November 20th, 2012

Meet Phorce, A Smart Bag That Charges Your Gadgets And Provides Power Management Via Bluetooth

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I like gadgets, and almost out of necessity I also like bags. The Phorce, a new project hitting Kickstarter today, knows that there are many out there like me, and wants to provide a bag-based charging solution to help you keep your gadgets protected and topped off, with the added benefit of additional power management options communicated via Bluetooth to an iPhone app. → Read More

November 20th, 2012

Nokia Here iOS 6 Maps App Alternative Released For iPhone And iPad

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Nokia has released Here, its newly rebranded mapping application, for iOS devices. The app is universal, so it works on both iPhone and iPad, and it’s free. Users of Nokia’s Windows Phone devices may find the experience familiar, as it includes similar features like nearby places discovery, but there are also crucial components like transit direction that aren’t present in Apple’s own… → Read More

November 19th, 2012

Gift Guide: HyperJuice 2 External Battery For Mac, iPad And Mobile Devices

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Do you like power? It’s very useful for using all those electronic devices we have. But often, those devices have less power than we’d like them to, especially when we’re traveling or fighting for socket space at a coffee shop or conference. The HyperJuice 2 can provide that power, and lots of it, enough to double the life of a new Retina MacBook Pro, and charge iPads and iPhones, too. → Read More

November 16th, 2012

Sky Gamblers: Air Supremacy Brings Four Player Split-Screen To iOS Gaming Via AirPlay

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Some iOS games have done some pretty cool stuff with AirPlay, including Real Racing HD 2, but it’s always seemed like there’s so much more possible from the technology, especially when it comes to gaming. A new update for Sky Gamblers: Air Supremacy from Namco Bandai adds split-screen gaming via AirPlay and the Apple TV. Up to four players can dogfight at once now, each playing from their own… → Read More

November 16th, 2012

Apple iPad Sales In China Up 80% Following Trademark Dispute Resolution

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Apple has seen sales of its iPad soar following the resolution of a trademark dispute with Chinese company Proview, which had IPAD registered years prior to the release of Apple’s iconic tablet. That’s according to new estimates from IDC analyst Dickie Chan, who said that sales of the iPad in China in Q3 were up to 2.07 million, an 80 percent increase over the previous quarter’s 1.15 million… → Read More

November 15th, 2012

Gift Guide: The iPad Mini

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This is the iPad mini you’ve no doubt heard about. The one Apple introduced in October, the one that reviewers have mostly loved, and the one that’s been my constant companion since I got one on launch day. You may know it as the iPad mini, but for all intents and purposes, this is the new iPad. → Read More

November 14th, 2012

For Web Content Formatting, Apple Makes iPad Mini Indistinguishable From Regular iPad

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Apple made a big deal about the iPad mini providing an uncompromised iPad experience for users, and it’s standing by that by making it impossible for web developers to detect whether a web page is being read on an iPad or an iPad mini. Usually, devices provide a means with which developers can determine physical screen size, but the iPad mini looks exactly like the full-sized iPad to browsers. → Read More

November 14th, 2012

DODOcase Introduces Custom Builder, Lets You Go All Artisanal Bookbinder On Your iPad Case

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You may not know this but I was an English literature major in college, so books are things I’m fond of. But I’m also a tech lover, so I generally read on either an iPad or a Kindle. Cases like the ones from San Francisco-based DODOcase represent a way to bridge those two worlds, and now you can personalize their products thanks to a custom case-building tool that DODOcase is introducing today. → Read More

November 13th, 2012

Big Shipment Of Grey Market iPhones And iPads Busted At Hong Kong Border

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Apple’s iPhone 5 is a popular grey market item, and the proximity of Hong Kong to mainland China makes that country a particularly popular choice for stocking up on Apple hardware to be resold in the latter country. Now, there’s been a huge bust by Hong Kong Customs, according to a report by MIC Gadget. A truck containing 227 iPhone 5s, 22 iPads and a number of other electronics was caught… → Read More

November 12th, 2012

Revel Systems Signs On Goodwill And Belkin As It Focuses On Expanding Retail Reach

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Revel Systems, the company behind iPad-based POS products that have mostly been focused on restaurant customers, today announced the addition of two major new retail clients to its portfolio, as well as new features aimed at retail uses and hardware integrations to help clients switch from existing systems and provide retail users with easier onboarding. The retail partners for Revel this time… → Read More

November 12th, 2012

Apple Releases Two New iPad Mini Ads For iBooks, iPhoto

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If you haven’t seen Apple’s adorable Heart and Soul iPad mini ad, you’ve probably been living under a rock. But chances are you haven’t seen the last two ads, highlighting iPhoto and iBooks.

