iPad

I've been writing quite a bit about the iPad, and that's partially because I have one and love it. But now, to take on my iPad, German company Neofonie has supposedly come up with a tablet of its own called the "WePad." Yes, we get the pun, too.

But it's not just the WePad hardware that sounds impressive (it's said to run a 1.66GHz Intel Atom processor, and have a 720p wide-screen display and a Webcam, among other things). It's also the thought that seemed to have gone into the ecosystem behind the device. It's said to run Android and Linux and have full access to the Android Marketplace, as well as a custom WePad app store.

Thing is, while the WePad is getting tons of (virtual) ink, not everyone's convinced it's real. At least one German Web site, the site for news channel N-TV, is questioning the authenticity of the device itself. How, it asks, can a small company in Germany so quickly put out a full-featured tablet when companies like Samsung, Sony Ericsson, Nokia don't have anything comparable to show off yet? Then again, a small company just came out with the CrunchPad JooJoo, so who's to say?

N-TV also points out that the prototype apparently shown off this week in Berlin didn't actually work--all it did was run a video of what the device can supposedly do.

But back to what the WePad does, if in fact it's the real deal.… Read more

Take note all you DIYers and parents with creative kids. If you don't want to shell out $40 for a high-tech iPad stand, you can make your own--or have your kid make one.

With the help of his father, my 10-year-old nephew Brett went to Home Depot, got a piece of wood, a hinge, and a couple of knobs, and presto, instant iPad stand. I'm not sure Brett's going to win any design awards, but the thing does look pretty sturdy and only cost $12.40 plus tax. That may not be as cheap as Case-mate's … Read more

Everyone knows the first-gen iPad is lacking a camera and multitasking and that many of its apps are overpriced. Annoying. But those of us who bought iPads knew this going in, and we've found ways to work around or to justify to ourselves these omissions in the product. What we didn't know about on iPad Day, April 3, was all the little things that would drive us up a tree. These are the annoyances and roadblocks that makes this appliance, otherwise engaging and attractive, feel like it was rushed out the door. Or done on the cheap. Which, … Read more

What happens to the MacBook in the age of the iPad? It survives, of course, but is less important than it was.

The most obvious indicator is Apple Store real estate. At my local Apple store in Southern California, iPads have unceremoniously pushed all MacBooks off one large display table at the very front of the store. Not an earth-shattering development but nonetheless indicative of what's really important for Apple right now: the iPad is front and center.

Then there are some less visible, less verifiable things going on that, though speculative, seem increasingly likely to happen. As David Carnoy wrote, … Read more

Look, we're into cute cat videos just as much the next guy. But mix a feline with a shiny new iPad, and we start to worry. Yes, the person who posted the above cat-plays-with-iPad video to YouTube Tuesday assures us the screen is fine since "the cat's claws are not as strong as glass." But is letting a scratch-prone pet loose on a pricey new purchase really the best way to break it in? We'll get back to you on that one as soon as our CNET ferret's done with its iPad benchmarking.

That … Read more

Note: You can read part one of this article here.

For those of you who didn't read part one of this little tale, I was recently in an Apple store in New York looking for the new, updated MacBook Pro units and toying with the idea of buying an iPad, when I was approached by one of Apple's friendly and knowledgeable sales people, who asked me whether I needed any help finding what I was looking for.

After conversing with her for a few minutes and having a frank discussion about some of the product's shortcomings, including its overheating issues, I found myself ready to take possession of Apple's "magical" new slate despite my reluctance to buy first-generation products. I wrote how she'd sold me with her zen-like anti-sell and I realized that "a thousand iPad ads seared into my retinas had taken their toll and worn me down. I was a beaten man, ready to submit."

But alas, there were no iPads to be had, and when we last left off, I was in the MacBook section of the store, filling out an online form to reserve a 32GB iPad, feeling disappointed yet relieved that I'd been temporarily released from the iPad's gravitational pull.

As I filled in my iTunes account name and password to generate the request, I actually thought the white entry-level $999 Macbook I was writing on looked better than I remembered it looking (somehow when you're in an Apple store, the products just have an added glow to them, a halo effect if you will).

"Do you have the new, upgraded MacBook Pros?" I asked, suddenly having an urge to pick up a laptop instead of an iPad.

Maybe the fact that there were no iPads in stock at this particular store was a sign from God for me to buy another product instead.… Read more

If you ask me, the iPad's prowess as an e-book reader lies not in pulp fiction, but in kids' books. Think about it: the latest Grisham novel is just raw text, which any old Kindle can deliver. But children's books are all about big, splashy pictures and wild colors--elements perfectly suited to iPad screens.

And needless to say, the iPad can do a lot more than just display static pages. It can read stories aloud; it can enrich a classic tale with touch-powered extras; and it can even render pages in 3D. Let's take a look at five dazzling e-books for kids, starting with an eye-popping rendition of "Alice in Wonderland."

1."Alice for the iPad"  This lavishly illustrated 52-page abridgment of the classic tale incorporates animation like no other e-book to date. Readers can tilt the iPad to make Alice grow and shrink; shake it to watch the Mad Hatter's bobblehead bobble; and so on. The frantically paced demo video (above) is a little over-the-top, but there's no question this is a showpiece iPad app. Thankfully, there's a free Lite version you can try before splurging on the $8.99 full version.

2. Dr. Seuss books  Already among my favorites (uh, I mean, my kids' favorites) on the iPhone, Oceanhouse Media's three Seuss titles--"Dr. Seuss' ABC," "The Cat in the Hat," and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"--are just that much bigger and better on the iPad. Each interactive story sells for $2.99--quite a bit less than their respective hardcovers (as it should be). Oh, and stay tuned: one of my all-time favorite Seuss titles, "The Lorax," will make its iPad/iPhone debut in about a week.

3. "Jack and the Beanstalk Children's Interactive Storybook"  I think the title says it all, no? The "interactive" part comes in the form of games, activities, hidden Easter eggs, and the like. Gorgeous artwork, read-along text, and a reasonable price tag of $3.99. What's not to like?… Read more

Now that the iPad has been delayed for international customers, people around the globe who can't wait might be tempted to buy a U.S. version of the tablet and bring it with them to their home countries.

In most places that won't be a problem. But in Israel, it will result in confiscation.

According to a report in Israel newspaper Haaretz, the country's Communications Ministry has decided to "block the import of iPads to Israel." The paper also reported that when people attempt to go through customs, officers have been ordered to take all … Read more