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Apple drops the iPad Air 2 price to $399
Sure, the 9.7-inch iPad Pro might have been the star of the show at Apple's spring event, but that isn't stopping Cupertino from giving the budget-conscious crowd something nice. The company has dropped the price of the iPad Air 2 from $499 (£399) to $399 (£349) -- yes, that's the same price as the smaller, slower iPad mini 4. It still starts with a modest 16GB of storage, like it or not, but $499 (£429) now gets you a healthier 64GB capacity. If you can live without the Pro's performance upgrades and input options, this might be your iPad of choice. Get all the news from today's iPhone event right here.
Kelso's Quest: potential magic, serious flaws
Kelso's Quest, which is free in the app store for iPhone and iPad users on iOS 5.0 or higher, is an adorable game about a Koala (Kelso), who is on the very disney-esque mission to recover his stolen cub, Nico. Kelso is assisted along the way by weird wombats, some of whom seem to be ninjas, some scientists, etc., who show up and do what they can to help out hero on his way. The game is played from above, in standard the "map game" aesthetic, with missions along as set, linear path, around a map/landscape. The maps, like everything in this game, is slick and gorgeous. There are occasional breaks in the action for word-bubble dialogue between Kelso and other characters. Once inside the missions, your view is still from above, but instead of linear paths, you can take Kelso anywhere you wish to go by drawing the path you want him to travel with your finger. When you do so, it shows a dotted line, similar to a treasure map, which is a really nice touch. Missions are typically passed by collecting various feathers. On the way through this down-under adventure, Kelso encounters many enemies, including totem poles that fire poison blow-darts (one hit will kill you), predatory vultures above head, weird lizards that sleep most of the time (but wake up and try to kill you), among other weird, slightly psychedelic, but lovable foes. In-between missions, the game even gives you fun facts about the real-life versions of the creatures in the game, largely focusing on Koalas and Wombats. The game starts you with five lives and you accumulate gold pieces for completed missions, side games, etc. Then the trouble comes in. It costs gold to immediately continue this game. If you inevitably run out of gold and lives, your options are pretty lame. You can either spend actual money on more imaginary gold, you can sign up for mailing lists and give personal information to advertisers in exchange for more imaginary gold, or (worst of all) you can take the free route: they make you wait long periods of time to continue with 1 new life. The first time you go this way, the game forces you to wait 10min to resume play, the next time 15min, and (if you're like me) your patience will be gone at that point. So, if you want to play a really well animated game with a well planned storyline and fun controls, Kelso's Quest is definitely the game for you, assuming you don't want to be thrown into the jaws of advertisers or forced to wait half an hour before continuing to enjoy it. A lot about this game could be excellent, but I cannot recommend it, unfortunately.
Hands on with Voice Dream's ebook narration
As the school year heads back into session, many students have a lot of new reading on their plate. Parents whose children struggle with assigned books might be considering ways to augment that material. Over the summer, Amazon regularly offered to add Audible narrations to assigned reading titles for my kids. For example, I purchased E.L. Doctorow's Ragtime for US$9.99 (pre-tax) and picked up its companion audio track for just $4.99. The normal price is $9.95 on iTunes. The audio cassettes, incidentally, sell from $138.45, not including shipping. I needed to lend her my iPad 2 to access the Kindle app/voice integration (it is not available for releases that run on the original iPad), but on the whole it was a successful experiment. With that experience in mind, I decided to investigate more automated solutions. Voice Dream Reader ($9.99, additional voices available with in-app purchases) represents one of the better-reviewed text-to-speech apps currently available in the App Store. I obtained a promo copy and tested out excerpts from several books. At the suggestion of the developer, I tried both the default built-in voice and a purchased upgrade, the $4.99 Salli voice from Ivona. The upgraded voice was clearly superior to the default, with better intonation and inflection. And yet, despite that, each of the testers had difficulty listening to long-form reading material. No matter how excellent the synthesis, a lack of human performance really impacted the comprehension and enjoyment of text. I suspect this is a learning process, and one that our short testing framework could not accommodate, as visually impaired readers do quite well with synthesized material. However, for augmenting reading for learning, my real-world trials had me more focused on the synthesis of the speech than its content. My testers agreed. For them, the mechanical dictation became a distraction rather than a supplement. I found the app very well made. It easily imported the non-DRM ebooks I downloaded from Safari and added through Dropbox integration. Support for each book's table of contents made it simple to navigate to the portion I wanted to read, and word-by-word highlighting helped reinforce the content / audio integration. I suspect Voice Dream would work best for short material and for those who have trained themselves to efficiently process automated speech. As for my commute and my children's reading, the Audible tracks remain the winners, but I'm glad I was able to give the app a good try. For those who can best take advantage of automated text-to-voice, it seems to offer a solid choice.
