Apple has posted two new iPad ads on their website titled: “iPad is Musical” and “iPad is Delicious”. They follow up from the What is iPad…?” commercial. Click on the links to view iPad is Musical and iPad is Delicious
Apple has posted two new iPad ads on their website titled: “iPad is Musical” and “iPad is Delicious”. They follow up from the What is iPad…?” commercial. Click on the links to view iPad is Musical and iPad is Delicious
Following up from the guide we posted earlier, iOS 4.1 has now been released for general use. The update brings Game Center, Ping, High Dynamic Resolution photography and HD Uploads as well as bug fixes, a performance boost for iPhone 3G being the most notable. Game Center will not work on the 3G model, but will on a 2nd Gen iPod Touch. The update is available within iTunes when you plug in your iPhone or iPod Touch or click here for detailed steps on how to download ,
It is widely expected that Apple will be releasing an update to their iOS software bringing it up to 4.1. While it won’t be available for the iPad, many of the features will end up on the iPad in November, so it is like an advanced sneak peek. Here is a quick guide from iOSinsider as to what to expect:
Apple is scheduled to release iOS 4.1 for iPhone and iPod Touch. Now would seem to be a good time to look at what features there are to look forward to and what Game Centre and HDR Photographs are.
Game Center: Game Centre is the first definitive solution to Multiplayer Gaming on iOS devices. Game Centre allows users to Play with friends, online and offline within games. Users will be able to send an invite to a friend (even if they are not playing the game) or can pit their skills against a stranger of similar ability. The service logs usage stats, supports achievements and leader-boards, all depending on the game. In essence, Game Centre will be the XBox Live of the iPhone.
High Dynamic Resolution Photographs (aka nicer photos!): Strip away the jargon and in essence HDR is all about enhancing photographs. The way it works is your iPhone takes three photos in very quick succession, the trick is the exposure level: one under exposed, one normal and one over-exposed. These are then merged together. The idea behind it is that colours and textures that may normally be washed out or over-shadowed are brought out and the result is a much richer and generally better photograph. What will be interesting is whether this feature will be available on the iPhone 3G as not every iOS 4 feature is available on the device.
Ping: Apple’s new controversial social network within iTunes will be available on iPhone and iPod Touch. Ping allows users to follow artists, get updates on what they are up to and share music with friends; 4.1 brings these capabilities to the iOS. Ping has attracted over 1 million users but has come under criticism due to it’s limitations, for example, no Twitter or Facebook connectivity.
High Definition Video Uploads: As the iPhone and soon the iPod Touch can shoot movies in HD, Apple has added the capability to upload these videos to YouTube or MobileMe. This feature will only be available over a WiFi connection due to the bandwidth required.
The update also brings bug fixes for the Proximity Sensor, Bluetooth connectivity and, at last, a fix to the iPhone 3G’s sluggish speed when using iOS 4. The update will be available some time today.
Original at iOSinsider
Today Apple has updated their website to highlight some of the features that will be coming to the iPad with the iOS 4.2 update.
The page highlights the update’s main features of: Multitasking, AirPlay, Folders and Wireless Printing. This page can be viewed here
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. A video comparison with Twitterific is here .
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
Today Apple hosted it’s annual media event which centres around it’s iTunes and iPod products. There was however, exciting news of updates for the iPad.
Firstly, Steve Jobs gave a preview of iOS 4.2 which will be made available for the iPad sometime in November. This update will bring all the features the iPhone 4 and 3GS are able to use at the moment. For example: multitasking, folders, email threading and others. What is very exciting however, is the added ability of being able to wirelessly print from the iPad; this is a feature that has been sorely lacking up to this point.
Another update for the iPad is the ability to be used in conjunction with the revamped Apple TV. This allows the iPad to stream media to the Apple TV to watch on a larger screen. So if you were watching Iron Man on your iPad on your way home and decide when you get home you’d like to continue on a larger screen, you tap the ‘Airplay’ button and the Apple Tv will play from where you left off.
These updates sound very promising, and we will of course update you when more news and details are available.
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
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:
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:
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.
