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 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)
Our Three Games making to the Front Page of Appstore
We are proud to announce that three of our games (Run Razzle Run, Rescue Razzle and Real Deer Hunting) have made it to the Front Page of Games Category on the Appstore. We have developed these games for SunStorm Interactive.
Hats off to our Graphic Design, Development and Sound Engineering Teams for this accomplishment.
TkXel and SunStorm Interactive have done it again. Using the resounding success of WW2 Beachhead, Real Deer Hunting and Rescue Razzle; the new game, Run Razzle Run is now available at the App Store for the iPhone under the Family and Arcade categories.
Our in-house graphic design team has developed the art work in 3D to make the game more amusing and entertaining for the users. We thoughtfully created “Razzle”, (a friendly rat) to build a series of arcade/family games around this character in the future. Besides just development, we also have a dedicated sound engineering team which has developed the original score for Run Razzle Run.
In the game Razzle needs to run back home safely while avoiding the cumbersome crows and hungry hawks wanting to make him into a tasty meal. However, he has to run home using the extensive grid of powerlines, and he must jump to avoid becoming a feast for a hawk or biting the dirt when colliding with a crow.
Run Razzle Run will challenge your reflexes as the levels grow more and more complex. Razzle starts to run faster with fear as the crows and hawks begin to realize there’s a running away from them.
Delve into the game with realistic sounds of crow’s cawing, hawks swooshing and Razzle’s squeaking with fear. The beautifully hand-drawn landscapes that bring the game to life are stunning and add fun to Run Razzle Run.
Rescue Razzle is another fantastic game developed by TkXel for SunStorm Interactive which is a building on the previous success of WW2 Beachhead and Real Deer Hunting. In Rescue Razzle game, you must carefully destroy boxes to avoid Razzle, the adorable rat stuck in his cage, from hitting the cold hard floor. It’s not just a simple case of removing boxes though, there are hidden rat traps and pools of freezing water, so remember to cautiously destroy boxes to get Razzle just above the floor. Seems simple doesn’t it? but it’s not, Rescue Razzle will have you planning and thinking about your every move as boxes disappear.
Rescue Razzle topped in the App Store as a Top 100 Family category game; clearly this game is another hit in the App Store.
The attention to detail speaks through the in-game screenshots:
