Power Your Macbook, iPad and iPhone with One Charger

From: http://mashable.com/

The gang at Twelve South, the company responsible for iPhone cases like the BookBook and stands for the iPad and MacBook Pro, has just unveiled their newest creation, an ingenious iPad/iPhone charger that seamlessly connects to a standard MacBook Air or MacBook Pro AC adapter.
Twelve South sent us a sample unit, dubbed the PlugBug and we’re in love.

It’s a simple idea with a winning premise of helping frequent travelers or those cramped for outlet space eliminate the need to carry a MacBook charger and a separate charger for a phone or iPad.

Here’s how it works: Attach the PlugBug to the normal duck cover on any MagSafe power brick (which includes the MacBook, MacBook Pro and Macbook Air). The PlugBug contains a two prong outlet and its own powered 10w USB port. What this means is that you can charge your iPhone or iPad without having to plug it into your laptop, all while also charging your laptop battery.



Why is this better than just using the USB port on your Mac to charge your device? Well, the reason is twofold:

First: That takes up an extra USB port. If you are using a MacBook Air, that might mean the device has to vie for space with other components.

Second: It can take a lot more time to charge an iPad via your MacBook or MacBook Pro than through a wall connection. In fact, if your USB port isn’t powered, charging the iPad can take a ton of time.

Third: For business travelers, this eliminates the need to pack the external phone or iPad charger alongside the laptop charger.

At $34.95, this is a slick and relatively cheap device. It also doubles as a standard iPad charger — and considering Apple sells those for $29.99 (granted, the Apple model also includes a 6′ extension cord), we think this is a good deal.

What I really like about this device is that it is styled to match the look and feel of the regular Apple adapter. Aside from its red cover, you would think this was a regular Apple dongle. It fits on the power port without adding much bulk, and the extra functionality of a powered USB port is great.

Screen-top' iPad keyboard takes typing old-school

From: http://gadgetbox.msnbc.msn.com/

TouchFire

By John Cook, GeekWire

The iPad is great for many things — watching movies, reading magazines or playing games. But when it comes to typing, the onscreen keyboard leaves something to be desired.

Engineers Steven Isaac and Brad Melmon are looking to solve that problem withTouchFire, a lightweight, silicone rubber keypad that overlays the iPad’s touchscreen. The idea is to provide typists with the same tactile feel of typing on a laptop or desktop computer — letting them simply enter text without the need to look directly at the screen.

The TouchFire device is slated to ship in December, Isaac said. It’s currently available for preorder via the KickStarter funding site, for a pledge of $45 or more to the company. The Seattle-area startup is looking to raise $10,000 through KickStarter.

Isaac has been tinkering with tablet computers since the early days. He was one of the first employees at GO Corp., an early entrant in the tablet market that crashed in the mid-1990s. He also worked on Microsoft’s Windows CE mobile operating system.

When the iPad came out, Isaac said he was amazed with nearly every aspect of the device, except for the keypad.

"Typing on the iPad was certainly much better than anything that had come before, but it still wasn’t great," Isaac tells GeekWire. "But I wanted typing to be great, so I could use my iPad for everything. So I started thinking about a way to add the missing tactile features needed to have a true high performance typing experience on the iPad."

He started prototyping concepts, which he said proved challenging because he's "basically a software guy." After the initial concepts penciled out, Isaac partnered with Melmon to come up with a patent-pending design.

"We needed to provide the right sort of force resistance for typing to feel really good, and at the same time make the device be thin, lightweight and flexible enough to basically disappear in the cover when not in use," Isaac explained. "Brad had an amazing conceptual breakthrough that allowed us to meet all of these requirements, and TouchFire is the result."

Get Free 50 GB of Storage for Life on Box.Net—IF You’re an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch User

By Melanie Pinola

From http://lifehacker.com/

 

iOS: Now through December 2, cloud storage provider Box.net is giving away free 50 GB accounts you can use forever. The account is good on your PC too, but to get the 50 GB upgrade, you'll need to download and sign in or register from the iPhone or iPad app.

Basically anyone who uses a Box Personal account on an iOS device will get this upgraded free storage space (increased from the usual 5GB of free space usually doled out). According to Box.net's blog post introducing the offer, you'll also get an increased file size upload limit of 100MB instead of 25MB.
It's unfortunate that Android and other mobile users aren't getting this same love, but one of the comments on the blog post suggest a "fix" (we haven't tested this yet):

Download itunes. Make an account. Go to apple store. Download the app on the device. Create account get 50GB space. Go to the phone's settings and scroll down to Store. Click on logout so it logs you out of your itunes account. Also remember to delete the App off the phone.

