Microsoft Announces New Tablet

With the introduction of the iPad the tablet race was officially on, and it wasn’t long before other manufactures and developers acknowledge the market need for slate like mobile computers. Today in the Nigerian technology market contenders in the tablet market are Apple’s iPad and Samsung Galaxy tablet. For older consumers that tablet trend was received well even though some people found it difficult migrating from the screen and key broad model they had grown so accustomed to – but that’s where I think this new devices will shine.

A few weeks ago Microsoft announced the existence of a new home-brewed tablet device simply called “surface”. Personally I feel this may be the dawn of a new tablet era or a phenomenal flop, but only time will tell. Let me introduce this new tablet from Microsoft. Yes, the name of the device just  “surface”, I would insert a pun here but it’s been done so much over the last few weeks, I’d rather not. Let’s leave the jokes to the comedians, ok people?

We’ll you may be thinking “oh, it’s just another tablet - big deal”. Well yes, it is another tablet, but it’s a tablet with a twist. 

 Here is the lowdown - the windows surface tablet will be available in two flavours. The first of which is the surface Windows RT (a version of Windows 8) and Surface Windows 8 Pro which will be made available a few weeks later. This later model will be able to play true PC games meaning you could buy or download any standard PC game and run it on the tablet. Impressive, no?

But the real unique features that these devices have would have to be their integrated kickstand which allows you to prop-up the devices leaving your hands free and also a special flip cover which serves as an external keyboard and touchpad which is also magnetically attached so you can pop it off or on as you please. Pretty cool, huh? Yea, we thought so too. 

So all this sounds nice but do you want to know what’s under the hood? Admittedly the specifications of this new device and relatively few but this how, what we know about it stacks up against its future competitors.

  click to enlarge 

Admittedly it not much but it does give you a feeling of suspense.

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Introducing the New DStv Mobile iDrifta

DStv mobile subscriber with Apple devices rejoice, the latest peripheral from DStv mobile is directed entirely at you! Allow me to introduce the hottest add-on to your iOS device, the iDrifta!

So what exactly IS the iDrifta? Well if its name didn’t totally give it away you probably don’t know what a “Drifta” is, so let me enlighten you. The Drifta is a DStv mobile branded device that functions as a receiver and decoder which enable you to view certain DStv channels via your smartphone, tablet or personal computer. Now do you get the idea?

So the iDrifta is a Drifta specialized for your iPhone, iTouch or iPad. Although only the fourth generation of iTouch and iPhone are supported but all versions of iPads are supported. The iDrifta is already on sale in South Africa and will be available in Nigeria Very Soon.

So for all the latest DStv Mobile News follow us on Twitter by clicking HERE and on Facebook by clicking HERE.

Apple’s New iPad: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

“...if you walked into an Apple store and purchased one - you would still be the envy of your friends, but with time you would soon realise you are your own worst enemy”

On the 7th of March 2012, Apple held an event in which they announced their third generation of their ground breaking iPad, to be released less than two week away on the 16th of March, 2012. Just days after initial announcement pre-orders started rolling in, such that Apple ran out pre-ordered iPads scheduled for a launch day delivery. On the weekend of its launch Apple reports that they sold, three million units - two million more than its predecessor (the ipad 2) in its own opening weekend.

Truth be told if you were one of the lucky few who got the device on launch day you would be considered one of the luckiest people on earth, but today if you walked into an Apple store and purchased one - you would still be the envy of your friends, but with time you would soon realise you are your own worst enemy. Too harsh?

The Good
Don’t get me wrong the new iPad isn’t all bad, in fact some would argue that its highlights out weight its pitfalls. Apples newest device boasts of a 2045x1536 resolution retina display, with 3.2 million pixels stretched across 9.7 inches at a pixel density of 264 ppi (Pixels per inch). For a less technical description of what I’m going on about, top quality magazines like Vouge, Cosmopolitan and T3 print their magazines at 300ppi and 264ppi being only 36ppi, one could say the third generation of iPad’s display is almost picture perfect.

So we know it can, Talk the Talk, but can it Walk the Walk? The third generation of iPad has a dual-core A5X CPU coupled with a quad-core GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) to help back up its cutting edge display making sure no pixel goes to unattended. Lastly, the iPad rear facing camera has been upgraded to now take 5 MP (mega pixels) stills and 1080p Full HD videos. In summary all corners have been covered in terms of Visuals.

The Bad
As you may have heard the new iPad isn’t perfect, you have to break a few eggs to make an omelette, right? The first issue to come to light concerning the new iPad reached temperatures of up to 47°C while running power intensive applications in comparison to the iPad 2 peeking at 40°C under the same conditions. This does make sense considering the extra processing power included in the newer model, but is a 7°C difference that bid a deal? Further studies did show that other devices in the market do get very close to, but not as hot as the new iPad. My major concern is how this rise in temperature would fair for users in tropic regions. Noting that all initial studies were carried out in the northern hemisphere with heat index ranging from 14-25°C, unlike in the tropic regions with heat indexes as high as 35°C, in which the iPad is rapidly gaining popularity. Also the hefty and somewhat, stylish leather casing in which people in these regions encloses their iPads in order to protect it from damage, does raise some concern.

Soon after another issue was brought to light, concerning the new iPads Wi-Fi connectivity symptoms included intermittent connectivity, slow Wi-Fi speeds and “Wi-Fi network not seen”. Though this issue is limited to only the Wi-Fi versions, and Apple is offering to accept back all affected iPads for repairs, it is still not sure if is a software and hardware problem is still unknown.

The latest on the list of complaints concerning the new iPad is specific to international (non-US) consumers. The new iPad doesn’t seem to play well with 3G outside the US. An increasing number of new iPad owners, widespread across Europe, Australia, and parts of Asia, have been complaining on Apple forums about trouble with connecting to 3G networks from their tablets. It loses its mobile data connection despite showing a strong signal, then to re-establish mobile data can only be done by turning the iPad off, fully powering it off by holding down the power button then swiping, then turning it back on again.

The Ugly
To sum it all up, yes, the new iPad does have connectivity issues. For a brand so heavily reliant on its internet connectivity to run, well frankly, all of its services - it is not difficult to see why this is a problem. But no sundae is complete without a cherry on top, one last thing you might want to note about the new iPad is that’s LTE 4G only works in the US, and will not support the 4G that will be available in the UK, and is not compatible with the 4G already available in Australia.

Truth be told, I don’t know what to make of the new iPad. During the days between when it was announced and when it was released it could easily be one of the most revolutionary devices of the year. But with all the problems plaguing it so soon after its releases it would be hard to will back the vote of confidence among consumers from long time users and newcomers alike. Some even go as far as saying the iPad 2 is a better buy than its supposed 4G successor.

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