Archive for February, 2011
February 4th, 2011 at 12:01 PM EST | by inu846W
Editor’s note: This article was reposted from wsj.com.
The Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers will take the field Sunday afternoon for the 45th Super Bowl game, and excitement is mounting. Google reports that searches for “beer helmet” and “projector TV” have spiked 30 and 70 percent in the past 7 days.
And adding another metric to the debate over which team has the better gimmick: Google says “terrible towel” has so far gotten more searches than “cheesehead.”
Digits has rounded up some other pre-game tech highlights:
If you aren’t afraid about spilling guacamole on your iPad, there are several Super Bowl apps you can use during the game. NFL has released the official Super Bowl program app for iPad, with game highlights and video clips from the 2010 season.
This week Vualla relaunched its Social TV Companion for iPad, and it features special enhancements for Super Bowl Sunday. The app culls related content from TV Guide, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and other sources, letting you access all your mid-show distractions in a single location.
Then, of course, there are the $100,000-per-second commercials. As in years past, YouTube has a special channel where you’ll be able to watch ads immediately after they air on TV, alleviating logistical worries about when to schedule a bathroom break.
The lineup promises some noteworthy tech-related ad spots. Salesforce.com, a company that sells cloud-based software to businesses, will run two ads starring animated characters representing the Black Eyed Peas, who will perform during the Super Bowl halftime show.
Angry Birds fans should stay focused during the fourth quarter. Rovio and 20th Century Fox announced that a new version of the game will come out next month, ahead of the release of the animated, avian-themed movie “Rio.” An ad for the film scheduled to run during the final quarter on Sunday will contain a hidden code, which viewers can use to access a new level of the current Angry Birds app.
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February 4th, 2011 at 11:05 AM EST | by inu846W
Editor’s note: This article was reposted from cultofmac.com.
Web developer Chris Galzerano has been digging through the latest beta of iOS 4.3, and his digital archeology has uncovered some interesting hints about what the iPad 2 will look like and what hardware it will boast.
First, iOS 4.3 seems to strongly imply that the Verizon will have its own iPad. The firmware describes iPad 2,1, iPad 2,2 and iPad 2,3, which suggests three models in WiFi, 3G GSM/UMTS and 3G CDMA flavors.
In other plist files, Galzerano has spotted references for a 3MP camera, which contradicts reports that the iPad 2 would share the current gen iPod Touch’s camera innards. Sure, it’s not as beefy as the iPhone 4s 5MP sensor, but 3MP is quite respectable for a camera you’re realistically not going to be using very much anyway (the FaceTime camera is likely to get more casual play).
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February 4th, 2011 at 10:18 AM EST | by inu846W
Editor’s note: This article was reposted from tabletpcreview.com.
This third entry in a series on iPad keyboard case options focuses on the ZAGGmate. This accessory is a keyboard that also doubles as a cover for the relatively vulnerable screen of Apple’s tablet computer. It is currently available for $99.99. There is also a non-keyboard version available for $69.99 if you just want a protective front cover for your iPad.
The ZAGGmate is made of aluminum that is designed to match the finish of the Apple iPad. On the outside it is completely plain, with no logos or words of any kind. As you can see from the photos, it is designed to snap onto the front of the iPad and it completely covers the front, sides, and corners of the device. The only thing left exposed is the charge/sync port, which is handy if you need to charge the iPad without having to remove it from the case.
First Impression
When I first opened the retail box I was surprised to see that instructions were included that illustrated exactly how to use the ZAGGmate. It slips onto the front of the device easily enough, and it’s easy to tell which end is which because of that charge/sync port cutout. The slightly more difficult part, and the reason it needs instructions, is that it can be hard to take the ZAGGmate off of the iPad.
The effort required is minimal, but the manufacturer suggests that you rest the iPad on a firm surface like a table and then use both hands to hold the iPad and remove the cover. You have to keep a firm grip to avoid dropping the iPad, because the process is a little awkward, especially the first few times. After some experience it gets easier, but it is still best to support the device on a table or desk to ensure that you don’t drop it.
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February 4th, 2011 at 9:43 AM EST | by inu846W
Editor’s note: This article was reposted from tuaw.com.
According to macstories, the iPad’s App Store app just gained a very useful new feature: search filters. There are now five different filters you can assign to app searches: Category, Release Date, Customer Rating, Price, and Device. Popovers allow users to adjust or clear filters.
This added search functionality hasn’t made it to the iPhone/iPod touch App Store apps yet, but considering how cramped the screens are on those devices, it might never show up. Notably, these filters also aren’t yet available on the desktop version of the App Store, so right now the iPad seems like the best way to search for apps.
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February 3rd, 2011 at 11:12 PM EST | by inu846W
ABC took another shot with its interactive iPad app tonight, providing live content, character bios, trivia and polls to users as they watched Grey’s Anatomy. ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy Sync iPad app is the second app of its kind. The first app, ABC’s My Generation Sync, fell by the wayside last year as the tv show only aired two episodes. It was a shame because this new type of technology shared with Nielsen shows promise for what can be done in the future, bringing viewers interesting and interactive content live.
For those who had the chance to test out ABC’s My Generation Sync, there was not much new to see. Still, it’s great to see the app in action. The app syncing process was the same. Trivia, poll questions and other content were provided at the same time corresponding scenes were shown on tv. There was a new Facebook interface that popped up a few times asking questions like, "Do you think Callie and Arizona will get back together?" Facebook users’ comments were shown and the app user had a chance to comment as well.
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February 3rd, 2011 at 7:04 PM EST | by inu846W
Editor’s note: This article was reposted from appleinsider.com.
John Ridding, chief executive of the Financial Times, named the iPad among mobile devices driving 20 percent of the paper’s new online subscriptions, noting nearly a half million downloads of his newspaper’s iPad app.
A report by Reuters quoted Ridding as saying, "The rapid emergence of tablet devices is a potentially profound development for publishers."
The Financial Times has erected a paywall on its website that seeks to charge viewers a subscription after reading a set threshold of stories, a business model that has run into resistance from web viewers used to accessing content for free. However, iPad users are increasingly seeking out sources of quality content, and prepared to pay for apps that deliver this. The paper said its iPad app had been downloaded 480,000 times.
Apple is seeking to set up in-app subscription support for newspaper publishers, starting with yesterday’s launch of the Daily with News Corp. It is expected to release iOS 4.3 soon to deliver the technical support for billing users for regular updates.
Newspapers and journalism in general have been battered by emergence of the web, which facilitates widespread distribution with very little revenue in return. Newspaper’s own print advertising has been replaced with banner ads and paid search, a market that is largely owned by Google, which has increasingly lowered the value of content producer’s ad placements as it increasingly becomes the only way to monitize web content.
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