Apple kills iPad 2 in favor of 4th-gen Retina display model
When Apple launched the iPad Air, it swiftly kicked the fourth-generation iPad to the curb, but kept the iPad 2 around as an "entry level" option. At the same time as the company has tweaked the iPhone lineup, it's also pulling a switcheroo in the tablet space -- dumping the iPad 2 and replacing it with the Retina-and-Lightning model. The unit is back on the Apple store for the same price as the Retina iPad Mini, so now it's just a decision as to what size slab your hands can carry.
Transformer-like Dock-It Pro provides quirky iPad keyboard case
To call the Dock-It Pro (US$159) quirky is to understate the oddness of this product. This Parle Innovation device offers a flip-case that enables users to treat their iPad as either a mini laptop or a very, very heavy tablet. A well-designed keyboard represents its strongest feature, but the weight, compatibility issues, and awkward usability let a promising product down. If you own an iPad air, this is not the product for you. It works only with the iPad 2, 3, and 4 form factor. To use, you slide the top element in a few directions (there are hints printed onto the product because it doesn't quite open like a laptop) and place your iPad inside. In my testing, this process went very smoothly and I was delighted to find a notch that allows me to connect my old-style charging cable to my iPad 2, even while docked to the unit. The built-in Bluetooth keyboard is battery powered, using a standard micro-USB charger -- which is exactly as hard to plug in as any other similar device. It helps to have good eyes and a steady hand. Now that I own Lightning products, I'm finding my patience wearing thin with some of these USB ports. Your iPad and your case charge independently. Unfortunately in "laptop" mode, the battery connector and the charging port notch are on opposite sides of the product, making cord organization a bit of a hassle. This is especially notable because in "laptop" mode represents the times when you're most likely to make extended use of the product. The built-in keyboard is my favorite part of this unit. Yes, the keyboard is small -- but so are all keyboard cases for iPads. And yes, the keyboard is chickleted, but it's a pretty decent chicklet keyboard with decent travel. There will probably never be a portable keyboard with proper mechanical switches and high key travel, so my evaluation was limited to: "Is this usable?" and "Does it feel pretty okay?" It certainly does. How good? About as good as it gets in the as the top of the middle to the bottom of the top of the keyboard case keyboard product pack. Decent. A set of handy function keys lines the top of the keyboard. At the very left, where the ESC key normally sits, is a home key equivalent -- very handy. Other built-ins include brightness control, volume control with mute key, and a lock key. The product is most suited to someone who needs to move between the touch world and text entry world, presumably in work areas where dictation is out of the question. Compared to my MacBook Air, which I bought refurbished, it's heavier, and less capable, and with the iPad, costs about the same. The target market that would best benefit from a device like this -- such as medical personnel and sales persons on the road -- would probably balk at the weight and awkward use. The product is not ruggedized in any way, so I wouldn't imagine taking it into a construction zone. In the end, I think the Dock-It Pro is probably a much better product concept than an actual product for sale despite its appealing keyboard and fun transformer screen.
Tablet deals of the week: 2.21.14
If you've taken a look at our winter 2014 tablet buyer's guide, you now have a good idea of what slates you should be buying. With many purchases, price can be a sticking point, but thanks to our pricing tools, it doesn't have to be. We've compiled some of the best deals from over the past week -- including products from the buyer's guide, and a few older models you should also take a look at -- so you can add a new tablet to your tech arsenal without taking a serious hit to your wallet. If there are other tablets you have your eye on that we haven't included here -- join us and add them to your "Want" list. Every time there's a price cut in the future, you'll get an email alert!
