If you had any doubts about the quality of the iPad’s keyboard, then you have to watch the following video.
Impressive.
Like Jailbreak, Speed Typing on iPad Is Already In
Need a Download Manager? You Need Leech 2.
A few days ago I was reading a post on Alexander Limi’s blog called “Improving download behaviors in web browsers”, and from that deep and informative analysis I realized how much Safari’s download management is indeed flawed and could be seriously improved. Now that I think about it, I download a lot of stuff everyday (be it the screenshots Cody sends for our posts, or archives with new icons I want to try out) and I regularly have to a) hide the download window because I can’t stand it and gets in my way and b) clear my download list who easily gets cluttered with all the files I’ve previously downloaded.
As Limi also pointed out in his post, managing downloads in a browser could be a lot better. It should be a lot better, and hopefully we’ll see some new features implemented in the next iterations of Safari and Firefox. But at the moment of writing this, the only solution seems to install a dedicated download manager app, and that’s why today I’m taking a look at Leech by Many Tricks, which has just been updated to the 2.0 version.
After 24 Hours, the iPad Is Already Jailbroken
I thought I wouldn’t have said this until a few months from now, but it happened: the iPad is already jailbroken. It seems like MuscleNerd and other Dev-Team guys (the same guys who created the jailbreak tools for iPhone and iPod Touch) have managed to run a modified version of the Spirit jailbreak on the iPad, using root access. This means that, I’m telling you, we’ll be able to have a jailbroken iPad in a matter of a few weeks.+
Who said the iPad didn’t support “true” multitasking? Check out the video after the break.
Contents Winner Announced
Thanks everyone who entered the Fuel Collective giveaways. We’re getting near to the end of this Fuel Collective special week, so don’t miss the huge bundle giveaway, ending tomorrow.
Here’s the winner of a Contents license:
Liang
You’ll receive the licenses in your inbox in a matter of a few hours. Stay tuned for other giveaways coming this week.
You can follow the official MacStories Twitter account as @macstoriesnet or Federico as @viticci
Radium, A Fantastic Internet Radio Application. Review and Giveaway!
Radium is one of those apps I fell instantly in love with. So much in fact, it’s gotten me interested in Internet radio again. While I’ve checked out applications like Snowtape and Radio Gaga, I didn’t want the recording features. That sounds crazy, but I don’t want to manage another library or window of “stuff.” And that’s the problem I have with things like Pandora or Last.fm too: I need a dedicated browser window, widget, or fat application just to stream an hour’s worth of alternative music. So when I was contacted about Radium, I was skeptical, but optimistic. Five minutes after using it, I was sold. It’s perfect for me. Read more
First Look: EtchPad, Etch-a-Sketch on your iPad
Apple’s Subtle Changes to the App Store Navigation
As you may have noticed in these past two days, Apple has batch approved a lot of (iPad) applications and put them directly into the App Store without giving a clue about iPhone / iPod / iPad organization. If you consider that there are more than 150.000 iPhone apps and already more than 1.500 iPad apps, you can realize how organization is indeed what Apple should focus on at this moment.
There’s no easy way to navigate the App Store right now; categories don’t divide iPhone apps from iPad apps. Universal apps have a simple button at the end of the page which lets you see iPhone and iPad screenshots. I bet many people are seriously frustrated about the lack of a good interface to browse the iPad App Store, or the iPhone App Store.
Apple has actually launched some minor modifications, and I took some screenshots to show you. Check them out after the break.
Making Of: Evernote for iPad
“One major design principle of our iPad interface is to get you to your notes fast. The new layout and interactions dramatically reduce the amount of navigating and searching you have to do. The idea is that it should be easy and pleasant to just get to any note you want in a very tactile way. We want you to have the feeling of running your fingers directly through your memories. It’s hard to describe but easy to experience. Of course, you can still search.”
One of the best looking iPad apps yet.
First iPad Teardown Reveals Two Battery Cells
As always, iFixit has started taking apart a new Apple product and of course, it’s the iPad turn today. You can see all the photo gallery here (you may have an heart attack) but what’s most interesting is what they noticed about the battery:
“Confirming our suspicions from yesterday, the battery integrates two separate 3.75V lithium polymer cells wired in parallel for such ample battery life.”
Two lithium cells, for more than 10 hours of battery life. Great job, Apple.