iPad 3 to go Beyond HD

If you drooled over the HD resolution of the iPad 2 and thought that it couldn’t get any better then maybe the iPad 3 will make you eat your words, at least that’s what a report in The Korea Times claims. The report, in an affirmative tone stated that Apple will maintain the screen size to 9.7-inches and is all set to wrap up its full HD stint, as well as make way for better, higher-resolution screens, which one of our earlier reports claimed could go up to 2,048 x 1,536 pixels. That was, of course, just a rumor back then. Beyond HD (Image credit: 9to5Mac.com) The report further revealed that technology giants, LG and Samsung are very close to bagging the deal with Apple. Apple apparently is currently testing the samples of high-resolution LCD displays belonging to LG and Samsung at a lab in China. Those keenly following our reports on the Apple vs. Samsung saga would find it difficult to believe that Apple is looking at employing Samsung’s technology to its own. But, Samsung’s multi-faceted approach (its presence in the finished goods, as well as parts) to business makes its friendship more desirable. However, reports also direct us to the fact that Apple has been known to keep its list of providers same for all versions, across all its product categories. Hence, Apple looking elsewhere for its needs seems unlikely.

More Rumors About Apple iPad HD with High-Res Display Surface

While news is abuzz about the possible inclusion of a retina display on the next-gen iPad that’s being called the ‘iPad HD’, it’s been a curious question on everyone’s mind as to whether or not the iPhone 5 will have a higher resolution Retina display as well. As if the existing resolution of 640 x 960 with 326 ppi wasn’t high enough, but progress does mean moving ahead so it’s a possibly that Apple just might take things up a notch with the next model handset. The resolution that the ‘iPad HD’ is reportedly aiming to support is 2048 x 1536 with pixel density of 260 ppi for extra crisp viewing. Although we heard this rumor before we also heard that the possibility of this a high a resolution on a 9.7-inch display might not be realistically possible. Higher resolution for crisper images Never the less with details emerging about iOS 5 being able to sync 1080p videos with the iPad 2 and iTunes bringing a few Full HD movies to the scene, it’s quite possible that Apple would be working on high resolution displays for their devices. Come September/October when Apple makes it’s announcements for that part of the year and the iPhone 5 comes to light, I’d be pleasantly surprised if an iPad 2 variant or iPad 3 with a high-res display is also announced. We already know that the iPad 2’s A5 chips are quite capable of running Full HD videos which hopefully means Apple will kick things up a notch by showing off a high resolution display for better viewing. LG is responsible for the Retina display and they just happened to showcase a few high-res mobile type displays at an event held in May. That’s possibly another clue to the possibility of an iPad or iPhone HD making it out come the latter half of 2011. I believe it might be a little too soon to spring this on the customers who have only just dished out a lump-sum of cash on an iPad 2. But with Apple, you just never know.

IPad challenger Xoom: the rise of Android tablets

Apple has been dominating the market for tablet computers. But now, with Motorola’s Xoom and other tablet PCs rolling out, alternatives to the iPad are coming to stores, many using the new Google operating system Android Honeycomb.

Companies like Motorola, Samsung and LG are bringing out tablets with Google’s Android 3.0 operating system, also known as Honeycomb. In some ways, these new versions outscore the market leader.

One of the forerunners is Motorola’s Xoom. The U.S. company kept close tabs on the development of Honeycomb and was the first to be able to come out with an Android 3.0-ready tablet. At 730 grams, the Xoom is a little heavier than the 600-gram iPad and a bit wider. But it has a higher resolution in its 10.1-inch screen (1,280x800 pixels versus 1,024x768). Just like the iPad, the Xoom has solid aluminium housing.

Motorola took more pains with its built-in cameras than Apple. The camera on the back offers 5 megapixels, while the one on the front for video chat features has 2 megapixels, significantly more than the iPad 2. That means the Xoom can record videos in quality of up to 720 pixels, even though its recordings tend to have a slightly bluish tint.

Honeycomb tablets don’t have mechanical buttons for functions like menu, home, back and search, meaning the Xoom is completely controlled via its touch-sensitive screen.

Xoom runs with a dual-core processor (a set of 1 gigahertz processors) to allow speedy work and smooth video playback. Just like with the iPad, the Xoom’s battery has a charge of about eight hours, or the equivalent of a full workday or a long-range flight.

While there are more than 200,000 programmes available for Android, all of which should theoretically work on the Xoom, very few of those programmes were designed with the tablet exclusively in mind. Meanwhile, there are 10,000 programmes just for the iPad.

Unlike the iPad, Xoom supports Adobe’s Flash Player, which has to be separately installed. The player only plays a small role in video playback, since leading portals like YouTube have started distributing most of their online videos in the iPad-compatible format H.264. But Flash often crops up in interactive graphics, live tickers and online games.

Android Honeycomb also gives users more freedom in setting up the look of their homepage. While the iPad only allows the display of programme icons, links and notices, Honeycomb allows the display of up to five so-called widgets, small preview programmes for things like weather forecasts, email and stock market reports.

But these advantages don’t quite go far enough toward making up for the disadvantages the Google tablet suffers in its marketplace for apps and media services.

WWDC 2011: Apple Officially Announces iOS 5, Mac OS X Lion and iCloud

Apple has deviated a bit from their usual WWDC traditions as 2011’s event saw no new hardware making it out. However there was no lack of enthusiasm at this year’s event either, as the company with head honcho Steve Jobs taking his position front and center have announced some pretty exciting services for Apple users.

They kicked things off with the latest version of Mac OS X called Lion that included a plethora of new features including Multi-Touch gestures, system-wide support for full screen apps, Mission Control, an innovative view of everything running on your Mac, the Mac App Store that’s built right into the OS.

Bring out the King in your computer

Their next big announcement was for iPhone and iPad users i.e. iOS 5. iOS 5 brings a large number of relevant updates to the platform that should make the new-generation iPhones and iPads a whole lot more functional. A new notification option has been added as well as a thumb-friendly split screen keyboard for the iPads amongst others.

Lots of goodies for the Apple's mobile devices

Apple’s final announcement for the day was the introduction to their all new online storage system called iCloud that is essentially an upgraded version of MobileMe. It’s an online back-up system over Wi-Fi that can store all your data and some media for retrieval when necessary.

The cloud is the future

In case you missed it, you can get a quick glimpse of what went down at the Mascone Center, with our Live Coverage article here.

For a more detailed looked at the new announcements made click on the links below –
Mac OS X Lion
iOS 5
iCloud

Coca-Cola Launches iPad App for 125th Anniversary

If you're a brand and you've been around for 125 years, one way to celebrate would be an iPad app. Coca-Cola launched an iPad app which visually goes through the brand's history, featuring celebrities like Run DMC, James Brown and President John F. Kennedy. It also features vintage ads and photos. An ad from the Coca-Cola app The app was launched in conjunction with a coffee table book. The book costs $650 (Rs. 29,158) and the app costs $4.99 (Rs. 223). The app also features extra video content, which of course, the book doesn't. The app was created by Assouline. It's Coca-Cola's second app, the first being Coca-Cola Heritage which was launched earlier in May and is free. This app works on iPhones and iPod Touches as well. The brand also celebrated its anniversary last month with a 3-D projection in Atlanta.