Author: Serkadis

This is one of Steve Jobs’ slides from this morning’s iPad launch presentation. Can you tell what’s wrong with it?

The awkward array of five logos used to be a tidy lineup of six. The day before the show, Apple removed McGraw-Hill, the 122-year-old publisher whose 61-year-old leader, Harold McGraw III — better known as Terry — prattled like a teenage schoolgirl about the tablet’s iPhone operating system on CNBC:

Yes, they’ll make their announcement tomorrow on this one. We have worked with Apple for quite a while. And the Tablet is going to be based on the iPhone operating system and so it will be transferable. So what you are going to be able to do now is we have a consortium of e-books. And we have 95% of all our materials that are in e-book format on that one. So now with the tablet you’re going to open up the higher education market, the professional market. The tablet is going to be just really terrific.

McGraw-Hill is bigger than most of the publishers on this slide. But insiders say as soon as Terry shot his mouth off on CNBC, Jobs had the company cut from the presentation. We won’t know for a few weeks if McGraw was only wrist-slapped, or if he’s been thrown out of the game.

Either way, it’s a concrete lesson in just how far removed the publishing industry can be from reality. In the past, music and movie fatcats were able to figure out the unwritten rule that McGraw so glibly overlooked: If you’re working with Apple, shut up about it until Steve has left the stage.

[top image via Gizmodo, of course]

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iPhone developer Ge Wang, chief technology officer of Smule (who spoke at our recent DiscoveryBeat conference, said he was excited about making new apps for the Apple iPad. He views it as a new platform that will likely require apps that are uniquely designed for the features of the tablet itself.

Ge Wang of Smule talks about the iPad from Dean Takahashi on Vimeo.

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While the news of Apple’s iPad having 3G wasn’t exactly a surprise, the move to a new format for the SIM certainly was. The SIM — that tiny card that holds your contact info and account information that you find in your GSM handset — is a 15 x 25mm plastic card whereas the new Micro SIM (also known as a 3FF SIM) is a diminutive 12 x 15mm, about 52% smaller. Needless to say, it’s not physically compatible with your current phone. This card was developed by the ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) to offer things like more storage space on-chip for provider applications, increased control and security functions — over what, we don’t know — and the new smaller form factor allows it to fit in tiny devices. Frankly, we wouldn’t call the iPad “tiny” and we have absolutely no clue what justification Apple had to switch to it other than a desire to be different — this is the company that pioneered Mini DisplayPort, after all — but the long and the short of it is that you’re going to have a hard time finding a carrier offering Micro SIMs in the short term since the GSMA doesn’t appear to be actively spearheading a mass conversion in the short term. In fact, from AT&T’s perspective, this is better than a software lock in some ways — you’re not going to be able to download a hack that gets you on another network, so you’re totally at the mercy of your carrier at choice for providing a compatible card. Intentionally evil? Perhaps not — all standards have to start somewhere — but it’s an awful pain in the ass.

Apple iPad’s ‘Micro SIM’ explained originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We don’t want to ruin everything for you, but after some extensive testing by our friends over at Joystiq, it looks like the promising Emotiv EPOC needs a little more time in the thought sensing oven. In its review Joystiq points out the fragile, hard-to-handle nature of the $299 device, but more disappointingly found the thought-sensing functionality of the sensor-stuffed EPOC headgear to be a bit too random, haphazard and inaccurate to actually be enjoyable. Of course, you could blindly assume that 400 hours spent in WoW and a six digit gamerscore has somehow disqualified this Joystiqer’s mind from those joys of telepathy, but before you plunk down your hard earned cash and shave off contact points all around your skull, we’d say the full review is at least worth a skim.

Emotiv EPOC gets reviewed by Joystiq, proves once and for all that videogames turn your brain into mush originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, you lived through every harrowing moment live with your friends from Engadget, but if you’re dying for that direct dose of RDF, the video from Apple’s iPad event is now live and streaming away. You know what would be perfect for watching this? A giant iPod touch. Think about it.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Apple iPad event video now online originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s too early to say whether Natal will be a hit — too early to really even say if it works or not, really — but we know it’s captured the imaginations of gamers and developers alike. But apparently it didn’t impress Nintendo when they were (allegedly) pitched with an early version of the tech back in 2007. To be fair, it was in a rougher state than we have seen it, and of course Nintendo already had a working motion control technology and another in the works. Still, it’s interesting to think what might have happened if the big N had snapped it up instead of the big M.

The source is a “very high-placed insider,” but could also be the author’s dog. He says that Satoru Iwata saw the technology and was impressed, but didn’t think they could make it happen for a Wii-like price point. That has some truth to it, since apparently Microsoft has been struggling to get the thing’s cost under $100.

[via Electronista]

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So it begins; bag designer Tom Bihn announced today the release of two new iPad specific products, a messenger bag and a dedicated sleeve style case.

Apple’s third party products attract companies like a moth to a flame. The first company to make their appearance is Tom Bihn. Based out of Seattle, the bag maker has announced to products specificly for the iPad; a messenger bag style and a sleeve style. Both bags are shipping 10 days after the release of the iPad (expected in March), and are available for pre-order now.

From the press release:

Seattle, WA – TOM BIHN, a designer, manufacturer, and retailer of laptop bags and travel bags today introduced the Cache sleeve and Ristretto vertical messenger bag for the Apple iPad.

The Cache is available in Size iPad – designed specifically for the Apple iPad. The Cache is designed to protect the Apple iPad against scrapes and scratches from all sides. Its 1/4″ (6mm) thick foam padding laminated with an exterior of four-ply Taslan and an interior of brushed tricot cradles your iPad. The Cache for Apple iPad fits the iPad on its own or encased in its Apple iPad Case. Available in Charcoal grey. Made in Seattle. Lifetime Guarantee.

Available for pre-order:
* Ships within 10 days of the release of the Apple iPad. $30 (USD).

The Ristretto for Apple iPad is a vertical messenger bag with a built-in interior padded compartment that protects the iPad inside of the bag. The padded compartment is made with .25″ (6mm) open-cell foam laminated with durable 4 Ply Taslan(R) on the outside, and features an interior of super-soft brushed nylon. The back side of the Ristretto is padded with 1/4″ closed cell foam.

The Ristretto for Apple iPad fits the iPad on its own or encased in its Apple iPad Case. Available in colors Black/Steel, Black/Wasabi, Cocoa/Olive, Olive/Cayenne, and Plum/Wasabi. Made in Seattle of U.S. 1000 and 500 denier Cordura. YKK zippers. Lifetime Guarantee.

Available for order:
* Ships within one business day. $110 (USD).

The Cache and the Ristretto are available exclusively through the TOM BIHN website or Seattle Factory Showroom.

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Oregon, US | Geological Oddities

Crater lake has been known by a number of names. It was first known (to non-Native Americans anyway) as “Deep Blue Lake,” as named in 1853 by its ‘discoverer’ John Wesley Hillman, an American prospector. Later in 1885 it was dubbed Lake Majesty, and finally Crater Lake.

Today Crater Lake, and the Crater National Park that surrounds it are a popular location for hikers and campers, but it was once the site of enormous geological upheaval, and one of the largest volcanic eruptions ever witnessed by people. One which was so terrifying and awe-inspiring it has been recorded in the myths of the areas native Indian tribe and passed down via story for nearly 8000 years.

Roughly 7700 years ago (people having arrived to the Americas at least 14,000 years ago), a volcanic mountain, posthumously named Mount Mazama, exploded with forty two times the force of Mount St. Helens, or pu another way, the force of a very large hydrogen bomb. The 11,000 foot tall mountain blew 5000 feet of its top completly off and collapsed in on itself. After it cooled it had left a 1,949 foot deep, five by six mile crater where there had once been the top half of a mountain. So large was the crater that, as it filled with rainwater over the years and was reincarnated as a lake, it filled with 4.6 trillion gallons of water making it the deepest lake in the United States, and the ninth deepest in the world.

With such a dramatic display it is no surprise that the native Klamath tribe, who would have been living to the southeast of the mountain took serious note. They have a distinct legend about Crater lake that had passed from those 7700 years ago all the way down to today, as do the other Indian tribes of the area, though with different gods, and mythology. The Klamath myth takes the form of a great battle between a fiery underworld god known as Llao and a sky god known as Skell. The war is described by a Klamath Indian chief as such:

“With such a sound as had never before been heard, the throne rock of Lla-O burst upward and outward, and great objects and smaller fell through the air, bearing with them the very stars of the heavens. Full seven days no sun was seen and there was no way to tell this day from another, and there was no light save the glare of the flaming mountains, and every day of those seven days the yellow water-smoke took toll in agony from those that could not live.”

The legend includes many other elements including that “two holy men offered to sacrifice themselves by jumping into the pit of fire on top of Llao’s mountain” as well as the story of a last battle, which explained the volcanic formation of “Wizard Island” a mini volcano with its own mini crater lake – known as the witches cauldron – which rises from crater lake.

Besides Wizard Island, Crater lake is known for a number of other features including the 100 year old “Old Man of the Lake” a full sized hemlock tree, which has been bobbing vertically in Oregon’s Crater Lake since at least 1896.

Filed under: Gaming, Hardware, OS, Software, Apple, Developer, App Store, SDK

What a day it’s been. The tablet is finally out. That’s right, the tablet we’ve been waiting years for is real and will be on sale soon, only it’s called the iPad, and it’s pretty similar to the iPhone. Just in case you missed something today, here’s everything we’ve learned about the magical and revolutionary device, all lined up in one easy-to-browse list. Just think, in 60 days, you’ll be able to flip through these posts with your finger. On a 9.7″ IPS screen, I mean.

Liveblog and major news

• Apple Event Metaliveblog
• Apple announces the iPad
• AAPL goes on a rollercoaster ride
• See tweets live during the event on @tuawlive
• iPad pricing starts at $499, available in 60/90 days

Hardware

• Apple’s official iPad video, specs page
• Apple making its own chips, starting with the A4
• iPad will ship with 802.11n Wi-Fi, 3G optional
  
• Apple announces keyboard dock for iPad
• Five iPad accessories available at launch
• What’s missing from the iPad

Software

• All iPhone apps will run on the iPad
• Apple announces iBooks, an e-reader for iPad
• Apple shows off new versions of iWork apps for iPad
• iPhone OS 3.2 SDK released, supports iPad but covered by NDA

TUAWAll of the news from today’s iPad announcement originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This post is part of the IT Innovation series, sponsored by Sun & Intel. Read more at ITInnovation.com.
Of course, the content of this post consists entirely of the thoughts and opinions of the author.

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