Apple released iOS 6.1.3 a few days ago. Those who have been faithfully upgrading their iOS for every release will probably be fuming away during the holidays.
There were a handful of reports of battery drain with the new OS version. Some other problems also surfaced. For example, app installation takes longer than before to complete.
According to some posts on Apple communities, they suggested turning off the cloud services. It seemed to have some success in reducing the battery drain.
If nothing really works, the best way is to have a backup of the files and do a clean restore of the OS and restore back the data.
So, are you facing any issues with your iDevice ? Share by commenting below :
According to WSJ and AFP news, Apple is preparing to launch a smaller tablet to compete with the Android tablets of various sizes.
Early leaked information claimed that the new iPad will feature a smaller than eight inches (20 centimeters), compared to the 9.7-inch (25-centimeter) screen on Apple’s market-leading iPad, launched in 2010.
It is cited that Apple was working with screen-makers LG Display of South Korea and Taiwan’s AU Optronics.
Hot on the heels of announcing that his untethered jailbreak works on iPad 3 running on iOS 5.1, pod2g has posted a demo video of the untethered iPad 3 on his blog.
The video shows the untethered iPad 3 on iOS 5.1 can run Cydia, run iFile – a jailbreak app and reboots without an issue.
iBooks also seems to work without an issue (which currently is an issue with the tethered jailbreak).
pod2g has clarified that since his untethered jailbreak works on iPhone 4 and iPad 3, it should work with other iOS 5.1 devices like iPhone 4S and iPad 2 as well. But it may not work with Apple TV 3.
pod2g plans to stabalize the payload and then use try his untethered jailbreak on iOS 5.1.1 that was released by Apple earlier in the week.
pod2g hasn’t provided an ETA on when the untethered jailbreak will be released. We’ll let you know as soon as we’ve any further updates so stay tuned.
In our previous article, we mentioned that it is possible to charge your new iPad via the USB ports on my HP Notebook. This is accomplished by installing the USB power boosting driver which was made available by ASUS. With the driver installed, and system rebooted, you can now charge your new iPad using your notebook. It will charge but it is definitely is not as fast as the power adaptor charge which outputs 2.1A.
Below is a video to prove that it works on my 1st generation HP ENVY 14 notebook.
It is a known fact that Apple products tends to draw more current than the usual gadgets from other manufacturers. As there are plenty of USB ports on motherboards or notebooks, the tendency of plugging in to the PC for quick charge is quite the norm for most readers.
On the left is the charger for iPhone 3GS. On the right is the charger with adapter (middle) for new generation iPad.
In the past, we have iPhone 3GS that charges real slowly on the standard USB ports. This changed when Gigabyte introduced their 3X USB Power. Basically, other manufacturers followed suit by throwing in a driver which allows the USB port to output ~1A instead of the usual 500mA. This speeds up the charge time by almost 2X.
Other manufacturers – ASUS, ECS, MSI, BIOSTAR, ASROCK all has similar products allowing you to ‘quick charge’ your Apple device. Unfortunately, the software will only work with their own brand and models of motherboards.
The picture above shows the original iPhone 3GS USB power adaptor with Input of 100-240v 0.15A, output 5v, 1A.
For notebook users, manufacturers seldom update drivers and you will usually end up with “Charging with this accessory is not supported”. We did some research and found out that ASUS AI CHARGER works on my HP Envy 14″ notebook. You can download the software, install and reboot your machine. Once you plug in your iPhone or iPad, you will see it charging with 1A.
The picture above shows the new charger that outputs 2.5A, 250V and the adaptor has an input of 100-240v 0.45A and output at 5.1V 2.1A.
The new Apple iPad was released a couple of weeks ago. We did an experiment, charging it using with an iPhone 3GS charger. It simply took forever to charge. We estimate that it takes around 1 hr to charge 10%. If the standard iPhone charger takes so long to charge, we can confirm that the new iPad probably require more power to charge it.
We then tried it on our HP notebook and ASRock NetPC (both with USB boosting software installed). Both machines have no problems detecting and charging it (prior to installing the driver, it won’t even charge it).