You have 50 days from now to grab your 50GB of free space. What do you think? Will you be using Box.net for your cloud storage now?

Box for iPad and iPhone | iTunes App Store via Fat Wallet

Leisure Suit Larry HD coming to iOS, Android in 2012

By: Daniel Perez
From: http://www.intomobile.com/

Some of my most memorable gaming moments growing up were experiencing point-n-click adventures from publishers such as Sierra and LucasArts. One series that I absolutely loved was Sierra’s Leisure Suit Larry, although I may have been a little too young to understand all of the adult humor. Regardless, I still had a blast guiding Larry through his many adventures and it looks like I’ll finally get to understand what I played through as a kid as Replay Games has announced it’ll be bringing Leisure Suite Larry to iOS & Android next year.

The first game Replay Games will release will be an HD remastered version of their first title, Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards. The HD remastered version of the game will include the usual laundry list of improvements to the game’s graphics, sound, and controls, but Replay Games promises none of the game’s puzzles or sense of humor will be left out. If the HD remake sells well, Replay Games plans to release the rest of the Leisure Suit Larry series of games as well as completely original Larry games.

Seeing how popular point-n-click games have been on iOS with Telltale Games’ Monkey Island, Sam & Max, and Back to the Future, bringing Leisure Suit Larry to iOS & Android could continue to keep the ball rolling for remakes of classic point-n-click adventure titles. That could only mean we’ll hopefully be one step closer to games like King’s Quest being played from the comfort of our mobile devices.

[Via EGM]

Facebook finally launches iPad app

by Laura Lock
from http://news.cnet.com/

Facebook's iPad app is finally here.

(Credit: Facebook)

Facebook took a giant leap into its mobile future today by launching the highly anticipated Facebook for iPad app.

Facebook's app (download here) joins other popular social-networking apps on the iPad including Twitter, Flipboard, and Gowalla, all of which had a heady lead on Facebook.

Facebook for iPad was rumored to arrive at F8, the company's developer conference held late last month, and then it was rumored to arrive at Apple's launch event for the iPhone 4S last week. It was a no-show for both events.

According to Facebook, the "full Facebook experience" is on the iPad--driven by your fingertips on the touch pad. Features include larger photos for a vivid slideshows on-the-go. There's a search bar at the top of the left-hand navigation menu, and groups, lists, games and apps are also located on the left-hand menu, while notifications and messages are at the top of every screen.

Facebook users can take advantage of the iPad's sizable touch screen to video chat with friends, IM, and play games using full-screen mode. Watching and recording HD video is also possible in the app.

More details are available on Facebook's blog and stay tuned for a CNET hands-on video on the app.

Facebook is increasingly becoming a mobile company. Today, 350 million out of Facebook's 800 million users log in via mobile devices. Soon, "more than half of all our users will be mobile users," Erick Tseng, Facebook's head of mobile products, recently said at GigaOm's Mobilize, an annual mobile industry conference held in San Francisco.

Facebook for iPad screenshot

(Credit: Facebook)

by Laura Locke October 10, 2011 3:14 PM PDT

Steve Jobs gave Barack Obama an iPad 2 "a little bit early"

Being the "Commander in Chief" has its perks, like getting an iPad 2 directly from Steve Jobs a few weeks before launch

By Yoni Heisler

From: http://www.networkworld.com/

It's no secret that the Obama administration tends to be a bit Apple-centric. During Obama's 2008 Presidential campaign, for example, Macs were relied upon quite a bit by his staff and folks in his administration were famously disappointed when, upon moving into the White House, they saw a plethora of outdated PCs running Windows.

It's also no secret that Obama himself, though an avowed BlackBerry user, is also an iPad owner. During atownhall meeting back in March of this year, Obama admitted as much while joking with news anchor Jorge Ramos.

“I mean, Jorge, I’m the president of the United States,” Obama said. “You think I’ve got to go borrow somebody’s computer?” Obama said to bouts of laughter. “Hey, man, can I borrow your computer? How about you? You’ve got one?”

But what we didn't know was that Obama got his iPad 2 a little bit before the rest of us, from Steve Jobs no less.

