interweb ink » iPad

iPad Battery Replacement Service means replacing iPad, not battery

Savan Thongvanh — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:18:34 +0000

The iPad is not the first Apple Device that has a battery that consumer’s can’t replace (iPhone or Macbook Air anyone?). Buried deep in the iPad support documentation (http://www.apple.com/support/ipad/service/battery/) you can find out how to get your iPad battery replaced.

So is is the battery replacement service for the iPad interesting? Well here’s the first sentence from the FAQ:

If your iPad requires service due to the battery’s diminished ability to hold an electrical charge, Apple will replace your iPad for a service fee.

That’s right, unless your iPad has been dropped, dunked, or disassembled, when you send your iPad in for battery repair they’ll give you a new iPad. Yes, there is a fee of $100 and of course the service charge makes it $105.95.

In order to get the service all you have to do is call Apple or take your iPad to an Apple Store. They’ll send it in for your and a week later you’ll have a new iPad.

Good? Bad? You decide. I along with many other people have had iPhones (and other devices) replaced and got a lemon in return.

See the FAQ at http://www.apple.com/support/ipad/service/battery/ for links to details battery replacement service

3/13 Apple App Store Roundup

Savan Thongvanh — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:54:35 +0000

This is the first installment of a weekly feature here in the interweb, our App Roundup. In this feature we’ll recap the top 10 free apps for the week in the iTunes App Store and review the top app or if we’ve already reviewed that we’ll cover the next one in the list.

Here we go!

This week’s top app is Fingerzilla by Inert Soap. Fingerzilla is another great little game that in no time, you can get lost in. There’s only one thing to do and that’s smash stuff with your finger and cause havoc. There are nice little bits like people running around, police cars, helicoptors, and other things running around to squish and burn if you get tired of crushing diners and quicky marts.

Fingerzilla also hooks up to OpenFeint which is a social hook to iPhone gaming. Check that out at http://www.openfeint.com/. This game isn’t going to win and graphics awards but it is a great way to kill some time in an airport or waiting room.

Here are some screen shots from Fingerzilla and the rest of the list.

And here’s the rest of the field

Fingerzilla by Inert Soap
Baby Scratch by Async
A Doodle Fly by j2sighte
Sniper Strike by Donoma Games
Tap Fish by Bayview Labs
Cool Wallpapers by Appsillicious
Zombie Farm by Playforge
Original Gangstaz by The Godfather
Singshot Cowboy by Digital Prunes, Inc, and
Scoops by NimbleBit

iPad release date April 3rd, Pre-orders March 12th

Savan Thongvanh — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:27:44 +0000

Apple announces today that the long awaited iPad can be ordered starting March 12th. The actual release date will be April 3rd. There have been rumors of production until late summer but this, at least for now, negates those.

Beginning a week from today, on March 12, US customers can pre-order both Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + 3G models from Apple’s online store (www.apple.com) or reserve a Wi-Fi model to pick up on Saturday, April 3, at an Apple retail store.

The pricing we heard earlier still stands: $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB, $699 for 64GB. The Wi-Fi + 3G models will still be $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB and $829 for 64GB.

International pricing will differ but is not yet known.

Could this be the iPad and iPhone’s long awaited camera?

Savan Thongvanh — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 18:55:18 +0000

I think we’ve all realized that the mobile device race is not about size anymore. Today’s race is about feature density and Toshiba has leapt past all of it competition in the mobile camera department.

Today Toshiba announced a TWELVE megapixel camera and chip for mobile. With most a US domestic cameras using cameras at or below 5 megapixels this is a chip that really pushes Moore’s law.

The device offers support for up to two cameras, with the primary camera using a MIPI link and the secondary camera using a MIPI link or parallel port. The bridge enables high-speed serial interfaces on both the Host via MDDI and camera side via MIPI CSI-2 allowing support for up to 12 megapixel primary camera and up to 2 megapixel secondary camera in one handset. It is compatible with systems using Qualcomm® baseband processors with an MDDI interface.

There has long been talk of a relationship between Apple and Qualcomm. If that were the case this this just might be the thing that gets a forward facing camera in the iPad and iPhone.

See the release from Toshiba

More on iPad/iPhone/iTouch specs

Is the New York Times Skimmer the newspaper format made for iPad?

Savan Thongvanh — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:50:05 +0000

People have been wondering how Apples release of the iPad will “change the game” and what “game” it will change. One of the mediums that will definitely be affected is the newspaper.

The New York Times has a feature now called the New York Times skimmer. There were two features that jumped out at me immediately when I tried it.

One was that Fire Fox got pushed full screen in a widescreen format. This is the way people are used to reading newspapers and now used to consuming anything on a screen so it makes lots of sense.

The other standout was the navigation. The skimmer has a gutter around the main content where the previous and next buttons sit. Also, the main navigation is on the right. The sections in a iPhoney, swipey, smooth sort of way. I completely understand that people are predominately right handed so the right hand navigation makes sense. Even though it’s contrary to how surf and use websites, moving a mouse around a screen is easier then reaching here and there.