We took a look at the charger and noticed the differences in the iPad and iPhone charger, the output rating is quite different. With the driver installed, the iPad can still be charged but it will be at half the speed compare to if you charge from the power plug supplied.
The question now remains if motherboard manufacturers design a specific USB charge port just to output 2A for charging the iPad ? Would you rather charge your iPad with the accompanied charger or buy another board with such a feature ? Discuss.
The highly anticipated goes on sales in Singapore today 23 Jul 2010. Shoppers waiting for the local model have been queueing as early as 6am at Orchard.
Although some stores have long queues. A store at bugis junction (near adidas store) the queue is merely 15 persons queueing at 10am.
The longer queue seems to be at 313 Somerset, it has 100+ queuing since 6am.
Most people are getting the 3G models as the 3 telcos although not retailing the iPad, they have come out with dedicated iPad data plans (microsim) for use with iPad.
Just half an hour ago, most ipads are sold out at the following locations :
Challenger Tiong Barhu, Best Denki Great World City, Best Denki Compass POint, Sapura Digital MDIS, Challenger Jurong east. It is said that there are still available stocks at Ion Orchard and Wheellock place.
Join “Show Girl Hunter!” Facebook Campaign and Win iPad
Taipei, Taiwan, July 14, 2010- With innovative products that span multiple target markets, Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS), the world’s leading motherboard, graphics card, barebone system, and notebook manufacturer, holds ECS Facebook campaign “Show Girl Hunter!” and votes the popular show girl photos. Posting show girl photos you took can have the chance to win the biggest prize “iPad”. Lucky fans also have chance to get Gash icons that can be changed to Playfish icons for the games on Facebook. Besides, being fans of ECS Official Page can not only get the first-hand product information, but also receive the benefits, new product releasing, campaign sharing and etc. for ECS fans only. And, you can get the cutting-edge trends and the latest technologies applications.
Being a ECS fan and uploading show girl photos, and take iPad home
Being ECS fans on Facebook, and uploading the show girl photos you took from July 14 to August 31. You will have double chances to win the prizes. One person (one account) doesn’t be limited the numbers of uploading photos. The most popular photos can win “Best Popularity Award” and take away the biggest prize Apple iPad home.
Joining ECS Official Page right now!
Saying “LIKE” also can get prizes!
Clicking “LIKE” on photos you like, and you will have chance to win Gash icons (Playfish icons). The more “LIKE” you click, the more chance you win the prizes.
Show Girl Hunter!
Period: July 14, 2010 ~ August 31, 2010
Awarded announcement:?September 10, 2010
Details: Please visit ECS Official Page on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/ecsglobal
Notice:
1. Participants need to make sure to have ownership of photos, cannot infringe upon copyrights and private. Winner’s qualification will be dropped without notice if late, illegible or invalid details are made.
2. Winners agree ECS to publish their names for publicity purpose. ECS will have authority to save, use or edit the photos for using in any media.
3. If needs, ECS reserves to modify the gaming rule that will release on ECS facebook page and doesn’t notify one by one. Other terms and condition not mentioned above depend on ECS.
Passengers can rent Apple’s tablet device for $12, to watch movies, play games and read books.
AUSTRALIAN budget carrier Jetstar is looking into using Apple’s iPad as an inflight entertainment option, with trials commencing in the last 2 weeks of June.
The tablet device will be offered on a $10 AUD (S$11.90) rental basis, and will come loaded with movies, TV programs, eBooks, music videos, games and CDs.
Trials will begin on selected domestic Australian routes first, with some 30 iPads placed on each aircraft, an airline spokesperson told AsiaOne.
This will help guage demand, for evaluating a roll out on Jetstar’s entire domestic network and international flights later this year.
Jetstar will team up with Bluebox Avionics and Stellar Inflight, specialists in inflight entertainment solutions, to deliver the trial.
“We are really excited to commence the trial of the iPads, as we’re always looking for ways to enhance our customer’s Jetstar experience,” Mr Bruce Buchanan, the airline’s Chief Executive Officer said.