In a recent interview with George Stephanopoulous of ABC News, Obama explained: “Steve Jobs actually gave it to me, a little bit early. Yeah, it was cool. I got it directly from him.”

So when might this transaction have gone down?

Well, the iPad 2 was released on March 11, 2011. And interestingly enough, you might remember that Obama in mid-February hosted a tech-centric dinner where he invited a who's-who of tech luminaries, including Jobs, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings, Larry Ellison, and Mark Zuckerberg.

This all begs the question - how long as Obama been in possession of an iPhone 5?

Below is the photo of the aforementioned White House dinner where Jobs can be seen sitting to Obama's left.

Yale hands out 64GB iPad 2s to entire Medical School student body

By David Goldman:
From http://www.edibleapple.com/

You just never know where the iPad 2 is going to show up these days. From airplane cockpits to the NFL, the iPad is increasingly becoming a favored replacement for massive reams of paper.

Not too long ago, we reported that the Tampa Bay Buccaneer football team gave all 90 of its players iPad 2s to serve as replacements for gargantuan playbooks that made the Yellow Pages seem small by comparison.

And now the iPad 2 is making inroads into medical schools, a fact which shouldn’t be too surprising given its current popularity with doctors and hospitals.

Starting this Fall, Yale Medical Students won’t have to worry about carrying around obscenely large textbooks. Nope, their shoulders will be spared the wear and tear of carrying around a collection of books that can seemingly way upwards of 30 pounds.

So out with the old textbooks and in with the iPad 2.

But far from solely serving as a textbook replacement, students will can use their new iPads to check out Yale’s curriculum and “read and handle confidential patient health information.” What’s more, students will be able to download lecture notes and access course materials as well.

Even better, the iPad 2s are genuine gifts and students will be allowed to keep them after graduation. Of course, that sounds like a great deal until you ponder the insane price of a Yale medical education these days.

All told, Yale plans on distributing 520 iPads to students this year at a cost of $600,000. In contrast, printing up, collating, and distributing course materials via paper eats up $100,000 every year. Not to worry, though, as Yale expects to cover the initial cost of the iPad 2s with the money it will cumulatively save on printing going forward.

The School of Medicine tested the use of iPads in the classroom with a pilot group of nine first-year students last spring. The group included some students who self-identified as not “technology-savvy,” but even they responded positively to the device, Schwartz said. For those who remain committed to pen and paper, printed course materials will be available for purchase.

Robert Stretch MED ’14, a student in the pilot group, said he much preferred reading course notes electronically to having them on paper.

“We get binder upon binder of notes, literally several feet of notes, and carrying them to the library or to class is just unrealistic,” Stretch said.

Oh, and did we mention that the iPad 2s supplied to Yale’s medical students are of the 64GB 3G variety and come with Apple’s Bluetooth keyboard. Must be nice to be a Yalie!

The iPad is also a more secure device than a laptop for handling Electronic Protected Health Information, Schwartz said. Students work with this confidential information when they do clinical training, and in the past campus staff needed to set up special security on students’ laptops for them to be able to handle it safely. By contrast, the iPad is encrypted and can be remotely locked or erased completely if it is lost or stolen.

Now you can bet that this is the type of story Apple would love to bring up the next time it holds a special media event centered on the iPad.

via Yale Daily News

2012 Hyundai Equus Trades iPad For Paper Manual

From: http://www.thecarconnection.com/

2011 Hyundai Equus
Enlarge Photo

By almost anyone’s standards, the 2011 Hyundai Equus is an exceptional automobile at a near bargain-bin price. Depending upon the model you choose, you can even get a reclining and massaging rear passenger seat, as well as a rear beverage chiller and dedicated audio and climate controls. The same level of content would cost thousands more, or even tens of thousands more, if the Equus had a Lexus or Mercedes-Benz badge on the hood.

As content-rich and comfortable as the 2011 Hyundai Equus was, there’s no denying that one of its most innovative features was the included Apple iPad owner’s manual. Not only could you use it to show off the Equus’ features to your friends, but you could also use it to schedule service visits, make dinner reservations or even buy concert tickets (not while driving, of course). Try that with a paper owner’s manual.

Hyundai even chose to highlight the Equus’ unconventional owner’s manual in a TV spot, proving to customers that the brand once associated with disposable cars had matured into a forward-thinking automaker willing to challenge the status quo. The combination of content and value presented by the Equus proved to be a hit, and Hyundai grabbed a 5-percent share of the premium luxury sedan market in the Equus’ first year of sales.

