iPad - page 277

SAN FRANCISCO, MACWORLD 2011 — If there’s one thing we’re hearing over and over at Macworld this year, it’s the word “enterprise.” There’s a lot of companies getting ready for a huge wave of iOS deployments by enterprise in 2011.

One company ready to jump on the enterprise bandwagon is FileMaker, whose FileMaker Go iOS app allows FileMaker databases to run on the iPad or iPhone. That means businesses can make custom database apps — everything from email clients to iTunes clones — without going through Apple.

“A lot of people think they have to develop their own app to do something but its not necessarily necessary to do an app,” said FileMaker spokesman Kevin Mallon. “If you’ve got FileMaker Pro, you’ve got an app.”

According to FileMaker, its database software is currently the only way enterprise can get custom apps on the iPhone or iPad without coding a custom solution and submitting it through the App Store.

The pharmaceutical company Merck, for example, created an iOS app to share the company lexicon of drug names, special acronyms and competing drug companies’ names and terms.

“You don’t have to be a serious programmer to do an app,” said Mallon. “It’s dead easy.”

The iPad is a lot heavier than it looks, isn’t it? Holding it with one hand can be unwieldy and make your hand tired, but holding it with two hands makes it hard to use.

Well we discovered a nifty little device that can help. It’s called the HandeHolder and it allows you to strap your iPad to your hand, making it much easier to hold and use.

When President Obama gave his annual State of the Union speech Tuesday night, he dedicated a significant portion of it to the dismal state of America’s education system.

Some educational experts responded by noting that that mobile devices such as the iPhone and iPad could potentially improve the American education system’s “productivity.”

I wonder whether this is a valid point, or yet another manifestation of Americans’ infatuation with technology.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXPhoYAqRhE&feature=player_embedded

Apple’s new TV commercial for the iPad shows how versatile the device is. The iPad is… for students, teachers, for news, for reading. the iPad is.. iconic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xVccc22zI0&hd=1

You’ve got to watch this version of Bon Jovi’s Livin’ on a Prayer performed by the iBand on iPhones and iPads. It’s really pretty good!

And here’s their version of the Black Eyed Peas’ I Gotta Feeling:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkMFBSUH3pI&hd=1

Thanks John!

Apple’s iPad tablet computer may be the perfect vehicle to view glossy magazines, but the iTunes subscription model has some publishers ready to turn the page.

On both sides of the Atlantic, publishers are grumbling about Apple’s iTunes store. Some popular US publications, including the New York Times and Playboy, recently announced web-based subscriptions that will offer more flexible options and control over content than iTunes. In Europe, Apple faces a probe by Belgian antitrust authorities over whether it is abusing its market position by requiring that publishers only sell subscriptions through iTunes.

Although publishers aren’t necessarily keen to pay Apple a cut of each subscription they sell, that’s not the only issue. Sales through iTunes means that Apple controls subscription data — and access to their own subscribers.

“If Apple allowed real subscriptions in iTunes and shared the user data they collect with publishers, that might end the war right there,” said Marco Formento, Global Digital Director at De Agostini Editore, an Italy-based group which publishes in 13 languages and 30 countries. “Otherwise, a lot of publishers will go around Apple to keep that contact with their clients.”

Full story over at Talking Points Memo

The advent of the iPad and the ZAGGmate keyboard are a godsend for people like myself  — people who are compulsive note takers, and who are constantly on the move.

The iPad isn’t just creating revenue for Apple and iOS developers, in many retail establishments it’s now tracking revenue as well. Everyone’s favorite iDevice has been increasingly seen helping out at the checkout counter and point-of-sale operations in restaurants and coffee shops worldwide.

Several vendors are now offering iPad software and integrated terminal hardware supporting order management, payment processing, reporting and remote management capability. What an ideal Geek Trend: iPads, Coffee, Cupcakes and Commerce!

One of our favorite iOS apps to feature in this week’s must-have list lets you stream your media between your iOS devices, or from iTunes on your computer over your Wi-Fi network. AirView works in a similar way to the AirPlay feature already built-in to iOS, however, instead of streaming only to your AppleTV, you can stream straight to your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad.

Microsoft Office users will be familiar with OneNote, the powerful note taking application for all of your ideas that syncs your notes with free Windows Live online storage account, and allows you to access them from virtually anywhere using your phone, computer, or web browser. Now the OneNote application is available for your iPhone, allowing you to make notes while you’re on the go so that you don’t forget another good idea. It’s also free for a limited time!

