If your a busy web developer or IT professional need not to say you want FTP access for your work on the go. Well this App does this for you,
FTP On The Go™ :
You can view document files on the FTP server: Word, Excel, Powerpoint, PDF, and Image files are all supported. You can download and view these documents right on the iPhone's screen--or save them to your iPhone to view later.
FTP On The Go can store files you download on your iPhone or iPod touch, so you can view or edit them later. Version 2 even includes file sharing with built in FTP and Web Servers so you can view and add files on your iPhone from a computer, or even another iPhone. (It's pretty awesome browsing and viewing files on one iPhone from another. Either using FTP On The Go to browse, or just Safari!)
FTP On The Go canupload imagesfrom your photo library or take a picture using the iPhone's camera and upload it immediately right within the program, even resizing the image to fit what you need for your website.
Bookmarks make it easy to visit all your sites. All the usual operations (create file, create directory, rename file, delete file, move file) are supported. And even advanced features are included, like "Mode Z" support to compress data on-the-fly (a feature that isn't even in all desktop FTP clients!)
If you have multiple facebook accounts and tired of switching accounts. Now you can save time with this new app Facedekk. This app will not only instantly switch the facebook accounts on your iPhone for you, it also status updates, photo uploads and watch posted video on your facebook wall like a normal facebook App you use to.
Manage Multiple Facebook Accounts
With Facedekk™ you have all the following features available at your fingertips
Simultaneously update statuses for multiple Facebook accounts
Upload photos to Facebook
Read, Reply to and Compose new Facebook mail messages
Just when we had almost given up hope on Nokia, along comes “Gulp,” a promotional stop-motion animation that broke a world record as the largest ever created.
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The video showcases the Nokia N8 smartphone‘s 12-megapixel camera, using its Carl Zeiss lens to great effect. Shooting this clever video with three of the smartphones mounted atop a 118-foot-high crane, the Sumo Science team at Aardman Animations (some of whom also work on the Wallace and Gromit animated series) have succeeded in putting together a true work of art.
It’s been confirmed by the Guinness Book of World Records that the 11,000 square foot area used in the video makes this the world’s largest stop-motion animation.
Want to see how it was done? Here’s the “making of” video:
There are one or two ways to upload your pictures and videos to facebook using your mobile. First Method using any smartphone like Apple iPhone 4, Nokia , Samsung and LG . Simply signing into you facebook app on your mobile and start uploading
Second Method: You can use your personalized upload email address to email a photo/video from your mobile phone. The uploaded content will then appear in your Mobile Uploads album. Since this is your personal email address, which will send content directly onto your Facebook account, be sure not to share it with anyone else.
The email subject will be used as the caption of your photo or video, or your updated status if your email contains no photo or video. Note that photos and videos uploaded via email are visible to everyone by default, but you can change the privacy setting of any photo album by going to your Photos page and clicking "Album Privacy."
To see what your personalized upload email is, be sure you are logged into your account, then go to the Facebook Mobile page.
Good News for Skype users, Now Skype has just launched an iPad-optimized version of their app on the App Store.
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Just over a week ago, a Skype for iPad popped out of nowhere which was picked up by RazorianFly. Although we had doubts regarding its existence, Skype later confirmed that the app being demoed in the video was, in fact, the official version of their iPad-ready app.
Today, Skype released an iPad-optimized version of their app; Skype for iPad works over WiFi as well as 3G, has all the features that are on the latest iPhone app: Video chat, voice chat, plain old chatting with text only and the ability to use Skype credits for calling landlines and cellphones just to name the basics.
Video chat is for iPad 2 only, obviously, because of its dual cameras. Owners of the original iPad, however, will have to settle with only receiving video only.
As with every Skype client, you can send/receive video to all users irrespective of their platform provided their device’s hardware and software supports it.
From App Store:
Simple to use:
• Join Skype on your iPad in a few moments or just sign straight in to your account.
• If you already have a Skype account, your Skype contacts will automatically be there on your iPad.
• We’ve made adding new Skype contacts really easy.
• Once they’re in your Contact list, call, video or instant message them in one touch.
• Flick through recent calls and instant messages in your Skype for iPad history.
• Skype for iPad works over Wi-Fi or 3G (operator data charges may apply). Call Skype contacts on their iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, PC, Mac and even Skype enabled TVs.
