On Second Thought, The iPad Is A New Kind Of Computer - The Sofa Computer!

On second thoughts, even though, like many others, I was initially disappointed in some aspects of the iPad, the more that I really think about it, the more I'm beginning to really appreciate that the iPad is not so much a mobile device, like the iPod or iPhone, but rather that its really a whole new kind of computer, one with the potential of becoming another game changing device in much the same way as the iPod and the iPhone had done before it.

Yes, there certainly is a lot of negative press out there complaining about what the iPad doesn't have, or how its just a big old iPhone Touch or something. However, buried among all of this negative press there is also a lot of positive press feed back as well. Regarding all the negative press, well, Stephen Fry has seen it all before with the original iPhone. In a recent post, he states:

"iPhone and something of a disappointment. I have heard these voices before. In June 2007 when the iPhone was launched I collected a long list of “not impressed”, “meh”, “big deal”, “style over substance”, “it’s all hype”, “my HTC TyTN can do more”, “what a disappointment”, “majorly underwhelmed” and similar reactions. They can hug to themselves the excuse that the first release of iPhone was 2G, closed to developers and without GPS, cut and paste and many other features that have since been incorporated. Neither they, nor I, nor anyone, predicted the “game-changing” effect the phone would so rapidly have as it evolved into a 3G, third-party app rich, compass and GPS enabled market leader. Even if it had proved a commercial and business disaster instead of an astounding success, iPhone would remain the most significant release of its generation because of its effect on the smartphone habitat. Does anybody seriously believe that Android, Nokia, Samsung, Palm, BlackBerry and a dozen others would since have produced the product line they have without the 100,000 volt taser shot up the jacksie that the iPhone delivered to the entire market?"

Wow, Stephen is really a great writer and he really does a great job describing something that I feel is also 100% on the mark, but he even further goes on to correctly predict:

"Nonetheless, even if they couldn’t see that THREE BILLION apps would be downloaded in 2 years (that’s half a million app downloads a day, give or take ) could they not see that this device was gorgeous, beautifully made, very powerful and capable of development into something extraordinary? I see those qualities in the iPad. Like the first iPhone, iPad 1.0 is a John the Baptist preparing the way of what is to come, but also like iPhone 1.0 (and Jokanaan himself too come to that) iPad 1.0 is still fantastic enough in its own right to be classed as a stunningly exciting object, one that you will want NOW and one that will not be matched this year by any company. In the future, when it has two cameras for fully featured video conferencing, GPS and who knows what else built in (1080 HD TV reception and recording and nano projection, for example) and when the iBook store has recorded its 100 millionth download and the thousands of accessories and peripherals that have invented uses for iPad that we simply can’t now imagine – when that has happened it will all have seemed so natural and inevitable that today’s nay-sayers and sceptics will have forgotten that they ever doubted its potential."

I couldn't agree more, and I think that Mr. Fry hit the nail right on the head in the above. In addition, AppleInsider also did a great job as well highlighting some of the many positive statements coming from many of the analysts out there in a recent post that you can read here. One of these analysts, from Broadpint.AmTech, Brian Marshall, already believes that the iPad had, "surpassed expectations" with the iPad reveal. He had initially forecast 2.2 million shipments in the first year, but said he now believes "an order of magnitude higher number is likely more accurate."

For me, anyway, the iPad won't replace a MacBook Pro, or an iPhone or iPod, let alone one of my desktops, but it doesn't have to, that's because the iPad is not so much a mobile computer as it is a new kind of computer - the sofa computer, or a bed computer! Rather then simply packing it up and taking it everywhere with you, like other devices, the iPad is really more of a reclining type of computer, and one that you use while relaxing on a sofa or relaxing in bed, and is one that allows you to intimately snuggle up with it, while reading the morning newspaper, like the New York Times, in bed before going to work, or while lazily reclining on the sofa after returning to catch up on the days sports via an electronic version of Sports Illustrated, or simply listen to some soothing music!

In conclusion, now that I think of it, it's no wonder why Steve demoed the iPad from the comfort of a nice big plush, cosy arm chair... the iPad was simply made for this kind of intimate and relaxing setting, and something now tells me, that a year from now a lot of todays iPad doom sayers will be eating some serious crow. So, hail to the new king of a new kind of computer - the sofa and bed computer. May your reign be a long and a prosperous one.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, January 29, 2010

iPad image via: Apple

The iPad: One Thumb Up, One Down!

Well, the iPad has finally landed..... with a thud!

Yes, its beautiful, rigid, starkly designed and above all wickedly fast! Sadly, however, what I feared most, before its introduction, was that it would never be able to live up to all of the incredible hype that went before it.... and it didn't! The iPad is what I feared the most - its nothing more or less than then an iPhone or Touch on steroids.

There's nothing wrong with having an iPhone on steroids mind you, except, of course, that we were all hyped to believe that it would be more than that, a lot more! I wanted something different, something totally unexpected, and something that would surprise and titillate the senses! The iPad did nothing of the kind.

Of course, there is still an awful lot to like about the iPad. For example, I really like the idea that it can run most of the 140,000 or so apps from the App Store; has an excellent and light weight build quality to it; has a nifty multi touch photo program that seems faster than the regular version of iPhoto; has an excellent high quality LED, IPS screen and my favorite, the book reader,coupled with the iBooks store, is super nifty and it looks much more like a real paper book than the Kindle or some of the other e-book readers do.

