retina

Retina Display iPad vs. e-ink Kindle: Which do I prefer for reading?

A few months ago, I bought a Kindle. The cheap kind: $79, with "Special Offers." I bought it because I wanted to read more efficiently, and because the iPad 2's screen was giving me eye fatigue.

You'd think that with the new Retina Display iPad that my Kindle had been one-upped. Clearer, crisper text is exactly what I was hoping for on an iPad, and it did indeed come to pass. I upgraded to a third-generation iPad, although I did it mainly for storage space and to explore gaming with the new A5X graphics.

Yet, the new iPad hasn't been able to unseat my little old Kindle. Not entirely. In fact, I've been surprised to find that the Kindle has carved out a special place in my heart, and it's one that the iPad has a hard time filling.… Read more

New iPad owners reveal their likes and dislikes

The new iPad scores higher in customer satisfaction than did previous models, but it comes with its own unique set of pros and cons.

A full 82 percent of new iPad owners polled by ChangeWave last month said they were very satisified with the tablet, while 16 percent were somewhat satisifed. Only 2 percent were somewhat unsatisfied, while no one was very unsatisfied.

Those results compare with 74 percent of owners of the previous model iPad surveyed in February who were very satisifed and 23 percent somewhat satisifed.

.Among all owners of the new iPad, ChangeWave uncovered a healthy list … Read more

New iPad ranked top tablet by Consumer Reports

The latest iPad has a new fan, namely Consumer Reports.

Apple's latest tablet scored the highest ratings among its rivals in a report out today from the consumer publication.

The new iPad was commended for its 5-megapixel camera, battery life, and 4G coverage through Verizon Wireless. But it was the high-resolution screen that earned the sharpest praise.

Citing the detail and color accuracy of the Retina Display, Consumer Reports said that the screen "establishes a new benchmark in excellence" and is "the best we've seen" on a tablet. Specifically, the publication found that the … Read more

Third-gen iPad raises a few red flags

There are a few troubling technical aspects of the new iPad that give me pause about the post-Jobs Apple.

I'll skip the obligatory praise of the new iPad's Retina display. And for those readers who want to call me a whiner, idiot, or Apple hater, go ahead, take your best shot.

On launch day, while I was pleased to find that the new iPad was only slightly thicker than the iPad 2, this raised the first red flag for me.

Dilution of Jobs Doctrine? The design decisions that led to a chunkier iPad are a little worrisome and … Read more

New iPad's performance gets iPhoto reality check

The new iPad's performance is less than stellar on iPhoto and lags the Asus Transformer Prime tablet in some tests because of Apple's aging central processing unit, according to a chip review site.

Nvidia's quad-core Tegra 3 chip -- used in the Asus Transformer Prime tablet -- is faster in some key tests than new iPad's A5X chip, according to tests conducted by Anandtech.

While Apple touts the A5X chip's quad-core graphics processing unit (GPU), it is silent about the CPU. The reason is pretty simple: the A5X sticks with an aging dual-core Cortex A9 … Read more

Rumor Has It, Ep. 26: Last call for iPhone 5 rumors (podcast)

Friends, geeks, countrymen, lend me your ears, for we have some important news: iPhone 5 may get a bigger Retina Display!

OK, OK, you got me; that isn't actually the big, bomb-dropping news. I'm stalling, but I'll just be brave and come out with it like a responsible adult: the Rumor Has It podcast as you have come to know and love it is ending. Next week we will have our final episode, consisting of the ULTIMATE HUMILIATION!

We hate to go, but it's been so much fun, and we're going to go out with … Read more

Comixology offers free upgrade to HD comics

Comixology continues to dominate the mobile comics-reading app market with new features for its iOS app, including high-definition comics that take advantage of the new iPad's Retina Display.

Updated earlier this week, Comixology's Comics 3.1 (download) lets you read comics on the new iPad with double the resolution of comics on previous models. It also supports sharing your comments on comics via Facebook, Twitter, and e-mail; and offers a Read Now button which lets you begin reading a comic before a comic has fully downloaded.

Support for the Retina Display almost didn't make it into Comixology 3.1, said Chip Mosher, the company's vice president of marketing. "Our developers turned around HD support in about five days. That's a testament to how dedicated they are."

The difference in resolution is apparent when holding a new iPad next to an iPad 2 and looking at the same comic. If you've downloaded a comic for the iPad 2, Comixology will let you download it again in HD at no extra cost.… Read more

Windows 8 will support Retina-class displays

If manufacturers follow suit, Windows 8 tablets and hybrids will sport displays that rival, or exceed, the Retina Display on Apple's newest iPad.

Writing in Microsoft's Building Windows 8 blog, David Washington, a senior program manager at the company, directly addressed the new iPad's screen and discussed upcoming tablets with dot-per-inch (DPI) densities of at least 135. "Much higher than many of us are used to," he wrote.

Key tablet-display related points from the blog post:

135 DPI and up: Many Windows 8 tablet PCs will have pixel densities of at least 135 DPI. Washington … Read more

iPhone to get 4.6-inch Retina Display, report says

Apple is said to have yet another product in the pipeline with a Retina Display, and this time it's an iPhone with a really big screen, according to a report from Reuters.

Apple is purportedly already placing orders with suppliers for a 4.6-inch iPhone Retina Display, Reuters said today, citing a report in South Korea's Maeil Business Newspaper. The phone is due in the second quarter, according to the report.

If accurate, that would be Apple's third device with a Retina Display. The others include the just-released 9.7-inch iPad and the 3.5-inch iPhone 4S. … Read more

Mass Effect: Infiltrator brings Retina-enhanced sci-fi action to the new iPad

Can't get enough Mass Effect? That's understandable--the newly released Mass Effect 3 for PCs and consoles is drawing rave reviews (though not everyone is wild about the ending).

If you own an iOS device, most notably a new iPad, here's good news: Mass Effect: Infiltrator ($6.99) delivers a new chapter in the saga, giving you the chance to fight as a new agent on a new world.

In other words, it's not just a rehash or port of one of the original Mass Effect games; it's an original chapter in the story, one that … Read more