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Engadget's Holiday Gift Guide: Tablets
Welcome to the Engadget Holiday Gift Guide! The team here is well aware of the heartbreaking difficulties of the seasonal shopping experience, and we want to help you sort through the trash and come up with the treasures this year. Below is today's bevy of hand curated picks, and you can head back to the Gift Guide hub to see the rest of the product guides as they're added throughout the holiday season. You didn't think we'd let the holiday season go by without an official Engadget Tablet Gift Guide did you? Hey, give us more credit -- we know it's not 2009 anymore! The past year has seen an explosion in the tablet category, and while the iPad may still be the market leader, there's no shortage of Android and Windows 7 alternatives out there that let you surf the web, read books, and watch videos with just a flick of a finger. Sure, more are on the way, and all signs point to Apple updating the iPad in early 2011, but if you've got to have a touchscreen slab before the end of the year, we're here to lend a helping hand. Hit the break for a rundown of the best choices by price category.
FBI steps in to investigate iPad security breach
You might recall yesterday's news that a little trickery into AT&T's systems brought about the breach of 114,000 Apple iPad-owning email addresses. Now it seems the FBI has taken an interest in the case and has launched an investigation into the "potential cyber threat" of the snafu. As far as we know and have seen, the hackers were able to obtain just email addresses, although with that comes the knowledge that the victims in question own iPad 3Gs and don't mind AT&T's service -- don't click on any odd billing statements if you were affected. As stated previously, the carrier has subsequently apologized and proverbially "plugged the hole" from which the info was obtained. Not sure anything will come of this inquiry, but we'll let you know what we hear.
ABC Player for iPad updated, 3G streaming is a go
Well that was fast. That ABC Player for iPad update we heard about this morning has already made its way through Apple's approval process and is now available for download. Orientation lock is now, erm, on lock controls are more responsive, but most importantly, (lower bitrate) 3G streaming is now a go. With that settled, now no bus ride will ever get between you and an island chockfull of confusion and smoke monsters. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
iPad 3G's non-WiFi video playback restrictions detailed
We could hear the echoing howls of discontent over the weekend as thousands finally received their very own iPad 3G and learned they couldn't watch Dancing With the Stars whilst on the go. Now we have the details on why, exactly, and the repercussions. As it turns out, it's simply a carry-over of an iPhone OS HTTP Live Streaming rule that states quite clearly: You must include a low quality stream of no more than 64 Kbps for your app to resort to when network conditions demand it, along with the higher quality streams you want to deliver to your customers when the network can support it. It seems the ABC Player devs chose to skip that option, so when you lose WiFi you also lose Tom Bergeron's charm and wit. Other apps, like Netflix and YouTube, do provide a lower bitrate fallback, but that of course results in nasty compression artifacts when on the go. In other words: there's a very good chance that 3G streaming will come in a future ABC Player release, but when it does it ain't gonna be pretty.
iPad 3G jailbroken on video: same as it ever was (on the WiFi model)
You may find yourself holding onto an iPad 3G. You may find yourself not able to stream ABC player. You may tell yourself, I think I need to break some rules. You may ask yourself, will I be able to use the same Spirit software that jailbreaks my WiFi model? You may ask yourself, well, did I backup my SHSH blobs? Download still not yet available -- time is holding us, time does hold you back. (There is video, at the bottom of the ocean after the break.)
iPad 3G denies ABC player, downsamples iTunes store video previews over AT&T
Well ain't that a kick in the pants. Reports are coming in from newly-minted iPad 3G videophiles that iTunes store previews and Netflix streams are getting downsampled over AT&T's network. The folks at iLounge have been tinkering enough to confirm the iTunes issue (we're still waiting for FedEx to drop off our 3G tablets so we can corroborate ourselves) and, lo and behold, ABC player flat out refuses to work over AT&T's 3G network, instead displaying an oddly familiar message: "Please connect to a Wi-Fi network to use this application. Cellular networks are not supported at this time." Perhaps an update will ensue to fix such limits, but in the meantime, we're sure at least someone at Sling HQ is having an awkward chuckle.
iPad 3G orders being processed?
We've had a number of reports come in that various people's bank accounts were giving simultaneous good and bad news. First the latter: a pending charge upwards of $888 for an order you probably placed a month ago and forgot about -- hope tax day didn't wipe you out too much. The good news, should you brave that sudden financial burden, is that it emanates from Apple Computers and seems to indicate that the gang in Cupertino is, as indicated in an earlier email, on track to start delivering iPad 3Gs in late April. Got an outstanding reservation? Better check with your online money handler... [Thanks Justin and everyone else who sent this in!]
