some specs is working as a Steve Jobs impersonator.

Being an incurable germaphobe, the Chef Sleeve ($20) is a prescription for sanity when using my iPad in the kitchen. Yes, the plastic sleeves are meant to protect your tablet from culinary messes; but for me, it’s more about protecting the food from the tablet.

Apple could sell 20 million iPad 2 tablets the next quarter, more than doubling last quarter’s 9.25 million iPads snapped up by consumers. According to an industry publication, the tech giant may sell 25.5 million iPads during the second half of 2011, a 76 percent increase over the first half of this year.

The iPad makes an almost perfect portable media player; big, bright screen, great interface and a speedy processor. Wahay. Problem is, it’s hard to jam a decent speaker, let alone two, into that svelte aluminum shell — the result is sound from anemic speaker with volume that won’t top a moderately loud tea party.

Luckily there’s no shortage of auxiliary speakers available, and Logitech’s Tablet Speaker for iPad ($50) is one of the simplest, least expensive and most portable.

McDonalds. One goes there for burgers, french fries, and occasionally a tasty McFlurry. One should not go there to buy an iPad, however. A young woman has learned that lesson the hard way.