Twitter has released a native application for the iPad, simply titled Twitter. The iPhone and iPod Touch version of the app has been available for some time and an iPad iteration has been eagerly anticipated.
Features include a panel based system that allows users to view content within links without having to leave their Twitter Timeline. The system is very intuitive and is control by swiping the panels to the left or right depending on how you prominent you wish them to be.
The app also features some nice multi-touch features such as Pinching open a tweet to see their profile information, or a two finger drag down to see replies to a tweet.
Most notable however, is just how good this app looks. It is clean, nice textures and is generally very crisp and stylish. I highly recommend it to any Twitter users, and if you’re not already, here are the links to follow us: Bentron, iPad Insider .
The new panel view
This was just announced today at the Apple event: iOS 4.2 will be available for download on the iPad in November and it will bring all the things in iOS 4 with the addition of Printing, AirPlay and a ton of bug fixes. AirPlay is basically wireless video, photo and music streaming.
Then there’s all new iPods today.
Apple has quietly added Genius functionality to the iPad App store. Genius offers users recommendations for other apps based on those you have already downloaded using data collected from other users who have also downloaded that app.
It is not a complete overhaul to the store by any means, but does offer a useful tool for those looking to expand their App library. No update is required and is available now.
This week I chatted to Matthew Covington, senior director for Product Management at Smith Micro Software about the company’s latest app SendStuffNow.
SendStuffNow is a ‘cloud’ based file sharing service that offers amazing versatility, security and ease of use for every user. To start, users set up an account and within a couple of minutes can begin to share files to other users who can then download the files themselves. Crucially, they do not need to set up an account themselves to do so. An example of use would be: a photographer is out in the field, loads up the images on his iPad using the Camera Connector. They open up SendStuffNow and can very quickly select which images they want to upload and select who they want to send them to using the iPad’s contact list. Users can set a password and an expiration date as well as track the number of downloads against the number of invites.
For the average consumer the service is free and offers 1GB of storage space and 10GB to download, which should offer plenty to those who just want to share between family and friends. Those looking for greater capacity can become a Premium member for $120 a year which offers 2GB upload capacity p/m and 4GB download capacity p/m. Where the company are really targeting are small businesses. With the emergence of smart-phones and more recently tablet devices in the last couple of years, we are living in an increasingly mobile world; Smith Micro have recognised this and are taking full advantage. They believe that for those businesses looking for a solution to the problem of being able to have a secure area where files can be kept, shared and monitored all on the go, SendStuffNow is the answer. I have to say I agree. The service can be accessed from any computer, iPhone and iPad; having tried the service on all three, it is tailored perfectly to each device.
The overall experience is seamless and the functionality is flawless. Considering the baseline service and app are free, this app is a must have for, not only any iPad user but iPhone and iPod Touch users as well.
Link to download: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sendstuffnow/id380541939?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D6
Apple reported in their earnings for the previous quarter that a total of 3.27 million iPads has been sold.
The Company began selling iPads during the quarter, with total sales of 3.27 million.
- April 3rd – 300,000 WiFi iPads sold on launch day
- April 8th – 450,000 iPads Sold total 5 days after launch, 3.5 Million iPad Apps and 600,000 iBooks downloaded
- April 10th – 500,000 iPad Units sold in its first week
- May 3rd – 1,000,000 iPad Users in 28 days since launch
- May 31st – 2,000,000 iPad Owners after its International Launch
- June 21 – 3,000,000 iPads in 80 days
Today Apple released an update for their iBooks app, bringing it up to Version 1.1.1. Normally such updates include a mundane list of bug fixes, however, the update notation offers one very intriguing update, audio and video support.
This update will be of particular interest to Textbook, STM (Scientific, Technical and Medical) and non-fiction publishers as it would offer a greater level of interactivity to their material. This update has me excited about the possibilities of what such a simple addition could bring to an area in the iBookstore which is currently rather lifeless.
The other updates are listed here:
- Double-tap an image within a book to view it in greater detail.
- Experience books that include audio and video.
