Tag Archives: tablet

Apple sells over 300,000 iPads on launch day

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On Saturday, April 3 Apple sold over 300,000 iPads.  According to the official PR, these sales include “deliveries of pre-ordered iPads to customers, deliveries to channel partners [Best Buy/Apple Authorized Resellers], and sales at Apple Retail Stores.  In addition, iPad users downloaded over 1 millon apps from the App Store and over 250,000 eBooks from the iBookstore that day.  Impressive!  Steve Jobs had this today about launch day: “It feels great to have the iPad launched into the world—it’s going to be a game changer.  iPad users, on average, downloaded more than three apps and close to one book within hours of unpacking their new iPad.”  Keep in mind that the WiFi+3G iPad does not release until “late-April.”  This second launch will certainly rack up high sales figures, too.  Can’t you feel the magic in the air?

[Via Apple]

Today is iPad Day. Want one? Here is what you need to know.

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So the iPad is coming out today.  THE iPAD IS COMING OUT TODAY!  OK, calm down.  If you want one that badly, here’s what you need to know.

Where/when to buy it: (1) The iPad is available to purchase at all Apple Stores around the nation.  On launch day, Apple employees will cater to customers who preordered it first at 9AM, then start selling it to everyone else at 10AM.  Lines started forming a whole 24 hours before store opening.  But don’t worry; it’s been reported that most lines are not as deep as those found on iPhone launch day.  (2) The iPad will also be available to purchase at Besy Buy.  Word has it that the device will only be sold at Best Buys that contain the mini-Apple kiosks within them; fortunately that includes around 675 stores around the nation.  Stores will likely hand out tickets (redeemable until 3PM) at 9AM.  Your best bet is to go to an Apple Store first and save Best Buy as a backup plan.  The Apple Store will definitely receive more iPad units, and it’s been reported that Best Buy is only receiving 15 units of each model.  If queues begin, your chances of getting one are slim.  So, Apple Store first, then Best Buy.  (Apple Specialist Stores will also be getting in some iPads.  If you know if your local mall has one of these, call them up and inquire; it’s worth a shot.)

Don’t feel like going out tomorrow?: Well, that’s fine.  There is one other way to snag an iPad early in the game.  Head over to the Apple store online and order one.  The initial shipments have sold out, so if you order one today the expected ship date is April 12.  (Note that Best Buy does not offer the iPad online.)

And that’s about it.  If you’re going out to get one, good luck and have a magical day!  While you’re waiting, check out the full catelog of iPad apps, now available to view in iTunes!  I’ll be posting some of my favorites next week.

[Via Gizmodo]

Mixr DJ app scratches the surface of what you will find in the iPad marketplace

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Mixr will be one of the first professional DJ applications for the iPad.  The iPad’s large multitouch 9-inch screen will be able to accomodate two fully featured turntables with options for “cross-fading, equalizing, cue, drag & drop tracks, and full effects such as delays and auto filter.”  You can create your own libraries, digital DJ crates, and even record your own mixes using tracks from your iTunes music library.  As fun and exciting this all sounds, there’s an overarching theme here to be considered: apps like Mixr are just the beginning for the iPad.  Thanks to the large screen and intuitive touch controls, the App Store will start to flood with brand new apps made specifically to take advantage of the tablet’s features, inside and out.  If you thought the App Store launch on the iPhone was buzz-worthy, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

[Via Mixr; Gizmodo]

JooJoo tablet updates its UI before launch

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We first got wind of the JooJoo tablet back when Michael Arrington of TechCrunch was calling it the Crunchpad.  Flashforward to present day, and through a heated legal battle, one Chandra Rathakrishnan of Fusion Garage has taken over leadership of the forthcoming device.  When a product delay was announced in February due to capacitive touchscreen issues, Fusion Garage wasted little time to revamp the JooJoo’s user interface.  The most significant change can be found in the home screen (see above).  Instead of being limited to a solid color background, you can now customize it with a high-resolution image of your choice.  Navigation gestures have been updated, too.  The pinch-to-go-back gesture has been replaced with “a vertical swipe that brings down a status bar containing the home button, status indicators, browser navigation controls, and a combination address bar/search field.”  Also, there’s two new ways to scroll: “a two-finger scroll that works like a scroll wheel, and a single finger “pan” that works like a mouse arrow.”  You can choose from two on-screen keyboards–a standard, large keyboard and a smaller one designed for one hand that is less obstrusive.  In previous video demos, Flash video playback was questionable and Fusion Garage was quick to fix that.  Now Flash video plays fine, supporting a standard player, a “custom H.264 HD breakout player” and a wide range of codecs.  One more change, and it has to do with the hardware shell.  Fusion Garage has gone ahead and changed the backplate casing color from black to “champagne” (silver-ish).  Check out the gallery below for a few more images of the new UI and casing from Engadget.

The JooJoo device was our dream tablet coming to life back in December.  With the introduction of the coveted iPad, however, the spotlight has shifted to Camp Apple.  Although the iPad has captured the mindshare of most tablet buyers, the JooJoo still looks like a solid device with an impressive UI and I am looking forward to its release into the wild.  With HP cowering behind the secretive Slate, the iPad and JooJoo will be the first to market with sleek and shiny new tablets, vying for consumer’s hearts.  The JooJoo is available for preorder today at $500, and Fushion Garage expects them to ship within 8-10 weeks.

[Via Engadget; Gizmodo]

HP Slate gets demoed, revels in Adobe Flash & AIR

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We caught a first glipse of the HP Slate revealed at CES 2010 by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.  Then we were told about the origins of the Slate in a short HP “special update” video.  Now we’ve got two new videos that shed a bit more light on HP’s iPad contender.  Since the Slate runs Windows 7, it’s not surprise that it will support Flash video.  HP is really going out of their way to show off Flash video and games, boasting a popular feature the popular iPad will likely never support (HTML 5, where are you?).  In the video above we also learn about the Adobe AIR apps the Slate will run, and we also get to see the on-screen keyboard it will display.  HP, these product teases are nice and all, but enough is enough–we want product details, price, a launch window at least!  Look after the break for a 30 second spot featuring the Slate.

[Via Engadget]

Continue reading HP Slate gets demoed, revels in Adobe Flash & AIR →

VIV Magazine’s interactive spread

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With the release of the iPad soon upon us, companies are scrambling to show off their latest content made specifically for the iPad and other tablet devices.  Here we have VIV Magazine giving us a sneak peek into how their zine spreads of the future will look like.  In the video above VIV examples how an article about ‘five common sex fears’ would look like on a tablet.  It’s full of stunning visuals and begs for user interactivity. [Looks like they took that video down.  It’s been replaced with the second video.] In the second video above, Alexx Henry Photography explains that VIV is a completely digital magazine, so they’re able to “put motion into print where we weren’t able to before.”  And don’t mix this up with what you see in the movies: “In the end we aren’t making moving pictures.  We’re creating pictures that move.”  Bring on the print media revolution!

[Via AlexxHenry; Gizmodo]

Microsoft Courier details surface

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Remember when Gizmodo first picked up this story back in September about a Microsoft hardware-and-software-designed booklet of sorts?  Since then I’ve been keeping my ear to the ground, picking up on anything concerning the secret device.  Today new details emerged about what’s being called the Microsoft Courier.  According to the latest sources (as relayed by Engadget) the device will be smaller than expected, not much bigger than a 5×7 photo when closed and will be under one inch thick and weigh a slightly over a pound.  The operating system will be powered by NVIDIA Tegra 2 hardware and based on the same OS as Windows Phone 7 Series and Zune HD.  The device will also include a built-in camera, headphone jack for media playback, and a stylus for writing and drawing.  The source pegs a release date of “Q3 / Q4” of this year.

The Courier is being dubbed a “digital journal” whose sleek user interface will revolve around pen-based interaction with the help of handwriting recognition software.  If you take a look at the latest videos (look after the break for another) and images (see below) you can tell the developers behind this device have really come a long way in the design process.  The overall UI experience looks tighter, more defined, and user friendly.  The demos feature many touch-based actions like dragging, flicking, copy & pasting, and “pocket”-ing.  At its core, Courier is an “infinite,” highly customizable journal; it’s a place to discover and collect things of interest locally and over the Internet and use them to create.  Or as Microsoft says, it’s about “bringing ideas to life.”   I smell a worthy iPad contender.  Tickle me highly intrigued.

