TECH ARABIA

HBO Go is coming To Apple TV By Mid-2013

2013-02-03T00:03:00.005-08:00

Apple might not need to make a TV set to make a big splash in the television market: a brand new report from Bloomberg claims that the company is negotiating with Time Warner Inc. to bring HBO Go to Apple TV by the middle of this year, citing two people familiar with the plans. That would still mean that the ability to watch HBO shows on Apple’s set-top box would be limited to people who already subscribe to the network in cable and satellite packages, but it’s a promising step.

HBO Go currently provides mobile access to HBO shows and content, which would mean that Apple TV users who are also subscribers would have access to the more than 600 hours of video currently available on the service, which includes hit shows like Game of Thrones and True Blood. The move wouldn’t be unprecedented, as Apple already currently offers Hulu Plus and Netflix access on the platform, and HBO Go is already on Roku and Xbox.

And in the end, it would still mean that customers are shackled to traditional cable and satellite distribution methods, even if the delivery mechanism for their HBO content is actually Apple’s standalone streaming video player. But turning the Apple TV into a platform with access to a broader content library is a key step in making it a better value proposition for consumers: AirPlay is a good selling point, but content options are more plentiful on other devices, even given the fact that the iTunes library is among the largest for digital video.

Many have wondered also whether Apple would open up the Apple TV to third-party apps in a way similar to how it’s running on the iPad and iPhone. This sounds like just another hand-selected partner, however, so it’s unlikely we’ll see an opening up of the platform anytime soon.

Sony Likely To Unveil PlayStation 4 On Feb. 20

2013-02-03T00:02:00.001-08:00

Sony is gearing up for a big announcement on February 20, according to invitations it sent out to the media on Thursday. The smart money was already on a next-generation PlayStation console being the topic of discussion, but theWall Street Journal came out and blatantly declared that’s what we’d be getting. But while we have a good idea of what, generally, Sony will be talking about, it’s the specifics that matter most for Sony’s long-term success.

Sony said that we’d “see the future” at the special February event, and the WSJ’s sources say it’s definitely going to be a next-gen console, debuted ahead of a similar evolution of Xbox from Microsoft. The console will actually make it to retail by the holidays in 2013, just in time to compete with Microsoft’s offering, which is also rumored for release around that time. But video game and console sales aren’t at their best right now, with gaming-related device sales e xperiencing considerable dips ahead of last year’s holiday sales season.

Rumors about what the console will actually look like so far include retaining an optical disc drive, said to be a concession made to ensuring that large-sized games are still convenient for customers to actually obtain and play, and a move from the Cell chip that powers the current PS3 to an AMD-based design, which might complicate things in terms of backwards compatibility with current games. That will annoy existing customers, but alienating those customers isn’t even Sony’s biggest issue with fielding a next-gen device; it’s attracting new users from a young gamer population that has grown up on mobile.

Current console gamers have a hard time seeing how mobile could ever truly replace a home console gaming experience, especially when a next-generation console promises to improve considerably on the 10-year old tech found in the PS3 and really push the envelope in terms of graphics, performance and realism. But the spec race isn’t the key battleground in gaming anymore, like it or not. Apple famously shifted focus away from what was under the hood in computers and mobile devices and onto the end-user experience, and that had repercussions beyond its own primary industry. Gaming became a much more broadly defined category, one that includes teen and twenty-something males sitting in front of a TV with a controller in hand, but no longer one defined by that demographic.

People underestimate the effect of mobile gaming on the industry at large I think, especially when you consider that an entire new generation of gamers is experiencing gaming first on touchscreen devices, with instant availability, downloadable titles and much shorter average gaming sessions. Those experiences will breed different expectations, resulting in consumers in key growth demographics who might not be all that excited to see what kind of ultra-realistic water effects a next-gen console can reproduce, even as those of us who grew up dreaming of in-game fog you could virtually feel on your skin eat up whatever Sony wants to sell us.

ميلاد جديد لـ بلاك بيري

2013-02-02T23:45:00.000-08:00

أطلقت شركة “بلاك بيري” الجيل الجديد من الهواتف الذكية BlackBerry 10، وقد طرحت الشركة أول طرازين من هذا النوع وهما BlackBerry® Z10 الذي يعمل باللمس بالكامل وطراز BlackBerry® Q10 الذي يجمع بين خاصة اللمس ولوحة المفاتيح.

وكانت شركة RIM الكندية المصنعة لهواتف بلاك بيري قررت تغيير إسمها إلى “بلاك بيري” لدعم علامتها التجارية مع التحول الجديد لهواتفها بنظام BB10 المحدث بشكل متكامل.

وبهذه المناسبة قال ثورستن هينز رئيس مجلس إدارة BlackBerry :” اليوم نشهد معاً إطلاق أحدث هواتف BlackBerry الذكية المعاد تطويرها بالكامل، ويسعدنا أن نطرح للعالم اليوم كل من BlackBerry Z10 و BlackBerry Q10، الذين سيقدمان لمستخدميهم خبرات هاتفية أسرع وأذكى”.

