Category Archives: iPad 2
Apple Looking At Graphics Driven Interface For Contacts, Music Playback, Possibly For iOS 5
A new patent made public by U.S. Patent and Trademark Office this week and discovered by AppleInsider could hold the key to a new graphical interface for the way contacts and music are displayed on an iOS device.
The patent filing, named “Segmented Graphical Representations for Recommending Elements” shows Apple is looking (or at least was looking, the patent was originally filed back in 2009) at ways to improve the drab text-based interface of the Contacts app, as well as bringing a new interface to the company’s touch-enabled iPod apps.
The filing mentions a new contact screen that could use contextual cues to alter the display to fit a user’s situation. An example could be when on a call to someone from a particular company. The patent would allow for the new interface to then change to show graphical contacts for people who also work for that same company, possibly improving efficiency.
“Unlike an alphabetically organized address book, this interface
iOS 4.3.1 Likely To Bring Battery Life Improvements [Early Hands-On]
Folks at BGR have got their hands on the-yet-to-be-released iOS 4.3.1 for iPhone 4, which according to them is a minor release and will bring bug fixes, along with some improvements to battery life.
One of our Apple connects just installed the unreleased and unseen iOS 4.3.1 build on one of our iPhones, and we’ve been playing around with it for a couple days.
… it really does look as if iOS 4.3.1 will simply fix bugs, hence the version numbering. Battery life seems a tad bit better, though that’s not scientific at all.
Full list of changes, as reported earlier, includes:
- Baseband updates for the 3GS and iPad (original)
- Fixed memory hang that results in memory corruption when reading large files from USIM file system
- Fixed problem with NTLM authentication in apps and on websites
- Fixed issue with the Springboard and 3rd party apps not recognizing the gyroscope on the iPad 2
- Fixed iPad 2 jailbreak vulnerability
Apple is expected to push this
TeleNav GPS for iPhone 4, iPad 2: Free maps, inexpensive turn-by-turn service
At CTIA in Orlando, Florida, TeleNav today announced a new GPS solution for iPhone 4 and iPad 2 (with 3G) users. Available immediately in the App Store, TeleNav GPS (free) gives starts off providing 30 free days of personal navigation service, including spoken turn-by-turn directions, 3D moving maps, auto-rerouting, and enhanced search of over 22 million points of interest.
After 30 days, users can choose to just stay with the map and search service, or they can make an in-app purchase of $2.99 per month or $21.99 a year for the full navigation service. The company already has over 20 million subscribers to their services, one of which is the AT&T Navigator app.
That app, which is specific to AT&T subscribers, is also free to download, but costs $9.99 per month or $69.99 per year. The AT&T Navigator app provides many more features at this point, including real-time traffic updates, the ability to download maps for off-line use, and one-touch speech recognition.
TeleNav introduced TeleNav GPS for Verizon iPhone back in early February. That version of the app is no longer available, and has been replaced by this more universal edition.
Tutorial: How To Use iPad 2 Smart Cover With 1st Gen. iPad [Video]
Apple’s iPad 2 is magical (and revolutionary!) in a few ways, and its 21 magnets are one of them. Built right into the iPad’s body, the magnets are there for the intriguing Smart Cover, which clips into place and auto-aligns as if by, you guessed it, magic.
If only we could use the same Smart Cover with the original iPad….
Now thanks to a bit of hackery, we can.
Wi-Fi iPad 2 Gets GPS When Tethered To iPhone Using Personal Hotspot [video]
If you already have iPhone 4 and planning to buy iPad 2 then there are couple of reasons you can opt for just the iPad 2 Wi-Fi only model instead of the 3G model.
First reason: you can tether your iPad to iPhone 4′s 3G data connection thanks to the new personal hotspot feature introduced in iOS 4.3 to surf the web while on the go. So if exceeding the data limits isn’t a concern then you don’t really need 3G.
Second reason: Kyle Carmitchel of Tablet Monsters has discovered that when you use iPhone 4’s 3G data connection, it also gets GPS information that can be used in the Maps application to get more accurate directions. This is quite useful as iPad Wi-Fi model does not come with assisted GPS like the iPad Wi-Fi + 3G model.
He reports:
I decided to get some directions to make sure we were on track. I launched the iPads maps app, expecting to navigate the old fashioned way without GPS assistance — knowing full well that GPS only comes in the 3G iPad models. Imagine my surprise when my iPad pinpointed exactly where we were on the road.
Apple’s Wi-Fi only iOS devices have had location awareness for years via Wi-Fi location service that rely on identifying MAC addresses of nearby hotspots, and comparing those against a database of where those routers are located.
You can checkout the video to see it in action:
