It’s never too early to get excited about Mardi Gras, and with Fat Tuesday right around the corner (February 16th to be exact), what better way to get in the Mardi Gras mood than with a fun app. Though Mardi Gras apps are already in existence, the first ever Mardi Gras game for the iPhone has just been released, and is conveniently titled Mardi Gras!. The game, a product of Impiger Technologies, enables the players to toss festive Mardi Gras souvenirs (e.g. coins, bead necklaces, rings, and footballs) at the partying crowd who is enjoying a Mardi Gras parade. The goal is to toss the items to targets by flicking your finger into the crowd; when you successfully throw to a target, you gain points and the crowd goes wild. Extra points are rewarded if you comply with peoples requests. However, this is all easier said than done and takes a lot of finger-eye coordination; oftentimes, when the target is missed, the crowd gets angry and points are deducted. Ultimately though, as long as you keep the crowd happy, you get to keep playing and enjoying the Mardi Gras spirit, and everyone wins. If nothing else, the graphics, colors, and sounds of the game are enough to get you excited, but, in its simplicity, Mardi Gras! is also a fun way to kill time in your countdown to the main event.

Get it Here

click for the official Saints championship watch only 800 made


This post is not iPhone related or anything technical related for that matter. I just want to show some appreciation to my home team, The New Orleans Saints. Finally….We did it, we made it to a Super Bowl and we won it….
After Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans, it was widely assumed that NFL free agents wouldn’t want to sign with the city’s NFL team. There was too much baggage, too much drama and too many question marks. But Drew Brees(notes) didn’t let that deter him when he chose New Orleans over Miami in 2006. On Sunday, his decision paid off when he led the franchise to its first Super Bowl title with a record-setting, MVP performance in Super Bowl XLIV. The Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts, 31-17.

Brees finished the night 32-of-39 with 288 yards and two touchdowns and was named the game’s most valuable player. The 32 completions tied Tom Brady’s(notes) Super Bowl record. During one stretch of the game the former San Diego Chargers quarterback completed 21 of 24 passes.
In one of the greatest quarterback matchups in Super Bowl history, Brees was lightly overshadowed in the pregame by Indy’s Peyton Manning(notes). This was supposed to be Manning’s coronation, the second title in the QB’s illustrious career. But Brees and the Saints played spoiler, delivering New Orleans its first title in any professional sport.
On that March day four years, Brees told reporters about signing in New Orleans:
“I just felt that energy in New Orleans. From the very beginning, there was a genuine feeling that they wanted me there. They believe I can come back from this shoulder injury and lead them to a championship. They were as confident as I am, and that meant a lot.”
The confidence was warranted. The Saints signing Brees was the best free-agent move in NFL history. And it led to one of the best performances ever in the Super Bowl.

Get the Super Bowl Official Program iPhone App

The official NFL Super Bowl XLIV program app is the ultimate companion and keepsake for the big game, being played Sunday, Feb. 7, at Sun Life Stadium in South Florida. This digital version includes beautiful photos, rosters and detailed information on the two teams playing for the Vince Lombardi Trophy, a complete recap of the 2009 season, and a history of the first 43 Super Bowls played. Among the features included is an essay by “CSI: Miami” star David Caruso about his experience at the last Super Bowl played in South Florida, Super reflections from Hall of Fame coach/broadcaster John Madden, and a look at the great fourth-quarter finishes in recent Super Bowl history.

Beyond what’s in the traditional program, you’ll be given access to the Super Bowl Game Center, where you can check out the final box score and stats.

As a bonus, the Super Bowl app includes the digital version of the 2010 Pro Bowl program, which includes vibrant photos and vital stats for every player selected for the NFL’s annual All-Star game, which will be played Jan. 31 in South Florida.
More features appearing in the program app include:

- A feature on the history of Super Bowls played in Miami, which has been host to NFL-record 10 Super Bowls
- A feature on the impact of offensive and defensive coordinators in the Super Bowl
- A story about big-time receivers in the Super Bowl
- A feature on great NFL players from state of Florida
- A look back at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl IV victory 40 years ago
- A look back at the Cleveland Browns dynasty of the 1950s
- A profile of Hall of Fame QB Bob Griese
- A feature on fathers and sons who have played in Super Bowl
- Details of NFL events coming up, from Combine to Draft to Hall of Fame enshrinement weekend

While much of iPad presentation thus far has been focused on content consumption, Apple’s iWork demo and the ability to run iPhone productivity apps — and eventually iPad-specific apps — as well as 1024×768 web apps means it’s got a fighting chance in business, especially key verticals like medicine, and with developers like Omni Group.

