An iPad 2 for a kidney!

BY THE APPLE GIRL I love my iPad 2 but I wouldn’t trade my kidney for it! A teen, Zheng, from Huaishan City in China wanted an iPad 2, but couldn’t afford it, so he sold his kidney for ~ $3000 to a broker he met online.  Zheng’s mother tried to get in touch with the kidney broker, but as expected he was unreachable. I hope Zheng recovers his health soon and no kid ever attempts to do this again! Source: Shanghai Daily

Sold out: iPad 2 replicas!

BY THE APPLE GIRL This one had me ROFL. As much as I was complaining about standing in line to get an iPad 2, Chinese folks in Malaysia are having trouble finding iPad 2 paper replicas. Chinese communities honor their dead relatives by burning fake money or replicas of luxury items such as designer handbags and flashy cars. Now the latest fad is to offer the iPad 2. The stores ran out of the iPad 2 replicas and are only left with original iPad replicas.

BY THE GOOGLE CHIC Those paper replicas sure looks realistic! I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since there is the iPed (iPad knockoff) in the Asian market. The funniest thing is that the iPad 2 hasn’t even released in the Asia market. I guess the replicas are the next best thing! Check out the video below. On a side note, check out the designer shirt and shoes 🙂

Apple iOS vs. Android 3.0 – HoneyComb

BY THE APPLE GIRL  Here are some of the key new features in iOS 4.3, which will just be an overlay on the existing iOS on the iPad. Improved Safari Performance: Apple moved the Nitro Engine Javascript engine from the Mac OS to iOS making it twice as fast. iTunes home sharing: lets you share your media and Apps across all your iDevices wirelessly over Wi-Fi. This is a no brainer and I’m surprised that Apple released this feature so late in the iOS lifecycle. Airplay improvements: Apple lets you stream video and audio using third party apps from your iOS 4.3 device to your Apple TV. Yes, no configuration needed. GoogleChic, you may not understand the phrase “No configuration” since you haven’t had the Apple kool-aid 🙂 Preference for the iPad switch: If you prefer the switch on the top right of the iPad to act as a rotation lock or to act as a mute switch, you now have the option to set your preference in iOS 4.3. FaceTime, Garage Band, iMovie, Photobooth: let you video chat, create and edit your own music, movies and pictures. Multi touch features: The iOS 4.3 will also support four or five finger gestures to give quick access to the home screen, multi tasking bar and to switch between Apps. Yes, everything is very intuitive. Here are some HoneyComb features that you should consider before deciding on either device Apps: iPad 2 sports over 65000 Apps designed to run on iOS while HoneyComb sports just over a 100 Apps. GoogleChic is happy with only a 100 Apps, but are you? 🙂 Native Video Chat: Finally, a native video chat client (FaceTime on iOS) comes to Android. You should experience both before deciding on your device of choice. Widgets: Android has gone over board with the widgets on Honeycomb while complicating user experience for non geeks. Why do you need a grid widget, a stack widget and why do you need visual previews of the Apps while switching between Apps? Eww reminds me of my Windows Vista! Notifications: Seriously, the notification was annoying the hell out of me in the demo video. Its like someone repeatedly IM’ing you on GMail when you are typing that work email. All in all, if you are geek and like to twist your brain around how to get your tablet to work best for you, then Android is the way to go.  If you want a tablet which is intuitive and hassle free with the best user experience, then iOS is your obvious choice. P.S: Check out the demo from the Android Honeycomb release. I would’nt blame you if you can’t get past 10 mins of the hour long video. Really, Google you need to learn how to get past your geekiness and reach out to the customers!!

BY THE GOOGLE CHIC  I would have to say that the most exciting feature of iOS 4.3 is the personal hotspot. I thought AppleGirl would be jumping up and down for this since she won’t have to tether off of me anymore 😉 The only downside to this is that it’s available only for the iPhone 4 and it looks like AT&T is putting a 3 device limit on this 😛 Apple is just a little behind in the game on this! As for the intuitive multi touch features, if there’s one button on the device of course you would need an “intuitive” gesture to go home. What’s more intuitive than a home button on the device ?:) As for the Honeycomb features here are the highlights I pointed out the other day. UI – new UI with a holographic theme, improved home screen customization, widgets, and notifications that has been integrated into a 3D experience (yes, 3D support!) Browser – Tabbing is now supported. A new feature “incognito mode” will let you browse without this history being record  (I’m  just saying) Gmail – will be displayed in two columns including an action bar Visual multi-tasking – provides a image of the last view state when switching between programs Multiselect mode – ability to select multiple items I guess AppleGirl, just doesn’t understand the concept of customization since it’s not available on iOS. Apple users are given what Steve Jobs says it’s good for the masses. I could see how having options would be confusing and frustrating for an Apple users. Most people would welcome the fact that you can choose which ever widget you would like to use whether it’s a grid or stack widget. No, I don’t think it’s for the geeks, if you don’t like it, simply don’t put it on your desktop. The notification looks pretty seamless to me. If I’m working on something I can easily see gtalk messages coming in. It’s much better than a number over an App icon 🙂 Lastly, Steve Jobs must feel pretty insecure about iOS to have to distort the truth when it comes to number of apps available for  Honeycomb. A majority of the apps on the Market will work on Honeycomb. There is a smaller percentage which has been optimized for Honeycomb but I wouldn’t take Job’s number as a fact considering his known distortion reputation.

