Microsoft's Kinect has broken the iPad's adoption record by selling 2.5M units in 25 days.
Apple was selling 1M iPads a month early during its release but the sales tapered off after 2 months.
November 30, 2010
November 29, 2010
"Infinity Blade" Available Dec. 9 for $5.99
Infinity Blade, the game built on the Unreal 3D engine (demo'd on Epic Citadel) will be available for $5.99 on Dec. 9, 2010.
One of the commenters said it was turn-based. I don't know what this means in terms of gameplay and sword fighting.
One of the commenters said it was turn-based. I don't know what this means in terms of gameplay and sword fighting.
The Register Reviews iPad Slipcases, Skins and Folio Cases
The Register reviews 46 iPad cases including slipcases, skins and folios from 17 different manufacturers.
My personal preference is for a soft skin (like the iSkin Duo made by iSkin, which is conspicuously absent from the review) that lets the design of the iPad show-through. I find the Apple Folio (it always reminds me of the Gestapo officer's folio in The Great Escape; it's memorable because he had a rather quirky way of closing it using a one-handed motion) case rather craptacular in aesthetics but I cannot deny its practicality. It is the most popular case in my iPad sightings; I have never seen a bare iPad nor any other case so far.
I currently don't use a case (as evidenced by the scratches on the rear of the iPad) and I carry it in my messenger bag wrapped in a cloth place-mat inside a large padded manila envelope (in which Apple shipped me the 3G micro-SIM).
Photo to come.
My personal preference is for a soft skin (like the iSkin Duo made by iSkin, which is conspicuously absent from the review) that lets the design of the iPad show-through. I find the Apple Folio (it always reminds me of the Gestapo officer's folio in The Great Escape; it's memorable because he had a rather quirky way of closing it using a one-handed motion) case rather craptacular in aesthetics but I cannot deny its practicality. It is the most popular case in my iPad sightings; I have never seen a bare iPad nor any other case so far.
I currently don't use a case (as evidenced by the scratches on the rear of the iPad) and I carry it in my messenger bag wrapped in a cloth place-mat inside a large padded manila envelope (in which Apple shipped me the 3G micro-SIM).
Photo to come.
November 27, 2010
A Review of the Feeddler RSS Feed Reader for the iPad
This is a review of the free version of the Feeddler Google RSS feed reader for the iPad.
Upon start-up the login dialog invites you to enter your Google login and password and notes that your login credentials will only be used to authenticate with Google and that the communication is SSL encrypted. (You have to trust the developer here).
After logging in, it retrieves all your Google Reader feeds and displays in a near replication of the Google Reader order. The folders were listed in the same order while the individual feeds were listed in alphabetical order rather than my preferred order.
Feeddler's interface mimics the two-pane web-based interface of the Google Reader. Like most iPad apps, the interface changes based on the orientation of the iPad. In portrait mode, it defaults to listing all the articles in my Google feeds with banner ads across the bottom of the screen; in the Pro version, the ads are not present.
In landscape mode, it switches to a 2-pane view similar to the default Google Reader interface with the left pane (about 1/3 screen-width) containing the feeds and the right pane containing the articles and the banner ads below the articles.
You can switch to full-screen article view by tapping on an article. In this mode, the bottom of the screen contains a navigation bar with left and right arrows to go to the previous and next article in the currently selected feed and icons to star, like (heart), keep unread (it was not obvious what this circle icon was for) and email the current article. The screen can also be swiped to navigate to the next and previous article. There are no ads displayed in this mode. The title of the article can be clicked to visit the actual website with the article; this is displayed in a built-in browser without having to leave Feedler. The browser has a back and forward button in the top-left along with an RSS button which returns you to the article in the feed. The article mode also supports pinch-to-zoom.
If you select a folder in the left pane, the pane then switches to show all the feeds in that folder. This behaviour is different than Google Reader, which displays all the articles in the folder, in the right pane. There is an arrow above the left pane to return to the subscriptions. When you return to the subscriptions, the folder you selected is not hilighted, you have to look at the top of the article pane (where the articles you finished reading remain) to check what folder you just visited.
It does have some nice touches like "Night Mode" which displays in grey on black (but the revolving ads in eye-searing bright colours, at the bottom of the page, negates the usefulness of this mode (in the free version). I blocked the ads with the folds of my blanket while reading in bed.)