As of writing, the new app is still rolling out with initial availability being in New Zealand. By the time you read this, we expect it to be available on all App Stores around the globe.
It works with iPad on iOS 4.0 and above and is, of course, available for free. You may download it from the link embedded below.
1. Write something great about your niche and email other bloggers to let them know – there’s a good chance they’ll link to you
2. Have a signature link in forums that points to your site
3. Post links to your pages to social bookmarking sites.
4. Leave comments on other people’s blogs and link back to your site (tip: look in the digg upcoming section for blog posts about to get a lot of traffic).
5. Have the opposite opinion on everyone else on a popular topic, providing you can justify it. Everyone will get annoyed and link to you saying your wrong
6. Answer questions on Yahoo Answers - quote your website as the source.
7. Post in Yahoo and Google Groups with a link to your site in your signature
8. Make a 404 page that redirects to your homepage – no point losing visitors
9. Have an opt-in form – trade links with someone else who has an opt in form on your confirmation page
10. Review a product or company – if your review is positive email the company and ask to be featured in their press section. (this has worked really well for me)
11. Write articles and submit them to article directories
12. Write a Press Release and submit it to PRWeb (make sure it is newsworthy)
13. Use PayPerClick Traffic (e.g Adwords, MSN Adcenter, YSM)
14. Add an RSS subscribe button/link in a high profile spot on your site
15. Add a mailing list subscribe form in a high profile spot on your site
16. Add a bookmark this site link in a high profile spot on your site
17. Use a Tell A Friend Script on your site so people can email their friend about an article on your website.
18. Submit a blog to a blog directory
19. Submit you RSS feed to RSS feed directories
20. Mention your website in a post on Craigslist (don’t spam)
21. Optimize the titles of your pages for keywords people will search for
22. Buy links to your site
23. Buy reviews about your site on other people’s site
24. Buy banner space on other websites if you can get a good ROI
25. Send articles to ezine publishers with a link back to your website
26. Do a big viral push for a piece of link bait, post it in forums, social bookmarking sites like digg, email bloggers, and get a few people to vote for you on social bookmarking sites – this little push could start a viral chain reaction!
27. Have a link to your site on community sites like MySpace and FaceBook
28. Use a traffic trading system like BlogRush
29. Purchase misspellings of competitors domains and redirect your site (be careful of trademark infringement)
30. Create a freebie product to give away (ebook, software, whitepaper etc.)
31. Submit your site to the hundreds of free directories – use the viles-silencer list
32. Do a group feature where you get other website owners in your niche to participate – maybe asking them all an opinion on something.
33. Hold a competition for the Top 50 in your niche – 1 month later post the results and let everyone know who featured – watch them link back to say what there position was.
34. Pass out business cards when you go to industry events in your niche
35. If you have a product start an affiliate program and start approaching affiliates
36. Submit videos to video sharing sites like YouTube and Metacafe. Include a link in the description and within the actual video.
37. If you have a product send it to website owners to get reviewed.
38. Look at a big website within your niche and ask to write some guest posts for them
39. Create pages with links to your site on places like Squidoo and Hubpages
40. Place classified Ads on eBay with a link to your website
41. Use an autoresponder on your mailing list to keep people coming back to your site
42. Exchange links with a few related sites in your niche
43. Network! Email other site owners, phone them up, go to industry events and get yourself known. If they know your face they will likely talk about you on their site if you do something interesting.
44. Many forums have a place for you to advertise your site once – find them and do it.
45. Purchase advertising in other people’s mailing lists and newsletters
46. Create an Amazon profile and start submitting reviews
47. Create profiles on MySpace and start networking in groups that are interested in your site’s niche.
48. Conduct a survey and publish the results – make sure you let people know about it.
49. Get your hand on a load of PLR content for your niche. Add a commentary to the top, create a unique title, and post them all to your site – lots of new content and lots of new traffic.
50. Create a cartoon mascot for your site – then hold a competition for someone to create the best game for it – pay the winner a decent amount.
51. Make sure you have a memorable domain name that is short and catchy.
52. Use a well-searched for keyword within your domain name to help rank for that keyword.
53. If you sell a product ask someone else who sells a product to list your product with theirs, and you’ll do the same for them – split commissions on sales.
54. When you write a new article on your site – link to as many blogs as possible – they will likely see your site in their pingbacks, website stats, or Technorati. They will visit your site and possibly subscribe to it and link back at a later date.
