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Almost everyone in the world will at some point have played the game of Scrabble, whether it’s on a weekly basis or just with your Grandma at Christmas, it is a great game that has been around for years. Now, with the release of the new Apple iPad, the popular word based game is now available for the device. But how does this version stack up against the real board game? Let’s take a look.
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Although there is already a lovely interface for ebooks offered by Apple’s very own iBooks on the iPad, there are also a number of different types of documents that the average desktop user would wish to read, i.e. documents, PDF’s, presentations, spreadsheets, high resolution images, HTML web pages and many others. This is where GoodReader for the iPad comes in. We have seen this app previously as it was developed for the iPhone a while ago, and it was considered one of the best readers. The app can be used for a variety of different tasks and the good news is, the app is now available for the iPad.
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The Pinball HD for the iPad is a fantastic pinball game. The app is the iPad version of three previous pinball games that were available for the iPhone, West Pinball, The Deep and Jungle Style Pinball. On the iPhone, you had to buy a separate app for each of the three pinball tables, however, with this new release for the iPad, all three of the tables are included.
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Penultimate is an app for the iPad that allows you to write, sketch and draw almost anything you want to, simply using the touch of your finger on the iPad’s screen. The app is similar to the notes app that you get with the iPhone and iPod Touch, however, it’s more like ‘notes on steroids’ as it allows you to do so much more than was ever possible with notes.
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Magic Piano is a brand new app that has just been released for the iPad. The app was specially created for the iPad device by the company Smule, this is the same company behind many popular apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch such as Ocarina, Leaf Trombone, and I Am T-Pain.
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PixelMagic is a professional photo editing app for the iPad. The app allows you to edit and manipulate your photos on the iPad’s beautifully large screen. As there are a lot of these types of apps available for the iPad, it will be good to see how this compares to the photo editing apps we’ve seen previously for the iPhone and iPod touch.
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If you own an iPhone or iPod Touch, then you may have played Real Racing before. This game was developed in 2009 by a company called Firemint and was one of the best racing games available for the iPhone and iPod touch. Now, with the release of the Apple iPad, Firemint has developed a version of the popular game especially for the device.
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If you have an iPhone or iPod Touch, then you may have played the game Heady Gunner 3D. Now, Com2Us (the creators of the game) have ported the game to the iPad. The game for the iPhone and iPod Touch had excellent graphics, sound and controls and was one of the best games we have ever played for the device, so we were very interested to see how Com2Us have managed to improve it for the iPad. (more…)
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The initial idea of this app is a great one, and the app is extremely useful for those of you who are tired of listening to the same old boring songs in your music collection. Pandora works on a similar principal as Last FM, it allows you to browse new music from a huge range of artists, and it allows you to do all of this from a mobile device; the iPad. (more…)
With the Apple iPad due for release in just a few days, what better time is there to take a look at what you get for your money with the iPad. We will take a look at what comes preloaded on the iPad when you buy it, not the apps you can buy. The question is; is it really worth the money? Let’s take a look.
Safari: As with the iPod touch and iPhone the Apple iPad comes preloaded with the Safari web browser. Now there is not much difference between the browser on the iPad and the browser on the iPad but although this might seem like Apple is cutting corners, we think it is a good point. The fact that the browser is not much different to the previous version we have seen will mean that it will be extremely easy to use and will not require the user to learn anything new. It will also be possible to sync your bookmarks from your Mac to your iPad meaning that if you update something on one of the devices, it will automatically update it on the other devices.
IPod: Now we are all familiar with the iPod and what a revolutionary invention it was and the fact that they have put this technology into the iPad is another great reason to buy it. The iPad, which comes in two different models, one with 32GB of memory and one with 64GB of memory. This will really make good use of the iPod feature. The fact that the iPad has such a vast amount of memory will mean that it will be possible to store thousands of songs and videos on the device for you to watch and listen to using the iPod. The iPad’s 9.7 inch screen will take watching videos on a mobile device to a whole new level also and will allow you to watch better quality videos on a larger screen, so no more squinting at that tiny iPhone display.
Mail: The iPad will also come with the Mail App preinstalled. We have seen this previously on the iPhone and iPod touch and it has worked well. However the iPad will make this app seem even better. Having such a large display when compared to the iPhone or iPod touch will make viewing email attachments (PDF files, Images etc) much more pleasurable. The larger pop up keyboard that the device features will allow make it much easier to type when compared to the iPhone, which a lot of users found to be quite fiddly and awkward.
Of course these aren’t the only apps you get preinstalled with the iPad, you will also get the usual Contacts App, Calendar App and pretty much everything else we have seen previously on the iPhone device. And don’t forget that from the launch date there will be thousands of apps available from the app store that will really make use of all the iPad’s features. So should you buy one? Well that’s entirely up to you.
The year of 2010 is shaping up to become what will be known as the year of the tablet. We have heard about the release of the iPad from US manufacturer Apple and the release of the Kindle from Amazon but it seems there is a new product now in production from Microsoft. It is called the Microsoft Courier and Microsoft are hoping that it will be better than all of its rivals including the Apple iPad. But how does it compare to the iPad? Well, let’s take a look.
The Basics
This new device from Microsoft will be much more unconventional than the iPad and will feature two screens. While the iPad basically just scales up the software and technology that we have previously seen with the iPhone and iPod touch, Microsoft has much more ambitious plans. The device’s two screens will be laid out much like a book and it is for this reason that Microsoft has dubbed the product a “digital journal”. It will be interesting to see how this shapes up against the Apple iPad and what having two screens will really offer.
