HyperMac Is Back: New Charging Adaptors For MacBooks Available!

By Adrian Covert on January 8, 2011 at 9:52 AM on Gizmodo

HyperMac, suppliers of Apple-related battery products, pissed off the Cupertino Goliath awhile back for selling modified MacBook Magsafe cables with their external batteries. After taking those cables off the market, they’ve returned with two new ways to power up.

Their first new product interfaces with the MacBook travel charger, proving a intermediary socket for the charger to plug into. The only problem is that it can’t charge the internal battery, it can only power the laptop because of the limitations of Apple’s travel charger.

The second product is a DIY kit that lets you turn your Magsafe cable into one compatible with Hypermac batteries. It more or less functions in the same manner as before, but they circumvent their previous patent infringement troubles by not selling the Magsafe connector, and instead just giving you the tools to make your own. And if you’re worred about hacking up your Magsafe cable and being without a standard charger, fret not: they’ve included a connector for your charger as well, so you can switch back and forth between your external battery and wall charger.

The batteries themselves are the same as before, only now they come with the two new connectors. [Photo via Ars Technica]

Apple TV 2 Update

A few words about my Apple TV 2 experiences so far after having had the little black magic box for a few days.

Had a few friends over for a BBQ last night and decided to hook the ATV2 up to the loungeroom 42″ HD LCD TV and stream music from my Macbook Pro left in the bedroom.

My guests were quite amazed at the way I could browse my music collection on the big screen with the little silver remote and then couldn’t believe I could also remote control the music from my iPhone sitting outside at the outdoor table while we ate and drank.

The possibilities are endless when you think about it. I’m tempted to jailbreak my own ATV2 when I purchase it shortly and try some of the 3rd party plugins available and see what else I can do.

iPad in Education: NYT Says Schools Are Embracing the iPad

by patrickj on January 7, 2011 on JustAnotherIpadBlog

 

We saw a number of stories of the iPad being adopted in educational institutions – from kindergartens to universities – during its debut year. This week The New York Times has an article that focuses on the way schools are embracing the iPad as an educational tool.

A growing number of schools across the nation are embracing the iPad as the latest tool to teach Kafka in multimedia, history through “Jeopardy”-like games and math with step-by-step animation of complex problems.

The article cites a number of examples of schools in New York and elsewhere buying iPads for students and teachers. iPads are being trialed and adopted by a wide range of schools, and also being put to use for a broad variety of purposes – from teachers using them to teach their classes to students using them at school and at home for everything from corresponding with teachers, playing math games, and turning in papers and homework assignments.

 

The issue of whether buying iPads is the best way for schools to be using their budgets is also raised in the article.

“There is very little evidence that kids learn more, faster or better by using these machines,” said Larry Cuban, a professor emeritus of education at Stanford University, who believes that the money would be better spent to recruit, train and retain teachers. “IPads are marvelous tools to engage kids, but then the novelty wears off and you get into hard-core issues of teaching and learning.”

One of the main answers to the spending concerns seems to be that the schools will be saving substantial amounts on printing and textbooks costs.

Here’s a quote from a principal that really stood out for me:

“I think this could very well be the biggest thing to hit school technology since the overhead projector,” Mr. Wolfe said.

That one makes me smile – as it sort of shows a leap straight from the tech stone ages to a real cutting-edge device.

The whole article at the NYT is well worth a read – give it a look here:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/05/education/05tablets.html?pagewanted=1&_r=3&partner=rss&emc=rss

Second-Generation iPad Coming in 3-4 Weeks?

by Alex Jordan on January 8th, 2011 on iSource

MacRumors is reporting on comments made by Digg founder Kevin Rose, wherein he’s claiming to have information from sources on “good authority” that the next-generation iPad will launch in 3-4 weeks. Late, he updated the post by stating that the new iPad will have a higher resolution display than the current model, yet it will still fall short of a true “Retina” display, due to the lack of processing power that is needed to drive a hypothetical 2560X1930 display.
Here’s an excerpt:

I have it on good authority that Apple will be announcing the iPad 2 in the next “3-4 weeks”, possibly Tuesday February 1st. The iPad 2 will feature a retina display and front/back cameras.

Credit where credit is due- Kevin Rose has been right on some things in the past. However, he’s also been wrong on several things in the past. So, take what he says with a grain of salt.

Also, the timing feels off to me. Yes, I expect Apple to release the new iPad this quarter. No, I don’t believe they’ll release it this close to the rumored Verizon iPhone that is expected to be announced this Tuesday. Look for the new iPad closer to the 1 year anniversary of the iPad launch this April.

Comments on iSouce:

1. 1. Matthew Frederick wrote on January 8, 2011

   Remember that Apple announced the original iPad in January. It just didn’t ship until April. No reason to believe it couldn’t be the same this year, imo.

2. 2. trediggidy wrote on January 8, 2011

   He says “…announced” not released which, like the other commentor said falls right in line with what Apple announced last year. It’s funny how people read/see what they want to fit their purpose. You’re article should have been titled “Kevin Rose…tell us something we don’t know”

3. 3. Cresence wrote on January 8, 2011

   Mr. Frederick is right. Announcement probably on Tuesday, January 25. Maybe a week later. Apple itself doesn’t know at this point. Delivery on Friday, April 1. Apple will need to ramp up production prior to delivery, and two months of building its order book should be a nice, sharp spike in April net earnings. Apple really doesn’t need to deliver in February, but it wouldn’t mind dampening the sales of any would-be competitors.

Another Second-Generation iPad Mockup Spotted at CES

by Alex Jordan on January 7th, 2011 on iSource

iLounge is reporting that they have spotted a physical mockup of the second-generation iPad being used to show off a docking system at CES 2011. This is the second iPad 2 mockup that we’ve seen throughout the course of the show, from two separate peripheral manufacturers.

The shell, which has been marked by developer Gopod Mobile with “iPad 2” and “128GB” logos that would not appear on the actual device, is being shown paired with an iPad 2-specific foldable rechargeable battery pack developed by the company, and depicts the revised device’s redesigned curves, ports, and cameras; it is said by Gopod to represent the actual appearance of the as-yet-unreleased thinner and slightly smaller iPad.

This mockup seems to be slightly more detailed than the previous one. Going so far as to put an Apple logo, speaker grill, front and back-side camera holds. Of course, this mockup also has the flat, iPod touch-like back that we’ve seen from other reports, drawings and mockups.

Mac App Store Sees 1 Million Downloads in First 24 Hours

by Alex Jordan on January 8th, 2011 on iSource

Apple has announced that the new Mac App Store that they launched on Thursdays, has seen over one million downloads within it’s first day of business.
Here’s an excerpt from their announcement:

pple today announced that over one million apps have been downloaded from the Mac App Store in the first day. With more than 1,000 free and paid apps, the Mac App Store brings the revolutionary App Store experience to the Mac, so you can find great new apps, buy them using your iTunes account, download and install them in just one step.

“We’re amazed at the incredible response the Mac App Store is getting,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Developers have done a great job bringing apps to the store and users are loving how easy and fun the Mac App Store is.”

Think about it, one million downloads, over a 1000 apps at launch. The Mac App Store is going to be a huge hit it seems, and looks as if it’s poised to do the same for Mac apps that the App Store did for iOS devices.

If you’re an existing Mac or iOS developer and looking to get your app on the Mac App Store, Apple has more information here on their developer site.