55. Get your RSS feed syndicated to different sites like Zimbio and hubpages and Topix.
56. If your site is popular and has quality unique content then apply to get listed in Google’s News search.
57. Create a sitemap and submit it to Google (not great but might help)
58. Use your robots.txt file to stop Google indexing certain directories and pages on your blog (such as archives) to avoid duplicate content issues).
59. Create a couple of small 10 page sites related to your main site. Offer links on these smaller sites in return for links to your main site (this is triangular reciprocal linking).
60. Get yourself known as an expert and get featured in offline magazines, TV and radio stations.
61. Use an auto-translator service to translate your site into other languages – put it in a subdirectory and watch foreign traffic come in.
62. Make posts about sex (don’t have to post anything rude) – and watch the porn surfers find their way to your site through Google.
63. Post about celebrities current events if it relates to your niche – there’s always a lot of people looking up celebrity stuff.
64. Write good headlines/titles – good titles get more clicks.
65. Get some stickers with your domain name on. Go out and stick them on strangers and say “My Website Yeah, Check it out.”
It’s Day Fifty-Six since Apple failed in its first opportunity to assign an iPhone 5 release date, and now the second boat in the long line of expected iPhone 5 release dates has officially sunk. Scratch July off the wall, as the month ended today without so much as a whiff. September is now the default. But August still lives, if barely, for the simple reason that there are another thirty days in the month after today and Apple has shown that it only needs a twenty-four day headstart to go from zero to sixty in terms of breaking radio silence and eventually getting the new iPhone to market. That precedent was established last year with the iPhone 4: the company announced a mystery press conference (which wasn’t much of a mystery) to be held in seven days, and upon revealing the new iPhone that day, set a release date another seventeen days into the future. That means Apple can still get the iPhone 5 to market in this new month, but according to its own track record, must set the wheels in motion quickly.That, however, puts Apple in the position of putting the iPhone 5 on sale just before Labor Day. That’s not sound strategy, as it’s a time when many people are still traveling on their summer vacations while others, who are planning to head out on vacation during the three day weekend, are looking to keep cash in their wallets so they can blow it on the trip. Big movies are still premiering, and it’s just not the right time for Apple to be asking the public to pay attention long enough for the iPhone 5 to sink in. Sure, PriceGrabber and ChangeWave claim that a third to a half of the entire population already plans to buy an iPhone 5 when it comes out. But Apple trying to pull off that launch at an inopportune late-summer timeframe makes less sense than simply waiting until after Labor Day in order to launch the iPhone 5. That leaves two scenarios, and neither will sound exciting to those who were hoping to get their hands on the new iPhone in August…
The first is that the iPhone 5 press conference takes place in mid August. That means Apple begins trying to get its message out the door during that tough time when people are still on vacation physically and mentally, but the release date itself comes after Labor Day and ends up being Friday, September 9th. Somewhere in Apple’s hive collective, Friday has been determined to be the ideal day of the week for launching a retail hardware product, and the 9th happens to be the first Friday after the holiday. But this scenario assumes Apple is in a hurry to get the iPhone 5 to market after having so thoroughly blown past the one year anniversary of the iPhone 4 launch, which happened in late June.
The other gameplan sees Apple bypassing the August doldrums altogether and instead waiting to introduce the iPhone 5 at its time-honored early September press conference. These are often on Tuesdays, but sometimes on a Wednesday. And with Monday the 5th being a holiday, that marks September 7th as the press event date, with the invites going out around the last day of August. Factor in Apple’s seventeen day cycle from introduction to on-sale, and the 24th would then be the launch date, if of course it weren’t a Saturday. So instead September 23rd becomes the late iPhone 5 release date, if indeed September 9th can be counted as the early one.
That’s if an extra two weeks, after having waited nearly fifteen months from the start of the iPhone 5 lifecycle, really matters to you. The issue of just why the iPhone 5 is arriving so much later in the calendar year than usual is akin to the location of the body of Jimmy Hoffa: everyone has their pet theory, and plenty of them sound plausible, but no one has any real evidence to back it up. As it stands, the iPhone 5 operating system known as iOS 5 is on its fourth developer beta, which means it’s close enough to ready that it can’t likely be launched just as soon as the iPhone 5 itself is ready. From there it’s simply a matter of how much of a hurry Apple itself is in to deliver its new baby, after having taken nearly a year and a quarter to bring the iPhone 5 to term and having blown through its due date so long ago that no one is quite sure what’s going on now. Got your own guess as to when the iPhone 5 will see its release date? Share it in the comments section below. And while you’re at it, if you happen to know where Jimmy Hoffa is buried… Here’s more on the iPhone 5.