All in all I think it’s a very cool way for newspapers to go and wouldn’t be surprised if this was the new paradigm for online newspapers.

Check it out for yourself at http://www.nyt.com

Comparing Apples to Apples (to Apples): iPhone vs iTouch vs iPad

Savan Thongvanh — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:26:07 +0000

With this weeks announcement of the Apple iPad they now say they have a new category of device. Some say that the new category is just a bigger version of everything else they have. We’ll let the tale of the tape tell the story.

I’ll give you a hint, if you squint a little at the spec comparisons you won’t be able to tell iPad from iPhone from iTouch.

Let’s check out the specs Apples to Apples (to Apples).

	iPhone (3GS)	iTouch	iPad
Processor	600mhz	800mhz	1ghz A4
Storage (GB)	16/32	8/32/64	16/32/64
Display	3.5″	3.5″	9.7″ IPS
USB Ports	0	0	1
Video Support*	H.264	Support for 480p and 576p component TV out H.264 video	1024 by 768 pixels with Dock Connector to VGA Adapter H.264 video up to 720p
Audio	Frequency response: 20Hz to 20,000Hz Audio formats supported: AAC, MP3, Audible, Apple Lossless, AIFF, and WAV User-configurable maximum volume limit
Microphone	Yes	No	Yes
Headphone Jack	Yes	Yes	Yes
Wifi	b/g	b/g	a/b/g/n
Accelerometer	Yes	Yes	Yes
Ambient Light Sensor	Yes	Yes	Yes
Stated battery Capacity	Talk time: Up to 12 hrs on 2G Up to 5 hrs on 3G Standby time: Up to 300 hrs Internet use: Up to 5 hrs on 3G Up to 9 hrs on Wi-Fi Video Up to 10 hrs Audio Up to 30 hrs	Music: Up to 30 hrs Video: Up to 6 hrs	10 hrs
Blue tooth	Yes	Yes	Yes
3G	UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz) GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)	None	UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz) GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz) Data only2
GPS	Yes	Yes	Yes
Camera	3MP	none	none

*lower grade modes also supported

Apple’s A4 processor what else can it do besides provide PadPower

Savan Thongvanh — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:20:59 +0000

Apple’s shiny new A4 processor, hopefully, will really make the iPad fly while surfing but will it help keep you safe at night? Apple’s purchase of Palo Alto Semiconductor didn’t make much of a front page splash but joining the A4 to the M1 Abrams might.

In 2008 EETimes.com broke a story about Apples acquisition that didn’t really hit home. The most important part of that story now is that at the time 10 different defense systems were using PA Semiconductor products. Can you imagine all the way the military could use a rugged touch screen computer? Maps, HUDs for vehicles, realtime anything all provided by Apple via the A4 processor, or variant, foot that they got in the door with the PA Semiconductor purchase.

See the EETimes article here

And more on the iPad specs here

Lots of people are talking about the iPad being used in the medical field but, what do you think would be a cool military application of the iPad?

Revisiting specs and speculation: Will the Apple iPad do what I thought?

Savan Thongvanh — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 19:19:06 +0000

Last week I speculated on how the Apple iPad would change your life for the better. Now that the Apple iPad is out of the bag let’s see if it lives up to my hype.

See my previous post for the theories and here how they came to fruition, or not. If you didn’t see it you can catch it here. First the specs. the Apple iPad will be released with Apple’s own 1ghz A4 processor. They can do this because they recently acquired a company that makes processors. It will ship as a 10 inch tablet with no OLED but instead an LCD screen. It’ll be 1/2 an in thick and weigh in at 1 1/2 pounds. Very mobile. The wireless standard will be wifi, N to be exact, and the optional 3g will be provided by ATT with all you can eat for $30 per month. You can get it in 60 days and will go from $400 to $800 with prices varying with memory and the 3g option.

Apps, all iPhone apps will work on the iPad. ‘Nuff said.

On to the predictions:

Manage your finances
This was pretty much a gimme but it was really pounded home with the fact that all Apple App Store apps will work on the iPad. As I said in my prediction it’s the form factor that will make you really want to do your checkbook duties.

Read more magazines, not books
I’m going to give myself half credit here. I did figure that they’d have a ebook reader and book store but they really didn’t play up the magazine aspect of it in the big event today. I was glad to see that they didn’t pay any lip service to the idea of books with embedded media. I hope it stays that way.

Kitchen computing
This was pretty obvious too because it’s really just a combination of online content and video player, but the kickstand accessory for the iPad will really help get this bad boy stood up and actually used in the kitchen. ChaCHING!

Surf more interwebs
This thing is being billed as, among other things, the ultimate surfing device. What would it take for you to surf more? How about a uber portable and uber comfortable device, great screen, and wireless anywhere. Check, Check, Check.

Finally bring video phones to the living room
Here was the most shaky of the limbs I went out on (#fail). It was totally dependent on the front facing camera. I think they still need to crack the nut of how to make the camera work ergonomically. Maybe rev 2.0?

Enough of the old news. Check back for more details on the iPad.

My original post

Link to the iPad Spec sheet