Shopping in the iOS device bargain bin
Although we're not expecting refurbished iPad Airs to hit Apple's online store for a month or two yet, it's still a terrific time to shop for all things iOS. At US$500, the bottom-line iPad Air may not be discounted, but it still provides excellent value for the dollar. Light, thin and super fast, this latest Retina-based iOS tech offers a lot to the buyer. The intro model Retina mini starts at $400. But what about those of us with a more limited budget? You won't go wrong picking up an original (non-Retina) iPad mini from Apple's online refurbished and clearance store. All items sell with a one-year warranty and refurbished iPads include both a brand-new battery as well as a new outer shell. It's that battery guarantee in particular that makes buying refurbished devices from Apple such a great choice. Right now, you can pick up a refurbished first-generation 16GB WiFi iPad mini for just $250. Stock varies, but on any day you're likely to find units with varying memory configurations and onboard cellular support listed for sale as well. Yesterday morning, a 64GB non-Retina WiFi mini was just $419. Although the iPod touch tends to get short shrift in glamour, it provides surprisingly sophisticated kit. A fifth-generation refurb with an A5 chip, a 4-inch screen, excellent cameras and more starts at just $189. That's particularly attractive to developers looking for an extra work unit with modern screens and geometry without having to pay that costly phone premium. Like iPads, refurbished iPods sold direct from Apple contain that all-important new battery. If you're focused on Retina and shopping for a full-size iPad, your best bet is probably a refurbished fourth-generation unit, which starts at $379 for the 16GB WiFi model. While Apple is still selling third-generation devices, with an admittedly spotty collection of stock, we'd suggest choosing the latest-but-one version instead. It was an excellent model and while it weighs more than the Air and has a larger frame, it's still a great iPad all around. Compared to a new iPad 2, which sells for $20 more, the refurbished iPad 4 gives you that Retina screen, better battery life and all-round stronger computing.
The Book and I: How the iPad has changed my reading life
Last week, I picked up a copy of The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter at the library. The book was sitting there on the shelf. I had heard some reasonably good buzz about it. So when it caught my eye, I did something I haven't done in a while. I checked out a dead-tree version. I also did something I had never done before. As I was reading the book, I stumbled across an unfamiliar word and, rather hilariously, ended up tapping the printed page until it finally occurred to me that the book wasn't going to offer me built-in dictionary and Wikipedia access. It's odd how three years or so changes you. Although the Kindle debuted in 2007, it wasn't until 2010 that I really jumped on the e-book bandwagon. My entry was due to the iPad. In fact, it was the iPad 2 even more than the original that firmly grounded me into the e-book world. Between the light, thin design of the tablet and my aging eyes, the iPad with its built-in iBooks app and the add-on Amazon Kindle reader app, I have become a devotee. I love e-books. In addition to in-line definitions and searches, I can zoom up the font however much I desire, read in the dark and lie in nearly any position while comfortably reading. My iPad also weighs significantly less than my hard-bound copy of Name of the Wind. In a way, the transition has been similar to the iPod revolution of the early 2000s. Instead of carrying around CDs, cassettes and so forth, the iPod made it possible to bring your entire music library with you. With the iPad, my library travels with me as well. With advances in connectivity, I'm now just a few taps away from buying and borrowing books while I'm on the go. I am now regularly borrowing books from the Denver Public Library. More and more local library systems are offering digital loans, and many of them deliver directly to the Kindle app. Admittedly, library