Get Unlimited Storage And Unlimited Access Right On Your iDevice (By AppAdvice)

Wouldn’t it be great if you could have unlimited storage on your iDevice and access it from anywhere? Well with the help of some hardware and software this dream can become a reality.

Top 8 iPad 2 Accessories

1. Apple iPad 2 Smart Cover

Unveiled alongside the new tablet, the Smart Cover uses a series of magnets that when placed over your iPad 2 will put your slate into sleep mode and awaken it when opening. It also doubles as a stand to watch movies, or to type out your emails.

US Price: Polyurethane $39, Leather $69 | UK Price: TBC

Link: Apple

2. Apple iPad 2 HDMI video out connector

Joining the Smart Cover on stage with the iPad 2, the new connector is similar in design to the current USB one found with the current iPad model and allows for 1080p video content to be transferred from the iPad 2. There's no setup required and the tablet will charge whilst in use as standard.

US Price: $39 | UK Price: TBC

Link: Apple

3. GEAR4 Jumpsuit for iPad 2

Keeping your iPad 2 protected from the odd bump or two it's likely to take, the rubberised casing is shockproof to help guard your Apple pride of joy.

Price: £19.99-£24.99

Link: GEAR4

4. GEAR4 Angry Birds iPad 2 case

These Birds are everywhere, and now you can have the animated mobile gaming stars emblazoned on your iPad 2 case. As well as Red Bird, you can also get a Family Shot, and Pig King vs Red Bird themed polycarbonate case.

Price: £34.99

Link: GEAR4

5. Native Union Moshi Moshi 05 POP phone

With front-facing and rear-facing camera now in tow, this ergonomic handset connects via 3.5mm jack or can be fitted with an USB adaptor, helping you chat over Skype and other VoIP services in an old fashioned landline style.

Price: £24.90

Link: Native Union

6. Scosche foldIO iPad 2 case

Giving your iPad 2 protection on the go, the Folio-style case delivers three position landscape viewing and features a suede interior for that added secure touch. You can grab one in a range of textures which include leather, white leather, carbon fibre and white carbon.

Price: £39.99

Link: Scosche

7. Scosche glosSEE iPad 2 case

For added iPad 2 gripping, the gloSEE rubber case offers shock protection and also comes packed with an ultra-clear screen protector and a microfibre cleaning cloth.

Price: £29.99

Link: Scosche

8. Cygnett Lavish iPad 2 case

The book-style designed case from Cygnett offers access to all ports and buttons, three viewing angles and a concealed magnet to keep your iPad 2 shut away snug.

UK Price: £34.95

Link: Cygnett

Couldn’t Get An iPad 2? Is Ebay To Blame?

Reports that Apple sold up to 500,000 iPad 2 tablets during its debut weekend means little to those who stood in line for the iDevice on Friday, only to come up empty handed. What makes this news more frustrating is knowing that some of those iPad 2 buyers who were successful are now making a quick profit. But is this a big problem?

Benefiting financially off the iPad 2 isn’t surprising. In fact, Apple indirectly encourages the practice. As with other product launches, the iPad 2 debuted only in the U.S, and won’t be available for another two weeks in other countries.

Between now and then, people across the world will pay a huge premium for the iDevice, which retails for as low as $499.

Many would-be sellers cash in by turning to eBay or Craigslist, among other online locations. While the majority of the listings are for one iPad 2 only, some are for lots of two or more. Prices for the iPad 2 range from a low of $800 for a 16GB Wi-Fi model to $4,000 for two Wi-Fi + 3G units sold together.

A quick survey of current listings on eBay tells the story: Nearly 7,700 “iPad 2” listings are available on the popular auction website. Of these, nearly 1,450 are from so-called “top-rated sellers.” In other words, from those who make a living buying and selling on eBay.

Similar listings are popping up on Craigslist.