I watched the event via Engadget's live blog. The commentator noticed that whatever chip it was using, it seemed to be fast, very, very fast, handling video, gaming and everything else smoothly and effortlessly, and all without any noticeable hiccups at all! As far as the speed goes, and after playing with the device first hand, Gizmodo stated:

"Apple didn't really sell this point, but it's the single biggest benefit of the iPad: speed. It feels at least a generation faster than the iPhone 3GS. Lags and waits are gone, and the OS and apps respond just as quickly as you'd hope. Rotating between portrait and landscape modes, especially, is where this new horsepower manifests in the OS."

The reason behind the iPad's impressive speed is its new chip, Apple's very own A4, which is the first fruit born from Apple's acquisition of PA Semi. PA Semi is famous for designing fast and power efficient chips, as used by the military, and its expertise in these areas certainy shows in the A4. This begs the question: will Apple limit this new speed demon to its own products, or will it also see fit to license it to other OEM's as well?

After my initial disappointment with the iPad, I'm a feeling a little less so now that I've watched both the Special Event video, and Apple's official iPad video which they tuck in at the end, which is viewable here.

In conclusion, even though I'm still somewhat disappointed in this first iPad, I'm also somewhat optimistic for future iPad's as well. Since this is only the first model, other models are sure to quickly follow, and should come, hopefully, with newer, more powerful and even faster Apple silicon inside. Hopefully, as well, these newer multi touch iPads will also feature something that the first model lacks.... multi-tasking! Apple has a lot of exciting iPad like patents, such as its proximity sensors, etc., that have yet to find their way into the iPad, but should be added quickly in future models. At least I sure hope so, because as far as I'm concerned, it's one thumb up, and one down on the first iPad!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, January 27, 2010

iPad image via: Apple

Latest Leaked Apple Tablet Photo?

Today's the big day, the day that Apple finally and forever silences all the rumors and the endless speculations concerning its latest creation, its mythical and super-hyped tablet!

In four or five hours we'll know everything about the tablet that there is to know, but until then the rumors and speculations continue to mount. Among them is this leaked photo, seen above, of what some think may be the actual mythical beast. It was sent in by an anonymous tipster to Engadget. The tablet itself is rather obscured by an ugly leathered case, complete with some ugly looking snaps. It appears to be running Safari, and shows some type of mapping program, possibly Google Earth or a newer program that may have been possibly developed by Apple's newly acquired mapping company, PlaceBase.

Also, in the meantime, just yesterday McGraw-Hill's CEO, Terry McGraw, inadvertently confirmed that the tablet was not only going to indeed be announced today, but that it would also be using a modified version of the iPhone OS, thus making all of the 125,000 plus iPhone apps readily transferable and usable on the device. He also revealed that McGraw-Hill had been working in collaboration with Apple for quite some time in order to bring e-book versions of their publications to the device.

Well, in conclusion, there isn't really much that I can either say or add for now, but you can bet your last dish of cold ice-cream and hot-steaming gravy, that I will be keeping a very close eye on todays big Apple event and come tomorrow, whether you live in beautiful Lehrte, Niedersachsen; Rome, Italy; Monterrey, Nuevo Leon; Jacksonville, Florida, or fabulously sunny San Jose, California, that I'll be giving you, my dear two or three readers, my two cents on what may possibly be Apple's biggest and greatest creation ever!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, January 27, 2010

BREAKING UPDATE: SkyNews is showing off this video of a supposedly prototype Apple Tablet in action, seen below:

 

Photo via: Engadget

Are These The First Real Apple Tablet Pics?

Is the above photo the real deal, is it really the new-fangled, mythical and over-hyped Apple tablet in the flesh?

Well, if its not, then its certainly one of the best Photoshopped jobs that you could ever hope to see of one, and it is definitely a lot better looking than this French tablet seen below as Gizmodo pointed out below:

Anyway, back to Dustin Curtis's first photo, were we see a very legitimate looking Apple tablet sitting on a MacBook Pro. For starters, the device certainly has that 'sexy' Apple look to it, doesn't it? Its thin, sleek and, hopefully, it works as well as it looks, because I, for one, really like it - and me likes it a lot!

Apparently, Dustin who is a UI designer, received two picts of the mythical slate from a friend, an Apple employee, who I have the feeling could be looking for a new job real soon!

Whether these two picts are the real deal or not, I can't say, but we certainly won't have wait much longer to find out, since tomorrow Apple will finally be putting all of the rumors, hear say and speculation to rest........ yeah! In the meantime, however, if you can't wait for Walt Mossberg's official blow, by blow, detailed review, here's a sneak review from good old Walt Mosspuppet, who is one puppet who doesn't hold back anything in this glorious and unbiased review of the Apple tablet seen above.

Ok, in conclusion, besides the fact that the tablet will apparently be 10-inch's, has 3G capabilities, runs existing iPhone apps, and it apparently does double-duty as a nifty cat bum warmer (above), all I will say is that I hope that the actual tablet can live up to all of the sheer hype that has gone before it. But that we shall see tomorrow.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, January 26, 2010

What Could Be The Apple Tablet's Biggest Secret Or Surpise!

What possibly could be the biggest secret, or surprise, to come out of Apple's upcoming super-hyped tablet?

Well, Gizmodo recently did a post on what they thought were "History's Five Dumbest Apple Tablet Rumors" and one of their dumbest rumors was something that I personally think could actually be the tablets smartest and biggest secret, or biggest surprise of them all!

So, just what could that possibly be?

Simple: That Apple's tablet may be more than just a tablet - it could be a hybrid tablet/desktop system, one that also boasted the option of doubling as a full-fledged iMac desktop, complete with a large 22 inch multi-touch screen!

Yes, this isn't just a dumb rumor too, because Apple actually took out a patent for such a concept awhile back, namely a patent for an iMac like docking station that could instantly convert any MacBook or tablet into a fully functional desktop iMac!

As you can see, via Gizmodo, in the opening right-hand photo we have an iMac docking station, complete with a built in screen, that allows any tablet to simply slide in and out of its side, converting it from a tablet to a fully functioning iMac desktop!

Despite what Gizmodo may think or say, I tend to think that this is a great and absolutely fantastic concept! It's like having both a portable computer and a desktop computer, but all-rolled-up-into-one, and one that could be instantly converted, on-the-fly, into either one or the other in mere seconds!

I can see students and, business men, for example, using it in class or on business road trips as a mobile device, during the day, and then later in the evening, back at the office or dorm, as a more powerful desktop. This hybrid system would have all of the advantages of a full sized desktop computer, with its larger screen, larger hard drive and larger memory, and all of the advantages of a road toting mobile device with its smaller screen, etc!

In other words: you could have your cake and eat it too!

Of course, the tablet itself would function nicely all on its own, without any need for any iMac docking station. However, in addition, I also believe that any iMac docking station might also have the capability of being wirelessly used not only with the tablet, but possibly, as well, as a wireless monitor for a MacBook, or other Mac as well! However, even though the docking station wouldn't be a necessity, it would still be one jim-dandy of an option, and one that would further extend and enhance the tablets practicality and functionality. It would literally offer you the best from both the desktop and mobile worlds! You could easily and inexpensively start off with the tablet and then later add the iMac docking station, down the road, at your convenience!

Personally, I can easily see myself using such hybrid platform. First, mostly as a large desktop system, and then secondarily, at times, or on rare occasions, as a nifty and small portable device as well. Recently, as stated earlier, Apple filed patents for a 22 inch multi-touch screen equipped iMac, and again it's my firm belief, and hope, that this is exactly what we'll see offered in any optional iMac like docking station.

In conclusion, again, I believe that the biggest secret, or surprise, that could come out of this Wednesday's Apple announcement may be, in fact, that it will indeed be- a hybrid tablet/desktop system! Such a whiz-bang, hybrid system could make it one of the smartest, coolest and most revolutionary platforms ever conceived, giving both desktop and mobile lovers everywhere, everything they could ever possibly want or need, and thus virtually guaranteeing that the iPad, or iSlate, or iTablet, or iWhat-ever-its-called, will be one of Apple's biggest and most game changing devices of all time!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, January 25, 2010

Got A MacBook Pro - Then BookBook Is A Must Must!

Yesterday I came across a must have accessory for all MacBook Pro lovers out there. Its called the BookBook, and as the name implies, it kind of turns your MacBook, well into a book! At least in appearance anyway.

BookBook is from a company called "twelve south", and it happens to offer one of the most elegant and novel ways of protecting your precious electronic baby - a hardback case covering that gives your MacBook a real, honest-to-goodness and genuine, I can't believe its not a book, book look!

Not only does the clever protective case protect your 'precious' from the dangers from scratch's and the bumps of normal everyday life, but even more importantly, it also helps to protect your 'precious' from all of the everyday scum bums and thieves out there who usually tend to be more interested in stealing an expensive MacBook then an old worn-out and inexpensive looking text book!

This clever hardware hard-covering will set you back some $79.99, but in my estimation its worth every single penny for the added piece of mind that the BookBook can bring to owning a MacBook. After all, replacing a MacBook Pro would be a lot more of a pain-in-the-you-know-what, than the simply one-time cost of a BookBook.

No, it won't exactly protect your MacBook from nuclear bombs, 8.0 earthquakes, Godzilla, a direct hit by a Cruise Missile or even the average two-year old baby boy, but buying one is certainly a big yes for me and my MacBook for several reasons. Besides the occasional bumps and grinds, and the everyday real threat posed by thieves, one of the most interesting things about the BookBook is that no two of them are exactly alike!

Yuppers, each and every BookBook is handcrafted and distressing, ensuring that your own BookBook is indeed your own individual BookBook and unlike any other. Each protective case has dual protective zippers, and zippers that look like traditional bookmarks, helping even more to convince would be thieves that your expensive 'precious' is nothing more than a boring and an inexpensive old book!

Now how cool is that?

Very cool, if you ask this old dog! Sadly, I don't even have a MacBook Pro yet, because frankly, I'm waiting for the next model, you know the one with one of those newer i3, i5 or i7 thingy-bob's in them, and maybe, if my hunch is right on the money, a built-in multi-touch screen too! Trust me, in conclusion, I promise you, that as soon as I get my hands on my own 'precious', my 'precious' will be treated as such - in other words: my MacBook will be getting a BookBook and thats for dang tooting sure!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, January 22, 2010

Image's via: twelve south, via: Gizmodo

The Coolest OS X Eye Candy Ever: BumpTop 4 Mac!

If your like me and you love eye candy on your computer, well hallelujah...... finally after what seemed like an eternity..... BumpTop for the Mac is finally, yes finally here!

I've been eagerly waiting for BumpTop on the Mac for like....... forever, because I happen to think its a fabulous new way of looking at, or viewing your Mac desktop. Its has been available for sometime on the PC side, making me a wee bit jealous in the process too, but no more, because, let the church bells ring out.... its here.... its finally here! They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but even better is a video, in this case a video of BumpTop in all its glory, seen below:

Wow!

I don't know about you baby, but this big eye candy loving dude thinks this is all just so dang tooting cool! When it comes to eye candy, BumpTop is a dandy! Besides looking cool, BumpTop says it can allow you to do these functional things as well:

- Organize. Your desktop is a workspace, and like any workspace it can get messy. Reclaim your mess.

- Customize. The new feng shui: makes your desktop truly your own.

- Multi-Touch enabled. Yes, on the Mac side of the equation you even have support for full multi touch gestures on your MacBook track pad! How cool is that? Very, very cool as far as this bloke is concerned!

A long, long time ago.... too long ago, I remember seeing a similar Apple concept called Stacks, but sadly, for some strange reason Apple never really made good on it, using instead only a small portion of it on the dock. No worries, however, because we now have BumpTop to the rescue! Not only that, but thanks to BumpTop, its a lot more than just a piece of cool and nifty eye candy ...... its functional, useful, and above all...... its just so damn tooting fun to use as well!

In conclusion, if you love eye candy, especially eye candy that is practical and functional to use like lil old me, then what on earth are you waiting for partner, like myself, go and fetch yourself a copy of this highly praised software here. You can thank me later, because at the moment ..... I'm a little too busy reveling in all its yummy eye candy goodness!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, January 21, 2010

A Look Back At the Future: The Newton Message Pad

While we wait for Apple's invisible and mythical tablet to become visible sometime next week, Gizmodo has decided, in the meantime, to take a long and fascinating look back at arguably the world's very first real, and honest-to-goodness, tablet pc - the Newton Message Pad!

Gizmodo details how the Newton was conceived, incubated, brought to life, shamelessly left to die and then relegated to the history books. I won't go into all of the details, because you can easily check them all out here, but instead I have decided to take a much shorter look back at the Newton via YouTube, and starting with the Newton's 'Getting Started Video', which appears at the beginning of this post.

Next we find a video hardware tour of the very last and the greatest of all of the Newton's, the Message Pad's 2100. As you can see, one of the most striking details is just how thick, at least in comparison to an iPhone, the 2100's body really is. Mind you, its not all that terribly thick, but when compared to many of the hand devices of today, well, for me anyway, the Newton comes out looking like a big, big fatty!

Above, we can see a very interesting comparison between a then 1997 Newton Message Pad and that of a newer 2007 iPhone. Interestingly, the huge screen of the one-and-a-half pound Newton could easily operate for up to 40 hours on single charge! The Newton was famous for its hand writing recognition, which brings us to a video that I personally remember very, very well and seen below. It's a Simpson's cartoon dicing the Newton's then oh-so hand recognition abilities. Ah, it's short, sweet and funny! Even the famous Doonsbury comic strip made headlines with its put down on the Newton's original hand recognition ability, or should I say its lack there of, which you can view here.

Above, our last video is of an old Newton eMate 300, an educational device designed and sold exclusively to the educational market. Its clam shape design was loved by many, and loathed by others, myself included. In fact, even Steve Jobs himself was reported to being somewhat smitten by the device!

Well, that's it, my look back at the future, namely Apple's original tablet, the Newton,  the device that launched the Palm and a thousand other similar devices. It may not have been perfect, but it was truly a trend setter and, still after all these years, its influence can still be seen and felt in the iPhone and other similar devices. Hopefully, Apple's new mythical tablet will be a lot more successful and long lived than the original Newton ever was, and if it does, well, it will all be in part and thanks to the pioneering efforts of the futuristic looking Newton Message Pad.

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, January 20, 2010

The Apple Tablet: What It Will Be, What It Won't Be

Now that Apple has officially announced that it will indeed be unveiling its latest creation this coming January 27, the likelihood of it actually being it's long sought after mythical tablet finally seems to be at hand.

Of course, come this next Wednesday, Apple could easily announce any number of things, none of which necessarily has to be a tablet for that matter, but the smart money's is squarely on it being just that - a tablet. If Apple does announce the tablet, rumored to be called the 'iSlate', then I'm predicting (and this is only an educated guess) that there will be several things that it will be, or won't be. My list is as follows:

Number One: It won't be cheap!

Number Two: It will be expensive, obviously in light of number one, with a price of between $600-$1,000.

Number Three: It won't be coming, unfortunately, at least in the beginning, with an AMOLED display..... bummer!

Number Four: It won't be an oversize iPhone on steroids.

Number Five: It will be an over sized iPhone on steroids! (How wishy-washy can a guy get?)

Number Six: It won't be an e-book reader.

Number Seven: It definitely will be an Amazon Kindle e-book killer! (Yeah, I know - I need help!)

Number Eight: It should quickly emerge as a hand-held gaming device on steroids, and one that should take iPhone and Touch gaming to an entirely new and a much more powerful level. This is one that Sony and Nintendo are going to really have to keep a close eye on.

