Latest Gadgets, Tablets and Smartphones
We like the idea of AirPrint and the ability to print wirelessly from the iPad or iPhone to a wireless printer. The problem is that not all printers are compatible. To get AirPrint working you need to choose one of the supported printers.
For those that don’t want to replace a printer just so it works with AirPrint, there is another way. The xPrintServer allows you to connect it up to a printer and then print wirelessly to a printer.
Microsoft [MSFT] has launched an update for OneNote on iOS devices. Before the latest update (version 1.3) the app had been restricted for use on the iPhone and iPod touch. The new update now brings OneNote to the iPad although the app isn’t universal which means you’ll need to install the iPad version for the iPad, rather than the same version for both devices.
Since the launch of the iPad it seems that a large number of people now use an iPad while watching TV. This could be for browsing, gaming and emailing. A new tablet cushion has been created that props up the iPad a little and makes viewing and typing a little more comfortable.
A report today indicates that the iPad 3 will be launched by Apple in 3 – 4 months time. This comes as no real surprise really as April 2012 will be about a year since the iPad 2 launched and 2nd year before the original iPad.
DigiTimes comments that the parts needed to build the iPad 3 have started to arrive at the factory. As well as new parts arriving, orders are also supposedly being decreased for the iPad 2.
Apple [AAPL] has seeded a new version of iOS to developers. iOS 5.1 launched last night and brings a few bug fixes as well as a few small features to the operating system. Also, we hear from 9to5Mac that an iPhone 5 and iPad 3 can now be found in the code.
When Apple announced the iPad 3, it is expected that the next generation tablet will get a higher resolution screen. Although Apple is likely to keep the 9.7 inch screen size, reports are suggesting that the new device will have a resolution of 2048×1536 pixels.
Update: The app has been pulled due to a bug in the notifications. When it’s fixed it will be back up. If you already have the app then you can carry on using it.
As rumoured yesterday, Google has finally released a Gmail app for the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
We’ve combined your favorite features from the Gmail mobile web app and iOS into one app so you can be more productive on the go. It’s designed to be fast, efficient and take full advantage of the touchscreen and notification capabilities of your device. And it’s one more reason to switch to Gmail.
TouchFire is an iPad attachment that aims to make typing on your iPad feel like typing on a real keyboard. It attaches over the top of the landscape keyboard on either the original iPad or the iPad 2 and allows typists to feel where the keys are with the result of making it easier to type quickly.
Although the Apple iPad 2 and iPhone 4S have a lot of similar technical specs, ie the A5 processor, same amount of RAM etc…, it was only the iPhone 4S that got Siri.
We now see that some jailbreakers have managed to port Siri over to the iPad. The downside (and it’s a large downside) is that Apple isn’t authenticating requests which basically means it doesn’t really work. All the options are available and work the same way as they do on the iPhone 4S, but when it comes to processing speech it stops dead.
Since the launch of iOS 5 the iPad 2 has gained a security issue which allows a smartcover, or any other magnet, to be used to bypass the lock screen.
Although some of the things you can do when bypassing the lockscreen are limited, if you leave an app open on your device it can allow users to get in and delete apps or use the last app you had open. If you close out the app you are last in then the user can still delete apps and look at what you have (and search spotlight), the user cannot open apps.
A few weeks ago we wrote that TomTom was about to make TomTom for the iPhone in to an iPad compatible app. This update has now arrived and brings with it support for both the iPhone and iPad in a single app.
As TomTom has decided not to charge again for the iPad version of the app, this also means that any in-app purchases you have made on the iPhone version can also be carried over to the iPad version.
When Apple [AAPL] releases its next generation iPad we could be seeing an A6 processor inside that has been built by Samsung. Samsung currently make the processors for iOS based devices (the older A4 chip and the newer A5 chip). It is now believed that they will be making the next generation chip for next years devices.
