Sabtu, 12 Maret 2011

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The iPad Failed Me As A Living Room Companion

Posted: 12 Mar 2011 02:17 PM PST

I was recently sitting in my living room, thinking about what my next column topic should be here on SlashGear. I considered a discussion on Microsoft's Kinect. I thought about talking about my experience with set-top boxes that have clunky menus. But then I remembered the iPad 2 is now on store shelves. And it quickly became clear that it was the perfect time to talk about my issue with Apple's tablet.

I bought Apple's first-generation iPad the day after the device launched. I reasoned at the time that it would be an ideal companion for me while I was on-the-go. More importantly, I thought it would also be a trusty companion in the living room.

See, I'm one of those people that performs research in the living room. If I'm watching television and want some clarification on something that was said in a show, I look it up. If I can't remember the name of an actor or actress I like in a movie I'm streaming over Netflix, I head to the Web to get my answer.

Because of that, I thought the iPad would be great. I could keep it next to the couch and whenever I had a question, I could turn it on, go to Safari or an app, get my answer, and go back to my night of entertainment. It seemed like the perfect fit — the missing device that I so needed in the living room.

It gets better, I thought. When I want to quickly check out YouTube or listen to some tracks from my iTunes library, I could use the iPad. It would be my ideal living room companion.

But then I got it home. And although I did like the idea of quickly turning the iPad on and looking things up from the device, it didn't do the trick. The browsing experience isn't as appealing as it is on a traditional computer. And for the most part, listening to music or watching a video on a tablet instead of through the high-definition equipment in the living room that's connected to a sound system just didn't make all that much sense.

Over time, it quickly became clear that the iPad was my perfect mobile companion. But when it came to the living room, it fell short.

So, I found a solution. I first hooked up a Mac Mini to my HDTV to satiate my desire to find information whenever I had some questions. Granted, going to another input and using a wireless keyboard and mouse wasn't as simple as turning the iPad on, but the experience has proven to be far more appealing. The browsing is better and the overall functionality of the Mac Mini appeals more to me.

Even better, I put all my iTunes music on the computer. And since I could access Netflix on it (as well as on the consoles or Apple TV connected to my television), the iPad's chances of becoming an entertainment option in the living room was all but eliminated.

Now, before Apple fans try to say that this is all an attempt to bash the iPad, let me just make this clear: I'm a happy iPad customer. It's with me everywhere I go. And I still use it every single day. It's just that the tablet didn't live up to my expectations for the living room.

Is that really a problem? Not really. The iPad is meant to be a mobile computer, not an entertainment platform for the living room. But if it could have satisfied my desire for a simple device that enhances my productivity in the living room, it would have been all the more valuable to me.

Oh well. I guess you can't win them all.

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Apple Stocks Smarter Investment than Apple Products [SHOCKER]

Posted: 12 Mar 2011 11:47 AM PST

A fabulously obsessed young man by the name of Kyle Conroy has a website out there on the internet that provides the world with an incalculably invaluable service: taking every single Apple product (or nearly every one) and pricing them out in terms of stock value. What this means is for each product (for example a G3 PowerBook from 1997) he finds the original price ($5700) and takes that amount of money in stock, having been purchased at that time, converting it to what that stock would be worth today ($330,563.)

These numbers are contrasted sharply against a similar situation listed by the New York Times: a Hewlett-Packard laptop from 1997 would have run you $3,500. If you’d purchased that much HP stock instead, you’d now have a grand total of $4,560. Not so impressive!

Another example from Apple that’s not quite as impressive, but impressive nonetheless, is a 2001 purchase of the Apple MacBook “Core 2 Duo” 2.2 13″ (Black-SR). This device would have cost you $1,499, and today in stock prices you’d have instead have $2,166. This of course, if you think about it in terms of how much the device itself is worth today, (under $300), is still a fantastic difference in investment value.

What do you think? Feel like you should have purchased some Apple stock instead of that horrifying blue or orange iMac? Us too. Check out the rest of the list over at kyleconroy.com. — thanks for the tip, Ben!

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BlackBerry PlayBook Launch Dates, Pre-Order Dates, and Early Display Photo

Posted: 11 Mar 2011 08:45 PM PST

It appears that some leaky ladies or gentlemen have stepped up to Engadget and shared with them some booty with a double “B” attached. In the images you see below, you’ll see both a tiny display showing the BlackBerry PlayBook in a Future Shop in Canada with a very incorrect header (Motorola XOOM) and a few details on multitasking. This ad notes “it’s what’s on the inside that counts,” making us feel like it might have gotten dropped as a child. On the other hand, we WOULD like to get our hands on this sassy little number, so we’re grateful for any updates on when it’ll actually be in our claws for tapping.

One other other images you see below features a Sears one-sheet that says the “Playbook,” as they call it, will be available for pre-order on March 12 and will be shipping by April 10. Also they mention Baby Days, but I don’t think we care so much about that. There’s another image in the gallery that was sent to someone on Crackberry saying that there’ll be a 33-day countdown starting on the 15th of this month – that means April 17th. Engadget again notes that their super sekret tip from a Sprint representative notes a 15th of April release date and some bonus treats.

These bonus treats include several cases and a stylus. A stylus, you say? Yes indeed, we were also tipped just yesterday as to the same exact rumor – a pen that’d be working with the tablet the day it came out. We didn’t think much of it until now – heck, two rumors? That’s basically fact. Take a peek at the several instances of BB goodness in the gallery below:

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iPad 2 Wifi Teardown ala ifixit

Posted: 11 Mar 2011 07:24 PM PST

Those down-breakers are at it again, this time with the BRAND new iPad 2, this one of course being the 16GB Wifi version – the one yours truly also got today. This lovely device with a first step that would make any breakdown newb shudder in their boots – heating the iPad 2 up with a heat gun! This is of course to break down the effectiveness of the glue that holds the front panel to the back, they then using a simple plastic opening tool to pop the front on. There were no clips at all, just a whole heck of a lot of really well-placed glue.

Important note to make here – they did end up cracking the front panel in the process, so if you’re not into breaking the device you’re attempting to break down, halt your movements immediately. From glue on, it’s perfect simplicity. Apple products of such a simple nature on the outside are quite often just as lovely on the inside, and the iPad 2 is no exception. Once to LCD is popped up, the iPad 2′s batter is revealed: A 3.8V, 25 Watt-hour unit. They note on ifixit that this is just a tiny bit better than what they found on the original iPad, so any longer life to be found on this unit, or any congratulations rather, should really be given to the software and other related hardware components.

Inside there were few surprises, the ICs on the logic board actually appearing to be exactly the same as they were for the first iteration of the tablet. A couple other components they found inside with interesting names are thus: a Texas Instruments CD3240B0 11AZ4JT G1 touchscreen line driver, a Toshiba TH58NVG7D2FLA89 16GB NAND Flash, and the cool new A5 processor which was JUST BAKED it seems, as it’s got January and mid-February 2011 manufacturer dates. Hot stuff!

Overall though, the device only warranted a 4 out of 10 (10 is easiest to repair) Repairability Score. That’s harsh. Don’t go breaking the iPad 2′s heart anytime soon unless you picked up a full repair plan straight from Apple! Take a peek at the rest of the details from ifixit [back in their guide.]

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