Apple has confirmed that it will issue a software patch to resolve ongoing issues with Wi-Fi connectivity on the iPad. Hundreds of iPad owners in the United States have complained about weak Wi-Fi signals and dropped connections, and reported that the iPad sometimes refuses to automatically rejoin authorised networks.

Apple said that the problems affected “a very small number of iPad users”, but has pledged to issue a software update to deal with the problem, although a release date has not yet been given.

In the meantime, Apple has updated a support article, suggesting that iPad users who are experiencing Wi-Fi issues update the firmware on their router, switch to WPA or WPA2 encryption, or try renewing their IP address.

Meanwhile, Steve Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, is “fully operational” and “working at full tilt” just a year after a life-saving liver transplant, according to Business Week.

“Except for the fact that he’s lost a lot of weight, he’s the Steve Jobs of old,” Tim Bajarin, technology consultant and respected Apple-watcher, told the magazine. “At the visionary level, technology and design level, he seems to be working at the same level as he was before he was sick. If I was an investor, I’d be thrilled.”

Jobs was absent from Apple for much of last year. In January 2009, he announced that he would be taking time off to recover from a “hormone imbalance” that was “robbing” of the proteins needed to stay healthy. But it emerged last March that he had undergone a liver transplant in Memphis.

Jobs made his first public appearance since the operation last September, to unveil the new iPod line-up. He has since gone on to launch the iPad, which will be available in the UK on May 28, and has already sold more than a million units in the United States.

Resource:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/7713936/Apple-to-issue-iPad-fix.html

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Telstra and Optus revealed generous, pay-as-you-go internet plans for the Apple iPad this week that cut the price of mobile internet use by more than 90 per cent.

The announcements came before Apple began accepting pre-orders for the delayed and highly anticipated tablet computer yesterday.

Telstra’s iPad plans cut the price of mobile internet by as much as 92 per cent, while Optus bettered Telstra’s bid by offering twice the data allowance for the same price.

Under the iPad plans, 2GB of mobile downloads will cost as little as $20.

By comparison, Telstra currently offers a 1GB mobile phone internet pack for $39.

Also, both companies are offering iPad internet access on pay-as-you-go plans rather than in a 12 or 24-month contract.

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The price cuts mean using an Apple iPad (priced from $629 to $1049) will be cheaper than using the smaller Apple iPhone.

Gartner research director Robin Simpson said he was surprised and mystified at the “aggressive pricing” from both leading phone carriers, but said it could be an attempt to be associated with Apple and the iPad.

“There’s no doubt it will be another iconic device like the iPhone, so maybe the thinking is that they’d like to have their brand associated with such a successful product and it’s simply a marketing exercise,” Mr Simpson said.

“Also, because it’s a data-only product, and has no voice component, this will represent getting new subscribers that they can report to their shareholders.”

While users will not be able to use the smaller Apple iPad SIM cards in other gadgets, Mr Simpson said the discounted internet plans could trickle down for use with other gadgets such as phones and laptop connections.

“It should put some downward pressure on other mobile internet plans and it certainly represents a good deal if you’re in the market for a mobile internet plan,” he said.

An Optus spokeswoman said the company would reveal more details of its iPad data plans this week, and Vodafone Hutchison spokeswoman Tess Mion said Vodafone and 3 Mobile would reveal iPad internet plans “soon”.

Apple has sold more than a million iPads since its April 3 US launch and will launch wi-fi and 3G models of the touchscreen tablet computer in Australia on May 28.

Resource:
http://www.news.com.au/technology/ipad-could-spark-mobile-net-price-war/story-e6frfro0-1225864843995

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There are a variety of tablet-like computing devices in the works. But, assuming that the hardware form factor is similar to the deceased HP Slate, but with WebOS as the platform–here are five reasons that the HP Hurricane tablet will make a formidable competitor for the Apple iPad.

1. Adobe Flash: While Apple continues its public jihad against Adobe Flash–and draws the regulatory scrutiny of the DOJ and the GTC–other platforms such as Android and WebOS are working with Adobe to develop Flash software compatible with their mobile platforms. HTML5 may be the future, but there is no denying that Adobe Flash is a ubiquitous standard regardless of any flaws it might have–real or perceived.
2. Dual Cameras A tablet device may be a tad bulky or cumbersome to use for taking snapshots, but the option would certainly come in handy. Granted, I can take a picture with my smartphone instead–and through some convoluted combination of tasks manage to get them to the iPad so I can draw moustaches on the photos with Adobe Ideas (see- Apple didn’t ban everything Adobe makes from the iPad).