Learn how take a screen shot on iPhone 4, iPhone 3G S . To be honest this method applies to all the iPhone series. You can take screenshot of your sms,photos, contact, web browser , literally any thing which comes up on your screen. Have Fun
When I had reported the breaking news of the 3G iPhone launch on June 9th, readers had commented and emailed that they plan to sell their older but soon to be obsolete iPhone to buy the latest and greatest version. If you are one of them then the post earlier this week regarding iPhones sold as refurbished unit revealed previous owners personal data could definitely be one of your concerns.
A Video tutorial on how to erase your personal data before you sell it
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Rich Mogull over at Securosis.com has come to the rescue and has published a method that should wipe out almost all your personal data to prevent it from being recovered later.
Before I get into the details I must warn you that the method is nowhere close to the "Full iPhone format function in iTunes" iPhone Hacks reader Kane2007uk wanted to see Apple implement nor is it foolproof or thoroughly tested.
Here are the steps that you need to follow:
1. Restore the iPhone from within iTunes.
On the “Info” tab, un-check all options so you don’t synchronize calendars, email, bookmarks, and contacts.
2. On the Photos, Podcasts, and Video tabs, uncheck “Sync …”. 3. Create 3 big playlists at large as the storage capacity of your iPhone. 4. On the Music tab, select the first of your 3 playlists to sync. Make sure the storage bar at the bottom looks full after syncing. 5. Sync your iPhone, change to the next playlist, sync again, and repeat one last time.
This method should help in hopefully overwriting any of the free space on your phone and thus preventing any of your personal data once stored on your iPhone to be recovered by the new owner.
Or you could simply use this method that iPhone Hacks reader louis had mentioned in the comments:
"Just remember before you sell your phone to use cyberduck to go into the phone trash all the files contact, email folders etc, reboot the phone, restore the phone (but not from backup)."
I liked Kane2007uk's idea of the "Full iPhone format function in iTunes", lets hope Apple implements it in the near future or a native iPhone application by the enterprising iPhone hacking community.
If you have put this method to the test or have an even better method to do this then do let us know in the comments.
Update:
While we are on the subject of personal data of previous owners being available on the iPhone it is also important to note here that the data was recovered using forensics software. It is not easy for an average user who bought a refurbished iPhone to gain access to the previous users data. I also don't think this is is an issue with the certified refurbished iPhones sold by Apple or AT&T as I am sure they would be using some internal tool/s to format the iPhone. It is a something you should be aware of and take precaution to avoid your personal data being recovered by someone with the proper expertise if you are planning to sell directly on sites like eBay or Craiglist.
The user interface is refined in many ways across the system, making it easier to learn, faster to use, and more power-efficient. A simplified visual theme of colors against black brings vividness and contrast to the notification bar, menus, and other parts of the UI. Changes in menus and settings make it easier for the user to navigate and control the features of the system and device.
Faster, more intuitive text input
The Android soft keyboard is redesigned and optimized for faster text input and editing. The keys themselves are reshaped and repositioned for improved targeting, making them easier to see and press accurately, even at high speeds. The keyboard also displays the current character and dictionary suggestions in a larger, more vivid style that is easier to read.
The keyboard adds the capability to correct entered words from suggestions in the dictionary. As the user selects a word already entered, the keyboard displays suggestions that the user can choose from, to replace the selection. The user can also switch to voice input mode to replace the selection. Smart suggestions let the user accept a suggestion and then return to correct it later, if needed, from the original set of suggestions.
New multitouch key-chording lets the user quickly enter numbers and symbols by pressing Shift+<letter> and ?123+<symbol>, without needing to manually switch input modes. From certain keys, users can also access a popup menu of accented characters, numbers, and symbols by holding the key and sliding to select a character.
One-touch word selection and copy/paste
When entering text or viewing a web page, the user can quickly select a word by press-hold, then copy to the clipboard and paste. Pressing on a word enters a free-selection mode — the user can adjust the selection area as needed by dragging a set of bounding arrows to new positions, then copy the bounded area by pressing anywhere in the selection area. For text entry, the user can slide-press to enter a cursor mode, then reposition the cursor easily and accurately by dragging the cursor arrow. With both the selection and cursor modes, no use of a trackball is needed.
Improved power management
The Android system takes a more active role in managing apps that are keeping the device awake for too long or that are consuming CPU while running in the background. By managing such apps — closing them if appropriate — the system helps ensure best possible performance and maximum battery life.
The system also gives the user more visibility over the power being consumed by system components and running apps. The Application settings provides an accurate overview of how the battery is being used, with details of the usage and relative power consumed by each component or application.
Control over applications
A shortcut to the Manage Applications control now appears in the Options Menu in the Home screen and Launcher, making it much easier to check and manage application activity. Once the user enters Manage Applications, a new Running tab displays a list of active applications and the storage and memory being used by each. The user can read further details about each application and if necessary stop an application or report feedback to its developer.
New ways of communicating, organizing
An updated set of standard applications lets the user take new approaches to managing information and relationships.
Internet calling
The user can make voice calls over the internet to other users who have SIP accounts. The user can add an internet calling number (a SIP address) to any Contact and can initiate a call from Quick Contact or Dialer. To use internet calling, the user must create an account at the SIP provider of their choice — SIP accounts are not provided as part of the internet calling feature. Additionally, support for the platform's SIP and internet calling features on specific devices is determined by their manufacturers and associated carriers.
Near-field communications
An NFC Reader application lets the user read and interact with near-field communication (NFC) tags. For example, the user can “touch” or “swipe” an NFC tag that might be embedded in a poster, sticker, or advertisement, then act on the data read from the tag. A typical use would be to read a tag at a restaurant, store, or event and then rate or register by jumping to a web site whose URL is included in the tag data. NFC communication relies on wireless technology in the device hardware, so support for the platform's NFC features on specific devices is determined by their manufacturers.
Downloads management
The Downloads application gives the user easy access to any file downloaded from the browser, email, or another application. Downloads is built on an completely new download manager facility in the system that any other applications can use, to more easily manage and store their downloads.
Camera
The application now lets the user access multiple cameras on the device, including a front-facing camera, if available.
If Apple launches its iPhone 5, complete with a Near Field Communications chip (the technology that allows wave-and-pay) in September, and does some form of payments deal with PayPal, it will represent a “perfect storm for disruption” of the global payments market and force local banks to rethink their strategies a financial forum was warned this morning.
Speaking at an AIIA organised event in Sydney this morning, Rod Farmer, director of research and strategy for Mobile Experience, said that such a combination would be far more disruptive than Google Wallet given that it would be an open system and could be used for just about any form of payment.
Andrew Henderson, chief information officer of ING Direct, however said that the arrival of such alternative payments mechanisms did not spell disaster for the banks. “The question for me is whether payments is a core system for a bank,” said Mr Henderson.
He said that other payments models, which were not cash based, were starting to emerge, such as Facebook credits. “What Facebook credits could do to cash is what online banking is doing to the branch.”
Rather than focussing on the payments platform, banks would be wise to concentrate on their position as a trusted broker.
Speakers at the event also lamented the relative lack of progress from the Mambo group which is a coalition of the major banks and BPay which have been working on a hub based retail payments system which would see individuals assigned with a BPay number allowing peer to peer payments.
In the US in May Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo announced clearXchange which allows the three banks’ customers to move funds directly from their existing cheque accounts using an email address or mobile number. That according to Dr Farmer meant that the Mambo initiative has effectively been “leapfrogged”.
A new report has suggested that Windows Phone's forthcoming new ranges of mango-powered handsets will correspond with the alleged September arrival of Apple's highly anticipated iPhone 5.
According to a report from the Digitimes a slew of new handsets running off Windows Phone's new mango operating system are planned for release in September.
The report indicated that these would include mango-smartphones from HTC, Samsung and LG -- the recently unveiled Nokia handset was not included in the report.
The new smartphones release, if true, would mean that the new mango-phones release could potentially correspond with that of Apple's iPhone 5. Despite the lack of official word, next to every media agency in the world has pegged the new iPhone's release date as being sometime in September.
The Digitimes did not list its source for the alleged mango-phones release and neither Apple nor Windows Phone have commented on the authenticity of the report.
