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| Griffin Survivor |
I absolutely loved this case. It's got excellent screen and bezel clearance, and what I think is an ideal mix of rigid polycarbonate housing combined with a very ample amount of silicone rubber.
I used the Survivor for iPad Air for about a week, and although this is without question one of the heaviest, shock and impact-resistant cases you can buy on the market, it didn't feel like I was holding a brick.
The polycarbonate and the silicone rubber seems to organically "merge" together, particularly in the way the tablet itself gets encased.
Both rubber and polycarbonate is shaved off in appropriate spots so the case has sort of a sculpted look, while at the same time removing excess material and lowering the weight as much as possible and still being highly protective, particularly on the corners.
Like many other hardcases on the market, it integrates a permanent (transparent) screen protector. And rather than going for a shock cover with integrated easel/stand like the OtterBox Defender, it includes a clip-on, lightweight stand/easel for propping the device up to watch videos and other content.
The Survivor is also the only hardcase i've seen that allows you to seal every single one of the ports so as to maximize dust and liquid protection. This includes the rear camera window, which can be opened and closed with a silicone rubber and polycarbonate flap.I found this accessory to be somewhat difficult to snap on and Griffin's design is also very modern and attractive looking, especially if you are using one of the six different color combinations, which are matched to Apple's native animated wallpapers in iOS 7.
Via: ZDNet
Apple watchers woke up Thanksgiving morning to a new wrinkle in the company's typical Black Friday plans. Instead of the usual small discounts the company offered across most of its product lines in years past, the Australian Apple Store launched with gift cards being promoted for the purchase of many items instead. Then to confuse things more, European Apple Stores came online after midnight with the typical discounts, and not the gift cards.
What would Apple do in the U.S.? After the online store went down for a few hours this morning,it's returned with the same Black Friday gift card "deal" as greeted Aussie shoppers. In other words, there will be no sale prices for products sold at Apple stores this Black Friday, just gift cards.
If you're still willing to buy directly from Apple today, be prepared for further disappointment if you're planning to buy an iPhone 5c or 5s or the iPad mini with Retina display. That's because Apple isn't offering a gift for these popular new products. In comparison, Walmart will provide a $75 gift card if you pick up a 5c or 5s at its stores this weekend, and Target is offering a $75 card for an iPad mini with Retina display purchase.
You will receive a $75 Apple gift card if you buy an iPad Air, which is $25 less than what Target is offering on Black Friday if you purchase the tablet from that store. You can get a $50 gift card with the purchase of an original iPad mini or an iPad 2 -- Walmart offered a $100 gift card for an iPad mini purchase yesterday as part of its first round of doorbusters, while Best Buy matched it online earlier this week. Target is offering $75 gift cards for the first-generation iPad mini and $100 cards for an iPad 2.
Those looking for a new Mac can score a $150 Apple gift card, whether you're grabbing a new iMac or a MacBook Air or MacBook Pro. Note, however, that Best Buy is slashing the price on Macs for Black Friday, either by $150 or $200 depending on the configuration. Though a gift card is nice if you're planning on buying other in-store purchases, when it comes to systems, the lower price is probably preferable to most buyers.
The iPod is still around and kicking, and will be part of the Black Friday gift card fest. The iPod touch comes with a $50 card, while the latest iPod nano includes a $25 card. Some miscellaneous Apple products are also being offered with gift cards, ranging from the Apple TV ($25 card) to the AirPort Extreme and 2TB AirPort Time Capsule ($50).
Finally, there are some third-party accessories that Apple will sell with gift cards worth up to $75. Many will include a $25 card, such as the Nike+ FuelBand SE, Powerbeats by Dr. Dre headphones, and Mophie Juice Pack Air iPhone 5 battery case, while purchases of such items as the second-generation Nest Learning Thermostat, GoPro HERO3+ camera, and Beats by Dr. Dre Studio headphones will come with a $50 card. Buying the $499.95 Bowers & Wilkins A5 AirPlay wireless music system nets you a $75 gift card.
Via: ZDNet
Apple's new iPad Air arrived later than we thought an iPad 5 would. Last summer, the jackpot question was, what will make the next Apple 10-inch iPad special? Now I know.
It's an amazing experience when little things in a product can make a huge difference in the human reaction. I recall watching a Top Gear episode in which Jeremy Clarkson described a few cars, a certain Ferrari model and, in another episode, an early McLaren 12C that just seemed to be missing something that was hard to define.
Some cars are able to telegraph a subliminal feeling of responsiveness, road feel and a human connection. Some other cars can have high performance, but feel sterile -- in an automotive sense. (I should add that McLaren later fixed the problem, hard to define as it was.)