   More importantly for mobile business professionals, a front-facing camera allows the tablet to be used for Skype video calls, and other face-to-face video conferencing solutions.

3. Expandability The iPad is intentionally a closed environment. The lack of USB ports or SD memory card slots fits with the basic culture of the iPad as a Web-enabled mobile media platform, but business professionals need to be able to simply plug in a USB thumb drive and read or copy files.

   While not explicitly prescribed, the iPad camera connection kit apparently offers an alternative to enable some USB capabilities, but an HP Hurricane with a USB port and/or SD memory card slot would be a huge advantage.

4. Distribution channels. Then we get down to the nitty gritty. Forget the features of the hardware or the capabilities of the platform. An HP Hurricane tablet can crush an Apple iPad just by virtue of HP’s massive global enterprise distribution channels. HP has an existing vendor relationship with most major corporations. As long as HP can demonstrate the benefits and value of the Hurricane tablet it will be able to leverage those relationships to distribute the device en masse.
5. HP brand Apple has its dedicated and loyal following. I wouldn’t dare imply that HP has anywhere near the dedication from its customers. But, as the largest computer manufacturer in the world it does have a respected reputation–especially in the business world where Apple often struggles.

   I think it was a wise decision by HP to shift gears from the Windows 7-based Slate to the WebOS-based Hurricane. The tablet–at least the way Apple has envisioned it with the iPad–is a culture shift, not just a new form factor.

   HP is in a strong position, though, to combine its brand prowess and understanding of the needs of mobile business professionals, with the WebOS platform, and lessons learned from the iPad, and create a tablet device capable of challenging the iPad, and with an edge on the iPad when it comes to the business professional audience.

Resource:
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/195993/five_reasons_hp_hurricane_can_compete_with_ipad.html

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A spokesperson for the company told the Inquirer that the Archos 8 will be coming out this year, very soon after the release of the 7.

The device is set to have an 8-inch screen capable of showing 800×480 pixels, be less than a half-inch thick, weigh 400g and come with 4GB internal storage.

It is not yet known whether there will be expansion slots like a USB port or a card reader.

According to French website ArchosLounge, the Archos 8 will be part of Archos’s new lineup consisting of six tablets with a screen size ranging from 3-inches to 10-inches.

The device will be priced significantly cheaper than its competition, Apple’s iPad, with the cheapest costing $100 and the most expensive $350.

A prospective Archos 10 is likely to have an ARM Cortex 1GHz, Multitouch and 3G Open GL capabilities.

Given that we already know there are 3, 7, 8 and 10-inch tablets, we are left with only one remaining unknown model. As for the Archos 8 Tablet, it should be with us within the next few months.

Resource:
http://www.itproportal.com/portal/news/article/2010/5/10/archos-preparing-new-archos-8-tablet/

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The design of the Joojoo isn’t bad by any means, with nice design touches all over. Set against the benchmark of style over substance, the Ipad, the Joojoo does well, with Apple-esque touches such as a logo that alters its position depending on the device’s orientation and a tapered edge that makes it more comfortable to hold than Apple’s tablet.

While it is more comfortable to hold, we don’t recommend you hoist the device with its 12.1-inch screen for too long. The Joojoo tips the scales at 1.1kg and its weight, combined with its large screen, means you’ll want to lay it on a table or your lap. Even the firm’s CEO, Chandra Rathakrishanan, says that the Joojoo is for “couch computing.”

The screen itself is a twisted nematic (TN) panel, meaning it doesn’t have the impressive wide viewing angles of the Ipad’s in-plane switching (IPS) display. In a refreshing show of humility, Rathakrishanan admits that the Ipad’s screen is technically superior but argues that most won’t hold a tablet at angles that make the TN screen unreadable. We could easily see the difference in both colour rendition and viewing angles. However given that most laptop screens including that of Apple’s Macbook Pro are similar, the Joojoo’s screen is far from inferior, rather just falling short of the Ipad’s lofty standards in colour brightness and pixel density.

The display’s widescreen 1366×768 resolution is handy for watching videos and in portrait orientation it does reduce the amount of vertical scrolling that needs to be done. Videos encoded in widescreen aspect ratios display properly unlike on the Ipad. Thanks to Nvidia’s Ion chip high definition playback works without any problems.

As the Joojoo supports Adobe’s Flash, Youtube simply works. Joojoo has a version of the YouTube player that enables certain videos on the site to be accelerated by the device’s Ion graphics chip. We were told that in the coming months all videos on Youtube, regardless of their encoding format, will be decoded by the Ion chip, in effect rubbishing Steve Jobs’ claim that only Flash video encoded with the H.264 codec can be hardware accelerated.

