iPad 2 sliced up again, this time in the name of radio science

By now you’ve probably watched iFixit’s recent iPad 2 teardown video several times while drooling profusely, but we just know you’re itching to find out what’s different with the innards of the WiFi-only, GSM, and CDMA versions. Well once again, iFixit’s got you covered — via an “exceptionally cool” user-contributed post, this time. A grand total of three iPad 2s were sacrificed in this round, revealing variations in case design, antenna count, WWAN board layout, radio chipset choices, and headphone jack assemblies. Besides clearly visible changes like the black antenna window on the 3G models and the microSIM slot on the GSM version, it’s interesting to note that Apple made the same design choices with the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4. The CDMA model features an additional antenna over its GSM sibling, and uses a Qualcomm Gobi dual-mode radio which supports both CDMA and GSM — the latter being unused — along with an integrated GPS receiver, just like the iPhone 4 for Verizon. The GSM version, meanwhile, uses an Infineon chipset for GSM and a separate Broadcom module for GPS, just like the global iPhone 4. Follow the source link below for more sordid details plus high-resolution pictures.

iPad 2 sliced up again, this time in the name of radio science originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 03:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPad, iPad 2 get unofficial CF card compatibility (video)

Given the impressive knockoffs and official camera kits we’ve seen, we’d say the iPad’s definitely got the stuff to help out most shutterbugs, but up until now, uploading content from a CF card wasn’t exactly easy. Well, our friends over at MIC Gadget recently showed off an iPad / iPad 2-compatible card reader that fixes that on the cheap. Simply called the CF card reader for iPad and iPad 2, the thing slips right into the slate’s dock connector port and, as you can see from the video below, it transfers HD video and high-res images in a snap — it also sports USB connectivity. Like its predecessor, the reader’s available from MIC for $29.90, but you’ll have to wait at least a month to get your hands on one. Oh, and a word of warning, you might want to make sure the iPad supports your camera’s video format before shelling out the dough, as MIC found the slab couldn’t playback video from a Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

Continue reading iPad, iPad 2 get unofficial CF card compatibility (video)

iPad, iPad 2 get unofficial CF card compatibility (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Mar 2011 12:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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All The Third-Party iPad 2 Cases That Use The Magnetic Auto-Wake Sensor [Roundup]

Just because you own an iPad 2, it doesn’t mean you have to purchase the Apple-official Smart Cover—but it’s likely that you’ll still want to take advantage of its (incredibly cool) auto-wake feature. So we’ve rounded up all the third-party iPad 2 cases with magnetic sensors, just for you. More »

Gadget Lab Notes: Could Apple Be Developing a Smart TV?

According to an analyst, Apple could be working on a connected HDTV

Gadget Lab Notes is an eclectic roundup of gadget news briefs and intriguing products that catch our eye.

Does Apple Have a Smart TV in the Works?
According to Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty they do. She expects Apple to out a “Smart TV” with DVR, gaming, and FaceTime capabilities sometime in 2012 or 2013. Asian component suppliers suggest that they’re in the process of building a prototype. An Apple HDTV set could be capable of snagging a big portion of the connected television market; even if Apple only captured 1% of the TV market by 2013, they’d make about $4 billion in profits.

Analysts See Apple Branded Television Set in 2012 [9to5 Mac]

Anonymous FCC Agent About T-Mo/AT&T Merger: No Way
An unnamed FCC official said there’s “no way” the FCC would approve AT&T’s proposed buyout of T-Mobile. The agency hasn’t begun formally evaluating the proposal, but they plan to look at whether the merger is a benefit to the public. Similar deals have gone through in the past despite such warnings from agency officials.

AT&T Deal May Face ‘Steep Climb’ at FCC [WSJ]

XGear Smart Cover Enhancer Protects the Back of Your iPad 2
For those that want a bit more protection for their new tablet, the XGear Smart Cover Enhancer could be the answer. It is a thin protective case that snaps onto the back of the iPad. It’s easy to install and remove, and ensures your tablet won’t get nicked as it slides across a table or gets transported in a backpack. It’s available in black or clear for $35.

Smart Cover Enhancer Snap Case [XGear via Slashgear]

A Trump-Worthy iPad of Diamonds, Gold, and… T-Rex Bones?
Why settle for a regular old iPad 2 when you can get an $8 million 24 ct gold model? The “iPad 2 Gold History Edition” includes 53 flawless diamonds, a 24 ct Apple logo and 24 ct gold back weighing 2,000 grams (so much for the new iPad’s weight-loss). But that’s not all: the main front frame is made of Ammolite, the oldest rock in the world, with shaved in portions of a 65 million year old T-rex thighbone. It’s finished off with more diamonds inlaid on the front.

iPad 2 Gold History Edition [Stuart Hughes via Oh Gizmo]


Mobiado Concept Aston Marton Phone Is See-Through
The Mobiado CPT002 Aston Martin concept Android phone would feature a capacitive touchscreen on top of solid sapphire crystal. Platinum sidebabars would house the battery, SIM card, and electronics. Fancy! And of course, it’d have integration with your Aston Martin car—it would hook up to the display, showing parking spots, points of interest, automatically update social media sites with photos and stats when you’re on road trips (should you choose), and help control the responsiveness of the airbag and other safety deployments should a crash occur.

