iPad

Jingle Punks iPad app helps indie bands get paid

After 15 years of playing and composing my own music, my big payday wasn't a record deal or T-shirt sales, but a sync.

A synchronization license, or "sync," is an industry term for when copyrighted music is matched up with another type of media (video, photos, games) for the purpose of advertising, background music, theme music, etc. In my case, I had 20 seconds of a song played in the middle of an MTV "Real World" episode. It was a crappy show, but it was the most lucrative 20 seconds of my life.

When you think about all the background music that needs to be carefully woven behind all the horrible reality-TV programs out there, you can begin to appreciate how much work goes into tastefully choosing the right music to fit the content. Also bear in mind that for every one music coordinator, there are thousands of bands praying to land a sync deal. In between them is a company called Jingle Punks.

This New York start-up offers video producers and advertisers a deep, well-organized catalog of high-quality indie music that has been pre-cleared for licensing. Instead of sifting through piles of unsolicited promo CDs, or dealing with the relentless push of hired PR guns and agents, music coordinators can use the Jingle Punks site to quickly search, sort, save, and share playlists of songs that are all ready to sync at a moment's notice.

On the artist side, they take submissions from any musician at no cost; however they are picky about what music they accept. If your music is approved, it gets tagged using a specially developed categorization system that favors a "Mad Men" mentality over traditional genre tags. For example, an MTV music supervisor can search the Jingle Punks library for "Juno" and be presented with a selection of songs that sound similar to the quirky pop from the "Juno" movie soundtrack, instead of, say, a listing of songs by the electro-industrial band Juno Reactor.

Now, here's where we get to the iPad tie-in.… Read more

Reports: LG delays Android tablet

LG has decided to ditch its plans for a tablet until Google delivers a better version of its Android operating system, news services are reporting.

Citing an unnamed LG official, Reuters reported Monday that LG will hold off on releasing its tablet until the "most reliable Android version" is made available for the tablet. The person said that Android 2.2, code-named "Froyo," is not "the most suitable version for our tablet."

Bloomberg--also citing an unnamed LG official--said that the company's hardware is complete and that it's now just waiting on software … Read more

App turns iPad into client for multitasking, Flash

A longtime Silicon Valley company says it can turn Apple's iPad into an X terminal, allowing it to run Linux, do true multitasking, and even run Flash-based apps.

Sunnyvale, Calif.-based StarNet Communications announced this week that it can transform the iPad into a an X terminal--generically referred to as a dumb terminal because the data processing is done on the server not the client--for Linux, Unix, mainframe, and supercomputers.

(See "Update" below for notes about the iPad's keyboard and initial browsing impressions.)

iLIVEx, available from the Apple App Store for $14.99, allows iPad users to connect to Unix and Linux desktops and applications hosted on remote Unix and Linux servers. StarNet makes bold speed claims too. "iLIVEx features an ultrathin data transfer protocol allowing for LAN-like performance, even over 3G connections," the company said.

And iLIVEx maintains a stable connection to the iPad, StarNet said. "Connections...run over securely encrypted SSH (Secure Shell) tunnels. Built-in session persistency allows users to reconnect to their remote desktops should the iPad get disconnected, turned off, or the user temporarily switches to another iPad app."

iLIVEx can also be used by non-Linux users, allowing them to run a remote desktop. When purchased, StarNet provides a free Linux desktop account on a StarNet-hosted Linux server. On their remote desktop users get "a number of capabilities not currently available on iPads,"… Read more

Assessing the PlayBook's threat to the iPad

The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet ostensibly has one sizable advantage over the iPad. That is, of course, if RIM delivers and Apple doesn't respond.

The PlayBook's specs are impressive on paper. A 1GHz dual-core ARM processor, and multitasking based on RIM's QNX technology.