- Enjoy substantial performance improvements when reading PDFs.
- Look-up definitions to English words inside books without a specified language.
- Addresses an issue that may have caused some book downloads to not complete.
- Includes many stability and performance improvements.
With 3 million units sold in just 80 days, the international expansion of 9 more countries will only contribute to the massively growing iPad sales number. In a press release today, Apple announced that the iPad will hit these nine countries this friday including Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand and Singapore. With many more in later this year.
Customers will be able to purchase an iPad through Apple’s own retail stores and authorized resellers.
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Tags: iPad, iPad Austria, iPad Belgium, iPad Hong Kong, iPad Ireland, iPad Luxembourg, iPad Mexico, iPad Netherlands, iPad New Zealand, iPad Sales, iPad Singapore
Apple has released a software update for the iPad, iOS 3.2.1. The update brings several improvements and bug fixes, the most notable being “Improved WiFi connectivity”. The full list of upgrades are detailed here:
- Improved Wi-Fi connectivity
- Fixed an issue that could prevent copy and paste of single-page PDF attachments in Mail
- Addressed an issue that could cause video playback to freeze
- Improved reliability of video-out when using iPad Dock Connector to VGA Adapter
- Added Bing as an option for Safari’s search field
Since the iPad’s release many users have complained that the device has lost it’s WiFi connection during use, meaning some users have had to either input their router password again or reboot the iPad itself. Despite not having the same press as the iPhone 4’s signal problems (which is addressed in a simultaneous update, iOS 4.0.1) it has still proved an area of criticism and frustration for users. Time will tell whether this update is a complete cure or a short term fix.
If you’re looking for a skin for your iPad that has a good balance between protection and beauty, StealthArmor may be your best bet. The StealthArmor for iPad from Fusion of Ideas is a really thin adhesive cover that comes in a wide range of variety of finishes for the back of the iPad including carbon, leather, wood, brushed metal. You can also opt to pay extra to add an additional screen protector or laser etching service for the armor.
We received one of the skin (Brushed Metal) for review and the company was generous enough to laser engrave our logo on it.
Included in the box is a squeegee, actual armor, application spray, instructions, and optional screen protector if you purchased it.
Installation of the back armor was surprisingly a breeze compared to other similar application process like the invisibleSHIELD™ that requires the squeegeeing of bubbles. Simply spray the adhesive side of the armor with the fluid getting it wet enough to align/fix and squeegee out the bubbles. The entire installation of the armor took less than 10 minutes and the outcome is pretty darn good I must say.
Price point for the armor ranges from $45 to $75 for different finsishes, with the screen protector being $25. You can find more details and purchase info here.
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Tags: fusion of ideas, iPad, iPad Accessories, iPad Accessories Review, ipad cover, iPad Review, ipad skin, iPad StealthArmor, iPad StealthArmor review, StealthArmor, StealthArmor Review
Apple has released an update to it’s MobileMe iDisk app to make it fully compatible with the iPad as well as the iphone and iPod Touch.
The app allows users to access documents, pictures and music that were deposited on to their iDisk on their Mac. Users can open documents using specific apps dependent on the format. This functionality is considered a crucial aspect for many ipad users, especially those who use the iWork apps. While other parties have created apps with this functionality, such as DropBox, many MobileMe subscribers have been waiting for this app to be updated.
Here are Apple’s notes to coincide with the update:
- Designed for both iPhone and iPad
- Multitasking support for iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS (iOS 4 required).
- Quickly switch to another app and back to iDisk
- Play audio from your iDisk while using another app
- When app is opened, the last file or directory viewed is displayed
- Open to open iDisk documents in compatible apps such as iBooks
- When sharing a file, an email can be sent from any configured email account
- The URL for a shared file can be copied and pasted
- Various stability improvements
One problem I have encountered whilst using the app is that it is somewhat a one-way street in terms of use. You can access documents from your Mac, however, you cannot then save it back onto your iDisk after editing. This crucial feature will presumably be included with either and iWork update or when the iOS4 is released for iPad this Autumn.