Wait, There's no Weight
Apple has done something similar with the iPad Air. It feels like a completely new product. It's so different in its look and heft that I am tempted to believe that it's made by a different company, even though I know better. (For a complete reference, see Jeff Gamet's review of the iPad Air.)
Of course, that raises an important question. Was the delay worth it? On a table of specifications, I can look at the weights of various tablets, and they don't mean much -- except perhaps when put into perspective against a MacBook Air. But when I lift an iPad Air, it all comes home.
Left: iPad 3, Right: IPad Air
In order to achieve this trim down, Apple had to further lower the power consumption of the A7 SoC compared to previous generations so that the previous 11,666 mAh battery could be replaced by a smaller 8,820 mAh battery. And still maintain the 10 hour battery life. As Phil Schiller has said, innovation my ass!
For a company to take such time and pains to deliver such an astonishingly different feel while suffering the slings and arrows of the critical press takes great courage. It's a special attribute of Apple that the company cares about the man-machine experience so deeply that it is willing to take the time to produce a whole new tablet experience. Personally, I feel annoyed and dismayed when some critics say, "OK, it weighs a few ounces less. We waited how long for that?"
That kind of comment is just a testimony to a fundamental lack of insight and sensitivity. That kind of person probably kicks kittens.
The Bezel
Once again, the width of the side bezel, 18 mm vs 10 mm, wouldn't seem to make much difference on paper, but it makes a huge difference when actually using the iPad Air. It's like the difference between a dinner steak knife from Walmart and a German Wüsthof steak knife. Take one look, and the difference is obvious. It's just better. Technology, care and insight were part of the design process.
Another factor to consider here is the essence of a tablet. Bezels are crutches. They are a symptom of limits to the manufacturing process. Bezels are something that gets in the way and distracts from the fundamental function of a tablet. Form, then, follows function, and to the extent that the bezel gets smaller, half the size, the tablet approaches its essence. When I look at an iPad Air, that's what I realize.
iPad Air on top. Image credit: Jeff Gamet
Speed
In just about everything I do on my iPad Air, it snaps. Slide to unlock is faster, pleasing. Launching apps takes abut half the time. Again, that's not important until I realize that I'm waiting for the app to launch on my wife's iPad 3 I'm talking about 3-4 seconds here for Kindle, iBooks or PCalc to load on a an iPad 3 versus 1-2 seconds on the iPad Air. When I no longer notice that I'm waiting for an app to launch, the experience changes. The difference is even more pronounced with Twitterrific.
The 64-bit SoC is an innovation that truly translates into a better user experience. That's why Apple went there. A Qualcomm executive was demoted for not understanding that.
The Speakers
Apple, unlike Amazon, stubbornly continues to believe that the essence of a modern tablet doesn't include a good audio experience with speakers. As the iPad gets thinner and thinner, good speakers are harder and harder to implement. Plus, defacing the edges of the display with speakers is not part of a great tablet experience.
All I know is that if headphones aren't handy, and you want to watch a quick video, even the two stereo speakers on the bottom of the Air don't provide great sound. In the end, the ultimate tablet experience is defined by Apple by virtue of the iPad Air design: use headphones.
The Sum of the Parts
The iPad Air, in several ways, moves closer to the essence of what a tablet should be. While other companies think about USB ports and keyboards, Apple thinks about how an iPad should, eventually, shimmer and float in midair, revealing its true essence as a 21st century tablet, a window into the Internet.
One can't size this up by looking at pictures or perusing specification charts, helpful as they are. Go into an Apple retail store this weekend and hold one in your hands. At that point, you'll realize that this iPad is not just, according to rumor nomenclature, an iPad 5. It's a completely new product with a new experience, and that's why Apple gave it a different name.
Time, patience, engineering, innovation, and technical wizardry have brought forth an iPad whose essence better approaches the tablet ideal. If you don't believe that, please don't be kicking any kittens.
Via:The Mac Observer
Apple turned up the heat on competitors by trimming size and weight off the iPad Air. As a firm believer that tablets must be light to use comfortably, I wasted little time in buying a new iPad. My initial impression of the iPad Air was quite favorable, and I'm getting asked often if I still feel that way. Here's my take after heavy usage the first week.
The iPad Air is solidly constructed and it's impressive how much Apple has crammed into such a thin product. The hardware has functioned superbly with heavy usage, and there's nothing I would change if given the opportunity. The one pound weight of the Air feels nice in the hand, and it is effortless to use it for hours at a time.
