Hasta La Gadget!

Though the Apple iPad and the Samsung Wave most assuredly share the same brain, EE Times would like you to know there’s more to a chip than its core — analyzing Apple’s system-on-a-chip designs in detail back to early iPhones, the publication noticed that Cupertino’s silicon both has custom design quirks on top of ARM and shows heavy influence from Samsung as well. EE Times claims that while the A4 and Samsung S5PC110 are similar, there are certainly differences, enough to call the A4 a custom design. Essentially, Apple has a taken a one-size-fits-all product originally engineered to meet the needs of a broad range of OEMs and reduced its complexity, footprint, and cost to match Apple’s particular goals. As far as whether PA Semi or Intrinsity had a hand in that design, the authors suggest only the latter seems very involved. What all this means for intellectual property questions is anyone’s guess — we’ll let the lawyers fight that one out — but when you encounter diehard fans that claim one’s ripping off the other, at least now you’ll be able to calmly explain the situation. Find the deep technical dive at our source link.

Apple’s A4 is like Samsung’s S5, except where it’s not originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 18 Jun 2010 01:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The world’s first iPad inflight entertainment system definitely came sooner than we thought; though Bluebox just announced the idea two weeks ago, it’s slated to hit Australia at the end of the month. Qantas budget carrier Jetstar Airways will hold a trial of the service in the last two weeks of June, doling out iPads to passengers on flights 90 minutes or greater for AUD $10 (approximately $8.40) a pop, and will extend the service to their entire network if the business… well, you know. Since Jetstar CIO Stephen Tame famously predicted the iPad would kill the inflight movie business earlier this year, it seems we’re looking at a classic case of if-you-can’t-beat-em syndrome. Call us biased, but that sounds a good sight better than what Microsoft’s up to.

Jetstar Airways first to rent out iPads, only $8.40 a flight originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Jun 2010 06:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You don’t need to sit down, we’re not about to hit you with any shocking news, but a recent BookExpo America convention has given publishers the chance to air out their laundry list of complaints. Seriously, do these guys ever have anything positive to say? Now they’ve managed to pinpoint a flaw in the Kindle and iPad’s resounding success, identifying the two ebook reading platforms as closed, and expressing a yearning for a universal and open format that all books can be published and consumed on. Of course, they wouldn’t be publishers if they didn’t also lust after robust DRM measures, which might explain why they’re not roundly supporting the readily available EPUB format. It has DRM options, but perhaps they’re not gnarly enough for the dudes responsible for bringing us the psychological horror of the Twilight series. We still don’t like the suggestion that the people, Amazon primarily, who popularized this market should just open it up out of the goodness of their own hearts — maybe we would if publishers ever showed themselves capable of doing similarly noble things.

Ebook publishers seek universal format, lament Apple and Amazon’s closed ecosystems originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 01 Jun 2010 06:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has just trotted out its latest sales milestone for the iPad: two million devices have now been sold since the slate’s launch on April 3. We promise we won’t bother you with sales figures every time another million gets rounded, but it’s notable that the company has managed to maintain the rapid pace it achieved with its hero tablet during its first month on the market. Of course, that big international launch just a couple of days ago would surely have had something to do with it as well. Ah well, good for them.

Continue reading Apple sells two million iPads, international launch likely the main culprit

Apple sells two million iPads, international launch likely the main culprit originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 31 May 2010 08:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The iPad has officially hit Europe today (though some lucky duckies got theirs a bit early), and contrary to earlier descriptions of the iBookstore as being “US only” it seems UK virtual bookshelves are now receiving some decidedly in-copyright texts to fill in the gaps between the dusty, out-of-copyright volumes previously available. Prices are displayed in the local currency, nice for those living in fear of the NWO, and purchases are made in just two taps. So, UK owners, download yourself a new book, find a comfy chair, pour a nice cuppa, and enjoy your weekend with your new toy.

UK iBookstore surprise: premium content appears originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 May 2010 07:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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