Clearly, most iPad 2 buyers aren’t profiting from their purchase. Rather, they simply want to enjoy one of Apple’s newest iDevices (and got in line at the right time).

Still, is there something Apple could do to eliminate this early profiting? Probably not. After all, the reason Apple staggers product releases in the first place has nothing to do with assisting eBay or Craigslist sellers, and everything to do with being unable to keep up with initial demand.

The iPad (and iPhone too) always generates more demand at launch time than Apple could ever be expected to supply. If they could, the company would happily take the added profits, which would come from selling more units.

Our advice to would-be buyers: Avoid overspending for an iPad 2. Within a few weeks, the iDevice will be available at numerous locations in the U.S. and across the world.

Rather, save the money and use it to buy apps and a Smart Cover.

Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD Updated, Now Optimized For The iPad 2

The popular racing app, Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD, has just received a great iPad 2 update. Now, gamers can enjoy “faster gameplay and incredible new visual features” when playing Asphalt 6 on their second generation iPad.

New features of the $6.99 app include “smoother real time reflection,” real time road lighting and shadows, motion blur, and massive performance improvements. Asphalt 6now runs twice faster on the iPad 2 than on the original iPad, which is very impressive.

Additional improvements include support for the gyroscope (in your garage, you can now turn your iDevice and view your cars as if you’re actually there), and improved particle effects – meaning smoke, collisions, and off road driving will look more real than ever!

The updated version of Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD ($6.99) is available now in the App Store. If you have an iPad 2, check it out, and let us know your thoughts in the comments.

iPad 2 specs discerned, 900MHz dual-core ARM Cortex A9 and PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU blow away graphical benchmarks

iFixit may have physically uncovered Apple's latest silicon, but it's the processor gurus that have discovered what's truly inside -- using software benchmarks, they've unearthed the speeds and feeds of the Apple A5. As you'll no doubt be aware having read our headline above, there actually isn't a 1GHz CPU at the helm, as AnandTech and IOSnoops report the dual-core ARM Cortex A9 is dynamically clocked around 900MHz, likely in search of reduced power consumption. Perhaps more interestingly for all you gamers in the audience, the iPad 2 reports that it has a dual-core PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU on the die as originally foretold -- and, spoiler alert -- it mops the floor with both the original iPad and the Motorola Xoom. Though the new chip didn't quite demonstrate 9X the graphical prowess of its predecessor, it rendered 57.6 frames per second in a GLBenchmark test where the (admittedly higher-res) Tegra 2 tablet managed only 26.7fps, and last year's iPad pulled only 17.6fps. 

Inside the iPad 2: chip brings 50% browsing boost

Wondering what makes that iPad 2 you just got tick and how much faster it is than the original iPad? Anandtech, iFixit, iosnoops, and UBM TechInsights have provided some answers.

Processor performance: Let's address this first--for obvious reasons. Apple has already been very public about the dual-core 1GHz A5 processor--a step up from the single-core chip in the original iPad--and the chip's "up to 9X faster" graphics" (Apple's ad copy).

And the verdict from an independent review? "CPU [Central Processing Unit] performance...we found to be a healthy 50 percent faster than the A4 in the original iPad--at least in Web browsing," said Anandtech in a "performance preview" of the iPad 2. (More detailed benchmarks here.)

But a boost in raw "clock" speed is not the reason, according to iosnoops. "The new Apple A5 processor...may offer twice as many cores as the Apple A4 processor featured in the first generation iPad [but] it appears that each processing core is actually clocked at a slower speed," said the review site.

iosnoops continues. "While doing some early iPad 2 benchmarks, the team discovered by chance an interesting tidbit: the A5 doesn't run at 1GHz like the Apple A4, but is instead clocked around 890MHz (the speed of the A5 does not seem to be constant, and varies depending on the apps running on the iPad 2)."

Whatever the case, the iPad 2's performance is considerably better than the original iPad. "The iPad 2 is much faster. Web pages load quicker, the OS is more responsive, and applications even launch faster," said Anand Shimpi, who heads up Anandtech, responding to an e-mail query.

That said, it should be noted that the Motorola Xoom (with an Nvidia processor and graphics) surpasses the iPad 2 in some browser benchmarks, according to Anandtech.

Graphics-specific performance: And the new Imagination Technologies' PowerVR SGX 543MP2 graphics processor? On certain benchmarks, an increase ranging from 3X to 5X, according to Anandtech. Here's what that review site said about one benchmark--the so-called "fragment lit triangle test": "While the PowerVR SGX 535 in the A4 (original iPad) could barely break 4 million triangles per second in this test, the PowerVR SGX 543MP2 in the A5 manages just under 20 million. There's just no competition here." Gamers rejoice!

Apple's A5 processor is paired with 512MB of system memory from Samsung--which also makes the A5 chip, according to UMB TechInsights. On the right is the Toshiba 16GB flash memory chip.

(Credit: iFixit)

Chip manufacturer: And who makes the chip? The A5 "is definitely manufactured by Samsung using their 45nm (nanometer) process," said UBM TechInsights.

System Memory: The iPad 2 has 512MB of memory--not 1GB like Motorola's Xoom. That said, this is twice the amount of the original iPad, which had only 256MB of system memory.

Flash Memory (storage): IFixit shows a Toshiba TH58NVG7D2FLA89 16GB NAND Flash memory module.

Other silicon: 

• Broadcom BCM43291HKUBC Wi-Fi/Bluetooth/FM tuner combo chip 
• ST Micro AGD8 2103 gyroscope 
• ST Micro LIS331DLH accelerometer 
• Broadcom BCM5974 CKFBGH capacitive touch-screen controller

iPad 2 "Optimized Games"

If you just got an iPad 2 and are looking to stretch its legs, the device launched with four games that have been "optimized" for the device. Only one of them is even a new game, the rest of them all had free updates land today to beef up the graphics (and the file size, unfortunately) for the iPad 2.


Real Racing 2 HD, $9.99 

 There's not a whole lot to say about this game that we haven't already other than it runs on the iPad and looks fantastic on the iPad 2. We loved the iPhone version in our review, and RR2 HDalmost feels even more immersive because of the increase of screen size. One thing though, with the bigger screen, just how flat the cockpits of the cars look is much more noticeable. I'd love to see some bump mapping or other depth given to them, as once you notice it, it's kind of hard to un-see. Obviously, it runs much better on the iPad 2 than the original iPad as well.


Dead Space for iPad, $6.99 

When it was first released it was amazing then, and now it's even better with some heavy anti-aliasing. Check out the crisp border of the sign in the above screenshot, on the original iPad that's jaggy as all get-out. This new iPad 2 version of the game looks good enough that it's worth re-playing the whole game over again just to see it.


Asphalt 6: Adrenaline HD, $6.99  

This is the most underwhelming of all the "optimized" games. It runs great on the device, and the draw distance is crazy, but after playing Dead Space or Real Racing 2 HD, the lack of anti-aliasing really sticks out. Also, while the draw distance is far enough out to completely eliminate pop-in, power-ups and other cars still seem to pop-in even though the scenery doesn't. It's a good effort I suppose, but if you're only going to pick up one of these iPad 2 games, don't let it be this one unless you're just crazy about Burnout-style games.

Infinity Blade, $5.99  

"It doesn't get much more 'must-have' than this." That goes double if you've got an iPad 2. This gesture-based sword-fighter looks nuts. Infinity Blade is such an impressive display of what the iPad 2 is capable of that it should have come preloaded on the device.

These four launch day games are very impressive, and I doubt I'm alone when I say that I can't wait to see what developers come up with on this substantially faster device.

The Apple iPad Keyboard Dock Is Dead: What’s The Alternative?

The new iPad is 33% thinner and a notable different shape due to the trimming. That means previous docking stations and dock equipped accessories for the first generation iPad will result in improper support. Apple has most certainly provided some iPad 2 compatible add-ons already, although, the Apple iPad Keyboard Dock appears to be one item the company considers as end-of-life.

Apple has begun selling an iPad 2 Dock. However, there is no sign of an iPad 2 Keyboard Dock in Apple’s online store. Could there be a delay? Extremely unlikely since Apple was prepared with nearly every other accessory they planned to offer an iPad 2 version for.

It’s safe to assume that Apple’s suggested alternative for iPad 2 owners would be to purchase the iPad 2 Dock and the Apple Wireless Keyboard. Not only is this more expensive, $69 for the iPad Keyboard Dock versus $98 for the Apple Wireless and iPad 2 Dock, but some may find it less convenient. The combined keyboard and dock offered an all in one product, which also didn’t require the user to have a separate power source for the keyboard.

If you don’t need the dock connector available in portrait mode, there are products like the ZAGGmate or the option of using one of the new Smart Covers along with the Wireless Keyboard.

Will Apple ever consider a universal iPad dock, as in the use of adapters, like that offered for iPhones and iPods? My guess is no, but it’s never impossible. Have an opinion about Apple’s decision to ignore the iPad Keyboard Dock for iPad 2 users? Please share it with us in the comments section.

Real Racing 2 HD arrives just in time for the iPad 2 launch

Last December, Firemint wowed everybody by releasing Real Racing 2 [$6.99], the sequel to their popular racing sim that originally hit in Summer of 2009.  One thing we weren't sure of, however, and something that many players and elsewhere had been wondering about, was if there would be a Real Racing 2 for the iPad? Firemint since confirmed that it was in the works, and part of the hold up was seeing what Apple's plans were for the iPad 2 which was announced last week and is available starting today.

Well, just like clockwork, and echoing the original iPad's release, Real Racing 2 HD [$9.99] has launched just in time to be one of the flagship titles for the new iPad 2. Firemint claims that Real Racing 2 HD is optimized for both the original iPad and the extra performance muscle of the iPad 2, so should serve as a great title to show off your shiny new toy should you be picking up an iPad 2 later today.

How Long Until The Original iPad Is Outdated?

Apple’s second generation iPad goes on sale tomorrow, and the price of the original iPad has already dropped. Furthermore, loads of people are selling their original iPads on eBay, in the hopes of raising funds for an iPad 2. While cheap first generation iPads might look like a great deal, you’ve got to ask yourself: Just how long is Apple going to support the original iPad?

As a company, Apple infamously “outdates” its own iDevices. For example, the original iPhone (the “iPhone 2G”) had a lifespan of around two to three years, until iOS 4 was released. Because the original iPhone doesn’t support iOS 4, it could not benefit from any new features of the iOS, and was stuck at iOS 3.1.3.

However, the iPhone 3G – which was released a year after the original iPhone –didn’t benefit from iOS 4 all that much. In fact, it slowed the iPhone 3G down quite a bit. Apple did fix this issue with iOS 4.2. Now, Apple has stopped supporting the iPhone 3G, like the original iPhone, it too is “outdated.”

So, the question remains: How long does the original iPad have? If we look at the iPad 2, we can see that obvious, hardware related aspects of the new device – such as a couple of cameras – mean there will be certain iPad apps, like FaceTime, that cannot run on the original iPad. Furthermore, high end applications that require a lot of processing power, like iMovie, will not be supported by the first generation iPad (though GarageBand is).

However, apps aside, what many of us care about is the iOS – specifically, how long will it be until the original iPad is incompatible with the latest version of the iOS?

Let’s look back in time at Apple’s past iDevices:

Original iPhone (“iPhone 2G”) – released June, 2007 – outdated June, 2010. Lifespan: three years.

iPhone 3G – released June, 2008 – outdated March, 2011. Lifespan: just under three years.

iPhone 3GS – released June, 2009 – predicted to be outdated June, 2011 (with the release of iOS 5). Lifespan: three years.