Interestingly enough, both ads feature the iPad mini and its big brother iPad, just like the Heart and Soul ad. → Read More

November 12th, 2012

Apple Shoppers Set To Receive LTE iPads By Friday, November 16

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Some buyers of Apple’s 4th generation iPad with LTE are receiving notices that their shipments will arrive by November 16, otherwise known as this coming Friday. The latest iPad had originally been announced with an anticipated shipping date of mid-November, which would mean Apple is making good on its promises with shipping coming soon. The iPad mini’s delivery date remains a little further out. → Read More

November 12th, 2012

Apple Reportedly Swallows A 20% Price Hike For Its Samsung-Supplied Mobile Processors

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Samsung has reportedly increased the price of the mobile processors it manufactures for Apple’s iOS devices by 20 percent, according to South Korean daily newspaper Chosun Ilbo, which says it received the information with someone familiar with negotiations between the two firms. Apple apparently wanted to walk away rather than accept the new terms, according to the report, but had no replacement… → Read More

November 11th, 2012

The Surface Of Mars: My Date With A Microsoft Kiosk

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“What’s the best feature of the Surface?”

“Um, everything.”

Thus began my experience at a local mall buying a Microsoft Surface. → Read More

November 6th, 2012

Apple Patents Vanishing Touch Interfaces, New Method For Targeted Computer Cooling

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Apple was granted a couple of interesting patents today (spotted by AppleInsider), including one for multitouch surfaces embedded in devices that appear and disappear as needed, as well as a new cooling apparatus design that can redirect air to where it’s needed most within a device. One is just a twist on tech Apple already uses, and the other is something that could address warm lap issues… → Read More

November 4th, 2012

Backed Or Whacked: To Have But Not To Hold The iPad

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Editor’s note: Ross Rubin is principal analyst at Reticle Research and writer for Engadget. Each column will look at crowdfunded products that have either met or missed their funding goals.

The iPad mini stole the show at Apple’s far-flung October 23rd product introduction, creating a more compelling alternative to the iPad 2 while taking a backseat to the muscled-up fourth-generation… → Read More

November 4th, 2012

The iPad Mini Is The Ideal Second Screen Companion

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One thing that’s become apparent about the iPad mini during my past few days with it is just how well it fills the role of a second screen device. The iPhone and the iPad both have their merits as a companion while lounging around and watching TV, but the iPad mini hits the sweet spot of portability, power and connectivity for that use case. → Read More

November 2nd, 2012

iPad Mini Display Under The Microscope: Not As Good As iPad 4th Gen, But Much Better Than iPad 2

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The iPad mini may have a display that’s being singled out in most reviews as below Apple’s recent standards, but a look under the microscope by Repair Labs affirms what I’ve been noticing in person: while the mini definitely doesn’t offer the same kind of quality as an iPad with Retina Display (3rd or 4th gen), its screen is a big step up from the 2nd-generation iPad. → Read More

November 2nd, 2012

Video: 4th Generation And 3rd Generation iPad Performance Compared

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Apple’s 4th generation iPad boasts a faster processor, the new A6X chip, which makes it twice as fast as the 3rd generation iPad, based on benchmark tests, in terms of raw processing power and graphics. That sounds good, but what does it mean in practice? Well, there’s a noticeable boost all around, but we’ve got a hands-on video with three scenarios where you can see the differences. → Read More

November 2nd, 2012

Apple’s iPad Mini Launch Draws Smaller Crowds Than Previous Product Debuts

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The iPad mini officially went on sale today, and the response at physical retail stores has been mixed. Some areas are seeing decent-sized lines, according to Reuters this morning, including Tokyo and Seoul Apple Stores with crowds of 100 or more, but overall, the news organization notes that crowds are smaller than they have been in the past for other launches. → Read More

November 1st, 2012

Apple Releases iOS 6.0.1 With Fixes For Keyboard, Wi-Fi, And OTA Updating For iPhone 5

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iOS 6.0.1 arrives today ahead of the iPad mini, and it features some bug fixes that resolve issues around the famous horizontal lines appearing on the software keyboard bug, a camera flash issue, and improved Wi-Fi connectivity reliability. This is the first minor point upgrade for iOS 6, and should solve some of the update’s growing pains. But for iPhone 5 owners hoping to download it OTA, you’ll… → Read More

November 1st, 2012

Stop, Thief: Apple Patents Movement-Based Theft Detection System For iOS Devices

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An Apple patent application spotted Thursday by AppleInsider shows a system for detecting unusual motion via a portable gadget’s accelerometer which would sound an alarm, making said device harder to steal. The system is a simple one, without the kind of sophisticated face detection we saw in a previous application, but it could be much more effective for curbing thefts at the moment they occur. → Read More

October 31st, 2012

The iPad Mini’s Cannibalization Effects: Overpowering Or Overblown?

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The iPad mini seems downright hungry, and it has a taste not just for other small tablets, but for its larger brethren, the iPad with Retina Display. Some analysts are saying as much, with expectations of the iPad mini’s cannibalization effect on existing iPad sales ranging from around 10 to 20 percent. But one suggests that it could be more like 50 percent, based on numbers Apple revealed. → Read More

October 30th, 2012

iPad (4th Gen) Outruns The iPhone 5 In An Early Benchmark, Listed With 1.4GHz Dual-Core CPU, 1GB Of RAM

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The new new iPad hits stores Friday, but an early Geekbench benchmark reveals some interesting details. Apparently, at least per this one-off report, the 4th generation iPad uses a dual-core ARMv7 CPU with 1GB of RAM. Not surprisingly, this results in benchmark scores better than those earned by the iPhone 5. → Read More

October 29th, 2012

Microsoft Surface Teardown Reveals It’s More Repairable Than iPad Thanks To Modular Components

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Popular gadget repair site iFixit has taken the Microsoft Surface apart to see what makes it tick, and discovered a tablet/PC that scores higher on repairability than Apple’s iPad and its Retina MacBook Pro computers. The Surface ended up with a repairability score of 4 out of a possible 10, compared to just 2 out of 10 for the iPad, 2 out of 10 for the 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro. → Read More

October 28th, 2012

6 Business Friendly Features In iOS 6 And What They Say About The New “Surface” Threat

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Apple CEO Tim Cook said in the earnings call this past week that 80% of the Fortune 500 companies use iPhones and iPads. To make his point, Cook said companies such as Canon are outfitting its entire field sales teams with iPads. → Read More

October 27th, 2012

Tablet First, Mobile Second.

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Developers tend to think “mobile first, tablet second” because tablets seem like stretched out mobile devices, and mobiles tend to have much higher install bases. The devs reason that if they design for mobile first and then stretch to fit tablet then that’s probably sufficient. Not so much. → Read More

October 26th, 2012

The Hex3 JaJa Stylus: A Pressure-Sensitive iPad Drawing Tool That Uses Sound To Paint A Picture

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Meet the Hex3 JaJa stylus, a pressure-sensitive drawing tool for the iPad (and other tablets, too) that transmits information to the device via sound waves, eschewing the need for a Bluetooth connection. It’s only one of a recent crop of pressure-sensitive styli for the iPad, but its unique, quirky design provides both its big advantages and its most significant flaws. → Read More

October 25th, 2012

Tim Cook On Steve Jobs’ Tablet Rant: We Will Never Make A 7-Inch Tablet, We Don’t Think They’re Good Products

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During the Q4 Apple earnings call, Cook addressed words spoken by Steve Jobs in the past regarding a 7-inch tablet

On comments that Steve made before about 7 inch tablets, let me be clear, we would not make one of the 7 inch tablets, we don’t think they’re good products, we’d never make one. → Read More

October 25th, 2012

Apple’s Q4 2012: iPad Sales Miss Expectations With 14 Million Units Sold

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Apple managed to sell a lot of iOS devices over the last three months. But iPad sales are still declining. They are down 17.6 percent to 14 million compared to 17 million in Q3 — a bit more than expected. Analysts expected at least 15.55 million units, and sometimes more. Apple missed on those sales. → Read More