Posted by alect on February 5th, 2010 in
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I’d buy an iPad just to read comic books. Think I’m nuts? I probably am, but see how you feel after this first look at what Panelfly, maker of a popular comic book iPhone app, is building for the iPad.
Instead of simply scaling up the existing iPhone app, the folks from Panelfly put their heads together with the Sugarcube dev team and brainstormed. With all the talk of the iPad and how it could restore comic books to their former glory, they realized that they needed to revamp the app and make a version specifically for the iPad. This way they could take full advantage of the device’s screen size and provide a new way of purchasing and interacting with the content.
The way the Panelfly iPhone app works is that you download the app for free from the app store and then add comics to your library through in-app purchases. Stephen Lynch, CTO and designer at Panelfly, hinted that the company is currently exploring several different purchase models for the iPad version, but was unfortunately unable to elaborate even when I tried to coax out whether there’d be a subscription option.
As far as reading and navigating content on the new iPad app goes, let’s just say it’ll blow us all away. From what Stephen was able to share with me, Panelfly “didn’t want to stray too far from the native Apple UI elements, [they] wanted to create something that was [theirs] as well as a platform that gave the content the respect it deserves.” And from the looks and sound of it? They’ve succeeded.
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Be sure to click on the images in the gallery for the full-sized view. It’s worth it.
Call me a geeky comic book lover, but apps like this one are what I’m looking forward to when it comes to the iPad. The gadget won’t replace my computer, it won’t replace my TV, and it won’t replace any other device I’ve got around the house. But it will be what I sit down with when I want to catch up on some comics, magazines, journal articles, and what will be formerly known as “print” media.
Posted by alect on January 27th, 2010 in
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No Comments digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/apple/Is_this_the_Apple_tablet’;
Okay, we obviously can’t confirm this, but we just got two very interesting images of what certainly looks like a prototype Apple tablet, or what could be the tablet bolted down to a table. It’s big — really big — and it’s running what clearly looks like an iPhone app, although we’ve never seen an iPhone app with that interface or at that resolution before. We also see a WiFi icon and a cell service indicator, although tragically there’s no carrier listed. As far as fakes go, this is as convincing as it gets, so either this is the real deal or someone deserves a hearty congratulations.
On a totally separate note, we also received a tip claiming to have some specs — we can’t verify any of this either, but we’re told that the device will have a 10-inch screen and look like a larger iPhone with a MacBook-like aluminum back, and that pricing will run $800 on contract with Verizon and $1000 without when it arrives in March. We’re also told that the official name remains a secret and that Apple employees are still calling it by the codename of “K48″ — a name we last heard in May from the same source that pegged the iPhone 3GS exactly. This source also tells us that the iPhone will be coming to Verizon as well and that we’ll see iLife ‘10 tomorrow, but there won’t be any MacBook updates. A relatively safe set of predictions — which is why we sort of believe them.
Just 13 hours to go — we’ll find out if any of this is the real deal soon enough.
Update: Based on some rough measurements, that screen does appear to be between 9- and 10-inches diagonal. Additionally, it looks as though there could be a front-facing camera on the opposite side of the home button (up top in these photos) due to that cutout section, though the images are really too grainy to know for certain.
Update 2: Our source has shared another photograph, this time showing an iPhone resting on the tablet for comparison. Check it out after the break (bigger image for inspection available in the gallery).
Update 3: Gizmodo managed to snag some images of what appears to be the back of the tablet from Chinese forum WeiPhone before they were mysteriously yanked. WeiPhone is the same forum that leaked the K48 name way back when, so who knows — the image shows what could be RF testing, but one of them feels kind of render-y to us. Check ‘em all in the gallery!
Continue reading Is this the Apple tablet? (update: new images)
Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Tablet PCs
Is this the Apple tablet? (update: new images) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 27 Jan 2010 10:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted by alect on January 26th, 2010 in
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With all the recent talk about the iSlate, iPad, iSlab, whatever… doesn’t it seem like the obvious candidate for the name of Apple’s rumored tablet computer is being completely overlooked? Like Apple’s first phone that later came to be called the iPhone, isn’t the most obvious name for an Apple tablet the iTablet? To support the theory we decided to share the above image that we received from a trusted source and believe to be authentic. It’s a picture taken of an Apple Store employee’s corporate email after receiving information about the time and place of Wednesday’s Apple event. While the content of the email wasn’t very enlightening, note the word used in the filename of the second attachment: “itablet.” Now this doesn’t prove a thing. The administrative assistant who sent the mass email could have been using “itablet’ much in the same way that we’ve been using the term for years as a generic placeholder for the rumored device. Then again, maybe we should heed the wisdom of Occam’s Razor when speculating about Apple’s naming preference for a 10-inch tablet computer?
P.S. Amtek currently holds the US trademark (and itablet.com domain) for “iTablet” and continues to sell products under that name as it has for years. Not that a silly thing like trademark ownership could stop Apple from announcing its iPhone at a time when Cisco owned the rights.
Update: Looks like the attached image name above, while authentic, likely originated in a post from Pocket-lint (look at the properties). For what it’s worth, the invite image we received was embedded with a name “top.jpg.” Regardless, this is probably not Apple revealing its product name in a sloppy pre-event slip-up. [Thanks, MarkNewby]
Apple iTablet: the obvious name? (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 04:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Posted by alect on January 26th, 2010 in
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No CommentsUh oh. More Apple tablet-related news? It would appear so, as we have just been briefed on what could be a solid Apple / Verizon connection.
One of our connects just told us that Verizon Wireless has a “kick off”…
Posted by alect on January 25th, 2010 in
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No CommentsOne of our Best Buy connects just let us know that the BlackBerry Tour 9630 is on its way out.
According to one of our trusty sources, Best Buy locations that sell out of BlackBerry Tours will not have their…
Posted by alect on January 24th, 2010 in
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No CommentsWe’ve been briefed on what appears to be T-Mobile’s game plan regarding Sidekick devices.
The information comes from a new tipster so we haven’t independently confirmed it. With that said, we have been told that with the rumored T-Mobile myTouch Slide coming…
Posted by alect on January 23rd, 2010 in
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No CommentsWe received this photo from a new tipster and are posting it for informational purposes as we haven’t confirmed if it’s the real deal or not. With that said, check out the carrier — T-Mobile — and the firmware version:…
Posted by alect on January 21st, 2010 in
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No CommentsWe’ve been told by one of our connects that AT&T has apparently been meeting individually with regional executives to inform them of some changes to the AT&T network. What have we heard? Well, for starters, they seem to be focused…
Posted by alect on January 20th, 2010 in
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No CommentsWe have just received word that Verizon will officially release a 5.0 OS upgrade for the BlackBerry Tour 9630 in “late February / early March.” Anyone want to bet the BlackBerry Tour2 will hit before that?
Posted by alect on January 20th, 2010 in
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No CommentsNot exactly the most shocking news, but apparently T-Mobile is going to launch a slightly refreshed myTouch 3G on February 10th. The changes? Well, it’s a single change, and it’s just the inclusion of a 3.5mm headset jack.
I’d buy an iPad just to read comic books. Think I’m nuts? I probably am, but see how you feel after this first look at what Panelfly, maker of a popular comic book iPhone app, is building for the iPad.