culture hasn't quite caught up to the technology. The collections are often slap-dash and poorly curated. For example, here's a screenshot returned from a search for new Science Fiction arrivals. As enjoyable as My Fair Captain may be (Hi, Megs!), I suspect it doesn't really fall into the Science Fiction genre in any meaningful fashion. You're generally better off finding recommendations over at Goodreads rather than trying to spontaneously discover items through the library. Buying e-books has its occasional challenges as well. Take the new Moist von Lipwig book, for example. It debuted this November, in 2013. The e-book, however, won't launch until March 18, 2014. This shift, called "windowing", isn't an isolated incident, although it's not exactly a trend either. Publishers don't always release e-books at the same time as their print versions. For example, in the case of A Memory of Light, the final book in the Wheel of Time series, I ended up skipping the last volume entirely due to the shifted dates rather than wait several months for the e-book. (I did however read the Wikipedia entry, which had a vastly reduced amount of crossed arms, skirt smoothing and sniffing.) Patrick Nielsen Hayden tells me that windowing was much more practiced a few years ago. He says, "I think most of the editors and agents I know would agree that the practice is in decline." Instead, some books such as the re-release of Charles Stross' Merchant Princes novels are actually going digital first, appearing in the US several months before the print version to match up with their UK releases. So why is windowing still around? Nielsen Hayden says, "Some [publishers] were genuinely anxious about losing hardcover sales; some were doing it because their bestselling authors (or those authors' agents) were anxious. And for a lot of other reasons, most of which are summed up by William Goldman's observation about the entertainment industry in general: 'Nobody Knows Anything.' But here at the start of 2014, I think there's a growing consensus that, in commercial fiction publishing at any rate, 'windowing' isn't going to be the dominant model." I appreciate the way I can now download many e-book samples before buying. When a friend recommended I check out Cinder by Marissa Meyer, I was able to pick up a five-chapter trial version before splashing out my $8 on the full book. Turning that around, I was then able to pass along that recommendation to my friend Judy, giving her and her daughter a chance to try before buying. When buying e-books, I have had to perform major mental shifts. The whole "you don't own that" DRM approach means that at any time, I could possibly lose access to major parts of my collection. Baen Books and Tor are notable exceptions to this rule and I encourage you to check out Baen's e-book policy page and Tor's blog post about the change. I can't hand off books I no longer want to friends, to charities, or sell to pre-owned bookshops. Nor can I count on my books being there five, 10 or 20 years down the line. Fortunately, my children de-sentimentalized me pretty early on. They have completely different tastes in reading than I do. The special books I put aside assuming they'd love them (Nesbit, Eager, Wynne Jones, McKinley, etc.) have long since found new homes. I'm the first to admit as an early adopter that the technology has a long way to go. Both iBooks and the Kindle app are pretty awful at cataloging and organizing books. They haven't gone far past the "read the book" challenge into the "manage your library" one. My iPad collections are stuffed with items from various bookstores, from Project Gutenberg, and public libraries. In fact, the only way I have found to remove long-since-read-and-returned library items is through the online "Manage My Kindle" page. Despite this, I am more committed now than ever before to e-book reading. The comfort, convenience and overall experience blows the old dead-tree-style books out of the water. Stumbling across print-only books, such as John McWhorter's What Language Is, leaves me blinking and shooting off emails asking when the Kindle edition will finally debut.
