the iPadHole

Fancy adding the iPad to your daily grind but feel the 9.7-inch touch-screen device is a little big for your purse, shoulder bag or coat’s inside pocket? Well, if current rumours are to be believed, two smaller iterations of Apple’s popular tablet are on the way.

Citing “sources from component makers,” technology website DigiTimes reports that a second-generation iPad device in (OLED) screen sizes of either 5.6 inch and 7.0 inch is already in the works and could be heading for retail as soon as 2010’s fourth quarter.

According to the report, which does not unveil its sources, the existing 9.7-inch iPad will also carry an OLED screen and is set to receive some minor feature changes when the two new model sizes are officially revealed.

The reduced screen sizes will likely come attached to reduced price tags, the sources claim, which should widen the iPad’s consumer appeal and see Apple’s tablet emerge as an even greater threat to the electronic reader market.

Leading eBook device such as Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes & Noble’s Nook have both recently been lowered in price (from $259 USD to $189 USD and $199 USD respectively) in an effort to distance the devices from Apple’s baseline iPad, which currently retails for $499 USD.

Source: TheTechHerald.com

Rumours of RIM’s BlackBerry tablet, to potentially rival Apple’s iPad, are back in the news following fresh reports sparked by an investors note revealed by CNET.

A research note from Ashok Kumar, an analyst and managing director at Rodman & Renshaw, claims RIM’s new tablet will come with a smaller 7-inch screen, in contrast to the iPad’s 9.7-inch diagonal display.
Read about the Effects of Interference on WLANs: Download now

The BlackBerry tablet will also offer front and rear facing cameras, similar to those found on Apple’s new iPhone 4, Kumar suggests.

“Research In Motion (RIMM, Market Perform) is trying to pull forward the launch of the 7-inch touchscreen tablet from early next year to year end…with a marginal point of differentiation being the front- and back-facing cameras for videoconferencing,” Kumar said in his research note.

Additionally, reports claim the BlackBerry tablet will be powered by a 1GHz processor, possibly the Marvell 1GHz Armada 610 processor, which offers full HD 1080p playback, 16-megapixel image captures and advanced 3D graphics.

On Friday, Kumar also predicted Apple iPad shipments to more than double, to 27 million units in 2011, while “estimates of 70 million iPhone shipments next year comfortably exceed street estimates of low-to-mid 50 million,” the analyst added.

However, Kumar warned Apple may struggle to meet that demand.

“Demand continues to chase supply for iPhones and iPads. In both instances, panels and touchscreen remain the supply bottleneck. While increased capacity and higher yields should improve availability of retinal screens from LG Display, it is unlikely to completely satiate global iPhone demand for remainder of the year.”

The UK Apple Store currently has “Ships: 3 weeks” against the SIM-free black 16GB and 32GB iPhone 4, while the white iPhone 4 is: “currently unavailable for order.”

Source: Networkworld.com

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. could start selling Apple Inc.’s iPad this year in some U.S. stores as it attempts to compete with electronics chains.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. recognizes that its customers are tech-savvy and want to integrate their e-mail, movies, games and music into on functional device.

If you’re contemplating investing in Wal-Mart Stores Inc. shares, make sure you do it at the right price. Timing the market or technical analysis might often a hard task, but do make sure you take into account the price history:

Source: StockBriefings.com

If you are one of the millions of iPhone 4 users hoping that the upcoming update will correct that dreaded “death grip” problem – you are in for a big surprise. More than one person is reporting that after calling Apple’s support line, AppleCare, they are being told that the update will not fix the service problems encountered when holding the iPhone in the so-called death grip.

Since its release, consumers that shelled out hundreds of dollars for their not-so smartphone have complained about reception problems and dropped calls. The problem is how the phone is held. When held in the left hand, the antenna (which is housed inside the side part of the unit) becomes blocked which results in poor or no signal. Given insult to injury, Steve Jobs (Apple CEO) had the perfect solution – don’t hold the phone in such a way that your hand blocks or covers the antenna.

At the beginning of July 2010, Apple finally relents and admits that “Houston, we have a problem!”. Apple’s new statement states that perhaps there is an error in the “formula” that determines how many reception bars are displayed on the iPhone. That’s all good and well, but smart consumers are still up in arms because the iPhone’s “formula” has nothing to with the “death grip”.