ويوضح هينز “أن الجيل الجديد من هواتفنا يتعرف على أسلوب المستخدم ويتكيف معه، فكل خاصية وجزء من هواتف BlackBerry 10 قد تم تصميمه ليكون جزءً حيوياً يتفاعل مع المستخدم ويحافظ على تواصله الدائم”.

ويعمل كلا الطرازين من الهواتف على منصة التشغيل الجديدة BlackBerry 10 والتي طرحتها الشركة الكندية في مؤتمرات متعددة تمت إقامتها بالتزامن في عدد من المدن العالمية الكبرى ضمت كل من نيويورك وتورونتو ولندن وباريس ودبي وجوهانسبرغ

أفضل التطبيقات لويندوز 8

2013-02-02T23:41:00.002-08:00

أشتهر نظام تشغيل مايكروسوفت ويندوز ببرامج سطح المكتب منذ فترة طويلة، لكن الإصدار الجديد ويندوز 8 يمتاز بأعداد لا حصر لها من التطبيقات، التي تم تطويرها خصيصاً للاستعمال عن طريق الشاشات اللمسية، التي تتناسب بشكل خاص مع تصميم الأقسام الجديد بنظام ويندوز 8.

ومقارنة ببرامج سطح المكتب القديمة تعمل هذه التطبيقات بطريقة موفرة للموارد وتمتاز بكفاءتها في استهلاك الطاقة، كما أنها تعتبر أكثر أماناً؛ لأن هذه التطبيقات تعمل بشكل منعزل فيما يُسمى صندوق الرمال “Sandbox”.

ويمكن للمستخدم الذي قام بتثبيت نظام ويندوز 8 الجديد على جهازه إلقاء نظرة على التطبيقات المتوافرة في المتاجر الإلكترونية، ومن خلال ترتيب كل قسم حسب أعلى التطبيقات المجانية، سيتوافر له عرض عام لأشهر التطبيقات المجانية، التي تم تقييمها بواسطة المستخدمين الآخرين على أنها أفضل التطبيقات.

وتجدر الإشارة إلى أن شركة مايكروسوفت لم تُدشن حتى الآن متجر تطبيقات شامل مزود بوظيفة بحث على الإنترنت، وبديلاً عن ذلك يمكن للمستخدم الاعتماد على موقع MetroStore Scanner، الذي يوفر باقة متنوعة من التطبيقات المجانية والمثيرة للاهتمام.
متصفح الإنترنت

يأتي نظام ويندوز 8 الجديد مزوداً ببرنامج إنترنت إكسبلورر 10 كوضع افتراضي، كما يتوافر من هذا البرنامج تطبيق بسيط. وإذا لم يتمكن هذا التطبيق من فتح أحد المواقع الإلكترونية، فيمكن للمستخدم الانتقال إلى برنامج سطح المكتب بسلاسة عن طريق شريط الوظائف.

وتجدر الإشارة إلى أنه لا يتوافر حالياً تطبيقات بديلة لهذا المتصفح.

الدردشة

يتمكن المستخدم عن طريق تطبيق الأخبار المثبت مسبقاً من مايكروسوفت من الدردشة مع أصدقائه عبر موقع الفيس بوك أو خدمة ويندوز لايف ماسنجر. علاوة على أنه يمكن إجراء دردشة الفيديو من خلال تثبيت تطبيق سكايب (Skype) الشهير ويمكن تحميله من هنا.

المستندات والملاحظات

يتيح تطبيق OneNote، ويمكن تحميله من هنا، للمستخدم إمكانية تدوين ملاحظته وأفكاره على الفور بنظام ويندوز 8 الجديد. ويمتاز هذا التطبيق بوجود اتصال مع خدمة التخزين السحابي Skydrive، حتى تتوافر الملاحظات على الأجهزة الأخرى للمستخدم.

وفي المقابل يعمل تطبيق Doo، ويمكن تحميله من هنا، على تنظيم وترتيب المستندات، حيث إنه يقوم بفرزها وتصنيفها حسب العلامات والكلمات الرئيسية.

الصور

عندما يرغب المستخدم في حفظ الصور الخاصة به على مواقع التخزين على الإنترنت ومشاركتها مع أصدقائه، يمكنه على سبيل المثال الاعتماد على ألبوم الإنترنت Photobucket، ويمكن تحميله من هنا.

وبالإضافة إلى ذلك يتيح تطبيق TLVstagram، ويمكن تحميله من هنا، تدفق الصور من موقع إنستاغرام في الزمن الحقيقي، لكن يُشترط أن تكون هناك كلمات رئيسية محددة مسبقاً.

البرامج المثبتة

يزخر نظام ويندوز 8 الجديد بالكثير من التطبيقات القياسية المثبتة مسبقاً، منها على سبيل المثال تطبيقات خاصة بالبريد الإلكتروني والتقويم وجهات الاتصال والكاميرا والخرائط والأخبار والصور والموسيقى والفيديو والألعاب وكذلك إنترنت إكسبلوور وخدمة Skydrive.