That's the primary reason my first generation iPad mini has been sitting alone on my desk this past week. While I've always been a fan of smaller tablets, that's primarily been for the lighter weight compared to larger tablets. I was willing to trade the smaller screen for the comfort of using the tablets. That's no longer the case with the iPad Air in tow.
What I used to do a lot with smaller tablets, the iPad mini and the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 to be exact, was read ebooks with the Kindle app. Sure, I did all of the other typical tablet tasks with them, but I spent hours reading books. The smaller tablets were more comfortable to hold in the hand for long periods and that's what I used.
That's no longer the case with the iPad Air in hand. While only slightly heavier than those two smaller tablets, the additional weight is negligible. The Air is perfectly balanced too, which makes it as comfortable to use as those smaller models. The bigger iPad has the gorgeous bigger Retina Display, and it is marvelous for reading books. It's a great improvement seeing a bigger page at a time, and the text is crisp and clear. This is a big step up from the smaller screens I've been using.
Watching video on the iPad Air is also a noticeable improvement from doing so on smaller displays. The screen size isn't much bigger, but as it is with reading ebooks, it's big enough to make a world of difference.
This past week I've been using the iPad Air with theZAGGkeys Folio keyboard almost exclusively for my work, and it's been great. The combo is as thin as can be, and the combined weight is very light. I can slip it into a pocket on almost any bag without noticing it when I carry it around.It's not just the fun stuff that is improved with the iPad Air. Regular readers know I've long used tablets with keyboards for my work. I've even regularly used both of my small tablets with little keyboards for writing.
When I want to get some writing done I just slide it out of the bag, open it and get writing in seconds. No hassles, no delays, just open it and get to work. This is quite liberating and makes it possible to work without thinking about the tool I'm using. The importance of this can't be overstated, it's very conducive to the creative process.
I am very happy with the iPad Air for both work and play, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Sure, it's not perfect, no gadget is. But it's as close as can be and that's a very nice thing. It's not for everybody, Windows and Android tablets are a better choice for some, but I'm satisfied with the iPad Air.
Via: ZDNet
Target tried to stand out with a $100 gift card offer with the purchase of the new iPad Air during Black Friday, but Walmart has chosen to focus on the first-generation iPad mini. Like Target, it is offering a store gift card when you buy a iPad mini (not the new Retina-display one, however), but Walmart is providing a $100 gift card instead of the $75 one Target is giving. The bad news is that Walmart is only makng this deal available at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving for one hour with a guarantee that buyers will receive the product. (If the store runs out of stock, Walmart says impacted customers will receive their item "before Christmas.")
The same holds for the "one-hour guarantee" laptop special Walmart is rolling out at 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving: an HP Pavilion TouchSmart 14-B109WM for $278. This appears to be the version the retailer is currently selling for $398, and includes an Intel Celeron B877 processor, 4GB of RAM, 500GB hard drive, and 14-inch touchscreen. You can spend even less on the HP 2000-2d09WM notebook, which has a bigger screen (15.6-inch) -- though without touchscreen capabilities -- and an AMD E-300 processor, but only will cost $178 (or $140 less than the regular price).
Rounding out Walmart's Black Friday laptop specials, the HP Pavilion 15-B129WM is available for $388, or $60 off the current price. It features a 15.6-inch touchscreen, AMD A6-4455M processor, 4GB of RAM, and 500GB hard drive. Only one desktop sale is listed in Walmart's ad: The HP 20-B323W all-in-one PC, which comes with an AMD E1-1500 processor, 4GB of RAM, 500GB hard drive, and wireless keyboard and mouse, but lacks touchscreen functionality. It will sell for $348, or $101 off its current $449 price.
In addition to the usual ultra-cheap Android tablet deals the company likes to trot out at turkey time (for example, a $49 7-inch RCA slate at the 8 p.m. Thanksgiving one-hour guarantee event), Walmart has a couple of other notable tablets specials. Starting at an undisclosed time on Thanksgiving morning, you'll be able to purchase an iPad 2 with a Bluetooth speaker and accessory kit for $349 through Walmart.com. And like OfficeMax, Walmart will be offering the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 10.1-inch tablet for $299, or $60 less than Samsung is presently selling it for on its own site.
After witnessing year after year of mob scenes when the doors to its locations have opened for Black Friday shopping, Walmart has finally wised up and decided to give out wristbands in advance of its one-hour guarantee events and for certain hot items (like the new Microsoft Xbox One and Sony PlayStation 4 video game consoles). Is that modicum of sanity enough to get you to venture out to Walmart on Thanksgiving or Black Friday for some of these deals? Let us know in the Talkback section below.
