Tag Archives: Ipad

The iPad 2 {Technology Review/Preview}

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Despite his illness troubles Apple fans were relieved to see Steve Jobs take to the stage to introduce the new iPad, the iPad2. The product is an improved version rather than a radical new design but in any case consumers are set to benefit as the iPad2 starts at the same price as its predecessor $499 for the base 16GB model with new improved features.

• Tapered design and 33% thinner
• Faster chip (dual-core A5 CPU, claimed to be twice as fast as its predecessor)
• Dual Web Cams (Rear facing 720p HD resolution)
• Integrated gyroscope for games
• 3G Units available
• The same 10 hour battery life as its predecessor
• Available in black and white
• App store with 350,000 Apps

As the tablet market continues to expand the iPad2 is set to help Apple stay one step ahead of its rivals for the time being.

Prices $499-$829

The iPad2 is released on March 11 in the US and internationally on March 25

Playing Tag With Cheryl Cole And Jennifer Aniston

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Do you know, I’m almost embarrassed to post this, but it’ll be interesting – promise, even if it’s just for the top 10 further down.

Years of writing news stories and articles. Flogging over a hot keyboard to gain journalism qualifications. It means absolutely sweet FA if no one reads the results of the writer’s Herculean labours.

Journalism, as my colleague Holly Thomas covered recently, is an over-subscribed business. Writing seems to be something a lot of people think they can do.

Let me tell you guys, ranting over Twitter while misspelling everything ain’t journalism. But everyone’s out there, blogging, tweeting, Facebooking (or whatever today’s adjective for being on Facebook is) and rambling on for 18 pages – FRONT AND BACK!

Must be the glamour that attracts people to writing. The joys of getting rained on, on a bitterly frozen Arctic day covering an escaped prisoner from Feltham Young Offenders, waiting for the police to acknowledge your press card while reluctant witnesses hurtle off down the street pursued by journos and TV crew.

Yeah, I’ve done that, and covered a few sporting occasions, which can be another joy. Coaxing comments out of monosyllabic players and managers after they’ve just been on the receiving end of a brutal defeat.

On the bright side, I haven’t yet been clouted. Surprisingly, neither has my friend Emma who works in local news and sometimes has the unenviable task of speaking to grieving family members in search of a story.

As well as newspapers and magazines, I also write web copy for a sports website. Ah, the fun of being called a disgrace to journalism and a London-based hack on the internet. Admittedly, I’ll concede the second point.

Trouble is, that sporting web copy? Often live and very pressured. The moment you press the button, you’re out in the ether. Doesn’t matter if you spot it immediately and correct it, umpteen people around the world have seen it and already – rightly – commented on what a twat you are.

Now you may say that this is contradictory. How can I complain about journalists not being noticed and then whine about it when they are?

Fair point.

Truth is, from a purely personal point of view, I qualified in News Writing, Media Law and Shorthand among others. So while sport has been kind to me in the respect that I’ve been able to keep most of the roof over my head and occasionally eat, I also like to think I have a wider range to offer.

And that’s what Frost does. As a writer and editor, I have a lovely medium to rattle on about pretty much anything for your enjoyment and edification.  Which brings me to the point of this article 13 paragraphs on.

While we have thousands of regular readers, getting brand new, shiny people to pop in to Frost and read us, and hopefully stay to dip in to our box of delights is all about the tags. Those little words and hooks that grab your attention – even if you didn’t want it to. Sorry, but that’s what we do. Engage.

So with that in mind, Google’s most searched terms of 2010 were apparently, in order:

1. chatroulette

2. ipad

3. justin bieber

4. nicki minaj

5. friv

6. myxer

7. katy perry

8. twitter

9. gamezer

10. facebook.

Which is worrying, because as a duffer, I haven’t heard of some of those.

And falling faster than – oh, I don’t know, something really heavy and inert, say a cartoon safe – in 2010, was:

1. swine flu

2. wamu

3. new moon

4. mininova

5. susan boyle

6. slumdog millionaire

7. circuit city

8. myspace layouts

9. michael jackson

10. national city bank.