الخرائط

يقوم تطبيق الخرائط من مايكروسوفت بالجمع بين مخططات الطرق والمعلومات المرورية، التي يوفرها أيضاً تطبيق Inrix Traffic.

الموسيقى

يتيح تطبيق الموسيقى المثبت مسبقاً بنظام ويندوز 8 الجديد إمكانية تشغيل الموسيقى الخاصة بالمستخدم أو تدفق الأغنيات مجاناً من شبكة الإنترنت، مع ظهور إعلانات في بعض الأحيان.

وبينما يعمل تطبيق TuneIn، ويمكن تحميله من هنا، على جلب آلاف من محطات الراديو على الإنترنت إلى جهاز الكمبيوتر المزود بنظام مايكروسوفت الجديد، فإن تطبيق Soundrivin، ويمكن تحميله من هنا، يصل إلى منصة الموسيقى Soundcloud، التي توفر للمستخدم أيضاً العديد من الأغنيات، بعيداً عن التدفق الرئيسي للأغنيات.

وعلى الجانب الآخر يعمل تطبيق تدفق الموسيقى Soundtracker، ويمكن تحميله من هنا، على إبراز مفهوم المجتمع أثناء الاستماع إلى الموسيقى، كما يتمكن المستخدم عن طريق تطبيق Music Maker Jam، ويمكن تحميله من هنا، من إنتاج أغنية بدون أي خبرة أو معرفة مسبقة.

شبكات التواصل الاجتماعي

يتمكن المستخدم من متابعة التحديثات على مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي على الإنترنت مثل الفيس بوك وتويتر عن طريق تطبيقات الاتصال المثبتة بنظام ويندوز 8 الجديد.

وهناك العديد من التطبيقات الأخرى التي توفر المزيد من الإمكانيات مثل MetroTwit ويمكن تحميله من هنا، أو Mine for Facebook ويمكن تحميله من هنا.

الأخبار

لم يعد تطبيق الأخبار News من شركة مايكروسوفت هو المصدر الوحيد للمعلومات بالنسبة لمستخدمي نظام التشغيل ويندوز 8 الجديد، حيث يتمكن المستخدم عن طريق العديد من تطبيقات القراءة مثل Dark RSS Reader ويمكن تحميله من هنا، أو Pulse News من تجميع مصادر الأخبار حسب التفضيلات الشخصية. علاوة على أن تطبيق Big Picture ويمكن تحميله من هنا، يوفر للمستخدم معارض صور كبيرة الحجم.

الألعاب

يعمل تطبيق الألعاب المثبت مسبقاً بنظام تشغيل ويندوز 8 الجديد على توجيه المستخدم إلى منصة الألعاب Xbox Games الخاصة بشركة مايكروسوفت. وإذا طلب الموقع من المستخدم إنشاء صفحة شخصية، يمكنه إلغاء الطلب بالنقر على زر الإلغاء «Cancel». وفي هذه الحالة يتمكن المستخدم أيضاً من تنزيل الألعاب المجانية والاستمتاع بها.

وبخلاف منصة الألعاب Xbox Games تحتوي المتاجر الإلكترونية على أعداد لا حصر لها من الألعاب المجانية، منها على سبيل المثال لعبة Cut the Rope أو لعبة اللياقة البدنية BallStrike، حيث يتعين على المستخدم في هذه اللعبة تدمير كرات افتراضية عند طريق الجسم بالكامل.

البحث

إذا لم يرغب المستخدم في الاعتماد على محرك البحث “بينغ” المثبت مسبقاً مع نظام تشغيل ويندوز 8 الجديد، يمكنه اللجوء إلى تطبيق محرك البحث غوغل، الذي يمكن العثور عليه في المتاجر الإلكترونية عن طريق وظيفة بحث غوغل.

مقاطع الفيديو والتليفزيون

يشتمل تطبيق الفيديو من مايكروسوفت على مكتبة فيديو إلى جانب وظيفة مشغل الفيديو. ويجرى حالياً تطوير تطبيق لنظام ويندوز 8 الجديد من البرنامج الشهير VLC Media Player مفتوح المصدر. وينصح الخبراء باستعمال تطبيق Zattoo لمشاهدة القنوات التليفزيونية بشكل مباشر، ويمكن تحميله من هنا.

وإذا كان المستخدم يفضل مشاهدة الأخبار فيمكنه تجريب تطبيق VMetro من هنا، الذي يقوم بتجميع مقاطع الفيديو الإخبارية حسب اهتمامات المستخدم. ويوفر تطبيق YouTube MP3 & Videos Downloader للمستخدم إمكانية تنزيل ملفات MP3 ومقاطع الفيديو من موقع يوتيوب الشهير، ويمكن تثبيته من هنا.

المعرفة

يمتاز تطبيق ويكيبيديا لنظام ويندوز 8 الجديد بوظيفة البحث المعتادة، كما أنه يعرض العديد من الصور الجميلة والموضوعات الجديرة بالقراءة. ويمكن للمستخدم أيضاً تثبيت تطبيق القاموس Pons من هنا، الذي يحوي 13 لغة.