Via: ZDNet
While it was a bit of a surprise that Walmart decided to sell the brand-new iPad Air at a $20 discount (given Apple's reluctance to let retailers drop prices on its products at launch), it should come as no surprise that its competitors have decided that if they can't beat 'em, join 'em.
Target has officially dropped its price to match the $479 sticker, including online (as shown above, though it's currently unavailable). Best Buy, on the other hand, still lists the new iPad at Apple's original $499 price, but apparently will price match the other deals if you show proof of the discount (which shouldn't be that hard to do). Staples is also offering the iPad Air at $479, including online.
The price drop no doubt eliminates most of whatever margin non-Apple retailers would keep from the iPad sales, but the stores hope that they can make that difference up by selling cases and other accessories and high-margin protection plans (as shown above, Target is offering a $119 service plan).
Despite earlier reports to the contrary, Apple is apparently not price matching these discounts at its stores. There are also no discounts on other iPad Air configurations beyond the 16GB Wi-Fi base model.
Will the $20 discount entice you to buy the new iPad Air at Walmart, Target or other stores instead of through Apple? Let us know in the Talkback section below.
Via: ZDNet
iFixit has completed its iPad Mini Retina display teardown and done things to a new iPad you'd never dream of doing. After mercilessly opening it with suction cups and guitar picks, the team discovered the following:
- While "mini" tends to denote added cuteness with compromised functionality, this Mini packs a resolution of 2048 x 1536—just like the iPad Air. The same resolution in a smaller screen means enhanced pixel density—326 ppi on the Mini versus 264 ppi on the Air.
- Our little Retina has an LG display, powered by a Parade DP675 LCD driver, similar to the DP655 found in the iPad Air.
- To the surprise of no one, we find affixed dual Broadcom BCM5976 touchscreen controllers—much like we've seen in a host of recent Apple products including the iPad Air and iPhones 5 and 5s.
- The battery weighs in at 3.75 V, 24.3 Whr, 6471 mAh—a huge bump over the 16.3 Whr battery seen in the previous Mini. It seems we've found the source of the Retina's thicker skin; as Apple still pegs the battery life at 10 hours, we suspect the extra juice is being funneled into the swanky new display.
- Instead of glue, the logic board is seated over a couple of screwposts for security—a mini win for repairability! The only adhesive is a bit under the panhandle full of connectors, and a solid swath under the Lightning connector cable.
- Holy holes, Batman! What's this? Wi-Fi-only Minis of yesteryear featured a blank expanse at the end of the logic board—just a flat space where the cellular chips would be. This Retina Mini's board has a nifty cutout instead.
Here's the details on the chips inside the new iPad mini:
- Apple A7 APL0698 SoC—The same part number as seen on the iPhone 5s
- Within the A7 package is Elpida F8164A1PD 1 GB LPDDR3 DRAM
- NXP LPC18A1 (Apple M7 Motion Co-Processor)
- Toshiba THGBX2G7B2JLA01 16 GB NAND flash
- B334 STMicro MEMS accelerometer/gyroscope, the same as seen in the iPad Air
- Apple 338S1213 Cirrus Audio Codec
- Apple 338S1199—likely audio amplifiers similar to those found in the previous iPad mini
- Apple 343S0656-A1—likely a variant of the Dialog PMIC found in the iPad Air
- Fairchild Semiconductor FDMC6676BZ and FDCM6683 MOSFETs
Via: ZDNet
With Amazon and Apple both having unveiled their offerings ready for the holiday spending extravaganza, consumers are faced with a choice. So, let's put Apple's iPad Air up against Amazon's Kindle Fire HDX and see which comes out the winner.
Decisions, decisions …
Given their popularity, I expect that tablets will be found underneath a lot of Christmas trees this year, and what a good time for it, since consumers are going to be spoilt for choice. With Amazon and Apple both having unveiled their offerings ready for the holiday spending extravaganza, consumers are faced with a choice, and judging by my mailbox, people are having a hard time making up their minds as to which is the best.
So, let's put Apple's iPad Air up against Amazon's Kindle Fire HDX and see which comes out the winner.
Note that the Kindle Fire HDX comes in two flavors – 7-inch and 8.9-inch – but for the purposes of this review I'll be focusing primarily on the 8.9-inch version.
