Top 10 iPad disappointments and magic moment

THE iPad may be one of the most highly-anticipated pieces of technology released this year, but the new tablet device isn't without it's faults, writes Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson.

TOP 10 IPAD DISAPPOINTMENTS:

1. The keyboard
   The iPad’s lack of a tactile keyboard was always going to be an issue, but typing on the iPad is not as easy as you might hope. To be used for email and short messages only.
    
2. No camera
   An odd oversight, this is one that has many fans stumped. The iPad could have been great for video calling.
    
3. No Flash support
   So many good websites use Adobe Flash that Apple’s ongoing stoush with the technology is becoming a big issue. This gadget screens websites in full size, but some still won’t show due to this omission.

1. Weighty
   Heavier than the biggest Kindle, the iPad could be hard to hold with one hand for an extended period.
    
2. No memory card slot
   The iPad is so good with photos, but they must be side-loaded from a computer as this tablet computer has no space for memory cards adding an adapter.
    
3. No GPS chip in Wi-Fi model
   It can still guess your location from your WiFi connection, but the lack of a GPS chip is disappointing.
    
4. No HD video output
   You can connect the iPad to a television but videos won’t play in high-definition. The best it can muster is a resolution of 576p.
    
5. No multi-tasking
   You can only do one thing at a time on the iPad, just as with the iPhone. Sadly, this is one thing that netbooks have over the device.
   
   
6. No iBooks in Australia
   They’re coming, according to a job ad, but the iPad won’t live up until its full potential until they arrive.
    
7. Delayed accessories
   The keyboard and memory card adapter will make up for some important omissions, but are not yet available.
    

TOP 10 IPAD MAGIC MOMENTS:

1. Great screen
   It’s large, it’s bright and it’s colourful. There’s lots to like about the iPad’s screen that has LED-backlighting for brightness, and IPS (in-plane switching) for good viewing on an angle. It’s not E Ink, like the Kindle, but it looks flashy.
    
2. Speedy
   Apple’s 1GHz processor keeps the iPad screening at a great pace. Though this processor is slower than those in most netbooks, it’s clearly competent.
    
3. iPad apps
   Plenty of developers joined the “second gold rush” by creating iPad apps, and users should be grateful. Games, in particular, benefit a lot from the bigger screen.
    
4. Photo shows
   The iPad does look like a digital photo frame but, arguably, it does a better job with slideshows. The iPhoto-like app included on the iPad lets you group photos and makes them easy to show off.
    
5. iWork
   Apple’s document, spreadsheet and presentation apps have been reworked for the iPad launch and they’re available as $US10 downloads. Not bad.
    
6. Long battery life
   Admittedly, the Amazon Kindle’s battery lasts longer, but how many portable DVD players offer 10 hours of video playback? The iPad has real staying power.
    
7. Screen lock
   Ever tried to use an app while laying down? Automatic screen orientation can be a real pain. To address this, Apple has replaced the mute switch with a screen lock switch.
    
8. Accessories
   The iPad has even more accessories than the iPod, it seems. You will be able to add a physical keyboard, USB or memory card port, or a case that acts as a stand… just as soon as they’re available.
    
9. Rugged body
   The iPad is sturdy and was designed to withstand everyday knocks. That’s not to say you should drop it or use it as a coaster, but it shouldn’t fall apart by itself.
    
10. The price
    While the Aussie price is still unknown, $US499 is a great ballpark for such an entertaining gadget.

Source: Here

Skype 5.3 for Windows - Review

MAY 6, 2011 • by Michael Muchmore

Skype just keeps getting better, this time with HD and group video calls, along with the de rigueur Facebook integration. Look no further for a complete communication toolbox.

Like some other technology trademarks, "Skype" has entered the vernacular, even being used as a verb by such luminaries as Oprah and Ellen. Its importance to modern life was highlighted by the outcry when the service went down for nearly two days. But as Skype's influence becomes more powerful, so does the software itself: New in Skype since our last review are HD video calling, group video calls with up to five participants, and a completely new and clearer-sounding audio codec called SILK. Skype 5.3 is simply the best way to make voice and video calls using your Internet connection and computer.