This insane Slope iPad stand will win your heart
Techgasm. It happens when a product or products simply exceed your expectations. That's not a teeny iMac in the picture to the right. It's my iPad 2 resting on a new Slope iPad stand. The Slope, which comes in versions for both iPad and iPad mini, finished a successful Kickstarter campaign last year and is now getting ready to ship starting November 5. The stand consists of an aluminum base with a nanofoam front and bottom surface. It works using suction created by small air pockets within the nanofoam. You push your iPad onto the foam and... it stays there. The grip works far better than I initially expected, providing a surprisingly secure mount point. The bonding between the iPad and the stand feels amazingly "right." The bottom foam enables you to anchor your tablet to the table, so it doesn't wander off during use. (A reusable plastic shield included with the packaging lets you choose between anchored and free-floating use.) So what's the difference between the Slope and other nanofoam solutions? Design. The brushed aluminum looks gorgeous. It's basically the iPad accessory that Apple forgot to ship. I found it easy both to mount and dismount my iPad although I first feared I'd hurt the Slope's nanofoam. My worries were unfounded. I will warn you in advance, however, that the psychological need to precisely and perfectly center your iPad is a mental hazard that many users will not be able to avoid. (If I were to use this full-time, I'd probably add some tiny guide marks on the back of my iPad.) Curious about that foam? Slope creator Erik Kittlaus set up a "Show Me This Nano Foam Stuff" page to teach people how to understand, use and maintain their stand with its high-tech nanofoam. Hint: Keep your Slope out of hot cars and away from direct sunlight near windows in warmer climates. Once attached, your iPad rests at the perfect height and slant for watching videos, playing games or just hanging nearby for easy recharging at your desk. If you're near another computer, however, why not use this tiny iMac-looking combination as an extra monitor? I tested out my besloped iPad using Avatron's newly updated Air Display 2 (US$9.99), a utility that converts your iPad into an OS X display. (We first wrote about this app a few years ago.) You install a free Mac-based server utility and the iPad screen becomes a fully touch-input-ready extension of your desktop. The marriage between Slope and Air Display couldn't be more perfect. Instead of just sitting around and charging, my iPad was transformed into an active part of my workday. With the Slope, the iPad really looks and feels like it belongs on my desktop. With Air Display 2, it functioned that way as well. If you didn't pre-order a Slope during the Kickstarter campaign, you'll be able to order starting November 5 from the Dekke website. The price will be $69.99 $59.99 for the standard Slope stand (meant for 10-inch tablets) and $64.99 $54.99 for the Slope mini (engineered for 7-inch tablets).
Southwest, Dish offer free iPad entertainment to travelers
If you're a frequent flier who hasn't yet invested in a tablet of your own, Southwest has you covered: As part of a larger partnership between the airline and television provider Dish, Southwest will now not only provide in-flight entertainment for passengers who have iOS devices of their own, but will now also offer iPads to those without their own compatible smartphone or tablet. The tablets -- which are the iPad 2 model -- will be available for passengers to "check out" at kiosks within terminals at Chicago-Midway, Denver and Oakland airports. If you're flying between any of these cities on a WiFi-enabled flight, you'll be able to loan an iPad and enjoy a selection of live and on-demand content for free during your trip.
Apple keeps iPad 2 in its lineup for $399
To much surprise, Apple is keeping the iPad 2 in the lineup, alongside the new iPad Air. Maintaining its US$399 price, Apple cited its continuing popularity and use as a reason for keeping the 2 1/2-year-old device around, a long lifespan in the tech industry these days.
iOS 7 on an iPad 2: First impressions
Shorty after Apple released iOS 7, we began hearing reports that it's buggy on the iPad 2. Everything from crashing apps to general wonkiness seemed to be troubling some users. With that in mind, I updated my own iPad 2 to iOS 7 try it out. Here are my first impressions of Apple's new mobile operating system on an older piece of hardware. Installation Installation was a breeze. After backing up my iPad, the process unfolded as expected. It's noteworthy that iTunes would not execute the installation until a full backup was complete. It failed at first as I had to free up some space on my MacBook Air's drive. Once that was done, it went swimmingly. Issues The only issue I've encountered is with responsiveness. Tapping a folder to open it sometimes takes half a beat. Likewise, scrolling through thumbnails of running apps via multitasking isn't as smooth as it is on my iPhone 4S. Also, the lovely blur effect that's seen when you pull Notification Center down on more contemporary hardware isn't there on the iPad 2. Instead, you simply see a darker version of whatever is behind the sheet. I also found a slight delay when pulling up a keyboard, especially in Mail and Messages, as well as when switching keyboards (alpha vs. symbols, for example). Note that none of this is annoyingly bad, but it is noticeable. There's bad news for One Direction fans: my daughter's beloved 1D app now crashes when you try to play a video. But that's likely an incompatibility bug in the app. Or maybe it's a commentary on One Direction. The good The rest, so far, has been all good. Web surfing on mobile Safari is what I expect. Mail does as well. In fact, I haven't had an app crash or refuse to function. It's also notable that the parallax effect works, as does the "dynamic" wallpaper. A few of you had questions about that on Twitter. I plan on spending more time with it over the weekend, but after a day's use, I can say that, aside from some minor responsiveness issues, iOS 7 seems just fine on the iPad 2. I'll have more after the weekend.
