Posts Tagged ‘Apple iPad’
Obama Says iPad, iPod, Xbox, PS3 are Distractions
The U.S. President works his BlackBerry fine, but doesn’t know how to work an iPad, iPod, Xbox or PlayStation.
U.S. President Barack Obama spoke to an audience of the class of graduating students at Hampton University, Virginia with his views on education, technology and modern media.
“You’re coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don’t always rank all that high on the truth meter,” Obama said, according to the AFP.
Some of Obama’s comments were made in light of how certain blogs and talk radio shows can publicize their views; “Some of the craziest claims can quickly claim traction,” Obama said. “All of this is not only putting new pressures on you, it is putting new pressures on our country and on our democracy.”
Obama then specifically named a couple of popular Apple portable devices and HD gaming systems as diversions and distractions.
“With iPods and iPads and Xboxes and PlayStations, — none of which I know how to work — information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation,” he said.
iPad Users on Windows Targeted with Malware
Scammers are distributing e-mails designed to trick iPad owners into downloading software that they think is an iTunes update, but which turns out to be malware that opens a back door on the computer, researchers warned on Monday.
The e-mails have a subject line that says “iPad Software Update” and offer a link to a Web page that looks like a legitimate iTunes download page, according to BitDefender. Instead, the link installs malware identified as Backdoor.Bifrose.AADY, according to the BitDefender blog.
The malware injects itself in to the “explorer.exe” process and opens up a back door that attackers can use to take control of the system whenever they want, the post said. It also attempts to read the keys and serial numbers of the various software programs installed on the computer and logs passwords to the victim’s ICQ, Messenger, and POP3 mail accounts, and protected storage, BitDefender said.
Sony to launch challengers to iPad, iPhone
Sources have told the Wall Street Journal that Sony is planning on making a challenger to Apple’s iPad that will have all the capabilities of a netbook, a Sony Reader and a PSP, the company’s handheld gaming device.
At a Sony news conference in Tokyo, Sony’s CFO Nobuyuki Oneda didn’t provide any details but expressed the company’s desire to compete against Apple’s newest gadget, due in stores next month.
“That is a market we are also very interested in. We are confident we have the skills to create a [great] product,” said Oneda. “Time-wise, we are a little behind the iPad but it’s a space we would like to be an active player in.”
The WSJ also reported Sony is making a new smartphone – containing Sony Ericsson mobile technology and capable of playing PSP games – to compete against the iPhone. Both devices are expected to work with Sony Online Services, an online store due to launch in March and sell music, movies, books, and other downloadable applications for mobile products.
The iPad challenger and the new smartphone are expected to launch sometime in 2010, but no details about specs, price or design have been released.
Sony has tried to get into the phone/gaming gadget arena in the past. A patent was filed in 2006 for a device that looked like a PSP on one side and a smartphone on the other, but such a device has never hit the market.
Apple sold 8.7 million iPhones in the last three months of 2009. The company announced Friday that the iPad will be available April 3.
iPad to Hit US Shelves April 3
Announced earlier this year, the Apple iPad will now be available in the US on Saturday, April 3 – the Wi-Fi model that is and late April will see the availability of the Wi-Fi + 3G model. In addition, all models of iPad will be available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK in late April, which is also when international pricing will be announced. The iPad will be shipped to additional countries (yes that includes us) later this year.
From March 12, US customers can pre-order both Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + 3G models from Apple’s online store or reserve a Wi-Fi model to pick up on Saturday, April 3, at an Apple retail store.
“iPad is something completely new,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “We’re excited for customers to get their hands on this magical and revolutionary product and connect with their apps and content in a more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before.”
iPad will be available for a suggested retail price of $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB, $699 for 64GB.
The Wi-Fi + 3G models will be available for a suggested retail price of $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB and $829 for 64GB.
The iBooks app for iPad including Apple’s iBookstore will be available as a free download from the App Store in the US on April 3, with additional countries added later this year.
Apple HDTV is an iPhone without a screen; 1080p
It wasn’t an hour after a pressed “publish” on my story about a reader’s speculation that the Apple TV would get a refresh at Apple’s WWDC on June 7 that I saw this post on Engadget about just that.
According to its sources, Apple TV will indeed get a major refresh at WWDC, actually it’s more like a completely new product. The story goes like this: the new Apple TV will be based on iPhone OS and will include an A4 chip, 16GB of flash memory, cloud storage and 1080p high-definition output. Word is that the new device will only have two ports, power and video out.
Storage will be on the cloud, but it remains to see how Apple will charge for it. I sincerely hope that Apple doesn’t plan on charging $100 per year for storage (like it does with MobileMe) or it’s simply taunting the jailbreak community to build a better mousetrap — and they will.
Sources describe the ATV sequel as “an iPhone without a screen,” but the real kicker is the price – rumored to be $99. I’m calling it the “Apple HDTV,” but feel free to chime in in the TalkBack with your prediction. For $99, I’d buy one.
I don’t know about you but my current Apple TV almost never gets turned on, except for when there’s a software update to write about. The damned thing runs so hot that it will literally singe your fingertips and there’s no power switch or sleep mode (that I’m aware of) so it’s an electricity vampire. Apple TV meet Craigslist.