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Posts tagged with "iPad"

Kindle iOS App Updated, Lets You Add Your Own Files

An important update to the official Kindle app for iOS (free and universal for iPhone and iPad) was released earlier today. Version 2.5 of the app adds much requested features that should satisfy all the Kindle users on the iOS platform that have been asking for functionalities such as proper multitasking support and access to the free Internet archive of Project Gutenberg books.

Kindle 2.5 for iOS, in fact, can now download books in the background leveraging iOS 4 APIs and supports thousands of ebooks downloaded through Project Gutenberg. Most of all, the app can now load files from any other iOS app thanks to the “Open in” feature seen in Safari, Mail and any other iPhone or iPad app that can forward files to other applications that can open a specific file type. This means you can now add your own files to the Kindle app, or even better drag & drop files into it using iTunes’ File Sharing. To add books in this way, simply connect your device to iTunes, head over the Apps tab in the device’s info screen, and drag files onto the Kindle section right below the iOS Springboard preview window. The bad news is that, like the actual Kindle, epub books don’t seem to be supported at this time.

Other new features and improvements in this update include bug fixes, a new book indicator and better image zooming. You can get Kindle for iOS for free here.

Touchless Gestures for iPad Demoed at CES [Video]

A few weeks ago, a Norway-based company called Elliptic Labs made the rounds of the Internet as they promised they would demo a touchless gesture technology for iPad at CES. The prototype is based on a docking station for the tablet, which has got an ultrasound system built-in that can pick frequencies out of the human range and, through a complex set of reflection calculations, determine the position of your hands in space in front of the device. This means you’ll be able to perform touch-based gestures such as swipe and scroll, without really touching anything.

The unit seen in the video is still a prototype, but it’s already been deployed in a Norwegian hospital where surgeons can control the iPad’s screen without touching it – clever implementation considering surgeons most likely have protective gloves on their hands. The system will also gain support for more gestures in the future, including multi-touch inspired ones. Right now, the demo shows how to flip through a photo gallery by just waving your hands, but the creator says it will be useful for say, changing music and control the iPad when driving. We bet it’s going to be interesting to see this in use in the kitchen, too.

In the video below, courtesy of the folks over at TUAW, you can see the prototype in action via a WiFi station and a custom iPad app. We think this is really cool, and we can’t wait to see version 2.0 of the prototype at CES next year. Read more

iCade iPad Arcade Cabinet Is Real, Coming This Spring

Remember the iCade? It was one of the few dozen of fake iPad arcade cabinets we covered here on MacStories last year. But while many of those cabinets will never see the light of day, or at least won’t ever be produced for public release, the iCade has become a reality that will ship to consumers this Spring. As reported by Engadget in their CES 2011 coverage, the Bluetooth-based controller will be available at $99 and realized by Ion, who has teamed up with ThinkGeek to make the iCade (which was born as an April Fools’ joke) a real, working peripheral.

The first games specifically built for the iCade and iPad will be developed by Atari; they already have a working demo of Asteroids that seems to be working very well on the tablet’s screen through iCade’s retro buttons and sticks. Any game that support Bluetooth controls, however, should support the iCade out of the box. An API will also be released to allow iOS developers to create iCade-compatible games.

More details are available on ThinkGeek’s website. Check out Engadget’s hands-on with the cabinet below. Read more

VLC for iOS Pulled From The App Store, Now on Cydia

Just like we expected in October, VLC for iOS has been removed from the App Store. But this time, the removal of one of the most popular free apps for iPhone and iPad has nothing to do with Apple and the app review team’s rules. Instead, we have to thank developer Rémi Denis-Courmont, who since October has been busy trying to get the app out of the App Store because it violated VLC’s GNU public license. Rather than keep calm, carry on and let other developers (Applidium, the guys behind the VLC port to iOS) distribute VLC for iOS for free, he forced to get the app removed. Read more

A Paintbrush Stylus for iPad Is What Every iArtist Needs

Realized by NomadBrush and made “with a long handle and soft bristles”, this paintbrush stylus looks like a first on the iPad. It’s coming in February, “patent is pending” according to the official teaser website and with this, you should be able to come up with original digital creations like the ones we’ve seen before.

Well, here’s your chance to become an iArtist. Check out the promo video below. [Gizmodo via NomadBrush] Read more

How Do You Like These iPad 2 Mockups?

In the shadow of today’s big announcements regarding the Mac App Store, some leaks, I mean mockups, showed up. Not to detour you from downloading lots of new Mac Apps, but don’t forget the iPad 2 is still hot news.

So MIC Gadget actually thought they had leaked pictures of the next gen iPad (updated with “mockups”). If a small blog can get screenshots of the Mac App Store (and post them), why can’t MIC Gadget get iPad 2 pictures? Well, they’re obviously fake. Anyway, here’s some interesting mockups of the upcoming iPad 2 for your enjoyment and we even included Joy of Tech’s list of iPad 2 “dreamy” expectations (and maybe ours). More after the break. Read more