Facebook readying launch of iPad app?
iPad vs iPad 2
Apple announced its new iPad 2 on March 2nd and I figured I would do a comparison with the original iPad to let you decide if this is what you have been waiting for, or, if you already own the original, if it is worth upgrading.
The Improvements
The iPad 2 is both thinner and lighter than the original, weighing in at just 1.3 pounds and measuring .34 thick. The device now sports dual-core processors, a 2X faster CPU and 9X faster graphics. The tablet also has App mirroring (so you can play Plants vs. Zombies on the big screen), and also adds both front- and rear-facing cameras, and applications such as iMovie and PhotoBooth that take advantage of them. The iPad 2 will also offer iOS 4.3 which offers improved support for AirPlay, iTunes home sharing, and the ability to customize how the lock switch works on the side of the device.
A new native Garage Band application is also an outstanding addition to the iPad 2 from a musicians standpoint. Instruments can be plugged into the side of the tablet, allowing musicians to record and mix up to 8 tracks of audio on their device.
The fact that Apple will be selling the new iPad for the same price as the original makes the iPad 2 a clear winner.
How the Battle Plays Out
Want to see how the battle between the two tablets looks spec by spec? Ive created this awesome chart to let you see how the iPad 2 looks next to its older brother.
iPad vs iPad 2 Comparison Chart
| | |
Display | 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology | 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology |
Processor | 1GHz Apple A4 custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip | 1GHz dual-core Apple A5 custom-designed, high-performance, low-power system-on-a-chip |
RAM | 256 RAM | TBA |
Capacity | 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB flash drive | 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB flash drive |
Wireless and Cellular | Wi-Fi model | Wi-Fi model |
Battery and Power | Built-in 25-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery | Built-in 25-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery Up to 9 hours of surfing the web using 3G data network |
Sensors | Accelerometer | Three-axis gyro |
Cameras | None | Back camera: Video recording, HD (720p) up to 30 frames per second with audio; still camera with 5x digital zoom |
Other Features | 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack | 3.5-mm stereo headphone minijack |
Price | WiFi only: 16 GB $ 399 32 GB $ 499 64 GB $ 599
WiFi + 3G: 16 GB $ 529 32 GB $ 629 64 GB $ 729 | WiFi only: 16 GB $ 499 32 GB $ 599 64 GB $ 699
WiFi + 3G: 16 GB $ 629 32 GB $ 729 64 GB $ 829 |
Conclusion
I feel like the features you get for $ 100 dollars more are indeed worth getting the iPad 2 over the original iPad if you dont already own the original iPad. If you do own the original iPad, unless you can sell it for what Apple is selling it for now I do not see the need in paying $ 500+ for these new upgraded specs.
That said, I still cannot find myself in the market for any tablet devise just yet. One of the main reasons I would buy a tablet is to watch movies and listen to music. I have transferred all of my dvds and cds to digital versions and require at least a 500 GB hard drive or support for an external usb hard drive. Since none of the popular tablets out on the market have this large of a hard drive or external usb hard drive support I find myself still playing the waiting game.
These are very nice devices with applications that give it a vast amount of functionality. I highly recommend both of them.
Thinking of buying an EBook this year?
Thinking of buying an EBook this year? I love to read and the thought of having 10,000 novels I can keep in my backpack sounds really cool. Well after shopping for one for Christmas Ive run across all that the industry has to offer. And I have a headache from it, heres a few you will see in your searches, so if youve been thinking of which one, let me help you.
First we all know of the Apple I Pad, It would be nice to have one, but $600.00 to $800.00 is way out of my range.
The Sony E Reader was pretty nice, Black and White graphics, compact, and felt durable and priced just a bit higher than the others at about $180.00, you have to down load books by a USB though, which is not what I was looking for. It was OK but didnt WOW me.
The Kindle, Americas number one seller, the Amazon.com reader I call it. This was the one I wanted. A Wi-Fi connection to download books, small, about 7 and very lite. However, no color, just black and white screen. Cost about $179.00 with 3G Technology.
Then I ran across the NOOK by Barnes and Noble, this E Reader comes with a touch color screen, very easy on the eyes. It was about the same size and in the price range as the others and I was ready to take it off the shelf, until
So if by chance you received or bought one of these others before Christmas, its OK. They are all cool and I promote reading as much as any college English Professor, but if youre in the market for one in the future, The PanDigital is the one for the price and functionality, youll love it!
I saw the PanDigital Novel EReader, holy cow! Price $159.00, This thing, a 7 E Book has the functionality of an I Pad, it even looks like a baby I Pad, email, calendar, music, pictures and run by the Android OS software, An Unrivaled Barnes and Noble eBook catalogue. All color, slim, sleek black finish, full touch screen Wi-Fi web browsing, in my opinion, this is the one! I cant stop playing around with it. Its like having a big I Phone in your hands or a smaller I Pad, however you want to look at it, or I should say Android phone, since its on their OS platform. This thing is just awesome!
Tab TabiPad
As many of you may already know that the iPad has come out really strong in sales so far this year. So what is the big fuss? I have a phone, a laptop and desktop and now I need a tablet? How does a 10 screen with no keyboard help me be more productive? Lets start off on the journey of the tablet pc.
Microsoft was one of the first software companies to develop a tablet based operating system. You have seen them. The laptop where the screen flips backwards and looks like a 12 notebook. You have a stylus and you get to use your own hand writing to put in your notes and draw. I really wanted one when I saw them but they were like $2200 retail. They have been around for a while and have been mostly in the enterprise market. In the world of electronic successes, it was a flop. The idea was great but the user interface and the price was really scary.
