Apple devices

The high-tech industry has already made not a one attempt to create an ultra-lowcost-compact computer. Perhaps one of the most famous developments in this area is a Nicholas Negroponte’s OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) project. Lot of producers, including Jointech, HiVision and others, took part in creating a $100 laptop. Now the developers intent to make even a cheaper version, for example, OLPC plans to release a model costing only $ 75.

But it seems India has overcome everyone with its project to create a $ 35 tablet. From the first look the novelty recalls iPad, but it’s much cheaper than the popular tablet. Now there is only a prototype of the Indian computer but its creators promised to start mass production in 2011.

If the Indian government find a manufacturer for their device, the novelty will take a significant place among the world’s cheapest innovative achievements of India. Let me remind that Indian developers have already created a Nano car just for $ 2127, water purifier for $ 16, moreover, it’s possible to make an open-heart surgery in India for $ 2000.

Indian tablet will be based on Linux OS. The tablet will have enough power for working with documents, surfing the Internet and participating in videoconferences. Probably it will have extra solar batteries to save on electricity. The tablet won’t have a hard drive or SSD. Instead of this it will include a memory card, as in mobile phones and smartphones. In addition, in order to make the tablet cheaper it will be equipped with only free software.

The tablet will be mostly used for education sector. The Indian Government plans even to pay the part of a tablet cost so that the novelty will cost only $ 20 for students. In addition, the creators of the tablet believe that it will be possible to reduce the device price to $ 10 in near future.

So let’s wait till 2011 and see if Indian developers create their $ 35 tablet. Share your hopes and predictions in the comments and let us know what you think.

Tags: $35 tablet, India, iPad, tablet

Barnes & Noble has finally unveiled its NOOK app for Android. The application is free and can be found in the Android Market store or on Barnes & Noble’s website.

To install the NOOK app you’ll need a smartphone based on Android 1.6 or higher and a B&N account to get to the eBookstore, as well as to synchronize the existing content.

With the help of NOOK app for Android you’ll be able:

• to share eligible ebooks with friends for up to two weeks
• to choose the style and font size of text
• to move from portrait mode to landscape
• to perform a content search by author or the book title
• to see the list of most popular books among the service participants.

As it is known the eBookstore contains more than one million items so the fact that the NOOK app simplifies your search has considerable significance.

Remarkably, Barnes & Noble is changing its brand strategy. Now all software applications and platform names will use the NOOK brand name – NOOK for iPhone or NOOK for iPad, for example.

Barnes & Noble is planning to update the NOOK app this summer by including such features as highlights and notes, a search library, a library grid-view, and more.

Tags: Android, Barnes & Noble, eBookstore, NOOK, NOOK app, NOOK app for Android, NOOK application

The U.S. government has approved the new rules that allow iPhone users to unlock their devices and install the third-party software on them. Moreover, now the U.S. citizens may freely unlock their phones to work in networks of all operators.

In particular, it is reported that the Government has approved several new exceptions to the federal law that regulate the technical means which prevent users from access to copyright objects and modifying them.

In addition, it approved an exception under which all phone users have rights to unlock their device so that it could work in a network of another operator. Let me remind that AT & T is the only available network for iPhone in the U.S now but seems this restriction will be removed in the near future.

Thanks to jailbreak users have an ability to run any application they want on their iPhone and even those that are not approved by Apple. Hackers have already developed lots of custom applications that can be run on unlocked iPhone. Some of them are free, others are sold in the alternative Cydia application store.

Apple is often criticized for too strong control over the App Store. However, the company explains its actions saying it is trying to protect the iPhone customers from faulty or malicious software, as well as filtering out pornographic content.

If that’s not just a rumor I guess lot’s of iPhone users will be happy to decide which network operator to have and which apps to install on their iPhone. What are your thoughts on this?

Tags: Apple, government, iPhone, iPhone jailbreak, jailbreak, legal, unlock

If you are fond of reading news but can’t find a necessary one for your iPad than I’ve created the list of favorite iPad news apps. Hope it’ll help you.

• Feeder. A really amazing app with simple and effective interface. Provides fast sync to Google Reader.
• Pulse News Reader. It was created by the Stanford Design School student, connects to Google Reader, however, doesn’t support sharing.
• Flipboard. With its help you can integrate Twitter and Facebook feeds.
• Newsy for iPad: Multisource Video News Analysis. Provides short news clips taken from different sources.
• Reuters Galleries. This app has photo galleries of the day and week’s top photos.
• ABC News for iPad. Includes small thumbnails of news videos and photos.
• Fluent News Reader. That’s a great source to go for headlines, for tech news and more.
• Mashable! for iPad. If you want to know all the latest tech news.
• NYT Editors’ Choice. Just an app that provides articles from the NYT, but has great interface.
• The Wall Street Journal. Great articles and interface, but lot’s of articles are locked or require monthly subscription.

Moreover, there are lots of other amazing news apps for iPad such as USA Today for iPad, BBC news, IMDb and the Weather Channel for iPad and more. Below you can see a list of top paid and free iPad news apps.

So what are your top news apps for the iPad? Please do share in the comments.

Tags: free iPad news apps, iPad, iPad news app, iPad news apps, news

Toshiba stops being just a spectator of how Apple enchants people with iPad and starts working hard on creating iPad rivals.

According to Jeff Barney, head of Toshiba’s U.S. notebook business, Japanese electronic giant is planning to enter the market of multimedia tablets or “slates” with both Google Android and Windows 7 operating system. Although there is not much insight into technical characteristics of the products it is known  that the Android version will actually cost less than its Windows 7 counterpart but will have enough wide functionality. Devices with Windows 7 will represent a flagman sector of Toshiba and possess such unique elements as additional display. It is supposed that Android units would come with a 10-inch screen.

 The release of new multimedia devices from the Japanese manufacturer is expected in the end of a current year or at the beginning of 2011.

HP, Nortion Ink and soon Toshiba, but it is still curious if Toshiba will manage to give a worthy dare to iPad.

Tags: Android, Apple, iPad, iPad rival, tablet, Toshiba

Apple has unveiled an update for iBooks and I guess you won’t be disappointed. With iBooks 1.1.1 you now have an ability to zoom images and examine them in high resolution, moreover, since now iBooks offers you an opportunity to enjoy audio and video. Also Apple satisfied the hopes of those consumers who wished to look through PDF files of high quality: iBooks 1.1.1 offers some improvements in the process of viewing these files. Nevertheless, it is still inferior to the quality of such special products as GoodReader.

The application also has some less tangible updates. They include the ability to look-up word definitions to English words inside books without a specified a particular language. In addition, Apple fixed the bug that sometimes lead to interruption when loading. And finally, the iBooks 1.1.1 update includes productivity and stability improvements.

A detailed list of updates you can see on the following photo:

You can already download iBooks 1.1.1 from the official Apple site and run on devices iPad, iPhone and iPod touch if they have iOS 3.2 operating system or newer.

If you have already tried iBooks 1.1.1 out than please let us know how it works in the comments.

Tags: Apple, features, iBooks, iBooks 1.1.1, iBooks update, iPad, iPhone, update

Apple has just released the 2 new versions of the iOS operating system: iOS 4.0.1 for iPhone and 3.2.1 for iPad. This is the first firmware update for both devices. According to the company, the iOS 4.0.1 is designed to fix the problem connected with the signal strength displaying, while iOS update for iPad will solve the Wi-Fi connection difficulties.

Apple representatives announced that the only iOS 4.0.1 change is improving the formula that determines how many bars of the signal strength to display. So as we can see the update is only cosmetic, and does not fix the hardware antenna issue. The iOS 4.0.1 update is available for iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G.

Apple has fixed the following problems with the iOS 3.2.1 for iPad release:

• Improved Wi-Fi connection difficulties
• Fixed a bug that occurred when copying a page from the PDF-application in mail.
• Fixed a bug that could slow down the video playback
• Added an ability to choose Bing as the search engine in Safari.

Besides this Apple has released a beta version of iOS 4.1, which is currently available only for developers.

If you have already downloaded and installed the iOS 4.0.1 on your iPhone than has its signal become more accurate? Feel free to voice your opinions in our comments area below.

Tags: Apple, iOS, iOS 3.2.1, iOS 4.0.1, iOS update, iPad, iPhone, signal

Millward Brown Optimor BrandZ has published the fifth annual rating of the most expensive brands in the world: Top100 Most Valuable Global Brands. Apple Company has taken the third place in this prestigious list. Google and IBM companies have gained the first and second place, but still Apple succeeded to overcome Microsoft.

While the majority of basic financial indicators have fallen, the cost of 100 best brands has increased by 4 % during last year. BrandZ Top 100 is a unique rating in the world which takes into consideration clients’ opinion concerning trade marks and proves this in dollars.

Joanna Seddon, General director Millward Brown Optimor marked that many companies hastened to reduce marketing expenses during economic recession, however, now  appeared a new tendency as more and more companies realize the importance of preservation and even increase their budget funds into the brand support.

Technological brands have shown their prevalence in our everyday life. Google leads as the most expensive brand in the world. Its cost is estimated in $114 billion. IBM has taken the second place – $86 billion, having increased the cost by 30 %. The third place belongs Apple which has increased the cost by 32 % to the mark in $83 billion, Microsoft has taken the fourth place with $76 billion.

Tags: Apple, brand, expensive brand, Google, IBM

According to Digitimes Research, Apple has already started work on the second rendition of the tablet iPad which will introduce an OLED panel. The new iPad will be available in two versions: with 5.6-inch and 7-inch OLED. It is said that the planned release is in 2011.

As Samsung and LG Display, which are major players in the market of LCD panels, plan to have high investments in development and production of OLED, it is expected that the cost of OLED panel will drop enough to use them for iPad. It is known that LGD has acquired OLED-unit Eastman Kodak at the end of last year and AU Optronics is planning to resume production of OLED displays in 2011.

However, it’s a very disputable issue as an actual price of a 9.7-inch LCD is 60 – 70$ and the same diagonal of OLED stands at 500$ and it’s unlikely to reduce such a gap in 2010 and 2011.

Do you believe Apple will provide its new iPad with an OLED panel or it’s just one more rumor? Let us know in the comments.

Tags: Apple, iPad, OLED, OLED panel

Mashable has just published the results of its Market Research that shows how iPad owners use this Apple device.

Approximately 28% of iPad consumers use it for playing games, moreover, 23% of the respondents believe that iPad is the best existing game platform. As a result more than 38% of iPad owners are not planning to buy a portable game device. They are completely satisfied with the Apple iPad gaming opportunities.

However, not only gamers but e-book readers also prefer iPad to other devices. According to the research, 49% of the respondents do not intend to acquire a e-reader. As a result such companies as Barnes & Noble and Amazon have already cut prices on it devices. It’s not surprising as iPad is a universal device that can be used not only for reading, but for business, entertainment and social issues as well.

There is a conviction that Apple products are bought mostly by long-standing Cupertino fans, however, this is only half true. 37% of the iPad owners admit it is their first Apple device among their gadget collection, though other 49% already had an iPod; 24% – iPhone and 16% – MacBook.

Most Apple consumers like everything in their devices except the price. iPad is believed to be an expensive luxury toy.

Are you satisfied with your iPad or regret buying it for some reason? Do you have any other e-reader as well? Let us know in the comments.

Tags: Apple, device, e-reader, iPad, replace