Now comes word that the 2012 Hyundai Equus will be just a bit less innovative. Gone is the Apple iPad, replaced with a conventional paper-and-ink owner’s manual. From a financial perspective it’s not a big deal, since an Apple iPad can be bought for less than one percent of the cost of a new Hyundai Equus. From a value perspective, we say it’s noticeable: the iPad owner’s manual set the Equus apart, and showed that Hyundai was capable of thinking outside the box.

The 2012 Hyundai Equus will come with a larger and more powerful V-8, and, in Hyundai fashion, will likely include other updates to make it a better car than the 2011 version. Owners can still download an electronic owners manual, but now they’ll to supply their own iPad to do so. We can’t help but think that’s a step in the wrong direction.

[USA Today via MotorAuthority]

Should a School Require Parents to Buy iPads for Their 9 Year Olds?

John Cave Osborne Contributor
From: http://parentables.howstuffworks.com/

Image: John Cave Osborne

Yesterday was a red-letter day for my nine-year-old daughter, as it was the first day in her entire life that she could legitimately say she was more technologically advanced than I. And I’m blaming her school. After all, they’re the ones who required that I buy her an iPad, a toy I’ve yet to even buy myself. And I’m not so sure how I feel about it.

I mean, on the one hand, I suppose I’m okay with it — at least from a conceptual standpoint.

After all, my daughter attends a private school, and in my opinion, a private school can ask anything they want of their student body. No one’s holding a gun to the parents’ heads forcing them to enroll their children there. What’s more, I attended that school back in the day, so I know firsthand what a great place it is — I believe in it.

Besides, I think every single school, public or private, should do whatever it can to deliver the best education possible to its students. And it’s obvious that my daughter’s school feels that having students in grades 3 through 12 use an iPad to navigate the school’s curriculum will do just that. They have a very detailed plan with regard to how the entire process will work, and the communication of that plan has been excellent.

So, again, conceptually, I’m reasonably okay with my soon-to-be fourth grader having an iPad for educational purposes.

But yesterday that concept turned into reality, and I have to admit, I’m not quite as okay with it as I had thought. Our daughter just seems too... young to have an iPad. To her, it’s nothing more than a toy, one on which she spent all day downloading various apps and games. One which she repeatedly flaunted to her younger siblings. One which may as well have been a $600 rubber ball.

Yet not only do I feel she’s too young to appreciate it, I’m also concerned she’s too young to take proper care of it. Within the first few hours of ownership, the screen was already filthy and when she tried to charge it, she inserted the charger the wrong way, then proceeded to try to force it in. Luckily, I was there to show her the correct way to insert it.

Once the newness of the iPad wears off a bit, I’m sure that it won’t be quite as sexy to her as it is now, which means that she won’t always want to sleep right next to it (joke?). Which also means that she’ll eventually begin to regard it as the serious thing that it is. Yet, even so, it’s obvious that I'm going to have to monitor her use of the iPad very closely. And, well, with four kids under the age of four in the house? I'm kinda up to my ears in monitoring at the moment.

And all of these thoughts have me wondering whether or not the school is doing the right thing by requiring students in grades 3 through 12 to have an iPad. Given that this is the first year of the new policy, and given that during this first year there are bound to be glitches, it seems to me that it might have been prudent to have only required the older students, say those in high school, to acquire the devices.

Yet, my reservations don’t stem from glitches which may or may not happen during this inaugural year. My reservations stem from a sixth sense that tells me that my daughter is just too young to have an iPad.

All that said, I’m certainly going to give it a go. And I will totally do my part to assure that my daughter gains all the educational value from her iPad that the school believes she will. And I'm hoping that my sixth sense is wrong. Besides, I think it's entirely possible that my skepticism is ill-founded.

After all, she hasn’t even had the thing for 24 hours yet, and she’s already MONEY at Garage Band. And don't even get me started on Angry Birds.

So what say you, parents? How would you feel if you had to buy an iPad for your 9-year-old?

Apps, iPads help workers with disabilities

From: http://articles.sfgate.com/

Jonathan Avila uses his iPad in ways most people might not realize are possible: The device reads e-mail to him while he's traveling to work, tells him which way to walk when he is lost, and even lets him know if there's a sidewalk on the other side of the street. Avila needs these features because he's visually impaired.