[Via Engadget]

Continue reading Microsoft Courier details surface →

Apple iPad to launch April 3rd, pre-order on March 12th

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The Apple iPad took one step closer to the brink of reality today when Apple announced a ship date.  iPads will be available for purchase Saturday, April 3 at Apple Retail stores, online at Apple.com, and “select Apple Authorized Resellers.”  (Could that mean we’ll see iPads sold at Best Buys?  Time will tell.)   On March 12 (one week from today) you can pre-order the iPad (Wi-Fi + 3G models) at Apple.com or you can reserve the iPad (Wi-Fi model only) at an Apple Retail store and pick it up on that date.  The 3G model will be released in “late April.”  Speaking of late April, peoples of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK will get their paws on the device at this time.  Need to be reminded the prices of the models and how much poorer you will be come next month?

Fun fact: Apple’s stock hit a record high Friday afternoon, jumping to $219.70 before it slightly fell to $218.95 at closing time, up around 4%.

[Via Apple; Yahoo!]

Penguin shows off its vision for the iPad

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John Makinson, CEO of book publisher Penguin, unveiled to a crowd this week his vision for the iPad and how be plans on pushing “books” and other content to it.  I say “books” because these demos look more like applications to me.  In fact, Makinson says, “for the time being at least we’ll be creating a lot of our digital content as applications for sales in app stores in HTML, rather than as ebooks.  The definition of a book itself, as you can see, is up for grabs.”  As demonstrated in the video above, Penguin plans on bringing children’s books with support for embeddable sound, touch interactivity, and accelerometer (shaking/tilting) implementation; interactive textbooks (human anatomy, shown here); an “online community for vampire lovers” (OK?); a travel companion with an itinerary and maps; and lastly a far-out “intergalactic GPS system” that uses the GPS chip and augmented reality to reveal star constellations when you point the device to the sky.  That last one will likely remain a concept for a while.  It’s good to see a company really looking ahead into the future of print/digital media.  The iPad has the power to do these things; it’s up to the developers (here, book publishers) to make it happen.  ‘Nother video of Makinson speaking to the crowd about his ideas after the break.

Watching these demos makes me wish I had a kid so I could buy him an iPad and watch him interact and learn in ways I never imagined were possible when I was a toddler.

[Via PaidContent; Gizmodo]

Continue reading Penguin shows off its vision for the iPad →

Concept vid reveals what Google Chrome tablet may look like

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Watch out, iPad.  Google Chrome OS-inspired tablets are on the way and they are (conceptually) looking real good.  On Monday Glenn Murphy, Google Chrome’s designer, posted this UI concept video and a handful of stills on Google’s Chromium site.  Though it’s only a mockup of sorts, it proves the Google is working hard to make Google Chrome OS (and devices they will eventually run on) a fully functional, multi-tasking beast of an experience.  Since Chrome OS is at least one year away from deployment, this is essentially Google showing us how they are experimenting with several different UI manipulation techniques and appearences.

[Via TheChromeSource; Gizmodo]

iPad keynote event…in adjectives

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When Steve Jobs hosts an Apple keynote event it’s a given that someone will splice together all of the superfluous adjectives used to describe the new product or service at hand.  Last week’s announcement of the iPad is no exception, and this time that someone is Neil Curtis.  Curtis says all adjectives used in this video were taken from the iPad keynote alone, and no scene is ever repeated.  Magical!

[Via Gizmodo]

HP talks HP Slate

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Remember that mysterious tablet from HP that was breifly handled at the Microsoft keynote at this year’s CES?  Well HP CTO Phil McKinney is here to go into a bit more detail about the origins of the HP Slate.  At its core it’s a multitouch tablet that runs Window 7; it’s the “rich media experience” that promises to set it apart from the rest of the pack.  It’s set to release sometime this year.

[Via Engadget]