Thanks to Intel’s 1.6Ghz Atom processor and Nvidia’s Ion chip the Joojoo has active cooling. During high definition video playback the fans did whirr up. Given the nature of the device and where it likely will be used, the fan noise, though not excessive, is highly undesirable. That said, the fans do a good job as the device didn’t get particularly hot.

Where the Joojoo is let down is by the apparent ‘beta’ quality of its software. The problem isn’t with its appearance, but rather speed. Transitions seemed slow and many screen presses seemed not to be recognised. Transition between portrait and landscape mode was often somewhat slow. The firm has said that it will be employing an aggressive update strategy and at this point such a policy seems like a good idea.

Fusion Garage uses the term “app store” somewhat liberally, with each “application” being a web site bookmark. One can argue whether some ‘Web 2.0’ sites such as Google Docs offer the same functionality as installed applications but the reliance on the web could be a problem given the patchy connectivity found outside of urban areas.

Having a USB port does make the device a whole lot more attractive than Apple’s Ipad. While the software may be below the fit and finish consumers have come to expect, the Joojoo can be loaded with other operating systems, as Rathakrishanan confirmed to The INQUIRER.

The Joojoo certainly has potential on many fronts. Hardware wise, the device has commodity hardware that makes it easy to develop for. While the screen isn’t as good as Apple’s Ipad, it’s hardly bad and during use there’s little perceptable difference. Rathakrishanan’s design displays a blend of honesty and understanding what hardware enthusiasts actually want. This gives the Joojoo good potential beyond just what’s underneath the screen.

The ability to connect drives and load your choice of operating system is a boon for functionality and should endear the device to those who care about technology rather than fashion. If Fusion Garage can tap into this then the Joojoo could become the technology enthusiasts’ device.

The most pressing matter for Fusion Garage is to bring the Joojoo’s shipped software up to scratch. It isn’t lacking functionality but just the final two per cent and a bit more polish that will make the Joojoo a complete and enjoyably useful package that might be able to give Apple’s Ipad some stiff competition.

Resource:
http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/review/1603965/joojoo-tablet

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On the same day that Apple launched its newest iPad tablet, the company also sold its 1 millionth iPad, less than a month after the device’s debut.

Apple officials announced May 3 that the company sold its millionth iPad April 30, and that iPad users had to that point downloaded more than 12 million applications from the App Store and more than 1.5 million ebooks from Apples new iBookstore.

“One million iPads in 28 days — that’s less than half the 74 days it took to achieve this mileston with the iPhone,” Apple CEO Steve Jobs said in a statement. “Demand continues to exceed supply and we’re working hard to get this magical product into the hands of even more customers.”

That demand was highlighted April 30, when Apple launched the newest iPad tablet with both WiFi access and 3G connectivity via AT&T. Officials with Apple retail locations in major cities said they sold out of the iPad 3G models by May 2.

In a May 2 research note, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster estimated that Apple sold about 300,000 iPad 3Gs over the weekend, including preordered units and online sales.

With estimates based on checks with 50 Apple stores—49 of which reported being out of stock of 3G models by Sunday—Munster believes Apple has likely now sold more than 1 million iPads in total.

In May 2009, Munster was among the very first to report that Apple was at work on a slatelike device, which at the time he estimated would run between $500 and $700. Today, Apple sells six versions of the iPad—three with WiFi only and three with WiFi and 3G—with pricing from $499 to $829. On May 3, all six were listed on the Apple site as shipping not within 24 hours but “within 5 – 7 business days.”

Customers on the Apple site are limited to purchases of just two devices.

Just as Apple is known for modest financial projections—enjoying a wow factor on a then expectation-exceeding delivery—it’s unclear just how well it stocked its stores.

The newest iPad went on sale April 30 at 5 p.m. at the New York flagship store, and a spokeswoman for Best Buy said the store had “very limited inventory” for sale that afternoon, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Munster, however, wrote that the sold-out supplies were likely due to strong demand coupled with lower-than-intended supply.

“Near-term, this may put downward pressure on launch day/weekend statistics, but long-term we see it as a positive, as consumers are definitely interested in the iPad as a new category,” wrote Munster. “In the first several quarters, we believe Apple will sell about 60 percent WiFi-only iPads and 40 percent 3G models.”

At eBay.com, a May 3 search for iPads turned up more than 1,800 matched listings, more than 1,200 of which were WiFi-only models—which suggests that the same early supporters who rushed to buy the WiFi-only model may be ready to pass on their iPad and be amongst the first Apple fans with an iPad 3G.

Broadpoint AmTech analyst Brian Marshall, who headlined an April 22 report “Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees? Try the Apple Tree,” raised his calendar year 2010 revenue estimates for Apple to $62.6 billion, up from $57.9 billion.