New update on iPhone 5 Release According to China Times, the iPhone 5 is set to be launched in the second week of September with an first launch of 4 million units. This speculation lines up with current predictions.
According to suppliers, 400,000 trial units are currently being prepared. The news report goes on to say that the next generation iPad may be delayed until Thanksgiving due to component shortages…
There has been a shroud of mystery surrounding the features and appearance of the iPhone 5, but recent leaked case designs suggest a curved, tapered down look— while others have said that it will resemble the iPhone 4 design.
While the track record of the China Times has been a little shady, they do seem to be close to Apple’s suppliers in China and could very well have knowledge of the production plans. Reuters had reported eariler that the iPhone 5 would have a September release and start production in July.
Recently Apple is announced the wealthiest company on earth with loyal customers. Fans are awaiting the launch of iPhone 5 and therefor it’s jailbreak. however Apple also said its going to make the jailbreaking tougher for new iPhone 5.
(via idownloadblog.com)
It’s been little over a week since Apple scrambled to release iOS 4.3.4 to plug the easily jailbreakable 4.3.3, and already another update has surfaced which addresses "certificate validation" vulnerabilities, and unfortunately, just like iOS 4.3.4, those of you that own an iPad 2 on iOS 4.3.5 can no longer jailbreak, not even tethered like other devices.
Although the PDF exploit made 4.3.3 very simple to jailbreak over at JailbreakMe.com, it also left non-jailbroken users susceptible to exploits of more sinister overtones. Now, two updates later at 4.3.5, it seems now that any pre-iOS 5 untethered jailbreak for those of you on 4.3.4 or 4.3.5 is about as likely as Apple releasing one itself. It wouldn’t be worthwhile for the hackers who have spent in excess of six months searching and testing a fully operational iPad 2 jailbreak, and who now will probably be focusing their efforts on the forthcoming iOS 5, a much improved and updated operating system.
If you have currently jailbroken your iPad 2 on iOS 4.3.3, DO NOTupdate to 4.3.4, 4.3.5 or any subsequent updates. Apple has now had two opportunities to patch the software so stay exactly where you are. If you have updated, you’re only saving grace is if you have backed up your SHSH blobs on 4.3.3. If so, and you own the WiFi model iPad (doesn’t work on the 3G model, sorry!) then you can downgrade now by following this guide. If you’re unsure if you have, Cydia may have come to your rescue and backed them up for you, (recall selecting a "make my life easier" option?), so it’s definitely worth checking if they have been saved. If they haven’t, then unfortunately you’re going to have to persevere with what you have until the next untethered jailbreak is released.
With the clock ticking ever closer to iOS 5, many thought that 4.3.4 would be the final installment of iOS 4 updates. With the jailbreak community well and truly rocked by these last couple of updates, it seems now we can safely assume that we will not be seeing anymore. Although the Cupertino company always has a surprise or two up its sleeve and always likes to keep the jailbreaking community on its toes, so we shall see. One thing is for certain, we can’t wait for a proper notifications system!
For devices other than iPad 2, you can use Redsn0w to tether-jailbreak iOS 4.3.5 on iPhone 4, 3GS, iPad 1 and iPod touch 3G/4G.
Apple's iPad 2 is the second coming of the tablet that defined the genre. It's thinner, lighter and faster than its predecessor, but otherwise essentially the same, so can it keep its place on the cutting edge in a world packed with awesome Android interlopers?
Good
Thinner and lighter than ever
Plenty of apps available
Front and rear cameras
Easy to use
Bad
No Flash support
Complex tasks are fiddly and take time
Difficult to transfer non-iTunes content back and forth
One of the most impressive things about the iPad 2 is its price. In the US, it will cost the same as the first iPad, but here in the UK it will be £30 cheaper than the original iPad was when it launched. You'll pay £399 for the 16GB Wi-Fi-only iPad 2, £479 for the 32GB model and £559 for the 64GB version. For the iPad 2 with both Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity, you're looking at an extra £100 across all models.
Check our roundup to see which operators will be selling the iPad 2. It will be available on 25 March in the UK.
We're going to take a fresh look at the iPad 2, so you don't have to refer to our review of the original iPad. If you have read that review, or are familiar with the iPad already, you may want to skip ahead to the 'Should I upgrade?' section.
