Apr 05

Rent an iPad During Your Vacation to Madrid, Spain

Posted in: ipad, Tablets and E-Readers, Today's Chili, Travel

A typical bar in Madrid. Photo Charlie Sorrel

Forget about buying travel guides. Why not rent an iPad for the duration of your vacation? If you’re going to Madrid, Spain, you can do exactly that. A company called Pad in the City will rent you a 3G iPad for €39 ($55) per day, with unlimited data and a bunch of handy travel apps preinstalled.

It works like this. You reserve the iPad ahead of time and, when you arrive at your hotel, apartment, airport, railway station, wherever, a courier will hand-deliver the iPad to you. He will check your ID, block a €500 deposit on your credit card and hand over the tablet. At the end of your stay, he’ll come back and collect the iPad and un-block the security deposit.

It’s a fantastic idea. An iPad is a really handy travel companion. I was in Madrid a few weeks back for a long weekend and used mine constantly. I live in Spain, though, so I have my own 3G contract, but for visitors this seems ideal. Apps include offline maps, subscriptions to the WSJ and other U.S rags, weather, Angry Birds (yes!), The Lonely Planet Guide to Madrid, car rental apps (hint — parking and traffic are a nightmare in Madrid), a unit converter, a metro map (use this) and more.

In fact, this service gives me an even better idea. What about a vending machine at the airport that will sell you a pre-pay micro SIM card for your iPad? That way you could take your own iPad on vacation and still have 3G. After all, the actual card costs the cellphone carrier almost nothing, and a vending machine is perfect to avoid pesky language barriers for tourists. Heck, if I was contractually allowed to ever leave my (admittedly comfy) blogging chair, I might even look into doing it myself.

Pad in the City [Pad in the City via Cult of Mac]

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Apr 05

Aviiq’s Color-Coordinated Smart Cases Match iPad 2 Covers

Posted in: Accessories and Peripherals, ipad, Today's Chili

Aviiq’s Smart Case adds thickness and ugliness to your beautiful iPad 2

Miss the thickness and ugly back of your old iPad 1? Then we have good news. By simply adding Apple’s Smart Cover to the front, and Aviiq’s Smart Case to the back, you can inch a little bit closer to the classic, retro, old-school 13.4mm of the original iPad.

I kid, but I also think that it kind of misses the point of the slimline iPad 2 to swaddle it in cases and covers. If you simply must keep your iPad scratch-free, despite the fact that you’ll never actually see it’s blemish-free body, then you can snap on one of Aviiq’s candy-colored shells.

These have a gray plastic rim and an anodized aluminum backplate, and come in the same colors as Apple’s Smart Cover. They’ll add a modest 1.5mm to the thickness, and come with a two-year warranty, which is precisely one more year than you’ll need, as your beautiful, skinny art object will look as ugly as a lump of chum when Apple debuts the svelte iPad 3 next year, whereupon you’ll be obliged to “upgrade” again.

The Smart Case is $50, and is available for pre-order right now.

Smart Case product page [Aviiq. Thanks, Pedro!]

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Apr 04

China’s dead affected by iPad 2 shortages of a different sort

Posted in: Apple, chinese, ipad, ipad 2, Ipad2, kirf, Mac, slate, tablet, Today's Chili

In life as in death, it seems, getting your hands on an iPad 2 is no easy feat. Reuters is reporting today that paper replicas of the tablet are selling out in parts of Asia, as revelers prepare to set the things ablaze during China’s Qingming festival Tuesday. As is tradition, paper versions of money, clothing, and, yes, consumer electronics are burned as offerings to the dead, and this year Apple’s latest slate is apparently all the rage for expired techies — one shopkeeper in Malaysia said his stock of 300 paper iPad 2s sold out quickly, leaving him unable to meet demand. Sounds strangely familiar, doesn’t it?

China’s dead affected by iPad 2 shortages of a different sort originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 21:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Switched  |  sourceReuters  | Email this | Comments

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Apr 04

Indie Musicians Record Entire Album With GarageBand for iPad

Posted in: Apple, ipad, ipad 2, Music, Tablets and E-Readers, Today's Chili

Max "Bunny" Sparber (left) and Coco Mault (right) are the Ultramods, who just recorded an album entirely on an iPad 2 using GarageBand. Photo courtesy of Max Sparber

Apple’s GarageBand app for iPad makes music creation so simple that a band produced an entire album with it in just two weeks.

The Ultramods, an independent punk duo, recently released its album Underwear Party. The band composed and recorded everything in the GarageBand iPad app including vocals, virtual lead guitar, bass guitar and drums.

