Hasta La Gadget!

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

At the launch of the new iPad – superior for video chat, group presentations, and cutting cake — Apple didn’t miss a few opportunities to rub salt in the open air vents of Microsoft’s tablet efforts. Apple noted that sales of the iPad have exceeded those of every other tablet PC ever sold, and that Microsoft (along with other competitors) were chasing doomed strategies that extended outmoded models.

Microsoft has been clear that it will continue to use its “desktop” operating system – Windows – rather than its mobile operating system – the device-specifying Windows Phone 7 – as its operating system for tablets. Considering the critical importance of an intuitive touchscreen UI on tablet — where Windows Phone 7 excels and desktop Windows has struggled — this seems risky on its face. But it is important to remember from Microsoft’s perspective that the question is not whether Windows is the best choice for tablets but whether it is a better choice for Microsoft than Windows Phone. While the company faces an uphill battle regardless of which OS it chooses, its flagship could be the better answer for several reasons.

Continue reading Switched On: Padded Windows

Switched On: Padded Windows originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Mar 2011 19:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Ever find yourself wishing your iPad iPad 2 was free from the fickle whims of wireless internet connections? Neither do we — but, if you’re the cable-dependent type, your prayers may not go unanswered for much longer. Redpark (who gave the iPhone an RJ-11 dongle) has created the Console Cable with the ubiquitous 30-pin Apple connector on one end and an RJ-45 plug on the other. The $69 device is used in conjunction with a $9.99 Get Console app to allow Cisco engineers to use their iDevice of choice to perform maintenance out in the field. Cable and app are exclusively compatible with Cisco devices, however, so no Ethernet on the iPhone… yet. It’s only a matter of time before someone makes it happen — your move, hackers.

Redpark Console Cable gives iDevices an RJ-45 connector, not Ethernet access originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 Mar 2011 15:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Pocket-lint  |  Redpark  | Email this | Comments

In this week’s Gadget Lab podcast, we kick off the show with a quick look at some weird fungus that’s apparently turning certain ants into zombies. Gross and awesome.

Moving on to gadget land, we waste some time playing with Zibits, puny robots controlled with a two-directional “joystick.” They aren’t very useful, but they’re charmingly simple.

In more serious news, we cover the highlights of Apple’s new iPad 2 tablet computer launched this week. It’s thinner, faster and lighter than the previous iPad, with the same $500 starting price.

The iPad 2 also includes two cameras: one on front for video-conferencing and the other on back for snapping photos, which are a neat addition, but they look like they’re pretty low-quality cameras.

Apple is also selling a pretty interesting protective cover for the iPad 2 called the Smart Cover, which has a magnet to clip the accessory right on to the side of the tablet. It’s a neat cover, but we’re more interested in Apple’s business strategy in the accessories game than in the product itself.

We wrap up the podcast with some of our favorite hacks for the Microsoft Kinect. Some clever nerds have hacked Microsoft’s Kinect controller to use it to control music, give themselves boob implants and create 3-D models, among other applications.

UPDATE: To enter the contest mentioned in the podcast, post your answer below by 5pm Pacific on Wednesday, March 9, 2011.

Like the show? You can also get the Gadget Lab video podcast on iTunes, or if you don’t want to be distracted by our unholy on-camera talent, check out the Gadget Lab audio podcast. Prefer RSS? You can subscribe to the Gadget Lab video or audio podcast feeds.

Or listen to the audio here:

Gadget Lab audio podcast No. 106

http://downloads.wired.com/podcasts/assets/gadgetlabaudio/GadgetLabAudio0106.mp3

Apple might say we’re in the post-PC era, but hey — turns out they still make Macs in Cupertino, and the new MacBook Pro is actually one of the more aggressive refreshes in the machine’s history. Not only has it been less than a year since the last MacBook Pro spec bump, but our 15-inch review unit is actually the first Sandy Bridge system we’ve received from any manufacturer. And it’s not just the CPU that’s new: Apple’s also launching the new Thunderbolt high-speed interconnect, and there’s been a big switch to an AMD Radeon HD 6750M GPU paired with Intel’s integrated HD Graphics 3000, an arrangement that should offer both solid graphics performance and great battery life. That’s a lot of new parts in a familiar case — but do they add up to something more than just a speed bump? Read on for our full review!

Continue reading MacBook Pro review (early 2011)

MacBook Pro review (early 2011) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

We knew good and well that both Verizon Wireless and AT&T would be getting their own 3G iPad 2, and while the latter is still trumpeting the original iPad on its site, VZW has gone ahead and put up a placeholder for what’s next. A scant four months after the first iPad hit Verizon airwaves (by way of a MiFi), the “thinner, lighter, faster and FaceTime-equipped” model is just around the bend — complete with an embedded CDMA 3G module. Hit the source link if you’d like to be notified of updates, or just make sure to wake up on March 11th. Whatever’s easier for you.

[Thanks, Aaron]

Verizon hosts its own iPad 2 notification portal, no last-minute mention of LTE to be found originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 14:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Verizon Wireless  | Email this | Comments