Archive for the ‘Gadgets’ Category
It’s That Time Again… Apple Keynote Today!
Time flies when Apple is working on new products. Today at 1PM EST/10AM PST, El Jobso will be delivering a keynote at WWDC in San Francisco. If you like following along as the details unfold, here are a couple of my favourite live blogs to follow:
Adobe Digital Publishing Platform – Welcome Back to the Show, Adobe!
Today Adobe announced the upcoming release of the Digital Publishing Platform that is built upon Creative Suite 5. This technology, though not available publicly as of yet, was used by WIRED to publish their first iPad edition of their magazine. Having seen the WIRED digital magazine on my iPad, I’m excited to see what this Digital Publishing Platform can do. In the FAQs Adobe has posted, they mention that InDesign CS5 was a core element in the creation of the WIRED Reader. I love creating print collateral with InDesign and look forward to a chance of creating interactive materials in it. I’m hoping that the publishing platform will allow me to provide new services to clients where we can turn what use to be ‘plain-Jane’ PDFs into more interactive pieces that really engage the reader.
And in case you’re wondering, this platform appears to be fully compliant with the Apple Developers License Agreement, so it shouldn’t go the way of Flash. It also takes advantage of HTML5 technologies – showing that they are not being too stubborn in their quest for Flash acceptance. The plan is also to make this support multiple platforms, so the iPad isn’t the only tablet/device out there that will take advantage of this.
I’m happy to see Adobe is embracing new technologies like the iPad even if Flash is not supported. What the WIRED digital magazine shows is that Adobe is still tops in producing creative materials, static or interactive. Welcome back to the show, Adobe! [Adobe via Gizmodo]
NY Times Interview with Brian Lam of Gizmodo
Posted in Gadgets, on May 29th, 2010 by Carlos.
The NY Times has a one-on-one interview with Brian Lam, editor of Gizmodo who is under heat from the law and John Gruber alike, for his role in the iPhone 4G prototype fiasco.
It’s interesting to read about Gizmodo’s ousting of the Apple employee who lost the prototype as being simply being a human interest story (which he defends in the comments of the article as well). I still think it was a rather douchy thing to do.
The interview doesn’t focus too much on the specifics of the iPhone 4G story given it is currently under legal investigation. It makes for a good read though. NY Times
Apple iPad in Canada. It’s here… Er. In Late May, That Is.
Posted in Gadgets, on April 29th, 2010 by Carlos.
Starting May 10th, us Canadians will be able to pre-order the iPad (presumably in both Wi-Fi and 3G flavours) from Apple. Shipping date is being targeted for “Late May”. Well there’s 31 days in May, and I wouldn’t be completely surprised if Apple waited it out till the bitter end. I guess we can’t really complain. After all, we waited a year before having iPhones with the original iPhone not being sold in Canada at all. [Apple]
Regarding the Recently Revealed Alleged iPhone 4th Generation Device
My two three cents.
First cent: I’ll eat my hat if the device actually ships looking like that. Wide seams on the aluminum ring? Seemingly harder edges? That’s very un-Apple like. My guess is that they are pre-production tools that were used to create those parts. It certainly lacks the polish and refinements that are oh so Apple. But who knows – they really need to make this 4th device stand apart from the previous two generations that have been identical. Hopefully they pull it off well though.
Second cent: It kind of sucks to have seen this so far in advance, if it is in fact real. It really takes away from the usual lead up to the official unveiling. Who am I kidding? Now I really can’t wait!
Fine, Third cent: Rumoured front facing camera is there. Can Apple be the company to finally make mobile video chat main stream? I’m still not sold… I think it may wind up having some other nifty uses rather than just video chatting. What those are… I really don’t know.
I’ll refrain from posting any images… you can check them out at the sites I’ve linked to. [Gizmodo via Engadget]
Boo-urns: Apple iPad International Launch Date Delayed by a Month
Posted in Gadgets, on April 14th, 2010 by Carlos.
To the world’s disappointment, the iPad launch outside of the US will be delayed by a month. It was odd that Apple hadn’t even announced a release date by now if they were originally aiming to launch by the end of the month… and now we know why. I suppose we humble Canadians must wait longer. Hopefully our strong dollar will compel Apple to keep the price on par with the US price, rather than giving us our standard “sorry, you’re Canadian” mark-up. And hopefully they’re trying to work out all the content deals so things like the iBookstore will launch alongside the hardware. Only time will tell. [The Globe and Mail]
Follow the Apple iPhone 4.0 Event Live
Posted in Gadgets, on April 8th, 2010 by Carlos.
At 1PM EST time (10AM PST), the Apple iPhone 4.0 event will begin. As per usual, some of the tech blogs will be running live coverage from the event. You will be able to see their photos and witty banter about the event as it unfolds. Here are links to my two favourite tech blog sites that usually have decent coverage of Apple events:
Engadget – Live from Apple’s iPhone OS 4 event!
Update: changed Engadget’s link to the proper page.
Is Product Codename K59 the Apple 27″ Cinema Display?
Posted in Gadgets, on March 18th, 2010 by Carlos.
Of course, the day Dell puts their 27″ UltraSharp on sale to the point where I want to pull the trigger, rumours leak that Apple is prepping to launch their 27″ Cinema Display in June.
Potential wins over the Dell – it will likely be a LED monitor, consuming less energy and running much cooler than the Dell. Along with running cooler, it will look cooler… obviously. It would also likely have an integrated video iSight cam.
Potential drawbacks – If they follow their trend, it will likely be a glossy display, though I would imagine they would also offer it in a matte version if they really want to go after the pro market. I don’t mind my MacBook with the glossy display, but my desktop computer is a different story. It may also only have DisplayPort connectivity meaning you have to get a doohickey adapter to get it to work with your non-DisplayPort video card. It will also no doubt be pricey – but who knows where the price point will lie. The 24″ display is $999 CAD, while a 27″ iMac that uses the same panel sells for $1799. Will they actually price it in between those price points? If so, it will be along the same lines as the Dell, which is very un-Apple. That is, unless they really beef up the “pro” features and list it for higher than even the 27″ iMac. Let the speculation begin. [AppleInsider via Gizmodo]
Dell Deal of the Day – UltraSharp U2711 27″ Monitor
Posted in Gadgets, on March 18th, 2010 by Carlos.
Act fast. For today only, Dell has their UltraSharp U2711 27″ monitor on sale for $799 (down $450 from $1249, plus free shipping). This monitor boasts a 2560 x 1440 resolution display, several connectivity options (DVI, HDMI, DisplayPort, VGA) plus an IPS LCD panel that covers 100% of the sRGB colour space and 96% of Adobe RGB. At this price, it is a great deal!
This deal is part of the 11 Days of Deals that they have been running. You should check out the various other deals they have (including $77.99 Western Digital Caviar Green 1TB drives). [Dell via RedFlagDeals]
Keep your cup o’ joe warm in a Canon lens thermos!
Posted in Gadgets, on March 15th, 2010 by Carlos.
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