iBook Lessons: Beyond the Story ships interactive book app for Almighty Johnsons, the best show you're not watching
The Almighty Johnsons is probably the best show you're not watching -- unless you live in Canada. Although the show airs in New Zealand as well, the viewer numbers there are roughly enough to put together a basketball team. On a good day. Crude, vulgar, hilarious and touching, the show is surprisingly well made, with a shoestring budget and a very real desperate sense of on-the-bubble/will-it-be-canceled-soon because of those pesty Kiwis who are failing to watch it. To put it in Canadian terms, it's as smart as Orphan Black, a lot funnier and more risk-taking than The Lost Girl. The show plays in Canada, the UK, Australia and, of course, it "airs" (not that anyone watches) in New Zealand. Today, Syfy announced a deal to debut the show in the US in 2014 (hopefully without too many edits for American tastes). Sadly, that air date means that the renew/don't renew decision might happen long before the US gets its first glimpse of the Johnson family. (You can still write letters of support to TV 3 in New Zealand, South Pacific Pictures or tweet a note of support/drop off a Facebook like.) That all said, the show has just jumped from the screen to iOS devices. Expatriate Kiwi developers Beyond the Story, based in London, but with Aotearoa accents, have been working with South Pacific Pictures, just recently delivering a show-specific app to the New Zealand and Canadian iTunes app stores. Their custom, enhanced-book platform was built over several years, with a 2.5 million pound development investment. Able to transform any long form text into an interactive experience, Beyond the Story has previously produced the quite noteworthy Diary of Anne Frank and the somewhat less noteworthy After Earth: Kitai's Journal. They have worked with Penguin and Harper Collins on additional titles. When visiting New Zealand, this past February, a meeting with South Pacific Pictures gave rise to the Almighty Johnsons app project. Offering script novelizations, behind the scenes insights, interviews with the actors, character sheets and more, the app includes a great deal of fan-centric material. On the geeky technical end of things, the app provided some interesting implementation details. Apparently, this is the first-ever TV novelization that's delivered live as the series premieres. As each broadcast goes to air, the app enables each "chaptersode." This was a bit tricky when dealing with multiple geographies, and multiple screening times. The developers focused on not ruining the experience for anyone. You cannot access a chaptersode until that program has gone to air. (When the app goes live in the UK and Australia, it will coordinate to the local broadcasts there for the third series.) Is it a great app? It... feels a little like DVD extras. This includes the hokey background music and tap-to-jump menu structure. The novelization is, well, what it is. It's not horrible, but I'm a little confused as to why it was included. The writing is fairly stiff, bringing little extra insight or liveliness. The background text material, too, feels like it's been repurposed, although I'm not entirely sure of that as a fact. The app presentation itself and the underlying engine, on the other hand, did show great promise. I'd very much like to check out the Anne Frank app now after seeing this one. I'm told the Anne Frank book/app will release globally near October. The best bits, in my opinion, are the behind-the-scenes video snippets, even though some of them are extremely spoilery at this time, especially James Griffin's discourse on Yggdrasil (although I do adore his shirt-of-radio-art). So be warned. I did not encounter any of the instability that users have mentioned in iTunes reviews. I tested the app on a somewhat geriatric iPad 2 running iOS 6. Is it worth the Canadian $3.99? I can't see why not, although spoilerphobes will want to wait until the entire series has aired before picking up a copy. It's as cheap or cheaper than a TV show magazine might be, and probably will offer at least as much enjoyment.
Deus Ex: The Fall update supports iPad 2
Deus Ex: The Fall hit the App Store a few weeks back and instantly made headlines for an anti-piracy scheme whereby users with jailbroken iOS devices were precluded from playing the game, even if they spent the full US$6.99 to download it. The developers were quick to respond to user outcry and promised that an impending update would soon change that. Yesterday, Deus Ex: The Fall was in fact updated, but the bigger story here is that the game is now compatible with the iPad 2. So for all you iPad 2-toting folks who want to get some action-style gaming on, have at it. The changelog also indicates that the recent version of the game includes a major update to the game's artificial intelligence. Lastly, bear in mind that the game is not compatible with the iPhone 4, but will work on the iPhone 4S and above, the iPad 2 and above, and the iPad mini.