By touting these specs, Research In Motion is obviously trying to execute some serious one-upmanship vis-a-vis the iPad--even when allowing for the fact that the PlayBook won't appear until the first quarter, when Apple could potentially deliver a better iPad. Vaporware? Yes, at the moment. And building a large library of apps for the … Read more

Share text files and kill all humans: iPhone apps of the week

When Josh Lowensohn bought and wrote about the TyPad--the Bluetooth keyboard and iPad case combo--I knew that I had to have it. Though it's a bit expensive for a case ($129), the included black keyboard and fold-over leather case just seemed too convenient and classy to pass up.

I just received mine today, and I'm already glad I bought it, but it does have some minor annoyances. There is no right-Shift key, for example, which will be tough for formally trained typists to get used to. It also makes it difficult to play a lot of games because with the added keyboard it can be pretty unwieldy. Still, the ability to quickly convert my iPad into a laptoplike experience will be better for working than using the onscreen keyboard, and the controls for music, cursor arrows, and tactile typing make the case worth it to me.

What do you think? Does the TyPad seem like a good deal to you or should I have just bought a laptop if that's what I wanted? Is there a better case/keyboard combo you know about? Let me know in the comments.

This week's apps include an iPhone/iPad text editor that automatically syncs up with your desktop, and a game in which you control a man-eating giant worm.… Read more

Apple adds iPad support to MobileMe Gallery app

Apple today released an update for its MobileMe Gallery app, bringing full support for the iPad.

MobileMe Gallery is an app that allows subscribers to Apple's Internet services to view their MobileMe photo galleries. It also enables users to view any movies and video clips they may have stored on MobileMe.

Among the changes in MobileMe Gallery 1.2 is support for multitasking, a feature currently available on the iPhone and coming to the iPad with the release of iOS 4.2. Support for the iPhone 4's Retina display, and the ability to view a friend's gallery … Read more

Five ways Catan on iPad fails

Like chocolate and peanut butter, The Settlers of Catan and the iPad are two great tastes I love, coming together to make something that should be even better. Board games and the iPad are a perfect fit, and Catan is arguably the very best board game.

How could this combination go wrong?

Well, it did: Catan: The First Island hit the iPad App Store this week for $4.99, and it's the biggest disappointment I've experienced this year. Yes, the larger board size suits iPads better than iPhones, but that's the only way this app succeeds. Instead, … Read more

Medical records app Nimble bets on iPad

Medical records software developer ClearPractice has been working directly with Apple to develop Nimble, the electronic medical records (EMR) app it released this week that the company says is the first to run natively in iOS on the iPad.

Nimble incorporates throwback features from ClearPractice's software-as-a-service EMR software, which has been around since 2006 and includes scheduling, tracking inpatient rounds, prescribing meds, and reviewing/ordering lab results. But it is updated with not only an iPad-specific user interface, but a series of additional fields, such as Name, Location, Admit Date, Floor, Bed, Admission Status, and Claim Status.

To comply … Read more

BMW gets Apple fever

Showing a DIY spirit, BMW decked out a 1-series convertible with two iPads and an iPhone 4.

BMW's ConnectedDrive effort is always looking at ways to increase the cabin tech in its cars, but at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, that resulted in merely buying tech from Apple. We ran across this 1-series, a European 118d convertible, fitted with two iPads for rear-seat entertainment and an iPhone 4 to serve as infotainment center.

The brackets for the iPads, attached to the front-seat headrest posts, looked surprisingly crude for BMW. These brackets would also prevent the front headrests from being … Read more

Angry Birds gets new levels, Retina support, more

At the risk of affecting productivity planet-wide, I bring you this news: Clickgamer Technologies just rolled out a "big fat update" to Angry Birds--the first one in months.

Version 1.4.2 of the App Store's top-selling app includes 15 new levels, support for the iPhone 4's Retina Display, and integration with Apple's new Game Center.

The updated Angry Birds also sports an "awesome new golden egg sound board," optimized memory usage, and language support for French, Italian, German, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese.

Having finished all the game's levels a couple … Read more