iPad posts

This is an idea so beautiful in its execution that you wonder why it hasn't been done before -- take Steve Jobs' rapturous introduction of the iPad, and put it over the footage from Star Wars of the Death Star briefing. It's a perfect geeky mashup -- I especially love Han Solo's indifference ("It's just a big iPod touch, Chewie"), and the random jeers from the audience. Also, Google Maps on the Death Star looks a little different than on my phone, but I guess that Pac Man stuff is cool.

Brilliant little short. It's funny how Apple product announcements have become almost as culturally significant as the products themselves. Of course, that's exactly the way Apple wants it, but it doesn't stop us from skewering the presentations with mashups like this.

[via Cult of Mac]

If you're one of the many iPad customers having issues with charging, there may be relief in sight. A few popular PC motherboard manufacturers have released new drivers for their mobos that supposedly enable (or help with) iPad charging. If you have an ASUS, Gigabyte, or MSI motherboard, you can try hitting those links, downloading and installing the new drivers, and see if that helps. Unfortunately, this is still a YMMV situation -- there are a ton of different factors that go into the kind of power that can come off of a USB port, and even if you have the right software for the right motherboard manufacturer, there's no guarantee it'll work exactly right.

Still, if you've been craving a little extra power while charging your iPad on a PC, and know your way around a motherboard software update (which can be quite a task in itself, let me tell you from experience), attempting an update might be worth it. If you get it working and see an improvement in your iPad's charging capability, be sure to let us know in the comments.

[via Engadget]

The other day we showed you a photo of poker pro Andy Bloch with his iPad at the World Series Of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas. Little did we know that Andy was going to find and read the post. According to photographer BJ Nemeth, Bloch called him over to say it would be a bit surreal to have a photo taken reading the TUAW post about his iPad on his iPad.

BJ mentioned that Andy is playing a lot of Scrabble against other professional poker players, some of whom are at the same tournament although never at the same table. Players can have both iPads and smartphones at the table, but can't use them during a hand. Once they fold their cards, players are free to use their devices.

Andy's still alive at the tournament with 21 players remaining, and action resumes today at 3 PM PT to play down to the final table. Final table action takes place tomorrow and is taped by ESPN, which does not allow the use of electronics at the table.

We're not sure if posting this photo will cause a singularity to develop, threatening the existence of the multiverse, but we're going to give it a try anyway.

Thanks to BJ for the photos and to both BJ and Andy for being TUAW fans.

Here's a little iPad magic for your Memorial Day afternoon -- turns out the iPad really is a "magical" device. I'm not sure what app video is being used here, but I think it's a proprietary one, and probably not something you could use yourself (unless you know how to do some of the great slight-of-hand stuff that this guy is doing).

But the iPhone can definitely be used for magic, as we've seen before, even if you're not a highly trained magician. But even though this guy is a little late some times (his brain unfortunately falls out of his head, since he misses the timing just a little bit), he pulls off this series of tricks quite well.

[via TDW]

Here in the U.S. it's Memorial Day, when a lot of Americans spend the day outside. A dip in the pool, a barbecue, maybe some softball or tennis.

If you're in the northwest part of the country it's pretty overcast, so you might think about taking in a movie. Cinema for iPad could be a solution if you're not too particular. This U.S. $2.99 app has a clever idea. It attempts to simulate the experience of going to the movies. There's a big red curtain, and when it opens you've got a movie, but instead of video-on-demand, there is a schedule of movies just like your neighborhood Bijou. Open the app at the approximate right time, and the movie starts. You don't have to be exactly on time -- the movie is just streaming from YouTube. There is also a chat function so you can discuss the movie with others who just watched it. All in all, a clever idea.

The problem is, the movies are just freebies that are on YouTube. Such hits as old 1940s Dick Tracy Serials and a forgettable war movie. There are some things that are more current, like Supersize Me, but that's only because it is up there free on YouTube. Once the movie starts you can go full screen, and see clearly all the scratches and nicks on the print.

How do you top selling 1 million iPads in 28 days? You sell the next million just as quickly. Apple announced today that they have sold 2 million iPads in under 60 days. International sales began on May 28th, just three days ago. In the official press release, Steve expressed his excitement at the iPad's success, and urged customers to be patient.

"Customers around the world are experiencing the magic of iPad," the CEO said, "We appreciate their patience, and we are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone."

That's a good problem to have: customers buying your product so quickly that production can barely keep up. We enjoyed receiving reports from happy customers around the world and look forward to receiving more.

Congratulations to Steve and Apple.

Here in the US, we're celebrating Memorial Day. It's the day we set aside to remember and honor the men and women who gave their lives in military service to our country.

It's also the unofficial start of summer, a time when we dust off our grills, cook with fire and spend time outside. Before you step outside, grab one of these five apps to increase your fun. Happy Memorial Day!

Bug Spray (free) supposedly emits high-frequency tones that repel flying insects. Back in my day, we just set up one of those zappers. if you prefer a more contemporary approach, this may be it...with a few caveats. From the manufacturer: "Do not use around infants, small children, individuals who are hearing impaired or people who are incapable of physical response to sound." Hmm. Seems this app repels more than bugs.

Weather Bug for iPhone and iPad (both free) will let you know if you're planning a backyard BBQ in vain. Get up-to-the-minute weather updates for your neighborhood, browse weather cams, watch animated maps and more. If you like a more minimalist presentation, consider WeatherStation Pro ($1.99) for iPad or Outside ($2.99) for iPhone.

[Apologies for the mischaracterization of Memorial Day above; it has been amended. –Ed.]

It's Memorial Day, and hopefully that means you're celebrating the onset of summer by putting some meat on a hot grill until it tastes amazing. If you need a little help, though, Weber's official iPhone app (or the iPad version) can be there -- it's got references, recipes, tips, grilling timers, and even a shopping list feature (although if you're planning to grill today, hopefully you've been marinating since last night!).

The app is excellent, with big, colorful pictures, a host of options for serious grillers, and more recipes than you can cook in one summer. You might think that it's a bit pricey at $4.99, but don't forget that a comparable recipe book (there are over 250 recipes in the app) would be much more expensive. And if you're grilling so much that you need an app to help you cook, why not shell out for the best?

If you're really that cheap, there are a few other griller's helpers apps out there (and Grill-It! isn't bad for just 99 cents), but in this case, the five bucks is worth it. Good luck at the BBQ today!

Our loyal talkcast crew is getting some well-deserved R&R this holiday weekend, so there's no show tonight -- we'll be back in force next weekend for the full WWDC preview.

Speaking of four-letter events that begin with W, reader BJ Nemeth sent a heads-up about this great picture of competitor Andy Bloch at the World Series of Poker Player's Championship, published on the Wicked Chops Poker site.

Andy (who gained fame as a member of the legendary MIT blackjack team profiled in the book Bringing Down The House) is apparently using his iPad to play Scrabble and indulge in other pastimes during the lag between hands. No word yet on whether he's had to have the iPad checked by tourney officials to make sure he doesn't use any illicit poker apps.

There's a lot of great drawing apps for the iPad out there, but Type Drawing puts a unique spin on things. With Type Drawing, you can sketch anything your mind can conceive of, but your brush strokes are made up of words instead of lines. I've been playing around with the app for a while now, and it's really quite fun.

Enter the word or phrase you want to draw with, choose the font and color, and then sketch away! There's even a Flickr group where you can show of your Type Drawing skills (some drawings are very impressive).

Type Drawing is the brain child of Hansol Huh and sells on the App Store for the low price of $2.99, but we've got 10 copies to give away to TUAW readers. To enter the giveaway, simply leave a comment on this post. Ten people will be chosen at random (sorry, readers outside the US; app promo codes are geographically constrained). Good luck everyone!

• Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.
• To enter leave a comment on this post.
• The comment must be left before Wednesday June 2, 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time.
• You may enter only once.
• Ten winners will be selected in a random drawing.
• Prize: One (1) promo code for Type Drawing for iPad per winner. Retail value $2.99.
• Click here for complete official rules.

Update: Replaced original image with current Type Drawing icon.

A while back, I shared my discovery of myTexts, a robust distraction-free writing application ... well, as robust as a stripped-down, no-frills editor would want to be. Now, myTexts has shown up on the iPad, with iTunes syncing of your text files between your iPad and the desktop version. To make the deal sweeter, if you pick up the US$2.99 iPad app, you can get the Mac version (normally $19) for free.

The iPad app is good-looking, and has two different editing modes. The first one you're presented with is a more illustrated interface, with faux-paper and a wooden desktop background. If you'd rather be completely undistracted, there's a full-screen mode that has nothing but your text and a keyboard (and a nearly-invisible button to go back to the menu).

In the main menu mode, your files are presented on the left, and your text is on the right. You can switch files quickly, and flip from writing to the file's attached notes with a button at the top.

You can export files on the iPad, and it's necessary to do so before syncing a file back through iTunes. When you export a text or myTexts format file, it shows up on your Apps screen in iTunes, where you can add and transfer files of either type. The latest version of myTexts on the Mac can read the original-format files from the iPad, maintaining any notes as well as the text. The desktop version can then interpret any Markdown, and output PDF, Word, Rich Text, HTML and more.