iPad 2 battles Motorola Xoom

BY THE APPLE GIRL  If you are deciding between an iPad 2 vs a Xoom, here are some points you should consider before jumping the gun 1. Aesthetics iPad 2 wins the aesthetics battle against the Motorola Xoom. The super sleek iPad is 33% thinner than the first generation iPad, thinner than the iPhone 4, thinner and lighter than Motorola Xoom. 2. iOS iPad has been out for more than a year and has been tested, optimized and improved through its life. Android’s Honeycomb, on the other hand, was just recently released with the Xoom. I would expect a lot of pitfalls with the OS. 3. App Store Steve Jobs pointed out that Apple has 65000+ Apps specifically designed to run on the iPad while Android has somewhere around a 100 Apps. Let’s not even start comparing here 🙂 4. Price Another winning point for Apple. The iPad 2 prices start at $499 for the bare bones 16GB iPad 2 with Wifi only. Compare it with $599 Xoom. 5. Verizon and AT&T iPad 2 supports both AT&T (GSM) and Verizon (CDMA) while Xoom only supports Verizon. So if you are one of those road warriors hooked onto your 3G data plan with AT&T, buying an iPad2 is a no brainer.

BY THE GOOGLE CHIC   I think Steve Jobs announcing the iPad 2 was bigger news than the iPad 2 itself. 1. Aesthetics I’ll give Apple this, in terms of hardware the iPad 2 will be the thinest tablet out there. However, there’s a bigger display on the Motorola Xoom, 10.1 inch with a 1280 x  800 resolution versus the same old 9.7 inch and 1024 X 768 resolution. Honestly, that Apple didn’t improve the resolution. Apple, wheres’ the retina (ISP) display?! 2. OS iOS “has been tested, optimized and improved”, wow that sure sounds like fluff to me.  Here’s the fluff that iOS 4.3 will be offering Safari performance – utilizes Nitro engine to increase its performance iTunes home sharing – stream content over WiFi Airplay improvements – allows 3rd party apps to stream content Preference for iPad switch – choose from rotation lock switch or mute switch Personal hotspot –  turn your 3G connection into a personal, hotspot iPhone 4 only. Here’s what the totally redsigned Honeycomb – Android 3.0 will offer UI – new UI with a holographic theme, improved home screen customization, widgets, and notifications that has been integrated into a 3D experience (yes, 3D support!) Browser – Tabbing is now supported. A new feature “incognito mode” will let you browse without this history being record 😉 (I’m  just saying) Gmail – will be displayed in two columns including an action bar Visual multi-tasking – provides a image of the last view state when switching between programs Multiselect mode – ability to select multiple items Bottom line, iOS is still lacking desktop space and widgets. Guess all of us Android fans will be able to read our Gmail and Facebook updates with out having to click a button! 3. App Store Yes, let’s not start comparing. The apps available on Android Market is continuously growing. We have everything that matters! 4. Price Okay, iPad 2 will wins here, the Xoom does cost more.  Hopefully they’ll slash a $100 off of that and we’ll be about even. Update – Hmm, the WiFi only Xoom maybe offered for $539 at Sams. If this is true that’s pretty competitive pricing. 5. Verizon and AT&T Hey, it’s a matter of time before the Xoom is offered on either T-mobile or AT&T. There is a GSM model available, just not in the US. Check out the comparison below and let us know which one you would choose! source: engadget, androidcommunity

Original iPad on sale!

