The iPad Arrives

One of the worst kept secrets ever, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced the iPad tablet today, to much fanfare. Stereotypically dressed and presenting, Mr. Jobs not only announced, but demonstrated the much-speculated tablet. After some perusing of release notes, a few thoughts:

-Kindles are done. This does everything Kindle does, but in colour. Books are likely to cost a little more, but with an iTunes like bookstore (iBooks), it's a done deal.

-It's fast, it's slick, it's trendy, and people will buy one and not even think about it.

-AT&T got the boots put to them. The contracts and commitment to AT&T is an interesting one, and I think the telecom giant loses big, even with the exclusivity it has had in the past. If the SIM card is changeable, AT&T got smacked.

-Apps rule. We knew this with the iPhone, but this will only continue to promote the cross-branding Apple is trying (and succeeding) to accomplish. All iPod/iPhone apps work on the iPad, and more.

-It's a gaming machine. Big promises, but if they have the processing power they are promoting, this will also greatly impact Sony's PSP and Nintendo's DSi market.

-No ability to multitask. This is a BIG DEAL to a lot of people, and may be the 'tragic flaw' of the iPad. I don't know anyone that doesn't have multiple applications running on their PC at any time. iPad's inability to run more than one program at a time will be crippling, and will lead to much griping.

-Battery breakthrough. The battery life promises are astronomical. 10 hours of activity - nearly a month on standby. Insane.

-Netbooks are going to be the market that suffers. I don't think it will be a significant impact on laptops/desktops, but netbooks are going to hurt as more people with iPods look to the familiarity of the Apple brand.

-Apple designers are awesome. The design, like so many Apple products, it just astounding, amazing, and leads the pack.

-The price is right. After rumours of $1K per iPad, the price isn't bad at all, even if you do consider the higher price with 3G. See more of the price info here.

Although it was seen coming from a mile away, it's a pretty significant day.

Check out a nice summary page of iPad stuff from Gizmodo here.

Lenovo IdeaPad U1... my next computer

The Computer Electronics Show (CES) is in full swing for 2010, and as is the case every year, the gadgets are coming out. One of the most promising this year is Lenovo's IdeaPad U1, a hybrid device that is tablet and netbook all in one. The potential is... outstanding.

The IdeaPad U1 is a netbook with a removable touchscreen, essentially a tablet when removed. The versitility of this is outstanding, and we'll see if the product matches the potential.

CNET has an excellent overview of Lenovo's new toy. Check it out here.

Water Dropplets that BLOW YOUR MIND

Have you ever seen water bounce on water? You have -- you just don't know it yet.




High speed cameras are opening up science discovery and analysis in ways we never could have dreamed, even in the most mundane areas. It's a fascinating time to watch.

Google Makes it a BAD Day for GPS Companies

Google today released a free, turn-by-turn navigation for Google Maps this morning, in BETA, and it's GOOD. How good? Check out the stock prices for Garmin and TomTom.

As you can see, everyone can see what a major impact this release will have on the pay-for-use GPS.

Although it's currently only available on Android 2.0 OS phones, Google is sure to release this beyond, and the impact will be huge.

Compared to the current releases of pay GPS units, Google stacks up very, very well, and is certainly going to put a major dent in their future sales.

See the Gizmodo review here.

Wyle E. Coyote would be Jealous!

No good reason for this post - it's just cool. Gay Wilkinson is a 'World Champion' Anvil Shooter.

Something you need to see to believe. I guarantee you, 90% of men will love this. The other 10% are wrong.




Why? Because you can.

Slo-mo Sneeze is Juicy/Scary

I love slo-mo photography/video, but this demonstration of Mythbusters Adam hurling an impressive sneeze at Jamie is something else, and something to show to those around you with no sneeze-cover.

This was done in a PSA for H1N1 avoidance.

The Fun Theory

66% is impressive. Check this out.

No #$%$#$% Wires

Wireless charging is still in its infancy, but the idea is great: you have a mat or platform onto which you can toss your gadgets and let them charge. No tangled wires and fumbling around. There's a catch, of course, in that most of these chargers will require a special case or add-on to be hugging your device. And cost... they are pricey, not only for the mat, but for the adapter too. This makes something like the Powermat one pricey charging station if you want to charge each of your gadgets, but I like their advertising.

Currently, the mat will run about US$100, with about $40 per adapter. Pricey, indeed, but as the technology becomes integrated into the product, as inductive charging becomes more ubiquitous, that cost will decline.

Google Docs Works the Interns for Improvements

This is a great addition for students.

Google Docs, and online option to Microsoft Office, has added a fairly powerful equation editor this summer, super/subscripts, among other improvements. I've used GDocs with students many times, and for other personal uses as well. It may be a good option for students who don't have Office available. Best of all, it's free, and you do not need a Google account to access it.

Read more about the equation editor and summer improvements here

MIT Students Take Pictures from Space for <$150

Two MIT students have captured images from space on a severe budget of $150. Perhaps the most impressive part is they did it entirely with off the shelf items.

Gaining over 17 miles in altitude, they were high enough to see the curvature of the earth, the darkness of space, and the intense cold associated with severe altitude. Impressive.

Check the details here.