| Apple TV (2012) hands-on! Mar 7th 2012, 18:47 It's not that the new Apple TV wasn't rumored, but still -- announcing it here at the new iPad launch? Bold, Apple. Really bold. Looks as if Apple's hobby is now becoming a right-hand man for the iPad, and given the increasing importance placed on AirPlay, it's no wonder that the next Apple TV feels less like a standalone box and more like a killer $99 accessory for your iPad. We got a brief look at the new 1080p-capable set-top box here in San Francisco, and not surprisingly, it's small. Really small. In fact, it's just as tiny as the prior Apple TV. It's hard to glean much about the functionality given the limited setup we're seeing here, but suffice it to say, to-be iPad buyers are apt to become the largest sect of Apple TV buyers if the two are marketed together correctly. It'll ship alongside the new iPad on March 16th for $99, with a revamped user interface and 1080p output being the only notable differences. Same HDMI output, and we're told that those with slower connections can opt out of 1080p in the settings menu. Moreover, content partners are working around the clock to add 1080p versions to the store, and naturally SD and 720p content will remain for those on older Apple TV units. You can bet that we'll be taking a long, hard look at the wire-free wizardry in our full review; for now, however, there's a gallery of shots below demanding your attention. Apple TV (2012) hands-on! originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Apple new iPad hands-on! (update: video!) Mar 7th 2012, 18:33 Here she is -- the iPad HD! Er, new iPad. Breaking away from the numerical tracking system used before (and still used in the iPhone range), Apple has decided to highlight the most major change in its newest slate by simply dubbing it "new." By and large, the new guy is the same as the old guy (Home button included), but with a few nice amenities that could very well convince OG iPad owners to upgrade. Upon touching the HD variant, it's not the overall form factor that grabs us -- it's the screen. Given that we're unashamed Pixel Density Enthusiasts 'round these parts, seeing a 2,048 x 1,536 resolution display in the same area as the prior 'Pads is stunning. Nearly two months ago to the day, ASUS wowed our entire CES trailer with a reported 1,920 x 1,200 display on the TF700T; this, however, is something that really needs to be ogled to truly appreciate. In fact, the first viewing conjured up familiar feelings -- ones that came to light when placing the iPhone 4 beside the iPhone 3G for the first time. Unsurprisingly, Apple has managed to produce something that's truly beautiful to look at, and while we've yet to see the full potential of having this many pixels on a 9.7-inch slate, we're guessing a cadre of game developers are already hard at work in order to remedy that. Beyond being dazzling from a density standpoint, colors are sharp and accurate, and viewing angles are predictably ridiculous; even taking a peek from an extreme side angle gives way to a fairly solid image with next to no washout. Continue reading Apple new iPad hands-on! (update: video!) Apple new iPad hands-on! (update: video!) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Apple cuts iPad 2 price to $399 for the 16GB WiFi-only model, $529 for the 3G version Mar 7th 2012, 18:19  Who's afraid of the big bad wolf? Facing soaring demand for budget tablets (and one in particular), Apple has announced it will sell the iPad 2 alongside the new iPad, with last year's model tumbling to a more palatable price of $399 for the WiFi-only model, or $529 for the 3G version. That entry-level price in particular puts it in more direct competition with a slew of mid-range tabs that previously undercut the iPad, including the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus and others. Specifically, though, Tim Cook & Co. hope that lower price will attract not just thrifty consumers, but schools looking to issue iPads in large numbers -- a move that dovetails with the release of iBooks textbooks and the iBooks Author OS X app earlier this year. Though this is the first time the company's offering two iPads at once, this strategy is old hat for Apple, which has long been taking that tack to sell more iPhones. What's notable is that usually the trade-off (aside from year-old specs) has always been that users must settle for devices with minimal built-in storage, which you naturally can't expand with a memory card, this being an iDevice and all. In this case, though, the iPad 2 will still be offered with 16GB of built-in storage, as opposed to, say, eight gigs. Still, depending on the size of your library, this might be a good time to get acquainted with iCloud, if you haven't already. For more coverage of Apple's iPad event, visit our hub!Apple cuts iPad 2 price to $399 for the 16GB WiFi-only model, $529 for the 3G version originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Apple introduces iPhoto for iPad, updates Garage Band, iMovie and iWork Mar 7th 2012, 18:07  Apple's busy introducing a whole bunch of new apps to go along with its shiny new iPad, and iPhoto is near the top of the list. The "reinvention" of the iconic photo software will be available today for $4.99, and offers a plethora of features, such as bezel gestures, effects, multi-touch editing and direct beaming. You can also easily tweak white balance, exposure and saturation, and you can add geotags, notes and captions. Another highlight of the new iPhoto is the Journal, which allows you to pick and choose certain images to push to iCloud for web viewing. Interestingly, the announcement comes right on the heels of Adobe's competitive offering. To complete the circle of iLife at today's event, Apple announced significant updates to iWork, iMovie and Garage Band. iWork's refresh utilizes the new iPad's Retina display and offers 3D charts, and each individual app -- Keynote 1.6, Numbers 1.6 and Pages 1.6 -- will be ready for purchase today for $9.99 (or free, if you already have the apps). Next up is iMovie, available for $4.99, which now offers the ability to turn your HD movies into trailers and adds a few more advanced editing tools. Finally, Garage Band introduces a new feature called Jam Session, which lets you and three of your friends connect iOS devices together wirelessly and play together in real-time. Just as before, newbies can get the updated app for $4.99. For more coverage of Apple's iPad event, visit our hub!Continue