While we're waiting for Writeroom for iPad to be finalized/approved, myTexts has swept in and offered an alternative with some great functionality and a clean interface. There are a few glitches, mostly related to attaching and detaching an external keyboard, but it's safe to assume they'll be smoothed out quickly. It's a pleasure to use as it is, and quite useful for writers. Combined with the desktop version, it's pretty powerful as well. If you pick up the iPad version, be sure to head over to moApps to get your desktop version for free!

Here are a few games to try out over the holiday weekend. Boggle for iPad has been released by EA. I got to play the game at an event last week, and while the core functionality isn't much different than that of Bookworm or its many clones, the bright, full iPad graphics are impressive. Outside of the simple Boggle gameplay, there are a few other modes to check out as well, including time-based challenges, multiplayer game types, and modes that will score for you or let you score yourself. At just US $4.99, it's a quality iPad game.

French game developer Ubisoft has released its online MMO Might & Magic Heroes Kingdoms for the iPad. We Americans will have to wait, though, as the app is currently only available in France, Germany, and the UK. Those folks had to wait for their iPads, so we suppose that they had to get some fun games at launch, too. Finally, Star Wars: Battle for Hoth is a tower defense game for iPhone and iPad that's not out yet, but man, it looks good. I've never really gotten into the tower defense genre, but the combination of the Star Wars license along with the bigger iPad touchscreen means that I'll be looking for that one on the App Store soon.

Also, just as this post was going to press, we heard about one more game for you to play this weekend: Prince of Persia Retro, the original game about Iranian royalty, is now available on iPhone and iPad for just 99 cents. Enjoy!

If you're not familiar with New York City's gritty, 209-year-old tabloid the Post, it has a reputation for sensationalist coverage, a top-down conservative slant (courtesy of owner Rupert Murdoch), and a credibility problem; in 2004, a Pace University survey found that city residents considered it the least trustworthy of the NYC dailies. When it comes to coverage of the Big Apple's media industry, however, it usually finds the mark.

That's why this week's Post story about NBC Universal and Time Warner pushing back on adapting streaming video libraries for iPad is worth a second look.

The piece suggests that neither of the media giants is interested in putting in the effort to step away from Flash and create HTML5-savvy streaming websites, saying that Flash remains dominant, and the effort to convert their libraries isn't worth it. Contrast this with CBS and ABC's eager leap onto the iPad, and the continuing signs that NBC-owned Hulu is planning an iPad app.

I don't doubt that both TW and NBC would like to see Apple become a little less dominant in the media landscape, but what's weird about this story is that it implies that the "extensive video libraries" that both companies hold aren't already entirely iPad-friendly. Sure, the player interface may be Flash on their websites, but the content itself is very much iPad and iPhone compatible as H.264 video files. Of course, both companies are happy to sell their programs through the iTunes store, although that hasn't always been the case for NBC.

With this not-quite-sensical disrespect for the iPad's video prospects, where does that leave us? Is the Hulu app now programa non grata? Will we be shut out of TNT for the new Apple TV? Don't know, can't say... yet.

[via MacRumors & Engadget]

A strange realization dawned on me today: I have already made mental plans to eventually replace two Mac devices I already own with two totally different devices that I don't yet own. Namely, I am planning to replace my MacBook Pro with an iPad and my iMac with a Mac mini.

Replacing the MacBook Pro will happen first, probably sometime later this summer depending on when the "CFO of Household Expenses" (aka my wife) gives me the green light. The MBP has some "issues" like constantly running fans (yes I've tried smcFanControl and resetting the System Management Controller), the DVD drive doesn't work even after having been replaced, and a corner of the frame is bent from a laptop bag "strap incident" that I would rather not go into here. Once the iPad arrives, the MacBook Pro will live out the rest of its life as my home "desktop" computer, happily hooked to an external monitor and keyboard. For portable computing, the iPad will definitely fit the bill for 99% of what I ever need to do while mobile. (My wife has a black MacBook for those times when I need a portable Mac.)

In honor of the Italian release of the iPad, iPadItalia has created one of the best Apple-oriented videos I've ever seen. In 10 minutes (yes, it's quite long for this type of thing), the video lovingly covers Apple from its origin in 1976 right up to today when those in Italy, and many other countries, can finally get their hands on the magical and revolutionary iPad.

The video is totally professional and really deserves recognition. With frenetic energy, just about every Apple product is displayed. It is a valentine to Steve Jobs, even showing him age from 15 to 55, and ending up with rejoicing over the European introduction of the iPad. This is a video that will warm every fanboy's heart and really captures the excitement that we've felt about Apple over the last 34 years. Enjoy!