First up, 9to5mac reports that in a survey by medical lynch-pin Epocrates [Free - iTunes], up to 60% of doctors were at least considering an iPad:
-9 percent want it now
-13 percent want it this year
-38 percent were interested and wanted more info

Next, Mac developer Omni Group, which has dipped a toe into iPhone development with Omni Focus [$19.99 - iTunes], has decided to port than entire portfolio of apps — OmniGraffle, OmniOutliner, OmniPlan, OmniFocus, and OmniGraphSketcher — to iPad even if it delays development of the Mac versions:
Remember how Macintosh was intended to be the computer “for the rest of us“? That’s what we feel Apple’s iPad is: the best computing device for most of the things people use computers for. (Or, as Apple puts it, “the best way to experience the web, email, and photos.”) It’s the computer people can sit down and start using immediately, without training, whether they’re 2 or 92.
Having seen many workers struggle with inelegant interfaces and fidget with poorly conceived controls, the idea of a great app on a 9.7″ multitouch screen will no doubt be highly appealing to some. An app that could work across iPhone, iPad, and desktop could also allow for quick reference when on the go, easy exploration when on site, and powerful organization and reporting when back at the desk. Sound appealing to you?

Credit Suisse analyst Jonathan Chaplin issued a downgrade for Verizon’s stock prices this morning based on the assumption that they are unlikely to get the iPhone this year. There have been a lot of people hoping to see a Verizon iPhone, but it now looks increasingly unlikely after the announcement that the iPad would be on AT&T’s 3G network instead of Verizon’s.
“We believe there is a 75 percent probability that AT&T keeps exclusivity in 2010,” Chaplin writes.
The major factor blocking the iPhone from going to Verizon is Verizon’s seldom-used CDMA network technology, which would require Apple to manufacture an alternate iPhone containing CDMA-compatable components, which would only be usable on Verizon’s network and a handful of others around the world.
via- BusinessWeek

Yesterday we thought AT&T was making significant progress in the right direction when they said in a press release that they had worked with Sling Media to optimize the SlingPlayer for iPhone, and were then allowing it to work on their 3G network. When asked, Sling Media said the app hasn’t been changed since before and AT&T never worked with them on it.
“We didn’t change anything,” Sling Media’s John Santoro told Ars. “AT&T never discussed any specific requirements with us.”
Santoro says that the app has always been optimized to adapt the stream quality to suit network conditions. AT&T has been in talks with Sling, but they never made as much as a suggestion or gave them any requirements.
Assuming what they’ve said is true, and they have no real reason to lie about it at this point, AT&T has been caught lying to save face with their users.
via- arstechnica

Apple has just released iPhone OS 3.1.3 Software Update, which includes a number of bug fixes and security patches for all iPhone and iPod touch models. The new version appears to be a very minor update, as the previous software version was 3.1.2. However, the update is recommended for all users (except those who jailbreak), as it includes the following fixes:
Improves accuracy of reported battery level on iPhone 3GS
Resolves issue where third-party apps would not launch in some instances
Fixes bug that may cause an app to crash when using the Japanese Kana keyboard
As usual, the update can be downloaded and applied in iTunes by clicking the “Check for Update” button under the iPhone Summary tab.