BY THE APPLE GIRL   With the release of Apple’s revolutionary iPad2 (I can’t wait to get my hands on it 🙂 More to come on this soon!), the good news for consumers is that the original iPad prices just dropped $100. iPad 16g WiFi Only: $399 iPad 32g WiFi Only: $499 iPad 64g WiFi Only: $599 iPad 16g WiFi + 3G: $529 iPad 32g WiFi + 3G: $629 iPad 64g WiFi + 3G: $729

iPad 2

BY THE APPLE GIRL  If you have been speculating on buying an iPad some time soon, then the best advice is to hold off for a few months. Because the next best tablet in the market will be the iPad 2. Despite Apple closely guarding the specs, there are rumors flying around and rest assured you will see at least some of these features in the next iPad. LIKELY: Thinner and Compact: Like the iPhone 4, the iPad 2 will definitely be slimmer with exceptional design quality. Cameras: The iPad 2 is expected to have a front and rear facing cameras. This is a given since I think FaceTime support is a must for any new Apple product. 3 Axis Gyroscope: With the amount of gaming and navigation potential on the iPad, I think this is another likely addition. GSM and CDMA: With Verizon now carrying the iPad with MiFi (i.e the iPad itself does not have CDMA functionality), Apple would be sensible enough to build an iPad 2 with a CDMA chip, if not for a dual technology i.e CDMA and GSM iPad. Higher Resolution: The iPad 2 could carry a high end pixel density. Imagine a higher resolution or a Retina display on a bigger real estate, I can’t stop myself from drooling 😛 Faster Processor: Apple will also plug a faster multi core processor into the iPad 2. It is expected to come with ARM Cortex dual core processor running at 1.2GHz and give a substantial performance boost. iPad 2 is also expected to sport a dual core graphics processing unit (GPU). UNLIKELY: USB port: With Apple going wireless and cloud based (MobileMe is rumored to be free in the future), I doubt that the USB port (to enable users to upload documents, movies, photos etc) would be a new feature. SD card slot: There have been pictures of iPad 2 case with space for an SD card slot. But I think the SD card slot is unlikely, since none of the Apple products – iPod, iPhone – have been given an expandable memory slot. I doubt that Apple would go down that road for the iPad. Again, if Apple has free MobileMe in the cards, an SD card slot is something you will probably not see on the new iPad. DON’T BET ON IT: 7 inch iPad: Steve Jobs himself has nipped this rumor in the bud when he called 7 inch tablets as DOA – Dead On Arrival. So obviously, it is not in his books to make one! LTE support: With most of the world still running on 2G/3G technologies and LTE at its infancy, 4G on iPad 2 is out of question. Removing the home button: There have been some rumors of the iPad 2 without a home button. The fact that the iPad is so consumer friendly is because it is easy to maneuver (thanks to the home button!) and it would take anyone just 2 seconds to figure it out. I don’t think Apple would think of removing it anytime in the near future. Expected Release: April 2011 [Update: AllThingsDigital reports that Apple has scheduled a media event on March 2 where it is expected to launch the next iPad] Expected Price: Not lower than the current iPad. [via MacRumors, BoyGeniusReport, Mashable, ZD Net, TechRadar.com, PCMag]

iPad is a giant iPhone?

BY THE APPLE GIRL   GoogleChic, you are going to love this Motorola tablet evolution ad 😀 It is the same Motorola tablet which Andy Rubin had showed off during the Honey Comb preview. Motorola terms the iPad as “It’s like a giant iPhone, but… it’s like a giant iPhone”. Motorola can’t even get its jabs right. iPad is more like a giant iPod Touch than a giant iPhone 😉 Motorola labels the Samsung Galaxy Tab as “Android OS, but Android OS…for a phone”. Ouch, now you can’t even trust a fellow Android user to watch your back? Isn’t Honeycomb just an optimized version of Android phone OS 🙂 Pretty much like iOS for iPad? Not only does Motorola come late into the market (to be released at CES Jan 2011), but it  made the stupid mistake of comparing its tablet to the first gen iPad. Motorola is yet to realize that it will actually be competing with iPad  2 (rumored to be released early next year).

BY THE GOOGLE CHIC  Based on Andy Rubin’s preview of the Motorola tablet Honeycomb looked awesome! I would say it’s a overhaul of the Android OS and not an optimized version of it 🙂 I wonder how pissed Samsung is about this ad. Motorola took a direct jab at Samsung with their “Android OS, but Android OS for a phone”. Ouch, first off Samsung Tab is a 7 inch tablet which is why it’s able to utilizes Android 2.2 (Froyo) and it works well. The Motorola tab is a 10 inch tablet so it definitely needs Honeycomb which will handle the larger resolution. As for the iPhone comment, it looks like Motorola is implying that their tablet will have more features as compared to the Droid X for example. Come on Motorola, stop teasing us and release the specs already!