No big comment here – watch for yourself – guys from MobilMania.cz have put together a nice side by side comparison of the two leading tablets in the market: the Galaxy and iPad. While the devices are conceptualy similar, the fact that the iPad sports much larger screen in fact does not render this a fair battle.
Enough with the blah-blah – here is the video:
For all of you drone fans – here is something to (big time) salivate about:
Just released in Europe and coming shortly to the United States, Parrot’s AR.Drone* ($300) is billed as a “Wi-Fi Quadricopter” and “the Flying Video Game” — two pitches that don’t do justice to what Parrot has accomplished in this first-generation product. Debuted at CES earlier this year, AR.Drone is a hovercraft-like flying device that you control using an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad using a free application called Free Flight over Wi-Fi, enabling you to look through the battery-powered copter’s two on-board cameras as it flies, with additional game apps expanding the truly novel entertainment experience. Though AR.Drone has a couple of major weak spots, particularly in the battery department, it’s impressive enough that gadget fans and early adopter types may want to take it for a spin anyway.
Make sure to check out a super awesome photo gallery published by the iLounge…
iTunes link is here.
Watch the video here:
*Emphasis added
If you are shopping for iPad scratch protection film this TiPb comparison test may help you decide where to throw your money.
Embedded below it a video recording of the test – TiPb uses screws, rocks and some not-so-gentle female touch to decide who wins: InvisibleSHIELD or BodyGuardz… Spoiler alert: the test is inconclusive, yet fun to watch…
Here is a yet another top app list, this time compiled by Craig Grannell and published by TechRadar.com. The source article with a ton of screenshots is here (ignore the fact that the URL says “Top 20″ while the actual article title is “Top 30″, the more the better…)
Anyhow, I am probably aligned with 70% of the picks, an app or two are missing here – yet, installing each of the listed items will not be waste of precious memory space.
Finally, each listing item has a link to the corresponding iTunes page and I also added a column with the iTunes ID for easier searching. You’ll notice that most of the apps are geared towards iPhone/iTouch users even though many of the listed apps have a corresponding iPad versions.
Enjoy!
01) Facebook (iTunes ID: id284882215)
02) Gorillacam (iTunes ID: id342972390)
03) RunKeeper Free (iTunes ID: id300226023)
04) Stanza (iTunes ID: id284956128)
05) Dropbox (iTunes ID: id327630330)
06) thetrainline (iTunes ID: id334235181)
o7) Skype (iTunes ID: id304878510)
08) Movies (iTunes ID: id284235722)
09) TonePad (iTunes ID: id315980301)
10) Thomson Reuters News Pro (iTunes ID: id314213167)
11) Twitter (iTunes ID: id333903271)
12) Comics (iTunes ID: id303491945)
13) Wikipanion (iTunes ID: id364195592)
14) Evernote (iTunes ID: id281796108)
15) Kindle (iTunes ID: id302584613)
16) Around Me (iTunes ID: id290051590)
17) Dictionary.com – Dictionary & Thesaurus (iTunes ID: id364740856)
18) Air Video Free (iTunes ID: id313056918)
19) Photoshop.com Mobile (iTunes ID: id331975235)
20) iHandy Level Free (iTunes ID: id299852753)
21) Instapaper Free (iTunes ID: id284942713)
22) PCalc Lite (iTunes ID: id300311831)
23) iBooks (iTunes ID: id364709193)
24) Red Laser (iTunes ID: id312720263)
25) eBay Selling (iTunes ID: id357878618)
26) eBay Mobile (iTunes ID: id282614216)
27) Google Earth (iTunes ID: id293622097)
28) XE Currency (iTunes ID: id364733584)
29) Shazam (iTunes ID: id364305715)
30) Bump (iTunes ID: id305479724)
It has been less than six months since the release of the iPad and the marketplace is already saturated with probably hundreds of different accessories for the device. Needless to say, aside from several Apple designed products the rest of the offering is a hit/miss adventure.
Now moving onto the case issue – I have (just like most of you) purchased the genuine case (Apple Store Link) – I liked it in the beginning, yet after several weeks of use the wear/tear because noticeable and my love with the product started to vain (see the user comments at the Apple site – most complaints are directed towards quick material wear and noticeable degradation of the visual appeal after moderate and short use).
Enter the ACASE (link below)…
(Click to Enlarge)
I’ve got the product via Amazon (around $25 shipped via Amazon Prime) – and I have been super happy with the product (this ain’t Orbino Padova though).
Here is my take on Pros/Cons:
PROs:
- The ability to snap the case close (very helpful to avoid it accidently opening while in transit).
- The stand functionality
- The overall protection provided to the iPad is very good with good padding.
- Solid and strong physical build (see a Con on the material)
- Four different angles to open up the case
- Easy to take the iPad out (and to put it in)
- Horizontal/Vertical Stand Position
Cons:
- Misleading advertising (Touted as a “Leather” product – yet, it’s a synthetic leather product – or as the advertiser notes a “Real leather-like” product)
- Thicker than the Apple case (~1/8 in thicker)
If you like the product you can get it from Amazon here (*Disclaimer – this is my Amazon affiliate link and I get modest proceeds from a sale): Acase Leather Flip Book Jacket/folio for Apple Ipad 3g Tablet/wifi Model 16gb, 32gb, 64gb (Black)
Looking for a solid iPad review? Look no further – Engadget has a detailed rundown on the iPad, a review piece that’s in the proverbial ‘league by itself”…
The following sections are covered:
a) Hardware
— Industrial design
— Internals
— Display
— Other hardware
b) Software
— Operating system / User interface
— Included applications
— Third-party apps
— Battery life
c) Wrap-up
Needles to say, there is a generous number of photos attached to the post – dig around and you’ll find a couple off videos too…
Here is the Wrap-up Note:
At this point we’ve run the full spectrum on iPad opinion. It should be clear that there are aspects of this device which we love, and others which we clearly do not. In summarizing our feelings about the iPad, we’re forced to take two paths — one which analyzes the device’s position in relation to the advancement of the personal computer, and one which clearly speaks to whether or not we think you should spend your money on this thing.
Path one: the iPad as a computing revolution. Does the iPad evolve the personal computer in a significant way? Yeah, actually, it kind of does. Despite what you think right now, and despite the limitations Apple has put on some aspects of this device, what it says to the market is significant. The iPad is powerful, elegant, and largely unlike any computer you’ve ever used. You know how first generation games for a console look kind of dated when you put them against titles released after years of honing? Imagine what will be happening with something like the iPad in a year or two. This stuff is legitimately important. It’s not magical, but it’s a little bit revolutionary, and you have to at least give Apple that. They’ve pulled off a cohesive touch computing platform with very few rough edges — and that’s no small feat.
Path two: should you buy into the revolution today? The first thing that must be said — although we’ve already stated it — is that we don’t think the iPad is a laptop replacement. Not yet. What that means is that if you need a laptop to work in something like Excel, Word, or countless other PC or Mac applications, you shouldn’t expect the iPad to take its place. But, if you’re like a lot of computer users, you don’t really do much on your system except for listen to music, casually browse the web and read news sites, watch some online video, play games, and keep in touch with friends via Twitter, IM, and Facebook. If you fit that description, you might just fall in love with Apple’s $499 bundle of joy — because it does the majority of those things much better than its laptop counterparts (granted, one at a time, and, er… not online video).
So the verdict? The buyer of an iPad is one of two people, the first is someone who sees not just the present, but the potential of a product like the iPad… and believes in and is excited about that potential. This is also a person who can afford what amounts to a luxury item. The second is an individual who simply doesn’t need to get that much work done, and would prefer their computing experience to be easier, faster, and simpler. Does that sound like anyone you know?
David Pogue at NY Times has a non technical review of the Ipad – check it out here.
The post has a video component as well, I am embedding it here – scroll down and push the play button (you’ll have to endure a gruesome 20 sec Toyota ad though).
Here is an excerpt (emphasis added) – my focus is on the non-tech segment:
The Apple iPad is basically a gigantic iPod Touch.
The simple act of making the multitouch screen bigger changes the whole experience. Maps become real maps, like the paper ones. Scrabble shows the whole board, without your having to zoom in and out. You see your e-mail inbox and the open message simultaneously. Driving simulators fill more of your field of view, closer to a windshield than a keyhole.
The new iBooks e-reader app is filled with endearing grace notes. For example, when you turn a page, the animated page edge actually follows your finger’s position and speed as it curls, just like a paper page. Font, size and brightness controls appear when you tap. Tap a word to get a dictionary definition, bookmark your spot or look it up on Google or Wikipedia. There’s even a rotation-lock switch on the edge of the iPad so you can read in bed on your side without fear that the image will rotate.
If you have the cellular model, you can buy AT&T service so you can get online anywhere. (Cellular iPads aren’t available until next month; I tested a Wi-Fi-only model.)
But how’s this for a rare deal from a cell company: there’s no contract. By tapping a button in Settings, you can order up a month of unlimited cellular Internet service for $30. Or pay $15 for 250 megabytes of Internet data; when it runs out, you can either buy another 250 megs, or just upgrade to the unlimited plan for the month. Either way, you can cancel and rejoin as often as you want — just March, July and November, for example — without penalty. The other carriers are probably cursing AT&T’s name for setting this precedent.
Here is the video:
Here is the video (PC Mag via YouTube):