Skype is much more than just VoIP or even video calling, however. It's really a whole communications ecosystem. A Skype account can offer screen sharing, phone-card like calling with Skype to Go, Wi-Fi access in airports and other public places, even lessons in anything from a new language to relationships through Skype Prime. Mobile apps enable calling from PC-to-phone as well as PC-to-PC and smartphone-to-smartphone. Skype 5.3 even makes video calls between iPhones and Android phones possible. And don't forget there are Linux and Mac versions, as well as HDTVs that come with Skype video calling—the number of possible combinations is staggering.

Interface
Skype's interface hasn't changed as drastically between versions four and five as it did between three and four, but it's both more polished and more capable. Setting up an account and installing the software is a breeze. You have to enter your country, language preference, e-mail, desired username, and password. A welcome screen gives you all the help you need to get fully set up with your webcam, mic, and address book. I had a webcam attached to my PC, and a message at the top of Skype's windows told me it was working. I could preview my video and take a snapshot.

Once you're logged in, a large window with a contact list on the left and Skype Home on the right appears. This right area is tabbed, letting you switch between Skype Home, Profile, and Facebook (see the slideshow). As in version four, you can split the interface into a more-traditional, narrow IM contact list and a separate larger window. But that larger window now has tabs for Skype Home, Facebook, Profile, and Feedback. Here you can view your Facebook newsfeed and post text-only updates. You can also call Facebook contacts if their phone numbers or Skype IDs are in their Facebook profiles. But the layout isn't as well presented as Windows Live Messenger's Facebook view and doesn't prioritize your news feed as the social network's own site does.

The new Skype Home tab of the larger side of Skype's window has its own social network update box and shows your contacts' thumbnails. You'll also see any alerts from the system here, along with help videos. When you start a call or video call the whole window is taken over for the video feed, call details, and IM chat on the bottom. Unfortunately, you can't use Skype for other IM accounts like AIM, Facebook, or MSN.

Adding Contacts
Privacy settings let you allow incoming calls from anyone, or restrict incoming calls to just people in your contact list. The same goes for video and screen sharing. But to be listed in another user's contacts requires mutual acceptances, à la Facebook. Speaking of Facebook, you can import contacts from that site, as well as from Hotmail, Gmail, Outlook, MSN, and more. Once you choose contacts to connect to, they'll receive a request in their Skype notifications, and if they accept, you'll always see their status and be able to call them. In earlier days of Skype, a SkypeMe mode let lonely souls connect, way before Chatroulette, but Skype has moved away from that model, probably for the best.

Voice and Video Calling
Calling PC-to-PC is absolutely free in Skype, even with video. Voice calling is better than ever with the new SILK codec, and better than competitors like Windows Live Messenger and Logitech Vid. Video is also excellent, especially if all parties have an HD webcam and a fast Internet connection. In my tests, the HD image was as crisp as you could want, as you can see in the slideshow. Fair warning, though: In much of my testing with two HD cams, the connection wasn't fast enough for HD video, so don't expect broadcast quality all the time. But even when you don't have HD, Skype constantly adjusts video quality to work with your connection quality at the moment. In a non-HD test, though, Logitech Vid had slightly smoother video motion.

You can view your collaborator's video in the large right-side panel, full screen, in its own pop-out window. In full-screen or pop-out mode, your own image can be inset, and in any view you can turn it off. When you move the mouse pointer over the video window, all the controls for this and for mute, hang up, starting video, or screen sharing appear. Otherwise, your view of the video is unimpeded. A "dynamic" choice highlights the window of the participant who's speaking.

During a call, you can also instant message or SMS, send a file, and share contacts. You can also take a snapshot of the video image.

Talking to Regular Phones
For a pittance, you can make calls from your computer to regular phones and mobile phones anywhere in the world. As with Web calling, the sound quality is more than adequate—better than that of most cell phone calls. I buy Skype Credit in 10-dollar increments, and with this I can make calls to anywhere in 30 countries including the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the U.K., Germany, and even China for 2.3 cents a minute. Subscriptions are also available for 170 destinations; an unlimited plan for calling within the U.S. and Canada costs $2.99 a month.

For a true VOiP-style phone replacement option, you can purchase an Online Number, a telephone number that anyone can call from a regular phone. It's much cheaper than getting a landline, at $18 for three months, with a 50 percent discount if you have a subscription. I forwarded this number to my cell phone, which rings if I don't first answer via Skype. You can even buy a Skype phone that plugs into your Internet modem for a real landline simulation. One caveat with Online Numbers: They don't provide local emergency number calls.