There are a surprising number of customizations available by tapping the gear icon found at the bottom of the left pane, below the subscriptions. I enabled the two-line summary which displays two lines of text from each article below the title, while in browse-mode.
I tend to read an average of 1% of articles in the feeds I subscribe to, so I mostly used Feeddler in landscape mode, giving me the ability to quickly jump from feed to feed (based on reading the two-line article summary) rather than sequentially reading the full content of the articles in a folder or feed (in portrait mode).
I would rate the free Feeddler app 3 out of 4 stars. I would use Feeddler to read my Google RSS feeds.
1. Usability: ½
2. Usefulness: 1
3. Looks: 1
4. Enjoyability: ½
I have a few suggestions for improvement, mostly in the usability, some of which may be implemented as customizable options:
Login
Upon start-up the login dialog invites you to enter your Google login and password and notes that your login credentials will only be used to authenticate with Google and that the communication is SSL encrypted. (You have to trust the developer here).
After logging in, it retrieves all your Google Reader feeds and displays in a near replication of the Google Reader order. The folders were listed in the same order while the individual feeds were listed in alphabetical order rather than my preferred order.
Interface
Feeddler's interface mimics the two-pane web-based interface of the Google Reader. Like most iPad apps, the interface changes based on the orientation of the iPad. In portrait mode, it defaults to listing all the articles in my Google feeds with banner ads across the bottom of the screen; in the Pro version, the ads are not present.
In landscape mode, it switches to a 2-pane view similar to the default Google Reader interface with the left pane (about 1/3 screen-width) containing the feeds and the right pane containing the articles and the banner ads below the articles.
You can switch to full-screen article view by tapping on an article. In this mode, the bottom of the screen contains a navigation bar with left and right arrows to go to the previous and next article in the currently selected feed and icons to star, like (heart), keep unread (it was not obvious what this circle icon was for) and email the current article. The screen can also be swiped to navigate to the next and previous article. There are no ads displayed in this mode. The title of the article can be clicked to visit the actual website with the article; this is displayed in a built-in browser without having to leave Feedler. The browser has a back and forward button in the top-left along with an RSS button which returns you to the article in the feed. The article mode also supports pinch-to-zoom.
If you select a folder in the left pane, the pane then switches to show all the feeds in that folder. This behaviour is different than Google Reader, which displays all the articles in the folder, in the right pane. There is an arrow above the left pane to return to the subscriptions. When you return to the subscriptions, the folder you selected is not hilighted, you have to look at the top of the article pane (where the articles you finished reading remain) to check what folder you just visited.
It does have some nice touches like "Night Mode" which displays in grey on black (but the revolving ads in eye-searing bright colours, at the bottom of the page, negates the usefulness of this mode (in the free version). I blocked the ads with the folds of my blanket while reading in bed.)
There are a surprising number of customizations available by tapping the gear icon found at the bottom of the left pane, below the subscriptions. I enabled the two-line summary which displays two lines of text from each article below the title, while in browse-mode.
Comments
I tend to read an average of 1% of articles in the feeds I subscribe to, so I mostly used Feeddler in landscape mode, giving me the ability to quickly jump from feed to feed (based on reading the two-line article summary) rather than sequentially reading the full content of the articles in a folder or feed (in portrait mode).
Score
I would rate the free Feeddler app 3 out of 4 stars. I would use Feeddler to read my Google RSS feeds.
1. Usability: ½
2. Usefulness: 1
3. Looks: 1
4. Enjoyability: ½
Suggestions
I have a few suggestions for improvement, mostly in the usability, some of which may be implemented as customizable options:
- After all the articles in a feed are marked as read, automatically return the left pane to the subscription list
- Hilight the selected feed or folder in the subscriptions pane
- In the built-in web browser, the active/inactive state of the back and forward navigation buttons in the top-left is ambiguous
- In night mode, the grey bullet, indicating articles have been read, should be a darker colour (almost blending with the background), it is currently as bright as the blue unread-article bullet.
November 26, 2010
"The Register" Review of Philips DS8550 iPad Speaker/dock
The Register reviews the Philips Fidelio DS8550 wireless iPad speaker/dock with AirPlay support and gives it high marks.
(It can be used with an iPhone and iPod Touch too.)