Portability
The fact that this new device from Microsoft will fold up much like a book makes it a clear winner against the iPad for portability. When folded up the Microsoft Courier will measure approximately 5×7 inches whereas the iPad will measure around 7.5×9.5 inches. This new device from Microsoft will also be much more resistant to damage as it will fold up nicely whereas the iPad will always be open to the elements and may easily get scratched and scraped around in your bag. From what we have heard so far about this new product it is a clear winner when it comes to portability.
Watching Movies, Playing Games and reading eBooks
Doing all three of these things well is what both the iPad and Microsoft courier will aim to do. The iPad has a significantly larger screen than the Microsoft courier will have and for this reason will probably be more suited to watching Movies and reading eBooks. The iPad can however be quite fiddly to hold and as the Microsoft courier will be shaped exactly like a conventional book and even feature 2 screens we think that it will give the user a more natural reading experience.
As for games we aren’t quite sure what to expect. Apples iTunes Store already has thousands of games available for the iPad straight from the launch date whereas the Microsoft courier will have to have an entirely new selection of games created for its launch. So far it looks like a daunting task for Microsoft to try and beat the success of Apples iTunes Store but it could be done nonetheless.
Overall we are not really sure what to expect from the Microsoft Courier as very little information has been given about its features but with the iPad due for launch long before Microsoft’s device, Microsoft will have to work hard to take over the tablet PC market.
FFBBHB8Q88F9 UK bookies are predicting that the iPad will be nowhere near as successful as the iPhone. The iPhone went on sale in June 2007 and within 74 days of release it had sold 1 Million units. This was probably due to the touch screen technology being a novelty at the time. With the iPad however experts are predicting that it won’t sell anywhere near as many units as the iPhone due to it being less practical and basically being an oversized iPod touch.
Apple is doing its best to prevent this from being a reality and today came news that Apple has signed a deal with Perseus Books who are one of the largest book publishers in the world. Perseus Books also have 330 smaller imprints such as Zaget and Harvard Business School Press and as of today Apple has secured the deal to resell its books in electronic format on the iPad.
Both Apple and Perseus Books have confirmed that this rumour is in fact true and that they will follow the same business model that Apple currently uses for its App Store. This is where the publishers set the retail price for all of their products and Apple makes their money by keeping 30% of the sales as a form of commission.
This latest partnership between Apple and Perseus Books could prove a much needed boost for Apple. Recently we have seen a variety of products being developed by other manufacturers designed to be competition for the iPad such as the Amazon Kindle and the HP Slate. Amazon currently holds a 90 percent share of the market for eBooks.
Some experts have predicted that with news of this new partnership between Apple and Perseus Books that the iPad could threaten Amazon’s dominance in the eBook market. One analyst suggested that Amazon could see this market share fall from its current rate of 90 percent to just 15 percent. This would be a huge blow for Amazon and if true then it could mean that the iPad would become the market leader for portable eBook readers.
We must remember that at this point these speculations are just that; speculations. There is no telling who will come out on top; we will just have to wait until the iPad is released to find this out. There is no doubt that the iPad will be a huge success for Apple as it seems that everyone cannot wait for the product. Since Apple announced its release there has been a huge hype surrounding the product and the scale of its success will depend on a variety of factors such as how it compares against the Amazon Kindle, one of its main competitors.
With just a few weeks until the release of the iPad in the US we shouldn’t have to wait long to find out who comes out on top and from what we have seen, the iPad is a fantastic product and is well worth the hype.”
I was thinking, many people have complained that using the ipad as a e-reader will hurt the eyes. However, the screen is bigger, has more memory and more features than the kindle. With the bright screen, to prevent strain of the eyes, couldn’t you just put the brightness of the ipad at it’s lowest, would that have the same effect as the kindle’s e-ink technology? Plus books will be in colour and the distractions of the apps isn’t a problem for me. Which one should I buy? (I already own an iPod touch if that helps, but would like a bigger screen for reading books).
I was thinking of getting an Ipod touch mainly for the apps and the ease of access to the internet around the house without having to boot up the laptop. My decision towards getting one could be changed to getting an Ipad.
For the casual browsing it seems great apart from the no Flash or Java support and the apps showed in the presentation seem good and I like the way you can use all the old ones 2 but are the Iworks apps compatible with Microsoft office? (I mean the formats for when i sync it too my laptop for printing or more editing).
If they are and if apple bring in Flash support I will definitly get one, so does anyone no is Iworks compatible With Microsft office on a pc and will they bring in Flash support?
I am not an apple hater or a microsoft fan boy, but I truly think the ipad is overrated. It is an iphone/ipod touch on steroids. It might have a better web/interface interface because of the screen. The only thing special is the ibook store. I think the ibook store might come to the iphone. It looks cool and everyone talks about it because its a freaking apple product. I have an ipod touch and love it. I am getting a mac because I like them too and the high school I want to go to uses them. No one was hyped up about the Sony Ereader or Amazon Kindle. The Ipad does do things the other 2 dont such as Internet, apps, and the media. I might get one, but as a computer, no. It might be good for someone who wants a book, movie, internet on the road. If you want really nice internet, doesnt need to run multiple apps at the same time, and can sacrifice flash player then get it Otherwise get a Touch or iphone.