iPad 4, Mini LTE ship date arrives with iOS 6.0.1 - Product Reviews

We managed to get hands-on the day Apple’s iPad mini launched, although this hadn’t been with the 3G/4G model thanks to Wi-Fi versions being first out the door with cellular options following shortly after. Next week will see the launch of the iPad 4 and iPad Mini LTE models, and this version is about to hit its ship date after multiply emails were sent out this week to those of you that pre-ordered the cellular plus Wi-Fi version.

The recent emails explained that the early pre-orders would start shipping within five business days, which considering this had been a few days ago means that the iPad Mini and iPad 4 LTE ship date will be around Monday/Tuesday next week. It is fair to say that some people will be disappointed if they ordered the new LTE 4G iPads a lot later, which is thanks to ship dates slipping within hours of pre-orders going live last month.

Apple iPad Mini 4G LTE shipping with iOS 6.0.1 – we’ve been running the iOS 6.0.1 update on our iPad mini for a number of days now, and while we didn’t notice any problems previously, the good news is there are no issues after installing the latest software on our review model. If you’ve preordered the iPad Mini with 4G/LTE and Wi-Fi, then you should find the latest iOS 6.0.1 update already installed on your device. You can see our iPad mini review here, which shows the size of the iPad 4 and iPhone 5 next to the 7.9-inch Apple tablet.

Have you had an iPad mini Wi-Fi + cellular shipping notice from Apple? Initially it had been expected that the iPad 4 and iPad mini LTE versions would ship 2 weeks after the Wi-Fi only launch, but this started to get confusing after shoppers saw expected shipping dates get even later after they ordered. We always hear scaremongering about Apple meeting the demand for new products, and the same has happened with the 4th generation iPad and mini version.

Bottom-line: If you placed an order soon enough for the iPad mini, or iPad 4, with LTE then you should receive a tracking number from Apple within the next couple of days. It is also true that some people that were a little late to the launch party might see a much longer wait, which is due to normal demand seen with most new Apple products. You might want to see our article from yesterday that looks at the iPad 4 vs. Nexus 10, and also takes Apple’s ecosystem into account as well. Will you be using AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon with your cellular iPad 4 / mini?

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Hands on iPad Reviews: Brighter, Faster, Slightly Heavier

After yesterday's iPad announcement, some lucky tech bloggers got to touch Apple's newest device and their first impressions pretty much confirm the overall first reaction: The same, but better. 

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We won't see full blown reviews until Apple ships the tablets to those same lucky tech bloggers. And, the rest of us won't get to touch the thing until the official March 16th release. But from these early tastes of the iPad, it looks like Apple pulled an iPhone 4S, upgrading but not revolutionizing its gadgetry. 

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Let's see what reviewers had to say. 

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The display is good as the iPhone's, says Wired's Jon Phillips:

To be sure, the new iPad’s display is drop-dead gorgeous, as well as notably bright. We scrutinized a bunch of high-resolution images pulled from Apple’s new iPhoto app, and found display quality on the new iPad to be sublime. Just one problem, though: All its brilliance notwithstanding, the iPad Retina Display didn’t show us anything that iPhone 4 and 4S users haven’t seen before.

Actually, it's better, counters GDGT's Ryan Block:

Amazing. Seriously amazing. I really love the Retina Display on the iPhone 4/4S, but this feels like a step forward even from that. Not because it's a better display (which it may well be), but because the much larger scale of the screen makes it feel transformative to the experience of looking at a Retina Display and using an iPad.

Even the apps "pop," explains The Verge's Joshua Topolsky:

 It goes without saying that the screen on the device is absolutely stunning — while we haven't had a chance to look through every possible app on the new iPad, the retooled stock applications and icons really do pop on the Retina Display.  

It makes everything better to look at, adds Mashable's Chris Taylor:

But what I can confirm is how incredibly gorgeous that resolution looks. You can’t tear your eyes away from it. Photos and videos are far more life-like. Games feel closer to reality, too. And books? With a retina display, books seem more attractive on the iPad than in any other format. And I’m not just comparing them to the Kindle, the Nook or the iPad 2; my frame of reference includes physical books, too.

Just, whoa, says Laptop's Mark Spoonauer:

We just picked up the new iPad, available March 16th starting at $499, and could sum up the visual experience in a word: whoa. 

