From the latest news to the most comprehensive tutorials, learn how to get the most out of your iPad with our step-by-step guides and expert tips.
When Apple unveiled its new tablet earlier this month, the consensus seemed to be that it would continue to work with all iPad 2 Smart Covers. After all, the new iPad's frontside dimensions are identical to its predecessors.
But apparently that isn't the case. As noted by iLounge, the new iPad uses a slightly different magnet system that causes some newer Smart Covers, and similar third party magnet-driven cases, not to work properly...
With all the hoopla around the new iPad getting a little bit toastier than its predecessor, Dr. Raymond Soneira is in high demand these days. Yesterday, he explained how the demanding Retina display and brightness levels affect the iPad's run time. Today, he's back at it, warning the device keeps charging even when it claims to have been filled.
Is this an iOS software flaw akin to a "bug" in cellular signal levels on the iPhone 4 (later fixed with a software update)? Hard to tell. All we know is it keeps charging for as much as an hour after the battery gauge hits the 100 percent mark. This, too, might explain why some people experience shorter run times with the new iPad versus its predecessor...
Espoo, Finland-headquartered Nokia is officially opposing Apple's requirement for an emerging mobile industry standard basically calling for a miniaturized SIM module roughly a third smaller than the Micro SIM used with the iPhone 4/4S. A proposal put forth by Motorola, RIM and Nokia has some technical advantages over the Apple-backed nano SIM that requires a “drawer” to protect it.
As a result, cell phones would need to be re-engineered with this in mind. Nokia says its variant of the Nano SIM doesn't require a tray and is even smaller than Apple's. Both camps have tabled proposals to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI). With 92 votes, Nokia is the largest ETSI voting body, so no wonder Apple has filed multiple membership applications in order to increase its voting power.
Nokia has explained its stance in a lengthy statement issued to The Verge just this morning...
The interest surrounding the iPad overheating meme isn't vaning. Quite the contrary, folks are eager to get to the bottom of this thing. As we hold our breath for today's definite findings of "a battery of tests" conducted by Consumer Reports, a display expert sheds more light on how an improved LED backlighting system on the iPad's Retina display contributes to Heatgate and, specifically, the tablet's run time.
You've already seen heat maps which prove that the new A5X chip with its jumbo-sized quad-core GPU is the biggest heater in the new iPad. That said, its souped up LED backlighting is actually the No. 1 factor leading up to a faster battery drain and is partly to blame for the gizmo's five-degree Celsius temperature increase...
We told you recently that those Angry Birds were going to make their way into space, and today Rovio released the new game for iOS gamers.
Angry Birds Space is pretty much what you would expect: Angry birds trying to finish those pesky pigs off, but with a distinctly starry flavour.
Available for both the iPhone/iPod touch and the iPad, Angry Birds Space takes to the skies, with planets and their own gravitational pull adding something very different to the tried and tested Angry Birds formula that has already made Rovio's games extremely popular across a range of devices. From what we've seen, this space-flavored version will be just as popular...
There have been many mixed reviews over Apple's newest app, iPhoto for iOS. The app allows users to make quick edits to their photos and then share them across social networks. Some say they love it, while others say it's too clunky to use.
However, that's not stopping customers from downloading the new app. Apple told The Loop today that the $4.99 app is now being used by 1 million users, since its launch 10 days ago...
Image courtesy of GSM Arena
There's an awful lot of hoopla around the new iPad overheating. People are getting spooked by heat maps and that screenshot of standard iOS prompt saying "the iPad needs to cool down" average users rarely see. It goes without saying that the press immediately jumped on the opportunity to exploit the story in order to keep those eyeballs glued to the screen.
And with Consumer Reports now throwing its credibility behind Heatgate, it's easy to walk away under the impression that the new iPad comes with a major hardware flaw. Now, If you ever held a PS Vita, you can attest it runs a lot hotter than the iPad.
Still, it's hard to escape the notion the story is gaining traction because it's about the world's most powerful technology corporation that just released the third iteration of its category-defining gizmo everyone wants (it's selling like hotcakes). Yes, the new iPad is a bit toastier than its predecessor - full five degrees Celsius to be precise.
How exactly is this a big deal, you ask. Here's why the new iPad gets hotter, why it doesn't matter and how it's being blown out of proportion...
In addition to the new iPad getting a bit warm when playing graphics-intensive games, it would appear that an unknown portion of early adopters are also having issues with Wi-Fi reception. A growing thread on Apple's support forum is filled with reports describing a range of difficulties with the iPad's wireless networking capabilities.
According to a bunch of disgruntled users, the new iPad has trouble maintaining a reliable wireless connection in places with strong signal. It also exhibits flaky connection that constantly drops or has no reception at all. Apple has not yet responded to these complaints at the time of this writing...
[tube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzdi1lO7V_w[/tube]
An exciting update to CardSwitcher has been issued on Cydia. If you remember our initial walkthough of the tweak, CardSwitcher is an alternative multitasking solution for iOS devices.
This latest update was totally rewritten for iOS 5, and includes live application views, updated swipe gestures, and a new grid mode aimed at iPad users.
Would you consider using the new and improved CardSwitcher? If so, you can find it on Cydia's BigBoss repo for $1.99, but it's a free update for existing customers.
That entry-level data plan you signed up for to go along your brand spanking new iPad? It's obsolete, thanks to the device's 4G LTE networking that allows for speeds easily exceeding your home broadband connection. As a result, folks planning on enjoying 4G speeds on the go may likely blow past through their monthly allowance in a couple days. Your mileage may wary, of course, depending on your mobile usage habits.
Here in the U.S., entry-level data plans for iPad begin at $15 or $30 a month, depending on your carrier. AT&T's entry-level 250MB plan will set you back $14.99 a month, with 2GB/5GB plans costing $30/$50 a month. Rival Verizon Wireless is offering 2GB/5GB/10GB tiers priced at $30/$50/$80 a month.
But even five gigabytes a month is conceivable insufficient when you stream high-definition movies and television shows to your device over 4G LTE networks, upload big photos to your social networks or edit and upload full HD movies to YouTube, etc. The Wall Street Journal has the full story (subscription required)...
A pair of reports from Asian trade publication DigiTimes appeared this morning, asserting Apple's iPhone orders from contract manufacturer Pegatron are on the rise while the company is also looking to source more touch panel modules from Wintek in the following quarter. According to the first story sourced from market watchers, "Apple continues to raise its iPhone orders to Pegatron as well as placing orders for new iPad".
Pegatron, whose plants are up for inspection by the Fair Labor Association, reportedly found itself under fire over Asustek Zenbook orders, according to a story by Chinese-language Commercial Times (Google translation).
You may also recall that Pegatron is rumored to be keeping its fingers crossed to land manufacturing orders for the so-called iPad mini that the usually credible Wall Street Journal raved about.
When Apple was designing the iPhone 4, the company had adopted the smaller Micro SIM format for space constraints. Smaller in size compared to the standard Mini SIMs, Micro SIMs do the exact same job while using less space. But with mobile devices getting even slimmer these days, even Micro SIMs waste too much valuable space inside thin mobile gadgets.
Apple thinks smaller is better so last summer the company submitted a new requirement to the European Telecoms Standards Body for the use of even smaller SIM cards in mobile phones (AT&T followed suit). But the battle over the upcoming Nano SIM standard has put Apple once again on a collision course with its rivals in the smartphone space, namely the opposing group led by Android maker Google and joined by the ailing BlackBerry maker Research In Motion and Nokia of Finland, reports the Financial Times (subscription required)...