Apps Lists, iPad, News/Rumors

Vatican launched new app for catholics

Pope Francis and Vatican launched a new mobile app for catholics. The smatphone app Missio designed by the Pontifical Mission Societies, offers its users to stay up-to-date on the latest Catholic news from the Vatican and around the world. According to the Catholic News Agency, the new software debuted during a ceremony hosted by Pope Francis in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall.

When Father Andrew Small, national director of the Pontifical Mission Societies in the United States held the iPad for the pope, the pope asked: “I push here?” Then he placed his finger on the button, but Father Andrew Small had to take the iPad, as it was time to take it away.

“As soon as the Holy Father hit the button, a little notice came across the top …and it said, ‘Pope Francis has unlocked the MISSIO App. He sort of looked a little bit surprised.”

There are already 1,140 people from 27 countries who have already tried Missio. The app is free and available for both Apple and Android devices. According to the Catholic News Service, Missio can be used in eight languages: English, Spanish, Italian, German, French, Portuguese, Chinese and Arabic. With the app its owners can view homilies from Pope Francis, news from missions all over the globe, and watch videos from news.va & Catholic New Service.

“The app is a way for the church and our Holy Father to reach the growing number of the world’s people who have access to handheld mobile devices, a way to connect as the body of Christ,” said Father Andrew Small. So, this new app will help you “to think ahead.”

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iPad, News/Rumors

Square Stand: new hardware turns iPad into a register

Square announced a new product called Square Stand, which is designed for vendors using Square Register for iPad to process payments.

Square Stand features built-in credit card reader that allows to ease payment processing, which is so popular among smartphone and tablet owners. With the Square Stand, it’s possible to track of sales data. The new accessory seems to be able to replace traditional POS cash registers. The Square Stand can connects to Square’s Business in a Box  system, which is capable to store cash.

Square can already replace your cash register with its Square Register app, but revealed on Tuesday new hardware accessory for Apple’s iPad offers a more professional appearance while easing the payment process. It supports the iPad 2 and 3 at the time of launch, but a Lightning version is expected to appear later this year.

Moreover, Square is also planning to start cooperation with Starbucks for using Stand in the coffee chain’s locations.

Currently, the Square Stand is available for pre-order for $299.

 

iPad, News/Rumors

Retina iPad Mini display soon in production

According to DisplaySearch, production of the display for Retina iPad Mini should begin next months, boasting one of the best tablet resolutions to date. An analyst at DisplaySearch Richard Shim said: “We should see the start of mass production of the panels in June or July.”

The 7.9-inch Retina iPad Mini is expected to receive a resolution of 2,048×1,536. Thus, it’ll provide with the same pixels per inch as the Retina screen on the iPhone 5 does. The analyst is interested if such extra pixels will be noticed by the users.

“We’regoing to start to see a bunch of tablets with a pixel density over 300. At a certain point it will be hard to discern that improved image quality,” Shim said.

As he expects, the 7-inch and 8.9-inch Amazon Kindle Fire will be presented with 300-PPI-plus displays, while Google’s Nexus 10 is almost to that with a PPI of 299. That means that lots users will find the difference between Retinas.

Besides, the display of the upcoming version will likely attract the most attention and become the best example for competitors. According to Shim, “Samsung isn’t in the iPad Mini and they won’t be in the next generation. LGD is becoming a much bigger supplier than before.”

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iPad

Logitech presents FabricSkin: Surface-Like Fabric Keyboard

Today Logitech has announced a new iPad keyboard case, which is unlike anything the company has offered before. The fabric keyboard much like that that comes with the Microsoft Surface tablet: the same super slim and liquid resistant case.

The FabricSkin has built-in magnets that’ll wake your iPad when you open it up, and put it back to sleep again when you close it. This helps prolong the battery life of both your iPad and the keyboard case, which offers up to three months of typing on one charge — based on around two hours of typing per day.
The FabricSkin’s keyboard has full-size keys fuzed into a high-quality fabric, which provides you with a comfortable typing experience. It also has a liquid-repellant coating that “allows you to engage with iPad in new and expressive ways,” or means you don’t have to worry about spills in Starbucks.

You can charge the FabricSkin via micro USB cable, and it’s compatible with the second-, third-, and fourth-generation iPads. It’s available in a six colors, and the color you choose determines the material your case is made out of.

iPad, News/Rumors

Will iPad 5 be both thinner and lighter?

According to the latest in a series of rumors and murmurs-yes: Apple’s next iPad will be both thinner and lighter than its predecessor, due to the company’s old habit of iPad zooming out.

KGI Securities analyst Mingchi Kuo says that we should wait for a full-size iPad that’s 15 percent thinner than the fourth-generation device and weighs 25 percent less.
The gadget is supposed to include a battery that’s 25 percent to 30 percent smaller, and improvements on display panels and A-series chip technology, which now slurp up less juice. Apple also will use the same touch technology found on the iPad Mini, which is thinner than what it currently uses on its full-size iPads.

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The fact is Kuo predicted Apple’s plans and timing of its 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro last year, along with iPod and iPad details. Before that, there were his accurate reports of the white iPhone 4 timing, Apple’s discontinuation of the 17-inch MacBook Pro, and revamps of the MacBook Pro line in mid-2011.

iPad, News/Rumors

This year tablet sales climb to $64B

There is no surprise that the tablet growth rate contrasts sharply with the traditional computing market, though PC shipments should still be about double the number of tablets in 2013. International Data Corp. last month projected global computer shipments this year would total 345.8 million, but the tech research firm has since warned it likely will lower the forecast because of dismal first-quarter sales. Tablet sales are expected to catch up to PCs within the next couple years.

The tech research firm expects tablet sales to climb 28 percent this year to $64 billion. In terms of shipments, a jump of 38 percent to 150 million is expected in 2013. The tech research firm says “the tide is definitely turning toward Android-based tablets,” with Samsung and others continuing to erode Apple’s early success in the market. The convenience and mobility benefits afforded by tablet computers are showing no signs of slowing interest after record unit shipments and revenues were reported by device vendors in 2012.

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Apple’s iPad Mini “was a timely introduction,” but ABI remains cautious about the financial impact it’s having on Apple. ABI believes the first quarter will have been the first time production was able to meet demand for the iPad Mini, which should provide a better sense of how much larger iPad volume has shifted to the smaller device.

iPad, News/Rumors

LED backlighting system for thinner and lighter new-gen iPad

According to a report on Thursday, a modified LED backlighting can be used by Apple to develop a thinner and lighter iPad 5.

“It’s likely that part of the thinner/lighter design will be reducing the size of the LED backlight, partly by making the display more efficient and partly by using more efficient LEDs,” -announced Paul Semenza, an analyst at NPD DisplaySearch.

Apple’s expected the fifth-generation iPad to sport a more efficient LED array, and change to film-based touch sensor technology.

Apple is widely supposed to release a 9.7-inch iPad with thinner bezels and significantly modified dimensions in comparison with existing models. Semenza also said that a shift to a film-based touch sensor might also help to reduce bulk. The current iPad mini has a DITO film touch panel sensor which contributes to its 7.2mm thickness. Semenza isn’t still sure whether the next-gen iPad might consider a switch to different display technology, IGZO panels.

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DisplaySearch announced that the tablet would release with a thinner design. Such a prediction was incorrect after release of the iPad with the same form factor as the third generation iPad. Some analysts were sure in its release in October, others believe, it can be presented this month.
Rumors of a thinner iPad 5 appeared last year. Besides, they were accompanied by some photos of an alleged rear shell of the device in January and case leaks in February.

iPad, News/Rumors

Fifth-gen iPad comes out soon

Analysts say that the device reportedly will be introduced with a 9.7-inch display and will be lighter and thinner than the previous model.Thus, according to a new report Apple plans to get its fifth-generation iPad into production this summer, 

The company has informed suppliers that it wants to start producing its next-generation iPad in July or August, which will have the same 9.7-inch display, which will reportedly be produced by LG Display and Sharp, while touch panels will come from TPK.
Speculation on Apple’s next iPad has been varied, with other, earlier reports claiming the device could launch as late as October of this year. Apple surprised last year with two iPad launches, introducing the third-generation model with Retina display last March, only to unveil a fourth-generation model with a faster A6X CPU, Lightning connector and FaceTime HD camera in October.

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Digitimes’ report fails to match up with one that hit the wire last month from Apple-focused blog iMore, which cited its own sources who said that Apple could launch the iPad this month. That said, iMore’s sources weren’t necessarily sure that would happen.
As always, there’s a good deal of guesswork connected with Apple rumors, and it’s best to take such claims with a grain of salt.

iPad, News/Rumors

iPad:remote communication for mothers and newborns

Since the time of  release, iPad tablet came to be used by specialists for the most unexpected problems. Now the tablet with its new program “BabyTime” help mothers to stay connected to their newborns.

The medical staff of the medical center Cedars-Sinai, located in Los Angeles, has launched a new program, which allows mothers who are not able to move after giving birth and visit the NICU, that place where babies are usually brought, to look at them remotely. Statistically, there are about 20 to 30 percent of mothers who are not capable of such traveling during the first 24 to 48 hours.

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The principle of such program is based on the placing one iPad ner a baby’s incubator, while another is given to the mother, thus letting her see and hear the baby.

 “ Mothers can even ask questions, while doctors and nurses are treating a newborn. Thus, “BabyTime” is a kind of bridge for remote communication,”- said the chair of the Cedars-Sinai Department of Pediatrics and Ruth and Harry Roman Chair in Neonatology Charles F. Simmons Jr. “We understand that these are additional electronics, but the iPad has no a negative impact on the child. Radiation level intensity is even lower that the rate of the network signal.”

Such an innovation program is just an example of the iPad’s integration with the medical area. Last year, some hospitals used Apple devices as kiosks, while the administration cleared an iOS app for mobile diagnoses.

iPad, News/Rumors

USPTO gives “iPad mini” a new chance

The situation dealing with deprivation of “iPad mini” its official title turned out to be continued. It looks like the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) changed its mind and decided to provide Apple with a patent for the brand.

According to the document published by the USPTO, Apple’s “iPad mini” trademark may still be refused if it doesn’t grant currently pending applications containing the term “mini”.

“This Office action supersedes any previous Office action issued in connection with this application. Upon further review of the application, the examining attorney has determined that the following refusal sissued in the initial Office action should be withdrawn. The examining attorney apologizes for any inconvenience caused.” Some examples from webpages showing the eight things with the “mini” mark were attached to the text of the document.

Well, the solution of the problem can be quite simple: Apple has to prove that its “iPad mini” is a unique product but not improved and undersized “iPad”. If the USPTO isn’t provided with reasonable facts, Apple can be refused the mark again.

Last week the USPTO originally refused the trademark request as Apple’s use of “mini” described only “a small sized tablet computer,” and used by many companies. It is still unclear why the examining attorney reversed her original decision.

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