So, theoretically, if I add all those top 10 most popular terms into an article and tag them myself, (hey, look at that! I just did!)  It should garner some attention.

And then looking into my crystal ball for 2011… Actually, why bother? If I just throw in say, X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent, Doctor Who, Cheryl Cole, Lady Gaga, Brighton Rock, Manchester United, Barcelona, Jose Mourinho, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, oh, and romcom, I think that’ll do it.

Welcome to Frost. Thank you for stopping by. We love you and please feel free to look around. And come back and tell your friends!

Or you can just wait for them to stumble on the same set of tags and blog/tweet/facebook each other about us. I’m easy either way.

Guinness World Records Announce Largest Santa Claus Collection.

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Retired Canadian teacher enters the Guinness World Records™ 2011 edition with world’s ‘Largest Collection of Santa Claus Memorabilia’

Jean-Guy’s 25,000-piece collection fills his entire house!

74-year-old Jean-Guy Laquerre from Boucherville, Quebec, today celebrates being officially recognised as the biggest collector of Santa Claus-themed memorabilia in the world, having accumulated an incredible 25,189 items from 33 countries over the past 22 years. His record-breaking collection, which is still growing in size, has earned him a place in the Guinness World Records 2011 edition and will also feature as part of the new Guinness World Records iPad app Guinness World Records: At Your Fingertips, which launches today on the iTunes store.

Jean-Guy began his collection in 1988 after being left a Santa Claus statuette from the early 1900s by a deceased relative. This touching gesture inspired him to start hunting for everything Santa-related, from postcards and brooches to toys and posters. And just like Santa, in his bid to keep expanding his collection, Jean-Guy has his own band of helpers – friends rather than elves! – that send him gifts from antique shops and garage sales, to help boost his assortment of Father Christmas merchandise.

Now the enthusiast has been rewarded with a certificate, a place in the 2011 edition book and will also feature in the new Guinness World Records app which launches today. Commenting on his record-breaking collection, Jean-Guy said: “To be included in the Guinness World Records book is a big honour. It’s the best of the best, the top of the top – like being an Olympic gold medal winner! Being part of the iPad app gives me even more joy as it will help spread the happiness my collection brings to people.”

Guinness World Records Editor-in-chief Craig Glenday says: “Jean-Guy personifies the magic of Christmas ­ his collection is a joy to behold and brings a smile to the face of even the most hardened of cynics. He’s the kind of grandfather that every child would want!”

An ideal Christmas gift for both knowledge-seekers and aspiring record-breakers of all ages, Guinness World Records 2011 edition is available now from all good book retailers (RRP £20).

The Guinness World Records app Guinness World Records: At Your Fingertips launches today, delivering more than 150 photographs, 140 records, 20 stunning video clips, and three exclusive games that enable iPad users – for the first time ever – to be able to attempt and set real Guinness World Records straight from their iPad.

Guinness World Records: At Your Fingertips is available now at the iTunes Store for £2.99. For more information visit http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/ipad.aspx

Blackberry PlayBook vs iPad on Web Fidelity {Gadgets}

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Back in September, RIM announced it was venturing into the tablet market with BlackBerry PlayBook. Matthew from RIM has made a short video demonstrating Blackberry Playbook vs the iPad when it comes to browsing the web.

On the video, Matthew quickly runs through a series of comparison tests with a PlayBook and iPad (running iOS 3.2.2), which demonstrate three things: the speed of the PlayBook Browser, its support for rich Flash content, and the performance of open web standards like HTML 5 on the PlayBook.

RIM unveil BlackBerry PlayBook {Gadgets}

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BlackBerry makers RIM have unveiled their latest toy ‘The BlackBerry PlayBook’ and are pointing it squarely at the “let’s pretend it’s work but shh it’s actually fun” generation.

The professional-grade tablet boasts unmatched power and web performance. Perfect for either large organizations or an “army of one”, the BlackBerry PlayBook is designed to give users what they want, including uncompromised web browsing, true multitasking and high performance multimedia, while also providing advanced security features, out-of-the-box enterprise support and a breakthrough development platform for IT departments and developers.

“RIM set out to engineer the best professional-grade tablet in the industry with cutting-edge hardware features and one of the world’s most robust and flexible operating systems,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion. “The BlackBerry PlayBook solidly hits the mark with industry leading power, true multitasking, uncompromised web browsing and high performance multimedia.”

Measuring less than half an inch thick and weighing less than a pound, the BlackBerry PlayBook, with its 7″ high resolution display is ultra portable. One of it’s main selling points is multi-tasking. Its performance is jointly fueled by a 1 GHz dual-core processor and the new BlackBerry Tablet OS which supports true symmetric multiprocessing.

Another of PlayBook’s big selling points is its “Uncompromised Web Browsing” with support for Adobe® Flash® Player 10.1, Adobe® Mobile AIR® and HTML-5, the BlackBerry PlayBook provides users with an uncompromised, high-fidelity web experience and offers them the ability to enjoy all of the sites, games and media on the web. For more than a decade, the mobile industry has worked to bridge the gap between the “real web” and mobile devices through various apps and technologies and, in fact, a significant number of mobile apps today still simply serve as a proxy for web content that already exists on the web. RIM are also encouraging developers and content publishers to work with them to develop applications and content.

The BlackBerry PlayBook features dual HD cameras for video capture and video conferencing that can both record HD video at the same time…possibly to capture the scene you’re looking at and the look of amazement on your face at the same time…and an HDMI-out port for presenting creations on external displays. The BlackBerry PlayBook also offers rich stereo sound.

For those BlackBerry PlayBook users who carry a BlackBerry smartphone, it will also be possible to pair the tablet and smartphone using Bluetooth. This means they can opt to use the larger tablet display to seamlessly and securely view any of the email, BBM™, calendar, tasks, documents and other content that resides on (or is accessible through) their smartphone. They can also use their tablet and smartphone interchangeably without worrying about syncing or duplicating data.

The BlackBerry Tablet OS is built upon the yummiest sounding operating system – the QNX® Neutrino® microkernel architecture. It’s been used in everything from planes, trains and automobiles to medical equipment and the largest core routers that run the Internet.

The Specifications and Key features of the BlackBerry PlayBook include:

  • 7″ LCD, 1024 x 600, WSVGA, capacitive touch screen with full multi-touch and gesture support
  • BlackBerry Tablet OS with support for symmetric multiprocessing
  • 1 GHz dual-core processor
  • 1 GB RAM
  • Dual HD cameras (3 MP front facing, 5 MP rear facing), supports 1080p HD video recording
  • Video playback: 1080p HD Video, H.264, MPEG, DivX, WMV
  • Audio playback: MP3, AAC, WMA
  • HDMI video output
  • Wi-Fi – 802.11 a/b/g/n
  • Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
  • Connectors: microHDMI, microUSB, charging contacts
  • Open, flexible application platform with support for WebKit/HTML-5, Adobe Flash Player 10.1, Adobe Mobile AIR, Adobe Reader, POSIX, OpenGL, Java
  • Ultra thin and portable:
    • Measures 5.1″x7.6″x0.4″ (130mm x 193mm x 10mm)
    • Weighs less than a pound (approximately 0.9 lb or 400g)
  • Additional features and specifications of the BlackBerry PlayBook will be shared on or before the date this product is launched in retail outlets.
  • RIM intends to also offer 3G and 4G models in the future.

It’s due to reach the UK for Apr 2011 [BlackBerry PlayBook]

Dress your iPad – Best iPad Cases {Gadgets}

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So you bought an iPad…then the shop assistant tried to upsell to you a boring ‘executive’ case that’s so uninspiring the only thing you could think of to say was “errrm”.

Well we’ve scoured the internet to find the best-est (-sic) cases around at the moment so that you can dress your new friend.

LaCie Vegetal Sleeve, £34.99

For the eco-friendly iPad owner, LaCie’s Vegetal Sleeve is made from plant materials sourced from Europe. They feature a soya–based memory foam cushion to protect your gadget from everyday bumps, a linen exterior, and bamboo jersey lining. Comes in different sizes for laptops.