Apple did state that they are receiving masses of emails from iPhone 4 users that say the reception on the new iPhone supersedes that of the iPhone 3GS. They may have failed to mention that a lot of people are stating they are receiving better service – when they use the bumper case recommended by Apple that costs about $30.

However, they did go on to say “Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength.” Apple is planning on using the formula recommended by AT&T and will give iPhone users a free software update which is due out within the next couple of weeks.

So the million-dollar question (or billion-dollar in the case of Apple), how will a software update correct the issue of hand operation? Perhaps the update will send shockwaves through your palm should you grab it in the wrong way – highly doubtful.

Now for those that are considering on buying a new iPhone 4, you have a few options. You could take a new iPhone for a trial run. If you are unhappy, just return it within the 30 day trial period and just pay the fees charged. You can also wait for the iPhone 4 to be released by Verizon, if that should occur. But it’s unknown how the death grip will affect service with Verizon.

There are also great alternatives to the iPhone 4 like the HTC Evo 4G. And lastly, just don’t buy one. Why would anyone spend that amount of money on a flawed gadget?

Source: AppleInsider.com

Apple’s iPad sold 3 million units in its first 80 days at market, setting a pace likely to put it ahead of the iPhone and all Netbooks for first full-quarter sales. So what sort of run-rate can we expect for the device in 2011?

That’s difficult to say, given the limited sales data available. But Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi gave it a shot in a note to clients Thursday, and the number he came up with is astonishing, though it’s quite a bit lower than the buy-side number that’s being bandied about these days.

“An analysis based on extrapolating sales trajectories of [the iPhone, iPod Touch, and all Netbooks] suggests that Apple could sell a staggering 25 million iPads or more in FY 11,” Sacconaghi says. “We believe that current buyside expectations for FY 11 for the iPad are now at 20-25 million+ units, largely based on such an extrapolation.” [Ed. note: More like 28 million, Toni...]

Not that he’s totally confident Apple will hit that number. He thinks sales will end up a bit lower, though he’s wary of offering a definitive forecast. “While iPad’s fast start points to the potential for 25M iPads in FY11, we note that the range of outcomes is wide and uncertain, particularly since the product use-cases and competitive offerings are very nascent. We currently estimate 18M iPads for FY 11, but underscore that we do not have high conviction in our estimate.”

Sacconaghi’s uneasiness here is due largely to fears that extrapolating the iPad’s growth trajectory from sales to early adopters might result in an unrealistic estimate. He also worries that expanded international distribution won’t juice iPad sales as much as the market hopes. Which is understandable. After all, the device is still quite new and its use-cases are still being established.

Source: Cnet.com

Looking for downloads for your new Apple iPad? Well, you’re not the only person. The Apple iPad is one of the hottest gadgets out at the moment and has the ability to display eBooks and more in wonderful high-definition quality. Unfortunately, it can be very costly to fill it up with multimedia, and with each digital book costing around $12, it can all add up.

However there is a solution! myPadMedia is a new site which allows iPad owners to download hundreds of eBooks, Comic Books and more directly to the iPad! No limits, no delays, and no expensive bill at the end of the month!

They provide books in all sorts of genres including fiction, non-fiction, crime, mystery, romance, and more! And these aren’t books you have never heard of, they are some of the best-selling novels which are selling in the stores for $20 each!

myPadMedia also provides members with hundreds of comic books which can be downloaded to the Apple iPad. Popular titles include Spider-man, Batman, Superman, Iron Man, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and much more! Plus there is a ton of manga and anime as well!

myPadMedia membership also enables members to download hundreds of worldwide newspapers each and every day with the touch of a button! There’s also a heap of other extra bonuses for your iPad which will definitely come in handy when using your device.

Become a member of myPadMedia by visiting the site today. The customer support team is there to assist you 24 hours a day with almost anything! Check them out here!

It’s been like pulling teeth, and it took journalists mailing AppleCare rather than Apple’s notoriously tight-lipped and selectively-responding public relations department, but we have our answer. That iPhone 4 software update will do nothing to fix the reception problems–it is a hardware issue.

Gizmodo e-mailed AppleCare support three times this week and got the same answer every time, which means that Apple has changed their tone ever so slightly. AppleCare representatives confirmed an antenna interference issue when the phone is held near that infamous lower left-hand corner. The software update would only make iPhone 4?s signal meter more accurate, and not fix the problem.

In other words, now you’ll really get an idea of how much this issue is killing your reception.

Apple is telling its customers as it has in its most recent public statement to not hold the phone in a manner that causes the hand to touch that lower left hand corner, or purchase a $30 bumper from Apple which would solve the problem (a case from any manufacturer would, too).

Neowin’s Brad Sams has an obviously Microsoft-centric take on the issue, but its definitely true: Apple’s iPhone 4 problem is beginning to look a lot like Xbox 360?s Red Ring of Death Issue. Microsoft attempted to sweep the issue under the rug, but waseventually forced to take action just based on the sheer scope of it.

It could be argued that Apple is getting close to this point, and that’s why we’re beginning to see a change in its tone. I do agree that if customers are having enough of an issue with the phone that Apple should be providing these bumpers at no cost. It wasn’t the consumers’ fault that designers decided to make the antenna out of bare metal that surrounded the case.

Either way, it doesn’t look like this issue will be going away anytime soon. I highly doubt Apple would change the design of the phone in midstream, so we’ll probably be waiting until iPhone 5 for a true fix.

PCWorld.com

Do you like indie films? Documentaries? Animation? Then I’m about to make your day: NFB Films for iPad lets you watch over a thousand movies on your tablet. For free.

“NFB” stands for National Film Board, a bona fide Canadian treasure. The app taps the NFB’s mammoth library of documentaries, features, animated films, trailers (for upcoming NFB releases), and more.

All the movies are streamed to your iPad (via Wi-Fi only), but there’s also an ingenious “watch later” option that downloads a selected movie for offline viewing–great if you’re about to get on a plane or something. These downloads expire after 48 hours, which strikes me as more than fair. (Apple’s own App Store movie rentals last only 24 hours, and you have to pay for those.)

NFB Films includes a Channels section where you can browse various categories, including Documentaries, History & War, and Environment. There’s a search option, natch, and you can add movies to a favorites (sorry, “favourites”) list for easier access.

If you come across a film you want to share with friends, the app lets you send an e-mail that includes a link to the Web version.

I did encounter the occasional bug–sometimes a paused movie wouldn’t stay paused, for instance–but overall I had a ball perusing the film library and watching some true gems.

Indeed, although I tend to have fairly mainstream tastes when it comes to movies, in recent years I’ve developed a strong appreciation for, well, “films.” This app comes stacked to the digital rafters with them, and they’re all free. Consequently, NFB Films easily earns a spot on my list of must-have iPad apps.

Source: Cnet.com

iPad News:

Despite all claims by PC purists that the iPad is a toy that has no real purpose–especially in the corporate world, there are large enterprises embracing the tablet device. It may be designed as a portable media consumption device for consumers, but the iPad also provides a unique mobile computing platform for business as well.

The iPhone has already paved the way for enterprise acceptance of the Apple iPad tablet.Bloomberg reports that Wells Fargo has approved the iPad for business use, and that SAP AG, Tellabs Inc., and Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz unit are all using the Apple iPad for various tasks ranging from e-mail access to empowering the mobile sales force with the tools to approve shipping orders or verify auto financing options.

Apple has sold more than three million iPads already, and analysts estimate that it is on track to continue selling roughly two million more tablets per month. It’s a lot of estimates and speculation, but if the AT&T statistic that four in ten iPhones are purchased for business use carries over to iPads, that would mean that 1.2 million of the iPads are currently being used for business purposes–and that 800k more are being added each month.

A recent survey found that eight in ten business professionals rely on their smartphone as the primary business communication platform, and would rather give up coffee than surrender the smartphone. The survey also indicated that 34 percent of respondents use on the smartphone more than a PC for business computing, and that seven percent leave the laptop at home and rely purely on the smartphone when traveling.

The reason that business professionals rely on the smartphone so heavily is not that it’s a superior communication or computing platform. It comes down to portability and convenience. The desk phone and PC are only functional while you are sitting at your desk, while the smartphone is usually within arm’s reach 24/7.

The iPad–or other upcoming tablets like those from HP, Cisco, or LG–provides almost the same degree of portability and convenience, but on a significantly larger display adding more functionality than the smartphone is capable of.