For the drum beats, The Ultramods used GarageBand’s SmartDrum instrument, which enables you to compose a simple drum loop in a few seconds, without any knowledge of using a professional drum machine.

“I see [the GarageBand app] as an everything-combined-into-one package,” said Max “Bunny” Sparber, The Ultramods’ lead singer. “Both new musicians and professional musicians are going to be very surprised with what they can do with it.”

First released in 2004, Apple’s GarageBand is a simplified audio tool designed to make music production accessible to everyday customers, without the need for expensive professional hardware. 

Last month, Apple’s Steve Jobs introduced the iPad 2 with a new version of GarageBand remade for the iPad’s touchscreen interface. It’s one of several apps aimed at making the iPad 2 into a tool for creativity, not just for media consumption.

Some might say that GarageBand for iPad furthers Apple’s vision of making music creation accessible for the masses. Starting at $500, the iPad is more affordable than a Mac, and the $5 GarageBand app doesn’t require additional external instruments or hardware for recording music. All the necessary tools are available inside the app.

The GarageBand app packs a virtual keyboard, lead guitar, bass guitar and drum, and up to eight tracks of layered instruments can be recorded to create a song. GarageBand also includes “Smart” instruments that automatically generate drum loops and guitar or piano chords so that even people without musical training can pick up an iPad and create a song.

Sparber said he was excited about the dramatically lowered cost of music production thanks to the iPad and GarageBand. Furthermore, there are no additional costs to upload and sell an album on the internet, Sparber said.

“Making an album even a year ago costs thousands of dollars,” Sparber said. “This is a huge transformation. It’s part of the ongoing democratization where the tools have become inexpensive, and that’s a very exciting prospect.”

The Ultramods are selling their album for $10, and the band provided a free MP3 track for Wired.com readers to sample.

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From TheLoop


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Apr 04

Jailbreakers Release iOS 4.3.1 Hack for iPhone, iPad, Apple TV

Posted in: Apple, Hacks, Hacks, Mods and DIY, ipad, iPhone, Today's Chili

Hackers have cracked opened the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system to install unauthorized apps on the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch.

Available from the famous Dev-Team jailbreakers, the iOS 4.3.1 exploit will work on most iOS devices, excluding the Verizon iPhone and iPad 2. That includes:

  • iPhone 3GS
  • iPhone 4 (GSM/AT&T)
  • iPod Touch, third-generation and fourth-generation
  • iPad, first-generation
  • AppleTV, second-generation

Most customers primarily jailbreak their iOS devices to install Cydia, an underground app store serving unauthorized software. Especially popular in Cydia are utilities to enable free tethering to share an iOS device’s 3G internet connection with other devices. However, be forewarned that AT&T recently started cracking down on free tethering users, warning them that they will be charged if they don’t sign up for a legitimate tethering plan for at least $20 per month.

Owners of the Apple TV 2 will probably be jailbreaking their devices to install XBMC, an app that enables playback of almost every type of media file, including 1080p high-definition Blu-Ray rips. XBMC also enables customers to install add-ons for widgets, so it’s basically a mini app store for the Apple TV.


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Apr 03

redsn0w untethered jailbreak for iOS 4.3.1 released for Windows and OS X, lacks iPad 2 support

Posted in: Apple, apple tv, hack, ios, ipad, iPhone, ipod touch, IpodTouch, jailbreak, Today's Chili

If you’ve been waiting for a nice, easy jailbreak solution for iOS 4.3.1, then today’s your lucky day: Dev-Team’s just released redsn0w 0.9.6rc9 for both Windows and OS X, allowing us mere mortals to free our supported devices — iPhone 3GS, 4 (GSM); iPod touch 3G, 4G; iPad 1; and Apple TV 2G — with a few simple clicks. Alas, there are a couple of caveats: the iPad 2 isn’t supported here, as Cupertino has somehow managed to tighten up its security to fend off hackers (for now); and ultrasn0w users have also been told to hang tight until there’s a compatibility fix — Dev-Team will announce on Twitter when this becomes available. As for those who are eligible for this new jailbreak, head over to Dev-Team’s website for the download links, and make sure you have the corresponding IPSW files handy as well — you can find them over at iClarified or on your favorite search engine.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

redsn0w untethered jailbreak for iOS 4.3.1 released for Windows and OS X, lacks iPad 2 support originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 01:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceDev-Team  | Email this | Comments

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Apr 03

Man steers R/C car with his hands, not to mention an HTML5-based web app (video)

Posted in: Apple, arduino, diy, hack, Hacks, ipad, kinect, Microsoft, mod, mods, open source, opensource, remote, remote control, RemoteControl, Today's Chili, video