الرسم

دائماً ما تغري الشاشة اللمسية المستخدم لإظهار مواهبه في الرسم من خلال تطبيق SketchBook Express (تحميل من هنا) أو Paint a Story (تحميل من هنا).

وهناك العديد من التطبيقات الأخرى التي تخاطب أذواق الأطفال مثل Fresh Paint (تحميل من هنا) أو Paint 4 Kids (تحميل من هنا) أو Finger Paint (تحميل من هنا).

جوجل تقدم بطاقة مشفرة كبديل لكلمات السر!

2013-02-02T23:39:00.000-08:00

Arabia's best bloggers" - Harper's Bazaar,

2013-02-02T23:32:00.000-08:00

Coming soon in Dubai

2012-11-03T23:43:00.001-07:00

shadow of the Burj Al Arab on beach...

2012-11-03T23:41:00.001-07:00

Burj Khalifa opening

2012-11-03T23:40:00.001-07:00

one of the Icon of DUBAI

2012-11-03T23:39:00.001-07:00

Night view from Burj Khalifa- downtown Burj Khalifa

2012-11-03T23:38:00.001-07:00

Imperial Sand Dunes of arabia

2012-11-03T23:36:00.001-07:00

Bhutan!

2012-11-03T23:35:00.001-07:00

during the Closing Ceremony

2012-11-03T23:27:00.001-07:00

on Day 16 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 12, 2012 in London, England.

The Moon Over 111 Huntington, Boston, Massachusetts

2012-11-03T23:24:00.001-07:00

The Space Shuttle Endeavour

2012-11-01T02:10:00.001-07:00

Hangar 1 was built in the 30's to house an airship. Its quite huge and has been going through some major maintenance work.

The Whistler Intercultural Festival

2012-11-01T02:08:00.001-07:00

The Whistler Intercultural Festival Multicultural Festival

Photo Credit: David Buzzard

Nice shot!

2012-11-01T02:05:00.001-07:00

Twitter Follow Limits (I can't follow people)

2012-07-09T04:28:00.000-07:00

Why you can't follow anyone on Twitter :

You've probably hit a follow limit. Twitter has imposed reasonable limits to help prevent system strain and limit abuse. If you hit a technical limit, you'll see an error message when you try to follow. Remember that you cannot follow a user who is blocking you. We do not limit the number of people who can follow you.

Twitter's technical follow limits:

Every account can follow 2,000 users total. Once you’ve followed 2,000 users, there are limits to the number of additional users you can follow. This number is different for each account and is based on your ratio of followers to following; this ratio is not published. Follow limits cannot be lifted by Twitter and everyone is subject to limits, even high profile and API accounts.
Every Twitter account is technically unable to follow more than 1,000 users per day, in addition to the account-based limits above. Please note that this is just a technical limit to prevent egregious abuse from spam accounts.
Accounts are also prohibited from aggressively following other users. Our Follow Limits and Best Practices Page has more information on Twitter’s following rules.

What to do if you've hit a follow limit:

If you've reached the account-based follow limit (2,000 users), you’ll need to wait until you yourself have more followers before you can follow additional users. Follow limits are system-wide; Support cannot remove or adjust your follow limits.

To follow one or two additional users, unfollow a few accounts you're currently following. Please note, however, that regularly following and unfollowing many accounts is a violation of the Twitter Rules and can result in account suspension.

Why Twitter limits following behavior:

These limits help us improve site performance and reliability and help us make Twitter a nice place for everyone. We’ve included a more in-depth discussion of why we have follow limits on the Follow Limits and Best Practices Page.

What to expect if you're "whitelisted":

Some API administrators have whitelist status so that their applications can function without hitting system limits for direct messages and API requests per hour. Whitelisting does not increase the follow limits and all accounts are subject to the same follow limits and rules.

source: https://support.twitter.com/articles/66885

Facebook Fan Pages With Highest Likes -2012 Report

2012-03-06T05:07:00.001-08:00

Fastest Growing Facebook Fan Pages

The fastest growing pages showed robust growth in February, considering that the all started with over 6 million fans. The fastest growing pages were:

Google, up 37% to get back on the list at #44;
Google Chrome, up 24% and 5 spots to #32;
(tie) Walmart (up 2 spots to 23) and DC Shoes (up 2 spots to 47), both up 14%
(tie) Target, Lacoste and Mozilla Firefox all grew 13%

Biggest Losers

We had several pages fall 3 spots in the Top 50 list, despite growing between 2 and 6%, as others on the list grew faster.