"Work bought it as a testing device, but I've claimed it as my own since it makes me more efficient," says Avila, chief accessibility officer for SSB Bart Group, a firm that helps companies implement technology for people with disabilities.

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Apple has added features that make the iPhone and iPad easily accessible, not only to visually impaired people, but also to those with hearing loss and other challenges. The iPhone 4 and the iPad 2, for example, come with VoiceOver, a screen reader for those who can't read print, as well as FaceTime, video-calling software for people who communicate using sign language. Apple has said that iOS 5 - due later this year - will contain improvements to VoiceOver and LED flash and custom vibration settings to let users see and feel when someone is calling.

A looming issue

More such devices will make their way into the workplace to assist people with physical challenges in the next five years. Disability and aging go hand in hand: As Baby Boomers work past age 65, companies will increasingly face this issue.

The incidence of disability in the workplace is 19.4 percent at age 45 and rises to about 50 percent by age 70, according to Jennifer Woodside, chief executive officer of the Disability Training Alliance. Those disabilities can include vision and hearing loss, issues with mobility and dexterity, and learning and cognitive challenges - as well as communications problems.

The global market for assistive technologies, including those used in the home, is projected to reach $40.9 billion in 2016, up from $30.5 billion this year, according to a report from BCC Research that's scheduled to be released this month. In addition to Apple, Microsoft, IBM, Google and Hewlett-Packard make workplace technologies that are accessible to people with a range of abilities.

"Boomers will demand products, services and workplaces that adapt to their needs and desires," says Rich Donovan, chief investment officer at WingSail Capital. Crossover technology such as the iPad, which works well both for people with disabilities and the broader consumer market, are the "holy grail" of business and disability efforts and will drive growth in disability-related capital spending, he says.

Donovan, who has cerebral palsy, just received his first iPad as a Father's Day gift. "I love it - it's simple to use, and it's the ideal accessible technology," he says.

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Companies such as Apple are motivated, at least in part, to create products that work for people with disabilities because the population is aging, says Dorrie Rush, marketing director of accessible technology at Lighthouse International, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting vision loss.

Better technology

In the past two years, particularly since the release of the iPhone 3GS that came equipped with VoiceOver, Rush says she has noticed a vast improvement in the technology available to visually impaired users.

For people who need to read office memos or other printed materials, Freedom Scientific sells a scanning and reading appliance for $1,800. Alternatively, there's a free app called SayText that uses the camera from the iPhone 4 to take a photo of a document, prompting the app to read the text aloud. Similarly, ZoomReader, an app from Ai Squared that sells for about $20, reads the text in images from the iPhone 4 camera.

Identifying money can be a challenge for visually impaired people because a $1 bill comes in the same size and color as a $100 bill. Reizen sells a portable money reader on Amazon.com for $99.95. In March the LookTel Money Reader app was released for the iPhone, selling for just $1.99. In April the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing released EyeNote, a free money reader.

Workers who find it difficult to speak because they have cerebral palsy or have suffered a stroke once needed to spend thousands of dollars on speech-generating devices. Instead of shelling out $3,000, they can now buy an iPad for $500 and an app called Proloquo2Go from AssistiveWare that sells for about $190, says Avila.

Market data provided by Bloomberg News

American Airlines Switching From Paper to iPads, Will Save $1.2 million In Fuel

by Jaymi Heimbuch

from: http://www.treehugger.com/

Photo by lrargerich via Flickr CC

American Airlines is eyeballing iPads as a light-weight way to carry flight charts. And the company guesses the change will save it over a million dollars a year in fuel costs.

The move towards digitization and dematerialization is hitting the airlines now. MarketWatch reports that American Airline pilots have started testing out US-approved iPad tablets as a way for going paperless. A 1.5 lb tablet device will carry maps and other paperwork that can weigh as much as 35 lbs, saving space in the cockpit as well as removing excess weight from the flight.

The airline estimates a savings of $1.2 million a year in fuel costs alone -- not to mention how much will be saved in paper. Plus, the pilots will likely have an easier time accessing the information with the ability to zoom in on maps or easily find particular data.

The transition also marks a change in allowing electronic devices to be turned on during take-off and landing. According to MarketWatch, this will be the first time use of the device is allowed during all phases of flight. But that certainly doesn't mean passengers will be allowed to use their own iPads during these times.

