Jan 22

iPad 3 in March 2012

By Brian News 1 Comment »

With the iPad 2 being released just several months ago, get ready for the iPad 3 to launch by Apple in as early as March of this year. What will the iPad 3 offer? The most anticipated feature of the iPad 3 is expected to be a retina display like the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S have to offer. A retina display on the iPad 3 would double the resolution and offer a substantially-improved viewing experience when reading text books in iBooks 2, for instance.

I’m enjoying my iPad 2 very much and can’t really justify an upgrade to an iPad 3 so soon, but I have to admit that the prospect of having a retina display on my iPad is extremely tempting. That feature alone may be enough to prompt me to take the leap to the newest iPad. One thing is for sure — the next iPad tablets will just get better and better, especially with competitors trying to compete with Apple and take a bite out of the tablet pie and increase marketshare. Is the iPad 3 enticing you?

 

 

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Dec 20

Protect yourself from iPad and iPhone germs

By Brian How To 1 Comment »

It’s that time of year — well, yes, it’s almost Christmas, but it’s that OTHER time of year… the time of year when it’s cold, snowy (depending on where you live), and germs run rampant as adults and kids alike have the sniffles. Personally, I’ve dealt with at least two colds and a bout of the flu. It seems like just when I was getting over one contagion, another would come along and smack me upside the head. This, of course, got me thinking very carefully about how to better protect myself from germs and further illness. In addition to doorknobs, restrooms, computer keyboards, etc., there’s the obvious culprit that most of us use frequently in our daily lives — our touch iOS devices!

I use my iPhone 4 constantly and my iPad 2 almost constantly, with plenty of tapping and swiping. I have protective screen covers on both, but the fingerprints and smudges are clear evidence of the constant touching those devices receive on a daily basis. How many germs are we transferring from other places and people onto the touch screens of our iOS devices each day? If you’re like me, you handle your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch without a second thought about the possibility that your touch screen is a Petri dish full of nasty critters.

What’s the solution for reducing the germs on our touch devices? There are numerous cleaning products out there marketed directly at touch device owners, and I won’t go into a discussion on the many products out there, but if we all simply apply a little common sense, we can greatly reduce the germs and risk of infection and illness. We should all wash our hands often with soap and water, use hand sanitizer when available, avoid touching our faces with our hands, and it’s a good idea to *carefully* clean and disinfect our iPad, iPod touch, and iPhone touch screens on a regular and frequent basis. You might simply apply some disinfectant to a microfiber cloth and carefully wipe away the smudges, fingerprints and germs from your iOS devices.

Speak up if you have additional ideas on keeping your iOS devices clean and germ-free!

 

 

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Oct 25

Waiting for iOS 5 untethered jailbreak?

By Brian Jailbreak, News 3 Comments »

If you have updated to iOS 5 on your iPad, iPhone or iPod touch, or if you’ve picked up a shiny new iPhone 4S, then congratulations. There is no doubt that iOS 5 brings lots of goodies to the functionality of all iOS devices. If you’re one of the jailbreaking community, maybe you held off on the iOS 5 update? Currently, with the exception of the iPhone 4S, iOS devices running iOS 5 can be jailbroken with a tethered solution, but those wanting the additional flexibility of an untethered jailbreak, the wait continues.
What is the difference between a tethered and untethered jailbreak? To put it in the simplest terms, it’s the difference of having to connect your iOS device to your computer each time your device reboots, whether it’s an intentional reboot or an accidental one (i.e., your device crashes or freezes and required a reboot). With a tethered jailbreak, you risk having a dead device while away from your computer in the event of a reboot, with the only way of restoring functionality by plugging in to your computer to jailbreak again. The highly-anticipated untethered solution requires no plugging in — you can reboot your iOS device into a jailbroken state.
Why am I holding off on iOS 5 for an untethered jailbreak? It’s definitely a personal decision, but I will settle for no less than an untethered jailbreak and iOS 5, with all of its extra features, does not give me everything I require and enjoy on my iPhone 4 and iPad 2. Namely, I use a few jailbreak apps that I consider invaluable for my iOS devices — MyWi for creating a mobile “WiFi” hotspot, My3G to dupe my device into thinking it’s on a WiFi network for purposes of downloading apps and using FaceTime on a 3G network, and LockInfo for giving me a quick look at all the necessary information from my unlock screen. To keep informed about the status of the iOS 5 untethered jailbreak, check back here or check out the Dev-Team Blog.
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Sep 03

FaceTime for iPad 2 brings us closer

By Brian Editorial, News 4 Comments »

Just like the touchy-feely, heartwarming Apple commercials touting the way that people can connect through video calls on their iPad 2 and iPhone 4 devices, I had my own experience tonight that was just like Apple’s advertising campaign. If you are unfamiliar with FaceTime, it is Apple’s video call application for their iMac, MacBook, iPad 2 and iPhone 4 devices that allow people to enjoy video and audio chat with each other over a WiFi connection. I used it tonight on my iPad 2 to bring my family closer for my son’s birthday.
My daughter just left for college and, although she’s a few hundred miles away, she joined us in singing “Happy  Birthday” to my son and watched him blow out the candles on his birthday cake, thanks to FaceTime on my iPad 2 and her MacBook Pro. Cozied up to her desk in her apartment while we gathered around the kitchen table, we used FaceTime to practically erase those hundreds of miles of separation and bring us closer for a family event. The only thing she really missed was a slice of cake.
This may seem a small thing to some, but for us, it was priceless. If I had any reservations before about buying my iPad 2 to replace my iPad 1, those reservations were completely erased tonight when we were brought together again as a family thanks to this amazing technology. Have you used your iPad 2 and FaceTime to bring you closer to the ones you love?
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Aug 09

Stick with iPad, get iPad 2, or wait for iPad 2 HD or iPad 3?

By Brian Editorial 5 Comments »

There are rumors a’swirling about the next iPad, both about what it will be and when it will be available. There is rampant rumor-mongering on the internet about Apple breaking with their traditional annual release cycle and offering up a new iPad as soon as this September. Or, the next iPad may not hit the shelves until sometime in the first quarter of 2012. There’s also much speculation about what the next iPad will be — a more high-end iPad 2 HD with a “retina” display like the iPhone 4, or will it be an iPad 3 with numerous upgrades to display quality, processor speed and memory size?
With such important questions still unanswered, it’s hard to know what to do or when to do it as an original iPad owner. I love my iPad 3G 64GB slab of wonder, but I’m feeling a little left behind with some of the accessories now available that are geared for the iPad 2, like the ZAGGfolio for the iPad 2 that I’m lusting after — ZAGG doesn’t make it for the iPad 1. I have an itchy trigger-finger to pick up the iPad 2, but if an iPad 2 HD or iPad 3 is just around the bend, perhaps as early as next month, should I wait? Would I feel foolish buying the iPad 2 now only to have a new iPad arrive as soon as a month later, or even just a few months from now?
These are important questions for a gadget junkie like me, and since any iPad requires some serious payola to acquire, it’s not a decision to be made lightly. Or is it? Maybe the one true answer lies in the idea that whether or not you have the “latest and greatest”, if the product does what you need it to do, then why wait for the next one? Apple is quite reliable for releasing new generations of their products at least annually, so in the worst case, I could pick up an awesome iPad 2 and be “stuck” with it for a whole 13 months, right? Oh, the horror! Yet, on the other hand, I could have to go without the newest offering for a year and be in gadget geek purgatory.
This, my friends, is the conundrum I face. What would YOU do?
[Photo courtesy of NinoGadget]
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Jun 27

iPad 3 for Spring 2012, ‘iPhone 4S’ in September?

By Brian Rumors 2 Comments »

Ever since this Spring and Apple breaking the tradition of a yearly iPhone announcement (iPhone 5), along with an impressive but slightly underwhelming iPad 2 release, there has been speculation about when Apple would unveil the next iPhone and roll out the iPad 3. According to investment research firm FBR Capital Markets analyst Craig Berger, who apparently has an inside track with Apple supply chains in Taiwan, production ramp-up of Apple’s fifth-generation iPhone, presumed to be called the iPhone 4S, will occur around late September or early October of this year. The iPhone 4S will offer performance enhancements consistent with an evolutionary upgrade as opposed to a radical redesign, so perhaps we can expect a new iPhone that looks very similar to the current iPhone 4.

Will the iPad 3 arrive before the end of the year? It doesn’t appear to be in the cards. Due to continuing strong demand and a severe supply shortage of the iPad 2, we likely can’t expect an iPad 3 prototype until early Spring 2012 and consumer availability until late Spring or early Summer 2012. Knowing this could be the case, who is waiting for the iPhone 4S and who plans on picking up an iPad 2 now instead of waiting for the iPad 3 next year?

[Apple Insider]

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Jun 13

Is Nuance partnered with Apple to bring speech recognition to iOS?

By Brian News, Rumors 2 Comments »

Like the screenshots posted above, it would appear that Nuance speech recognition may be included in the latest iOS build, possibly even in the upcoming iOS 5. This is timely in that I just spoke with my brother the other day about how we found the iPhone very lacking in the area of voice recognition and voice commands.

