Friday, April 22, 2011

Apple : Big Grips launches childproof iPad cases

Apple : Big Grips launches childproof iPad cases

Big Grips launches childproof iPad cases

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 03:58 AM PDT

If you regularly let your kids use your iPad or iPad 2, or happen to be incredibly clumsy yourself, you will be keen to invest in this new child-proof Big Grip case for Apple's tablet.

The Big Grips Frame is currently only available in the US ($35, plus international shipping costs from www.biggrips.com) but it would be a wise investment for anybody who is concerned about dropping their beloved Apple tablet on a stone floor and seeing it smash into a million tiny pieces in front of their horrified eyes.

Clumsy iPad user?

It is made from a high density foam and comes in a range of bright, childish colours. Importantly, while it gives you maximum tablet protection (oo-er!) it doesn't get in the way of the touchscreen or any of the ports on the iPad or iPad 2.

The iPad is already proving to be particularly popular with some lucky school kids, and parents can check out our recent top ten iPad apps for kids feature if they want to know more about the best educational and entertainment apps on offer on iTunes right now.

Big Grips is also selling a separate chunky, rubbery stand in which you can safely sit your highly-protected Apple tablet, safe in the knowledge that not even the most angry pre-school child could possibly destroy it… could they?

Developers get the latest 'iPhone 4S' from Apple

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 03:26 AM PDT

Apple has begun shipping a souped-up so-called "iPhone 4S" to games and app developers, in preparation for the forthcoming launch of the new iPhone 5.

A select few games devs have received the new Apple iPhone, to help them prepare the best titles possible for the iPhone 5 launch.

A5 chip in iPhone

9to5Mac reports that the new handsets feature Apple's super-nippy A5 chip, allowing developers to create the fastest and best-looking mobile phone games yet possible.

The A5 chip powers the Apple iPad 2 and is considerably faster than the A4 chip in the iPhone 4 and first-gen iPad.

9to5Mac's source claims that the "iPhone 4S" is almost identical to the current iPhone 4, apart from the inclusion of the newer, faster processor.

The "iPhone 4S" also apparently runs a specially adapted version of iOS4, created to work with the A5 chip in the iPhone.

The iPhone 5 is rumoured to be launching later this year, with no official word, as yet, from Apple.

Samsung hits back, sues Apple in patent case

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 02:03 AM PDT

Samsung is suing Apple, claiming that the Cupertino computing firm has violated a number of its patent rights.

The latest legal shenanigans between the two consumer tech giants follows on from recent accusations from Apple that Samsung was guilty of copying the designs of its iPhone and iPad with its Galaxy line of smartphones and tablets.

Patent spat

Samsung is one of Apple's major suppliers, providing the Cupertino company with chips for its iPhones and iPads, LCD screens and more.

These latest patent lawsuits were filed in South Korea, Japan and Germany this month, with Samsung claiming Apple is guilty of infringing up to five of its patents.

"Samsung is responding actively to the legal action taken against us in order to protect our intellectual property," reads a statement from the company.

New iPhone game appeals to blind gamers

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 01:48 AM PDT

The latest puzzle sensation for Apple iPhone is set to appeal to gamers who are blind or visually impaired, by using sound-based gameplay married with touchscreen control.

Stem Stumper is based around a standard puzzle-game template, in which the player guides a funny-looking plant creature around various obstacles such as angry tree stumps or clouds of nasty weed killer, in order to find bags of fertiliser.

Drag your finger along the screen to create a path and you will see and hear clues which let you know when you have come across something important or useful.

iOS gaming for the blind

"Come play Stem Stumper, a blind-accessible puzzle game for the iPhone and iPod Touch," reads the iTunes blurb. "A dynamic layered soundtrack guides Mimea the vine through 100 brain-teasing levels. Use sling shots, sprinklers and Angry Acorns to open paths for her to grow. Use the right combination to rack up points and prove once and for all you're smarter than a 6th grader.

"The inaugaral game of Ananse Productions, Stem Stumper is built from the ground up to be enjoyed by both the iPhone's burgeoning blind community and fully sighted players around the world."

The real innovation here is the option to play in "sonar mode" in which the visuals disappear from the screen and you are forced to focus and play the game exclusively via the sound effects emerging from your phone.

Stem Stumper supports Apple's VoiceOver, which reads out the instructions for each stage, for those visually impaired or blind gamers.

News.me app arrives for Apple iPad

Posted: 22 Apr 2011 01:16 AM PDT

The latest social news app for Apple iPad, News.me has finally arrived on the App Store this week, offering users one week free, after which they will then need to sign up to a 59p-a-week subscription.

News.me has backing from the New York Times, and some high profile media partners including Forbes, Gawker, Business Insider, Gigaom, Mashable, Venturebeat and the Associated Press.

Social news on the iPad

The iPad app will also provide you with a list of news content that your friends on Twitter are currently viewing, very much like other apps such as Flipboard and Zite, with the developer promising a "seamless interface for immersive reading" which somehow "uses science" to provide you with the most relevant personalised content.

News.me application's App Store description lists its features as follows:

  • Explore your own News.me stream based on the people you follow
  • Explore others' News.me streams to see the news that they are reading
  • Access the News.me streams of notable users such as Steven Johnson and Nicholas Kristof
  • Read full articles ad-free from major publishers like the New York Times
  • View full text, images, and videos in an elegant and streamlined layout
  • Save stories for later in your News.me reading list (or add to Instapaper)
  • Personalized relevance filters using bit.ly data
  • Browse and read the news offline

If you have an iPad then you can test out the News.me social news aggregator for free right now, just head over to the iTunes App Store.

If you like what you see, then you can pay 59p per week to keep using the app. Indeed, if you really like what you see, then you might even want to pay the annual subscription of £20.99 up front.

iTunes cloud streaming coming before Google?

Posted: 21 Apr 2011 02:53 PM PDT

Apple has finished work on its heavily-rumoured iTunes cloud music storage service and will beat Google Music out of the gate, according to sources close to both companies.

The service is set to allow subscribers to upload and store their music on Apple's servers for access through connected devices, much like the recently outed Amazon cloud-drive.

The report, which Reuters claims as an exclusive, claims that although Apple has completed the project, it is yet to get the backing of its music label partners, who also haven't been told when it will launch.

News that the service is scheduled to be a cloud storage service may disappoint folks hoping for an all-you-can eat service like Spotifty, with unlimited music for a set monthly fee.

Google Music delay

Reuters' sources have also revealed that the launch of its own long-awaited cloud music service might be a little while away still.

Word coming out of Silicon Valley is that the hold-up is being caused by Google executives flip-flopping on what the service will actually provide.

Recent reports have suggested that the company wants to make Google Music like iTunes - a store to purchase tunes - whereas more stories suggest the company is exploring subscription services.

The wait continues.

Source: Reuters
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)