Everything runs quickly, but so did the iPad 2, notes Slash Gear's Vincent Nguyen:

Performance from the A5X dual-core processor – with its quadcore GPU – is swift, with apps loading and multitasking flipping through with zero lag. That’s pretty much what we’re used to from the A5, admittedly; we’ll have to wait and see how the heavy-duty games hold up, though, when more developers begin to test the limits of the iPad’s abilities. 

What seems fast now, though, might end up disappointing, adds Topolsky:

Performance seemed snappy (though we had few complaints about performance on its predecessor). It's probably going to take some time (and serious gaming) to see what the new A5X is capable of.

Philips seconds that, calling it "blissfully zippy":

[W]e found performance in Safari web browsing and Infinity Blade Dungeons to be blissfully zippy. But, again, without some semblance of comparative testing, it’s difficult to comment on what performance bumps, if any, the new processor provides.

The added weight isn't an issue, claims Nguyen:

Physically, it’s 0.11 pounds heavier than the existing iPad 2, though it’s hardly noticeable. In the hand the brushed aluminum chassis feels much the same as before, but the picture quality is so crisp it looks like a promotional mock-up. Viewing angles are huge, too, certainly on a par with what we’ve seen from Super AMOLED panels in recent months.

Other than the thicker shell, the whole thing feels very familiar, adds Phillips:

At first glance, the new iPad exudes familiarity -- and not just because most of its features were telegraphed via leaks and rumors during the last four months. The new slate’s physical design is nearly identical to that of the iPad 2, and nothing about its Appley comportment screams, “I’m an entirely new tablet!”

That said, it will sell anyway, says The Loop's Jim Dalrymple:

The form factor of the iPad itself hasn’t really changed much. It’s still sleek and light-weight, but with all of the new features this is going to sell like crazy.

Apple didn't allow testing of the new 4G LTE offering, explains Phillips:

The new iPad supports 4G data speeds, but demo units were locked down to Wi-Fi during Apple’s event, so we can’t comment on the 4G experience.

It could suck up battery, warns Nguyen:

That brings us neatly to 4G LTE, and we’ll be very keen to see during our review whether the battery claims – 9hrs of active LTE – pan out.

And, Taylor can't wait to test that out:

As for the 4G speeds and the battery life, which Apple says is still in the 9-10 hour range: these claims will also require more extensive testing than Apple would allow in its hands-on area. We’re looking forward to playing battery-hogging games for 10 hours at a time to properly test it out.

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iOS 5 Beta 4 Brings Over the Air (OTA) Update to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch - Touch Reviews

Apple on Friday released iOS 5 beta 4 for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. The latest beta release brings the highly anticipated over the air (OTA) delta update to iOS devices.

Apple during WWDC keynote event announced more than 200 new features in iOS 5 but, previewed just 10 key enhancements. The company wants users to truly experience the post-PC era and is finally cutting the cord for iOS devices. With the fifth major release of Apple’s mobile operating system users will be able to sync, transfer data, update their devices and do much more without connecting their device to a computer. 

It’s worth noting that when we tried to download the update the iPad alerts the user if the device has less than 50% battery charge. Connecting the device to a power source let us download and update the device. The update was just 128MB for iPod touch as OTA update are released as delta updates. 

Downloading the update over 3G is also possible however, given the fact that most carriers offer limited data plans it would probably be better to get the update over WiFi. 

We noticed a few error messages while trying to manually check for the update but that may have been due to initial issues in Apple’s server. 

Overall, it’s great to see that Apple has been listening to its customers and iOS 5 will certainly help Apple stay in the lead. 

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Best Color eBook Reader and iPad Success Stories : Product Reviews Net

When choosing the best color eBook reader you have to prepare yourself that the Amazon Kindle is not in the running; this is because there isn’t one, and there are currently no plans to offer one as yet. So this leaves you a few others, such as the Barnes & Noble Nook Color and the Apple iPad.

The Nook Color is a good device, but that’s all it is. However, the iPad is in a different league; one because you can read eBooks on the device, and the other that it can do so much more.

Andy Ihnatko from Sun-Times has been looking into why people have been holding off buying one of these devices, and believes that this is now the best time to go ahead and get an eReader. He believes that although the iPad is a great device, it is its size and price that has put people off. Those hoping for a 7-inch version would have been disappointed when Steve Jobs announced that Apple would never offer one that size. However, Ihnatko concludes that the iPad is still the best eReader; would you agree with that assumption?