Notebooks are certainly more portable than their desktop PC predecessors, but are very cumbersome and bulky compared to a smartphone. Netbooks provide a smaller, lighter platform with longer battery life in exchange for things like processing power and storage capacity.

Most mobile computing comes down to Web surfing, e-mail access, reviewing spreadsheets or business documents, and maybe watching a movie on a long flight. Tablet devices like the iPad offer a hybrid approach combining the advantages of the smartphone with the advantages of a netbook to provide mobile business professionals with a device that is more than adequate for those needs.

The iPhone has already broken down the walls and been embraced by many IT departments. As evidenced with Wells Fargo, the iPad–which runs on the same iOS (although the iPad is still on iOS 3.2 and won’t receive iOS 4.0 until later this year)–is making the transition from consumer gadget to business tool much faster.

I think Steve Jobs declaration that the PC is dead is a tad premature, but it is not any more ludicrous than the denial by PC purists that the tablet is a capable platform that can transform the definition of mobile computing.

Source: PCWorld.com

It will take you longer to read a book on an iPad or Kindle compared to the printed page, according to a recent study. Dr. Jakob Nielsen of the Nielsen Norman Group–a product development consultancy that is not associated with Nielsen, the metrics company–compared the reading times of 24 users on the Kindle 2, an iPad using the iBooks application, a PC monitor and good old fashioned paper. The study found that reading on an electronic tablet was up to 10.7 percent slower than reading a printed book. Despite the slower reading times, Nielsen found that users preferred reading books on a tablet device compared to the paper book. The PC monitor, meanwhile, was universally hated as a reading platform among all test subjects.

The Study

Nielsen’s findings were based on the performance of 24 users who “like reading and frequently read books.” The subjects each read different short stories by Ernest Hemingway on all four platforms, and were measured for their reading speeds and story comprehension. Overall, it took each user an average of 17 minutes and 20 seconds to read a story regardless of the platform and comprehension levels were virtually identical on all four reading formats.

However, Nielsen says the printed book was the clear winner in terms of speed. Users were reading 6.2 percent slower on an iPad compared to paper, and 10.7 percent slower on the Kindle 2. Nielsen did not provide any statistics on the reading time for the PC monitor.

Interestingly, Nielsen’s results appear to show that reading on the iPad is significantly faster compared to the Kindle 2. But Nielsen was quick to dismiss this conclusion arguing that the reading speeds between the two devices were “not statistically significant.” “The difference [between reading times on the iPad and Kindle 2] would be so small that it wouldn’t be a reason to buy one over the other,” Nielsen wrote.

The study also asked each user to rate how they liked each format on a scale of 1 to 7. The iPad, Kindle 2, and printed book were nearly tied at 5.8, 5.7, and 5.6 respectively, while the PC monitor ranked last at 3.6 points. The test subjects said that reading on the PC felt too much like being at work, while they found it more relaxing to read a printed book than on an electronic device.

Tablets Still Can’t Beat the Book

So it appears technology hasn’t quite figured out yet how to replicate the experience of the printed page. That said this study leaves a lot to be desired owing to its small test group size, but it would be interesting to see a similar study on a much larger scale. I’d be curious to find out, for example, if there’s any big difference in reading speeds based on age groups.

Would people in their 20s read faster on a screen than a book since they’ve spent a majority of their lives consuming digital content? How would the younger group compare to people in their late 30s and early 40s who also grew up with electronic devices such as the Commodore Vic-20, the original Mac, and IBM clones?

This study also left out reading on a laptop, which is a far more mobile reading experience than a desktop PC and could therefore be more enjoyable. I’d also like to know if the iPad would remain a faster reading experience than the Kindle in a larger study. On the one hand, the iPad can render a new page faster than the Kindle, which could account for the uptick in speed. But you would think the Kindle’s ability to closely mimic the printed page, thanks to its e-ink display, would bring its reading speeds closer to the traditional book.

Regardless of how fast people can read on an electronic device, the e-reader is becoming more popular every year. E-books raked in $313 million in 2009 growing by 176.6 percent compared to 2008, overtaking audio book sales. In 2010, e-book sales are currently growing at a rate of 217.3 percent versus 2009, according to estimates by the Association of American Publishers.

If you want to check out Nielsen’s findings for yourself, you can find it here. It’s a fairly short read, but if you’re pressed for time you might want to print it out.

Source: PCWorld.com