Cloud Connect Pro for your iPad allows you to leave your laptop at home while you’re on the go, but still gain access to the files you have stored on your Mac and PC, or online storage services like Dropbox, iDisk, or Box.net. You can also access your home computer through the built-in screen sharing feature, and view and control your applications just like you’re sitting in front of them.

Find out more about the applications above and check out the rest of this week’s must-have iOS apps, including TapnScrap HD and TalkBox Voice Messenger, after the break!

Perhaps it’s another case of putting your tweet in your mouth, but Playboy founder and patriarch of the sexy mansion of the same name has announced, yet again, that his centerfolds will be available as mamma made them come March.

It’s not yet clear whether Playboy would be sold via iTunes — another bone of contention this week as one Euro-crat called the anti-trust on Apple for these subscriptions making the claim that Apple is abusing its position.

If Hef manages to get the goods past the Steve Jobs no-porn-on-my-device diktat, would you pay $8 for it?

Pugnacious PC pundit John C. Dvorak is always fun to read. His opinions are often as outrageous as they are insightful. I’ve always been a huge fan, even when I disagree.

Dvorak’s latest post on PCMag.com, headlined “Understanding the iPad Computer,” is one of those I disagree with. In fact, I think his whole argument is exactly the opposite of reality.

(This isn’t the first time I’ve butted heads with PCMag.com over the iPad, by the way.)

In a nutshell, Dvorak attributes the overwhelming success of the Apple iPad not to the user interface, but to the design of the tablet as an output device, rather than input device. He writes:

“It was always assumed that the pad was going to be primarily an input device, like a paper and pen notepad. The successful machines of today are primarily output devices, not a notepad. It was this one simple paradigm shift that appears to be the difference maker.”

The column and conclusion are based on three key assertions, all of them false.

This week’s must-have iOS games features a frantic side-scrolling platform game that’s unlike anything else we’ve seen. CrazyControl 2 starts with two characters running side-by-side, and you must control them both at the same time to ensure neither character stops running. However, just as you get used to controlling two characters, another is introduced until you finally have control of 6 characters all at once. This intense running game is action-packed, energetic, and a great load of fun.

Treasure Seekers 2: The Enchanted Canvases is the second instalment of the popular hidden object game Treasure Seekers, and this follow-up offers a captivating storyline about a young girl who must save her brother from a mysterious Romanian castle, where he has been imprisoned by an evil being. If you’re a fan of hidden object games, Treasure Seekers 2 is sure to please.

Warp back in time and join our forefathers in an addictive game of Cave Bowling in this physics-based pick-up-and-play game. Take aim of your bowling ball to send it flying through the rocky landscapes which are littered with crazy obstacles and prehistoric animals. See if you can take out all of the pins and collect all of the bones without knocking down your cheerful audience.

Find out more about the games above and check out this week’s other must-have game, Tiki Towers 2, after the break!

Did you promise yourself that 2011 would be the year that you would find yourself a job? Are you having trouble sticking to your new year’s resolution? Well maybe there’s an iOS app that will make things a little easier for you. Here’s our list of the best iOS apps that may help you succeed on your mission to kickstart your career.

So that you don’t just forget about your resolution by the end of January, we’ve compiled a great list of apps that will help you stick to your targets and achieve your goals. We’ve divided them up in to the most popular resolutions, and in this post we’ll look at the best iOS apps to help you get a job. We’ve chosen apps that will help you find vacancies in your home town, that will help you create a great resume, and apps that will help you prepare for those dreaded interviews.

Check them out after the break and get help to get work!

US Representative Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot through the head twelve days ago during a Tucson, Arizona rampage that left six dead and thirteen wounded, is now able to stand with assistance… and is using an iPad.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTBV11Dk5yo

Small, sleek and fast: this video shows what a great cash register an iPad can make for a high-traffic small business. Here it is getting the java going for the crowds at Joe in Grand Central Terminal in New York.

ShopKeep.com is behind the point-of-sale app designed for small businesses that can also print out receipts and even makes a satisfying ka-ching when the sale rings up. The iPad register also transmits sales to its web-based BackOffice so that managers using ShopKeep’s BackOffice can track sales in real time and can manage inventory, run reports and export the data.

We’ve been seeing a lot of iPads in small businesses like restaurants, but this may be the first cash register to face a similar commuter onslaught.

The folks at ShopKeep tell us that they’re also ringing up tabs in New York with iPad cash registers at Steve’s Ice Cream on 42nd Street and 5th ave. and at Joe in the Northwest Corner of the Columbia University building.

Sure, iPad tills aren’t quite taking over Manhattan, but soon they may be a common sight in small businesses.