Skype lets you send SMS messages, too, for 11.2 cents each (and even less for some international destinations). Unfortunately, your contact can't reply to your Skype account with an SMS.

Extras
Beyond voice and video calling, the more-than-VoIP software offers a slew of communication capabilities. Skype does a great job at screen sharing—I shared my screen with a contact while viewing his screen in another window. I could also transfer files of any size during a call. Skype Access is a way to use those airport and public Wi-Fi networks with credit in your Skype account, so you don't have to sign up for another account and enter payment. I tried this in the Miami airport, and it worked like a charm, though it wasn't cheaper than the Boingo plan offered onsite.

For some serious customizations, Skype offers a plug-in API, meaning you can install extras like games, call recording, and faxing from the Tools | Extras menu. These extras, some of which are free and some of which you have to buy, also appear as a dropdown from the IM/SMS box.

An extensive community of teachers and counselors who provide services through Skype Prime, but I should also mention that Skype is an excellent business tool, too. Its reasonable plans for videoconferencing and ability to save named groups of contacts for simultaneous calling should appeal to those users. The relatively new business offering, Skype Manager, allows a business customer to set up multiple accounts, allocate credit, and enable features for sub-accounts, all from a clear dashboard. A free trial is available, and you pay only for services you use, rather than paying a fixed monthly rate.

The Everything Internet Phone
The addition of HD video calling, group video calling, and a slicker interface not only keeps Skype 5.3 our voice and video calling software Editors' Choice, but also bumps its score up a half point from our review of Skype 4. Similar services like Windows Live Messenger or Logitech Vid, offer nowhere near Skype's vast number of capabilities combined with excellent call and video quality. Anyone who wants to supercharge their communications, whether personal or professional, need look no further than Skype 5.3.

More Video Conferencing Reviews:

Pros	Cons
HD video calls Excellent audio quality, even on mediocre connections Tons of extras Facebook integration Low rates for calling domestic and international phones Beautiful design Source: here	Pricing options can be complicated No 911 service No ability to receive SMS

Motorola Xoom vs. Apple iPad: A Tale of Two Tablets

Created by Ryan Whitwam on Jan. 25, 2011


The upcoming Motorola Xoom is the first Android tablet that Google has really given their blessing. Yes, the Galaxy Tab has the Android Market on it, but it runs a version of Android that Google has explicitly said is not for Tablets. The Xoom is likely going to be the first true competition that Apple's iPad has seen. When it comes down to it, what are the advantages of each, and what can we expect as the devices develop? Is the hardware the most important element, or is it the software?  

Read on as we break it down so you can make the right choice in a future tablet purchase. 
 

The Screens

The Moto Xoom will be packing a 10.1 inch capacitive touch panel at 1280x800. To give you an idea, this is the same size, and slightly higher resolution that most netbook screens. It works out to a respectable 160 pixels per inch (PPI). This should make for a reasonably crisp display. The other thing to be aware of is that the Xoom has a 16:9 widescreen display. This is great for watching video in landscape mode, but if you turn the device to portrait, it's suddenly a strangely tall device. 

Some of us may have chuckled at the iPad's 1024x768 resolution display when it came out. But admittedly, that was mostly a snap judgment. The image produced by the iPad is good for most situations. The screen itself is 9.7-inches, so that works out to 132 PPI. Not quite as high as the Xoom, but in the same ball park. The iPad is intentionally designed to feel comfortable in any orientation, so the 4:3 screen ratio actually works well here.  

The winner of this contest is going to come down to who has the higher quality touch experience. We have not been able to really dig into the Xoom, so for all we know the digitizer could be terrible, or the panel could be prone to bad viewing angles. Only time will tell. Whatever developers come up with should at least look great on either device.

Cameras (or lack thereof)

This one is simple. The Xoom has two cameras, the iPad has none. Google is building in support for native video chat for the new Google Talk client, so that front facing Xoom cam will actually be put to use. Despite Apple's robust Facetime network of iPhones and iPod Touches, the iPad can't play in that sandbox. 

The Xoom sensors clock in at 5MP rear, and 2MP front. A 2 MP front sensor for video chat could be awesome, but they went further than they probably had to for the rear sensor. Rarely, if ever, can we see ourselves shooting lots of pictures with a 10-inch tablet. We recently had the opportunity to shoot some images with the Galaxy Tab, but even a 7-inch tablet seemed preposterous to hold up to take images. So, it might be nice to have, but a rear-facing camera is not a big selling point for a tablet. 
 