For a while, having a 5-megapixel camera in your smartphone was considered to be pretty hot stuff, but HD video is quickly becoming the next big thing for smartphones. Now a few hints are starting to come together that may be a sign that the iPhone will be jumping on the HD video bandwagon in the next revision.
A while back, a mystery device called “N89″ was found in the iPhone OS 3.2 SDK, which is believed to be the code name for the next iPhone. Now someone has sneaked a peek at the MediaValidator.plist file for the N89 device, and it reveals that the minimum video width for the device is up from 768 to 1280, and the pixels per frame has changed to 921,600, making the dimensions 1280×720. The AVC profile was also upped from 3.0 to 3.1, adding support for 720p.
It’s pretty convincing evidence for HD video in the next iPhone. Is HD video something you’ve been hoping for? Let us know in the comments.
via-engadget

Attention jailbreakers: We’ve just received word from BigBoss that Apple stopped signing iPhone OS 3.1.2 restore packages today, making it impossible to restore to 3.1.2 without a workaround. This only affects the iPhone 3GS, the third-gen iPod touch, and late-model, second-gen iPod touches; other iPhone OS devices do not use signed restore packages.
So what does this mean? Well, because Apple released iPhone OS 3.1.3 earlier this week, the Apple servers will only let you restore to 3.1.3, even if you have an older 3.1.2 restore package lying around. And since the current jailbreak tools only work on 3.1.2, updating to 3.1.3 will leave you jailbreak-less — at least for the time being. But wait, there’s a workaround!
Apple signs restore packages based on each iPhone’s unique ECID SHSH, making it near-impossible to restore an iPhone using anything but Apple-approved software. However, Cydia has the ability to save that info so you can authenticate with Saurik’s server. I’m paraphrasing, but you can read all the details on Saurik’s site.
The point is, if you jailbreak while still on 3.1.2, make sure Cydia has your ECID SHSH on file before attempting ANY restore. Once it’s on file, you need to modify your hosts file so that iTunes looks at Saurik’s server instead of Apple’s server. Then you can restore to 3.1.2 without a problem.

Fox News is reporting that AT&T outbid all other GSM providers in offering those reasonable $14.99 and $29.99 data plans for the iPad, and while Verizon and Apple are still discussing both the iPhone and iPad, there’s still nothing approaching an agreement in place.
What about all those rumors of Verizon getting the iPhone like, now?
the two companies are still “very much talking and plan to bring an iPhone and an iPad” to the CDMA network this year, following the expiration of AT&T’s exclusive agreement with Apple.
Still talking? These guys have been talking since 2006 before the launch of the first iPhone! Stop talking already and consummate the darn relationship — or walk away. When asked for comment about these on-going talks, Verizon spokesman Jeff Nelson said, “no comment,” so officially the company isn’t talking about the talks.
Bottom line then, it still could be later in the year, could be as far away as LTE next year or the year after.

AT&T has announced that it’s granting an optimized version of SlingPlayer Mobile [$29.99 - iTunes link] permission to send TV over their 3G network, something that up until now has been expressly banned under AT&T terms of service.
“Just as we’ve worked with Sling Media in this instance, we look forward to collaborating with other developers so that mobile customers can access a wider, more bandwidth-sensitive, and powerful range of applications in the future,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “Collaboration with developers like Sling Media ensures that all apps are optimized for our 3G network to conserve wireless spectrum and reduce the risk that an app will cause such extreme levels of congestion that they disrupt the experience of other wireless customers. Our focus continues to be on delivering the nation’s most advanced mobile broadband experience and giving our customers the widest possible array of mobile applications.”
The updated SlingPlayer Mobile will be a free update for existing users, and ends a long, winding story of controversy and constraint for US iPhone users. Whether international carriers follow AT&T’s lead and allow the app to operate on their networks as well, of course, remains to be seen.

For those of you holding your breath for Skype to work over AT&T’s 3G network, you will soon be able to relax as Skype has told “The iPhone Addict DOT com” it’s only a matter of time. From their blog:
You may have seen other apps offering calls over 3G, but we’re holding ours back for a little bit longer. Why? So that we can give you the very best audio quality we can. When our 3G-capable Skype for iPhone app is released, it’ll let you make calls in wideband audio, giving you greater clarity and fidelity – because that’s what you expect from Skype.
We’ve been waiting since way back in November, when AT&T decided to allow VoIP over their 3G network, and Apple’s iPhone 3.2 SDK for iPad has now removed the last hurdle.
It’s no surprise we heard earlier that AT&T has been working with Apple to improve their network before the release of the highly anticipated Apple iPad. Perfect timing don’t you think?

