iPad

So, you hope to soon own an iPad? Getting one of these is a large choice, but it is a decision that can help you personally and professionally. First, consider these things about your iPad. These tips help to make the right iPad decisions. Streaming, gaming, or music can cause battery life to deplete faster. Adjust the brightness of your screen if you would like to extend the battery’s life. You’ll probably see that you’re not going to need the brightest setting to see your screen. Have you accidentally launched a noisy app? You are able to mute volume right away by simply pressing and holding the – volume button until sound is off. If you mute a lot, you may configure your lock button into a mute button. You can change alert notifications that you get for Wi-Fi networks with ease. Opt out of the Ask To Join setting. Turn that setting off, and you will finally be rid of the constant notifications. You can adjust your email settings to allow you to increase the number of lines displayed in preview. Go to your mail settings under the general heading. Change this setting to show however many lines you want. Now you’ll be able to see every email that you have in your inbox, which really speeds things up. Failed Password Attempts If you want to prevent anyone from stealing your information stored in your iPad, you can change the settings to delete all information after many failed password attempts. By using this setting, all of your information will be erased after 10 failed password attempts. Your iPad can easily copy, cut, and paste text similar to a home computer. Tap the text and hold down on it if you wish to copy it. A menu will pop up allowing you to select that sentence. If you tap once more, you will be presented with the option to copy. You are then able to paste by tapping, then holding and then selecting the paste option. The iPad is pre-loaded with lots of apps you have no use for. Many unwanted apps cannot be deleted. Simply put all these apps into one folder, and keep the folder away from where you will see it often. This frees up space so that you can easily access apps you actually use. If you have music stored in the cloud on iTunes, you can listen to it on your iPad. There is a simple way to access your iTunes account without having to reinvent the wheel on your new device. Just use Home Sharing, enabled on the computer and the iPad. Next, enter the Music app on your iPad, select More and then Shared. Enjoy! Make sure your iPad contains a security feature, even though you may think this is unnecessary. If you happen to lose it, you wouldn’t want those with nefarious intentions having access to your personal information. So, take the necessary precautions to keep your info safe. Use the notification settings feature. If you have a lot of apps, things are always alerting you and popping up. Make some changes in the “Notifications” area of the settings. This lets you choose which apps can alert you and which cannot. This will keep your alerts for things that actually matter. It is easy to use the iPad to take a screenshot. Just push both the Home and Sleep button together. The screen will flash and you will hear a click. Your photo has been taken. Your screenshots are automatically saved and located in your Photos gallery. Did you ever consider connecting your iPad and television? Purchasing a separate adapter will allow you to do this. The AV digital adapter will do this, or you can also use the VGA Apple adapter. Each one works well. Are you aware that you do not need to use the keyboard on your iPad? It can be pretty hard to type on a small keyboard projected on your screen. Just buy a BlueTooth keyboard for use with iPad. You can type as easily as you can with a laptop by using this method. Screen Shot Have ever needed to take a screenshot? Well, it’s really [...]

Remember that iCEO plush toy that was all the geek rage awhile back? Turns out there are a few hundred of the little jobbies left, but the only way you can get one is by backing Throwboy's new Chat Pillows on Kickstarter. Supporting us doesn’t come without geeky perks. From a handwritten note direct from Roberto to our insanely great iCEOs out of our secret stash(!), you’re in for amazing rewards as a Throwboy backer. Check em’ out below! iCEO comes in at the $100 mark, and, of course, I just backed exactly that. But there's a wide range of options and price points, and some fairly awesome pillows to be had, so check them all out and then tell me which one, if any, you went for. Source: Kickstarter