With the right Arduino board, an R/C race car, a couple paperclips and the MacGyver spirit, we imagine most anyone can hack together a creative remote control these days… but how many can open-source an HTML5 web app that’ll do the deed from any tablet, phone or PC? Gaurav Manek crafted just such a thing, and he’ll demonstrate it for you on an Apple iPad in the video immediately above. What’s more, he’s also got a Kinect hack that uses Microsoft depth camera (with Code Laboratories’ NUI SDK) to control the very same with the wave of a well-placed hand — we’re already envisioning fisticuffs should he and a lab partner try for some head-to-head racing action. That said, you don’t need to wait for an illustrious creator to have all the fun. Why not download his source code at our links below and give it a go yourself?

Man steers R/C car with his hands, not to mention an HTML5-based web app (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Apr 2011 14:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Hack A Day  |  sourceGaurav Manek  | Email this | Comments

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Apr 02

Visualized: eBay’s iPad 2 sales, thus far

Posted in: Apple, ipad, ipad 2, Ipad2, sales, statistics, stats, Today's Chili
Although eBay figures don’t exactly correlate with Apple’s sales numbers, it’s interesting to note who’s buying what, and where. Last year, for example, in the first two weeks after the Apple iPad hit shelves, 65 percent of all iPads sold on eBay went abroad. This year, in the same timeframe, the percentages have been flipped — 65 percent of iPad 2s sold on eBay remained in America, or around 7,800 tablets. Perhaps we’re just seeing higher demand or maybe people don’t like waiting in line. Peep the source link to dive deeper into the comparison.

Visualized: eBay’s iPad 2 sales, thus far originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Apr 2011 21:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceCNET  | Email this | Comments

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Apr 02

Sony CEO casually mentions he’s supplying cameras to Apple

Posted in: Apple, camera, delay, ipad, iPhone, Japan, sensor, sony, Today's Chili

We were tempted to call it an April Fools’ joke, but it seems the story’s true: Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer reportedly let slip that his company is producing cameras for the next batch of iPhones and iPads during a public interview with the Wall Street Journal. Traditionally, Apple’s sourced its sensors from OmniVision, including the delightfully backside-illuminated 5 megapixel CMOS unit you’ll find in the iPhone 4, but since Sony too has BSI tech and OmniVision has reportedly encountered delays, your next portable Apple product might house a Sony Exmor R sensor like the one we admired on the Xperia Arc. Mind you, that may not end up actually happening, because of the context in which Sir Howard revealed the news — according to 9 to 5 Mac, he said that the factory producing sensors for Apple was affected by the Japanese tsunami. Oh well.

Sony CEO casually mentions he’s supplying cameras to Apple originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Apr 2011 14:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Electronista  |  source9 to 5 Mac, Wall Street Journal  | Email this | Comments

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Apr 02

Cablevision Optimum for iPad app now available, streams hundreds of TV channels plus VOD

Posted in: Apple, apple ipad, AppleIpad, cable, ipad, Today's Chili, video

The new Cablevision iPad app is out, taking on broadcasters (Fox, Discovery, Viacom) attacking Time Warner’s live TV streaming TWCable TV app by offering subscribers the same channels as their iO TV package and video on demand. The Optimum for iPad app also includes the ability to set up DVR recordings, delete recorded shows and browse TV listings, although it doesn’t act as a direct remote for the cable box. The last time Fox and Cablevision squared off subscribers couldn’t watch their shows on Hulu or two games of the World Series which, along with a long battle over network DVRs, suggests the cable company is prepared to dig its heels in deep on this issue. Multichannel News points out subscribers need at least one cable box to make use of the new app and the TOS states it can only be used within the customer’s residence. Subscribers suitably equipped can grab the app at the iTunes link below, check out pics in the gallery or a video demo by a user embedded after the break.

Update: Now we have the press release and fact sheet from Cablevision (included after the break) so here it is by the numbers: 300 channels, can be registered on up to three iPads per account and used on any two simultaneously. Remote control functions are scheduled for the summer, and the company states that since it is delivering channels over the digital cable network and not the internet (no ‘net service required) it believes this use is covered by existing carriage agreements.

[Thanks, johnnydop, jcdesimp & Michael]

Gallery: Optimum for iPad app

Continue reading Cablevision Optimum for iPad app now available, streams hundreds of TV channels plus VOD

Cablevision Optimum for iPad app now available, streams hundreds of TV channels plus VOD originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Apr 2011 12:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceiTunes, YouTube  | Email this | Comments

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