Via: ZDNet
Last year Apple introduced the iPad mini, a second size option for its tablet lineup. In addition to being, well, miniature, it featured a beautiful design -- so beautiful, in fact, that the iPad Air now mimics it. More importantly, with a starting price of $329, consumers at last got an iPad at a more mid-range price point. As you can imagine, it appealed to folks who couldn't afford the full-sized model, and it was also intriguing for people who craved something a little more portable. By the same token, it was also panned by power users who thought the mini should have the same high-end specs and Retina display as the 10-inch model. In short, Apple had two iPads that were capable of attracting two different groups of people.
This year Apple stirred the pot. The new iPad mini not only features nicer hardware than its predecessor; it's also equipped with the same specs as its larger sibling, the iPad Air. For starters, the 2013 mini adds a Retina display, along with Apple's top-of-the-line A7 processor and a larger battery. But, it also comes at a higher cost. We know, we know: It's a premium tablet, but is $399 too much to pay for a brand-new 8-inch slate? Is there anything else in the mid-sized tablet market that would work at a lower price? And since the two iPads are no very similar, are there any factors to consider outside of size?
Via: engadget
It’s not exactly news that Android has taken over the bulk of the smart device market, but in Q3 2013, Android appears to have claimed yet another title from Apple: The most revenue from tablet sales in a quarter. Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty calculated that Android tablets were generating more revenue than iPads based on IDC’s numbers from October, which showed very little year-over-year growth for iPads and a major loss in Apple’s worldwide tablet market share.
“For the first time, Android devices accounted for a greater share of the market in revenue terms than iOS,” wrote Huberty in a note to her clients. “Android revenue share reached 46.2% in 3Q13, for the first time exceeding iPad share of 45.6%. Android’s unit share grew to 66.7% from 58.5% a year ago, largely driven by Samsung and Lenovo, while iPad share declined to 29.7% from 40.2%.”
Via: Yahoo News
In three and a half years, Apple has released five large-screen iPads. In all that time, though, the iPad Air represents only the second significant physical redesign. Finally, the most popular tablet on the planet actually looks a little different. It's not a wild design departure, mind you, but the iPad Air is noticeably thinner, lighter and streamlined when compared with its predecessor. But at its core, like any other tablet, the iPad Air is just a big, expensive sheet of glass. And as much as you might not want to detract from the Air's sleek, minimal design, you should really get a case to protect it.
Along with the iPad Air, Apple also announced new versions of its own magnetic Smart Case and Smart Cover, which are designed to offer varying degrees of protection for the tablet. They both extend the unmistakable Apple aesthetic, but they shouldn't be your default choice.
In its fourth year, the third-party iPad case and cover market just continues to grow. And a new, slimmer iPad profile means new tablet dimensions that translate to a brand new collection of cases and covers designed specifically for the Air. These cases span the design spectrum from thin skins that do nothing more than add flair all the way up to thick, beefy cases that let you abuse the hell out your tablet without fear.
Source : PCMag
On the heels of Apple's new, lighter iPad, Amazon has come out with a full-size tablet that weighs even less yet sports a sharper display and a lower price tag. Although Amazon's Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 hasn't received as much attention as the iPad Air, it is emerging as the strongest challenger yet to Apple's device.
The new Kindle shares many of the features found in a smaller version that came out Oct. 18.
A row of tabs at the top of the screen gives you quick access to Amazon services such as e-books, music, video and shopping. Recently used apps and content appear in the middle so you can return to them quickly. The bottom row has icons for frequently used apps such as email and the camera.
Need help? Just hit the "Mayday" button. You'll be connected within seconds to a live customer-service representative, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You see the representatives in a video box, but they can only hear you and see what's on your screen. They can also help guide you by placing orange markers on your screen or taking control of your device completely.
I found all the reps to be patient as they walked me through attempts to locate a missing book, play a podcast and download items from the Dropbox storage service. In one case, the representative called my cellphone as promised an hour later to follow up. We never found a solution on Dropbox, though — but more on that later.
The best part of the new Kindle is its price. Amazon.com Inc. begins shipping it Thursday, starting at $379. That's cheaper than the new $399 iPad Mini, which has a display that measures 7.9 inches diagonally. The full-size Kindle Fire HDX has an 8.9-inch screen, just short of the iPad Air's 9.7 inches. Even cheaper is the 7-inch Kindle Fire HDX, which costs $229.
If you can afford a $499 tablet and aren't a heavy user of Amazon services, you might still consider the iPad Air.
Yes, the Kindle is lighter, at about 0.83 pound, or 17 percent less than the Air. But I couldn't really tell the difference holding the two side by side.
Although Amazon's Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 hasn't received as much attention as the iPad Air, it is emerging as the strongest challenger yet to Apple's device, says one reviewer.
Source : MSN News
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