Apple iPad Guided Tours Launched

Apple [AAPL] have opened up a new section on the Apple website called Guided Tours that basically goes through the various functions of the iPad in detail on video.

The video covers the following sections of the iPad… Safari, Mail, Photos, Videos, YouTube, iPod, iTunes, iBooks, Keynote, Pages and Numbers.

Each video lasts a few minutes and gives a full tutorial on how the iPad applications work and samples of what can be achieved.

Interesting applications toured include Keynote that allows you to create presentations on the go as well as demonstrating a device that allows the iPad to be connected to a HDTV or projector. The Pages application brings a word processor to the iPad and Numbers brings a spreadsheet app to the iPad. [Read more…]

Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit Ready for Pre-Order

Apple [AAPL] in the US now have the iPad Camera Connection Kit available for pre-order on their website with a price tag of $29. In that price you get a couple of iPad camera connection devices.

The first connector (30 pin of course) features a USB port allowing you to connect up either your digital camera or iPhone direct to the iPad. When connected an application automatically loads up displaying thumbs of images that are available on the camera or iPhone to download. You can then select what you want to copy over. Images are then synced with your PC or Mac is required.

The next connector is almost the same but instead of connecting the camera direct to the iPad it features an SD card slot allowing images to be read directly from the memory card containing pictures. The same app (Photos) is opened up and the same interface. [Read more…]

Apple iPhone 4G Screen Unboxed on Video

The Apple iPhone 4G is just around the corner if rumours are to be believed (and if Apple [AAPL] follow their trend of releasing one phone per year). The latest video we came across just today shows what looks to be a 4th gen iPhone screen being unboxed.

The unboxing shows the screen (as in the whole front panel) and the screen it’s self encased on to the front panel. Clips are seen down the edges that appears to be in slightly different locations to previous models and a small circular cut out can be found right next to the speaker at the top for what we assume a front facing camera will be mounted.

Other noticeable changes include the front panel being slightly longer than the 3G S front panel although overall the front also looks to be slightly thinner in width. [Read more…]

Android Catching up to iPhone on Mobile Web Browsing

Back in August 2009 the Apple [AAPL] iPhone web browser was streets ahead in terms of how many people used it to browse the internet. Just after that Google [GOOG] made a big push on Android by launching a number of high end phones and gradually Android has almost caught up in terms of how many people surf the web using it.

In August 2009 the iPhone OS was responsible for about 50% of all mobile traffic and just a few months before that around May 2009 it peaked at 70% market share. Windows Mobile and RIM have been on the decline all of last year and webOS that joined us in June last year started off relatively well, but is also declining too.

It’s certainly interesting to see how Google have made an impact on those figures especially with how well the iPhone has done since it’s first launch in 2007. [Read more…]

Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 Ready for Pre-order on Vodafone

Vodafone [VOD] have uploaded the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X10 Android phone and made it available for pre-order on their site.

Vodafone has set a delivery date of April 6 which is next Tuesday. The phone it’s self is an Android 1.6 based mobile phone and it happens to be the first that comes from Sony Ericsson. On the back is an 8 megapixel camera and the phone is packed with all the usual stuff we see on smartphones these days including GPS, WiFi, 3G, Bluetooth etc…

It has a large 4 inch capacitive touchscreen that’s not quite the 4.3 inches of the HTC HD2, although still classed as being a large screen. [Read more…]

Apple iPad Confirmed to Launch at 9am at Apple and Best Buy Stores

Apple [AAPL] have officially announced where the Apple iPad will be available to buy this weekend and at what time. Sales start in ALL US Apple Stores (211 of them) at 9am and a number of Best Buy stores also at 9am.

‘iPad connects users with their apps and content in a far more intimate and fun way than ever before, said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. ‘We can’t wait for users to get their hands and fingers on it this weekend.

When purchasing the Apple iPad in store the staff will provide a personal setup service that will allow them to download their applications and set up email etc… right in the store. Also iPad workshops are being set up to help users learn about the “magical new product”. [Read more…]

iPhone App to Diagnose Illness through Sound

If you hate taking a trip to see the Doctor then perhaps a new iPhone app is for you. The application has been designed to diagnose respiratory disease by listening to you coughing in to the iPhone mic. However, the application hasn’t been released yet as it is currently being developed.

Once the application is launched all you will need to do is cough in to the microphone on your Apple iPhone whereby the computer records the cough and compares it to a database of other coughs. Due to there being different types of coughs, the system is capable of telling you if you need help or not….

Doctors generally classify coughs as wet or dry, with a subcategory of productive or nonproductive, a reference to the presence or production of mucous in the lungs. Most health care professionals can distinguish between the two kinds, and each kind gives subtle hints about whether a person has a bacterial or viral infection. Scientists think there is much more information hidden in coughs though, and are trying to tease out that information by analyzing specific sounds inside coughs.

[Read more…]

Sony Alpha A200 Taken Apart

After receiving a slightly beat up, but unrepairable Sony Alpha A200 digital SLR camera, one guy decided he might as well just take the whole thing apart to see what was inside and how it all worked.

Amongst various circuit boards and small ribbon style cables attaching all the various aspects of the camera together, a few interesting things were found such as a sensor (or card) seems to move around for auto stabilising shots.

To see the full tear down with a number of comments about what is where, check out English Russia who have all the shots captured and detailed somewhat. [Read more…]

Verizon Nexus One Briefly Appears at Google.com/Phone

Back in February a Google [GOOG] worker had commented that the Nexus One would be going to Verizon on March 23… that didn’t happen.

After a bit more waiting it appears that Google updated their google.com/phone website temporarily to include the Nexus One on the Verizon network with a price tag of $199 along with a two year contract. The information has been removed now although it has lead a number of people to believe that the launch might not be too far away now. [Read more…]

Zune HD 64GB Model Coming Soon

If you check out the Zune website today and specifically look at the HD model you’ll see that it now has a 3rd model listed that sees the Zune HD come in three capacities of 16GB, 32GB and the new 64GB.

When clicking on either the 16GB or 32GB links you get taken to a specific product page explaining the details of each of the said models. However, when clicking the 64GB link you get taken to an error message saying the page cannot be found.

We suspect that Microsoft [MSFT] have either let something slip a little earlier by updating the Zune HD page with th 64GB information, or that an announcement is coming today regarding a new higher capacity Zune HD device. [Read more…]

Apple iPad App Store on Video

Yes, there’s going to be plenty of Apple iPad news this week although we’ll try keep it to just 2 or 3 per day out of the 20 or so news items per day we post… at least we hope to keep it to just that.

The next bit of info we have spotted shows someone browsing through the Apple iPad app store looking through the various HD and iPad applications that they are revealed as being named as.

Not much works in the app browser although the user can flick through applications and select them to view a write up of what the application is about. However, a number of the buttons do not work which includes the ability to Sign In, Redeem or use Support. [Read more…]

Apple iPad Flash Problems partially solved by Brightcove

The Apple iPad lacks flash as you are probably already aware of. That does upset a number of people who want to use a larger screen tablet device to browse the web and yet, they see boxes asking for Flash to be installed.

A number of companies are switching video content over to use the new HTML5 specification that allows videos to play back in the browser (including the iPhone and iPad browser).

Brightcove are getting in on this by creating software that websites can use to play Brightcove videos which use the HTML5 spec and can work on devices such as the Apple iPad and iPhone.

The software uses auto-detection and can switch over the video to be compatible if it recognises the device cannot use flash. [Read more…]