Ever wondered about which countries offer the least and most expensive data plans for the iPad?  Better still, if you live in one of the many countries where there are various providers to choose amongst for your data plan, want a quick comparison of which rates are best?

In either case, this infographic from the folks at Tableau Software should have some good answers.  The graphic is interactive and you can select a single country to look at and see the rates from all the providers, or view all nations.  US 3G users can only envy those of you in places like Austria and the UK and elsewhere, where there is healthy competition for your data dollars (and pounds and euros)

Tableau Software are experts in data visualization – their free product has been used by The Wall Street Journal, CNN and many others for presenting data in interesting and interactive ways as in this iPad data rates infographic.  Check it out at the link below:

http://bit.ly/bIPkAv

Thanks to Ross Perez at Tableau for sharing this with us today.

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Post tags: iPad data rates

Image Source: Gizmodo

Speaking to Wall Street analysts, Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer noted that tablets are a big issue for the company and expressed concern about Apple’s success with iPad.

"Apple has done an interesting job. They’ve sold more than I’d like them to sell. We think about that," he said. "So it’s our job to say, we have got to make things happen. Just like we made things happen with netbooks, we have to do that with Slates."

What will really be interesting is seeing how they ‘make things happen’  – since Microsoft are so well-known for leading the way in the mobile arena. 

Via: Apple Insider

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Post tags: iPad sales numbers, Steve Ballmer

1Password can now sync automatically using Dropbox!

Also known as “syncing to the cloud”, this amazing feature allows you to keep your Mac, Windows, and iOS devices in sync at all times, even when they are running on different networks. (Yes, I did say Windows; 1Password for Windows is currently in beta testing)

Oh boy – this is some fantastic update news. 1Password Pro – the excellent password manager app for iPad, iPhone, and desktop – has been recently updated, and has added the ability to sync to ‘the cloud’ via Dropbox.

1Password and Dropbox are two of my most favorite and essential apps – across desktop, iPad, and iPhone.  Putting the two of them together is like a chocolate + peanut butter moment times 100. 

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Read the rest of 1Password Pro Updated – Adds Cloud Sync via Dropbox (257 words)

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Post tags: 1Password, 1Password cloud sync, 1Password Pro, 1Password sync with Dropbox, Dropbox, iPad Apps, iPad password manager apps

This is a very cool video, and a great bit of initiative by Box.net to put their app to work in conjunction with the iPad for rapid file sharing at D7 Consulting.  D7 are Building Envelope specialists.   There’s a lot of mention of the competitive advantage this gives the company – and some very happy new iPad users.

Another great example of how the iPad is not just for ‘play’ or entertainment.

Via: TUAW

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Post tags: iPad in the enterprise

Apple recommends a case to keep your iPad scratch free and a clean lint-free cloth to remove smudges. iShine is both.

Apple’s free guide book called the iPad User Guide states under Using and Cleaning iPad. "… If you are concerned about scratching or abrasion, you can use one of the many cases sold separately. To clean iPad, … Don’t use window cleaners, household cleaners, aerosol sprays, solvents, alcohol, ammonia, or abrasives to clean iPad. iPad has an oleophobic coating on the screen; simply wipe the iPad screen with a soft, lint-free cloth to remove oil left by your hands."

I think calling this a case might be a little bit of a stretch, but I can buy it as a sleeve.  A sleeve that offers minimal protection, but still a sleeve.  I like the idea of the continuous easy cleaning of the iPad that this offers, but I’m not a fan of sleeves because there’s just too much in and out needed when you want to use the iPad.

If this looks like something your iPad needs, you can get more info and order one here:

http://ishinepouch.com/

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Post tags: iPad sleeves, iShine

The App Store for the iPad and the iPhone has added several new featured sections, to aid in app discovery.  I’m not sure exactly how new these are, but I’ve only just noticed them today – and I think they’re a very nice addition for the App Store.

The new sections include Newsstand, shown above, which showcases some of the leading newspaper, magazine, RSS reader and general news apps available for the iPad and iPhone.  It’s a great section if you’re a news and reading apps junkie like I am.

There are quite a few other helpful new sections as well – hit the break for some more examples …

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Read the rest of App Store Adds New Sections to Help with App Discovery (265 words)

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Post tags: App Store, new featured sections, Newsstand

The post title pretty much sums this one up.  The Clasp is ‘a simple solution for holding your Apple iPad case closed’. Here’s a little more on it:

The Clasp blends in seamlessly with the Apple case and provides a latch to keep the case secure. The Clasp is constructed from a similar black rubber material as the Apple iPad Case and attaches with double-sided adhesive to the front.

The Clasp can be easily removed if necessary. Once attached, the Clasp adheres to the back of the Apple case with a Velcro tab and holds both sides closed. The Clasp is easy to open and close and provides the security that consumers have been requesting.

I’ve never used my Apple case much, so I’m no judge of how needed or wanted this little add-on accessory may be. The $9.95 price tag does strike me as quite high for such a simple item though.  If this is just what you’re missing for your Apple iPad case, you can get more info and order one here:

http://newpcgadgets.com/products/ipad_clasp/index.html#

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Post tags: Clasp for Apple iPad case

You won’t believe me, but I swear that I bought Pulse, an app that displays RSS feeds in a horizontal/vertical graphic navigation, completely by accident.

No, it’s never happened before. I was innocently browsing around the iPad RSS reader apps in the store when, before I knew it, my finger had already clicked and clicked and I saw the familiar “purchasing…” message in iTunes. Hmm. Now that I had it, I might as well check it out. I then proceeded to purchase NewsRack, because of good reviews I’d read about it. Now was my chance to see how which app would feed my feed addiction (get it?) in a better way. The result is quite surprising.(...)
Read the rest of NewsRack vs Pulse News Reader: 2 RSS apps for iPad (275 words)

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Post tags: feed, feeds, iPad, newsrack, pulse news reader, reader, rss

I’ve long been a fan of art done on the iPhone and iPad.  I even started a site all about it.  I’m continually amazed at the stunning images that are produced by ‘fingerpainting’ on iDevices.

One of the latest examples – that I’ve been meaning to post about for ages – is David Kassan‘s portrait of a live model.  It was done with the superb Brushes app – and his work was shared via a live stream during the three hours he spent on the portrait.

When you see artwork like this done on an iPad, you find it hard to be cynical about the ‘magical’ tag that Apple keeps applying to it.

Via: Gizmodo

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Post tags: David Kassan, iPad art

Image adapted from original at: http://webmaster.senecac.on.ca

“Beautiful!” I thought to myself as I started slowly and deliberately opening the iPad box when I finally got home from work. Twasn’t easy distracting myself all day knowing that my shiny new toy was waiting for me at home. But finally! Here we are. Seems smaller in real life. Smooth. Solid.

OK let’s get this party started. Not much inside the box. Sigh! It used to be such an experience just opening the box to a new Apple product. Much less wow now. No real goodies. Thank God for the charger – I do keep on losing those. I’d love one of those black microfaser slip cases they used to ship with the iPod. If I touch it will it smudge? I’ll take that as a yes. But you make me want to touch you, dontcha. Can’t-re-sist-touch-ing-you.

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Read the rest of I got an iPad. Now what? First thoughts. (571 words)

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Post tags: first day, getting started, iPad, iPad first impressions, review, thoughts

WritePad for iPad has been updated, to Version 4.1.  The big new addition is …

Introducing twitter client: WritePad is the world’s first application to combine word processing functionality, handwriting recognition, and social networking in a single app.

I think the Twitter client wording is a pretty big exaggeration – it has added the ability to post to Twitter from within a note.  That’s nice, but it doesn’t make it a Twitter client in my view.

In any case, it’s a notable new feature.  I keep wanting to like WritePad better than I do – I’ve kept the app around for a while because I like the idea of its handwriting recognition, but I’ve found it hard to get the hang of it.

You can grab this latest version of WritePad for iPad in the App Store now, priced at $9.99.

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Post tags: iPad Apps, iPad notes apps, WritePad for iPad

Random Monday morning thought here.  I was re-arranging a few apps / home screens on my iPad a little while ago, and it occurred to me that I really miss the ability to consolidate screens through the use of folders – which of course I can do on my iPhone 4 because it runs iOS 4.

iOS 4 is not due to hit the iPad until ‘this Fall’ and I am already feeling impatient to have it.  While thinking about folders though, I did think that I’d like to see bigger folders on the iPad, that can hold more than the measly 12 apps allowed on the iPhone. 

Bigger device, bigger app icons, bigger screen – so bigger folders should work well I reckon.  Allowing us something like 24 apps per folder would work much better I think – as most of us have at least a couple of folder categories (Games, News, Books are just 3 quick examples for me) that just don’t fit within a single folder if 12 is the limit.

What do you all think?  Would you be in favor of bigger folders if Steve asked us all to phone in our votes on this?  What other modifications would you like to see in iOS 4 when it comes to the iPad?

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Post tags: app folders, folders, iOS 4

Mary-Jo Foley is a heavyweight tech journalist, who has provided expert and insider coverage of Microsoft for many years.  She currently writes the All About Microsoft column at Zdnet – and on the I’m a Mac, I’m a PC scale she is a definite PC.

And she’s now an iPad owner – and a very happy one by the sounds of it.  In her recent column where she ‘confesses’ to buying one, she says she is loving the iPad after a week with it.

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Read the rest of How The iPad Won Over a Star PC Journalist (222 words)

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Apologies for the slowness on getting winners announced – it’s been a hectic few days.  Thanks to all for the great responses on this one – it’s good to see that so many of you are fond of these creative skins.  Huge thanks also to Julien and the folks at Skinizi for generously offering up these prizes.

And here are our 3 winners:

Patrick C, Franck, Luckey

Winners – please keep an eye on your Inboxes and spam folders – you should be getting contacted soon by Skinizi to assist you in choosing and receiving your new skins.

Look out for more great contests coming soon here …

© patrickj for Just Another iPad Blog, 2010. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Skinizi iPad skins

I’m not the world’s biggest Facebook fan, not by a long stretch – but I have found myself using it a little more often lately – so I was interested to hear about the new Friendly Facebook Browser app for the iPad today.

Since Facebook has not yet brought out an iPad specific app, there does seem to be room for a good alternative to the iPhone or browser versions of FB itself – though this one may have a tough time at its current $4.99 price.

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Read the rest of New iPad Apps: Friendly Facebook Browser (164 words)

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The iPad was launched in 9 additional countries on Friday 23 July. In Austria, the iPad is available at certified resellers as well as electronic stores carrying Apple products, including Media Markt, Saturn, McShark, to name just a few. As to be expected, there were crowds and lines on the first 2 days.(...)
Read the rest of iPad selling fast in Austria on launch weekend (338 words)

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Post tags: Austria, iPad, launch

Griffin Technology has recently released a few new accessories for the iPad.  Their Loop stand for the iPad is one that caught my eye. 

I like the look of it, though I wonder a little about how sturdy it is.

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Read the rest of Featured Accessory: Griffin’s Loop iPad Stand (172 words)

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Post tags: Griffin Technology, iPad stands, Loop iPad stand

Just a quick entry in the ‘apps that keep on giving’ category.  I wrote a quick look post about a wonderful iPad app called The Guardian Eyewitness just a couple weeks ago.  I hadn’t planned on mentioning the app again so soon – but I just can’t help but share a couple of the spectacular images the app has featured over the last few days.

Above is an amazing sequence of images showing a pilot parachuting to safety as his fighter jet crashes during a practice flight.

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Read the rest of Cool Things: Stunning Images from The Guardian Eyewitness App (78 words)

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Post tags: iPad Apps, iPad photography apps, The Guardian Eyewitness for iPad

I like to keep up with statistics for my sites.  I probably don’t track and analyze them as much as I should, but I enjoy checking daily and getting a feel for what’s going on.

Last night I was very happy to notice that iPad was sitting at the top of the charts – by a wide margin – for Visits by operating system.  As you can hopefully see above, iPad accounted for a tad over 40% of visits to the site – well ahead of Mac, in second place at just under 28%.

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Read the rest of Site Stuff: Glad to See Lots of You Visiting from the iPad (36 words)

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Tune Frame for iPad is an app that’s intended to help you show off your album art on the gorgeous iPad screen, as well as create playlists on the fly.

I’ve spent some time with the app this week and I like the concept of it – but I wish there was a little more to it.

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Read the rest of Quick Look: Tune Frame for iPad (610 words)

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Post tags: iPad Apps, iPad music apps, Tune Frame for iPad

eReader is the latest eBook reader app to hit the iPad.  The app has been a popular one on various platforms, and now its iPhone version has been updated to a universal app that will also run on the iPad.

Here’s a little bit of detail on eReader, via jkOnTheRun’s recent post about it:

Users of eReader Pro on other platforms will feel right at home as the iPad app is very similar to existing versions. Access to the user library is done within the app, but purchases are made in a separate browser window. You can start shopping at ereader.com for books from inside the app, but it fires up the Safari browser for the actual shopping excursion. Books can be perused and purchases made in the web browser. It does provide a link after purchase to take you back to the reader app, which is pretty cool.

As on other platforms, the iPad app provides lots of display configuration options — fonts, themes, day/night display — and it is easy to set things up the way you prefer. Fans of the eReader Pro autoscroll feature — which scrolls the page up slowly to allow reading without page turning — will be happy to note this is possible in the free iPad version.

Always good to see more eBook reading options for the iPad, as it is such a great device to read on.

© patrickj for Just Another iPad Blog, 2010. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: eReader, iPad Apps, iPad eBook apps

Have you ever started reading a long article on the web and thought that it would be great to be able to read it in iBooks on the iPad? If so, did you know it’s quite easy (on a Mac) to print a web page as a PDF to iTunes and read it later on the iPad (or iPhone) in iBooks?

Well … it is. Read on for a quick rundown on how it’s done …

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Read the rest of How To Save Web Pages for Reading in iBooks (on a Mac) (348 words)

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Post tags: how to save web pages to iTunes library, how to send web pages to iBooks, iBooks, iPad tips

The iPad’s international rollout continued yesterday – as it was launched in Austria, Belgium, Hong Kong, Ireland, Luxembourg, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, and Singapore.  Apparently the launch featured long lines and waiting lists in many of these locations – including Hong Kong …

The iPad launch in Hong Kong was described as "crazy" by one local vendor who has been selling the device since it launched in the U.S. in April, according to The Wall Street Journal. Kurt Lo’s orders from China and Vietnam increased to between 300 and 400 this week, up from an average of 200 to 300 in previous weeks.

If you’re a new iPad owner from one of these 9 nations (or anywhere else), welcome – glad you found our site, and let us know what you think of the iPad.

Via: Apple Insider

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Post tags: iPad international launch

I’ve dabbled with a few line drawing games on the iPad, and enjoyed the ones I’ve tried (though my enjoyment is sadly not matched by any sort of decent skill level).

My dabbling hasn’t gone very far as yet with this games genre – so I was interested to see a nice roundup post on iPad line drawing games over at JAMM this week.  They’ve got some familiar big names covered – like Flight Control HD and Harbor Master – as well as some lesser known (at least to me) titles like The Squadron (shown above) and Rocket Cop HD.

If you’re a fan of line drawing games for the iPad, or just wanting to get a little taster on what they’re all about, give the roundup article a look here:

http://justanothermobilemonday.com/WordPress/2010/07/19/line-drawing-games-making-a-splash-and-a-crash-launch-or-landing-on-the-ipad/

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Etsy.com has got tons of rich pickings when it comes to original and creative accessories for the iPad and iPhone (and a wealth of other good stuff too).   The latest example to catch my eye are a set of iPad cases at the Antjes shop. 

Thanks to jesse for emailing me about these – Antjes has a set of 10 iPad cases and I really like several of them.

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Read the rest of Featured iPad Accessories: Antjes’ iPad Cases (287 words)

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Post tags: Antjes iPad cases, Bacon and Egg iPad case, Space Invaders iPad case