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
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:
- 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.
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.
As the title suggests, you can go ahead and grab the iBooks app now for your iPad tomorrow. And if you didn’t know, iBooks won’t come pre-loaded on your iPad, you have to download it from the App Store.
Though there may still be a day or two before the official iPad launch on Saturday, the about 2000 for-iPad apps are now available for browsing and download from the App Store (Link opens iTunes). From the ABC Player to Twitteriffic, you can start building on your apps collection and sync it through iTunes when you get your hands on an iPad.
As expected, the majority of the iPad apps are pricier than its iPhone counterpart and quite larger in size as well.
Which one of the iPad-only apps are you most excited to test out?
Apparently, App Annie has some early screenshots of the “actual iPad feed for the app store”, showing some of the iPad Apps that will be available for download at launch.
And it appears that the “HD” moniker is not used by all iPad-only games. To distinguish apps as only for iPad, the early iPad app developers are using monikers like: for iPad, Elite, XL, HD, Deluxe, Real, etc.
The leaked screenshots also revealed how early developers are pricing their iPad Edition apps vs their iPhone/iPod Touch counterparts. In most cases, the prices of the iPad-only apps are bumped up from the iPhone pricing, which came as no surprise at all.
- Labyrinth 2 HD – $7.99 | Labyrinth 2 – $4.99
- Pianist Pro – $9.99 | Pianist – $3.99
- Enigmo Deluxe – $9.99 | Enigmo 2 – $2.99
- Sparkle HD – $2.99 | Sparkle the Game – $2.99
- Flight Control HD – $4.99 | Flight control – $0.99
- (iPad) WeatherBug Elite – $4.99 | WeatherBug Elite – $0.99
- Ammoin HD – $0.99 | Ammoin – $0.99
- TML XL – $9.99 | TML – $9.99
- Otto Matic for iPad – $9.99 | Otto Matic – $3.99
- Cro-Mag Rally for iPad – $9.99 | Cro-Mag Rally - $2.99
- Nanosaur 2 for iPad – $9.99 | Nanosaur 2 – $3.99
[App Annie]
Screen Shots After the break.
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With iPad’s bigger screen and faster processor, iPad apps will be more sophisticated and therefore larger in size compared to the iPhone counterpart. In preparation for the launch of the 3G iPad in April, Apple has increased the cellular download cap to 20MB from 10MB for all downloads from the App Store and iTunes Store. Giving developers more flexibility for their applications.
[via MacRumors]