The iPad has changed the lives of so many people, which we learned while reading a few iPad success stories. Christopher Breen from Macworld said that he bought Apple’s tablet device for his 50-year old mother so that she could not only check her email, but surf the web as well. He was shocked to learn that she has a few games on there, as well as a few books.

Another great story, is how Christopher and his mother also persuaded his grandfather to take a look at the iPad. The reason they did this was because he was having trouble reading the small print on books – well he is 100 years old.

The moment he started reading a book on the tablet he came back with the remark “This is the end of libraries for me. How marvelous!” I think that about sums up how popular the iPad has become, it is not an ageist device.

Do you have any great stories about your iPad?

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Apple iPad 2 On Way, World Version Coming 2011? » Phone Reviews

Apparently mass production is to begin on the next generation Apple iPad, the iPad 2 in February of next year; however it appears that the iPad 2 isn’t the only iPad that may surface in 2011.

According to an article over on Slash Gear, DigiTimes has outed the iPad 2 suppliers which apparently suggests a Q1 release. But the big news here is that there may be another iPad making its debut in 2011 as well.

Apparently AllThingsD quotes Brain Blair and analyst for Wedge Partners as saying Apple has selected Qualcomm’s multi-mode GSM/CDMA modem for what is being called a “World iPad,” which could play nice on both the Verizon and AT&T networks.

Here’s what Blair said…“Recent checks … suggest Apple is going to be ratcheting down production of the existing 3G iPad over the next two months in anticipation of ramping up a new World iPad that is powered by Qualcomm and will run on both GSM and CDMA based networks around the world.”

And what would this new iPad look like? Blair reckons…“We … understand the new iPad is thinner than the existing model and is essentially made from one piece of metal with no pins needed. We understand it requires a new type of manufacturing process as a result, similar to the company’s unibody approach seen in MacBooks”

Now the thing is this, will people rush out and purchase the Apple iPad 2 if they know a newer World iPad will be coming along later in the year?

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iPad News, Reviews, Apps, Accessories, and Tips

By Roberto | November 19, 2010 | 1 comment

Over the last 8 months we’ve seen many iPad stands. We’ve covered many of them at PadGadget, and there are certainly great options for you.

A new stand available for your iPad brings an extremely lightweight body frame that is just about as thin as it gets. Even though it’s extremely thin, the iBendXL is a secure and very flexible option for your iPad.

The iBendXL has been designed to support your iPad both in portrait and landscape mode. Its design fits almost any iPad case. The manufacturer has brought us a very simple design, but one that is quite handy. All you have to do is pull the stand out its package and bend it, which will form two hooks at the front to grab the bottom edge of your iPad and an elegant curve at the back to hold securely your device.

This iPad stand brings a lot of flexibility to your lifestyle. You can use it on a plane, train, bus, in the kitchen, at a restaurant, at work, in your home office and many other places.

If you’re looking for a simple accessory for your iPad, but one that will save lots of space and can be easily carried around wherever you go, the iBendXL stand is a good choice. It will only set you back $10. And, if you happen to own an iPhone, you can also go for the iBend smaller stand, which costs $5. The iBendXL and iBend are available in black and white or in fancy printed designs.

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Apple Rejects iPad App So Steve Jobs Calls Developer » Phone Reviews

If you are an iOS app developer and submit your iPad app for approval to the App Store and Apple rejects said app it can be somewhat frustrating for the developer, but would you expect a personal call for the main man at Apple?

According to an article over on Apple Insider and by way of The Seattle Times, iOS developer Ram Arumugam’s iPad app was rejected for using a private API and so Arumugam emailed Steve Jobs and apparently 2 hours later Mr. Jobs called Arumugam.

After said tête-à-tête with the Apple iPhone guru, the iOS developer revised his app, resubmitted and the iPad app “Economy for iPad” was accepted into the App Store.

Aurmugam later posted to his blog…”The fact that he took the time to read my e-mail, think about the app and then personally call me was amazing.”

Sounds good of the boss of Apple to take the time to personally chat on the phone with a developer, so any other iOS developer ever had a personal call from the top man at Apple?

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