The iPad 2. My “new” favorite device.

Stephen and iPad sitting in a tree, w-o-r-k-i-n-g.

Have you heard?

I’m in love!

No. Not with my wife.

I mean, I’m in love with my wife.

Don’t get me wrong.

She’s a sweet chick that doesn’t get on my nerves too much.

Just kiddin honey. You don’t get on my nerves at all.

The point is, I’m in love but its not the wife.

No. Not the kids.

Love the kids (by default, not design).

But I’m not talking offspring here.

My job? Gimme a break!

Check in with me when I’m clocking seven figures.

For now, negatory.

Alright, last guess.

Wrong!

I do love sex.

But it’s an act, not a thing.

You suck at this.

Remind me never to pick you as a game show partner.

It’s my iPad 2!

I am head over heels in love with it.

I recently got it from wifey for my birthday.

I was, in a word, verklempt.

Why all the emotion?

After all, this is my second iPad.

I had the original for three years.

Mind you, I was pissed when Apple dropped the 2 within months of my copping the 1.

But I wasn’t going for the okey-doke and buying into Apple’s manipulative bait-and-switch (and rape your pockets).

So for three years, I made do with my camera-less, FaceTime deficient, slower iPad.

Don’t get me wrong, we had our run.

But when the 4 was released, followed by the Mini, and talks began about a 5 and a retina display Mini, I realized enough was enough.

I had to step up my game.

Then came the dilemma.

Do I cop the 2, 3, 4 or Mini?

The Mini was out of the question.

I tooled around with it in the office, and it was so not a tablet.

I mean it is a tablet, but its not a tablet.

Knowhatimean?

You’re daft.

Try to keep up with me, please?

Anywho, the debate really centered around the 2, 3 and 4.

Do I just go for it and drop coin for the latest and greatest, the 4 with its retina display, 4G LTE and all the bells and whistles?

Or do I settle for something less bells and whistley from an earlier generation?

The decision was easy.

The 2.

Same (general) features and functionality of the (now defunct) 3 (and 4), less price.

Sure it’s maxed out at 16GB.

And there’s no Siri.

Lower resolution photos and video recording.

But for all intents and purposes, its the same thing.

Truth be told, my love affair with the 2 started the day I beheld it in the wild for the first time.

My man’s girl had one in Miami, during Art Basel.

And before I knew what was happening, I was one of those dorks shooting video with a big ole tablet in my outstretched arms – Frankenstein’s monster-like.

Get it right. Frankenstein was the man, not the monster.

The foolishness of my appearance did little to dampen the unbridled affection I felt – and presently feel – for it.

Even today, well after the novelty has worn off, as I cradle my very own 2 lovingly in my mitts, affection wells in my chest.

Why the love affair, you ask?

Well, nothing in my arsenal impacts my day-to-day productivity more than the iPad.

My iPad helps me get shit done.

Shout out to Moses.

If you’ve every tried to work on your iPhone while out and about, or even on your laptop, you quickly realize there are – limitations.

One’s too small and cramped.

The other’s too big and bulky.

But my iPad is just right.

I power through emails.

Schedule appointments.

Knock out to-do’s.

I’m generally bout-it-bout-it.

Bout-it bout-it=handling one’s business in a professional and thorough manner.

When I’m rocking with my iPad, you might as well give me a cape and call me the Black Superman.

I gets that busy.

So if you see me out and about, fondling or kissing my iPad, and it makes you feel…uncomfortable…

Avert your eyes.

Nothing’s going to stand in the way of my love.

The Galaxy S IV is coming! Apple be very afraid.

Is Samsung the Apple-killer?

Back in the day, I could have cared less about non-iOS device leaks.

If it wasn’t an iPhone or an iPad, it didn’t matter.

The only leaks that interested me were about Apple.

Period.

Whenever a new Apple product was announced – or rumored – I’d scour the interwebs, looking for photos or reviews.

I’d follow endless threads of speculation about which features would be included and which would not.

I would consume any article from any source like manna from heaven.

But if it wasn’t an Apple product, I could give two shits.

But yesterday, something unusual happened.

I saw a Techcrunch article with leaked pictures of a Samsung.

It was the new Samsung device, the Galaxy S IV.

And I found myself…

Wait for it…

Reading the article!

Who knew that there was this whole other world of leaks?

Who knew that non-iOS leaks were newsworthy?

Who knew the Chinese were as inept at keeping Samsung’s secrets as they were Apple’s?

I have to admit that I was intrigued with what this new Samsung has to offer.

Although I despise Android devices, they’re giving Apple a run for their money.

In fact, Samsung is outselling Apple in China.

Analysts predict that Samsung will completely overtake Apple when it comes to innovation with mobile devices.

So they must be doing something right.

But if leaked photos weren’t enough, now there’s a video too!

Notice the background iPad audio in the video.

Ironic, isn’t it.

If these leaked photos are any indication of the public’s interest and penchant for non-iOS devices, then I need to pay attention.

I must be ill.

The iPad 4 arrives with a whimper. But it’s better than the Mini.

Sometimes Apple really perplexes me.

I’ll tell you why.

Last month, when they announced the iPhone 5, many speculated that Apple would also unveil the iPad Mini.

Others felt that Apple wouldn’t want to upstage the iPhone with the iPad mini.

Ultimately, the iPhone was announced alone.

On Wednesday, last week, however, they announced two new products, the iPad Mini AND the iPad 4.

Few, like myself, even took notice that there was another iPad release.

Hadn’t Apple withheld the release of the iPad Mini to avoid one device stealing the thunder from another?

Why, then would they announce the release the iPad 4 and the iPad Mini on the same date?

It’s not like the iPad 4 isn’t worthy of shine.

It’s got the new lightning connector.

And supposedly it’s fast a hell.

It’s got an A6X processor and doubled the speed of wifi.

There’s also a higher quality FaceTime camera, which means you can see yourself…better?

But as many analysts have noted, it’s just an iterative change.

Well we got both the iPad 4 and Mini in the office yesterday, and the Mini is nothing to write home about.

Side by side comparison. Notice anything different?

I can say this much about it – it’s smaller.

You can fit it comfortably in your hand, like the Galaxy Note.

And it’s extremely light.

Compared to the iPad 4 (which weighs a friggin’ ton) it’s light as a feather.

But that’s about where the benefits end.

The display isn’t retina, and the difference is noticeable.

And everything is smaller.

You would think that looking at websites on the Mini would be akin to viewing on a full-size iPad, but tis not the case.

It’s more like looking at a big iPhone.

The text is too small to be read easily without eye strain, and everything is just…smaller.

The iPad 4, for it’s part is really just a blown out iPad 2.

Like it’s predecessor (the iPad 3), it’s heavy as shit.

This extra weight comes not from the retina display, the new processor or additional antennae.

It’s the battery.

Want all those bells and whistles?

Then hold this fat ass battery.

As far as performance goes, they’re virtually indistinguishable.

Watching videos over wifi, they performed pretty well.

Both loaded quickly and streamed fine.

Field testing the iPad Mini and iPad 4.

►

Folks filed in to take a look at the Mini, and the universal opinion was that it was ‘cute’ and little.

And that may be enough for folks to shell out $329 for the wifi only model.

And the extra weight may not bother folks who are looking to preserve their eyesight and cop the iPad 4.

To be honest, I was underwhelmed by both devices.

For what it’s worth, I’ll pick up an iPad 2 and call it a day.

Has a new tablet ‘Surfaced’? Microsoft enters the tablet game.

Will folks dig this? We’ll have to wait and see.

A few days ago, I was reading my friend Ewan MacLeod’s tech blog, Mobile Industry Review.

Ewan was talking about folks’ reaction to the Microsoft announcement about the pricing for their new tablet.

Microsoft? New? Tablet?

I was confused, so I read on.

Essentially, Ewan was trying to gauge how moved folks were (or were not) about the tablet, and how the price point Microsoft set for the tablet would (or would not) impact their opinion.

Opinions ran the gamut.

Um, excuse me…

Did you say that Microsoft has a tablet?

Apparently, there have been commercials and advertisements, promoting this new device, but I have yet to see one.

Incredulous, I searched around, and lo and behold…

Microsoft has a tablet!

On October 26th, Microsoft will launch Surface, their tablet offering, in retail locations throughout the country.

The Surface will also be available for pre-order at the 34 holiday pop-up stores Microsoft plans to open.

In addition to the US, the Surface will be available for sale online in Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong and the U.K.

The device, which is already available for pre-sale, is supposed to be Microsoft’s answer to the iPad.

Let’s talk specs, shall we?

• The Surface measures 10.81 by 6.77 by 0.37 inches.
• It weighs less than 1.5 pounds and runs an Nvidia T30 processor with 2GB of RAM.
• It has front and back cameras, and the back camera tilts, when on the kickstand to shoot straight ahead.
• The Surface offers both WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity options.
• The Surface has a full-size USB 2.0 port and a 10.6-inch ClearType HD display.
• The Surface display also has five-point multi-touch capabilities.

According to eWeek, a version of the Surface running the full Windows 8 OS (not yet available), will have 10-point multi-touch—a resolution of 1366 by 768, and an aspect radio of 16:9.

For about $120 extra, you can trick out your Surface with a magnetic keyboard cover, which comes in a touch version or a type version (with mechanical keys).

Both are spill proof, and mimic the magnetic covers of the iPad with (obviously) build in utility beyond just protecting the screen.

I can dig it.

Microsoft claims that the Surface will outperform the iPad in almost every area, and rival the resolution and screen clarity of the iPad’s retina display.

Now I don’t have a Surface tablet on me, but I’d definitely be interested in running a side-by-side comparison between the Surface and iPad, just to see which device really performs better.

While I see the iPad as a pure tablet, I see the Surface as a replacement for the (wack) netbook.

Microsoft is definitely pushing the Surface as an alternative to the tablet, the netbook and the desktop PC, giving you the features of all three, in a small, portable package.

The Surface is priced at $499 for the 32 Gb model, $599 for the 32Gb model with the touch cover, and $699 for the 64Gb model with Touch cover.

Which brings it right in line with iPad pricing, generally.

While I’m no fan of Microsoft or the Windows operating system, I am genuinely intrigued by the Surface.

We’ll have to wait and see if the market is too.

Would you buy a Surface?

iPad Mini. iPad Jr. Whatever you are, just get here already.

I’ve been quietly watching from the sidelines to see what, if anything Apple is going to do with the iPad Mini.

So far, there have been (the standard) sightings of the Mini, leaked to the internet.

And oodles and oodles of speculation about what features will be baked into it.

To be honest, I can’t say that I’ve followed any of this chatter closely.

I’ve done that dance before.

Wait with bated breath, only to be let down when the <insert name of much anticipated Apple device here> actually arrives.

At this point, it’s just that I know how Apple does.

Why should the iPad Mini be any different?

We all know what the iPad mini should be.

But it’s unlikely that it will be what we expect.

I firmly believe that the iPad Mini should be a small version of the iPad.

It should be fully functional with all its current features intact.

That means, the iPad Mini should have: a forward and read-facing camera, wifi, 3G, essentially everything the current iPad 3 has.

But will Apple give us the device we expect?

Probably not.

It will most likely be like the original iPad.

You remember how disappointed you were when you opened up your iPad and realized that there was no camera.

But wait!

Here comes the iPad 2, with what?

Wait for it…

…A camera!

Bastards!

Why did do they do that to us?

Wasn’t the iPad really just a big iPhone?

Didn’t the iPhone already have 2 cameras!?

So why strip the iPad of what everyone assumed would have been a natural feature to include in the iPad?

Money, obviously.

But they’re not going to do that to the iPad Mini?

Are they?

Isn’t the whole point of the iPad Mini offering to compete with the other smaller form tablet devices in the market today?

Shouldn’t the strategy be to bake all the bells and whistles that devices like the Kindle Fire and Galaxy Note have?

Wouldn’t it be counter-intuitive to withhold features that consumers are already used to on the current iPad?

I got my son the Kindle Fire, and it really is a great device.

Now there’s the blown out HD version, which is a real step up in a number of respects for Kindle.

Higher resolution screen.

Faster processor.

More storage.

Additional ports.

4G LTE.

They blew it out!

Apple would be wise to follow suit and go H.A.M. with the iPad Mini.

H.A.M.=hard as a motherfucker for my Kanye West challenged readers.

Unfortunately, experience tells us that Apple doesn’t always do what’s best for the consumer.

So while I’m interested to see the new iPad Mini, I’ve set my expectations very low.

Do I want it?

Sure.

I’d rather have an iOS device that synchs with the rest of my Mac world, than some other device that doesn’t.

Will I be disappointed.

Sure.

History tells us that Apple is notorious for putting out products that often fall far short of user expectation.

Apple should just release the iPad Mini and put us all out of our collective misery already.

But with a constantly moving announcement date, its unlikely that we’ll see an iPad Mini in the wild anytime soon.

eBook reader-cum-tablet? A Kindle Fire get-over saga.

This summer, I got my son a Kindle Fire for his 9th birthday.

He had given us a short list of his birthday wishes.

Mind you, his list was fairly perfunctory.

Library card. Library card? Live a little kid!

New bike. Nah B! Your current bike is perfectly fine.

Kindle Fire. Hmm…I can do this.

I was impressed by my son’s third request.

His sister had requested (and received) an Amazon Kindle for her last birthday.

She really seemed to be into reading books, and I suppose, this inspired his own interest in the eReader.

Seeking to support my son’s intellectual pursuits, we hurriedly ordered the device and, beaming, presented it to him for his birthday.

But once it was in his grubby paws, I realized that we had been hoodwinked.

The desire to read electronic books (like his sister) was the furthest thing from his mind.

Even though we had admonished him to avoid ordering anything without consulting mommy or daddy first, he found a loophole – free apps.

It wasn’t really ordering if they didn’t cost anything was it?

So almost immediately, he began downloading all kinds of games, and apps and game apps.

There was nary a eBook among the email confirmations that flooded my account.

All hours of the day and night, he was either glued to the device or ordering apps like a maniac.

It was only as my son morphed into a zombie, that I first saw the Kindle Fire commercials.

As drool escaped the corners of my son’s mouth, illuminated by the glow from the device, that I realized that this little bugger had gotten completely over on us!

The signs were there, but I missed them.

I hadn’t put two and two together.

You see, he’s always asking to play Angry Birds or some other innocuous game on my iPad.

And I repeatedly say ‘no.’

His request for the Kindle Fire was an end-around to my opposition.

A thinly veiled way of getting a tablet, to play games and such, without raising any suspicion or alarm.

The Kindle was certainly NOT to read.

This experience has me re-examining this whole eBook reader phenomenon.

I used to think all eReaders were just that – readers.

First, there was the Kindle (2007).

Then the Nook (10/09).

Sony also had some skin in the game with their readers.

There were black-and-white versions, color versions, backlit versions, versions with keyboards and versions without.

And then came the iPad.

And the eReader game was forever changed.

Sure a tablet device was good for reading, but the iPad offered so much more.

Apps. The web. Light computing.

It was truly a device of the future.

Not wanting to be left out, Kindle released the Kindle Fire, with apps and internet surfing baked right in.

Of course, Barnes & Noble followed up with their Nook Tablet, which offered the same functionality.

eReaders went from simple monochrome blah to web surfing, wifi/3G connected funky, combining the connective utility of a tablet with the pure function of an eReader.

And what I initially thought was my son’s simple request to get his read on, has become a straight tablet coup!

All I know is that the lines between eReaders and tablets have been forever obscured…

And that my son is slick.

Apple 1 (billion). Samsung 0.

Samsung is cute and all, but original…not so much.

Yesterday, it was announced that the jury in the Apple patent lawsuit against Samsung had returned a verdit in Apple’s favor on virtually every count of their complaint.

The jury determined that Samsung had, in fact, ripped off Apple’s designs for the popular iPhone and iPad devices.

Despite a spirited defense, and counter complaints against Apple, alleging that Apple had infringed upon several of Samsung’s patents, the jury soundly rejected Samsung’s arguments and found in Apple’s favor.

The jury found that several of Samsung’s products illegally used Apple’s patented “bounce-back” feature when a user scrolls to an end image, and the ability to zoom text with a tap of a finger.

In so finding, they awarded Apple $1.05 billion, about $1.5 shy of what Apple was suing for, but a marked more than Samsung expected to pay.

Apple’s lawyers, seeing blood with the jury verdict, are now asking the judge to levy treble damages (triple the amount of the actual damages awarded a prevailing plaintiff, leveled to punish the losing party for willful conduct).

Of course, lawyers for Samsung immediately filed an appeal, seeking to reverse the jury verdict and challenge the damages awarded.

It’s unlikely that they’ll be successful.

But the bigger issue are the implications for the rest of the mobile phone industry.

Samsung isn’t the only mobile phone maker to use Apple’s bounce-back or zoom features.

A full range of Android devices are likely going to be in Apple’s crosshairs soon enough.

Samsung was one of the first companies to leverage Google’s Android platform on it’s devices, but it is far from the only one.

Motorola, HTC, and LG are all handset makers utilizing the Android operating system in their phones, but Samsung was by far the leader, with over 20 million Android smart phones sold since their introduction in 2010.

The real impact of this verdit will be seen in the coming months, as manufacturers determine whether sticking with Android will expose them to the type of liability Samsung has been exposed to.

If anything, this verdict re-establishes Apple claim to innovation.

Blogging by iPhone (on the commode). WordPress is the truth!

I’ve been blogging (on and off) for about five or six years now.

Sometimes more than others.

But now, I think I’ve hit my stride.

And it’s all because of WordPress.

I know this sounds über dramatic, but hear me out.

When I was first bitten by the blogging bug, I tried out Blogger, the blogging platform from Google.

Since I was already using Gmail, it was nothing but a chicken wing to start using Blogger.

But I found the interface flat and there were too few template options available for me to personalize my blog.

Even though it was customizable, I wasn’t terribly technical and coding HTML or CSS simply wasn’t in the cards.

I posted a few times and that was it.

Not long after, someone told me about Tumblr.

They were new to blogging, like me, and had a similar experience with Blogger (being flat and boring).

So (on their recommendation) I tried it out.

Tumblr was much easier to use, had several interesting templates, and before long, I had set up and posted my first blog.

I noticed, almost immediately, though, that my blog posts weren’t showing up in search engines in Tumblr as rapidly as they had with Blogger.

What Tumblr made up in overall ease of use and simplicity, it lost from an overall SEO perspective.

I was creating far more, but seeing far less traffic.

If a blog gets posted in cyberspace and no bots crawl to it, does it make a sound?

Demoralized, I abandoned Tumblr for another free blog platform contender, WordPress.

Cue the angelic music and blinding white light.

WordPress combined the SEO dominance of Blogger, with the ease of use, simplicity and design sensibility of Tumblr, and a few other smoking features to boot.

And with a clean UI and dashboard, WordPress soon became my go-to platform.

But what MADE WordPress for me, were the apps!

Ever since I got the WordPress iPhone and iPad apps, I’ve become a prolific blogger.

Prolific is a tad extreme, but I have authored over 250 post on WordPress, and at least half of them were on my iPhone or iPad.

Whenever an idea for a blog comes to mind, I simply whip out my iPhone, dial up the WordPress app and start typing.

Once I save it, it’s automatically uploaded to my WordPress account and synched whenever I pull up WordPress again from any of my devices.

So if I start it on my iPad, I can pick it up later from my desktop or iPhone.

I can tag, add pictures or video, select categories (or create new ones) all from within the app.

My girl Aliya King issued a 30 day blogging challenge to her blogging peeps, and the WordPress app has kept me on task for the past two weeks.

I’ve been able to post from virtually anywhere: trains, the office, the toilet (yes, I blog on the toilet), from the convenience of my iPhone.

I’ve been so impressed with WordPress that I’ve turned a butt load of my clients, friends and associates on to the platform.

At the end of the day, I’m really enamored with WordPress because it’s enabled me to find my voice AND get it out hassle-free.

So if you’re thinking about starting a blog (I’m an inexhaustible source of inspiration – I know), give WordPress a try!

And ‘no’ I am not a paid spokesperson for WordPress.

But if anyone over at WordPress wants to cut a bro a check….

To upgrade or not to upgrade. Do I really want the iPhone 5?

Credit: iLab Factory

As you all know, I’m down with Apple.

And if you don’t know, now you know.

Have been for years.

But I’m not an Apple fanatic, as some would have you believe (Winston Clayton).

I’ve never waited in lines outside of the Apple store, hoping to be the first (or among the first) to buy any new Apple product.

I have a life.

Nor do I ever feel compelled to upgrade to the latest and greatest Apple product just because a new version has been released.

I owned the original 2G iPhone through the 3G and 3GS.

Didn’t get caught up in any of that 3G, front-facing camera, Face time mess.

I even resisted the hype around the 4GS and Siri.

I still own the original iPad.

Even after the iPad 2 dropped with it’s front AND rear-facing cameras, Face-time, smaller form factor and all, I stayed the course and rocked with my joint.

There was no way I was parting with another 700 bones for a few new bells and whistles!

I only recently copped a 13″ MacBook Pro, and that’s because we desperately needed a second computer at home when the G4 (I bought in 2004) died.

I was more than happy with the 13″ aluminum MacBook I copped back in 2009.

I say all this to say that, notwithstanding the fact that I’m not usually caught up in Apple’s new product releases, I am eagerly anticipating the release of the latest iPhone.

If the rumors circulating the iPhone 5 are to be believed, it’s dropping on September 12.

The rumored features of the new iPhone (which you can read about in exhaustive detail at TechRadar.com) include a smaller dock, relocated headphone jack, centralised front facing camera and two-tone back.

But rumors aside, the new iPhone is said to put the Samsung Galaxy SIII to shame.

Those are big words considering the splash that the Galaxy made upon its release.

And in light of the ongoing patent dispute being waged between Apple and Samsung, the release of a new iPhone that separates Apple further from this competitor would be good (especially since it doesn’t appear that Apple’s case is going all that well).

I can tell you this much – I plan on upgrading to the 5.

My contract with AT&T expires in January.

By then the excitement over the release will have abated.

Lines at Apple stores will have returned to normal.

Shelves will have been restocked with inventory.

And all the naysayers, pundits and talking heads will have had their say.

I can admit that I’m a little excited for the unveiling, and I’m sure the real deal will live up to all this hype.

But enough about me.

Do you think the iPhone 5 will live up to the hype?

Are you planning on getting one?

Don’t be shy…share!

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Despite the slight, I shall still cover Apple’s March 7 press announcement.

Yeah. We're talking to YOU, Stephen Chukumba. You're not invited to our press release. Get it? Got it? Good!

Last week, Apple sent out press invitations for members of the press corps to attend their March 7th press announcement.

I know my seven loyal readers will be shocked when they hear this, but brace yourselves…here goes…

I didn’t get an invitation.

I know, I know.

How could this happen?

I don’t know.

I’ve been asking myself that very question, and I’m still drawing a blank.

I mean, I waited patiently by my mailbox for days.

No invitation.

I thought that perhaps it was delivered to the wrong address.

So I knocked on my neighbors’ doors asking if they had inadvertently received anything with a 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, California return address.

Nothing.

Then I thought, they may have sent my invitation in another format.

Was it sent by email?

Nope.

Perhaps it was buried in the spam folder?

Nyet.

Did they send a carrier pigeon?

Nada.

Was Apple trying to reach me via smoke signal?

No Kimosabe.

I’m at a complete loss.

I find it unacceptable that someone of MY stature (with at least eleven readers - that I know of) has yet to receive an invitation.

But you know what?

It’s okay.

Ever since Steve passed, things have been in a bit of disarray.

While I won’t be able to transmit the highs and lows of Apple’s highly anticipated announcements live and direct, I will still provide some (time-delayed) insight to the goings-ons over there tomorrow.

To be honest, I’m really only interested in the announcement as it relates to the iPad 3.

What features are real?

Which are hype?

What will it look like?

When will it actually drop?

Enough with the rumors!

No more supposition!

The people want the truth!

I want the truth!

We’ll forgive Apple’s faux pas, this time.

But next time, I don’t know if I can be so forgiving.

Apple press corps people, listen up!

The next time there’s a press announcement…I want an invitation!

My fifteen readers will be forever grateful!

Please?