Deus Ex: The Fall update sneaks in iPad 2 support, AI fixes
Square Enix has issued a new update for Deus Ex: The Fall, the iOS action-RPG set after the events of the Deus Ex: The Icarus Effect novel. This latest patch adds support for iPad 2, fixes a few crash bugs and enhances AI, guaranteeing "enemies do not lose sight of the player" any longer. Deus Ex: The Fall was initially expected to be a sequel to Deus Ex: Human Revolution when trademarks were discovered back in March. It's an experience our review says presents moments of joy but is ultimately "hollow."
AT&T rolls out expanded 4G LTE coverage to 16 US markets
AT&T customers scattered around the US have something to be happy about today -- 4G LTE coverage was just switched on several market areas. The company announced that the following markets can now access the 4G LTE network with their iPhone 5s, LTE-compatible iPads or iPad minis and other compatible smartphones: Asheville, N.C. Casa Grande, Ariz. Culpepper, Va. Dover, Del. Fredericksburg, Va. Goldsboro, N.C. Leonardtown, Md. Linglestown, Pa. Longview, Wash. Ocean City, Md. Port Townsend-North Whidbey Island-Camano Island, Wash. Prince Frederick and Calvert County, Md. Roanoke, Va. Salem, Ore. Schenectady, N.Y. Shelton, Wash. AT&T plans to extend LTE to a total of 79 new markets by the start of summer, which is just a scant three weeks away. LTE is up to 10 times faster than the company's 3G data network, and TUAW editor Dave Caolo is anxiously awaiting its arrival on Cape Cod so he can rely less on slow WiFi service when he's having his car worked on. Soon, Dave, soon...
Myth killer: iPad magnet effect on defibrillators wasn't "discovered" by a 14-year-old
Those magnets in every iPad that allow the Smart Cover and Smart Case to attach securely have the ability to accidentally shut off implanted heart defibrillators if the iPad happens to be lying on the patient's chest. According to a Bloomberg news report yesterday, that discovery was made by Gianna Chien, a 14-year-old high school freshman who presented the results of her science fair project to doctors at a meeting of the Heart Rhythm Society in Denver yesterday. Well, to be fair, Chien probably just read the iPad user guide, where the warning is plainly written: iPad has magnets along the left edge of the device and on the right side of the front glass, which may interfere with pacemakers, defibrillators, or other medical devices. The iPad Smart Cover and iPad Smart Case also contain magnets. Maintain at least 6 inches (approximately 15 cm) of separation between your pacemaker or defibrillator and iPad, the iPad Smart Cover, or the iPad Smart Case. Strong magnets (and not just those on an iPad) can affect defibrillators in several ways -- first, they can put the devices into a test mode that increases the heart rate depending on how much battery life is left in the defibrillator. Second, the defibrillators are designed to be shut off by magnets as a safety precaution. The iPad that Chien used was an iPad 2, which triggered the test mode in 30 percent of patients who put the tablet onto their chest. While the Bloomberg article and headline provided some titillating reading, Chien didn't "discover" anything. Instead, the 14-year-old and her cardiac electrophysiologist father Walter just used 26 volunteers to test how commonplace the iPad magnet effect is. If Chien should be lauded for anything, it's waking the public up to actually reading those user guides and safety warnings that we all ignore on a regular basis. In the meantime, if you have a defibrillator or pacemaker implant, don't put the iPad on your chest. Ever.
Weekend Poll: Does the budget iPhone have legs?
