All posts by Don

Samsung responds to iPad 2 with ‘The World’s Thinnest Mobile Tablets’



Earlier this month Apple revealed their follow up to the iPad, cleverly named the iPad 2. When Samsung saw it they were a little put back and decided to take their upcoming Galaxy Tab 10.1 back to the drawing board. Now, they have revealed the new tablet and it’s got a little brother, the Galaxy Tab 8.9.

The new Galaxy Tabs both run Android 3,0 (Honeycomb), sport front and rear facing cameras, a micro SD card slot and an HD display. They both feature a 1GHz dual-core processor, gyroscope and accelerometer, Wi-Fi connectivity and Bluetooth. On top of that, Samsung claims they are “the world’s thinnest mobile tablets” both coming in at a measly 8.6mm thick and thinner than the iPad 2.

Both models will also come with Samsung’s TouchWiz UX, a new user interface laid on top of the Android 3.0 operating system “offering superior multi-tasking and enhanced user interaction and navigation.” That’s not the only feature Samsung added to Honeycomb, both devices will feature their Reader’s Hub and Music Hub, offering users tons of music, books and magazines via download. Social networking diehards will have the Social Hub at their disposal, “which will aggregate email, instant messaging, contacts, calendar and social network connections into a single interface.”

What’s really exciting about the reveal is the competitive pricing Samsung announced. Apple revealed their iPad 2 with the same pricing model as the original and Samsung is right on their heels. The 16GB 10.1″ model will hit shelves for $499! That’s the same price you’ll pay for a Wi-Fi only 16GB iPad 2! The 16GB 8.9″ model takes it a step further coming in at $469! Not bad Samsung, it looks like you’ve got some real contenders here. There will also be 32GB models available at launch for $599 and $569 respectively.

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 will officially hit shelves on June 8th. Unfortunately, Samsung wasn’t as specific about the release date of the 8.9″ model, only saying the smaller version would be available “early this summer.” That’s pretty vague but, early this summer could very well mean June, right? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.


Sony Pictures Releases ‘My Daily Clip’ For Apple Devices



Sony Pictures’ ‘My Daily Clip’ app is now available for iPod, iPhone and iPad from the App Store. Everyday, 365 days a year, the app will show us a different clip from one of Sony Pictures’ films. We’ll have the option to watch the clip and if it’s a movie we’ve never seen or would like to own, it gives us a link to the movies iTunes page where we can purchase the entire movie. There’s also trivia for each clip and a calendar so we can go back watch clips from previous days.

I’ve spent a little time playing around with the app and so far it’s pretty cool. Right when the app boots up you’re introduced to a memorable scene from one of Sony’s past films. When we click to play the clip a quick trivia question pops up. For instance, today’s clip was from the classic military drama ‘A Few Good Men’ — “You can’t handle the truth!” — and the question was in regards to leading ladies Jack Nicolson has worked with. More specifically, it wanted to know which of the given choices was a leading lady that Jack Nicolson killed on screen — kinda gruesome but, fun nonetheless. When the trivia question comes up you have a short amount of time to answer. The faster you answer the more points you get, that is of course if you answer right, which I did not. I’m not entirely sure what the points will grant us other than bragging rights but, everyone likes to test their movie knowledge once in awhile, right?

The clip loaded up surprisingly fast and looked great. ‘A Few Good Men’ is a movie I’ve seen countless times but, the app did a great job pulling me in, leaving me wanting more. Needless to say, I hit the calendar and found a bunch of movies from previous days. Just like the clip of the day, each of the previous clips throws another trivia question at you regarding a character, crew member or actor from the film. It’s a great way to kill some time and I will surely be going back. The calendar shows you what clips will be shown in the coming days and I’m looking forward to the quick trivia questions regarding movies I’m more familiar with — I want those points!

Another cool feature My Daily Clip provides is the sharing option. If you load up the app and happen to find a clip that you and a bunch of your friends love, you can share the clip via Facebook or e-mail to spread the movie joy. My Daily Clip is available now from the App Store and won‘t cost you a penny, unless it inspires you to make a movie purchase via iTunes which is clearly Sony’s goal here. Either way, it’s worth the free download so check it out.


iPad 2 Smart Covers Are Not The Smartest Covers We’ve Seen



Yesterday Apple announced a follow-up to their successful iPad tablet, the iPad 2. Along with the tablet, they spent a ridiculous amount of time showing off what they call the “Smart Cover.” It’s basically a polyurethane (or leather) sheet that lays over the iPad 2’s screen protecting it from scratches and such. What separates this cover from the case they released for the original iPad is, well, the fact that this one is smart — sort of.

The Smart Cover doesn’t wrap around or snugly fit together with the iPad 2 like the previous case did. Instead, it uses an aluminum hinge with magnets inside to stick to the side of the tablet. They made sure everyone saw this at their press event — over and over and over again. Aside from the disappointment that was the original iPad case, Apple has always done a good job designing accessories for their products, and this Smart Case is no different. When you fold it closed it will automatically put the iPad 2 to sleep, when you open it the iPad 2 wakes up, simple as that. Another great feature is the predetermined folds. These folds let you set the iPad 2 up at a couple different angles. One for watching videos and video-chatting via FaceTime, the other for typing and playing games.

The covers — don’t call them cases, they’re covers! — look like they’ll be great for your screen but, there’s no drop protection whatsoever and the aluminum back will no doubt get scratched if you plan on using one. (Maybe “Smart Cover” wasn’t the best name choice) They will come in a variety of colors and we can choose between a classy leather cover or a fun happy colored polyurethane version. They’ve got a microfiber lining on the screen side that Apple claims will keep your screen clean (I doubt it will be that easy) and both versions will be available at launch, March 11th. Just like all of Apple’s other accessories, don’t expect to pick one of these up on the cheap. The polyurethane versions will cost about $40 while the leather one will set you back about $70.