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Byrd & Belle iPad Sleeve, $48

Chic 100% Felted Wool sleeve with a simple leather fastening. This high quality felt is a sustainable and renewable material and offers strength while remaining soft to the touch.

Simple, low fuss and ooh it also comes in ‘graphite’.

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M-Edge Trip Jacket, $49.99

Pretend your iPad is a Moleskine sketchbook if you like. The Trip opens like a book and fastens with elastic. Made from canvas with a leather trim and comes in a variety of colours.

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Pro-Tec Bamboo iPad Case, £24.95

Covers the back and edges of the case so you’re still going to need to find a way to protect the screen if you’re going out and about. If you’re using it only in the comfort of your own home then this slick eco case is ideal.

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Cool Bananas Envelope Case, £24.95

It’s in the shape of an envelope! OK, it’s not fooling anyone but at least it looks good. White leather with a soft velour lining and magnetic clasp.

Prefer it in a different colour? they’ve got it in black leather as well.

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If these don’t tickle your fancy then there are bucket loads of amazing cases on Etsy.com. Here’s just a few that will sell out really quickly…

Great Wave off Kanawaga Sleeve, £46.28

Print onto leather, lined with wool blend felt from Tinderbloom

FARRAGO Leather iPad Case with Strap, £55.54

Don’t be put off by the berry pink, it also comes in manly and neutral colours. No magnetic fastenings so you don’t need to worry about your screen going funny.

Thin Leather Case, £29.99

Really testing the definition of handmade, this one is so unique it comes in ‘Blown’.

Next Week's TV Choices

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Seven days of mental cooks, singing and dancing high schoolers and thousands of runners awaits as I take a look at what is worth tuning in for next week.

Monday 19th – One of my favourite shows…of course this is mainly due to the competitions they have every week, The Gadget Show (ch5 20.00) will be keeping us all up to date in the world of tech and presenter Jon Bentley will be seeing what all the fuss is about with the new Apple iPad.

Tuesday 20th – you know that old Homerism ‘a hundred channels and theres nothing on’ never a truer word was spoken about Tuesday’s TV, unless your able to fill your day with music channels (Scuzz, my personal favourite) tune into Channel 4 at 21:00 for Heston’s Titanic Feast, a cookery show that doesn’t try to teach us anything or tell what we should be eating. This week, nutjob Blumenthal will be serving up Antarctic Roll, Camel Burger and a flambéed Iceberg.

Wednesday 21st – Three words…Planes, Trains and Automobiles, if you haven’t seen this I pity you, 20:00 on SkyMovies Comedy this film follows two men trying to get home for Thanksgiving an stars the greatly missed John Candy and Steve Martin when he was still funny.

Thursday 22nd – Now when writing this I planned on giving all you lovely readers one programme per day that you should see, Thursday threw up a conundrum, ‘You Have Been Watching’, channel 4 22:00, presented by the outstandingly cynical Charlie Brooker with a panel including Robert Webb, Jason Manford and Sharon Horgan review the highs and lows of the tellybox whereas over on channel Dave at 22.20 we find episode 6 of the excellent Psychoville….but I suppose theres always Dave ja vu!

Friday 23rd – 20:00…channel 4…GLEE….that’s all you need to know about Friday.

Saturday 24th – To all those who are fans of the Doctor (which I include myself one of) the answer as to whether Matt Smith is as good or better than David Tennant as Doctor Who is still unanswered, although at 18:20 on BBC1 we may find out as the Doctor once again meets the too-scary-for-a-kids-show Weeping Angels, and if your not as much of a geek as me then head over to SkyMovies Showcase at 20:00 for Jack Nicolson’s brilliant performance (and the sinister Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched) in One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest.

Sunday 25th – Ahh The London Marathon, an epic event pushing people to the limits of fitness, reaching their goals and achieving their dreams, London will be awash with runners, cameras, spectators and discarded water bottles and thanks to BBC1 from 10:00 onwards we can have the best seats in the house, presented by the delightful Sue Barker it gives another chance to play Marathon bingo, man dressed as Nun (tick), three people running as a boat (tick) a Rhino(…)

By Stefan Gerrish.