Number Nine: It will be a social interactive device, and one that should do for social apps, like Twitter and FaceBook, what the iPhone did for smart phones in general. Expect it to combined email, internet browsing, video chatting and turn-by-turn GPS, etc., but in a whole new and more interesting way, a better way and one that I'm predicting could end up turning the whole computer business world upside down, and thus changing it forever!

Of course, in conclusion, this is only my 2 cents (3 cents accounting for inflation) on some of the many Apple tablet rumors currently making the rounds. You can get Gizmodo's exhaustive guide to all of the latest Apple tablet rumors here, but remember: most likely, very soon after Apple lets the cat out of the bag, I have a sneaky feeling that I will end up looking more like a monkey, with most of my predictions looking all rather pretty silly, stupid, pathetic and utterly dead wrong!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Apple tablet mock up via: Gizmodo

Finally, iMac's With Built-In Touch Screens?

According to recent rumors, Apple is finally readying a brand spanking new 22 inch iMac - with a multi touch screen!

Well, with HP, Sony, Gateway and others already beating Apple to the punch with their own Windows 7 based touch PCs, it's about time I say.

Yes, I still think that a multi-touch track pad, like those found on the MacBook Pro's, are still far better for most things, but certainly not for all things. There are times when having a touch screen is better and, quite frankly, to be honest, a lot more fun. Like taking your finger to spin a virtual globe of the earth for instance! Yeah, now that's certainly sounds like fun, doesn't it?

Engadget , among others, is reporting that the new 22 inch Touch Mac will feature a capacitive touch screen provided by Sintek Photronic, but surprisingly made by Quantra. The new touch Mac is expected before the end of the year, but exactly when we don't know, but as far as I'm concerned, the sooner the better.

I just hope that the new iMac touch-screen will be better than some of the ones that I've recently played with on the PC side, because even though they were nice and all, well, they were hardly what I would call all that great either! Obviously, if Apple really wants to touch us, their touch screens are going to have to be better than some of the 'iffy' touch screens found in these touch PC's.

Touch screens, as I've pointed out several times before, can be used effectively for some things, some of the time, but you wouldn't want to use them all of the time for health reasons. Maybe it's just me, but when playing a simple game of MahJong, with a HP TouchSmart for example, and for less then 1o minutes, I quickly began to develop wrist pain which didn't exactly help the game experience, let me tell you! I can't imagine using, based on that particularly experience, a large vertical touch screen all day.

Other than that, well I have to admit, touch screens can be really fun and interesting, but just not all of the time. A horizontally, small and efficient flat track pad, for my money, is by far the better way to go, and it's my hope that Apple will combine any new touch screen not only with that of its new Magic Mouse, but as well, with a new keyboard with a built-in multi-touch track pad like those built-into the MacBook Pros. Would this be multi-touch overkill? Maybe? However, it just might kill off some of the competition coming from Apple's competitors who could offer touch screens, but without the added convenience of Apple's multi-touch track pads or mouse!

All I will say is that I hope these rumors not only come true, but come true as quickly as possible. It only makes sense that Apple, who pioneered multi-touch commercially, would eventually go this route. After all, its competition has been coming out with a lot of great Apple inspired products of late, and if Apple wish's to continue to remain the leader, design wise, then it really has no choice but to also offer iMac touch enabled screens as well! Why should Apple give its competition bragging rights for a technology that it first made popular?

So, in conclusion, will Apple really offer multi-touch screens?

Hell, yah, you can bet your last cream-puffed cup cake they will! However, the big question is just how soon? Hopefully, a lot sooner than later, because you and I all know, that deep down inside, we really all want our touch screen Macs, so I say - bring em on baby!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, January 18, 2010

iMac image via: Gizmodo

The Apple Tablet: Is It Real Or Just A Fable?

As the calendar counts down to the expected release date of Apple's new tablet, the hype, speculation and the interest in knowing more details of the mythical device is rocketing upwards to ever new heights.

Interest in getting more information is now so high that that ValleyWag recently offered anyone, in a scavenger hunt, cash prizes of up to $100,000 for proof of its existence!

If interested, they are offering the following prize money:

- to anyone who could supply a bona fide picture - $10,000

- for a video of the tablet in action - $20,000

- for a picture of the Great Steve holding the device - $50,000

- and, for the privledge of allowing ValleyWag to play with the fabled tablet for an hour, the incredible sum of $100,000!

Wow, now that's what I call a lot of dough you know, and more than enough for you to buy yourself and a lot of your friends your very own Apple tablet. As far as ValleyWag's scavenger hunt goes, well, what do you know, they just sent this update in:

"Update: Apple Wins the First Prize in Our Tablet Scavenger Hunt"

Of course, this is all in jest, even though Apple legal doesn't consider it as such. However, ValleyWag, being the fun loving blokes that they are, decided in jest to award the first prize to one of Apple's many high-priced lawyers, Michael Spillner of the prestigious law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe! They are not giving him any of the original cash prizes mind you, but are instead awarding him with a DVD of Legally Blonde 2, a $25 Zune Marketplace gift card (now that's funny! ) and a fabulous set of steak knives! Hee, hee... ValleyWag is just so dang-bang funny, are they not? Of course, their objective was anything but funny - rather it was to simply to prove, once and for all, whether or not the tablet was the real deal, or not. Some people, believe it or not, actually think it 's nothing more than a big fat rumor and fable, including people like Jason Snell, the editorial director of MacWorld magazine.

Well, more-or-less, considering Apple's recent legal move, they basically, for all intent and purposes, just confirmed its very existence. After all, would anyone sue anybody over something that didn't exist - something that was just a fable? Of course not, and I personally believe that the tablet really does exists, and that it may also just revolutionize the whole industry in the same way that the iPod, iTunes, OS X and the iPhone had done before it!

In conclusion, is the Apple tablet, or iSlate, really, real, or is it nothing more than a big fat fable?

Well, once again, I, for one, actually believe its very real and as January 27th. draws ever closer, I also believe that we can also expect to see the media frenzy build up to a feverish pitch. Whether or not ValleyWag, or some other media source, can tempt anyone in the know to actually reveal the iSlate earlier than what Apple would like, well, that is completely unknowable at this point. However, the one thing that we do know about the Apple tablet for dang sure is that the interest in it is very real indeed, even if the tablet is not!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, January 15, 2010

Steve Jobs tablet image via: ValleyWag

Is The Superphone, The Nexus One, Really A Super Flop?

I'm surprised, even shocked, that the best dang-tooting Android device out there to date, the newly released Nexus One from Google, has seemingly and utterly bombed! Bombed in the sales department that is - selling a measly 20,000 units in its first week!

Wow, what can I say? The device itself, in spite of its many customer complaints , is absolutely and most likely the best dang phone out there, aside from the iPhone itself! With its gorgeous and vivid AMOLED screen and having the most sophisticated Android OS version to date, and coupled with Google's great branding, I would have expected more from the Nexus One, in fact, a lot more.

So, that leaves the question: Is the Google superphone really a super flop?

Well, according to the illustration above, via Wired.com, the 20,000 or so units does, to be quite honest, look rather pathetic when compared to the first week sales of the Motorola Droid. The Droid went on to sell a whopping 250,000 units - over 12 times what the Nexus One did! Of course, the Droid's first week sales looks rather look pathetic itself when compared to the iPhone 3GS first week sales, which, by the way, happened to total a mind blowing 1,600,000 units!

It also must first be remembered that Google never spent anywhere near the $100,000,000 that Motorola and Verizon did promoting the Droid either. I'm not sure how much Apple spent to promote its 3GS, but honestly they didn't really have to spend anything - the main street press and the blogger-sphere, more-or-less, did it all pretty much for them!

Googe's Nexus One may not of sold very well thus far, but one thing that it did do very well, apparently, was to anger its partner Motorola, who now says it will do a Palm Pre - by bringing multi-touch to most, if not all, of its devices - Apple's multi-touch patents be damned! Sanjay Jha, Motorola's CEO, told Latop magazine, "I think you will see us deliver multiouch in the majority of our devices going forward. There's a complex set of factors, not all of them technical." By "not all of them technical", it's safe to say he's referring specifically to Apple's multi-touch patents. No doubt, Motorola is taking encouragement from Palm and Apple's silence on Palm's clear violation of certain Apple patents in this regard.

In conclusion, is the Nexus One 'superphone' really a super flop?

Hell no, not by any means!

It may have gotten off to a slow start, but I sincerely doubt if it will remain in the slow lane for long. The Nexus One has become, however, more of a threat to the Droid and other phones more then to the iPhone itself, and no matter how well it, or other phones may do, my hunch is that by the time they catch up to the current iPhone 3GS, well, the future iPhone G4, expected soon, will leave them all back at the starting gate, and choking on its dust yet once again!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Thursday, January 14, 2010

2010 iPhone G4 Speculation: What's Next?

Google makes great software, but when it comes to hardware, apparently they are not so great at providing customer service, which could help to explain why some now believe that its new 'super-phone', the Nexus One, only sold a measly 20,000 in its first week.

Those figures are pretty dang-tooting lousy when compared with the Droid for example, or frankly when compared to the iPhone 3GS's one million plus, it's down right pathetic! However, one thing that Google's Nexus One apparently has done, was to set off speculation on Apple's own upcoming 'super-phone', the G4.

When it comes to G4 iPhone speculations and rumors, well, Computerworld's Richi Jennings has written a whole pack of the little suckers here. Among them is the following:

"Korea Times quotes unnamed, high-ranking executives at KT, Apple's exclusive local partner in South Korea, as saying the iPhone 4G will have an OLED screen, support video chat and ... have a removable battery. It'll also reportedly have a dual-core processor, more powerful graphics and an improved camera.

...

[It] says the 4G iPhone is being pushed out early to quell rising interest in Android phones, but I don't think these three rumored features will be enough, given that the Nexus One has an OLED screen and removable battery. They're nice features to have, but there's got to be more in store"

Now these are just that, mind you, nothing more than pure speculations and rumors, but that said, I am hoping at least that an iPhone G4 OLED screen will be a given. I'm not sure about Google's customer support, or the first week sales of its Nexus One, but I do know that its OLED equipped screen utterly puts the iPhone's to shame.

Richi's post goes on to shed light on other speculations, including ones that suggest that the next iPhone could be released as early as this coming April or May, may include not one, but two cameras - back and front, and possibly have superior graphics provided by Imagination Technologies' PowerVR SGX Series 5XT GPU! Another possibility suggests that its CPU could either be based on an ARM11 MPcore, a chip arising from Apple's own PA Semiconductor acquisition, or that the ARM Cortex-9 MPCore.

