Hasta La Gadget!

While it’s been easy for Canadians to get data plans for the iPad and iPad mini, they haven’t had the luxury of picking one up at a carrier store like their American neighbors. They will soon, however: Rogers and Telus say they’ll be selling the LTE versions of both iPads sometime in the “coming weeks.” Details are scarce, although the two networks promise that they’ll keep offering contract-free data plans. We’ve reached out to learn whether or not Bell is following suit.

There isn’t any talk of similar offerings with smaller providers, although Wind Mobile is offering an olive branch to iPhone owners. The carrier is now selling $25 nano-SIM cards for those who’ve bought an unlocked, AWS-friendly iPhone 5 through Apple. These customers won’t have LTE, but they’ll get HSPA+ data on less expensive (and less restricted) plans. Hit Wind’s Facebook page to learn just which devices qualify.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Wireless, Mobile, Apple

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Source: Rogers, Telus, Wind Mobile (Facebook)

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Based on last quarter’s global PC shipment numbers, Microsoft continues to feel pain in making the case for Windows is a viable tablet operating system. Theoretically, the dual-identity (Windows 8/RT) operating system has everything it needs to be a contender, but the promise is ahead of the reality on three interdependent fronts: chip-level hardware, legacy support, and app software.

For example, if x86 chips were more competitive with ARM processors from a performance-per-watt perspective, then Microsoft wouldn’t be as reliant on Metro-style apps for functionality. And if more developers were creating Metro-style apps, then consumers wouldn’t have to go to the legacy desktop mode as much to get things done. (Until the company releases a Metro-style Office, Microsoft really can’t wag its finger too much at third parties.)

Filed under: Tablets, Apple, Microsoft, HP

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After creating the Photorito lens wrap that makes your zoom like a burrito, Photojojo has pulled off another feat: making iPad photographers look even wackier than normal. But the company’s iPad telephoto lens is pretty useful if you’re willing to hold a slab to your face to grab images. It brings a useful 10x zoom to the iPad 3 and 4, and 12x to the iPad Mini, giving you un-pixelated closeups along with “slight vignetting, a lo-fi look and all around interest to your photos.” You’re not going to make your iPad any less conspicuous as a camera than it already is, so you can grab the wee lens for $25 at the source.

Filed under: Cameras, Tablets

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Via: Cult of Mac

Source: Photojojo

UK retailer GAME has been hunting for ways to stay relevant during a shift to downloadable games — and now, that includes cribbing some style (just a little!) from Americans. Much like GameStop across the pond, GAME will soon sell a full range of tablets at 150 of its stores. The existing Nexus 7 offering will be joined by the seemingly obligatory 16GB iPad and iPad mini, although the rest of the lineup will be decidedly more frugal: options like the £100 Acer Iconia B1-A71 and £130 Archos GamePad will be bracketed by a raft of mostly DGM-built slates that dip as low as £60. It’s difficult to know how the expanded sales will help GAME’s bottom line, although the Nexus 7 reportedly fared well enough that it’s likely tablets are here to stay.

Filed under: Tablets, Apple, Google

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Via: Eurogamer

Source: GAME

If you’ve been lusting after Apple’s latest tablet offerings but couldn’t muster the funds to snag one, you just might have your chance now. Seemingly a rite of passage for Apple products, the Cupertino company is now offering the iPad Mini and the 4th-gen iPad for slightly cheaper prices as refurbs. Depending on the model, they’re on sale for anywhere from six to ten percent off. For example, the 16GB 4th-gen iPad sans LTE is now $449 after a $50 discount, while an LTE-free 32GB Mini is $389 after a $40 discount. Not every single iteration is in stock at the moment — the base 16GB Mini isn’t listed, for instance — but we’re sure the inventory will be filled out soon enough. Have a peek at the source to see if you can score yourself a sweet deal on a bonafide Apple tablet that’s almost as good as new.

Filed under: Tablets, Apple

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Via: SlashGear

Source: Apple