Here is an interesting piece of news for iPad 2 owners out there. According to iPhone hacker Veeence, the Chronic Dev Team is just 3 weeks away from being done with their new jailbreak, which will most likely work with the iPad 2 as well.
It was only last week that the Chronic Dev Team posted an update on their blog asking us to not bug them about the iPad 2 jailbreak, and here you have Veeence throwing a little more oil on the fire...
Apple made a pretty big revamp to its retail experience over this past weekend. What sites have started calling "Apple Store 2.0" now features interactive iPad displays for each product and enhancements for customer and Apple employee interaction.
Alongside Apple Store 2.0, Apple has updated its official Apple Store app with a few enhancements. You can now configure a new Mac with specific customizations (like on Apple's website), and do things like see how many people are in front of you in line at your local Apple store...
Last week, iOS hacker and member of the Chronic Dev Team p0sixninja was quoted saying it was just a matter of weeks until the team releases an update to their jailbreak tool GreenPois0n, which was supposedly going to work with the iPad 2 as well.
It seems that p0sixninja spoke a little too fast, and got every jailbreaker out there a little too excited. In order to make things clearer, the team posted an update on their blog today. This update covers the iPad 2 jailbreak and support for iOS 4.3.x in GreenPois0n...
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it looks like there's been an accident at Apple's manufacturing partner, Foxconn's Chengdu, China factory. At this point details aren't completely clear but it seems the explosion at the factory plant unfortunately caused sixteen injuries and two deaths.
The Chengdu plant opened up last year in an effort to increase production of Apple's iPad tablet. The explosion reportedly occurred at 7pm Chengdu time yesterday. Foxconn states that they are working with security officials to find out exactly what caused the accident. Both Apple and Foxconn have released statements regarding the explosion...
The current iPad 2 is good at a lot of things. It's extremely thin, easy to use, and lightning fast. It's no wonder why it continues to be a consumer favorite. However, the device could also use some serious upgrading in some categories, camera quality being one of them.
The current version of Apple's tablet has a camera capable of shooting 960 x 720 pixel photos, that's 0.7 megapixel. Apple's latest iPhone is sporting a camera that takes 5 megapixel photos, why the big difference?
The Cupertino company set out to make the iPad 2 thin. Not just thin enough to impress folks, but thin enough to call itself one of the slimmest tablets around. In fact, it lead that category until Samsung went back to the drawing board with their Tab 10.1 and shaved a few more centimeters off the top.
But contrary to popular belief, being thin has its disadvantages, and in this case it cost the iPad 2 a decent camera. Obviously due to design restraints, the camera module that Apple used in the iPad 2 had to meet certain size requirements. At the time there must have not been a decent sensor that fit the bill, so they used the same one that's in their 4G iPod Touch.
Well 9to5Mac is reporting today that OmniVision has unveiled a 5MP camera sensor, that is smaller than its predecessors. Since the digital imaging solutions company happens to be the main supplier of camera sensors for iDevices, it's likely that we will see this (or something similar) in future Apple products.
"The OV5690 offers best-in-class low-light performance and image quality while also enabling 20 percent thinner camera modules..."
Not only does the camera take 5MP stills, it records video in full 1080p. The current iPad camera records video in 720p, so the upgrade would be quite noticeable. Since the camera seems to be one of the tablet's biggest downfalls, it would be logical to assume Apple is looking to upgrade it in future iterations.
What do you think of the current iPad 2 camera? Would you get an iPad 3 if the camera quality was improved?
The iPad 2 is one of the most successful Apple products to date in a number of categories. One of those categories is, it has yet to be jailbroken. Now I say that lightly, because I realize that a handful of intelligent folks have hacked their iPad 2s. But nearly 3 months after its release, there is still not a widely available jailbreak solution for Apple's new tablet.
Recently we reported that infamous iDevice hackers p0sixninja and GeoHot were in a friendly competition to see who could break into the iPad 2 first. That unfortunately does not seem to be the case. In a recent online Q & A session with p0sixninja, the hacker confirmed that GeoHot has since declined the iPad 2 challenge due to media attention. I guess you can get a little paranoid after being taken to court by the likes of Sony.
So what now? Comex is out, GeoHot's not in, are we ever going to see a jailbreak for the iPad 2? A ray of sunshine cast down on the Twitter world yesterday, as p0sixninja once again speculated on the status of the new iPad jailbreak. A Twitter follower asked the Chronic Dev team member if the iPad 2 jailbreak would be weeks, months, or years. Apparently the answer is just weeks!
Joshua Hill (p0sixninja) seems to be the most vocal on the status of the iPad 2 jailbreak. After a known exploit was patched by Apple last month, the Dev Team and other hackers have been very quiet about their progress. It'll be interesting to see if Hill and the rest of the Chronic Dev team can deliver an iPad 2 jailbreak within weeks as predicted. I know of many iPad 2 owners that would greatly appreciate it. We'll keep you updated.
Any questions?
