Who knew? First in a flurry of extra changes to the iPad is a screen orientation lock switch. Translation: lock the screen orientation so you can use your iPad in any awkward position you please. Second is iBooks will be able to sync free (non-DRM) ePub titles from iTunes, and the VoiceOver screen-reading tech for reading pages of books out loud will be better intergrated into iBooks.
Third? Well, for iPad 3G customers on a 250MB iPad data plan you will receive pop-up alerts when you’re running short on data, exactly like battery warnings, at the 20 percent, 10 percent and zero percent marks.
There’s more? Yes! Apple has added Google’s “Terrain” view in maps and a newer slightly revamped iPod app UI. 3.2 which brings support for (AVI and MJPEG) video formats and native image uploading to Facebook. Is that enough for you to succumb to one?
While we might have knew that pre-orders for the iPad started tomorrow, no one knew exactly when. Until now obviously. You can set your alarm clocks to 8:30 AM on the East Coast or 5:30 AM on the West Coast to pre-order yor iPad for an April 3 release. From there on you can transmit your $499 to Steve Job’s coffers. See you there, fanboys (and fangirls).
The iPad isn’t even out yet, and the eBook app wars have begun! Barnes & Noble is promising the book savvy that “around the time” of the slate’s launch, a B&N Reader app for access to their 1 million+ eBookStore catalog will be “designed specifically” for the iPad. That means you’d have books, magazines and newspapers at your fingertips, and might even be able to dodge Apple’s prices on books, whether it be small or high. Now where’s that Kindle app?
All sorts of crazy stuff. Broken Nexus Ones, Panasonic steals the Sunday news day, Android makes a flip to AT&T with the BACKFLIP, an old iPhone gets restored to its former glory, and more…
So there you have it. If you want an iPad you’ll have to wait until Saturday April 3rd for it to be available at all Apple stores. But if you don’t want to wait in an extremely long line at an Apple Store, there’s the pre-order option that comes in just a week’s time on March 12th for the Wi-Fi model. The 3G model will arrive later in April, followed by releases to buyers in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. As for all of those reports about a “delay”; there isn’t one, but it makes you wonder if there really will be enough iPads for everyone? Oh, and here are the prices for the iPad, just so you know howw much you need to bust out of your savings:
It’s hard to believe, but this is a major shadow in Google’s direction. It appears that the main lawsuit has to either do with Android as a whole, or that HTC uses Android in a certain way that Apple doesn’t like, for example in HTC handsets. If this really is a shot at Android, then things could get ugly, but if it’s against HTC infringing Apple patents, then still, there will be sparks that fly. Head up to Engadget where the docs are in a massive gallery of 41 pages.
Apple is suing HTC for over 20 patents “related to the iPhone’s user interface, underlying architecture and hardware.” After Apple sued Nokia, you though all was over, right? Wrong. And some of the charges are unbelievable. One of them is unlock gestures on an unlock screen. That would cover every single smartphone right now on the market. Apple is asking for a permant injuction wohich would bar HTC from selling its phones here in the U.S. The entire filing and press release is embedded for you after the break.
And guess what? There’s comment from Steve Jobs on this too:
“We can sit by and watch competitors steal our patented inventions, or we can do something about it. We’ve decided to do something about it. We think competition is healthy, but competitors should create their own original technology, not steal ours.”
UPDATE: It looks like HTC didn’t even know of the case against them and have not even seen the lawsuit for themselves. Here’s their comment:
We only learned of Apple’s actions based on your stories and Apple’s press release. We have not been served yet so we are in no position to comment on the claims. We respect and value patent rights but we are committed to defending our own innovations. We have been innovating and patenting our own technology for 13 years.
So far it seems that HTC is pretty confident. Giz and All Things D are really the only other blogs with the docs right now, since they’re not even in the court system yet. Once they do come out and are published for all to see, we’ll know exactly what Cupertino and Steve are actually suing for.
Essentially it’s the same type of lawsuit file against Nokia, and almost the same nasty comments on Palm, but which haven’t led Apple to sue them (yet). We’ll update this post as soon as we learn what exactly Apple sued HTC for.
A Mac Mini with HDMI. Not a bad thought altogether actually. AppleInsider is claiming that there is currently internal testing of a Mac mini with HDMI due for a release later this year. One of the prototypes is said to have NVIDIA’s MCP89 chipset, meaning that it would have to use a Core 2 Duo processor, instead of the newer Core i3, Core i5, and Core i5 Intel CPUs. The release date is rumored for a launch ”this year”. You know what that means: wait.
Congratulations, Apples from LaptopMemos! You have sold 10 billions songs since 2001.
Even Apple can make typos. Either way, check out the source link to see what were the most popular songs of all time on iTunes. The top 20 might not surprise you, but may horrify you.
It’s 8:10 AM here on the East Coast. I wonder if it’s just for this 
While we might have knew that pre-orders for the iPad started tomorrow, no one knew exactly when. Until now obviously. You can set your alarm clocks to 8:30 AM on the East Coast or 5:30 AM on the West Coast to pre-order yor iPad for an April 3 release. From there on you can transmit your $499 to Steve Job’s coffers. See you there, fanboys (and fangirls).
The iPad isn’t even out yet, and the eBook app wars have begun! Barnes & Noble is promising the book savvy that “around the time” of the slate’s launch, a B&N Reader app for access to their 1 million+ eBookStore catalog will be “designed specifically” for the iPad. That means you’d have books, magazines and newspapers at your fingertips, and might even be able to dodge Apple’s prices on books, whether it be small or high. Now where’s that Kindle app?
So there you have it. If you want an iPad you’ll have to wait until Saturday April 3rd for it to be available at all Apple stores. But if you don’t want to wait in an extremely long line at an Apple Store, there’s the pre-order option that comes in just a week’s time on March 12th for the Wi-Fi model. The 3G model will arrive later in April, followed by releases to buyers in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK. As for all of those reports about a “delay”; there isn’t one, but it makes you wonder if there really will be enough iPads for everyone? Oh, and here are the prices for the iPad, just so you know howw much you need to bust out of your savings:
It’s hard to believe, but this is a major shadow in Google’s direction. It appears that the main lawsuit has to either do with Android as a whole, or that HTC uses Android in a certain way that Apple doesn’t like, for example in HTC handsets. If this really is a shot at Android, then things could get ugly, but if it’s against HTC infringing Apple patents, then still, there will be sparks that fly. Head up to Engadget where the docs are in a massive gallery of 41 pages.
