Mobile Payment Service Square Hits Milestone And Is Featured By Apple

Yesterday was a pretty big day for Square, with the mobile payments startup managing to reach the milestone of processing more than $1 million in payments per day. It was also featured in Apple’s 2010: Year of the iPad video that was played at its iPad 2 event yesterday (you can stream or download the keynote if you missed it, Square is featured 11 minutes in).

The startup has processed a steady increase in payment transactions since last fall when the figure was a couple of million dollars per week. In January, Kevin Rabois, the chief operating officer of Square, said that they expected to process $40 million in transactions in Q1 2011. Also compared to last fall the company is also adding 100,000 new merchants per month as opposed to 30,000.

Read more

Best Buy Will Have iPad 2 at Launch

It looks like with the second-generation iPad Apple is really trying to replicate the distribution success of the first one. Indeed, Steve Jobs said yesterday that with a US launch on March 11 and a wider rollout in (at least) 26 more countries by March 25 this thing will be “everywhere”. But not just Apple retail stores, which helped getting the original iPad in the hands of millions of consumers last year.

Best Buy has already confirmed on their website they will have the iPad 2 at launch. 9to5mac speculates same will happen with Sam’s Club and Walmart – these are all current retailers of the iPad 1 and we wouldn’t be surprised at all to see the iPad 2 being available again through their channels.

So now the question is: will you get a white or black iPad 2?

The Genius of Apple’s Smart Cover

The most exciting part of the March 2nd keynote was not the introduction of the iPad 2, but the introduction of its surprise accessory that makes the iPad 2 twice as magical as its predecessor. Approximately twenty-five minutes into his speech, Steve Jobs broadcasts signals of pure excitement. Suddenly the mediocre announcement of the Digital AV Adapter was transitioned into what might have as been Job’s, “One last thing.” With the unveiling of the Smart Cover, Jobs hadn’t yet looked so happy in the keynote. Clearly, this was something to pay attention to.

Read more

Firemint Announces Real Racing 2 HD with Enhanced Graphics for iPad 2

Just in time for some truly magical iPad 2 hands-on videos featuring games being played on the new device, developer Firemint has announced that the brand new version of award-winning game Real Racing HD will take advantage of the more powerful graphic capabilities offered by the iPad 2.

Firemint says they were not aware of the detailed specs of the iPad 2, but they had a fairly accurate idea that turned out to be good for what they’ve been building. That means gyroscopic controls, faster graphics, lighter form factor easier on gamers’ hands when holding the device.

Real Racing 2 HD has been significantly enhanced beyond what could work on existing devices, and our efforts have definitely given us a head start on iPad 2.

All these attributes combined with our enhancements to Real Racing 2 HD will create the most precise and intuitive car racing experience on any device. The 1080p HDMI output also opens up some great possibilities.

We can’t wait to see more developers jumping on board with great-looking games built specifically for the iPad 2. March 11 can’t come soon enough.

Just How Big Is The iPad 2 Battery?

Good question. This big, compared to the first iPad:

We’re not entirely sure about the 1.8x figure provided by our friend Nils, but taking a look at another photo from the Engadget liveblog seems to confirms we have three bigger battery packs now built right into the (thinner) iPad.

Apple’s tech specs page says it’s a “built-in 25-watt-hour rechargeable lithium-polymer battery” with up to 10 hours of usage.

The “Mystery Port” On The iPad 2? It Wasn’t Thunderbolt, It’s The Microphone

In the weeks that lead to the official iPad 2 announcement today, you might remember some leaked case designs for the new device suggested there was a new “mystery port” at the top of the device. Some speculated it was USB, some said Mini DisplayPort, some even guessed it could be a port for the new Thunderbolt technology Apple launched with the new MacBook Pros last week.

Well it turns out, the case manufacturers were right, the rumors were not. There is indeed an opening in the top part, but it’s for the iPad’s internal microphone that’s been relocated in the middle instead of next to the headphone jack.

So, no Thunderbolt. But that mic sure must be beautiful to look and whisper at. [MacRumors via Engadget]

Apple’s Digital AV Adapter Works With 1st iPad

If you’re looking for HDMI out video on devices other than the iPad 2, you might be happy knowing Apple’s Digital AV Adapter works with your iPhone 4, iPod touch 4th gen, and first iPad if you’re inclined to hold onto it for another year. These devices will only output 720p video, however, but keep in mind that’s still technically HD quality. If you’re looking for video mirroring, it appears to only be supported by the iPad 2. The Digital AV Adapter is available for $39.00 in the Apple Store.

[via Engadget]

New iOS 4.3 Feature: iTunes Home Sharing

At today’s iPad 2 event, Apple said iOS 4.3 will be available next Friday, March 11. A new feature mentioned was iTunes Home Sharing, so let’s dig in.

iTunes currently has Home Sharing between Macs or PCs on the same Wi-Fi network, but now iOS 4.3 is letting you stream all your music, movies and TV shows from your Mac or PC to any iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch. After installing iTunes 10.2, tap and enjoy all your media in your iTunes library anywhere in your home. Imagine, you can stream a movie from your Mac to your iPad anywhere your Wi-Fi range can reach. Want to listen to an excellent new podcast, connect and go!

Current iOS 4.3 GM users, the iTunes Home Sharing feature is now in the beta. Others, it will definitely be in the public release on March 11.

UPDATED WITH SCREENSHOTS BELOW: Read more