“Once again, we highlight our view that Apple remains the best technology company on the planet with numerous catalysts on the horizon—e.g., international iPhone ramp, iPad ramp, emerging recurring revenue stream, etc.—and no business model issues,” Marshall wrote.

The firm has noted the potential for swift iPad sales from the start, with Marshall writing in a March research note, before the WiFi-only iPad’s launch, that early consensus of the device was “overly pessimistic,” and that, were the iPad to “live up to its potential, we believe actual unit shipments could approach 7 million-plus units in [2010].”

Resource:
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Apple-iPad-Sales-Reach-1-Million-814397/

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The Linux-based tablet has a 12.1-inch screen, making it slightly larger than Apple’s rival device, the iPad, which will only go on sale in the UK at the end of May. The JooJoo has a resolution of 1,366×768 pixels and uses an Intel Atom processor with Nvidia Ion graphics processing. It has a 4GB solid-state drive and 1GB of RAM.

Like the iPad, the JooJoo has an onscreen virtual keyboard. Unlike the Apple slate, it runs Flash content and has a USB connection and a webcam.

The JooJoo has a nine-second boot-up time and a browser-based operating system. On Fusion Garage’s website, the company addresses the issue of an application store — the distribution method favoured by Apple for its iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad — by saying JooJoo “has the largest app store in the world… it’s called the internet”.

The JooJoo began its life as the CrunchPad, a collaboration between Fusion Garage and Michael Arrington, the entrepreneur behind the TechCrunch website. Arrington launched a lawsuit against Fusion Garage in December last year, after the company decided to release the device without his input.

The device is now shipping to US customers, after an initial delay. In a blog post on Monday, Fusion Garage chief Chandrasekar Rathakrishnan said the company had been overly optimistic in its delivery date estimates. He also conceded that the JooJoo’s software had needed major revisions since the first review samples were sent out to a generally tepid reception.

“We are in the midst of ‘bad JooJoo’ for a very simple reason: we were aggressive in our product delivery commitments, decided to completely revise our UI as we were readying the product for release, and our initial units shipped with software that proved to be problematic when put to the test in the real world,” Rathakrishnan wrote. “Embarrassing? Yes. Correctable? Absolutely. And we will.

“We will have a robust software update available shortly that we fully expect to eliminate many of the problems that were widely reported in our initial product review cycle. We will also be able to play full-screen HD video as promised via our Fusion Garage player,” he added.

According to Fusion Garage, the JooJoo receives over-the-air software updates to add new functionality as it is developed.

UK customers can order the JooJoo through the Fusion Garage website at a cost of £319 plus tax and shipping. An optional stand for the device is available for £30 plus tax and shipping.

Resource:
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/mobile-devices/2010/04/28/fusion-garage-launches-joojoo-web-tablet-in-uk-40088789/

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Security experts have warned that Apple iPad users are being targeted by cyber criminals. Hackers are trying to dupe iPad owners in to downloading a fake iTunes update on their Windows computer, which, when installed, creates a backdoor for cyber criminals, allowing them to remotely access the machine or even use the computer to send spam messages.

A dialog box pops up telling the user that a recent iTunes update has been released for the iPad. Users who click on a link are taken to a site that looks exactly like the iTunes download web page, but the file the user downloads is actually a Trojan that installs malicious code on the machine. The Backdoor. Bifrose. AADY virus tries to steal passwords and login details for email accounts and instant-messaging services.

“The trick is pretty simple,” said Catalin Cosoi, a senior researcher for BitDefender, which uncovered the scam. “They’re clever to do it this way. If they were able to target Mac customers, it would have spread like wildfire, but because most antivirus companies detect this Trojan, it’s aimed at Windows users who have bought an iPad and who also don’t run a security product.”

BitDefender has advised iPad owners not to click on any links that appear in dialog boxes or alerts, and to download iTunes directly from the Apple website. The company also emphasised that the iPad itself remained unaffected by the Trojan.

Resource:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/7638376/iPad-users-targeted-by-hackers.html?utm_source=tmg&utm_medium=TD_ipad&utm_campaign=tech2804am

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Aside from checking and composing e-mail, Apple also offers an edition of its iWorks software for the iPad, which bundles versions of Pages, Numbers and Keynote. And if business users plan on using Keynote for presentations, Apple is selling a $29 VGA adaptor that can connect the iPad to a conference room display (as long as the display has VGA). Dataviz has also announced an iPad version of its Documents To Go software, bringing editing and formatting functionalities to Microsoft Office apps such as Word and Excel.

Using the iPad as a phone is not out of the question either, since it does have an audio jack and support for Bluetooth headsets. An app like Line2 will let you create a separate line and voicemail for your business. It even supports up to 20-person conferencing, if you’re unable to gather everyone in one room. And because Line2 is a VoIP application, meaning it uses the internet to make calls, finding a connection using the iPad’s built-in Wi-Fi and 3G cards is as easy as finding a cell phone signal. Traditional VoIP apps like Skype will be available for the iPad as well, so there’s more than one option for turning your iPad into a phone (the iPad has a built-in mic you can use in conjunction with headphones or a Bluetooth headset for making VoIP calls).

Key verticals like the healthcare industry, which have long been the biggest proponents of tablets, will be considering the iPad for a variety of tasks, including filling orders, tracking patients, and studying X-rays and MRI. Unlike traditional Windows-based tablets, installing security suites to fight malicious software isn’t necessary, and administrators won’t have to configure the iPad for a domain (well, because it can’t be done). Developers like OmniGroup are aware that there might not be enough apps that cater to the medical profession, which is why it’s focusing much of its efforts on porting its core apps to the iPad.

And for every other profession that’s worried about a shortage of iPad apps; don’t despair, hundreds of apps are being submitted to and reviewed by Apple as we speak.

While the majority of those who pre-ordered an iPad are itching to play games, update their Facebook accounts, and watch videos, businesses business are betting the iPad will change the way they work. Businessweek has reported that several firms have pre-ordered iPads in large quantities, one of which plans to simply use them for checking corporate e-mail and taking notes. The fact that the iPad supports corporate Microsoft Exchange account, multiple POP accounts, and VPN protocols makes it a viable tool for those who aren’t in the office all the time.

Resource:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2363075,00.asp

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Apple recently delayed the iPad’s international launch after huge demand in the United States caught the maker of trendy iPhones and MacBooks off guard. But Chinese consumers looking for knock-offs of the company’s latest must-have product need look no further than this teeming electronics mall in Shenzhen, the southern Chinese boomtown near the border with Hong Kong.

Here, tiny shops are stuffed with pirated versions of everything: from Microsoft’s newest Windows 7 operating system, a steal at $2 each, to a range of Apple products, from iPhones to MacBooks and the lightweight MacBook Air.

After extensive queries with multiple shopkeepers, one surnamed Lin offered the sought-after item in a dark backroom on the market’s fifth floor away from the hustle and bustle.

Hefty and thickset with three USB ports and a more rectangular shape than the original, this knock-off with iPad aspirations, which runs a Windows operating system, looks more like a giant iPhone. It costs 2,800 yuan ($410), making it slightly cheaper than the iPad’s $499-$699 price tag.

“This is just the first rough version,” says Lin a crew-cut agent speaking in bursts of quick-fire Cantonese.

“While the shape isn’t quite the same, the external appearance is very similar to the iPad, so we don’t think it will affect our sales that much,” he added, explaining the difference was due to the difficulty sourcing matching parts because of the quick two-month turnaround time for the first version’s development.

Hard-working Chinese bootleggers are rushing to fill a vacuum that won’t last for long, created by unexpectedly strong demand for the iPad in its first weeks on the market.

The 10-inch entertainment device, on which one can read books, play music and videos and surf the Internet, sold more than 500,000 in its first week alone, and continued strong U.S. demand has led Apple to delay the product’s international launch to the end of April.

Chinese counterfeiters have rushed to fill the iPad gap.

Taobao, China’s largest online marketplace, contains hundreds of listings for the coveted product, many real but some dubiously labeled as “China goods,” with claims to have even better features than the real deal.

Like the models in the Shenzhen market, these fake iPads also retail for around 2800 yuan each, compared with 4,000-6,000 yuan for those marketed as real.

Analysts and gadget fanatics expect the iPad to do well in Asia given Apple’s strong branding and the rising number of affluent middle class consumers. But few are surprised by the quick appearance of a counterfeit version in a country where pirated movies often appear in markets in the same week of their theatrical release.

“China is basically a market that has the ability to clone everything, so it’s really not surprising,” said Edward Yu, chief executive of Beijing-based researcher Analysys International.

“I don’t think piracy is a bad thing for the iPad given that China has a huge population, maybe the clone iPads will give more of the potential users a look and feel.”

Back in Shenzhen, Lin said factories around China’s Pearl River Delta — the country’s biggest export manufacturing hub — were working hard on an updated version of the pirated iPads to feed strong demand.

“This is just the first rough version,” Lin said. “Eventually, the factories will be able to make a much better copy.”

Resource:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/26/AR2010042602980.html

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