Posts in news

Here’s A Digital Whiteboard Running On 40 iPads Simultaneously

Back in January Cody reviewed SyncPad, a collaborative online whiteboard with web, iPhone and iPad applications that allow people to collaborate on sketches, wireframes or PDFs in real-time. SyncPad is a very powerful app, as it lets you create multiple rooms, work locally or over the Internet, share with Dropbox and even import PDFs in seconds to quickly mark up a document and show it to your colleagues. From the review:

As soon as you open SyncPad, you’re asked to enter a room name. You can make up anything, and a URL will be spit out enabling you to share that room with collaborators. With no sign-up required, collaborators can simply plug the URL into a web browser to watch you markup content in realtime. There may be a slight delay between what someone will see in a room as you draw on the screen, but it’s rather minor and personally unimportant. The WOW! factor is immediate as the simplicity behind SyncPad is astounding, and it’s an easy way to impress others on the other end. They’ll tell you, “it’s the future,” and I’m not exaggerating - SyncPad is a great way to share content with others because it’s such a fascinating little tool.

The “WOW” factor Cody mentioned is indeed well visible in the video shared by the developers, in which 40 iPads are running the same whiteboard simultaneously. The devices are on the same local WiFi network (they’re not connected over the air from different countries in the world – like Cody and I did in our tests), but the tech is still impressive. The animations are smooth, everything happens in real-time, and we can only imagine the possibilities offered by SyncPad during, say, meetings or conferences where all attendees have an iPad with the aforementioned app installed.

Check out the video below. Read more

Apple Patent Reveals Potential E-Ink And LCD Hybrid Display

A new patent revealed today shows that Apple has given consideration into a hybrid display that could dynamically switch and even simultaneously use e-ink and a traditional LCD system for displaying content for a device such as an iPad. The patent filed in October of 2009 and entitled “Systems and Methods for Switching Between an Electronic Paper Display and a Video Display” has a clear purpose in that it could be used for easier reading of text, particularly in an application such as iBooks.

The system described in the Apple patent would work by placing a translucent e-ink display above the traditional LCD panel (and below the touch panel), and depending on what content is supposed to be displayed, the switching on and off of the panel would be done by the system rather than the user. E-ink displays have some clear benefits in that they do not require a backlight, are less likely to induce eye strains than the bright screens of an LCD display and can be read in direct sunlight, as this Amazon ad last year highlighted to great effect.

An LCD obviously reigns supreme with high-resolution, dynamic and coloured content whilst e-ink is best for static text in black and white. The Apple patent aims to solve such an issue by allowing for separate display regions that can be independently activated when necessary. It was in fact previously rumored that the iPad 2 would have greater anti-reflective and anti-smudge treatments as a way to improve reading on the device but such a system described in this patent with a hybrid display of e-ink and LCD technology would be a far superior answer to the problems of reading in direct sunlight.

[Via AppleInsider]

 

iOS 4.3.2 Coming In Two Weeks?

BGR reports this morning that Apple is looking to launch another version of iOS 4.3 within two weeks. The update, labelled iOS 4.3.2, should contain various fixes and enhancements, address security issues (quite possibly a jailbreak fix) and it “will also fix several bugs that have affected users.”

On March 21st, BGR reported iOS 4.3.1 would be released within “one or two weeks”, and the OS was released on Friday, March 25th. If BGR’s track record is of any indication, there is the small chance to see iOS 4.3.2 becoming available next week if Apple really wants to close security holes and fix bugs quickly. In the past weeks, several users running iOS 4.3.1 reported bugs in the FaceTime application for iPad and iPhone, WiFi connectivity issues after the 4.3.1 upgrade and other minor glitches in the Camera app.

Apple Planning To Open First Apple Store In Russia

According to a report by ifoAppleStore yesterday, Apple is finalising plans and decisions to lease and open up its first Apple Retail Store in Russia. Top executives of the Apple retail division including senior vice president of Retail Ron Johnson and vice president of Real Estate Bob Bridger were seen touring the reconstructed Hotel Moskva where Apple is looking to lease a two-level, 16,000 square-foot space for an Apple Store.

Hotel Moskva is currently in the final stages of a reconstruction; the historic building is close by to the Red Square, the Kremlin and other historical monuments and sites in central Moscow that are popular among tourists. Whilst no lease has yet been signed, a decision could be made soon according to sources of ifoAppleStore. The hotel with its beautiful stone façade will also be home to the first Four Season’s hotel in Russia and numerous other retail stores in an extensive and modern shopping mall.

Eastern Europe is currently devoid of any Apple Stores and the opening of its first store in Russia could signal a significant commitment to expanding growth in the eastern Europe region, similar to that of its plans for Asia. Currently the most eastern store in Europe is the recently opened Altmarkt-Galerie in Dresden, Germany. But beyond that there are “no Apple stores in any of the 15 republics of the former Soviet Union (USSR), which dissolved in 1991”.

[Via ifoAppleStore]

 

Toys R’ Us To Sell The iPad 2 Next Month?

Despite the continuing shortages of the iPad 2, modmyi is today reporting that Toys R’ Us will next month begin selling the iPad 2 in the United States. If it comes to fruition, Toys R’ Us will join other third party retailers such as Best Buy, Walmart and Target in selling the iPad 2.

