The iPad – tablet computing gets new life from Apple
The hotly anticipated iPad was released on January 27, 2010 by Steve Jobs in his annual press event in California. Touting the device as a new technological revolution for media fans around the world, the device itself has been the focus of many rumors for months on end with spyshots being released tantalizing potential buyers about the specs and features of the device. What’s interesting to note is that the tech world is defining new media in terms of newspapers and books finally gracing the online world in a more comprehensive manner than the traditional online subscription models, and the iPad leading the charge.
Now that some of the hype has died down, we plan on taking a developer viewpoint about the iPad and what are the things that we are really liking and other things that definitely need to be addressed.
Source - guardian.co.uk
Before we launch into the real details, here are some basic specs about the device itself.
Display: 9.7 inch IPS
Size and Weight: 9.56 by 7.47 by 0.5 inches, and 1.5 to 1.6 pounds
Processor: 1GHz Apple A4 Chip
Storage: 16, 32, or 64GB flash
Battery life: 10 hours battery life, over 1 month standby
Connectivity: 802.11n Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Other Features: Accelerometer, compass, speaker, microphone, 30-pin connector
Price: $499 onwards moving to the full 64GB with 3G version costing $829
- (Source)
Our initial impressions about the iPad have been somewhat related to the original rumors circulating. The device is coming with the same hype that the iPhone has but we feel is still missing out on some key aspects. The four main issues that are bothering us are:
The revolution in mobile gaming has come a long way from the simple games of Snake and Brick to complex 3D titles such as Need for Speed and Doom. This revolution was primarily spurned by Apple’s iPhone, and mobile gaming hasn’t looked back since.
This revolution worried Nokia enough to run a survey about the potency of mobile gaming back in 2007 when the iPhone was released. Surprisingly, the predictions that Nokia management made were extremely accurate. Some of these predictions have made it to the general public, social media, augmented reality, while others are slowly catching on.
Based on the trends reported in the survey, we’ve made our own predictions about how mobile gaming will be like in 2010. We’ve listed each trend below:
Lots of money to be made
The recession has taken it’s toll on tech companies quite heavily. Layoffs and downsizing were common, but it’s also spurred for developers and publishers to become more competitive through acquisitions and mergers. However, the consumer spending spree still hasn’t died in technology completely.
The App Store hit 3 billion downloads; clearly customers are spending some portion of their income on apps. The release of the iPhone versions with improved 3G support has meant people can easily download directly to their phones. Popular apps became massive hits overnight fueling development sprees from various companies. Riding the wave has meant overnight millions for certain developers. The booming revenues for companies such as Gameloft, make it clear that companies are making money in the sector, proving it is a strong market.
It’s finally happened, a few months ago AT&T’s CEO, Ralph de Vega was talking about how AT&T would have to eventually branch from their exclusivity from the iPhone (our blog). At this year’s CES, AT&T shocked critics with the announcement of supporting webOS devices on their network. The two webOS devices will be running on three handset manufacturers namely, Dell, HTC and Palm.
New devices for AT&T network
The focus will primarily remain on Dell and Palm. Both device manufacturers have recently entered the smartphone market with new devices clamoring for the same type of attention as the iPhone. Dell has entered the market after a long hiatus while Palm’s Pre and Pixi have been needed the endorsement of a growing network. Although already overloaded with the iPhone, it seems that the addition of the new webOS devices will add much needed diversity to the network. Although AT&T’s network has been facing issues iPhones utilizing the data bandwidth, the Palm Pre and Pixi less data hungry in comparison; a good point in comparison to the existing iPhones. The exclusivity component still remains for AT&T due to the exclusive launch of the Dell Mini 3 along with the agreement with Palm.
Network improvement
The AT&T Developer Summit re-emphasized the focus on how AT&T plans to improve their network with increased partnerships and cell phone tower construction. Ralph mentioned how quickly the mobile app market was growing and as a result there was a need to ensure a better 3G network for users.
Google’s Nexus One Released: Is it an iPhone killer?
Apple’s success with the iPhone has run for a long time, however, it seems like there’s a potential iPhone killer in town, namely the Google Nexus One. With Google employees almost immediately Tweeting about the release of the new phone, a hype has started building.
Recently I managed to get some one-on-one time the Nexus personally. Unfortunately, pictures were not allowed due to the impending release date of January 5, but the initial impressions were fantastic.
Feel
Starting with the overall feel of the phone, it just feels like a weighty and well-built phone. The Teflon coating on the back of the phone is absolutely fantastic. Smooth, sophisticated and polished – words that weren’t necessarily associated with the previous Android phones. The Nexus still maintains a link with its predecessors with its distinctive curves and buttons – remnants of the original G1. The smooth lines and slim profile helps portray the image of a durable yet oddly sophisticated and technical phone. Normally it’s hard to get all three areas correct but the Nexus just portrays this undue sense of nobility that’s hard to define. It’s got multiple personalities would probably be a better explanation – there’s the corporate image (utility grey, work productivity suites, etc), the sophistication (massive vibrant 3.7 inch screen, sleek lines) and the fun side (light, durable, easy to use aspect). Nonetheless, the most striking part of the phone has to be the screen.
Screen
The screen area is just impressive; it puts the iPhone’s screen to shame in comparison. The clarity and responsiveness is amazing, gentle finger movements are accurately recorded. The nice large screen definitely made the virtual keyboard easy to use. However, the vibrant 3.7 inch screen is absolutely stunning. The screen is clearer than the Droid’s and the 3GS which is great considering that in well-lit conditions most screens become very difficult to see. Rather difficult to use a screen without an OS, so how’d the user interface compare to the infallible iPhone?
The blame game continues with the AT&T and Apple with statements fired across from both parties blaming the poor service and issues that arise with AT&T’s network and Apple’s hardware. The result of much investigating and numerous firestorms from both sides, AT&T is in the limelight again for its network capacity. The problem that AT&T’s network faces is primarily related to the way the network is geared to handle data traffic. Although the network is optimized for voice calls, data traffic moves on a different spectrum. The overall effect is that when data traffic is flowing is that voice spectrum conflicts with the transmission of data. People have often complained about the poor quality of the network causing AT&T due grief about their network.
Nonetheless, AT&T was quick to blame the hardware of Apple’s iPhone. The primary complain was that the radio signal that the iPhone handles switches from active to idle rather than turning itself off. This means that the signal is constantly accessed causing a strain on the network. However, iPhone users in other countries have not complained about similar problems, therefore, it makes little sense that the iPhone is to blame. However, an anonymous tipster has said the following about the way the iPhone OS conserves the power:
“All iPhone apps, including Phone.app, cause the radio to switch from “active” to “idle” mode when accessing the network far more often than traditional phones do. This causes the signaling channel, responsible for such functions as SMS messaging, initiating, maintaining, or ending a phone call, voicemail notifications, and DHCP requests, to become overloaded.” – (Source)