As you can see, it generally takes Apple around three years to make an iDevice outdated when it comes to the iOS. If we apply this to the first generation iPad, you can expect the tablet to be supported by the iOS up until June 2013. The original iPad will most likely run iOS 5 and iOS 6 – but, don’t go getting your hopes up for iOS 7, because if iDevice history is anything to go by, the iPad won’t run it.

So, the bottom line is: If you can grab a first generation iPad for a sweet price, go for it – so long as you’re aware that in a couple of years, it’ll be as outdated as the original iPhone is right now. If you’re planning on buying an original iPad, let us know in the comments.

Apple iPad 2 launch official following Steve Jobs unveiling

Apple has officially unveiled the iPad 2, ending months of speculation and rumour around the eagerly awaited device.

Apple iPad 2 video

Unveiled by CEO Steve Jobs despite the Apple front man currently undertaking his third medical leave of absence since being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer back in 2004, the iPad 2, which will be available in both black and white colour options, will feature a number of the widely expected hardware additions.

Off the bat the front and rear facing cameras that were seemingly a given are now official with a rear-mounted camera with 720p HD video recording capabilities to be joined by a VGA front-mounted offering. Also widely expected, the new iPad will support Apple’s FaceTime video calling technology that through the front-facing camera will allow users to communicate face-to-face with other iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch and Mac owners

Giving the iPad 2 a hefty speed boost the second-generation Apple tablet will come equipped with the all new Apple A5 processor, a 1GHz dual-core processor that will after twice the CPU power and nine times faster graphics than the original iPad whilst not adding additional drain to the device’s 10 hour battery life.

Set to launch in the US on March 11th with the same prices as the original iPad kicking off at $499 before touching down in the UK two weeks later on March 25th, the iPad 2 will sport an all new form factor having shaved off precious millimetres and grams. Measuring in at just 8.8mm thick (compared to the 13.4mm original iPad and 9.3mm iPhone 4) the iPad 2 will weigh just 1.3 pounds (589grams), 0.2 pounds lighter than the original.

Launching complete with the newly announced iOS 4.3 that will see the return of the physical rotation lock button, the iPad 2 will attempt to emulate the market dominating success of its predecessor, a success that saw the original iPad control more than 90 percent of the tablet market and caused Steve Jobs to describe other brands tablets and 2011 as the “Year of the copycats.”

Apple iPad 2 Vs Motorola Xoom

 
Design and Build

Apple iPad 2: Weighing 601g the iPad is easy to hold with one hand, but still feels comfier when you use two. However its the depth that really impresses, measuring just 8.8mm deep, it’s slimmer than an iPhone 4 and all-in-all is a stunning piece of design.

Motorola Xoom: Weighing in at 730g, the Xoom is about 100g heavier than the iPad 2 and at 12.9mm looks positively chunky next to it. Build quality is excellent though, it feels sturdy and strong, although definitely needs two hands. It doesn't really stand out from the crowd though -  just like the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and LG Optimus Pad.

Winner: Apple iPad 2

Operating System:

Apple iPad 2: With multiple homescreens you can customise, with apps - like its predecessor - the iPad will launch with Apple iOS 4.3. Along with multitasking, folders and GameCentre. AirPlay Enhancements let you stream video from iPhoto to an HD TV, while Safari has been optimised via the Nitro JavaScript Engine, so websites with lots of video and images (like T3.com) load more quickly.

Motorola Xoom: Running Android 3.0 (Honeycomb), the OS that has been designed expecially for tablets. The UI interface is excellent, with five home screens you can customise for apps and widgets and a permanent navigation and notification bar at the bottom of the screen. Composing e-mails, checking your calendar, browsing the Web, using Google Maps, or simply playing with the settings are allsimple tasks, and it’s a joy working with apps built and optimized for the larger screen.  The tabbed browsing makes surfing the web a breeze, although there's support for Flash straight away.