Simple is as simple does
Lacking a built-in physical keyboard or mouse, Apple's wisely aimed to keep the iPad 2's interface simple -- small icons and fiddly tasks aren't welcome on a tablet, because you have to control it with your blunt, fleshy fingers. With the same touch-friendly user interface as the iPhone, but a bigger screen, even babies and cats could use the iPad 2.
If you've ever used an iPhone or iPod touch, the iPad 2 will feel immediately familiar. A single button below the screen brings you back to the home screen, and the main menu consists of a bunch of rectangular icons that you press to run various features and apps.
The iPad 2's simplicity means it isn't as customisable as its Android competitors, like the Motorola Xoom. Apple's device lets you change the wallpaper and sort the icons into categories, but that's about it. With Android, you can pack the home screen full of shortcuts and widgets, but such flexibility comes at the price of simplicity. You'll have to decide which quality is most important to you.
Although we love the iPad 2's simplicity, it can prove a serious drawback in a few situations. For example, you can swap between two apps that are running at the same time by double-clicking the home button, but you can't look at the apps side by side in two different windows. That means that the iPad can struggle with any task more complex than surfing the Web.
Let's say you want to write an email. If you simply create the message and start typing, everything works like a charm. But, when you want to do more, like paste in some text from your calendar or add a photo, you must engage in an app-swapping session that can make your head swim. Also, some tasks that are common on a full-sized computer, like adding an email attachment, just can't be accomplished.
Even copying and pasting text is annoying on the iPad 2. You have to hold your finger on text to highlight it. You can then drag some tiny markers around to highlight the exact text you want -- in theory. It's often impossible to get this process right on Web pages because of their HTML-formatted text. Even when it works perfectly, you need the concentration of a monk to tap and drag the cursor where you want it.
On the iPhone, this copy-and-paste system feels like an amazing way around the lack of a mouse, since it's a small gadget whose ability to do any text editing at all seems miraculous. On a tablet, which will be considered by some as an alternative to a laptop, it feels inelegant and fiddly.
In either white or black, the iPad 2 looks better than its predecessor. That's mainly because it's thinner.
The limitations of a tablet are particularly noticeable when you try to create files in Pages, Numbers and Keynote -- the Apple equivalents of Word, Excel and PowerPoint. The interface looks fantastic, but trying to whip up documents more complex than a shopping list without a keyboard and mouse is trying to say the least -- fingers just aren't accurate enough for detailed work. We suggest using Google Docs in the browser, so you can do your serious typing on your computer, and have access to your docs for reference and a few quick edits on your iPad 2.
Printing is also a pain, unless you have an AirPrint-enabled printer or a third-party printing app.
Keep your iOS on the ball
We suggest you forget about attempting any real work on the iPad and stick to having fun. The iPad 2 has access to the huge collection of apps and games in the App Store, so you'll never be short of something to help you pass the time while skiving off.
Gamers can choose between everything from addictive puzzle titles to gory first-person shooters. There's an even greater range of apps available, including photo editors, guitar tuners and everything in between. You can plan your workout, your love life and your holiday booking on your iPad. Most of the big-name apps tend to hit the App Store before the Android Market, and apps usually cost less than a couple of pounds.
Apple's own GarageBand app is one of the most impressive, really showing off how much you can do with a touchscreen tablet. You can record multiple tracks using realistic-sounding virtual instruments, or cheat-assisted instruments that pluck themselves for you. The app isn't for pros who love fiddling with millions of knobs on a proper mixing desk, but we could see beginners getting seriously addicted to creating songs on the iPad 2. We just wish you could export your tunes to the music player on the iPad 2, rather than having to sync them with your computer first.
You can also use iPhone apps on the iPad 2, but they don't fill the screen unless you use the pixel-doubling zoom feature. That makes the image bigger, but it doesn't take advantage of the iPad's higher resolution, so you're left craving the iPad version of the app. It's also worth noting that you're locked into Apple's App Store to get all these goodies, and you can only use iTunes on a single computer for syncing.
Apps are handy, but they're not absolutely necessary. You can surf the whole Web in the iPad 2's browser. It's lightning-fast and does a fabulous job of displaying Web pages accurately. Even the iPad 2's Achilles heel, its lack of Flash support, is becoming less of a problem, as more sites bow to Apple's might and undertake Flash-free redesigns.
