It’s here! It’s here! The iPad 2 is finally here! And it’s… yeah…

In a typical Apple gimmick, Steve Jobs took a break from his medical leave to get on stage yesterday and announce the new version of the iPad (aka Jesus tablet), the “revolutionary” product that sold 15 million units in just over one year. And what I have to say is “meh…” (and I’m not the only one). Apart from some nice little additions, there’s nothing too exciting about this iPad 2.

They did address some of the reasons I mentioned as to why the iPad is a useless device, though. The iPad 2 now supports multitasking (due to a newer version of iOS) and has a front facing camera to make it possible to make video calls using FaceTime. It allows for HDMI output, which is a no-brainer if you intend to do presentations on it, although it will cost you to get the adapter needed for it (in good Apple fashion). There’s some other stuff like a faster processor, and a reduction in thickness and weight.

And that’s about it. A few small tweaks here and there, a fancy video touting it as a magic device, and off you go, there’s nothing else to see. Wait, there’s also this, the magnetic cover:

Yes, that’s right, in what was supposed to be a major technology announcement, the thing that stands out is a fancy screen cover…

So what was left out? Well, there’s still no practical way to get stuff in and out of the device (except for using iTunes). No SD card slot, so forget about taking it on a trip and dropping the pictures you take with the camera into the iPad (unless you shell out some money for the adapter, of course). Yes, you can use the rear-facing camera to take photos, but besides being only 5MP, it’s just silly. I can’t believe that Apple, being always so minimalist in all they do, decided to add this completely superfluous feature. Also no USB, and any hopes of Apple introducing the new Thunderbolt in this version of the iPad (like it did in the new line of Macbooks) are gone.

But if you think I’m at all surprised with all this, let me tell you I’m not. This is what Apple has been doing for a long time (first the iPod, then the iPhone, and now the iPad). Start with something that looks impressive enough to sell a lot but with a lot of obvious things missing (and let me add that some of those things could have been included from the start, but were probably left on hold just to have more to show in the next version), and then keep releasing new versions with small improvements and more features, thus keeping the money machine working. And it has proven a great model, so why change? While people keep throwing money at Apple for every shiny new device they launch, they’ll keep doing it this way.

And that’s that. When’t the iPad 3 coming out?

Moullinex – Catalina from Moullinex on Vimeo.

One can only be amazed with the impressive Kinect hacks that people come up with. And this music video by Moullinex is a very good example. The “data points” were captured using the Kinect, and after some clean-up (like eliminating the background) they used Cinema 4D to animate the frames and then After Effects for the final touches. The whole process is described here, including the project files.

It reminds me of Radiohead’s House of Cards, although this one was done using just a Kinect, instead of the “64 lasers rotating and shooting in a 360 degree radius 900 times per minute” used in the Radiohead video.

TomTom users can now have their turn-by-turn directions read by Sith Lord Darth Vader. The GPS manufacturer announced on Star Wars Day 2010 (“May the 4th be with you”) a partnership with LucasFilm and VoiceSkins to add Star Wars characters to the list of voices for its GPS devices.

The voice of Darth Vader is now available, complete with memorable quotes, such as “I find your lack of faith disturbing”, and the ominous breathing sounds. Over the next few months, 3 more voices will be released: C-3PO, Yoda and Han Solo. I’m disappointed to not see Chewbacca on the list. That would be awesome!

Watch Lord Vader during the recording of his GPS voice:

I don’t know about you, but I kind of feel like buying a GPS now…

TomTom Star Wars voices

The Linux On The iPhone blog provides more info on the port, as well as code, with minimal documentation, for the more intrepid hobbyist who wants to try it at home.

As soon as Steve Jobs gave birth to the iPad, the Internet went crazy with all the reviews/opinions about this new device. Everyone was in awe because of its slickness and beautiful design. And the ease of use of the multitouch, and the lightness and thinness of it. It looked perfect.

While more details kept being revealed, the first doubts started to appear, and by the end of the keynote the fight started. On one side the die-hard fans of Apple defended it as something magical. On the other the Apple-haters that automatically discard every Apple product without even looking at it. And somewhere in between the ones that looked at it with a critical eye, trying to make sense of this new thing.

I’ve avoided commenting on it earlier because I wanted to know what I’m talking about before giving my opinion. Now that I’ve read way too many stuff about the iPad (the only thing missing is the experience of holding one), I’m ready to share my opinion about it.

And to put it short and simple: the iPad is a useless device. Allow me to elaborate:

It’s not the best way to browse the web

One of the things I heard more than once during the iPad promotional video was “the iPad is the best web surfing experience”. Well I’ll have to disagree with that. It can be argued that it’s the best way to browse the web in a mobile device, but then again, calling the iPad a mobile device is debatable (it’s small, but not small enough for my pocket, unless I get the iPants…).

The big problem: no support for Flash! Which means that you won’t be able to use that gorgeous screen on all those video sites on the web. Not to mention all the games and other apps.

While there are some arguments for Apple’s choice to not enable it, how can a device be considered “the best way to browse the web” if one of the most ubiquitous web technologies is not present? Start getting used to the blue legos…

No multitasking or file management system

Because it uses some variant of the iPhone OS, there’s no multitasking in the iPad. This means you can’t listen to Spotify and browse the web at the same time. No working in Pages while making a VoIP call. And the list goes on…

And because of the closed nature of all things Apple, there’s no simple way to transfer files to and from the iPad. Why is this relevant? Well, it means all the media files will have to be synced through iTunes, which always involves conversions to the mad Apple formats. There’s no way to just drag and drop them over WiFi or using a USB Mass Storage Device.