The source, an employee working at Toys R’ Us, also revealed to modmyi a series of employee training materials that have been distributed to ensure employees are up to scratch of the features of the iPad 2. Amongst the materials include a photo of the iPad with its various features noted including its two cameras, A5 processor and the home button and how it is “instant on”. There is also a quiz for employees to complete, which includes questions such as asking what size screen the iPad 2 has. Jump the break for a picture of the training diagram on the iPad 2’s features.

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US Privacy Investigation Targeting Smartphone App Developers

Federal prosecutors in New Jersey are reportedly investigating whether various smartphone applications are illegally obtaining and transmitting data from users without their consent or knowledge. In the US it is a violation of federal computer fraud laws for companies to collect information about a user without notice or authorization.

The prosecutors are investigating whether various apps on smartphones such as the iPhone and various Android phones are not notifying users what data is being collected and why such data is required by the app. This data being collected ranges from a users location to the unique identification data for that device and even personal information. The Wall Street Journal tested 101 apps and discovered that 56 of those transmitted the unique identification number for the device without letting users know, 47 transmitted the phones location and 5 sent a users age, gender and other personal information. Worryingly 45 of the apps tested did not have any privacy policy either in the app or on their website.

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Office for Mac’s SP1 Update Bringing iCal, Tasks, and Notes Syncing

When I wrote the tutorial on how to get Gmail working inside Microsoft Outlook for the Mac, one of the things they didn’t include was Google Calendar syncing (even after a quick stability update). To be frank, they didn’t include any kind of syncing outside of the mail services provided by Exchange or IMAP. While the first service pack (arriving next week) will not be brining Google Calendar syncing to Outlook, Microsoft will be delivering a substantial update that will tie into your Mac’s Sync Services, meaning iCal calendars, tasks, and mail notes should be fair game. While it isn’t supported directly, you should be able to sync your Google Calendars with iCal, then to Microsoft Outlook. It’s a busy solution, but that’s not to say we’re out of options. For those asking (begging) me about writing something up about Google Calendar support, you’ll have the option to do it through iCal as of the SP1 update. In other words: bananas.

I also wanted to note a couple of the other new features coming with SP1:  Outlook support for Exchange based server-side rules; Outlook Redirect button (you can redirect the message to the intended recipient and the replies will go to the original sender); Outlook Resend button; Outlook edit of existing messages; and Solver integration support in Excel.

MobileMe syncing has be axed unfortunately, as MobileMe will no longer require Sync Services to communicate with your Mac. However, you will be able to sync notes down from MobileMe if anyone uses those.

[Office for Mac Blog via The Loop]

Atari Introduces “Greatest Hits” App with 100 Retro Games

If you love retro gaming as much as I do, Atari’s latest app for the iPhone and iPad (which will launch in the US App Store later today) might as well be a dream come true: with Atari’s Greatest Hits, you’ll have access to 100 old Atari games from a single app that presents them in a beautiful interface with arcade cabinets and original box arts. That’s right, 100 games in a single universal app. Where’s the catch? The app is free and comes bundled with PONG, but if you want to download the other included games you’ll have to choose between some in-app purchases options. The huge deal is the following: games have been organized in 25 game packs; each game pack will cost you $0.99 via in-app purchase. Alternatively, you can buy all the packs (and thus 100 games) together with a single purchase at $14.99. Which brings us to: 15 bucks for 100 old Atari games, on the iPhone. Some of them have even been updated to include local Bluetooth multiplayer. I won’t be missing this offer as soon as the app goes live, for sure.

The app is available now in the New Zealand store and will go live at this link in the US tonight. Full list of included games after the break. [via Touch Arcade] Read more

iAd Gallery Violates Apple’s Own Guidelines

iAd Gallery, a free iPhone app Apple released yesterday in the App Store, has generated several debates on the Internet about its rather “limited” feature set: the app, good-looking and responsive, does only one thing: it’s a collection of advertisements you can browse and “love.” By aggregating the best campaigns recently launched on the iAd network, iAd Gallery only lets users interact with a spinning wheel featuring ads from different brands, view information and “launch” them to experience the rich functionalities of iAds. Basically, it’s a free ad collector for iPhone. Not exactly the kind of “productive” (or at least entertaining) software most users would expect from Apple.

As noted by Dan Frommer at Silicon Alley Insider, it is kind of ironic that iAd Gallery may be violating Apple’s own Review Guidelines for iOS apps and should have been rejected by Apple itself. In the 2.13 section of the Guidelines, the company explains:

Apps that are primarily marketing materials or advertisements will be rejected

iAd Gallery indeed is based on marketing materials and doesn’t do anything but enabling you to browse various ad campaigns. Sure, you can read details about a specific campaign and learn more about the agency behind it, but that’s not really a “functionality” in our opinion. The app also lets you get in touch with the iAd team with a Contact button: perhaps the App Review Team at Cupertino thought that was enough to let the app through the App Store gates.

The truth is, of course Apple won’t reject its own app because it violates one of the Guidelines. They manage and have the ultimate word on the App Store, and they can release whatever they want under the Apple, Inc. name. But looking at the big picture, it is kind of funny that Apple is distributing an app that would have been rejected if it came from someone else.