(It can be used with an iPhone and iPod Touch too.)
iBooks Improvements Coming Soon
9to5Mac is reporting that "collections" aka folders, and PDF printing and emailing are coming to the iBooks app.
The ability to organize books by genre is definitely welcome. It was beginning to become difficult to find books on an infinite bookshelf.
The ability to organize books by genre is definitely welcome. It was beginning to become difficult to find books on an infinite bookshelf.
Apple Store Black Friday Sale
Don't forget to check out the sale today (Nov 26) only!
I am tempted to get the Airport Express (note, Canadian store link) and the camera connection kit.
You can wirelessly stream music from the iPad to speakers connected to the Express.
I am tempted to get the Airport Express (note, Canadian store link) and the camera connection kit.
You can wirelessly stream music from the iPad to speakers connected to the Express.
November 25, 2010
November 2010 Apps
These are the Apps installed in November:
Update 2: added link to my Feeddler review.
- Pulse (feed reader, prone to crashing; deleted!)
- FeeddlerRSS (Google feed reader; my review)
- Alarm Clock (lovely digital clock with local weather conditions, alarm clock functionality as long as this app is running then the iPad goes to sleep (pre-4.x), wake to customizable alarm sounds or iTunes music in pro version; discreet Google ads in free version can be dismissed at startup)
- World Without Photoshop (interactive book features artists who use Photoshop and showcases their artwork with a time-lapse animation showing the art from start to finish)
- CBC Radio (if you missed a radio show, you can catch it with this app)
- Craft Finder (instructions for making holiday themed crafts for children of all ages)
- Helloflower (3D flower modeling)
- GravBot
- Sherlock (difference-finding game)
- Mr. AahH!
- Rocket Bird
- Uconnect (join the dots by drawing lines without repeating a path)
- Train Conductor
- Train Yard
- Toy Shop EB
- Santa's Village (13 games in one; hangman, tic-tac-toe, etc.)
- Super Laser (scrolling space-alien themed shooter; I am enjoying playing this one)
- Radiant HD (scrolling space shooter with retro graphics)
- MX Mayhem (side-scroller motorcycle riding with rag-doll physics)
- Cut the Rope Lite
Update 2: added link to my Feeddler review.
November 24, 2010
iPad Storage Usage
Here is the current usage of my 64GB (59 actual) iPad:
| Type | Usage |
|---|---|
| Audio: | 1.7GB |
| Video: | 26GB |
| Photos: | 1GB |
| Apps: | 2.7GB |
| Books: | 140MB |
| Other: | 600MB |
| FREE: | 27GB |
November 23, 2010
Practical Examples of AirPlay
A NY Times article giving some practical examples of using AirPlay in iOS4.2:
If your TV is connected to an AppleTV ($99), you can call up the movie on your iPad, press the onscreen AirPlay icon that appears, select AppleTV from the pop-up menu and, after a few seconds, your movie will appear on your TV screen.
If you have speakers connected to a wireless network via an Airport Express ($99), [you] can stream its music onto the network (provided [your iPad] has been granted access to the network).
...new, third-party speakers and docks (from B&W, Denon, iHome, JBL and others) will have AirPlay built-in, no Airport Express required.
November 22, 2010
iOS4.2 Coming Today (Nov. 22)
The reports say that iOS4.2 will be available for download at 10AM PST.
I am delighted that the Find My iPhone lost-device-recovery feature will be available free for everyone.
Update: The first 4.2 bug (verified on the iPhone): music on the iPod disappears.
Update 2: The second 4.2 bug certain USB devices stop working with the camera connection kit.
I am delighted that the Find My iPhone lost-device-recovery feature will be available free for everyone.
Update: The first 4.2 bug (verified on the iPhone): music on the iPod disappears.
Update 2: The second 4.2 bug certain USB devices stop working with the camera connection kit.
November 21, 2010
iPad "newspaper" Coming Soon
The Guardian is reporting that Apple and News Corp. are collaborating on a "newspaper" that will be iPad-only for $0.99-a-week subscription.
It will be available early next year (my guess is that the official announcement will coincide with the iPad 2 announcement in February/March and it will be available when the iPad 2 ships in June).
Update: Rumours say Dec. 9th for the announcement.
Update: Rumours say Dec. 9th for the announcement.
Discovering New Apps
Go, draw aside the curtains, and discoverThe several caskets to this noble prince.Now make your choice. — Portia, The Merchant of Venice, II.vii
Robert Scoble wonders how people discover new apps for the iPad, iPhone/iPod Touch, and how developers can best market their apps to achieve the largest exposure.
Is the internal marketing by Apple on the front page of the iTunes AppStore sufficient to raise awareness of new and notable apps or do app developers benefit more by mainstream (digital and traditional) press coverage, app discovery services and social networks ("word-of-mouth" discovery)?
He mentions some app-discovery sites I was not aware of:
Update: In one of his other posts titled, "Do you really use all those mobile apps?", Scoble links to a Flickr page with a screenshot of his iPhone homepage showing his folder organization categories and a detailed list of all the apps.
November 19, 2010
Carbon-Fibre iPad?
Apple has applied for a patent for a tablet-like device with a carbon-fibre reinforced plastic case.
Is this a tacit admission that the iPad is too heavy? I don't know. Most of the iPad's weight is in the battery, not in the glass and the aluminum case.
On a related note, my iPad has a large wandering scratch on the back of it. I wonder how the kids managed to do that because they usually use it on the sofa or bed.
I might try rubbing some toothpaste to try and remove it as the scratch is not deep but mostly cosmetic.
Is this a tacit admission that the iPad is too heavy? I don't know. Most of the iPad's weight is in the battery, not in the glass and the aluminum case.
On a related note, my iPad has a large wandering scratch on the back of it. I wonder how the kids managed to do that because they usually use it on the sofa or bed.
I might try rubbing some toothpaste to try and remove it as the scratch is not deep but mostly cosmetic.
November 18, 2010
Id's RAGE is out
First-person shooter RAGE, from the inventors of that particular genre, has been released.
Costs $1.99,
Costs $1.99,
November 16, 2010
Battery Usage and Charging Notes
Today the iPad battery capacity was down to 4% before I plugged it in to be recharged. I think this is the lowest I have seen it and it took 4 or 5 days to get this level (I remember seeing it at 100% on Saturday).
Impressive.
I would estimate it takes about an hour to charge 30%.
On a related note, my dad said he would have preferred a light on the transformer or the iPad itself, to indicate the status of the charging operation— whether the iPad was still charging or whether it was fully charged. He doesn't like leaving appliances plugged-in unless necessary.
Impressive.
I would estimate it takes about an hour to charge 30%.
On a related note, my dad said he would have preferred a light on the transformer or the iPad itself, to indicate the status of the charging operation— whether the iPad was still charging or whether it was fully charged. He doesn't like leaving appliances plugged-in unless necessary.
iPads at Sam's Club
iPads are now on sale at Sam's Club stores in the U.S. From the photo, the store looks quite spacious.
I absolutely hate visiting the Apple Store in the Eaton Centre because it's always a crowded MADHOUSE. And the one in the Sherway Gardens doesn't seem to be any less crowded from second-hand accounts.
I wish Apple would get a bigger place for their store (the neo-classical building at Yonge and King, which currently sells mattresses, would make a nice location).
I absolutely hate visiting the Apple Store in the Eaton Centre because it's always a crowded MADHOUSE. And the one in the Sherway Gardens doesn't seem to be any less crowded from second-hand accounts.
I wish Apple would get a bigger place for their store (the neo-classical building at Yonge and King, which currently sells mattresses, would make a nice location).
November 15, 2010
Blog Stats
These are the audience statistics for this blog from May to November:
- U.S, Canada and Germany are the top three countries for readership
- IE (46%), Firefox (35%)and Safari (8%)are the top three browsers
- Windows (71%), OS X (19%) and iPad (3%) are the top three OS
Pulse News/Feed Reader now Free
Pulse News/Feed Reader, which changed the face of RSS feed reading, is now free.
November 14, 2010
History of Tablet Computing at Apple
Tablet computing began at Apple in 1979. By 1985 all the technology necessary for a portable tablet was available and for $20M Steve Jobs promised the Apple board that he could deliver a tablet. He was turned down and soon ousted.
After a few more design iterations, The Newton Messagepad was ready in 1991 but didn't ship until 1993.
It wasn't until 2004 that Jobs began working on a tablet again, which detoured to the iPhone (released in 2007) and finally the iPad in 2010.