According to Mission Repair, Apple’s iPad has a space for an iSight webcam/camera inside the device. Based on parts seemingly obtained through unofficial channels, the frame appears to have a very similar area to the MacBook’s existing iSight webcam enclosure.
If true, this is almost the exact same situation that occurred with the iPod touch G3, which was widely rumored to be getting a camera, ended up being introduced without one, and was torn-down after release to show the area where a camera was ready to go.
In that case, it was said Apple wasn’t pleased with the quality of the cameras they’d received, and so pulled them at the last minute. Could they have received a second bum batch for the iPad? Could they have tested out the awkward camera angle enforced by holding an iPad flat on the lap and decided no one needed to see the undersides of their chine? Seriously, people, we’re running out of ideas as to why there aren’t any cameras on these devices. Let us know what you think!
via: mission repair

Apple’s new iPad tablet is essentially a larger form-factor iPhone 3GS or iPod touch G3 which leverages both the bigger, 1024×768 screen and an updated iPhone 3.2 OS with enhanced versions of existing apps like Mail and Calendar, new offerings like the iBooks e-book reader and store, low-cost 3G data plans, and a 1GHz Apple A4 processor.
Critics have called the iPad “just a big iPhone” and fail to see how it changes anything. Supporters have called the iPad “a big iPhone” and feel it changes everything. Which is it? Until it ships in March (for the Wi-Fi version) or April (for the 3G version) and The iPhone Addict gets to do a full-on review, we can’t say for sure. But we can go through and preview what we’ve seen so far and try to figure out just which direction Apple’s leaning. And we’re going to, after the break!

What is the iPad and Where Does it Fit?

At their “Come see our latest creation” keynote (available now via Apple.com and iTunes), Apple CEO, Steve Jobs announced the iPad as a new category of device in-between the smartphone and a laptop. That’s not to say in-between devices didn’t exist before, they certainly did — netbooks, tablet PCs, large media devices, etc. have all tried to be that device and most have failed. Just as there were MP3 players before the iPod, however, Apple aims to mainstream the concept and possibly create if not a new category position, then a new contender to be that category.
Sure, the iPad could be just a large slab of glass too big for the pocket and too underpowered for productivity. Or it could be a highly abstracted computing appliance with an incredibly intimate, easy-to-use interface. It could fail to catch on, like others before it, or it could conceivably mainstream computers the way the iPhone mainstreamed smartphones. Geeks might enjoy using it on the sofa or while traveling. Non geeks might enjoy finally having a way to browse the web, handle email and appointments, consume music, movies, TV shows, and e-books, and use apps and games without the massive overhead involved in managing even a modern Windows, Mac, or Linus-based machine.

Significantly Better

In order to introduce the iPad, Steve Jobs said it had to be significantly better at a few key things than either a smartphone or a laptop. His list included:
-Browsing
-Email
-Photos
-Video
-Music
-Games
-eBooks

The ability to hold all that in your hands and interact with it through a fast, fluid multitouch interface was Jobs’ pitch — so much more intimate than a laptop and so much more capable than a smartphone. But for whom?
Horizontals and Verticals
Again, geeks often buy just to have the latest gadget, but for non-geeks, an iPad might be preferable to a file-system bound PCs that require tons of tech-support from manufacturers or tech-savvy family members. No anti-virus or anti-malware, no hunting down and installing software and only partially uninstalling it later, no drivers to be driven mad by, and runtimes to rundown the system.
The iPhone Addict and many others have joked that this could be the perfect machine for our mom, but that just means it could be perfect for anyone who finds current computers impenetrable and hostile. That includes grandparents who just want to see photos and movies of the grandkids and email them back and forth. It also includes those young grandkids who, if the iPhone is any indicator, can take to the user interface like fish to water.
The lack of an iSight webcam does hamper this, however, as many grandparents actually want to see their grandkids (apply that equally to any friends or family).
For verticals, it could also be a boon to medical professionals, teachers and students, technicians, business users, or anyone who needs an easy-to-use interface that’s highly customizable via apps, and incredibly low maintenance. Whether that’s to review x-rays, carry around tons of interactive textbooks, follow detailed schematics, or use rich data visualization models, the iPad could be a better, more specific solution while on rounds, in class, at a customer, or on the road.