Rumors continue to fly about a budget-priced iPhone. Although we here at TUAW remain completely agnostic on the likelihood of this product, we certainly can understand why Apple would benefit from a low-cost product -- and not just for emerging markets like China. Consider the iPad 2. It's still for sale, with a budget price and great Apple engineering. The iPad 2 and the mini represent affordable products with high demand that consumers are choosing over high-end features like Retina displays. Why wouldn't an iPhone benefit from a similar pricing spectrum? It's not the extra phone hardware (you can buy a cheap phone at any TracFone or Cricket dealer) that's driving costs. Even the lowest-priced current iPhone model (the iPhone 4) requires a 2-year commitment in the US. That commitment and low up-front costs hide the true price of the unit. The iPhone 4 still costs US$450 contract-free. America's bizarre contract plans hide true hardware prices. This is particularly frustrating to our overseas-based TUAWians. They want to buy a modern iPhone running the latest iOS but an affordable price and not necessarily with all the latest bells and whistles of the sexy flagship release. Paying US-style high-but-hidden-costs for Apple handsets goes against the grain. High handset prices also work against US adoption amongst high schoolers, an important market. Today's HS kids expect a lot of sophistication from their phones and aren't willing to settle for the iPod touch. They want data, texting and calling plans more than they care about gyroscopes, top-end cameras and Retina displays. Their parents, footing the bills, are searching for bargains and compromise. If they can't get it from Apple, they'll get it from other vendors. It's a vast untapped market for Apple, full of potential. You'd think if Apple could deliver a modern, feature-packed mini iPad for about $300, they'd be able to ship a low-end iPhone for near that, plastic chassis and all. What do you think? Is an iPhone 5B ("B" for bargain") phone in the works? Or is this something that Apple will avoid in order to preserve its premium brand? Cast your vote in the poll and then join in the comments with your analysis and opinions. %Poll-81056%
iBook Lessons: Book Creator for iPad
iBook Lessons is a continuing series about e-book writing and publishing. You wouldn't think that the iPad makes a natural match to e-book content creation, would you? Red Jumper Studio thinks otherwise. Its US$4.99 app, Book Creator for iPad, enables you to build EPUB works directly from iOS. Aimed at light projects such as photo collections and kid-created stories, Book Creator provides a simple layout system to integrate text, pictures and sounds. I found the app relatively straightforward to use, although it would greatly benefit from presets. Libraries of header and body styles would make the tools so much easier to use, especially since this is more an expressive tool for kids and hobbyists than a tightly controlled design environment. I wish I had a Siri-ready iPad around to test with, as this app feels like a perfect match to dictation. Using a built-in iPad camera to snap pictures and then describing what I see using words feels naturally synchronous. As it was, Book Creator worked fine on my iPad 2. My favorite feature was e-book export. I was able to build my book and place it into my Dropbox folder, ready to share by email or read back on my Mac. The app also exported directly to iBooks. Although dedicated self-publishers are not the right target audience for this app, I'm sure it would be a great match for schools, crafters, photographers and others. Not every book needs to live on the iBookstore or Amazon. Here's another way to use e-publishing technology, but just for fun.
Kanex 4-port USB 3.0 Hub first look
We recently got a chance to take a peek at a new Kanex USB 3.0 hub, which promises to be a feature-filled accessory. Retailing for $59, this 4-port powered hub offers adapters to switch from US power to most standard international types, which in this case appear to be Type C, Type G and what we think is Type I -- essentially support for the UK, EU and AU. The unit itself is extremely lightweight. In comparison, its power adapter is pretty massive -- not unusual for many of the USB hubs we test. You connect the hub to your Mac through a port in the back using a standard USB 3.0 cable with its large crimped-looking connector. The first of the four ports on the hub is, according to marketing text on their website, a 10W recharging port: "Did you know? Port 1 provides 10W of power to recharge tablets or other devices when host computer is powered down or disconnected from hub." I initially tested the hub with an iPad 2 but was unable to charge properly from any of the four ports. So I gave their the Kanex marketing contact a call and she explained that the PC had to be powered off or disconnected in order to allow this feature to work for the first port. Sure enough, I disconnected the hub from my Mac and my iPad successfully started charging. I'm not entirely sure how useful this "feature" is for most users. I know that the Newer Technology hub I reviewed a few months ago doesn't require you to disconnect for charging. If you want to sync and charge at the same time, the Kanex hub is probably not the device for you. The unit is backwards compatible, so if you connect a 2.0 device, it will connect to an internal 2.0 hub.