Disney Pixar, down 3 spots to #31
Starburst, down 3 spots to #33
Taco Bell, down 3 spots to #45; and
Pepsi, down 3 spots to #48

Facebook Fan Pages With Highest Likes – February 2012

Current Rank	Brands	Rank by Fan Count 01-30-12	Fans as of 01-30-12	Fans as of 02-29-2012	% increase
1	Facebook	1	59,991,519	63,020,594	5%
2	YouTube	2	51,155,416	54,042,335	6%
3	Coca-Cola	3	37,948,952	39,991,613	5%
4	Disney	4	31,434,913	33,459,545	6%
5	MTV	5	30,809,010	32,333,102	5%
6	Starbucks	6	27,612,462	28,709,726	4%
7	Red Bull	7	26,098,244	27,101,861	4%
8	Oreo	8	24,361,615	25,153,576	3%
9	Converse	10	21,800,674	23,374,534	7%
10	Converse All Stars	9	21,819,621	22,888,851	5%
11	Skittles	11	20,060,116	21,022,956	5%
12	Playstation	12	19,119,081	20,774,895	9%
13	iTunes	13	18,917,940	20,302,660	7%
14	Pringles	14	17,183,729	18,164,735	6%
15	Victoria’s Secret	15	17,128,299	17,759,019	4%
16	McDonalds	18	14,324,406	16,908,569	18%
17	Xbox	17	14,358,943	15,363,800	7%
18	Live Messenger	16	14,718,705	15,261,803	4%
19	Ferrero Rocher	19	13,628,231	14,915,318	9%
20	Monster Energy	20	13,608,109	14,663,012	8%
21	Nutella	21	12,777,026	13,946,669	9%
22	adidas Originals	22	12,068,673	13,132,339	9%
23	Walmart	25	11,294,724	12,916,141	14%
24	Disneyland	23	11,594,905	12,615,830	9%
25	Zara	24	11,576,336	12,395,406	7%
Current Rank	Brands	Rank by Fan Count	Fans as of 01-30-12	Fans as of 02-29-2012	% increase
26	Dr. Pepper	26	11,229,828	11,478,675	2%
27	Victoria’s Secret Pink	27	10,914,408	11,378,488	4%
28	Subway	32	9,852,233	10,972,031	11%
29	Burberry	29	10,457,797	10,920,154	4%
30	Levi’s	31	10,200,486	10,842,974	6%
31	Disney Pixar	28	10,526,485	10,765,182	2%
32	Google Chrome	37	8,689,660	10,760,369	24%
33	Starburst	30	10,379,067	10,549,924	2%
34	Blackberry	33	9,615,303	10,529,591	10%
35	Nike Football	35	9,423,506	10,193,596	8%
36	H&M	34	9,457,292	10,065,217	6%
37	National Geographic	36	8,743,195	9,480,019	8%
38	Target	40	8,344,919	9,468,846	13%
39	Reese’s	38	8,488,712	8,859,925	4%
40	Walt Disney World	41	8,023,827	8,828,450	10%
41	Starbucks Frappuccino	39	8,363,706	8,734,910	4%
42	Lacoste	43	7,503,100	8,548,806	14%
43	BMW	44	7,468,805	8,457,827	13%
44	Google	57	6,127,516	8,397,452	37%
45	Taco Bell	42	7,941,322	8,273,368	4%
46	Mozilla Firefox	46	7,144,759	8,050,170	13%
47	DC Shoes	49	6,830,733	7,769,665	14%
48	Pepsi	45	7,224,589	7,651,100	6%
49	Hollister	48	6,976,935	7,567,062	8%
50	Nokia	50	6,680,947	7,484,398	12%

Apple iPad 2 has been unveiled

2011-03-19T23:47:00.002-07:00

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The Apple iPad 2 has been unveiled, and Luxury Linkers has spent some time with the hottest piece of kit so far in 2011.

Make no mistake, this is a seriously cool piece of kit, bringing a whole host of improvements that, individually, may not sound like much, but put together take the iPad onto a whole new plane.

Apple iPad 2: 12 things you need to know

1. iPad 2 is lighter and thinner

Apple called it an all-new design. And it is. The main physical thing is that the new iPad is thinner – 33 per cent thinner, clocking it at 8.8mm. Incredibly, that’s thinner than the iPhone 4 which clocks in at 9.3mm. It’s also 15 per cent lighter, which is welcome. You wouldn’t want it to be completely lightweight, but a bit less weight is good. It’s also available in white as well as the original black.

2. The iPad 2 has FaceTime

The new iPad has the expected front-facing VGA camera (as well as one on the back). What’s the point of the one on the back? Like the iPhone 4′s rear snapper, it takes 720p video (though has no flash unlike other tablets). And that’s enough for us.

3. The iPad 2 battery life stays the same

The iPad 2′s battery life is apparently not limited by the new design – it has the same 10 hour battery life as before, with a month of standby time (tsk, real-world figures please). Still, that’s quite impressive when you think about the reduced size of the unit.

Our colleagues at T3.com grabbed some iPad 2 video footage which you can watch below.

4. As does the iPad 2 display

The new iPad has a 9.7-inch display which, yep, is exactly the same. So the large-scale retina display wasn’t ready as we suspected. iPad 3 should sort that one out.

5. iPad 2 goes dual-core

A few months ago, a dual-core processor would have made headlines. Now they’re 10-a-penny and in many an Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablet. The new processor is called the Apple A5 and is based on ARM’s Cortex-A9 design. And it’s probably clocked at 1GHz again.

6. iPad 2 graphics will be awesome

All Steve Jobs said was that the graphics capability would be 9x that of the current iPad. WOW! All he said? That promises serious gaming awesomeness (and it helps that the device now also has the gyroscope from the iPhone 4 and latest-gen iPod touch). The graphics will still be some version of Imagination Technologies’ PowerVR SGX graphics technology.