A Bit of History

Before we begin to look at where we are today, it’s interesting to once again note that the iPhone we’ve had since 2007 was an adaption of older, existing Apple tablet efforts. The iPad (or Safari Pad) started life before the iPhone but ended up being released later. Much of the technology in the iPhone and iPod touch comes from work on the iPad, Apple just felt they could productize the smartphone and iPod version earlier, and that the iPad just wasn’t ready yet.
Today, Apple thinks it is.

iPad Hardware

If the original iPhone 2G (and the iPod touch G1 that followed it) established Apple’s take on the iconic black slab, the iPad establishes the black slate. Like the original iPhone and like all generations of iPod touch, it’s backed by an aluminum unibody — and the 3G-enabled version even has a similar black plastic, antenna friendly, cutout. And like all versions of iPhone, the front is a single piece of glass wrapped in a silvered bezel.

Size Matters

If we examine the size, the iPad is 9.56″ high compared to 4.5″ for the iPhone and 4.3 for the iPod touch. Width is 7.47″ compared to 2.4″ for both the iPhone and iPod touch. Depth is 0.5″ for the iPad compared to 0.48″ for the iPhone and 0.33″ thin for the iPod touch. Weight is 1.5 lbs for the iPad compared to 4.8 ounces for the iPhone and 4.05 ounces for the iPod touch.

So in terms of size, the iPad is more than twice as high and three times as wide as an iPhone, and it’s quite a lot heavier as well. It’s certainly not pocketable but it is portable. Sure it’s heavier than a Kindle but that’s a tradeoff for the aluminum and glass-covered, full-color screen.
And oh, what a screen. 9.6″ diagonal as opposed to the iPhone’s 3.5″, it’s LED and uses IPS — the same technology found in the new 9:16 iMac display. While we haven’t seen the iPad’s screen in action yet, the iMac’s is phenomenal, with an incredible range of bright, beautiful colors and ultra-wide viewing angle perfect for sharing with lots of people sitting on a couch together (if you’re familiar with older generation displays, and how the colors would seem to invert from an angle, have no worries about that here.)
It’s also oleophobic, aka oil resistant, just like the iPhone 3GS.
Where the iPhone and iPod touch which have 3:2 aspect ration screens, the iPad’s is 4:3 like an old standard definition TV. By contrast, Apple’s old iMac had a 16:10 ratio, and their new iMacs, like modern HDTVs, have 16:9 aspect ratios. Why has Apple gone in the opposite direction for the iPad?
Unlike a TV, where you sit across the room and the screen fills a relatively small part of your field of vision, and like the iPhone, the iPad will be held much closer. Even with monstrous letterboxing, the video will still fill a large part of your field of vision.
Of course, the iPad isn’t only a video player. There are other forms of content to consume. For web browsing, even 16:10 sometimes feels too “short”, and you need to scroll more than you like. For books, a narrow page may not be ideal, and with a two-page spread, those pages will seem squat, squarish. In that context, the 4:3 ratio could be a good compromise.
Bottom line, the iPad is more to lug around than an iPhone, but if you’re used to lugging a laptop or netbook, taking an iPad with you will be a breeze. Taking it in addition to that laptop, however, might be annoying — and something Apple likely hopes you do instead of, not as well as.
Buttons, Ports, and the Usual Paucity Thereof
The iPad boasts just as many — or rather just as few — physical controls as the iPhone and iPod. There’s a home button just below the screen, an sleep/wake button on the top, and mute button and volume rocker on the side. To control anything else, Apple expects you to use that beefy multitouch display.
Ports are similar. There’s the iPod-standard 30-pin dock connector at the bottom, a 3.5mm headset jack, weirdly shaped speakers on both sides, and a microphone.
That’s right, no USB or Firewire, no HDMI. You can get video-out via VGA adapter (meant for business use with projectors) and Apple’s existing composite and component A/V cables. A new dock adapter also allows cameras and SD/SDHC camera cards to be connected so pictures and video can be loaded into the iPad. Since the iPad supported 720p video files, here’s hoping Apple ads an HDMI adapter to the list sooner rather than later.