Remember that iPad case that we showed you earlier this year called the Extreme Sleeve? Let me give you a quick reminder. G-Form, a company well known for their extreme sports protective gear has ventured into the portable electronic arena. They have made protective gear for MacBooks and other laptops, and they now have one for the iPad.
Their G-Form Extreme Sleeve has been grabbing headlines over the last few months, as the G-Form team has gone through great lengths to prove its durability. They've dropped bowling balls on their Extreme Sleeve-covered iPads and have even dropped one out of an airplane. Each time the iPad has emerged unharmed.
When we previously reported on the product it was not available yet, but it promised to start shipping May 2nd of this year. Well it looks like the Extreme Sleeve is starting to make its way to user's hands, as a new video from Mobile Syrup puts the Sleeve through its own durability test. Is the Extreme Sleeve tough enough to protect an iPad from being run over by a car? Let's watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrLNVcYz6ZM
Though the video stops playing, the iPad appears to be just fine. Now that these G-Form Extreme Sleeves are available to the masses, I'm guessing this isn't the last we've seen of these extreme iPad survival videos. I'm sure G-Form is loving the free viral advertising.
What do you think?
One of the biggest downfalls of tablet PCs is the virtual keyboard. Folks who rely on their portable computers for heavy data input have avoided the new trend, due to the lack of a proper keyboard. Up until now, touch-typing on tablets has been a pipe-dream, but Cliff Thier is looking to change that with his invention, the iKeyboard.
This slip on accessory is guaranteed to make you type faster by eliminating the need for "hunt and peck" typing. iKeyboard slips over your iPad 2 in landscape mode, and outlines your virtual keyboard.
Not only does this make finding keys easier, it adds a layer of material on top of your iPad so you can rest your fingers on the keys without typing. This also provides for a similar tactile experience as a normal keyboard.
You can't pick one of these up at the local Best Buy just yet. Cliff Thier started a Kickstarter project for his iKeyboard and it is expected to be funded June 28. Though he has already reach his goal, feel free to pledge $30 or more to grab one of these before they hit the selves. My mouth's watering just thinking about typing with one of these things.
What about you?
If you are currently sporting an iPhone 3GS or older model and are thinking you might not be able to hold out for the next product refresh, you may want to grab an iPhone 4 while it's still available.
DigiTimes is reporting that Taiwan-based manufacturing firm Foxconn is facing a shortage of both labor and materials at its China plants. This will likely affect shipments of Apple's new iPad 2 tablet and the popular iPhone 4...
The Queen of England is no stranger to technology. In fact, British publication The Sun quoted a royal insider as saying, "For a woman of her age she is very switched on. It was only a matter of time before she asked someone to go and get her one."
Apparently during the time Prince Will and brother Harry spent with their grandmother during the Royal Wedding festivals, they convinced Her Majesty to buy Apple's latest tablet. "She was particularly taken with how easy it was to use, the large screen and how light it was."
This wouldn't be the Queen's first iDevice. You might recall back in 2009, U.S. President and fellow Apple fan Barrack Obama presented the Queen with an iPod Touch. This is once again testament to Apple's ability to appeal to the masses.
The iPad 2 just launched a few weeks ago in the U.K., and has already sold roughly 20 million units. Apple's latest tablet seems to be on a tear around the globe, as it just recently rolled through China with overwhelming success.
What could they possibly do so differently next time around to draw out these kinds of crowds again?
What do you think?
It's been a few months since Apple launched their new tablet here in the states, but it's popularity is still echoing around the globe. After the U.S. release, Apple has slowly pushed out the device to other countries.
The latest country to get hit with iPad 2 fever is China. While typical device launches are met with peaceful lines of Apple fans, the story of yesterday's launch paints a grimmer picture.
The Wi-Fi iPad 2 launched in China on Friday at 8 a.m. AppleInsider reported that there were still lines at the flagship Apple store in Beijing, around 10 a.m., with numbers in the hundreds. Apple employees handled the crowd very well, allowing just a handful of customers in at a time.
The article explains that at some point during the morning, a near "riot" erupted after retail employees tried to close the store down following a scuffle between Apple staff and crowd members.
The details of the tussle are sketchy, since most of the information is being derived from translated Chinese news reports. But what we've been able to gather is that Apple store employees got into an altercation with tablet scalpers outside the Beijing store. These individuals were reportedly selling Apple's new iPad for just a $30 markup over what the store was charging.
We're not sure exactly what spawned the brawl, but there are several reports that 2 young men and 2 men were injured. The 4 involved are currently hospitalized. The Apple store was forced to close for some time, while they cleaned up the mess of broken glass (valued at $46,000.00). It'll be interesting to see what, if anything, Apple has to say about the events.
What do you think?
We've told you about the world's first jailbreak and iOS convention, MyGreatFest. The event will take place this September in London, U.K. and will be a convention for the jailbreak and iDevice community.
Speakers like the creator of Cydia, saurik, and other prominent members of the jailbreak community are already scheduled to speak at MyGrestFest, and now famed jailbreak dev P0sixninja has expressed interest in attending September's event...