That front-facing camera is going to be important though. With the iPad 2 potentially having a front-facing cam, the Xoom needs to be prepared. Apple will tie into Facetime if this ever happens, and Google will have Google Talk video, which gives users access to a  fair number of people. It's probably going to come down to the quality of the implementation. 
 

Storage Space 

 The iPad comes in various storage sizes. There are 16, 32, and 64GB models. All this is non-expandable memory that is soldiered onto the mainboard. There is, in Apple fashion, no  SD card expansion. So you need to pick the model you want at the start knowing that's all the space you'll ever have. A benefit from having the internal memory is that is tends to be faster to access than removable memory. 

The Xoom will apparently only have a single SKU, a 32GB unit with expandable storage via a MicroSD card. This is the best of both worlds as you've got faster internal memory, but if you just need more space, you can drop in another 32GB of space on an SD card. 

Data Connection

The iPad is currently only available on AT&T in the US for 3G data. A Verizon iPad is expected at some time in the future, but no firm plans have been released. For a lot of people, the AT&T situation is a deal-breaker. However, there is a Wi-Fi only version of the device. That can be great for those who don't want to have yet another connection to the cell carriers.  

The Xoom is a Verizon device that will run on 3G at launch, with an update to 4G LTE later on. It's not entirely clear how that upgrade will happen. Verizon may need to add a component to the device itself, which could mean sending it out. Still, having access to 4G data on the Xoom is a solid benefit. 
 

Other Hardware 

 Most of the other hardware in these tablets is less important in the comparison, but here's the rundown. The Xoom will have a Tegra 2 dual core CPU at 1GHz per core. It's also going to have 1GB of RAM. The iPad is running a 1GHz A4 CPU, and has 256MB of RAM. 

By the numbers, it's a big win for the Xoom, but the internal specs are not as important because they do not have significant impact on the user experience. We already know that the iPad is plenty fast enough with its lesser specs. You only need to look at Infinity Blade to see that much. Similarly, we expect the Xoom to be snappy with its hardware. Although again, we have not had a chance to see the device in action.   
 
Down the road, the Xoom may be able to run more impressive games with that Tegra 2 chip and 1GB of RAM. We know it has the potential for great things, but developers will have to get on-board. The iPad probably has some juice left in it too, but it's likely closer to its ceiling than the Xoom is.

The Software Experience

More than anything else, the software will make a tablet either a win, or a flop. The iPad has proven that it is a robust development platform, leading to some excellent mobile apps. The interface, however, is limited. You're tied to the paradigm of the rows of icons on the home screen. Multitasking is limited, and low-level hardware access is mostly unavailable. That said, the iPad is, by its very nature, easy to use. By keeping the interface streamlined, Apple has kept it snappy and simple to learn.  

The Xoom will be running Android 3.0 Honeycomb. By all accounts, this will be a much more visual experience than previous version of Android. Google is striving to bring the sort of unified UI to Android that iOS has long had. Features that were out of the way, like the multitasking UI, have been brought forward. It may not match iOS in ease of use, but the functionality of Android is much greater. Take the widget framework for instance. Xoom users will have access to a great number of live updating widgets to surface information, but the interface has been made more visual and easy to use.  

One factor that has made the iPad so huge, as mentioned before, is the developer ecosystem. This may be the area Google has the most catching up to do. Apple has an SDK specifically for the iPad, and developers can easily take advantage of the additional screen space. Android has always had scaling ability built into the SDK, but that may not be enough. Google recently added some new features for developers to tag resource elements for tablet-size screens, but developers will need to see the market before any truly compelling apps will surface. 

The intrinsic strengths of the Motorola Xoom are the same as Android phones. Google products and services are built in. If you live in Google's world, the Xoom will be useful to you. The iPad offers a more controlled experience, but it's very polished. Some of the hardware features of the Xoom could give it a leg up on the iPad. The Xoom screen, cameras, and potential 4G data are all great selling points. However, if a new iPad is announced in the coming months, it could all come back to the software again. That's the part about the Xoom we still have the most questions about. Presumably Google knows that and is hard at work finishing Honeycomb.