Meanwhile, Alaska Air is looking to go the same route, providing iPads to its pilots for manuals, though maps will still be provided on paper.

The carbon footprint comparison of tablet devices vs paper is getting a whole new component with this use. Normally we hear about issues such as electricity consumption, durability, and lifespan, but now we'll also have to weigh in how much fuel is saved during travel by carrying a tablet instead of piles of paper.

Apple Insider reports that Samsung is also wanting to help airlines go paperless, with Galaxy Tab devices offered as entertainment devices for passengers. However, they aren't able to replace flight charts like iPads can because they aren't able to run the FAA-approved flight charting app.

Tablet Newspaper (1994)

Eye-Tracking Trick Brings Glasses-Free 3D to iPad 2

By Chris Brandrick

PCWorld

Why wait for the iPad 3, 4 or even 5? A tablet that can offer glasses free 3D is here now, thanks to a neat iPad 2 tech demo.

OK, so this isn't actually real 3D, but the neat little visual trick, which has been made possible due to the introduction of a front-facing camera on the iPad 2, sees a seemingly live 3D image on the tablets 2D screen. This little bit if visual magic, dubbed Head-Coupled Perspective (HCP), was created by a French-based team of individuals at the Engineering Human-Computer Interaction Research group.

Their clever trick uses a live feed from the iPad 2's front-facing camera--coupled with some custom software--to track your head in real time. The result is pretty neat--the on-screen image seems to dynamically change perspective depending on the position of your head relative to the iPad. Check it out for yourself:


Of course using movement to create visual effects like this isn't anything new. Nintendo achieved a similar visual trick with the Nintendo DSi, and some iOS apps employ a similar trick by using the built-in accelerometer to simulate depth., But this cool little tech demo (which has also been demoed on an iPhone 4) offers a glimpse at what could be achieved if a few clever developers got together.

[Via TUAW]

iNsane? Auburn, Maine, Is Giving an iPad2 to Every Kindergarten Student

By: Liz Dwyer
From http://www.good.is/

Maine (who would have guessed?) continues to lead the way in education technology. Not only is the state an international leader in tech literacy due to their one-to-one laptop program for middle and high school students, now one small town plans to give an iPad 2 to every kindergarten student.

The school board in Auburn, population 24,000, voted unanimously to provide the tablets to 285 kindergarteners and their teachers. At $475 a pop, the investment will cost around $200,000, but the board hopes the tablets will help boost literacy from 62 percent to 90 percent by 2013. Superintendent Tom Morrill says the investment's worth it, calling the devices "essential" and saying they're "even more important than a book." Morrill hopes to make the investment an annual one, giving iPads to every following class. His plan is to pay for the devices with private donations, but if that falls through, the bill will fall to the city's taxpayers.
Not all taxpayers are thrilled about that possibility. Nicole Fortin told the Bangor Daily News she thinks the idea's "crazy." Taxpayers are already strapped and worries about about kids breaking the devices—the students will get to take the iPads home—are rampant. "This is a lot to put in the hands of a 5-year-old," says Fortin. With student addiction to media now the norm, parents are also concerned about giving so much screen time to such young kids.

But, in the video above, you can see how excited the students are to learn their letters using downloadable apps, and the state's laptop program has boosted student achievement. What do you think? Should kindergarteners stick to "old school" books or is Auburn on the right track?

photo via The Apple Bites

iPad 2 shows off its HDTV gaming prowess

Posts by Kelly
From http://www.intomobile.com/

With the launch of the iPad 2, Apple unveiled a new Digital AV adapter that takes content from your tablet device and lets you send it to your HDTV via HDMI. The dongle is compatible both the iPad and the iPad 2, but its functionality is boosted by Imagination Technologies’ PowerVR SGX 543MP2 GPU on Apple’s second generation tablet device. While the original Apple iPad lets you stream videos and photos from your tablet to your HDTV, the iPad 2 lets you mirror content. Mirroring lets you send anything displayed on your tablet over to your HDTV. Mirrored content can include presentations, documents, photos and even games.
The folks over at TouchGen took a closer look at this mirroring functionality and were impressed with its capability. Games optimized for the second generation Apple iPad, like Infinity Blade and Real Racing 2, were ported to a 50-inch HDTV with surprising clarity and speed. They claim it is console quality and people would not know the game was coming from an Apple tablet instead of an Xbox 360 or PS 3. The only drawback is the 4:3 ratio of the tablet output that is letter-boxed on the large screen TV.
Thanks to some video work from TouchGen, you can check out these games in action below. With the souped up graphics and dual-core processor of this latest tablet offering, is Apple narrowing the gap between mobile gaming and console gaming?

[Via TouchGen]

Could The iPad Be A Cure For Autism?

by Jennifer Johnson

from http://hothardware.com/

 

The iPad is definitely a well-liked gadget, and now parents with autistic children have one more reason to like this handy little tablet: it may help reduce the number of violent meltdowns their children experience each day. According to experts, the iPad actually can reduce the symptoms of the disorder by helping kids deal with life's sensory overload.

The Holmquist family can tell you first-hand what the iPad has done for their autistic 3-year-old son Hudson. After a school therapist suggested the family buy an iPad, the Holmquists decided it was worth a try. Now that the family has been using the iPad for a little while, they'll tell you it is a miracle device.

Hudson was diagnosed with autism in 2010. Before the iPad, he had several violent meltdowns a day. Now, after using the iPad, he has fewer violent meltdowns. According to mother Laura Holmquist, "The iPad has given us our family back." She continued saying, "It's unlocked a new part of our son that we hadn't seen before, and given us insight into the way he connects with his world."

You may be surprised to learn that autism experts aren't surprised by this. In fact, the iPad has been gaining recognition for helping autistic children since it first came out in 2010. Certainly part of the attraction is the number of child-friendly educational apps available. Another key reason why the iPad works so well for autistic children: it lacks a keyboard and mouse. Without these peripherals, there is less distraction for the children.

Given the fact that other tablets have similar functionalities (and lack of peripherals), we have to think other tablets could help autistic children as well. Could it be that we'll see more tablets in schools and other educational environments? Time will tell.

Got Your iPad 2? Three Tips For Selling The Old One

From: http://www.mint.com/

photo: iPad_2
The usual frenzy broke loose as soon as Apple (AAPL) CEO Steve Jobs announced the iPad 2 — and on March 11, the first day it went on sale, lines at Apple stores were epic as usual.

If you’re one of the 15 million people who bought an iPad last year — and are among the early adopters who patiently waited for hours yesterday to get the new one — you may be wondering how to swap your old tablet out for the shiny new iPad 2 without taking a huge loss. Here are some tips for finding good trade-in deals:

Compare Buyback Sites

Depending on the condition of your iPad, various websites offer different buyback values. With a few minutes of research, you could squeeze an extra $50 or more out of your old gear, so our first tip is to make sure to compare options.

NextWorth.com, a consumer electronics upgrade and trade-in company, is one of several sites offering cash for first generation iPads with light wear, and competitive deals for heavier wear. At NextWorth.com, you can see exactly what cash amount you’re going to get for your iPad, and what percentage of the original retail value. NextWorth’s trade-in prices as of 2/23/11 for light wear were:

iPad 16GB Wifi: $255
iPad 32GB Wifi: $285
iPad 64GB Wifi: $310
iPad 16GB Wifi + 3G: $298
iPad 32GB Wifi + 3G: $350
iPad 64GB Wifi + 3G: $390

NextWorth partners with Target, so you can walk in to your local Target store and receive cash back for your first generation iPad rather than through the website. If you aren’t looking to upgrade to the iPad 2 with the cash you get back, you can instead receive a prepaid Target gift card for in-store credit.

If your iPad is in near-perfect condition, you can get $300 for a 16GB Wifi model at Gazelle.com. For slight wear and tear, such as light scratches, however, NextWorth’s $255 trade-in beats Gazelle’s cash offer of $240.

CExchange.com and BestBuy.com are also offering trade-ins at various prices.

Don’t write off eBay or Amazon

Ebay, the world’s most popular online auction website, is definitely a viable option for selling your iPad and getting an aggressive deal. Thousands have already put their first generation iPads up for bid, and even with the new overload of inventory, some are selling for as high as 80% of their original price. Your success will depend both on the condition of your iPad and how lucky you are with bidders. The outcome of an auction is hard to judge, so Ebay lets you set a minimum amount you will accept.