Astonishing Accessories

Apple is providing a basic, $39 dock for the ipad, just as it does for the iPhone, as well as a $39 case that can be flipped open and around to prop up the iPad for easier typing or movie viewing. There’s also a 6-foot extension for the AC USB power adapter, and the aforementioned video cables. Nice but hardly new.
What is new — what’s astonishing given Apple’s history with the iPhone, is a second, $69 dock that’s attached to, and provides full support for, an Apple-style hardware keyboard. Yeah, we almost fell over too. And if that’s not enough, the iPad can also use Apple’s — or anyone else’s — Bluetooth keyboard as well.
This means people who might not have considered an iPad for serious text entry can now consider it, and could potentially take it on short trips instead of a netbook where they’d use just the iPad functions 80% of the time, but still need a hardware keyboard once and a while.
We hold great hope that both make their way back to the iPhone and iPod touch with all deliberate speed.

Apple A4 System-on-a-Chip

One of the biggest stories coming out of the iPad launch was Apple introducing their own system-on-a-chip, dubbed the Apple A4. Other than the announced 1GHz speed, no one will know the exact details until the iPad ships and is subsequently torn down. It’s widely suspected that Apple is using the next generation of the iPhone 3GS’ ARM Cortex A8 CPU, the ARM Cortex A9, which is multicore. Some rumors have suggested Apple is also using an ARM GPU for the graphics, though again an iPhone 3GS-like PowerVR SGX chip could also be in play. There’s been no word on RAM yet, though Apple did say the A4 had an on-board memory controller.
To be clear, Apple isn’t making their own chips (at least for now), they’re just putting the chips they want together in their own way.
Up until now, with Apple controlling software and hardware, it’s been difficult for competitors to produce as nicely integrated devices. With Apple controlling the internals as well, its only going to be harder.

Storage and Pricing

Storage and pricing go together like Apple and $100 increments. Trust us, that makes sense if you’re at all familiar with how Apple determines low, medium, and high-cost versions of their iPod and iPhone families, and now iPad as well.
For the Wi-Fi only model, you’re looking at:
$499 for 16GB
$599 for 32GB
$699 for 64GB
For the Wi-Fi + 3G model, it increases to:
$629 for 16GB
$729 for 32GB
$829 for 64GB

Those are the same storage options currently available on the much smaller iPod touch, so yes, we’re disappointed. Physically, our guess is Apple could have fit 128GB of solid-state NAND Flash memory in the iPad. Whether they could have fit 128GB without significantly raising the price-point, however, is another story. That Apple was prioritizing low price over huge specs isn’t surprising here.
And what a low price it is! After analysts and journalist either predicted or were fed a $999 price point, announcing at $499 made the iPad seem like a sweet deal, and it is given the functionality of even that 3G-less, low storage version.
Like with the iPhone, we’re betting people get lured into the Apple Store for the $499 but realize even $699 or $829 for the 64GB, 3G version isn’t that much more amortized over the course of the 12-36 month product life (gadget lovers tend to update every year, mainstream consumers only when they have to).

Cheap, No-Contract Data Plans… if You Have a Micro-SIM

For the version of the iPad that supports 3G cellular networking, unlike the iPhone — which remains locked to carriers who, in exchange, subsidize its price to the tune of $450 — is being offered unsubsidized and unlocked. You can run it on any 3G carrier that supports UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz), which included AT&T — but not T-Mobile US. It also supports GSM/EDGE (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz), however, so if you really want to run it on T-Mo (or Wind in Canada) you can do so on the much slower 2.5G.
Sounds great, but as Apple has done in the past, they’ve jettisoned current technology for next-generation. Instead of the ubiquitous 2FF Mini-SIM cards used by the iPhone (and almost all modern GSM phones), the iPad uses smaller, 3FF Micro-SIM cards. Steve Jobs said, if you have one, you could stick it in the iPad and it should “just work”. Trouble is, most people don’t have a Micro-SIM yet. No doubt AT&T should by launch, and we’ve heard T-Mo, O2 in the UK, and Orange in France are getting them as well.
Speaking of which, Apple didn’t stop the low-cost train with just the iPad itself — they somehow got AT&T to agree to unprecedented data plans:

$14.99 for up to 256MB of data
$29.99 for “unlimited”

We don’t know if “unlimited” is the typical “use over 5GB’s at your own risk” but we suspect so. That they’re off-contract and unlocked, customers could get on-demand, pre-paid data for times when they’ll be traveling, anywhere in the world. What’s more, Apple said you could enable the data plans right on the device, making it super convenient — though whether or not that will be rolled-out internationally is also unclear.
We should know more by March in the US, and June/July internationally when Apple announces more network deals.

iPad Software — iPhone 3.2

The iPad doesn’t run full-on Mac OS X. If you want a highly-portable Mac, Apple offers the Intel Core2 Duo-powered MacBook Air with Nvidia graphics that runs Adobe CS 4, including Photoshop, well. In other words, you can hammer nails with a screwdriver but that’s not its intended purpose, and in Apple’s mind the iPad’s intended purpose meant the right tool for its job is iPhone OS X in general, and iPhone 3.2 in specific.
With 70 million iPhone and iPod touch devices sold to date, Apple pointed out that there’s a huge base of consumers already educated on how to use their brand of multitouch interface, something they must consider important in mainstreaming the iPad.

iPhone Inside

That’s right, the iPhone 3.2 OS that’s been missing in action for actual iPhone and iPod touch owners have been waiting for since late 2009 has finally shown up — and so far it’s iPad only.
Now that’s not to say iPhone and iPod touch owners might not get it eventually, like in March when the iPad ships, and it does bring some interesting things to the iPad that we’d all appreciate. And, Apple being Apple, it also lacks some things that we really wish it didn’t lack.
Some of what’s lacking — and we’ll get to specifics below — might well change before launch. The iPhone added the YouTube app between introduction and shipping, for example. Also, if Apple holds true to schedule, March will bring us an iPhone 4.0 sneak preview event, which means anyone getting an iPad on release could get a free software update that adds significant functionality in June/July — just as previous iPhone and iPod touch users have enjoyed for years.
All that being said, here’s where we stand as of today.

System-wide Embiggening

Apple Senior VP of iPhone Software, Scott Forstall said that all of the built-in apps for the iPad’s version of iPhone 3.2 were re-written from the ground up. Since the screen is much bigger, that makes sense. Where on an iPhone or iPod touch you have to switch screens to get to list views like the Email inbox or album contents, or change options without having to go to a separate settings window. Primarily these are exposed through “popover” menus, especially in portrait mode, and side panels in landscape mode.
Scrubbers, seen on the iPhone 3GS for video trimming, also get bigger and pushed out across the system so you can scrub through everything from photos to calendar days.
Multitouch gestures like pinch-to-zoom are found in more apps, and from the demo of a prototype version of the game NOVA, more complex gestures are also possible — such as three-finger turns.
Lastly, the virtual keyboard is much bigger and MacBook-looking (it even includes faux ridges on the F and J keys!) that almost MacBook size in landscape mode.
According to numerous hands-on reports, however, the home+sleep button combo to take a screenshot isn’t currently implemented. (Do a reviewer a favor, Apple, flip that switch and soon.)

Photos from the Lock Screen

The iPad has an almost identical lock screen to the iPhone and iPod touch with the exception of an extra button that launches photo slide shows. Essentially, when your iPad is off and especially when its charging in its dock, it can become a 9.6″ digital photo frame (with a gorgeous LED panel!)
However, if photos aren’t your thing, if you’d prefer weather, news, Facebook or Twitter status updates, or… anything else, you’re out of luck. Full screen or dashboard-like widgets, Apple doesn’t currently offer any other way to use that giant screen when locked.

Home Screen: Bring your own Wallpaper, Even in Landscape

Currently, to do something as simple as changing the plain black background of your iPhone’s Home Screen, you have to Jailbreak. Not so with the iPad, where support for custom background wallpapers, including several provided by Apple, is built right in.