Lets fast forward a few years and Apple the king of user interface introduces the iPad that sells for between $499 and $829. They destroyed both of the major deterrents that users had with the table pc. It is even smaller. With such a huge market share of iPhone users, this was bound to take off. This year at CES (Consumer Electronics Show) there were over 25 manufactures that had their own version of the small tablet. These pieces of electronics will be running everything from Windows, Android, Web OS and Chrome OS. This is a huge market to play in. So many of us just need something to surf the internet and check email. In the industry we call these users, content consumers. Smart Phones and Tablet computers are primarily for these users. Most folks out there just need to get their email and consume information. It is the content creators that need the laptop and desktop. This is where productivity goes up. You can sit and have your coffee and have your tablet and type a quick email. You dont need your huge laptop. It is much easier to do this on your tablet verses your phone.
The internet has really changed the world as we know it. As the bandwidth increases to our homes, pcs and phones, the information we have access to will be endless. For example, I took a trip to North Carolina a few weeks ago. On the way to where we were going my wife said she was hungry. Well I just went to my phone loaded up Places and the GPS in my phone told me what restaurants were close to me and then also provided me with reviews of the restaurants we were looking at. This sort of information is very valuable. Who needs the green road signs anymore, Fast Food Restaurant 3 Miles Ahead? Tablets will not only help us do this but Apple is now talking about using your iPad as your remote for your iTV. Just what we all need is another remote control.
Five business scenarios for the iPad and other tablets
Neadom recently found an article that we thought you may enjoy.
When you talk to IT pros and business managers about tablet computers, the first question they tend to ask is, Looks cool, but what I do with it? This conversation has been happening for a decade since Microsofts pen-based Tablet PC was introduced at Comdex 2001. There, Bill Gates declared, Within five years I predict it will be the most popular form of PC sold in America.
That turned out to be a false prophesy. Microsofts tablet never attracted a mass audience, although it has gained some niche adoption in industries such as health care, field service, and hospitality.
However, the Apple iPad and the new breed of slate computers that are hitting the market in 2010 are looking to revive the tablet concept. They are doing it with a lighter, thinner form factor that uses a touch-based interface rather than pen computing.
Its way too early to predict whether the new tablets will be successful, but its easy to imagine some of the usage scenarios for them in the business world. Here are five to consider:
5. Replace 200-page business documents Large business documents waste a lot of paper. Most of these tend to be legal documents that people never read from cover-to-cover, but when you have meetings to discuss any kind of major business deal the piles of paper can quickly get out of hand.
While some of these types of documents have already moved to PDF, that requires people to bring a laptop into the meeting to read the PDF. That can sometimes stifle the intimacy of the meeting. Slate computers that can lay flat on the table could be more conducive to an open discussion. Theres also a security implication. If a company has sensitive documents that it wants to share with a potential partner, but doesnt want to email the documents, a company-owned slate computer could be used to display the big documents for guests to flip through, but all the data on the slate would remain in company hands.
4. Business reading and audiobooks for road warriors Frequent business travelers often have a briefcase full of newspapers, magazines, and books that they want to catch up during a trip. Plus, they also usually carry on iPod with a few audiobooks and/or podcasts on it. The new tablet computers could offer the opportunity to consolidate this media experience into a single device, if newspapers follow the lead of The New York Times and magazines follow the lead of Sports Illustrated. Of course, the digitization process is already in full swing for books, with ebook apps for Amazon and Barnes & Noble and Apples iBookstore.
3. Back of the Napkin sketches With his Back of the Napkin concept, Dan Roam has successfully convinced a lot of companies and professionals to draw simple pictures to help solve problems and sell ideas. However, integrating these pictures into standard business processes and communications isnt always as simple as it should be. Its easy to draw these pictures on a whiteboard, but then you have to take a picture of the whiteboard if you want to circulate it. With built-in drawing tools like the ones in the iPad, its about to get a lot easier to quickly draw simple pictures and circulate them digitally.
2. Small-scale presentations While projectors and slide presentations have their place - especially for large meetings - there is also the opportunity to bring those same types of powerful visuals to smaller meetings, even as small as 1-on-1s. With a slate computer in hand, an employee could go to another employees office and quickly show off a PowerPoint file, a Back of the Napkin sketch, a set of images, or several product mockups on a dev server. This kind of show-and-tell could streamline idea-sharing and amp up innovation. While all of this is possible with a laptop, the slim form factor of slates lend themselves to better portability and show-and-tell.
1. Conference room computing One of the common behaviors in many of todays corporate conference rooms is to come in, sit down, and lay down your smartphone on the table. Smartphones have become our way to stay connected, send short messages, and look up information while in the middle of a meeting. The one thing you cant really do with a smartphone is to easily share any information you found with the rest of the people in the meeting, because the smartphones screens are so small.
Thats why slate computers could become the conference room PCs of choice. People could use them to access documents, emails, images, and illustrations needed for the meeting. A presenter could send a PowerPoint file before a meeting and attendees could access the PPT from their personal slates during the meeting, and make their own notes on it. And, employees in the meeting could share visuals with the rest of the people in the meeting just by pulling up the data on-screen and then flipping the slate around.
See video and original post by Jason Hiner at http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/hiner/?p=3741&tag=nl.e101
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