Mobiado CPT002 Aston Martin Concept Promises Transparent Touchscreen [Android Community]

Concept Pacifier Would Discretely Deliver Medicine To Your Baby
The Dr. Shuuuuuut pacifier seems like a pretty clever way to effectively deliver medicine to your sick wee one (and nope, my U key did not get stuck). There’s a special chamber within the pacifier that can hold a capsule of medicine. Place a capsule in and twist the cap to release the medicine. As junior sucks, very small amounts are slowly swallowed—theoretically, such small amounts they won’t even notice or taste it.

Dr. Shuuuuuut [Yanko Design]


iPad 2 international launch causes people to line up in line all over again (updated)

You may or may not know this, but the iPad 2 became available in 22 countries today, and from the looks of it above (snapped at London’s Regent Street store), waiting in line was part of the deal. Now, we have this theory that people love to line up for anything, so we’re not going to draw any conclusions about how dreamy the product is, but please, if you shot any line photos today, feel free to send them our way and we’ll throw them in our post after the break.

Continue reading iPad 2 international launch causes people to line up in line all over again (updated)

iPad 2 international launch causes people to line up in line all over again (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 18:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Real Racing 2 HD update might just make you get an AV adapter for your iPad 2

Apple’s demonstrations may not have exactly made its Digital AV Adapter seem like a must-have accessory for the iPad 2, but the folks from Firemint may well change your mind with their upcoming update for Real Racing 2 HD. Not only will it let you output full 1080p video instead of just mirroring the iPad 2’s display (and aspect ratio) on your TV, but it will even let you use your iPad 2 as a secondary display — in this case, to display a map of the track. Unfortunately, there’s no word on a release date for the update, but you can get a pretty good taste of what’s in store in the video above.

Real Racing 2 HD update might just make you get an AV adapter for your iPad 2 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 16:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is your iPad 2 experiencing intermittent WiFi connection issues?

Some things, they never change. Boys will be boys, free never really is, and iPads will have WiFi issues. If you’ll recall, the original Apple slate also had such troubling issues with maintaining a wireless connection that the folks in Cupertino actually made a promise to fix things in time. Eventually, that patch was indeed rolled out, but then we heard that iOS 4.2 was being pushed a bit due to — you guessed it — more WiFi issues. Now that the iPad 2 has made its way out into the adoring public’s hands, we’re starting to see a growing cadre of customers raising similar gripes. Our in-house iPad 2 hasn’t shown any WiFi connection issues as of yet, but there’s a 10+ page thread over in Apple’s forums that have us wondering if we’re amongst the lucky few. Have you noticed any internet quirks with your new iPad? Or are all of these people simply using the world’s worst router? Let us know in comments below.

[Thanks, Brian]

Is your iPad 2 experiencing intermittent WiFi connection issues? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 14:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPad 2 Glass Is Thinner But Stronger Than Original iPad’s

A series of stress tests show that Apple’s new iPad 2 has significantly stronger glass than its predecessor, even though it’s 27 percent thinner.

Shown in the video above, repair company iFixYouri.com tested the flexibility of the screens by propping them on two wooden blocks elevated one or two inches high and pressing down on them with a wooden plank. The iPad 2’s screen survived when bent from both elevations, but the iPad 1’s screen broke when flexed from one inch high.

Finally, the iFixYouri tester had to break the iPad 2’s glass with his own hands. Brutal.

“That glass was redonkulously strong!” an iFixYouri engineer says in the video.

It’s impressive how much progress glassmakers have made between just the first- and second-generation iPads. Perhaps our dreams of flexible digital displays aren’t too far off.

From 9 to 5 Mac


iPad 2 gets a magnetic cherry cover to top off its delicious hardware cake (video)

Killing time until the iPad 2 finally becomes available across Europe later today? Well, now you can stoke the flames of anticipation by taking a gander at this here wood cover made specifically for the magnet-infused new Appletablet. It comes from a single piece of cherry wood and rolls up into a stand, providing a pair of landscape positions and a sturdy base for keeping the slate vertical should you wish to gaze upon it in portrait mode. Frankly, Apple should’ve been the one to come up with this refinement on its Smart Covers, though at least a small company like Miniot spares us the overblown rhetoric about life-changing gear purchases. Price isn’t too bad, either, with orders starting at €50 later on today.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading iPad 2 gets a magnetic cherry cover to top off its delicious hardware cake (video)

iPad 2 gets a magnetic cherry cover to top off its delicious hardware cake (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 06:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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5-in-1 Connection Kit Gives the iPad the Ports You Wish It Had

iPad Connector Kit

One of the most common complaints about the iPad is that it just doesn’t have enough ports. There’s no SD card slot, there’s no way to connect your camera without buying Apple’s adapter, there’s no USB port for charging, there’s no data port for external devices, the list goes on. Now with the 5-in-1 Connection Kit for iPad, you can have it all. 
The kit includes one dongle that supports the original iPad and the iPad 2, supports iOS 4.0 and higher, and features a component video port, an SD card reader, a MicroSD card slot, a Micro USB slot for charging your iPad, and even a USB port for data input and supported devices like a keyboard. 
What’s the catch, you ask? Well, just because the port is there doesn’t mean that iOS will recognize every device connected to it (specifically for USB keyboards.) The component video port offers lower quality video than Apple’s own HDMI dongle, and there’s nothing to say that future firmware updates won’t completely break this dongle’s compatibility. Also, the product description notes that it’s unwise to plug in more than one item at the same time. 
Still, if the iPad’s lack of ports is just something you can’t get over, this 5-in-1 Connection Kit can be yours for $44.99 retail. It’s worth a shot if you don’t mind the price and don’t want to drop the cash on multiple dongles from the Apple Store.