iPad

How to turn your Wi-Fi iPad into an iPad 3G

Maybe you're one of those people who couldn't wait for the 3G version of Apple's iPad and instead had to run out and get the Wi-Fi version right away. We mainly think of the iPad as a living room/kitchen device, but with the warmer weather arriving you might be feeling a bit of 3G envy, seeing newly minted iPad 3G owners soaking up the sun in their local parks and coffee shops while tapping, swiping, and pinching away.

The typical solution for getting a go-anywhere 3G signal on a Wi-Fi-only device such as a laptop or Netbook has traditionally been a 3G USB key--but, of course, lacking a USB port or a way to install the required software, we can't use our 3G USB key on the iPad. Smartphone tethering would work also, but if you have an iPad, there's a good chance you've also got an iPhone, so no tethering for you unless you jailbreak your phone.

The solution is a device we've talked about several times before, the Novatel MiFi, a portable wireless router that takes the 3G signal it receives and broadcasts it as a Wi-Fi signal. We've previously reviewed versions of the Novatel hardware from Verizon and Sprint (and the infamous Technobeaver has weighed in on the MiFi as well).

Hooking the MiFi up to our non-3G iPad was easy. We powered on the MiFi box, and its signal was immediately recognized by the iPad, and listed in the Network Settings submenu, along with all the other Wi-Fi signals in the area. Selecting the MiFi connection, we were prompted to enter a password (as one would do for any secure Wi-Fi connection); the password is a string of numbers printed on a sticker on the bottom of the MiFi unit itself. Up to five devices can connect at once, and the device's range is about 30 feet. … Read more

Early Edition: The iPad's best news reader?

When people ask me how I like my new iPad and what I'm using it for, I answer as follows: "I like it, and I'm using it mostly for reading."

Not books--I still rely mostly on my iPhone for that--but news. As a news reader (and surrogate newspaper), the iPad rocks.

And for actually doing the reading, one of my favorite iPad apps so far is The Early Edition. (A big, big shout-out to reader Hanoveur, who recommended it when I asked which iPad apps I should install first.)

In a nutshell, The Early Edition aggregates your favorites news sources and presents them in an attractive, familiar-looking newspaper format. It's what happens when high-tech meets old-school.

The app comes with about a dozen news feeds already configured. The default All Feeds view generates your "newspaper" from all these sources, though you can tap any one of them to view just that source.

As with actual newspaper apps, tapping any story brings it to the fore. However, if the story includes a "read more" page break, you'll get only the first portion. You can tap through to read the entire article, but that takes you to an embedded browser view of the actual Web page, thus killing the newspaper "feel" of the experience.

That's a minor gripe. A bigger one is with The Early Edition's method for adding feeds: You have to enter each RSS link manually. There's no search option, and no way to import feeds from another reader.… Read more

CNET TV Apple Byte: WWDC Announced, iPhone OS-focused

Brian Tong discusses the latest in the world of Apple. This week, Brian takes a look at the World Wide Developer's Conference announcement, explores recent purchases made by Apple, and offers a quick tip for iPhone users to hide their text message previews.

Be sure to check us out on Twitter and the CNET Mac forums. Do you have questions, issues, or stories you would like to see on MacFixIt? Email Us.

Apple sells 1 million iPads

Apple on Monday said it sold its 1 millionth iPad last Friday with the introduction of the iPad 3G model.

The company didn't say how many iPads of each model were sold, but we do know that on April 8 during the iPhone OS 4 event, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said the company had sold 450,000 iPads, so sales have remained brisk. The first model of the iPad, known as the Wi-Fi-only model for its most notable difference from the new 3G version, hit the market April 3.

Ahead of Apple's announcement, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster … Read more

iPad 3G sales estimated at 300,000 for launch weekend

The iPad 3G's first weekend at market was a successful one, though not quite as successful as that of its Wi-Fi-only predecessor.

Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster estimates that Apple sold about 300,000 iPad 3Gs between Friday afternoon and Sunday afternoon, including 52 days of preorders. That's approximately what the original iPad sold during its first day of availability, including 22 days of preorders. So while the 3G isn't selling quite as briskly as its sibling, it's selling well--so well, in fact, that by Sunday afternoon most of the Apple stores Munster surveyed were completely … Read more

iPad helps lawyer win trial

These days, the words "Apple" and "law" seem to trip off the Mac like the words "Apple" and "Adobe."

So, given that I know so many view the prospect of an Apple-Gizmodo showdown in the courts with rather more anticipation that they viewed Mayweather-Moseley fight, might I offer a new dimension to the prospective proceedings?

It seems that one enterprising, Apple-addicted lawyer has already used an iPad to devastating effect in a court of law. No, he didn't balance it on his lap and send e-mails to his personal assistant while … Read more

So, will that be an iPad or a Netbook?

PALO ALTO, Calif.--Watching people line up again for the iPad--this time the 3G version--here on Saturday, one has to wonder what the fate of the Netbook is.

The reasons for the Netbook's popularity--roughly around 50 million sold to date--are clear: highly mobile (typically less than 3 pounds), Windows-compatible, and cheap. In all, an impressively utilitarian PC.

Then the iPad came along. So, the question is--if you're looking for an easy-to-carry device that does more than a smartphone and less than a laptop, which would you choose?

The apples-and-oranges argument can be made, of course: physical keyboard (Netbook) … Read more

Lines form for Apple iPad 3G, even at 5 on a Friday afternoon

NEW YORK CITY--Maybe it's the unseasonably warm weather, or maybe it's just the appeal of surfing the Web from your iPad anywhere at anytime--but there are people lined up outside of Apple retail outlets waiting to buy the new iPad 3G.

For the Wi-Fi version of the iPad released on Saturday, April 3, the early morning lines were long (even if the crowds thinned quickly) and most everyone waiting for a system was able to buy one on launch day. This time around, the launch window has been moved to 5 p.m. EST on a Friday, and … Read more

iPad 3G: Examining the differences

So what's the big difference between the iPad and the iPad 3G? Aside from a $130 price bump, GPS capabilities, and an internal 3G cellular modem, there's not much to say.

But if you really want the nitty-gritty details over the cosmetic differences, the micro-SIM tray, the extra options in the Settings menu, signing up for a 3G account, and the glorified paper clip that comes in the box, I've put together a photo gallery that runs through everything.

If all that pointing and clicking feels like too much trouble, here's a First Look video that … Read more

Apple stores prep for Friday's 3G iPad launch

Editor's note: The crowds did show up eventually Friday afternoon, as can be seen in the photo added below.

The 3G version of Apple's iPad goes on sale in the United States at 5 p.m. Friday, and so far, the crowds haven't begun queueing in San Francisco.

There have been reports of lines forming at a few stores on the East Coast. However, there isn't an expectation of throngs turning out for the first sale the way they did for the Wi-Fi version of the iPad earlier this month. (Update, 3 p.m. PT: See the scene … Read more