I’ve been very impressed with Dragon Dictation on my iPhone 4 and have wished for integration into the iOS rather than the clunky interface of having to copy and paste into the app you want to use. Don’t get me wrong — Nuance has done a great job with Dragon Dictation as a FREE app and it is very powerful and useful. Hopefully future iOS iterations will have speech recognition and voice activation built into everyday apps like email, text, internet, phone, and more.

Are you looking forward to speech recognition and voice commands in your iOS device? What will you use it for?

[MacRumors]

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Apr 25

iPad 2 saves the day

By Ivan Apps, Editorial 1 Comment »

As we all know, it is not a pleasant thing to visit the hospital, whether it be as a patient, or as a visitor. Typically, either way, you’re waiting in line for this, or that. During that time of waiting, one can ‘read’, ‘walk around’, or just simply ‘be bored’. Or…

I was in hospital for just over 24 hours, and had an inkling that I would be there much longer.  With that in mind, when the wife and I were leaving home, we made sure to pack the iPad 2, 3G 16GB, and a charger. Now, don’t get me wrong, I still had my iPhone 4 with me. But, you just never know when you’d need that extra screen space to navigate websites, watch movies, play games, etc. Keep reading for my personal experience with my iPad 2 at the hospital!

Continue reading »

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Apr 11

Do you use your iPad enough?

By Ivan Editorial, Rants 9 Comments »

I’m a bit curious about this. I have an iPad 2, a laptop (tiny one, HP 2510p), and a desktop (home office). But, I’m not sure I’m using my iPad enough to warrant even having one, thus the curiosity of other people with an iPad, 1 or 2, 3G or just plain ole Wi-Fi.

Last year, the Mrs. bought me an iPad 16GB, Wi-Fi model. I used it often while sitting on the sofa, browsing forums, replying to emails, general surfing of the web, and the like. Another main use for it was to read books, via the Amazon Kindle app.

Oddly enough, I felt that the sheer brightness of the iPad – despite how low I had the brightness set to – I just couldn’t keep on reading from it. It made me feel sleepy, quickly, and thus I wouldn’t read as much, or as long. I checked online, and it was nice to see that I wasn’t the only one experiencing this issue. I was beginning to feel weird for a moment.

I used to think I didn’t use my iPad 1 as much because it was only a Wi-Fi model, and thus had no ‘continuous connection’ once I left my house. Because of this, I typically left my iPad at home. Yes, I know I can watch movies, play games, listen to music, etc., without being connected to the ‘net, but what if I wanted to check or create email, or quickly research something online? I’d have to pull out my iPhone. So, hence, what was the point of me carrying my Wi-Fi iPad 1 with me?

I don’t recall the date that Apple & AT&T allowed us to pre-order the iPad 2. But, whenever that was, I did so, making sure to order the 3G model, thus giving me more ‘scope of use’, if you like. Albeit, I detest having to pay AT&T any more money. Seriously, with the Mrs. and I both using iPhone 4′s, and I even have a BlackBerry, too, all with unlimited data, AT&T gets a lot of money from us a month. Yep, true gadget nut here.

But, yet, here I am, again, leaving my iPad 2 at home. Why is that? Weird.

Hence I’m really curious with myself, and others for that matter, do I even need an iPad? From home to work, I have my iPhone – and sometimes even my BlackBerry BOLD 9700, too. Once I get to the office, I have my desktop; and the same thing in reverse, from work to home.

So, err, when exactly would I use my iPad 1 or 2, 3G or Wi-Fi? When do you use yours?

 

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Feb 01

AT&T facing suit for alleged iOS data overbilling

By Brian News No Comments »

According to Courthouse News Service, AT&T is facing a class action lawsuit for allegedly over-billing customers for data usage on their iOS devices, specifically the iPhone and iPad. According to the suit, a consulting firm hired by plaintiff’s attorneys found that AT&T overstated data usage in a range of 7-14% over a two-month period. In some instances, the charged data usage was as much as 300% over the actual amount of data transferred to the devices.

Granted, it’s possible that the excessive data usage could be attributed to apps running in the background and using data behind the scenes. However, according to the suit, the background data usage does not account for all of the overstated data usage in AT&T billing. For those with “unlimited” data plans, this should not be an issue, but those with limited data plans could see some overcharging as they exceed their allotment.

As the class action lawsuit moves forward, keep an eye on your mailbox for information about the suit and your opportunity to opt in or opt out of the suit. Personally, I’ve not paid much attention to my data usage because my iPhone 4 and iPad are both on unlimited data plans, but for those with limited data plans, this suit just may grab your attention.

[MacRumors]

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