People love to gold plate things. Whether it is a tooth, a car, or a suit, gold is the epitome of luxury. Yes, we even like to gold plate iPads. In Dubai, India, the “world’s only 7-Star hotel” knows how to show off its riches in style. Every guest that stays at the Burj Al Arab gets his or her own 24-carat gold plated iPad. According to the Huffington Post, the iPad serves as a sort of, “virtual consierge” that will offer personalized information to guests about what the hotel offers. Burj Al Arab’s general manager, Heinrich Morio, was quoted as saying, “Our exclusive Burj Al Arab 24-carat gold iPads epitomize Jumeirah’s philosophy of ‘stay different’ and further enhance our guests’ experience during their stay.” Daily rates for Dubai’s finest luxury hotel start at nearly $1,500 with the Royal Suite costing $18,700 per night. Gold & Co. in London made the gold plated iPad. The company’s CEO, Amjad Ali, described this product as the “ultimate in luxury accessories.” There is no information as to how much the special iPad costs, but hotel guests can purchase one in the gift shop when they leave. Amosu recently designed a gold-plated iPad that Wired reported sells for approximately $4,300. If that is too rich for your blood, why not just stay at the hotel instead. You’ll be able to play Angry Birds, post on Facebook, and check the weather all without having to buy an iPad. » Related posts: Book With Hotel Tonight And Save Big On Last Minute Travel- iPad App Review Urban Outfitters Replaces Cash Registers with iPads Reuters Olympics London 2012 Brings Home the Gold via iPad

Unity, the multiplatform game engine, has gone free to use for iOS and Android. The company made the announcement at its Unite Nordic conference in Malmö, Sweden, according to Keith Andrew of PocketGamer. Unity started life as a Mac-specific development platform, but nowadays developers can also create content using Windows PCs, and deploy on a total of ten different platforms including the Web. Up until now, delivering content onto iOS or Android platforms has required you to pay $800, regardless of which license you're using. Unity said it plans to offer the same deal for developers interested in deploying to Windows Phone 8 and BlackBerry 10 platforms as well. Unity helps game developers create 2D and 3D games alike. It's the engine that powers games like Madfinger's Dead Trigger 2, Rovio's Bad Piggies, Imangi's Temple Run 2, and many others. The company has long offered "Unity Free" and "Unity Pro" licenses in order to accommodate indie developers. Unity Free is a "no strings attached" deal - you can use the tech to develop your game without paying any royalties or license fees. Once you start raking in money, you're required to upgrade to the Pro license, which costs money. The Pro license also includes access to a number of functions and features that aren't accessible for free - graphics and audio improvements, 3D modeling enhancements and more. Developers who have recently forked out the cash to deploy to iOS and Android will be eligible for discounts to help recoup their costs.

iOS 6 came with some social integration built in, Twitter and Facebook, and if the latest rumors turn out to be correct we could be looking at social photo and video integration in iOS 7. The rumor points towards the recently revamped Flickr and video sharing service Vimeo coming on board. The story comes by way of 9to5Mac's Mark Gurman: "Both Flickr and Vimeo will now also be integrated deeply into the new operating system, so users will be able to sign into the respective networks via iOS 7?s built-in Settings application. Like with iOS’s Facebook and Twitter ties, Apple customers will be able to log-in one time into each social network and have full sharing access." Presumably that would also mean that as with Twitter and Facebook, other third-party apps would be able to hook into Flickr and Vimeo by way of an instant log in. It's important to remember also, as the source points out, that any feature currently in testing could still be removed prior to the release of iOS 7. Interesting stuff, for sure. Does either of these two social options get you excited? Source: 9to5Mac

If you hadn’t already heard, Flickr just updated their website and completely changed their account offerings. Now, the website looks like Facebook and Instagram had a baby. Unfortunately, Flickr doesn’t have an iPad optimized app, so you either have to visit the website from your mobile browser, or double-zoom the iPhone app. 9to5Mac recently reported that the upcoming iOS update will include Flickr integration similarly to the way Facebook and Twitter is now deeply integrated with mobile Apple devices. According to 9to5Mac, an unnamed source familiar with the features of iOS 7 said that “Apple plans to include an increased presence of third-party social networks, including Flickr and Vimeo.” With the launch of iOS 7, users will be able to log into their Flickr and Vimeo accounts through their device’s Settings app. Customers will log in once and be able to share photos and videos directly through the device, or through supported apps that ask for log in information. For example, some photo apps that ask you to enter you log in information in order to share images to Flickr will no longer require you to manually enter your user name and password. The move to integrate Vimeo is interesting since Apple booted Google’s YouTube app from the device’s native apps. There is no official information as to whether Vimeo would be a full replacement for YouTube’s video uploading feature or if it would just be integrated into iOS the way Facebook and Twitter are. If Apple does integrate these social networking sites into iOS 7 it would be a real boost for both companies. Flickr has been drifting at sea ever since websites like Instagram have popped up. Vimeo has always been in the shadow of YouTube. It would greatly increase their usability if posting pictures and videos were just a click away. » Related posts: Flickr Offers Free Trial After Instagram’s Privacy Woes Apple Announces iOS 6 at WWDC Keynote – Check Out the Coming Features Twitter’s Rebuilt iPad App Packs Cool New Features

Battle of the Bulge Lite was released on the iPad App Store yesterday. This is the new, free version of the superb Battle of the Bulge strategic wargame for the iPad. This new Lite version of the game offers unlimited play of one of the game’s most interesting scenarios – ‘Race to the Meuse’, with all its features and modes of play. Here’s a little more on Battle of the Bulge Lite and its notable features, via its App Store page: Battle of the Bulge is a historical wargame, designed specifically for iPad. It’s a turn-based simulation in the spirit of traditional board wargames. Pieces represent actual military units fighting on the terrain of the famous WWII battle.• Play three ways: online through Game Center, vs. computer opponents, or Pass & Play• Unlimited play of “Race to the Meuse,” a short, tense fight in the opening days of the battle•...Read the whole entry... »        Related StoriesBattle of the Bulge Lite (free version) for iPad Coming SoonNotable New iPad Apps: MLB.com Home Run DerbyBattle of the Bulge iPad Game Updated: Adds New Scenarios and New AI Opponents 

Apple, Inc. has come under fire recently as a U.S. Senate investigation recently revealed that the company is taking advantage of international tax loopholes, which make it possible to avoid paying taxes. Today, CEO Tim Cook went before the Senate in a hearing to explain why the tech giant has paid little or now corporate income tax on billions of dollars in overseas income. According to Reuters [Via: Yahoo News], Apple Operations International, Apple Sales International, and Apple Operations Europe are all incorporated in Ireland, but not considered tax resident there. This “Irish Loophole” makes it possible for Apple to skip out on corporate income tax on overseas monies. According to a live blog from MarketWatch, Cook stated that Apple follows the letter of the law and pays all of the taxes owed, having paid $6 billion in U.S. corporate tax last year. Cook also mentioned that bringing international cash back into the U.S. would be cost prohibitive. “Unfortunately, the tax code has not kept up with the digital age,” he said. Senator Rand Paul, who is known for being a hands-off kind of government official, accused the subcommittee of unfairly treating Apple as a scapegoat and called the hearing a “witch hunt” in a tweet from the Senate floor. “If anyone should be on trial here it should be Congress … for creating a bizarre and byzantine tax code,” said Paul. “If you want to assign blame, this committee needs to look in the mirror and see who created that mess.” Apple’s overseas tax strategies are legal, but the subcommittee claims that Apple is using “gimmicks” to avoid paying taxes. As of writing this article, the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Hearing is still in session. To find out what is being said, follow MarketWatch’s live blog. You can also watch the hearing streaming live on C-Span. » Related posts: Apple’s Tim Cook Ranked Highest Paid CEO in 2011 Apple’s Senior Lieutenants Earned More Than CEO Tim Cook in 2012 Apple Reports Record Revenue with 23 Million iPads Sold, CooK Hints At Apple Television Set Again

Anyone familiar with Android may well have come across LevelUp Studio. They are responsible for the excellent Twitter client Plume and the extremely popular Beautiful Widgets. Excellent apps for Android users, and now they have brought at least part of Beautiful Widgets to iOS with their new weather application; Bright Weather for iPhone. We're not short of weather applications on iOS, but I for one will happily welcome talented developers from other platforms into the iOS fold. It's a crowded space, but there's still room for a good application to stand out. So, is Bright Weather worth a look? Let's find out. Bright Weather pulls in its data from Accuweather, but the UI is all their own. The main view is packed with information, yet doesn't feel at all cluttered. That's due in part to the large weather animation that sits front and center. That's where your current weather conditions are found: current temperature, daily highs and lows, the RealFeel and what sort of weather you're experiencing that day. Clouds float effortlessly behind all of this, and if you're lucky enough not to be in a dreary part of the UK, maybe even some sun. Top of the display is your current location and time, along with the time since your last refresh. Down the bottom is a weekly forecast highlight. The menus for Bright Weather are all tucked away in a slide-out bar on the left hand side. Very Android like, but fits perfectly with the design of the app. It keeps everything tucked out of sight until you need it, and I like that. Inside the menu you'll find the settings, along with all the more specialised weather information. One of these categories is an hourly breakdown of conditions for your location, for the current day. You get a temperature, a general conditions, and a windspeed. Another category that's interesting, is Lifestyle. This one gives you indicators on how suitable the weather is for a range of pursuits from mowing the lawn right up to going Skiing. Luckily, as you'll see here, I didn't much fancy going to the beach today as it's not great out. That and it's a 35 mile drive. If you're into seeing the moon phases, you're catered for too. Settings are well catered for in Bright Weather. As you'd want, you can alter the units, clock, wind speed units, turn on the animations and set it to refresh on start. Nothing out of the ordinary, but all the important stuff is covered off. You can also manage your locations under a separate menu item, and removing one takes nothing more than a swipe and a tap. So, what else is there to know? Well, Bright Weather is a free download from the App Store, with an optional in-app purchase of $0.99 to remove the ads. There's currently no iPad version, though the developer has confirmed to us that one is in the works, most likely as an update to the main app with a universal solution. A couple of the menu options, like 'More Info' take you out of the app and into Safari to the Accuweather website. The information is good to have, but its a disjointing experience to be taken away from the main app and into Safari to access it. The Good Well designed, good looking UI Fast refresh upon opening the app Lifestyle category a nice touch for quick glance information Animations are nice! The Bad Leaving the app to go into Safari for some information Current lack of iPad support The Bottom Line Bright Weather is an excellent start at developing for iOS from a well respected Android developer. Bright Weather is great to look at, quick at getting you the latest information and free to download. The ads don't really get in the way too much, but I liked it enough to pay to get rid pretty early on. The lack of iPad support is a tad frustrating, but we know that it's coming, so it's an inconvienience at the moment and nothing more. It'll look fantastic on the iPad when it arrives. Leaving the app to go into Safari is more frustrating though, and I do wish there was a better way of handling the information it takes you

iTunes U lets you subscribe to courses quickly and easily but there may come times when you don't necessarily want to subscribe to an entire course. You're also given the option to download individual classes within those sections if you choose too. Here's how: Launch the iTunes U app from the Home screen of your iPhone or iPad. Tap on the Catalog button in the upper right hand corner in order to view the store. Now find the section that you'd like to download an individual course from and tap on its name. Instead of tapping on the Subscribe button, just tap on the Download button next to the individual course within that section that you'd like to download. The difference between doing this and subscribing is that you will only be given what you've specifically chosen. You also won't get automatically downloaded courses when they're available for that course. It's a nice way to pick and choose content you want instead of having to weed through all a course has to offer within your iTunes U library.