7. iPad 2 has iOS 4.3

The latest version of iOS ships with the iPad and will be available for iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch on 11 March. There’s faster Safari browsing performance; iTunes Home Sharing and thankfully an enhancement to AirPlay. Let’s hope it works now. (By the way, iPhone 4s can act as Wi-Fi hotspots too).

8. The stupid button problem has been fixed

When the first iPad came out, the switch on the side locked the orientation. Super cool, everybody thought. Except Apple did a typical Apple thing and changed it to become a mute button. When there was already a volume control on the other side of the device. iOS 4.3 gives you the choice about what to do. That’s what happens when you listen to your customers. Thanks, Apple.

9. The iPad 2 has HDMI out

It will set you back around £30 for the cable, but you can connect your iPad up to the TV and charge it while doing so. What’s more you can have HDMI Video Mirroring that lets you mirror your iPad screen on an HDTV. Cool for presentations and the like – or just playing movie content.

10. The iPad 2 features HSUPA

The iPad 2 also features HSUPA support. That means faster uploads over 3G. Like mobile broadband. It’s only available on the iPad 2 Wi-Fi + 3G, naturally. Expect this to come to the iPhone in the next update too.

11. The iPad 2 UK release date is 25 March

Apple has announced that the Apple iPad 2 UK release date is 25 March. T-Mobile and Orange told TechRadar they are stocking iPad 2 “when it becomes available later this month”. O2 told us it wouldn’t be selling the new tablet but would be offering data plans for it, while Vodafone offered a stern “no comment”. Thanks for the clarity there. As iPad 2 costs the same in the US as the original iPad, expect the models to start at £439 here.

12. iPad 2 sees Apple come out fighting

As well as some serious gnashing of teeth at competitors during Steve Jobs’ keynote, even the press release gets nasty. “While others have been scrambling to copy the first generation iPad, we’re launching iPad 2, which moves the bar far ahead of the competition and will likely cause them to go back to the drawing boards yet again.” Unfortunately though, it’s just not true. In terms of specs – if not looks – the latest Android 3.0 Honeycomb tablets are a match for the new iPad.

Another element of major note is the reduced thickness of the device.

Apple has somehow managed to shave off an extra third of the original iPad’s thickness and it certainly shows.

Indeed, the Apple iPad 2 is just 8.4 mm thick; for people with the iPhone 4, that means that the latest tablet is actually thinner than your phone.

Thickness never really felt like a major problem with the original iPad, but that doesn’t mean that this isn’t welcome on a thinner, sexier device.

Yes, sexier. That’s the overriding impression of the iPad 2. You thought the original iPad was desirable, but its successor makes it look like a dumpy girl next door with its supermodel good looks and a size that suggests a diet of Diet Coke and cigarettes.

Another key addition is cameras – front and back – and you’ll be pleased to hear that the addition does not mar the looks at all.

In fact the front camera is subtle, as it is on the iPhone 4, and the rear one (which can record in HD) certainly doesn’t turn the device into an ugly cyclops.

We can’t help but question the need for cameras at all; it’s rare that you will actually want to take out your tablet to take a picture and we’re yet to be convinced by the merits of Facetime.

But, the cameras function as you would expect – and we’re sure hours of fun can be had with PhotoBooth and the video calling function.

But, it isn’t just in the looks department that Apple has sprinkled its magic; this beauty is also a bit of a tablet beast under the hood.

That’s largely due to a new A5 dual-core processor from Apple – an all-in-one offering with heavily beefed up graphics capability and twice as fast as a CPU.

In fact, Steve Jobs promised us that the new Apple iPad 2 is nine times more powerful in the graphics department that its predecessor – which should give games app developers something to get their teeth into.

The extra boost of speed is noticeable in the time it takes to open apps. There is still a delay, of course, but it’s much reduced – and the already responsive touchscreen seems a little zippier as well.

We tested a couple of programs that gave the new chip a thorough bashing – namely the brand spanking new (and rather lovely) GarageBand and Infinity Blade.

Starting with the latter, Infinity Blade was a real test for the iPad original, but the discernible lag that affected it is definitely much reduced on the iPad 2.

That makes for a completely different feel to the game – it’s spritely and impressive. We can’t wait to see more graphically intense games of this ilk really pushing the boundaries.

Keen musicians are going to love GarageBand, which gives you the chance to make music to your heart’s content.

It’s an environment where lag and waiting time would crucify the experience. But fortunately from a speedy loading time right the way through to instant responsiveness to our ham-fisted efforts to drum, this was a pleasurable experience.

iMovie also felt quick and responsive; and although this isn’t going to be competing against a quad-core gaming beast, we do think that you will appreciate the stride taken from the iPad original’s A4.

It’s impossible to go much further without discussing one of the things that did not make it onto the iPad 2 – namely the Retina display that is found on the iPhone 4.

We’re big fans of this hi-res display on Apple’s flagship phone, and we were hoping that we would see it arrive on the iPad 2.

But, be it through cost or manufacturing, the display does not appear to be changed much at all. Which frankly is a bit of a shame.

It may be an added extra, but it’s also well worth talking about the Smart Cover. The iPad 2 has magnets built in that mean the Cover – at $39 (plastic) or $69 (leather) – will latch on and protect the screen.

It’s actually really cool – although maybe not quite as simple as Apple make it look in the video. The cover curls underneath to make a stand and peeling back one corner wakes the device.

In a word, it’s neat; and that’s not a term you’ll find far away from your thoughts when you first pick up an iPad 2.

Conclusion

People who suggest this is an incremental upgrade are simply not looking at the bigger picture; the Apple iPad 2 feels and acts drastically differently from its predecessor.

The plethora of changes – some cosmetic, some under the hood – have boosted a device that felt like a luxury, to a device that is head and shoulders above its competitors at the moment.

The lighter, thinner iPad 2 is nicer to hold, nicer to use and nicer to look at – and if that’s not an important upgrade then maybe we’re missing the point.

More images

Middle East ad spending hits $13.7b

2011-01-31T21:59:00.000-08:00

According to a report by Pan Arab Research Centre, the advertising industry in the Middle East recovered in 2010 from a slump in 2009, as ad expenses jumped 24% to $13.7bn. Egypt emerged as the leading advertising market in 2010 with $1.49bn, up from $1.2bn in 2009, while the UAE witnessed a 3% decline, a much improved result than in 2009 when revenue tumbled 27%, the report said. Saudi Arabia expenditure saw a 6% gain in 2010 from a 4% fall in 2009. Elsewhere, Kuwait recorded an 11% rise, Lebanon climbed 16%, Qatar posted a 16% increase, Oman gained 17%, Jordan picked up 1%, and Bahrain soared 37%.

Making It a Mobile Web App

2011-01-31T07:15:00.001-08:00

Making It a Mobile Web App

Ask any interactive agency nowadays what their clients are asking for when they need a mobile experience — the answer will inevitably be “an iPhone and/or an iPad app.” Native Apple apps are a hot commodity, and in today’s mobile application ecosystem, mobile web apps are not sexy. In fact, many people don’t even realize they are even an option. In certain cases, an iPhone/iPad app will be the right solution for their needs.

However, there are some situations where it may become a short-term win, but eventually a long-term loss. Mobile web apps offer a good number of advantages over native apps; and though they face some design, development and deployment challenges, they are a powerful cross platform, scalable and affordable solution.

Increasing Fragmentation

Mobile apps are all the rage. There are a slew of startups targeting the iPad, countless entrepreneurs hacking together the next killer iPhone app, and it seems as though every big company has released an app of some sort. With the increasing penetration of Android phones, developers are scrambling to port their software.

But what about deploying to Windows Phone 7, Blackberry and Symbian? Who wants to study yet another SDK, learn another language, and go through yet another app submission process? Who will continue to keep the code up to date for all these platforms as each one splinters into new incarnations, releases new hardware and OS updates. Fragmentation is a costly long-term investment. And people are beginning to realize that native apps are not a sustainable long-term solution for all their needs.

GAP StyleMixer application for both iOS & Android

The Mobile Web is Everywhere

As the native mobile app market becomes increasingly fragmented, it is becoming clear that there needs to be a solution which can re-use code and designs across platforms, and which eases deployment headaches. But why invent a new solution, when it already exists on every device out there: the Web.Webkit is gaining ground as the de facto standard for rendering web content, but even Webkit isn’t appropriate for every application. It wouldn’t be recommended for experiences that need complex graphics rendering, require hooks into specific hardware such as camera or accelerometer, or have hefty media requirements.

Though these constraints will change over time. But for all other apps that don’t need these features, using the mobile web frees developers to use their web technology of choice, so long as it will render on mobile browsers. Design and develop once, deploy everywhere. With smart design and code, a single web app could render appropriately on differing resolutions and screen sizes, and respond accordingly to touch, 5-way or cursor. Indeed, frameworks for mobile web app development already exist, such asSencha Touch.

Sencha Touch Mobile Web Development Framework

Old News

Desktop web apps are far from a new idea — Rich Internet apps have been around for a while. Google has been pushing in this direction for years, creating a broad suite of online tools, primarily for the desktop, with an increasing focus on mobile. However, web apps have been slow to gain traction in the mobile space. Even with Apple promoting mobile web apps as the next best thing on their 1st generation iPhone in 2007, the focus is still squarely on native apps. And the primary reason for this is due to the overwhelming success of Apple’s (native) App Store.

The App Store Model

Apple’s App Store was not the first to distribute native applications to mobile phones, but they proved it was a viable model, and launched the concept into popular culture. It’s this same model that would be necessary to make a mobile web app ecosystem successful.

Foursquare App in Google’s Android Market

As a consumer, it’s more appealing to go to one trusted online outlet for stuff than to waste time searching the web for the same thing, and putting yourself at risk of being hacked. Mobile web apps need a consolidated storefront for much the same reasons.

First, it’s easy to find apps when they are indexed, categorized, and searchable in one place. Second, a robust community of users exposing app popularity, contributing ratings and writing reviews makes it easier to evaluate your choices. Third, when I’ve decided to buy a game such as Plants and Zombies, I want to be sure my purchase will be a safe one — something a robust app store from a recognized company should offer. And since a web app is cross-platform, you could play it on your Android phone, your iPad, and your desktop — all with a single purchase. Buy once, use anywhere. It’s magic!

As a business or developer creating web apps, a centralized web app store provides benefits over doing it solo. Most importantly, it provides a source of monetization. This is the key to driving adoption of a web app ecosystem, as without revenue, businesses and developers will stick with money-making native apps. It’s also a marketing channel, allowing for easy discovery and promotion. Another potential benefit of using a web app storefront would be the APIs to help developers deal with authentication, licensing and other technical hurdles of digital distribution.

It’s Possible Now

A great majority of native apps could be deployed today as full featured mobile web apps. The HTML5 family of technologies allow for refined typography, animation, streaming video, offline storage, and the list goes on. Probably the most high profile web app to date is the Youtube mobile site, which delivers a comparable experience to the native apps they have built.

Youtube Mobile Web Experience

Real World Challenges

As with any innovation, there are big questions that need to be answered. The most obvious is the issue of cross-platform compatibility. Building a robust and rich cross-platform mobile web app experience would benefit from HTML5 technology support, but currently RIM and Microsoft’s mobile offerings use their own standards. This weakens the des/dev once, deploy anywhere story; but is by no means a dealbreaker. Web developers have long dealt with coding to accommodate troublesome browsers, and this would be a similar case.

Another challenge in the ‘deploy anywhere’ scenario arises when you look at how a given design translates across devices with varying resolutions, form factors and input methods. Application designers will need to approach this problem by targeting several key resolution/form factor combinations, similar to what is recommended by the Android SDK. Depending on what device an app is being run on, the design, layout and functionality may differ significantly. This can be solved using a combination of intelligent design and careful development.

Last but not least is the problem of providing consistent, quality user experiences in this new application space. We’ve seen how the Android’s app offerings often leave much to be desired in terms of visual design and usability while Apple has been more successful in defining quality experiences. Providing a set of best practices, design patterns, and components for designers would go a long way towards the creation of quality mobile web app experiences that would win over consumers. As mobile web apps gain credibility, we will see more offering such as Sencha Touch and Sproutcore that provide solid web development and experience frameworks.

The Inevitable Victory of the Web Browser

Web applications as ‘the next big idea’ might never happen — but in the coming years, more and more websites will have mobile incarnations that look a lot like applications. You’ll be swiping through articles, pinching photos, and flicking pests off your Farmville plot — all in your mobile browser. And people won’t even realize that in the end, the next generation mobile web won.

The HTML5 Logo: What Do You Think?

2011-01-31T05:08:00.001-08:00

This has been an interesting week for the web design community, to say the least. The W3C revealed a new HTML5 logo to help designers and developers ‘tell the world’ that they’re using HTML5. The logo wasdesigned by Ocupop design agency, and it’s licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0, a permissive license that allows ‘remixing’ of the licensed work. The logo has been made available onstickers and t-shirts, and there’s a gallery already promoting examples of the logo in use.

The logo’s official site includes a “badge builder” that customizes its orientation and allows you to add supplementary icons to indicate support for the different technologies that have become associated with HTML5.

According to the W3C Blog, the purpose of the logo is as follows:

We intend for it to be an all-purpose banner for HTML5, CSS, SVG, WOFF, and other technologies that constitute an open web platform. The logo does not have a specific meaning; it is not meant to imply conformance or validity, for example. The logo represents “the Web platform” in a very general sense.

That all-encompassing definition has met with some opposition from Jeremy Keith. According to Keith, while he does approve of the logo’s design, he disagrees with the blurring of the lines that separate the web technologies that the logo is supposed to represent. Keith doesn’t have a problem with the media using the term “HTML5″ to cover this broad area, but he feels it’s not appropriate to push this kind of terminology in the web development industry.

In support of the definition, Ocupop Creative Director Michael Nieling said in a statement that “HTML5 needs a consistent, standardized visual vocabulary to serve as a framework for conversations, presentations, and explanations.”

Keith’s concerns are valid. The logo will certainly strengthen the awareness of HTML5 (which is something we all want), but it’s difficult to accept that something like WOFF, which is a web font format and has nothing to do with the HTML5 spec, will fall under the “HTML5″ umbrella. Similarly, CSS3 does not belong in that scope. But interestingly, you’ll notice in that quote from the W3C blog post that the “all-purpose banner” includes “CSS” — so it’s not just the new stuff in CSS3, it’s all of CSS. I can’t see many people being too happy about this.

And if that wasn’t enough, before the web design community had a chance to exhale, the WHATWG Blog published a post entitled “HTML is the new HTML5″, announcing two changes: (1) The HTML specification will be known simply as “HTML” (dropping the “5”); and (2) The spec will be considered a “living standard”, not just a draft, dropping use of the “snapshot” model of development.