Did you promise yourself that 2011 would be the year that you would take control of your finances and start saving money? Are you having trouble sticking to your new year’s resolution? Well maybe there’s an iOS app that will make things a little easier for you. Here’s our list of the best iOS apps that may help you succeed on your mission to save money.

So that you don’t just forget about your resolution by the end of January, we’ve compiled a great list of apps that will help you stick to your targets and achieve your goals. We’ve divided them up in to the most popular resolutions, and in this post we’ll look at the best iOS apps to help you save money. We’ve chosen apps that will help you track where your money is going, apps that will help you create a budget and stick to it, and apps that will help you find the best deals in town.

Check them out after the break and get help to save money!

The scarcely, randomly reputable boys over at Digitimes are recycling weeks-old rumors by insisting that one of their sources from inside AAPL’s component supply chain says that the iPad 2 will boast a Retina Display.

Well, no, it jolly well won’t. But just in case that doesn’t convince you, how about some extrapolation due Moore’s Law?

Apple giveth and Apple taketh away after notifying developers that the new multi-touch gestures for the iPad, discovered in the first beta release of iOS 4.3, will not be available to the public when iOS 4.3 is released.

This bit of news was delivered to developers today in the Read Me file included with the iOS 4.3 Beta 2 release.

Now Apple is claiming that these gestures are now simply there for developers to preview and test with their own apps.

You can see how the new gestures work by clicking the read  link below and watching a video demonstration of them.

What’s worse: someone steals your car – or they steal your car with an iPad in it?

A man in Paterson, New Jersey managed to track down his stolen car thanks to the Find My iPhone app installed on his iPad.

The man reportedly left his 003 BMW X5 in a Costco parking lot at 11:30 a.m. and returned about 40 minutes later to find the car missing.

During today’s Q1 2011 earnings call, one consistent strain ran throughout: Apple could not be happier with the success of the iPad, and could not be more contemptuous of the competition.

Case makers don’t necessarily know anything more than the rest of us about what the next iOS devices will look like — see, for example, the insistence of second-gen iPod Touch case makers that the next iteration of the PMP would have a camera, which didn’t happen until the FaceTime-capable model came along a year later — but they are always of interest, as they usually come from information leaking out of the factories of Apple’s own Chinese manufacturers.

The latest case designs coming out of China, then, is interesting for showing off two new openings that we haven’t seen before. The slot for the rear camera and speaker are, of course, there in their usual places, but two new holes have been carved out to fit an SD card slot and either a mini DisplayPort or an HDMI port.

Intriguing. Of course, if the iPad 2 does get an SD card slot, don’t expect to be able to use it to expand your device’s storage: it’ll strictly be for offloading photos and videos with an iPad Connector Kit.

Politicians in Germany are using iPads en masse in the Bundestag, the German parliament chamber.

According to the English translation of this Spiegel article, the iPad is a reasonable expense claim for the politicians, so ownership has spread like wildfire through the chamber.

Although a popular tool for research and answering email, one member has been caught out playing chess during a meeting.

There’s a photo gallery of smiling German politicians and their iPads here, if that’s your sort of thing.

Did you promise yourself that 2011 would be the year that you would quit smoking? Are you having trouble sticking to your new year’s resolution? Well maybe there’s an iOS app that will make it a little easier for you. Here’s our list of the best iOS apps that may help you succeed in your quest to quit this year.

The apps we’ve selected will help you find the motivation you need to stamp out those nicotine cravings. Quickly calculate how much money you spend on cigarettes each week and see how much you could save as a non-smoker; create personalized plans that are tailored to help you quit in a way that suits you; and even estimate how much of your life you might be saving by saying no to cigarettes. If that’s not enough motivation, we don’t know what is!

Check them out after the break and get help to kick the habit in 2011.

Over the weekend, some iPad-specific and resolution-doubled icons found in iBooks Version 1.1 made everyone speculate that the iPad 2 would have a 2048 x 1536 display. Not quite Retina, but close enough.

Unfortunately, the speculation breaks down upon closer examination. Not only are the pixel-quadrupled iBook icons old news, but there’s a conflicting mention of a 1536×800 pixel resolution in the same build.

In fact, Apple’s been suggesting that developers provide a double resolution icon for each iPad app since June. This is just Apple thinking forward: yes, they’d like to have the same pixel density in the iPad as in the iPhone and iPod Touch, but that doesn’t make a 10.1-inch Retina Display economically feasible this generation.

In other words, this resolution-doubled iPad icon business? Much ado about nothing. The iPad 2 might have a Retina Display, but not because of a couple of higher res icons.