It's worth remembering that Apple has forgone Flash because it's battery-hungry and tends to crash. Still, we often found we ran into a video, photo slide show or audio clip on the Web that we couldn't view on the iPad 2 -- even on popular sites, like The Guardian's.
Another drawback is the iPad 2's memory loss when it has multiple Web pages open -- when you swap back to a page, it has to reload it from scratch. This can be a huge headache if you're surfing on the train or other places with patchy connectivity, since pages that were fully loaded can refresh into nothingness when you're in a tunnel. It's also infuriating when you've filled out part of an online form, swapped windows to check something on another Web page, and gone back to find that the page has refreshed and lost all your work. We hoped and prayed that this caching issue would be resolved on the iPad 2, since we think that Web surfing is the tablet's killer app. But, sadly, it still needs work.
Nevertheless, the iPad 2's quick boot time and portability meant we usually reached for it over our phone or laptop when we wanted to do some browsing or catch up on some Internet reading. If you're on the road and the iPad 2 is all you have, you can even use it for more complex tasks, like Internet banking -- if you're patient.
Face to face
The iPad 2 wants to tempt you into using its new 0.3-megapixel front and 0.91-megapixel rear cameras with a playful app called Photo Booth. This straightforward and basic app can be used for creating silly photos for your Facebook profile and so on, but not for any serious editing.
aceTime is also included on the iPad 2. With this video-calling app, you can chat with people using the front or rear-facing cameras, but only those who have a Mac, iPhone 4, iPod touch or iPad 2. We had a FaceTime chat with an obliging Apple employee in her office in California, and, even over jam-packed Wi-Fi, the video quality was excellent compared to competing offerings, such as Skype. It's a pity you won't be able to share the fun with your mates who have other types of smart phone.
You can shoot video with either the front or rear cameras on the iPad 2, but only the rear one takes decent shots. The front one is fun for making movies by yourself -- ahem -- but the images aren't sharp or well-exposed. The back camera shoots 720p video, and the quality is acceptable. Waving the iPad 2 around like a camera is inconvenient and will make you look stupid, though.
The iMovie app lets you edit your movies. This video-editing software has been tweaked to take advantage of the touchscreen, and lets you apply flashy cuts and background music to your creations. It's fun to play with videos you've shot on your iPad or iPhone, but importing video from other sources can be devilishly hard, involving syncing with a computer at the very least.
If you want to screen your creations on your telly, you can use the updated AirPlay feature, as long as you have an Apple TV. AirPlay already streamed video from the iPad to Apple TV, and now it can stream photo slide shows too. Apps and websites can also stream video and audio over AirPlay.
The iPad 2 supports iTunes home sharing so you can play media from your computer on the tablet over your home Wi-Fi network. When you're on the go, the easiest way to get video and audio onto the iPad 2 is to buy it on iTunes. The selection is good, but it's expensive -- we pay 99p in the UK to rent the cheapest of the films on iTunes, whereas as our American buddies pay a mere 99 cents (61p). But it's such a pain to convert other formats and get them on the device that it's worth the money.
Speedy Gonzales
The iPad packs a 1GHz, dual-core A5 CPU and dedicated GPU, which the original iPad lacked. Apple says it makes the iPad 2 twice as fast as the original iPad when it comes to processor-heavy tasks, and nine times faster when it comes to crunching graphics.
During our tests, the iPad 2 proved faster than the original iPad, but not quite as fast as we expected. Despite the tablet's new dual-core processor and GPU, many of its speed improvements actually seem to be due to its updated operating system. Since the original iPad received the same iOS 4.3 update, the two tablets are roughly as quick as each other when it comes to most tasks, such as opening apps and loading Web pages.
That doesn't mean the iPad 2 is slow. Like its iPhone siblings, the iPad's smooth, buttery scrolling is streets ahead of the competition. If you're used to using an iPad with a previous version of iOS, you'll definitely notice the speed improvements.
We ran some tests on the iPad 2 and an original iPad running the latest iOS 4.3, using the GLBenchmark app. In some areas, such as CPU integer performance, we didn't see any improvement. (CPU integer performance reflects the speed of the processor when completing basic tasks, and can affect anything running on the tablet.) But, almost across the board, we saw advances in graphics performance. The iPad 2 was vastly better at rendering textures and triangles, in particular. Check out the video below to see the white iPad 2's GPU in action.