After a few more design iterations, The Newton Messagepad was ready in 1991 but didn't ship until 1993.
It wasn't until 2004 that Jobs began working on a tablet again, which detoured to the iPhone (released in 2007) and finally the iPad in 2010.
November 13, 2010
A Review of the Yellow Pages (Canada) iPad App
Searching for a person or a place, traditionally involved opening a telephone book and searching for the item alphabetically (alternatively, for a cost, one could call 411 directory assistance). Then, one would write down the address and telephone number. If one needed to visit the person or place, would consult a street map of the area and locate them.
In the internet era, there were several search options, but it still required two steps— the search and then the locator using Google maps, etc. The iPad app is an improvement on both the traditional way and the internet way.
In the internet era, there were several search options, but it still required two steps— the search and then the locator using Google maps, etc. The iPad app is an improvement on both the traditional way and the internet way.
November 7, 2010
Pitfalls of upgrading to iOS4.2
The decision to upgrade to iOS4.2 should not be taken without considering the following:
- once you upgrade you cannot easily downgrade to the previous OS (along with gnashing of teeth and muttering indelicate words, you will probably need a previous version of iTunes (which is usually upgraded with each OS release), and the backup copy of your iPad OS (which, oddly, iTunes deletes once you upgrade))
- do the apps that you cannot absolutely live without, work with the new OS? (apps that have not been written properly just stop working and if it's an app you rely on daily, you either have to do without, find an alternative app or downgrade back to the previous OS-- see previous bullet point)
- do the new features of the OS outweigh the possible loss of some of your favourite apps?
November 6, 2010
Wooden iPad Stand Photos
My brother built the wooden iPad stand yesterday (mentioned in the previous post).
I showed it to my Mom and Dad this morning and they liked it. My Dad suggested that it should have been made out of maple rather than pine, because maple is a denser wood and thus better weighted as a base.
The only improvement I would like to try would be to cut a slot on the opposite side with a shallow angle (perhaps 10°) so the top of the iPad (in the landscape orientation) rests lower on the table.
I photographed it in action:
I showed it to my Mom and Dad this morning and they liked it. My Dad suggested that it should have been made out of maple rather than pine, because maple is a denser wood and thus better weighted as a base.
The only improvement I would like to try would be to cut a slot on the opposite side with a shallow angle (perhaps 10°) so the top of the iPad (in the landscape orientation) rests lower on the table.
I photographed it in action:
 |
| Wooden iPad Stand |
 |
| The stand with iPad in the landscape orientation |
 |
| Using the stand with the iPad in the portrait orientation |
November 4, 2010
DIY Wooden iPad Stand
This do-it-yourself iPad stand made from a single piece of solid wood meets my requirements of being elegant, compact and portable.
I asked my brother if he could build one. (Update: photos of the stand he built)
I asked my brother if he could build one. (Update: photos of the stand he built)
November 3, 2010
"Lights! Camera! Capture!"
"Lights, Camera, Capture!" is an interactive how-to photography app/book for the iPad. It costs $9.99.
November 2, 2010
iOS 4.2 Feature Preview
AppleInsider has a feature preview of iOS 4.2 including the change of functionality to the orientation-lock button.
I expect a 4.2.1 release within a few weeks of the 4.2 release.
I expect a 4.2.1 release within a few weeks of the 4.2 release.
iOS 4.2 Goes Gold
The final candidate release of iOS4.2 (iPhone and iPad) was released to developers on Monday.
It also means that any new iPads manufactured since that time will ship with this OS.
I predict that it will be available for download sometime this week because more than anything else, 4.2 fixes the Daylight Savings Time bug that has plagued Australia and Europe.
If it doesn't ship by Sunday, then Apple will look incompetant on Monday when users relying on the iPhone to wake them up, will wake up an hour late due to the bug (the phone switches to DST but the alarms do not shift).
It also means that any new iPads manufactured since that time will ship with this OS.
I predict that it will be available for download sometime this week because more than anything else, 4.2 fixes the Daylight Savings Time bug that has plagued Australia and Europe.
If it doesn't ship by Sunday, then Apple will look incompetant on Monday when users relying on the iPhone to wake them up, will wake up an hour late due to the bug (the phone switches to DST but the alarms do not shift).
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