Hasta La Gadget!

It’s just one week after Nintendo unveiled dual-screen gaming on the Wii U at E3, but Apple’s iOS 5 beta is already bringing a very similar experience to the living room — many months before Nintendo’s latest console is expected to ship. We installed iOS 5 on an iPad 2 and Apple TV, and took the latest version of Real Racing 2 HD for a test-drive, which enables dual-screen gameplay over AirPlay without the need for Apple’s $39 AV adapter. Other games, like Angry Birds, simply mirror the iPad’s display (and aspect ratio) on your HDTV, but Real Racing streams 16:9 HD video.

For this game (and we imagine many more to come), you use the iPad as the controller — both while navigating through menus and in race mode — while the game appears only on your TV (though the tablet does display some vitals, and a map of the track). There’s noticeable lag between the iPad and Apple TV when using AirPlay, which may be an issue for games where timing is important, such as Rock Band, but didn’t seem to set us back while playing Firemint’s racing game. Overall, AirPlay offered a seamless gaming experience without a single hiccup — surprising, considering iOS 5 just hit beta last week. It’s difficult to do this hands-on justice without a video demo, so jump past the break for an exclusive look at wireless, dual-screen gaming on the iPad and Apple TV.

Continue reading Real Racing 2 HD wireless, dual-screen gaming with iOS 5 on iPad 2 hands-on (video)

Real Racing 2 HD wireless, dual-screen gaming with iOS 5 on iPad 2 hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you’re like us, you’ve spent entirely too much time wondering how the movie Rear Window might have played out differently, had someone just handed Jimmy Stewart’s character an iPad to play with. With the introduction of the Super Gear Telescope, it seems that the plot would’ve been mostly the same, just as soon as he finished beating Angry Birds. The Brando add-on brings 6x zoom to the iPad 2 and generally looks far less awkward than its iPhone predecessor. All in all, $26 seems like a small price to pay to see what the neighbors are looking at on their own iPads.

Brando’s iPad 2 telescope is perfect for watching the next Apple keynote originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 18:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The iPad 2 is available as a Wi-Fi-only device, or with 3G access from ATT or Verizon. (Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com)

Apple recalled an unspecified number of Verizon-carried iPad 2 tablets because of connectivity issues related to their mobile equipment identifier codes.

Late last week, a number of people reported in online forums that their iPad 2s were being returned to China mid-shipment, prompting rumors of a recall. After getting shipment notification for an iPad 2 from FedEx, some who had placed orders received a delivery exception notification that Apple had requested the unit’s return.

9to5 Mac first brought the issue to light on Thursday, with a number of readers confirming via e-mail or comments on the initial blog post.

One such reader, a recent iPad 2 purchaser from Louisville, Kentucky, said:

I bought an iPad2 on Wednesday (6/8) from the Apple Store in Louisville, KY. It is a 16GB black Verizon 3G edition. Have been using it for past couple days on wi-fi and went to activate the 3G service on it today. Had trouble doing it on the iPad, so I called Verizon for assistance. They told me that there is a batch of iPad2’s with duplicate MEID’s (which I believe are hardcoded into the device) out there and apparently I have one of them. Only way to fix is to bring my iPad2 back to the store for exchange to new iPad.

An Apple spokesperson confirmed this and the limited recall, saying, “Duplicate MEID codes were flashed onto an extremely small number of iPad units for the Verizon 3G network.” An MEID is a one-of-a-kind numerical code that is used to identify a mobile device when it connects to a CDMA network, which is why only the Verizon units were affected.

Apple unveiled its second generation tablet earlier this year, and the device originally went on sale March 11. Network connectivity is available in three options: Wi-Fi only, or 3G service provided by either AT&T or Verizon.

An Apple Store employee commented on instructions for identifying the affected tablets:

Apple has given all the stores a list of serial numbers to scan, if it’s a match we were told to set aside and ship back to Apple, these are only for Verizon iPads. This was to be done on Monday and continue to scan all shipments thru June 11. I had over one hundred to send back.

The exact number of affected units has not been released, but Apple is in the process of replacing affected iPad 2s with new ones.

See also:

• Foxconn Factory Workers Arrested, Charged for Leaking iPad 2
• 9 iPad Music Apps to Rock Your World
• Fingers-On: Adobe’s Photoshop Touch Apps for iPad
• Hands-On With Apple’s Skinnier, Faster iPad 2
• Apple Will Replace Your Junky iPod Shuffle Headphones
• Apple Recalls iPhone 3G Power Adapters

Shadowgun looked good when we saw footage of it last month, and at E3 2011 we got to chat with the game’s creators about the Tegra-optimized title. Madfinger, the game’s creator, worked closely with NVIDIA to wring the maximum performance possible out of the Tegra 2 platform, but it said Shadowgun will still look stunning on other silicon. The game is built on the multi-platform Unity engine and will be coming to iOS and Android devices around the world in September (prices TBD). As you can see in the video above, it runs smooth as silk on an LG G2x (55-60fps) and Motorola’s Xoom (30fps). Madfinger said we can also expect 60fps on the iPad 2 and devices packing Kal-El chips, and 30fps on other Android handsets and the iPhone 4 when the game debuts. If you’ve got a hankering for some more video of the game, check the official trailer after the break.

Continue reading Madfinger demos and dishes details on its forthcoming Shadowgun game

Madfinger demos and dishes details on its forthcoming Shadowgun game originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jun 2011 15:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The unveiling of iOS 5 at this year’s WWDC keynote brought a wonderful feast of features, but it left us wondering if the iPhone 3GS would be updated with a few cards short of a full deck — the same way the 3G was treated last year. Reports are starting to flow in from folks who’ve tested it, so let’s get the bad news out of the way first: yes, some features are being withheld from the 3GS. The good news? They’re much more minor than we feared. So far, it appears that full Twitter integration and notifications are included; the newsstand and App Store are also intact, as well as the Safari reading list and grid lines in the camera. The only things we see missing so far are the photo editing features in the camera and the tab bar in Safari. So breathe a deep and well-deserved sigh of relief, fans, because your iPhone 3GS isn’t obsolete — at least, not yet. The full walkthrough of iOS 5 on the 3GS is right after the break.

Continue reading iOS 5 imposes minor feature limitations on iPhone 3GS, 3G owners still bitter

iOS 5 imposes minor feature limitations on iPhone 3GS, 3G owners still bitter originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jun 2011 05:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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