“Given the demand for the iPad so far, I anticipate it will have strong appeal amongst our passengers.
“In addition to offering low fares, great customer service and more choice, it’s important that we can provide the latest in innovative technology to entertain our customers on board,” he added.
In Day 2, we take a look at Albatron. This old brand has transformed itself from a mainboard maker into vga and now they even do optical touch screen solutions.
To offer better and more service to customers & end users, Albatron unveils two brand new product lines and reconstructs two existed product series.
Optical touch solutions
Touch screen is everywhere in our daily life. From mobile phone, Kiosk to digital interactive signage, we can find products or services that embedded with touch technology. Albatron Optical touch solution can be adopted to different devices that have 16:9 LCD screen larger than 18.5”.
Albatron Optical Touch Solutions provide the best reaction time, accuracy, durability; and, it takes less than 1 Watt when operation. To compare with other touch solution, Optical touch technology should be the best one for large flat panel display.
Server memory module
Quality and stability are the two basic requirements when being a professional IPC manufacturer. In order to provide better and better compatibility, Albatron decides to make server memory modules for customers. Before shipping products to customer, Albatron did every compatibility & stability test in both motherboards and modules. It means customers don’t have to worry about the system memory compatibility when building their machines. Albatron wide-range of server modules solutions from Long-DIMM, SO-DIMM to FB-DIMM and ECC registered modules.
Customized motherboards
Albatron has 10-year experience in designing motherboards, and designs specific motherboards for customers for more than 5 years. During Computex 2010, Albatron demonstrates different form factors of motherboards from ATX, microATX, Mini-ITX, 3.5” to customized size.
Customized graphics cards (VGA)
As in motherboards territory, Albatron is also experienced in designing VGA. Besides consuming product, Albatron can design VGA in different interfaces also. Just like what we see on Computex, Albatron shows PCIe x16/ PCIe x1/ AGP/ PCI product on booth. If you need something that differs from mainstream, Albatron can make it for you.
– GIGABYTE First With iPhone On/Off Charge from 40 Motherboard Models –
– GIGABYTE On/Off Charge Technology Enables iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch Quick Charge While PC is On or Off –
Taipei, Taiwan, April 23, 2010 – GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards and computing hardware solutions demonstrated their continued industry leadership today with the official release of GIGABYTE On/Off Charge technology that enables faster iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch charging. A derivative of GIGABYTE’s highly acclaimed 3x USB Power feature, On/Off Charge technology allows iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices to draw more current from GIGABYTE motherboard USB ports than standard USB ports allow, with the added benefit that the PC can be on, in standby mode or even off.
Many mobile devices can be charged via a desktop PC’s USB ports as long as the system is connected to an active power source, however this is not the case with the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch. Even when the PC is being used and charging is enabled, these devices usually only draw a mere 0.5A for a trickle charge that can take 3 hours or more to fully charge the device. The benefits of GIGABYTE On/Off Charge are that users can reduce their charge time by around 40% while also acting responsibly and shutting down their PC system while it is not in use, e.g. while they sleep.
“We aim to offer our customers the best possible user experience through innovation and superior quality products, and we believe that On/Off Charge will benefit millions of Apple mobile device users around the world,” commented Tim Handley, Deputy Director of Motherboard Marketing at GIGABYTE Technology Co. Ltd. “At GIGABYTE, we are big believers in the convenience and usefulness of USB ports, and that’s why we put so many resources into innovations such as GIGABYTE 3x USB power. Look for more USB innovations from GIGABYTE in the near future!”
GIGABYTE On/Off Charge comes in two flavors: a backwards compatible On/Off Charge driver* that was made available on March 10th, 2010, from the official GIGABYTE utility web page, and an On/Off Charge front panel connector that will be available on selected soon-to-be-released GIGABYTE motherboards. The On/Off Charge front panel connector features a special controller combined with the On/Off Charge driver that allows the computer to detect the current required by iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch products. The device dictates the current it draws, so there is no threat of overcharging from GIGABYTE 3x USB Power technology. Tests conducted in the GIGABYTE labs have shown various charging speeds with an average charging time saving of around 40%.
