iPad

Which e-readers will the iPad crush?

Now that the iPad is upon us and the reviews have started coming in, it's becoming clear that the iPad is an excellent e-reader, perhaps the best one out there. This isn't exactly a great surprise. The fact is that ever since we had an inkling that Apple would come out with a slate-style device that resembled a giant iPod Touch, we knew that it would have a profound impact on the e-book reader world. We always figured there would be a before and after shot of the market--and it wouldn't be pretty for certain companies that … Read more

Can't score an Apple iPad? Try these other touch tablets instead (at your own risk)

Apple's iPad is apparently a big seller even before hitting its retail release date. So if you didn't preorder, reserve a unit, or plan to line up at 5 a.m. outside your local Best Buy (which will carry iPads in 600-plus stores), it's time to start considering your touch-screen options.

As we've previously pointed out, there are many tablet/slate devices available that do things the Apple iPad simply can't. Though Apple's tablet runs a version of the company's iPhone operating system, most of these tablets run different versions of Windows, and (… Read more

30-minute iPad ad on ABC's 'Modern Family'

Would anyone ever sit through a 30-minute ad for the iPad?

Wednesday, quite a few people did. One whole episode of the critically acclaimed ABC show "Modern Family" was dedicated to the deep and desperate desire associated with becoming one of the first to own the magic and revolutionary item that launches before your hangover disappears on Saturday morning.

In the show, the rather cool dad, who I believe is called Phil, is desperate to get an iPad for his birthday. In the great tradition of the sitcom dramatic arc, the script suggests he will be deeply disappointed. … Read more

Reports: Publishers to set Amazon e-book prices

With the iPad's launch just days away, several publishers will begin setting e-book prices on Amazon.com starting Thursday, according to published reports.

CBS' Simon & Schuster and News Corp.'s HarperCollins Publishers have struck deals with Amazon.com to determine their own prices for electronic titles, according to The Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek reports. (CNET is published by CBS Interactive, a unit of CBS.) Additionally, Macmillan, Hachette Book Group, and Penguin Group will begin setting their own prices on Thursday, according to a Sony letter cited by BusinessWeek.

Most e-books will cost between $12.99 and $14.… Read more

Preview: Box.net's jumbo-size iPad app

Storage and collaboration service Box.net has an upcoming iPad app and was nice enough to give CNET an early demo. That is--we saw the same version that will be hitting the App Store but running on Apple's iPad SDK simulator.

The good news for fans of Box's iPhone and iPod Touch app is that they're getting what is arguably a more capable piece of software, with the same price tag as its smaller sibling: free.

The big upgrade in moving to a larger screen is, of course, size itself. This has allowed the company to introduce a two-pane navigation control system that can tuck itself away when you hold the device in portrait mode.

Yet, even when held in portrait mode, the file browsing menu can still be accessed, which is similar to how Apple reworked the in-box and reading pane within its Mail app. This lets you go through stored photos, videos, and office documents without having to switch back and forth between menus as must be done on the iPhone/iPod. The functionality has also allowed Box to do something it doesn't even do on its own Web site, which is to let users view user comments about a file while viewing the file itself.

Of course there are quite a few things missing from Box's iPad experience that users will still have to flock to a regular computer in order to enjoy. The main one being the instant file previews the company recently introduced. On the Web, these let you view all sorts of file types without needing to have any special plug-ins, or the actual software application installed.

Box's CEO and co-founder Aaron Levie told CNET that such a feature will be coming in a future iteration of the app. In the meantime, the company is working on partnering with other iPad apps that can make edits to such files, so that the app can spit the user and the file over to that application from the Box.net app.

A few other things that are missing but on the road map for future iterations of the software include local caching of files to the device, uploading files from the app (which the company's iPhone/iPod app can do with photos), and the inclusion of Box's Web-based document editor. This last piece of the equation could end up being a viable alternative to Apple's iWork software for the iPad, yet with the capability to then go in and edit your work back on a regular computer without any special software.

iPhone users with their now-tiny screens should not be too dismayed with the introduction of this app though. Levie says the company plans to keep both versions as close to parity as possible, with future features like local caching, and search rolling out at the same time.

After the jump are a few more shots of the app, which the company hopes will be available on the App Store come iPad launch day this weekend.… Read more

Top 30 iPad games we'd like to see

The iPad may not have a built-in camera, multitasking capabilities, or support for Flash, but it does have a 9.7-inch high-resolution touch screen and a faster processor than an iPhone 3GS. Though most games for the iPhone and iPod Touch should run on the iPad, many developers are rapidly creating updated "HD" versions of their existing games to take advantage of the device's improved resolution and slightly altered layout.

From the first moment the iPad was announced, we started imagining which games could benefit most from going XL Apple-style. Of course, it remains to be seen … Read more

No cloud music for iPad's launch

For anyone hoping that a cloud-based music service will launch with the iPad this Saturday, disappointment is lurking.

Music industry sources told CNET this week Apple has informed label managers that a streaming music service is unlikely to be ready before the third quarter.

It will be a disappointment for iTunes fans who have been speculating as to when Apple might use music site Lala--which Apple acquired in December--for its streaming expertise to launch a cloud-based music service.

Some had hoped such a service might arrive when Apple unveiled the iPad tablet in January, but it was a no-show. That … Read more

When will the second-gen iPad arrive?

Back when the Palm Pre came out, I wrote an article about about first-gen jitters. I said that I usually follow a simple rule when it comes to consumer electronics: I avoid buying any first-generation products. That doesn't mean I haven't ever done it, but I tend to wait for generation two or three before I plunk down my dough, particularly when it comes to heavily hyped stuff.

I know a lot of people who are looking at the iPad in the same way. They're intrigued by it--and the price isn't too bad--but they're not … Read more

Apple and Google race for mobile dominance

Many media and technology pundits are convinced that the impending release of the Apple iPad will herald a change in the way we consume computing resources.

And while the iPad may usher in a new way to interact with computing devices, it's far from a perfect device. Perhaps it's the promise of what a device of this type can offer that's the message, rather than the actuality of what the initial iPad will deliver.

In fact, according to a new survey by development tools maker Appcelerator, developer interest actually waned during the past three months, primarily due … Read more