CameraConnector
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hacksugar: Working with iPad-mounted USB drives
Recently, TUAW has looked at using the iPad's camera connection kit to attach and use USB drives. If you're using a jailbroken iPad, you'll be pleased to discover that the camera connection kit allows you to connect a USB stick or hard drive and access it from your iPad. That means you can easily bring extra files on-the-go and copy them into third party (i.e. no, you're not going to update your iTunes library on the go...yet) applications. Mounting drives is the province of a built-in application called MobileStorageMounter. It's part of the iPad's core services. When it sees a new FAT or HFS USB device, it attempts to mount that device using standard Unix services. If it finds a built-in DCIM folder on the drive, it launches the iPad Photos application. If not, it throws up the dialog shown at the top of this post, reporting that the attached USB device is not supported. As far as you're concerned, that error message is good news. It means that the device has been properly mounted and is ready for use. If you do not see the dialog, it's time to take one of two courses of action: a quick fix that works most of the time and a thorough fix that always works. Read on to learn more...
Apple's iPad keyboard dock, case and other accessories get the hands-on treatment
Apple didn't give us a great amount of time with its newly unveiled iPad today, and as you've likely seen, we spent the bulk of our allotment touching the unit itself. Lost in the proverbial shuffle were a number of the unit's launch accessories, including the admittedly intriguing keyboard dock ($69), case ($39), iPad Dock Connector to VGA adapter ($29) and camera connection kit ($29). Each of these doodads seem to look and feel exactly as you'd expect 'em to, though we're still baffled by Apple's decision to make you pay extra for access to the world's most widely accepted connector. We're also somewhat appalled (but not surprised) by the $39 price tag purportedly attached to the stripped-down case, and while the $69 MSRP on the keyboard dock is apt to cause some grumbling, at least there are a few iPad-specific keys on there to make it (marginally) worth your while. Dig in below for more on each. Read - iPad keyboard dock hands-on Read - iPad case hands-on Read - iPad Dock Connector to VGA adapter hands-on Read - iPad camera connection kit hands-on
Rig of the Day: The serious photographer
Flickr user and TUAW reader Pete Baker isn't fooling around. Check out his photography rig: 60GB iPod photo iPod camera connector 12" Powerbook Also included is a slew of nice equipment, like a Canon 20D w/a 17-40 L mm lens, pro light meter, Olympus Stylus Epic, oodles of film and more. "Gear Box" posted by treemeat.If you'd like to see your own rig featured here, simply upload photos into our group Flickr pool. We'll select an image every day (usually) to highlight.