GIGABYTE will hold a brief technology demo on Tuesday April 27th at their head office in Taipei to demonstrate On/Off Charge from the On/Off Charge driver and also the On/Off Charge USB port connector. A demonstration video will be available from: http://www.youtube.com/user/MoboTV2010.
The On/Off Charge video as below, please release or share this video, thank you.
During a technology conference in Berlin yesterday Neofonie unveiled the final specs and new video showcasing their highly anticipated WePad Android Slate.
The WePad is a Google Android tablet with 11.6 inch touch screen display, 1.66GHz Intel Atom processor, 16GB of flash storage, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1, and 1.3 megapixel camera starting at $611 and will have another model with a 3G-32GB version that will be available for $774 USD. The We-Pad launch date according to the company is August 2010.
Other notable features include memory card reader, two USB sockets, audio output, accelerometer, ambient light sensor, stereo speakers and Flash and Adobe AIR support. Additionally, the WePad will also come touting HDMI out as well as a Broadcom Crystal HD video accelerator for 1080p video playback.
Despite the impressive list of specs, the company lists a battery life of “around” six hours. Meanwhile rival Apple boasts a 10-hour life for its iPad tablet. The WePad also weighs in at 800g with an 11.6-inch display, significantly heavier than the iPad’s 680g.
A list of partners were announced by the company during the press conference. Partners included were Adobe, Siemens, Intel, and various telecom and media partnerships. They have also partnered with Gruner + Jahr, one of Europe’s largest magazine publishers, offering the company’s flagship magazine, Stern, on the platform.
With many of the Telecom and Mobile partners announced leads us to believe that carriers will offer the WePad and more than likely give discounts on the unit with a contract with a data plan. Google was left out of the official partner list which leads us to believe that a true Android Market Place will not be in place. Neofonie is in the process of developing its own WePad Meta-Store, an online store that integrates many 3rd party stores.
Many people are wondering what sets the WePad apart from the industry standard Apple iPad? Well for one factor users who would want to bring in music on their WePad need not depend on any particular software as in the case of the iPad. On the contrary, the Apple device requires Apple software like iTunes to do so. It also has Flash Support which is one of the main factors that sets the WePad apart from their competition, for a full multi-media web browsing experience.
Many Companies such as Notion Ink Adam, MSI and others are currently having problems with the Nvidia Tegra 2 processor and the implementation of Flash. This is setting back many Slates release date by months. Neofonie with their Intel partnership might be a boon to the small Berlin based company with only 180 employees.
Neofonie claims it already has some 20,000 people interested in signing up for a pre-order, even though orders won’t be formally accepted until April 27. Apple’s iPad has not yet gone on sale in Germany, and the WePad is expected to hit pre-orders at least before Apple’s latest gadget.
– GIGABYTE First With Motherboard iPad Recharging Capability –
– Over 40 GIGABYTE Motherboard Models Supply Sufficient Power to Charge an iPad While It Is Being Used –
TAIPEI, Taiwan – April 12, 2010 – GIGABYTE TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd, a leading manufacturer of motherboards, graphics cards and other computing hardware solutions today proudly announced their full range of Intel chipset-based X58, P55, H55, H57 as well as current and upcoming AMD 800 chipset series motherboards all allow charging of Apple’s latest hot selling iPad while the device is in use (on) and also when not in use (off).
Recent industry and news reports indicate that USB ports on most Windows PCs are unable to provide enough power to charge the new iPad while the device is in operation due to differences between motherboard USB power output and the device’s charging specifications. However, GIGABYTE’s unique USB power design is able to deliver extra power for devices that require more than the 500mA delivered from a traditional USB port. With a simple On/Off Charge driver update which can be found on the GIGABYTE website, GIGABYTE motherboard users are able to take full advantage of USB charging of their iPad, giving them more options and convenience when recharging their new device.