While the demonstration and associated press images have shown an iPhone-live 4 icon wide grid for apps, the iPad simulator shipped as part of the iPhone 3.2 SDK (more on that later) shows up to 6 apps can fit in the dock.

What’s more, the Home Screen now rotates into landscape mode.

Calendar Goes Weekly

iPad Calendar takes visual cues from both iPhone Calendar and Mac iCal but really looks like it comes into its own, with the real-world look and feel Apple has sprinkled throughout the iPad, and all the room the big screen provides.
Along with month, day, and list view, it also gets a week-view, which the iPhone still lacks.

Contacts

iPad Contacts gets re-envisioned to look more like… well, a contact book complete faux open page design and ornamental bookmark.
Not much in the way of new functionality has been shown yet, though the SDK shows hints that either camera hooks from the iPhone were left in (and SMS and phone call handling hooks as well), or Apple has plans for future iPad devices.

Notes

iPad Notes, in landscape view, gets the side panel list so you can jump quickly from note to not without having to navigate back and forth like you do on the iPhone. In a move that might be the highlight-equivalent of the still-in-use Marker Felt font for body text, Apple helpfully circles the current note in red…

Maps, Still with Google

Like on the iPhone, Apple created an iPad Maps app that hooks into Google’s ginormous back end of location, satellite, and street-view data. The biggest change is — wow, does it look great on the bigger screen.

The “page curl” to access settings remains, and no matter how nice it looks, why this inconsistent method exists only in Maps remains a mystery.

Also, popovers make an appearance in Maps, for example when you start typing in a search, a popover appears containing suggested terms. While not expressly shown, it’s not difficult to imagine this is another system-wide addition across the built-in apps.

As an aside, it’s nice to see Google still playing a role inside the iPhone/iPad OS, despite rumors to the contrary.

Videos and that 4:3 Aspect Ratio

Rather than an iPod app like the iPhone, iPad has a separate Videos app like the iPod touch. Due to the bigger screen real-estate, however, instead of a vertical list, poster art is shown in an iTunes-style grid. After choosing a movie, TV show, podcast, or music video, you’re greeted with large poster art, synopsis, and cast and crew highlights.
There’s also a large, thumbnailed chapter view for titles that support it.

And as mentioned, due to the 4:3 aspect ratio, when videos are playing you get some monstrous letterboxing…

YouTube, Now in HD

The YouTube app for iPad pulls in the H.264 version of Google’s popular video site and supports high-definition now as well (though what resolution that means, we’re not sure yet).

Unlike the iPhone, where you can only see full-screen video, or video information or related videos on separate screens, on the iPad you can see a partial screen video with all that information displayed at the same time.

iTunes Store

The iPad wouldn’t be part of the Apple ecosystem if it didn’t include the iTunes Store. Visually, this version looks more like the Mac iTunes than the iPhone, with multiple panels that let you keep browsing along the sides and bottom even as you call up more details on top.

When you select something, however, an overlay spins out of the album art to give you more options — something very different than either the iPhone’s full-screen change or desktop iTune’s window reload.

App Store — 140,000 Apps for That… and This

The App Store on the iPad looks like two iPhone App Store apps side-by-side at the bottom, and a big CoverFlow view stacked on top. Since CoverFlow hasn’t been shown elsewhere on the iPad yet, it’s a little strange seeing it here… When an app is selected, the app page proper looks similar to the desktop iTunes presentation.

Far more interesting than the UI, however, was the announcement that “almost all” existing iPhone OS App Store apps — 140,000 and counting — would run on the iPad. (We’re taking “almost all” to mean the same ones that don’t run on an iPod touch due to the lack of a camera and telephony will likewise not run on the iPad for the same reason).
That’s huge, and it gives the iPad a monstrous software library right out of the gate, and it means anyone who already has iPhone/iPod touch apps can just hook an iPad up to iTunes and sync over their existing library (or, we supposed, just download them again from the App Store for free).

On the iPad, iPhone apps will run at normal size, framed in a black box, or can be pixel doubled via a 2x button to appear almost full-screen. The pixel doubling looked okay if not perfect, and better on fast-moving games then static social networking apps. Read more…