Not to mention all the documents produced with iWork (which even deserved to be ported to the iPad). Where will those go? And while we’re in this department, how can a device coined as a “great productivity tool” lack the support for non-Apple office software (Microsoft and Openoffice).

It’s not the best way to watch movies

Again, the iPad video… (that thing is so over the top… it’s ridiculous). Full HD is not supported, 720p will be the maximum. Also, the display is not widescreen. So any widescreen movie will be framed inside yet more black space (in addition to the bevel, which is not that small).

These are not huge problems, but the “best movie watching experience” should take care of them.

It’s not as affordable as it might look

The base price for the iPad is $499 (and apparently will be €499 in Europe, because Apple fails to acknowledge that 1€ > $1). For that you’ll get 16GB of storage and WiFi. Want 3G? Prepare to spend $130 more. Want more storage? That’ll be $100 extra for the 32GB version, and another $100 for the 64GB. You might be able to use an external disk for storage (again, not sure about the syncing), but for that you need to buy some kind of adapter since the iPad doesn’t have a USB port. Same for SD cards, so go on and buy the adapter to be able to transfer photos from your camera to the iPad.

How much does it cost now?

It’s useless

One may think that the most obvious buyers are the Apple clients. But I think that even those won’t find a use for it. They already have an iPhone and a MacBook. The iPad can’t make calls or take pics like the iPhone. And it’s also way bigger and not that portable. It can’t be used for video conferencing like the MacBook, and the lack of multitasking make it useless for any kind of serious work.

It makes even less sense for the non-Apple crowd. With half the money you can buy a pretty decent netbook that will do everything the iPad does and more. It will be a bit heavier and it won’t have touchscreen, but at least it will have more functionality than a digital coffee table book.

Stan Schroeder, of Mashable, makes a good point by asking when do you plan to use the iPad:

It’s going to be very hard to find enough time to use the iPad. When you’re at home or at work, you’re going to use your computer. When you’re on the go, you have your smartphone. If you’re on a train or a plane and need to do some work, you can use a laptop. When you’re doing something else, such as running, well, then your attention is focused on that. When, exactly, are you going to use the iPad?

Waiting for the next version

Now, with all that said I’m still waiting to see if this will end up becoming the next big thing. If I remember correctly, the iPod also faced some resistance when it was first announced, and even the first version of the iPhone was quite poor compared to the current one.

We might as well be looking at the New World of computing and not even know it. All the negative reactions to the iPad could be just “Future Shock”. Only time will tell.

But as it is now, the iPad is virtually useless.

This is a very stupid interesting move by Panasonic. The new firmware for some models of Panasonic digital cameras will prevent the use of third party batteries. Only the genuine Panasonic batteries will work. Here’s the press release:

Panasonic Digital Still Cameras now include a technology that can identify a genuine Panasonic battery. For the protection of our customers Panasonic developed this technology after it was discovered that some aftermarket 3rd party batteries do not meet the rigid safety standards Panasonic uses.

Some of these aftermarket batteries are not equipped with internal protective devices to guard against overcharging, internal heating and short circuit. If these aftermarket battery packs were used, it could lead to an accident causing damage to your camera or personal injury.

Panasonic’s Digital Camera firmware has been updated on this website to detect these aftermarket 3rd party batteries so such serious safety issues can be avoided.

[ Warning ]
After this firmware update your Panasonic Digital Camera cannot be operated by 3rd party batteries (non genuine Panasonic batteries).

Let all the Panasonic camera owners start the uproar.

And here I was thinking of buying one of the Lumix TZ5… Seems like the search will have to start all over again…

This Russian guy spent 18 days building a detailed metal replica of Wall-E to use as a computer box. Saying it’s impressive is an understatement! The photos below are just a small sample, you should head over to English Russia to see the whole gallery. Too bad the guy didn’t do a time-lapse movie of his work.

The NeoCube is an entertainment device like no other in the world.

Composed of high-energy rare-earth magnets, the NeoCube allows you to create and recreate an outrageous number of shapes and patterns.

The NeoCube Is literally a puzzle with billions of solutions.

Your NeoCube will provide you with hours and hours of unequaled entertainment!

The NeoCube Alpha is perfect for gaming, expression, stress relief, dual hemispherical brain stimulation and much more

The price tag: $29.95 at their site. It kind of sound like a lot for such a small and apparently simple toy, but just look at these videos:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gidumziw4JE

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYoT-JiA5G0

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ_EJuU-R7Q

Very cool, right?!

So if by any chance anyone wants to send me a gift, this is a pretty good choice

(via The Inquisitr)

The company responsible for this is Computer Choppers, a “hobby-turned-business of customizing computer cases, laptops, and electronics” from Oregon, US. The Macbook Pro pictured above is coated with 24 carat gold, and costs more than $2000. Who said there’s a crisis?

And if gold isn’t your thing you can also opt for aluminum (polishing) Nickel, black nickel, copper, chrome, white gold, rose gold or platinum.

Well, I’ll try to remember this when I become filthy rich…

(via The Inquisitr)