reading Apple introduces iPhoto for iPad, updates Garage Band, iMovie and iWork Apple introduces iPhoto for iPad, updates Garage Band, iMovie and iWork originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Apple reveals next-generation apps for the new iPad: Infinity Blade: Dungeons, SketchBook, SkyGamblers Mar 7th 2012, 18:06  While Apple's ensured all of its home-baked apps are making the most of the new iPad's retina display and new A5X chipset, it also had a handful of third-party app developers ready to show what the new hardware's capable. First up was Namco, who revealed the iOS-exclusive SkyGamblers, an Ace Combat-styled jet combat simulator. There looks to be a whole load of detail crammed into both the plane models and background -- something all those extra pixels can certainly help with and something we'll want to take a closer look at when it lands later this month. Taking a different approach, Autodesk's SketchBook app took the opportunity to show off the level of detail its sketches were now capable of, alongside a new engine for the ink. Now, we're not exactly sure what that entails, but we're sure it's going to make our works of art really zing. The app can even export images larger than 100 megapixels and will be out in April. Finally, Infinity Blade developers Epic Games took to the stage to unveil Dungeons -- the next iteration of the swiping and slashing gladiatorial battler. It appears the battle system has been recast once again and HDR lighting ensures the game will arrive dripping in optical honey. We'll be taking up swords to get a hands-on with these very soon. For more coverage of Apple's iPad event, visit our hub! Apple reveals next-generation apps for the new iPad: Infinity Blade: Dungeons, SketchBook, SkyGamblers originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | New iPad has 'world ready' 3G, LTE for Verizon, Rogers, Bell, Telus and AT&T Mar 7th 2012, 17:41 At Apple's ongoing press conference, the company has just revealed its new retina display-equipped iPad will feature high speed LTE connections on Verizon, Rogers, Bell, Telus and AT&T networks, as well as 3G that works around the world. It brings "the most bands ever", but it looks like we'll still be looking at separate devices that work with either Verizon and AT&T, but not both. Besides the 3.1Mbps EV-DO and 7.2Mbps HSPA that were on the iPad 2, the new slates add 21Mbps HSPA+, 42Mbps DC-HSDPA and 73Mbps LTE connections. Not sure you need that speed on your tablet? Maybe your other devices will appreciate it, since these also have personal hotspot functionality built-in. For more coverage of Apple's iPad event, visit our hub!New iPad has 'world ready' 3G, LTE for Verizon, Rogers, Bell, Telus and AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Siri sort-of comes to the new iPad, does voice dictation only Mar 7th 2012, 17:32 Ever since Siri showed up on the iPhone 4S, she's been put to work in a variety of non-Apple approved ways and unofficially ported to other iDevices, including the iPad. Now Apple's next-gen iPad has made its auspicious debut in San Francisco with a splash of Siri on board. It's not the full voice assistant, but the new tablet does have voice dictation software that supports US English, British, Australian, French, German and Japanese. Not only that, but the dictation feature is available in third-party apps as well, so you'll be able to speak your tweets and status updates on Apple's new slate. For more coverage of Apple's iPad event, visit our hub!Siri sort-of comes to the new iPad, does voice dictation only originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | The new iPad is official, with Retina display, LTE and A5X CPU. Available March 16th Mar 7th 2012, 17:20 So, what'd you have in the office pool? iPad 3, iPad 2S, iPad HD? Doesn't matter, really. All that matters is that it's here! This is the next generation of Apple's iOS slate and, as usual, she's a beaut -- and yes, she's still rockin' a physical button. As was rumored this thing is packing a Retina display, potentially making this the most pixel-packed slate on the market. The 9.7-inch screen plays host to 3.1 million pixels in a 2048 x 1536 arrangement -- that's 264ppi. It's not just a higher resolution though, the screen also boasts improved color saturation. Of course, what would a new iPad be without some updated guts. The new model has an A5X processor and quad-core graphics chip. Apple even claims its newest sliver of silicon can deliver four times the performance of a Tegra 3 -- we'd say dems fightin' words. There's also a new iSight camera on board that's quite similar to the version inside the iPhone 4S. It's only five-megapixels, but it does have a backside illuminated sensor with a five element lens. It's also capable of capturing 1080p video, which should come as no surprise. We're also excited to see the keyboard sporting a brand new dictation key that lets you speak instead of type -- yes, just like on Android. The new software inside will also let you use the slate as a portable WiFi hotspot... so long as the carriers are game. It even has the ability to recognize at least some bezel gestures, as revealed during its iPhoto demo. Perhaps most exciting though, is the new connectivity options -- you guessed, LTE! The new iPad is sporting 21Mbps HSPA+, but it's also rocking an LTE radio capable of pulling down 73Mbps on both Verizon and AT&T here in the US. Outside of the states Rogers, Bell and Telus will also be scoring 4G flavors of the iOS tablet. Amazingly enough, even with an LTE antenna on board, Apple is still claiming to get 10 hours of battery life. That's probably partially do to the slightly increased weight of 1.4lbs, though the 9.4mm thickness is nothing to sniff at. The new iPad will be available March 16th, starting at $499 for the 16GB WiFi model and scaling up to $829 for the 64GB version with 4G. So, on the price front, nothing has changed. Pre-orders start today in the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia, with much of the rest of the globe to follow on March 23rd. For more details hit up the PR after the break. For more coverage of Apple's iPad event, visit our hub!Continue reading The new iPad is official, with Retina display, LTE and A5X CPU. Available March 16th The new iPad is official, with Retina display, LTE and A5X CPU. Available March 16th originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Mar 2012 13:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | |
