An interesting post over at GigaOM is shedding light on the unanswered question: is the iPad or the Kindle pulling ahead in the race to provide ebooks to customers? Citing Jo Henry, the managing director of Book Marketing Ltd, the answer seems to clearly be Apple, at least in the United Kingdoms.

The data collected by Book Marketing and its parent companies indicates that there are more ebooks read in the UK on the iPad and the iPhone each than read on the Kindle. The same is not true in the US, where Kindle is solidly beating out the iPad and iPhone, even combined. Don't worry though; the same study shows that the iOS devices are gaining ground. It could be a much different story in a year.

Apple beats Kindle for ebooks in the UK originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The New York Times has cast a pall over the iPhone nano rumors by stating that Apple will not release such a device (despite the Wall Street Journal's suggestion to the contrary). Referencing "people who have been briefed on Apple's plans," the NYT states that Apple is "not currently developing" a smaller phone. Instead, according to sources, Apple is working on the iPhone 4's successor, which many expect to hit shelves this summer.

Sources also suggest that a smaller iPhone wouldn't necessarily be cheaper to produce (and hence, sell), and adding yet another screen to the lineup wouldn't be fair to developers, something we recently pointed out with the power of math.

Meanwhile, the same sources suggest that Apple's MobileMe suite of services, which has failed to catch on at US$99, will become free and allow cable-free synchronization."The goal is that your photos and other media content will eventually just sync across all your Apple devices without people having to do anything," a source said. MobileMe could allow Apple to use less internal storage on iPhones, reducing one of the most costly components.

Those waiting for an iPhone the size of a postage stamp should keep the vigil candles burning. In the meantime, let's focus our baseless assumptions on iPhone 5.

No iPhone nano, says New York Times originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 17 Feb 2011 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In almost all of our troubleshooting articles, we advise gamers to install the latest version of Microsoft DirectX. DirectX is a collection of Application Programming Interfaces (API) commonly used in PC game and multimedia development. It’s been in use since 1995 and and by today has become a standard in the Windows based PC industry - A version of DirectX comes installed with all Microsoft operating systems by default. However, you cannot always rely on the version that came with windows for...

Back in June 2010 we first reported on a pilot program by Qantas Airways' low-cost airline Jetstar to offer iPad rentals as in-flight entertainment, and now we have learned that Jetstar will finally start offering them in April for AUD $10 per flight. According to Australian Business Traveler, the in-flight iPads will come loaded with "movies, music, magazines, books and games" and will be available on Jetstar's A320 flights in Australia and Asia.

Jetstar had initially intended to launch the rental program in time for the holiday season after successful trial runs last summer, but due to contract negotiations and pending licensing agreements with Apple they weren't able to get it ready in time. In talking with Australian Business Traveler, Jetstar marketing manager David May said that "if the trial works, we want to put them on every aircraft because they're so much slimmer and lighter than our existing units," and I imagine we will be seeing many other airlines follow suit.

With some airlines already offering integration between iPods and in-flight entertainment systems and iPads being used as electronic flight bags for pilots, just how far off are we from flying Apple Airlines? Anyone care to take a guess?

Jetstar airline to offer in-flight iPads in April originally appeared on TUAW on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I spoke with someone from Anywise Enterprises at CES this past year, and they told me about The Matrix, an iPad app (that's now out on the App Store) that will network a bunch of iPads together to create a video wall of whatever size you want. We've seen this idea custom implemented in art installations and design ideas before, but this is a one-touch implementation for broadcasting a multimedia installation across a set of iPads.

When we talked about the app at CES, I asked the developer to make a video of it and send it out when it was done, and sure enough, you can see the app in action after the break. He's only got a set of three iPads running it (1x3), but I was told it can run on any "rectangular" group of iPads, so if you have a wall full of iPads, you can run the video across each one.

The app is $4.99, and you'll have to install it on every iPad you want to use -- there's no free version if you just want to receive a broadcast from another controller iPad. Still, $15 is cheap for a 1x3 video wall of something you'd have to code and design yourself. And if you have enough iPads to make a bigger Matrix you can probably afford the app a few more times as well. Then again, if you're doing this regularly (for a trade show or demo) you would probably just use the same iTunes account and install the app across all iPads for the one-time cost of $4.99.

Continue reading The Matrix app turns iPads into a video wall

The Matrix app turns iPads into a video wall originally appeared on TUAW on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Danish blogger Kenneth Lund is reporting that he's heard from a large Danish Apple reseller that new MacBook Pros will arrive on March 1. Excluding a processor bump build-to-order option last October, the MacBook Pro line has not been updated since April 13, 2010.

The March 1st date is plausible considering that Intel is reportedly set to ship its new Sandy Bridge processors on February 20th and it has been previously reported that new MacBook Pros will drop in March. Also, March 1 falls on a Tuesday, which is traditionally the weekday Apple chooses to announce new computer models.

Beyond the reasonable likelihood that the next MacBook Pros will use Intel's Sandy Bridge processors, there aren't any rumors floating around as to the specs of the next MacBook Pro line. Some speculate that the next version of the MacBook Pro might see a redesign, taking cues from the MacBook air, including solid-state blade storage and elimination of the optical drive.

[via MacRumors]

MacBook Pro updates may hit March 1 originally appeared on TUAW on Sun, 13 Feb 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Chronic Dev team of eager iOS hackers at GreenPois0n has announced an untethered jailbreak for the current Apple TV in the form of RC6 of the eponymous utility. This new build features contributions from the NitoTV team to enable the tetherless feature.

Up until RC6, most iOS 4.2 jailbreak tools performed a tethered jailbreak, meaning you would have to connect your device to your Mac or PC on reboot to get it to start up properly. While this wasn't a huge issue with the ATV (you could simply set it not to sleep), it could be a pain in the neck with iPhones and iPod touches if they lost all charge and needed to be restarted.

I successfully used Seas0nPass to jailbreak my ATV last week, but I may restore it back to normal to give GreenPois0n a try.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in.

GreenPois0n jailbreak goes untethered originally appeared on TUAW on Sat, 12 Feb 2011 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple has set up its first highlighted section for the Mac App Store, in which it displays "apps for the creative home." There are five apps featured in each of four categories (covering things from design to music and photography), and there are some good picks in there, from Apple's own apps to TUAW favorites like Pixelmator, djay, and a few others.

To be honest, while apps getting featured tends to be good for developers and customers, the display section looks a little sparse. With only five apps per category, that leaves three spaces open on each, and it certainly looks (though of course this is just an assumption) like Apple had trouble finding enough quality apps to fill the space. Not to mention that we're seeing repeats already -- many of these apps have already been featured.

For whatever reason (app prices, difficulty in development, customer usage habits), I'd suggest that the Mac App Store isn't taking off quite as meteorically as the iOS store did for both the iPhone and the iPad. Obviously things are growing over there, and we've seen some very impressive numbers already. But it looks like the curve will be a little less steep for the Mac App Store.

Mac App Store highlights "apps for the creative home" originally appeared on TUAW on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Padprop is a portable stand for the iPad that offers something unique: it's perfectly designed to sit between your knees and offer a premium typing angle. Plus, it's very light, tough and even has a storage compartment for your earbuds. I've spent two weeks using one and can now share my experience. Best of all, we've got two to give away later this week. One is my test unit and the other is still new in the box. Read on for my review of the Padprop.

Construction

Inside the box you'll find he Padprop itself plus two cable covers. The Padprop is very lightweight (it's made of EVA foam) at 50 grammes but tough. Just holding it you know that it's not easily damaged. I've been carrying mine around in my bag, which goes in and out of the car regularly, without incurring any damage.

On the back of the device is a clever storage compartment designed specifically for holding Apple's earbuds. The headphones wrap around a central point while the buds themselves and the jack are pushed into custom recesses. The cable cover rests flush against the back of the Padprop with the earbuds installed and you don't even know they're there.

Here's a tip: press the earbuds into place first, and then wrap the cable. It's much easier that way.

Continue reading Padprop is a lightweight, useful stand for iPad

Padprop is a lightweight, useful stand for iPad originally appeared on TUAW on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Learn to Draw Digital Sketchbook is an pretty interesting app that teaches you how to draw in step-by-step lessons. You select from the provided drawing tools, follow the spoken and text instructions and you're on your way.

You can also dive into the app and draw freehand to apply your skills. You can draw on different types of "paper," and vary the size, pressure and hardness of the drawing tools. Drawings can be saved to your photo library, or emailed to friends. This is the kind of creative use of the iPad that I really commend, and it's nice to see a clever and highly educational approach to learning. One note: The app only runs in portrait mode. There may be some good reasons for that, but since I keep my iPad in a case that is oriented to landscape, I would have liked the option.

I don't know much about drawing, but I was able to turn out some passable sketches after going through the lessons. The app is from Walter Foster, a company that has been publishing art instruction books for decades. Best of all, the app will get you started for free, but if you want to move much further, you need to get some in-app purchases of additional lessons that cost anywhere from $2.99 to $6.99. The quality of the lessons is high, and the app is handsome and well organized. About the closest I get to art is landscape photography, but for someone just getting started in sketching, this app is worth a look. You can check the gallery for some screen shots.

Learn to draw with an iPad originally appeared on TUAW on Wed, 09 Feb 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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