TSA: Netbooks Aren’t Notebooks

Do you need to remove your iPad from your briefcase when you go through airport security? No, says “Blogger Bob” of the TSA. But he also says that netbooks don’t need to be removed:

Only electronics the size of a standard laptop or larger (for example Playstation®, Xbox™, or Nintendo®), full-size DVD players, and video cameras that use video cassettes must be removed from their carrying cases and submitted separately for x-ray screening. Removing larger electronics helps us get a better look at them and also allows us to get a better look at the contents of your bag. If you you have a TSA “checkpoint friendly” laptop bag, you can leave your laptop in.)

Which leaves only one question: What, exactly, is a standard laptop?

Kindle to Hit Target?

Of all the many differences between the iPad and Amazon’s Kindle, one of the least-discussed is actually pretty important: You can easily try out an iPad in person before you plunk down your money, but the Kindle is a mail-order product, and therefore one you may need to buy sight unseen. (Maybe you know someone who has one you can try out, and maybe not.) But Engadget says that it looks like the Kindle is coming to Target later this month.

Google Testing Desktop Voice App

A Google Voice desktop application? I’d use it….

Join Us on Thursday for Live Apple iPhone OS Event Coverage

What’s next for the softwarethat powers the iPhone and iPad? On Thursday morning at 10am PT, we can stop wishing and speculating. I’ll be in Cupertino for Apple’s event on the future of the iPhone OS, and I hope that you’ll join me for our live coverage.

Most iPad Apps Are Games, But Why?

Three days after the launch of Apple’s iPad, video games are dominating the app landscape, according to analytics company Distimo (via TechCrunch).

Distimo counted 2,385 iPad-specific apps as of April 6, and 833 of them were games. The closest behind were entertainment apps, with 260 specifically for the iPad. Games account for roughly a third of all iPad apps, compared to almost 60 percent on the iPhone.

It makes sense that games account for fewer total apps on the iPad than the iPhone, but the discrepancy is still shocking given what Apple tells us about the applications people are downloading. Looking at current top 10 charts on the iPad, there are only three games among the most downloaded paid apps, and none among the most downloaded free apps. For all the games in the iPad App Store, few are making a dent in overall sales, especially compared to the iPhone, on which games account for eight of the top 10 paid apps and seven of the top 10 free apps.

What are people downloading the most on the iPad? Productivity tools like Pages and GoodReader, informational apps such as The Weather Channel and USA Today, and entertainment portals such as iBooks, Netflix and the ABC Player. From the initial charts, it seems that people are not nearly as interested in playing games on the iPad as they were on the iPhone. Anecdotally, I’m not. I’m still waiting for a killer music creation app and a blogging tool that actually works.

Of course, things can change. The top download charts could eventually list more games as they flood the App Store — especially if developers get desperate and start slashing prices. As a gamer, I certainly wouldn’t complain, but I also hope developers see the need for more productivity, information and content apps, and fill it.

Is It Going to be iPad Singular, or iPads Plural?

The one place where the JooJoo has an obvious advantage over the iPad–for some people–is in screen real estate. It’s got a 12-inch display, versus the 9.7-incher on the iPad. So much else is so wrong with the JooJoo that a roomy screen can’t begin to compensate. But it got me thinking: Do we need iPads in different sizes and form factors? And could Apple already be thinking about the iPad as the beginning of a line of devices rather than a one-size-fits-all gadget?

It’s not surprising that the iPhone only comes in one form factor. Rumors about an iPhone Mini have been floating out there for eons, but with the iPhone 3G priced at $99, there may not be a slot for it Apple’s lineup. And a larger iPhone might well be too…large.

But the basic ideas behind the iPad are different, and more fungible. Some people might want an iPad that’s a bit smaller. Some might prefer one that’s a lot bigger. You’re going to be able to buy a keyboard dock that turns the iPad into a pseudodesktop, but maybe some folks would buy a real iPad desktop with a big screen. Or one (dare I say it?) in a clamshell case with a physical keyboard. (Okay, I don’t see Apple ever making a clamshell iPad–but if it did, there are people who’d buy one.)

Yes, yes–you don’t want a computer based on the iPad’s version of iPhone OS as your only desktop…or maybe at all just yet. But if the iPhone OS keeps improving at the same rate it has since Apple unveiled it a little over three years ago, there’s no reason why it might not be a plausible general-purpose operating system, capable of powering general-purpose computers. I don’t think it’s completely nuts to wonder if it’ll become Apple’s primary OS, available on devices of all sorts and sizes, while the Mac sticks around as a legacy item.

And even if most of this doesn’t happen, I wonder if Apple will make iPads in another size or two. Me, I might be interested in a JooJoo-sized version.

Here’s a crude, ugly mockup of an iPad Desk:

Does any of this make any sense at all, or am I suffering from a temporary bout of Irrational iPad Exuberance?

Five Reasons Why the HP Slate Doesn’t Beat the iPad

The Microsoft following media has been tripping over itself this week, seemingly discounting the iPad as too bulky, too clunky, too simple. Some have even pointed to HP’s Slate as the superior device. Lucky for us, details on the specifications have leaked out thanks to Engadget, so we’re able here at Technologizer to compare the two platforms based on what we know. From what has been disclosed so far, it still certainly seems to be advantage Apple, and here’s why.

1. Windows 7 is NOT a operating system made for touch-based devices. One of the most common criticisms of the iPad I’ve seen has been the operating system itself. While I tend to agree the user interface does need some tweaks, putting a full-on OS on these type of devices just doesn’t work. No matter how convenient it is to be able to run a full Windows app on a device like this, they aren’t built for the touch world. The interactivity gained through gestures and the like is lost on a mouse-based UI and no skin will correct that. Add to this the limitations of the hardware and such a feature becomes useless.

2. It’s not lighter (or much smaller) than the iPad. Paul Thurrott in his review criticized the iPad for its weight. Having actually picked up and played with the device myself, I believe this criticism is unwarranted. Yes, it has *a little* bit of weight to it, but this isn’t a handheld device necessarily. It’s meant to be cradled, put in your lap. Don’t look to the HP Slate to be lighter. The difference there is negligible, and its only slightly smaller and a bit thicker than the iPad. I sure hope the HP device gets the same treatment in its own review.

3. It’s not necessarily cheaper than Apple’s device. I must admit I chuckled here as I wrote this. When was the last time Apple actually competed on price? At least initially, they will beat HP here. At $499, Apple’s entry 16GB model will be cheaper, although HP’s low-end device will be 32GB at $549, $50 cheaper than Apple’s version. One has to assume however than running Windows 7 will certainly take up a good deal of space, so how much of an advantage will the space difference really be?

4. Battery life is half that of the iPad. We’ve seen confirmation out in the field that Apple’s claims of long battery life do seem pretty close to reality. Therefore, it should concern any prospective HP Slate owner that the company itself is only claiming battery life that is half of its Apple counterpart. Again, hate to harp on it but this is a desktop OS at work again. This software requires more processing and computing power, and thus more electrical power. It’s that simple, really.

5. HP does not have a solid stable of third-party applications for its device. Herein lies the beauty of the iPad. Apple has already lined up a cadre of developers behind its iPhone platform, and many of them are already rushing (or have out) applications built for the larger screen and added functionality of the iPad. To my knowledge, HP does not have anything near this, nor does it have plans to. The value proposition of the Slate seems especially lost here.

Does the Slate best Apple? Yes, in a few spots — notably the forward and outward facing cameras, and the memory expansion slot. But it seems more of a reaction to Apple’s latest move than an response. Reactionary devices rarely do well.

JooJoo: So-So

Engadget has reviewed the Fusion Garage JooJoo tablet, and for a device that once had some good buzz, it sounds…devastatingly disappointing. The user interface is gnarly; it doesn’t run Flash (supposedly a big selling point) well; the battery conks out after 2.5 hours. Couple that with the fundamental limitations imposed by by the fact that it’s browser-only device that only works when Wi-Fi is available–it can’t run apps–and it’s unclear why any tablet fancier would spend $499 on this rather than on an iPad.

Given the shipping delays the JooJoo already suffered, it’s also unclear why Fusion Garage decided to ship it more or less simultaneously with the iPad rather than postpone the launch a bit longer so it could whip the software into more respectable shape.

We’ll never know for sure what this gizmo would have been like if the strange soap opera that led to it shipping as the JooJoo rather than the CrunchPad hadn’t transpired. But you gotta wonder: Maybe Michael Arrington is lucky that he was unwillingly disassociated from it months before it shipped…

iPad iWork File Frustrations

I keep saying that the single most interesting thing about the iPad is the touch-centric interface that Apple gave its iWork word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation tool. But judging from the experiences folks are having using iPad iWork with OS X iWork, there’s clearly a big opportunity for companies like DataViz and Quickoffice to come up with iPad suites that focus on desktop file compatibility above all else.

25 Features iPhone OS Still Needs (Still!)

When Apple started inviting journalists to a press event this Thursday to discuss the future of the iPhone OS, I made a mental note to publish a list of features I’d like to see. Then I remembered: I already composed a wish list back in June of last year, on the day iPhone OS 3.0 was released. It’s not precisely the inventory of desires I’d come up with today, after spending many months with an iPhone 3GS and trying out competitors such as the Droid. And if I were asking for new iPhone OS features today, I’d be just as likely to request ones that were iPad-related.

Overall, though, my iPhone OS requests from last June are a lot like the ones I still have. So (after the jump) here’s my original story, with “2010 thoughts” embedded where appropriate. After Thursday’s news, I’ll take a look at how closely Apple’s list of Necessary iPhone OS Improvements mirrored mine.

What would you like to see in iPhone OS 4.0 and beyond?
Continue reading this story…

Rhapsody Gets Cheaper

When I write about the Rhapsody music service, I usually say nice things but express some caution about its pricing: $15 a month if you want to be able to listen on both computers and mobile devices. Well, the service just spun off from parent company RealNetworks, and its first big move as an independent entity is a major price cut. Rhapsody is now $9.99 a month for a plan that includes unlimited listening on computers and via an iPhone/iPod Touch (and presumably iPad) or Android device.

Continue reading this story…

Android Proving a Worthy Contender to iPhone, RIM

comScore’s latest numbers show that Google’s Android platform is really beginning to gain some traction in the smartphone market. From the November 2009 to February period, Android took 9 percent of the market, up sharply from 3.8 percent in the previous three month period.

Notable among comScore’s findings is the fact that Android seems to be attracting a different user base than either market-leading RIM or Apple. RIM managed to increase its share to 42.1 percent, while Apple maintained its 25.4 percent share. Instead, Android’s victims are Microsoft (who fell four percent to 15.1%) and Palm (7.2 to 5.4 percent).

Overall, smartphones have shown 21 percent year-over-year growth, verifying that there is still plenty of room for growth in this still somewhat nascent market.

I’ve long said since Verizon’s “iDont” commercials that the Android platform would for the most part not take market share from Apple, and this has proved that theory somewhat. Those on the platform are probably more likely new to smartphones overall, and the open nature of the OS means that the availability of Android phones is much broader (there is now at least one Android-powered phone on every major US cellular provider).

One thing can be said now, I think: Android is indeed a success.

The Rules of Scrabble, They Are A-Changin’

I’m going to get a little silly here and talk about Scrabble, and Mattel’s announcement that it will change the rules to allow proper nouns, but I promise there’s a technology angle. Bear with me.

The BBC reports that Mattel will launch a new version of the word-making board game in July, for the first time allowing players to create proper nouns. Mattel says this will “add a new dimension” to the game and hopefully encourage more young people to play.

Note that Mattel owns the rights to Scrabble everywhere except the United States and Canada, where Hasbro owns the rights. Presumably — and hopefully, in my opinion — Hasbro’s version won’t change.

Here’s where technology comes in: Scrabble, or games like it, have become quite popular on computers and mobile devices. Scrabulous was one of the most popular games on Facebook before it was suspended amidst lawsuits from Hasbro and Mattel (the game eventually came back as Lexulous). One of my favorite iPhone apps is Words With Friends, another Scrabble clone that lets you play remotely with friends at your leisure, and it’s at least popular enough to have its own fan site.

So I reject the notion that Mattel needs to bend the rules in order to attract more players. The players are there, it’s just that Mattel hasn’t been able to capture them itself.

My hope is that Mattel’s rule change doesn’t creep into any online versions of Scrabble. Enforcing the proper use of proper nouns online would be difficult, and a computer-made set of rules would make it impossible for players to debate which words qualify and which are clearly made up.

Update: CNet’s Daniel Terdiman learned that Mattel is actually going to release a new version of the game called “Scrabble Trickster,” which seems more like a hopeless spinoff than sacrilege. If there ever exists a “Words With Friends Trickster,” I’ll be sure to avoid it.

iPad Questions and Answers

Before I came into possession of an iPad, I fretted that so much had been written about the thing that there might not be all that much left to say. So I asked you guys–here and on Twitter–about your remaining questions.

Turns out I had nothing to fear: There were plenty of matters you were still wondering about, many of which went unaddressed in the initial spate of reviews. Here’s my first stab at satisfying your curiosity. If this post prompts additional questions, cool–ask away, and I’ll do my best to answer.

Without any further ado…

Continue reading this story…

Keep Your iPad in Your Briefcase

Is the iPad a computer? Why not ask the TSA?

Who Needs Syncing?

Nearly two years ago, I reviewed internal documents about Microsoft’s plans to design and develop an entirely new operating system called Midori. While I am uncertain about the exact state of the project, bits and pieces of the Midori vision are emerging in the company’s latest technologies.

Owning a PC was once a big deal; now it’s common for multiple computers to reside under one roof. Today’s households are filled with PCs, Pads, and Pods–devices that are loosely synchronized and loaded with apps. Information and applications are getting distributed, with many pieces working in parallel. Midori is intended to support exactly that kind of distributed application architecture, and Microsoft assigned some of its top talent to support the project.

Continue reading this story…