National Geographic magazine reports that ski-mountaineer Hilaree O’Neill — a member of its 2012 Everest expedition — will follow the same route Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay did in 1953, but with an iPad and
iPhone in her backpack. iPad gives O’Neill a journaling device with a solid-state data storage drive usable at altitudes where spinning hard disk drives have been known to fail. And with cell service available even on Everest’s summit, she’ll use an iPhone 4S to stay in touch instead of a cumbersome walkie-talkie.
Thanks to the new iPad, developers are more in love with the device than ever. If you’re a loyal SugarSync user, it’s time to fire up the App Store and download the company’s new 3.0 update, which is all about your favorite slate.
SugarSync, Inc. has released version 3.0 of their free, universal SugarSync app — and for once, it’s not all about the iPhone or iPod touch. iPad users old or new will now enjoy a sleek new interface which takes full advantage of the wider screen real estate. If you don’t believe us, just ask SugarSync, who describes the update as “now more fun than playing with the cute, cuddly puppy.”
“This one is for all you iPad users!” the version 3.0 app notes reveal. “We lovingly re-wrote on our entire app from scratch that has all the features that you know and love, but with an interface that is truly optimized for the iPad.”
Along with the “really, really sleek” new interface, SugarSync now supports drags, swipes and gestures on the iPad as well as the ability to see the contents of many folders at once, saying goodbye to unused white space (can you hear that, Android?). The app also adds easier access to all photo and video backup features, and no version 3.0 would be complete without squashing bugs, of course.
SugarSync 3.0 is now available from the App Store as a 10.7MB download compatible with all devices running iOS 3.0 or later — meaning this app can even still run on the original iPhone, which is becoming increasingly rare.
In his review of the new iPad, AllThingsD’s Walt Mossberg describes viewing the Retina display as “like getting a new eyeglasses prescription — you suddenly realize what you thought looked sharp before wasn’t nearly as sharp as it could be.” He praises the performance of the iPad as “buttery smooth,” and he writes that he “loves” the photos he took with the new 5-megapixel camera. Mossberg concludes, “Since it launched in 2010, the iPad has been the best tablet on the planet. With the new, third-generation model, it still holds that crown.”
Apple today announced it has sold three million new
iPad devices since its launch on Friday, March 16. “The new iPad is a blockbuster with three million sold ― the strongest iPad launch yet,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing.
The new iPad — the third generation of the category-defining mobile device — arrived at Apple’s Retail Stores and the Apple Online Store on Friday, March 16 at 8:00 a.m. local time in the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Switzerland, and the UK; along with Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. Beginning at a suggested retail price of $499 (US), the new iPad features a stunning Retina display, Apple’s A5X chip with quad-core graphics, and a 5-megapixel iSight camera with advanced optics for capturing amazing photos and 1080p HD video. And iPad 2 is now available at a more affordable price, starting at just $399.
Apple today announced that more than 25 billion apps have been downloaded from its revolutionary App Store by users of the more than 315 million iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices worldwide. The 25 billionth app — a free version of “Where’s My Water?” — was downloaded by Chunli Fu of Qingdao, China. As the winner of the App Store Countdown to 25 Billion Apps, Chunli Fu will receive a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card.
Apple today announced the new Apple TV featuring 1080p HD programming, including iTunes movies and TV shows, Netflix, Vimeo, photos, and more. The new Apple TV features a simpler, refined user interface, making it easier than ever to access your purchased movies, TV shows, and music with iTunes Match right from iCloud. With AirPlay, users can stream or mirror their favorite content from their iPad or iPhone 4S to Apple TV. And with iTunes in the Cloud, customers can purchase and play their favorite movies and TV shows from the iTunes Store and watch them instantly on their HDTV. Apple TV will be available on Friday, March 16 for a suggested retail price of $99 (US) through the Apple Online Store and Apple Retail Stores.
Apple today introduced iPhoto for iPad and iPhone and major updates to iMovie and GarageBand, completing its suite of iLife apps for iOS. iPhoto includes breakthrough Multi-Touch features so you can use simple gestures to sort through hundreds of photos and find your best shots, enhance and retouch your images using fingertip brushes, and share stunning photo journals with iCloud. iMovie now gives you the ability to create Hollywood-style trailers as you record HD video on your iPad or iPhone. GarageBand introduces Jam Session, an innovative and fun feature that allows a group of friends to wirelessly connect their iOS devices to play instruments and record live music together. iPhoto, iMovie 1.3, and GarageBand 1.2 are available today for $4.99 (US) each from the App Store. Updates are available for free to existing customers.
Rhythm-based video games have been readily available for over a decade now, but there’s something inherently intuitive about tapping along to the beat on a touch-screen that makes them a natural fit for Apple gadgets. We already tap our fingers and toes to most tunes that spill out of our earbuds; why not make an app of it?
Beat Sneak Bandit, the latest title from Bumpy Road creator Simogo, boasts one of the best blends of clever one-touch gameplay, charming 2D art, and head-bobbing beats available on the App Store. Cast as the criminally smooth Bandit, you’ll have to stealthily tap your way through the devilish Duke Clockface’s creepy mansion, reclaiming stolen clocks and dodging all sorts of rhythmic dangers along the way.
Each stage sees Bandit sneaking up, down, and across four stories in the Duke’s manor, collecting clocks while avoiding guards, trap doors, robo-vacuum ‘bots, and other outlandish obstacles. A single tap sends Bandit forward once pace, but watch out – he can only move in the direction he’s facing, and only in step with the beat. Recklessly rapping on your touch-screen will make the clocks on Bandit’s current floor explode, and cause our sneaky thief to stumble over his suede shoes.
The hook lies in spotting the best route to sneak to each stage’s clocks unseen, but Beat Sneak Bandit’s deceptively intricate level layouts – and surprisingly punishing difficulty curve – demand plenty of trial and error. True, a single misstep can make several minutes of shrewd sneaking go to pot, but it’s tough to stay mad at this quirky beat-based puzzler. It’s a fun, novel take on an underfed genre that undoubtedly deserves your three dollars.
The bottom line. Beat Sneak Bandit’s charming visuals, wicked sense of humor, and toe-tapping tunes make it one of the best music games available on iOS.
Apple today introduced the new iPad — the third generation of its category-defining mobile device — featuring a stunning new Retina display, Apple’s new A5X chip with quad-core graphics, and a 5-megapixel iSight camera with advanced optics for capturing incredible photos and 1080p HD video. iPad with Wi-Fi + 4G connects to fast networks worldwide, including AT&T’s and Verizon’s 4G LTE networks, and still delivers the same all-day 10-hour battery life while remaining amazingly thin and light. The new iPad will be available in black or white through the Apple Online Store and in Apple Retail stores on Friday, March 16, beginning at $499 (US). Customers can begin pre-ordering their new iPad today on the Apple Online Store. Also beginning today, iPad 2 will be offered at an even more affordable price, starting at just $399 (US).
Thanks to the new iPad, developers are more in love with the device than ever. If you’re a loyal SugarSync user, it’s time to fire up the App Store and download the company’s new 3.0 update, which is all about your favorite slate.