Hasta La Gadget!

Oh look, even more evidence that the next generation iPad will be equipped with cameras. The image above showing the three new iPad apps was discovered in the iOS 4.3 beta 2 by MacRumors. To be effective, the iPad’s Camera and FaceTime apps would require both back- and front-facing cameras just like the iPhone 4. The Photo Booth app is new to iOS but already ships on Macs running OS X — it could, presumably, use either camera to record snapshots (with filters) and video. And really, at this point, with such overwhelming evidence the only surprise would be for Apple to announce a new iPad without a camera.

iPad camera apps discovered in iOS 4.3 beta, nobody surprised originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Jan 2011 04:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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There’s usually as much fun to be had before an Apple product launch as there is after, and this upcoming iPad 2 device is no exception. The latest scuttlebutt it has succumbed to comes courtesy of some cases that have cropped up in China — AppleInsider and MIC Gadget have independently found iPad 2 shells that feature nearly identical cutouts — with the resulting allegations pointing toward a rear-facing camera, an SD card slot, and perhaps even a Mini DisplayPort receptacle. Our own sources have confirmed the former two, but the latter, a miniaturized video output already featured in MacBooks, is a new development and less of a certainty. Then again, looking at the size of the hole leaves few alternative options (and a USB slot is extremely unlikely), so we’re willing to believe that a Mini DisplayPort will be an inclusion Apple makes for the sake of offering choice — even if it prefers you to send your video streams over an untethered AirPlay connection.

Continue reading iPad 2 cases surface, rekindle SD card slot fire and add a pinch of mystery with topside cutout

iPad 2 cases surface, rekindle SD card slot fire and add a pinch of mystery with topside cutout originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 02:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So, AppleInsider has some new info on Apple’s successor to the A4, which we were talking up last week, and our sources say it’s spot on. Specifically, AI claims that Apple is moving to dual-core SGX543 graphics, up from the A4’s single SGX535 GPU (also known as the PowerVR 535). What’s particularly great about this move is that the graphical power improvement is rated at around 4X the current generation — which makes a true 4X resolution iPad “Retina Display” upgrade seem much more of a possibility. We’re also starting to see 1080p HDMI video output as a “default” spec in this year’s generation of devices, so there’s no reason Apple will want to be left out — particularly in the Apple TV — and these dual graphics cores could handle that easily. The same cast of A4 characters are to credit for this new A5 generation, including the Apple-owned Intrinsity and PA Semi, while Samsung will again do the production duties. But details aside, we’re just excited to play around with all this new horsepower when it hits — apparently the PSP 2 is rumored to use the same graphics architecture with even more cores. Isn’t Moore’s law a grand thing?

More details emerge on Apple’s A5 chip for upcoming iPad 2 and iPhone 5 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Jan 2011 13:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We love all the little goodies that come out of iOS developer builds. It’s been only a day since 4.3 hit the scene and already we’ve seen hints of future iPhone / iPad models, a Find My Friends feature, and now more hints of a camera for the next iPad. Which, of course, is far from the first time we’ve heard iPad and camera in the same utterance (cases, mockups, paperwork, even more code). Today’s revelation comes in the form of shutter screens and camera / video icons care of 9 to 5 Mac, but here’s the catch: to believe these imagery to be the real thing is to also accept that the iPad 2 might have the same 1024 x 768 display, given that’s what these pictures are optimized for. You didn’t really believe the iPad 2 would have a 9.7-inch, 2530 x 1897 resolution retina display… did you? Well, it’s only speculative, anyway.

More iOS 4.3 digging hints at new iPad 2 camera, same 1024 x 768 display originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Jan 2011 22:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve been seeing supposed iPad 2 cases for about a month now, all of them with the same telltale cutouts: a camera hole in the back, a camera hole in the front, and a big ol’ speaker hole. Today’s find beats them all, however: we just found a case with a machined aluminum iPad 2 mockup inside. Dexim is the eager exhibitor, with an actually very intriguing case design involving a Bluetooth keyboard that magnetically adheres to the front cover of the book-like sleeve, allowing for a laptop-style setup, or a keyboard-free case when you want to shave a few ounces. It was so intriguing that we asked to put our own iPad inside, which is when we were told it wouldn’t fit, since the case was designed for the next iPad. Indeed, the mockup that we found inside the case was a tad bit slimmer than the first-gen iPad, with a taper leading to the edges that reminds us of the iPod touch, and a home button positioned nearer the bottom edge. We found all the typical cutouts on the case, and their mirror on the machined mockup, including a large square for the speaker.

So, what does it all mean? Well, there’s certainly a consistent iPad 2 make that these Chinese manufacturers seem to be designing against, and while there’s always the off chance that their info is wrong, it seems odd they’d go so far as to actually make the cases if they were unsure about their sources. It also means a slimmer iPad with cameras and a bigger speaker, which is never a bad thing. Check the pictures in the gallery below and make up your own mind.

iPad 2 case shows up at CES, packing a mockup iPad 2 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Jan 2011 23:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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