Whether some, or all of these speculations and rumors will actually come to pass is anybody's guess at this point, but I've always said that Apple's next iPhone is going to have to be good, really, really good, in order to keep up with the fierce competition coming from all of the wannabe iPhone killers out there, and phones that are sprouting up like weeds on a hot spring day. Thus far, none of them may have succeeded in surpassing the iPhone over all, but they are certainly inching ever closer, and in some case's already surpassing it, as with having some of those fantastic OLED displays!

Depending on who you ask, Apple is expected to make a big announcement this coming January 26th. or 27th. Most believe that this has to do with its upcoming 'super' tablet, the iSlate. That may be the case, of course, but it could also be simply to announce the next iPhone G4, or then again, if we are lucky, and who in hell really knows - both of them? I'm hoping for the later, because when it comes to high-tech gadgetry I can never get enough of them, and that goes especially for Apple's crop of gee-whiz-bang goodies, whom many consider to be the best-of-the-best, so here's hoping!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Wednesday, January 13, 2010

iPhone mock-up by Isamu Sanada via: SlashGear

Tablets: The iSlate Cometh!

The iSlate cometh!

Yes, we still have to wait for all of the pieces to finally fall into place, but come this 26 or 27th., the long wait should be over and the hype should either finally be confirmed, or denied!

Yesterday, an official with Apple's French partner, Orange, more-or-less, confirmed the existence of the iSlate in an interview with La Radio Europe, as France's Lepoint.fr pointed out. Later, however, Orange went out of their way to say that it was all taken out of context, but quite frankly I don't believe them anymore than I believe Palm's CEO, John Rubeinstein, when he said that Palm doesn't bother to pay attention to Apple, or that he ever even used an iPhone. It's certainly possible that the Orange executive may have slipped up, but I happen to firmly believe the first report, and I tend to agree with Gizmodo when they stated in this update:

"...... In an official statement, Orange has said that Stephane Richard's words were "taken out of context" and that he didn't acknowledge the existence of the Apple tablet.

However, the translation above is exactly what he said, with all the context. There's no other mention to the Apple tablet before or after the above. So no, his words weren't taken out of context, and they are presented as is.

Back in 2007, Orange CEO Didier Lombard spilt the beans on their iPhone partnership with Apple ahead of the official announcement, prompting the rage of Steve Jobs and an "official" denial by the Orange PR machine."

For another thing, with each passing day, more and more information is coming to light on some of the iSlate's components, such as its use of a brushed aluminum body. Various sources, such as Cult-of-Mac, are reporting that the Taiwanese manufacturer AVY Precision Technology will begin producing the iSlate's brush aluminum body sometime in February, with shipments beginning sometime around March. No doubt these cases will be based on the same unibody design that is currently used in the MacBook Pro's, which would certainly make them very durable in the field, and I'm also expecting, or should I say, at least I am hoping, that the new fangled-tablet will also be sporting Corning's hard-to-scratch and nearly unbreakable Gorilla Glass, which, when combined with its aluminum unibody design, should help to give the iSlate an unprecedented level of rigidity and strength never seen before, making the iSlate seem almost indestructible!

You can take it with a pinch of salt, but over at MacObserver they are also reporting that some are even claiming to having pictures of the iSlate's 10" glass! It's also interesting to note that ARM's Cortex A9 is also arriving just in the nick-of-time for use in the iSlate as well. This is especially interesting since some believe that this little power-house of a chip could possibly very well be the chip that will be driving the iSlate when it does finally cometh.

One interesting thing of note, that I find it particularly strange, is that after some five years, Apple has now, all of a sudden, finally decided to kill off the home page for FingersWorks.com, the company that it purchased and used to develop most of the multi-touch gestures found in the iPhone and iPhone Touch! Coming just before the launch of the iSlate, or whatever it will be called, it is yet one more hint of the iSlate's imminent arrival.

Well, in conclusion, all that we do know for sure is that the iSlate cometh, and that it cometh soon! Personally, I can't wait, because I think it's going to be everything that we could have ever hoped for it to be, but only more so. This is because I'm also suspecting that it will also include various new aspects that no one else would have ever thought of, or even dreamed was even possible, just as Apple did with the iPhone before it! The iSlate's anticipation is becoming more palatable by the day, and when measured by the sheer and ever growing number of search inquires on it, which can be seen here, the sooner it cometh, well, all the better!



And that's my 2 cents 4 this Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Artist rendering of iSlate via: Cult-of-Mac

The Latest Upcoming Medical Tool: The Apple Tablet?

Well, well... it seems that Apple representatives have been rather busy over the past six weeks or so, scuttling back and forth between Apple headquarters and the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

Does this have something mysteriously to do with Steve's health, or is it something all together different?

Thankfully, Steve health seems to be just dandy, and rather according to a January 9th. post on VentureBeat.com , it seems that Apple is just targeting its upcoming mythical tablet, in addition to many things, as a medical tablet as well. This, my dear two or three readers, makes a lot of sense to me. As a medical device Apple's upcoming 'iSlate' may just be the perfect tool that the medical community has been waiting for! On the other hand, however, this could end up being bad news indeed for dedicated medical tablets such as Motion Computing's C5 tablet. Regarding the iSlate as a medical device, and writing for VentureBeat's MoileBeat section, Paul Boulin wrote:

"Wilk, the founder of a startup company backed by the Y-Combinator incubator group, wrote on his blog that “My Dad plays golf with Cedas-Sanai hospital execs, who say they have been getting frequent visits from Apple about a new device in the last 6 weeks.”

In a phone call, Wilk said the number of visits was “three or four” and that his second-hand information suggested Apple wasn’t yet trying to close a sale, but rather probing for possible uses for the new device, which is almost certainly the tablet computer Apple plans to debut on January 27th."

According to Motion Computing's official site, the C5 is described as:

"The sealed Motion C5 Mobile Clinical Assistant (MCA) is a hospital-grade device specifically designed for use by clinicians across healthcare environments. Its rugged, disinfectable design, superior ergonomics and integrated features provides improved productivity while helping organizations to support the “five rights” of patient care (right patient, right time, right medication, right dosage, right route). Designed based on input from thousands of clinicians and with integrated technology from Intel® Health, the C5 brings reliable, automated patient data management directly to the point of care. Get a handle on patient care with the Motion C5. It’s highly portable. It’s lightweight. And, it’s ready to work for you."

Considering that the 'iSlate', or whatever it ends up being called, is expected to sell for under $1,000, it would not only be able to easily compete with the Windows based C5 tablet on price, but, as well, offer features that the C5 could never even hope or dream of offering, including:

- Access to the thousands upon thousands of APP STORE developers.

- The ability to wirelessly access all of a patient's medical history, including their current conditions, drug prescription, family information, etc.

- The ability to instantly access, with simple multi-touch swipes, the most up-t0-date medical magazines and journals

- The ability to access medical encyclopedias and drug information libraries

- The ability to consult with other doctors via voice, video and text messaging.

When you think about it, the possibilities of Apple's upcoming iSlate, in a medical setting, could be utterly limitless in its scope and breath. The ability of providing doctors, on-the-go, with vital medical information, while making their hospital rounds, would be more than just a convenience for the doctors themselves, but for their patients it could mean far better care and treatment. Being able to access vast amounts of information wirelessly, on-the-fly, would help to free up a lot of valuable time that doctors now spend in their offices or medical libraries looking up the latest medical news that could, in the end, make all the difference for their respective patients.

In conclusion, I can really see the benefit of marketing Apple's upcoming iSlate as a medical device, and regardless of whether the iSlate sells for over, or for under $1,000, for both doctors and the their patients, the iSlate could be priceless!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Monday, January 11, 2010

C5 illustration via: Motion Computing

CES 2010: Highlights

Thus far, most of what I've seen from the big consumers and electronic show in Vegas this week hasn't really gotten me too excited. The most interesting thing about it, of course, was who wasn't there again - Apple!

Even though Apple wasn't there, its shadow certainly was and it loomed heavily over the entire event. This can easily be attested by the fact that everyone and their dog, from Microsoft on down, were all-of-a-sudden were renaming their 'tablet PC's' - slates - as in Apple's registered 'iSlate'! Wow, now that's what I call having a really big shadow, and especially when considering that Apple has neither confirmed or denied its very existence!

Apart from Samsung's fabulously sexy new 9000 LED LCD TV ( seen above) and its incredibly super-thin profile, and its sexy iPhone looking touch remote, the only thing that really caught my eye was the Wind Top AE2420 from MSI. This machine looks similar to its older all-in-one cousin, the 2400. What caught my eye was its old Apple Cinema monitor styled casing, and more importantly, its specs. This baby just happens to sport the first i5 processor for the line, and as well, features a Radeon HD 5000 series graphic controller, 5.1 audio, a nice sized 23.6 inch 1080p monitor. Oh, and by the way, did I mention that monitor was also a multi-touch one at that? A serious machine with some serious specs.

I don't know if its exactly from CES, or not, but Engadget did a post on two similar machines, the Lenovo IdeaCentre A300 and C310. Since I love all-in-ones, these machines also, naturally, caught my eye as well.

As you can see, the A300 above, and also the C310 below, are both decent looking machines. However, I still think that the new iMacs are better looking, and especially the 27 incher is a better spec one at that. I've also noticed that Apple's influence seems to be felt in the A300 mouse - its rather reminiscent of Apple's old Mighty mouse in shape and form, don't you think?

Another thing that was exciting, but I still won't get too excited about, was Panasonic's huge, enormous, absolutely colossuses' of a TV - the fabulous 152 inch 3D 4K! I definitely want one of these for my bathroom, and maybe the linen closet, but I'm not going to get too excited for the simple reason that there is probably no-way-in-hell I could ever hope to afford one! But as you can see in the picture, via Gizmodo, that big screen certainly makes that man below seem ever so small and insignificant!

In conclusion, as far as any CES 2010 highlights goes, for me anyway, well there hasn't been really any, other than the few mildly exciting ones above. Even these are honestly not really that exciting when I come to think about it, so I'm hoping that before the big show is a wrap up, they will at least roll out something - anything that will make me sit up and take notice. Otherwise, when it comes to excitement, well, I guess, I'll just have to wait until the 26th. of January when Apple, hopefully, and finally will unveil that big shadow that hung over CES this year - that mythical 'iSlate' tablet!

And that's my 2 cents 4 this Friday, January 08, 2010