If you haven’t bought or sold through the e-commerce company Amazon, here’s a little tid-bit on why the site is so popular: Amazon carries its own inventory, but also offers new, used and refurbished products sold through private owners. Buyers can look up all the details they need on the product’s capabilities and condition, and then buy the item through private sellers at lower-than-retail prices. You can piggyback off of Amazon’s reputation and sell your iPad by undercutting Amazon’s price when you list your iPad there.
If you’re thinking about selling your iPad at either eBay or Amazon, it helps to have positive reviews to gain customer credibility and therefore get the most cash for your used gadget. But even if you’re new to the sites, you can still get great deals.

Consider selling locally

The flood of iPad supply in online secondary markets has pushed resale prices down already, even just a day after the iPad 2 announcement. If you wait too long to sell, you may not get the deal you want, due to continued price drops. However, many consumers prefer to buy used electronics locally, where they can test them out for themselves before handing over cash. An excellent alternative to selling your iPad on eBay, Amazon, NextWorth, or other sites is to list it on Craigslist or other local classifieds in your area. You’ll be able to set your own price and possibly squeeze a little extra out of your old tablet. Consider marking up the price a bit to compensate for shipping no longer being a factor.

If all else fails, iPad 1 is still as capable as it was when you bought it (assuming you haven’t been using it as a frisbee). Even if you do nab iPad 2, your original tablet can be used in a variety of clever ways, such as a secondary screen for a laptop. Shoot, velcro it to a treadmill or the back of a car seat. But if sell you must, be strategic about comparing the going rates at different marketplaces, and do it fast before your tablet is worth only as much as the apps you’ve bought!

Shane Snow is Editor-in-chief and cofounder of Contently.com, which contributed this post exclusively for Mint.

The Crayola ColorStudio HD – iMarker and iPad App for Kids

By: Greg
From: http://www.geekwithlaptop.com/
Images: http://www.griffintechnology.com/

Griffin have produced a very original looking product, with their custom-built digital stylus and Crayola ColorStudio HD.  This new digital play experience is made especially for the Apple iPad, and is aimed squarely at young kids who either have an iPad of their own or parents kind enough to share theirs.

Crayola ColorStudio HD is a combination of the Crayola iMarker and the ColorStudio HD App.  The iMarker is a specially made digital stylus that can act like a marker, a crayon, a pen, or a paintbrush, allowing kids to paint, draw, and color in a variety of ways.

The application can distinguish between pen and finger input, and automatically changes the way it works depending on the input method.  Along with the multiple drawing features, the Crayola ColorStudio HD also combines with animations, music, sound effects, and visual special effects.

The application that comes with the stylus is aimed at young kids, with a large built-in library of art that comes in a number of themed environments.  Some of the themes include undersea, jungle, and playtime activities, with various activities available in each setting.  Some examples of the kids of activities on offer include Musical Dot 2 Dot, Color By Numbers, and many other immersive games.

Completed drawings and artworks can be saved in many ways once they have been completed, with printing, email, and Facebook posting all available directly from the app.  Apple iOS 4.2 or later is required to run Crayola ColorStudio HD, as – of course – is access to an Apple iPad device.

The Crayola ColorStudio HD looks like a fun way for young kids to spend some time, and may become an absolute lifesaver for many parents on long car journeys or plane trips.  There is no release date or price announced just yet.
 

Hands-on with iOS 4.3 [PHOTOS]

mashable.com — A full walkthrough of what is new and updated in iOS 4.3 for iPad and iPhone. 1 day 10 hr ago

Click here for Full Article, with pics:  http://mashable.com/2011/03/08/hands-on-with-ios-4-3/

The iPad Stand That Attracted Over $100k Funding From Fans on Kickstarter

Kat Hannaford —
From: http://gizmodo.com/

We had so many people sending us tips about the PadPivot stand today that I was beginning to suspect the designer had signed up for a multitude of alternative email addresses. Until I looked at Kickstarter, and saw that the $10,000 goal had been exceeded—by $106,426, with five days still to go.

At the time of writing, 2,851 people have backed the fundraising venture, pledging $116,426 to the cause. That's a lot of people desperate for an easier way to hold their tablets. The PadPivot doesn't just work with iPads, claims the designer, with all sorts of tablets and ereaders fitting in the stand's slot of sticking to the washable adhesive grap.

Take a look at the video below for examples of how the pivot works, on thighs and flat surfaces. I particularly like the way you can tilt the iPad for gaming, when it's used as a leg-brace. Most clever!

It'll be available from April, once the generous backers' money has been put towards manufacturing the stand.

[Kickstarter - Thanks to everyone who sent this to us!]