Winner: Draw 

Connectivity:

Apple iPad 2: As with its predecessor, the iPad comes in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB capacities, it launches with WiFi and WiFi+3G version. Elsewhere you got Bluetooth 2.1, aGPS. You can now connect to a flatscreen TV via HDMI using the Apple Digital AV Adaptor.

Motorola Xoom: Available in one 32GB flavour, the Xoom has 3G and 3G if you live in the US, a WiFi version is rumored to be coming soon. Connectivity includes Bluetooth 2.1 and aGPS, along with built-in HDMI (not via an adaptor).

Winner: Apple iPad

Power:Apple iPad 2: There’s a 1Ghz dual core Apple A5 custom designed chip, it also has 9x the graphics performance of the original iPad

Motorola Xoom: Powered by a NVIDIA Tegra 2 Dual Core Chip, with 1GB RAM, in practice it's exceptionally quick to use, loading web pages exceptionally quickly.

Winner: Draw - until we get them side by side for real-world tests it has to be a draw

Camera:

Apple iPad 2: Capture 720p HD movies at 30fps using the main camera, there’s a secondary VGA 30fps camera for FaceTime calling. Apple has not commented on megapixel rating for either.

Motorola Xoom: The primary 5-megapixel camera shoots 720p movies at 30fps, the secondary camera is 2-megapixels, capturing VGA movies.

Winner: Draw

Screen:

Apple iPad 2: At 9.7-inches the screen is slightly smaller than the Zoom, it has a resolution of 1024x768, with full multitouch support. Shame we didn’t get the Retina display we wanted.

Motorola Xoom: The Xoom has a larger screen of 10.1-inches, with a higher resolution of 1280x800. Like the iPad 2 you get multitouch support.

Winner: Motorola Xoom

Apps:

Apple iPad 2: Built-in apps include: FaceTime, the innovative Photo Booth, which lets you add crazy effects to pictures of yourself. Mail, Safari, Videos and Photos. Elsewhere the Apple App store has 65,000 apps.

Motorola Xoom: On-board apps include: Google Maps, Gmail and Calendar are supplied. But because Honeycomb is brand new, App developers haven’t had time to develop apps, so there are only 15 apps. You can use Android apps, but we had issues with crashing etc.

Winner: Apple iPad 2

Battery:

Apple iPad 2: Apple quotes 10 hours of browsing, video and music listening. Web browsing drops to nine hours over 3G.

Motorola Xoom: From our tests we got 10 hours of heaving web browsing over 3G, eight hours video. Turning off WiFi you can probably squeeze out between 10-14 hours of use.

Winner: Motorola Xoom

Price:
Apple iPad 2: In the US prices will be the same as the original iPad, so $499 (US) for the 16GB, $599 for 32GB and $699 for the 64GB model. Translate this to sterling and you're looking at around £429 for the entry-version and £499 for 32GB.

Motorola Xoom: Expect to pay £499 for the 32GB version, which is comparable to the UK version.

Winner: Apple iPad 2

Conclusion:

While the Apple iPad 2 and Motorola Xoom have similarites: processor, apps, camera they seem slightly different propositions.

In our review of the Motorola Xoom, our writter likened the UI experience as being closer to that of a PC than that of a smartphone. Google clearly thinks so too, by having two different operating systems: Honeycomb and Gingerbread for tablets and mobiles. In contrast, regardless of how you use the tablet, the iPad 2 user experience is very similar to the iPhone 4 and iPod Touch.

We like the Xoom a lot, but it just doesn't really have enough to make it stand out from other tablets. Where the batte will lie is with apps and Honeycomb is so new, at the moment he iPad is our winner. 

Apple iPad 2 Feature Tour:

Motorola Xoom: