Genius Turns iPad Into Amazing Halloween Magic

When master magician Simon Pierro gets his hands on an iPad, watch out. Now he’s created a special Halloween edition of his unique iPad magic, blending his special brand of prestidigitation with carefully constructed digital wizardry.

Simon tells us he spent 10 weeks putting together this Halloween iPad act, and “it was a hell of a lot of work,” he says. “Luckily my iOS programmer Masashi Beheim again joined the project. It took him more than 100 hours of programming this time, being as fanatical about details as I am,” he added.

Simon wasn’t satisfied with a rehash of his brilliant “Preview of iOS 5” we featured here on Mashable last summer. He says, “So I came up with the idea to tell a story about a killer and together with my magic colleague Thomas Fraps we decided to take the clown as the usual suspect.”

The result? Another entertaining — and this time scary — masterpiece.

CNET Apple Byte: Want a projector in your iPhone? Yes, Please.

Courtesy of CNET-TV

We'll show you all new iOS 5 Beta features, Apple patents show us exactly what they're thinking and Brian falls in love with the new MacBook Air.

NerdBoyTV NOTE: Brian Tong is hecka crazy! LOL Funny episode!

NerdBoyTV "Hot Off The Press" – Animated iPad Book, Netflix, MySpace

NOTE: Here's some tech-related stories we thought you might be interested in. Enjoy.

By John Pavlus, FastCompany.com

E-books are already a fraught subject for many readers, writers, publishers and designers, but children's e-books are even more so. Is it rotting their minds? Is it as good as good ol' paper? Is it too interactive for their own good? Obviously there are no practical answers to such questions, but at least one children's e-book/app/thingie (what do we call these things, again?) is doing it very, very right. It's called "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore," and it's like a well-written bedtime story and an immersive animated movie at once -- without being "too much" of either.



READ article on FastCompany.com.

By Tecca | Today in Tech

Apparently all good things, or at least all good prices, must come to an end. Gone are the days of getting both unlimited DVDs and unlimited streaming video from Netflix for one low price; the company has just announced a new pricing scheme that separates DVDs from streaming video, and charges full price for both. Subscribers can now choose unlimited streaming video for $7.99 a month, or unlimited DVDs (one at a time) also for $7.99 a month. If you want both, you'll have to pay $15.98 each month for the privilege.

READ article on Yahoo! News.

by Stan Schroeder, Mashable.com

MySpace’s new owners, Specific Media, and Justin Timberlake — who has an ownership stake in the company — are considering plans for the site that include a possible talent show.

“Whether it becomes a talent competition or something like that, those are things that we will still flesh out,” said Timberlake’s manager Johnny Wright in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

“We definitely want to bring the industry back to MySpace to really look at the talented people that have put their faces there,” Wright added.

READ article on Mashable.com.

An Ex-Pixar Designer Creates Astounding Kids' Book On iPad

By John Pavlus, FastCompany.com

E-books are already a fraught subject for many readers, writers, publishers and designers, but children's e-books are even more so. Is it rotting their minds? Is it as good as good ol' paper? Is it too interactive for their own good? Obviously there are no practical answers to such questions, but at least one children's e-book/app/thingie (what do we call these things, again?) is doing it very, very right. It's called "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore," and it's like a well-written bedtime story and an immersive animated movie at once -- without being "too much" of either.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore iPad App Trailer from Moonbot Studios on Vimeo.

Part of why the book works so well is its top-shelf creative pedigree: author William Joyce is also an accomplished illustrator and animator who's published New Yorker covers, won a bunch of Emmys, created character designs for some of Pixar's first animated classics, and worked on many others for Dreamworks and Disney. With his cohorts at Moonbot Studios, he created an interactive book-app around the story and a standalone animated film -- so you can experience "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" however you like.

READ article on FastCompany.com.

Video Preview of "iOS 5" Makes the iPad Truly Magical

Courtesy of Mashable.com

While magician and performance artist Simon Pierro is not really showing us a "beta version of iOS 5," his iPad demo is magical nonetheless.

We especially like the way Simon demonstrates iOS 5's new "space/time connection," engaging in a special kind of streaming that you won't soon forget.

SHOW #103 - NerdBoyTV: Tech News - April 16, 2011

In this episode of NerdBoyTV, Ryan Yee reviews the tech news of the week, including a discounted Wii, the end of the Flip Video, YouTube Copyright School, and the white iPhone coming soon.

To take on Apple, new tablets go where iPad won't

To take on Apple, new tablets go where iPad won't - CNN.com: "Electronics manufacturers have all the pieces they need to create a great competitor to the iPad.

The challenge may be figuring out which technology gives them the greatest strategic advantage.

Whether it's using the fastest 4G cellular chips, myriad screen size options, 3-D viewing, 3-D image capture or those retro stylus pens, tablet makers are hoping to mine a niche that Apple is ignoring.

When it comes to tablets, Apple doesn't have the vast technological lead it had in touchscreen smartphones when it introduced the iPhone in 2007.

When rival phone makers finally caught up years later, they were able to outflank Apple somewhat by offering similar products on cellular networks, such as Verizon, where Apple was not.

But the iPad 2, which went on sale two weeks ago, is available on the two largest carriers. Apple also has a significant lead in software, with more than 60,000 applications tailored to the iPad. Google's tablet operating system, called Android Honeycomb, has only a few because it's so new.

So competitors aim to flood the tablet industry -- and smother Apple -- with new choices.

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Laptops play catch up to the iPad, Xoom

By Nanotech - The Circuits Blog - CNET News

"Market researcher Gartner released a research note Thursday claiming that laptops are not meeting the demands of the social-networking era. So, will mobile PCs become more like the Xoom and the iPad, which are, in turn, larger versions of the smartphone? In a word, yes.

This theory--or fact, depending on how you look at it--can also be restated as the post-PC era, which is the Apple marketing-spin corollary to the Gartner argument.

But let's stick to Gartner's analysis about the unsuitability of laptops in the social-networking era. Here are the most significant points in the note about the average mainstream laptop:

* Battery life: not capable of all-day 'untethered computing'
* Connections: constant and immediate connections are not possible (i.e., no standard 3G/4G)
* Heavy: still too heavy, lacks real mobility

What this means is more laptops need to be like the 11.6-inch MacBook Air: very light, very thin--just like a tablet and, by extension, like a smartphone.

Though small laptops aren't for everybody, it does mean more people will gravitate to this style as companies like Apple upgrade to powerful silicon like Intel's low-voltage Sandy Bridge processor (and its future Ivy Bridge chip) and upcoming power-efficient chips from Advanced Micro Devices.

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

SHOW #98 - NerdBoyTV: iPad 2, Twitter, Facebook

In this episode of NerdBoyTV, Ryan Yee discusses the new release of Apple's iPad 2, provides a word of warning about tweeting on Twitter, and gives a creative example of the new pictures feature running along the top of your Facebook wallposts.

Apple iPad 2 is a winner!

It's here! The new Apple iPad 2! Jeez, Apple is sooooooooooo smart: 1) Thinner, 2) Faster, 3) Front/Rear-Facing Cameras (FaceTime, anyone?), and 4) Same price points! Don't think that iPad Killer is coming anytime soon! Just imaging, nothing less and a whole lot more! Way to go, Apple!

Why nobody can match the iPad's price

By WIRED via CNN.com: "When Steve Jobs introduced the iPad last January, the biggest surprise wasn't the actual product. (Many shrugged and called the iPad a 'bigger iPhone.') It was the price: Just $500.

Nobody expected that number, perhaps because Apple has traditionally aimed at the high end of the mobile computer market with MacBooks marked $1,000 and up. And perhaps we were also thrown off because Apple execs repeatedly told investors they couldn't produce a $500 computer that wasn't a piece of junk.

But Apple did meet that price, and the iPad isn't junk. The iPad is still the first, and best-selling, product of its kind. Competitors, meanwhile, are having trouble hitting that $500 sweet spot.

Motorola's Xoom tablet is debuting in the United States with an $800 price tag. (To be fair, the most comparable iPad is $730 -- but there's no $500 Xoom planned, and the lack of a low-end entry point will hurt Motorola.) Samsung's Galaxy Tab, with a relatively puny 7-inch screen, costs $600 without a contract.

Why is it so hard to get to a lower starting price? And how was Apple able to get there?

Jason Hiner of Tech Republic suggests it largely has to do with Apple's retail strategy. Apple now has 300 retail stores worldwide selling iPads directly to customers. That's advantageous, because if the iPad were primarily sold at third-party retail stores, a big chunk of profit would go to those retailers, Hiner reasons.

Apple has partnered with a few retail chains such as Best Buy and Walmart, but those stores always seem to get a small number of units in stock. Hiner rationalizes that the true purpose of these partnerships is probably to help spread the marketing message, not so much to sell iPads.

'The company can swallow the bitter pill of hardly making any money from iPad sales through its retail partners because it can feast off the fat profits it makes when customers buy directly through its retail outlets and the web store,' Hiner says. 'However, companies like Motorola, HP, and Samsung have to make all of their profit by selling their tablets wholesale to retailer partners.'

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Apple Buys Up Touchscreens, Limiting Supply for Rivals

By Yahoo! News: "To keep up with soaring sales of Apple's hit iPad tablet, competitors will have to do more than just design and market a good rival. A report Friday said they may face problems building them.

It's no secret that Apple, which sold more than 14 million iPads last year and could see sales of more than 45 million in 2011, hedges its bets by ordering components it needs in massive quantities, ahead of demand.

Now Taiwan-based DigiTimes, citing sources from both component and computer manufacturers, says Apple has a grip on 60 percent of this year's expected output of capacitive touchscreens used in tablets. Unless capacity increases, that could put a strain on other companies' goals for the year.

'Touch panels are currently suffering the most serious shortage due to Apple holding control over the capacity of major touch-panel makers such as Wintek and TPK, and with U.S.-based RIM, Motorola and Hewlett-Packard also competing for related components, second-tier players are already out of the game,' sources told the industry journal. (Research In Motion, maker of BlackBerry devices, is actually based in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.)

News of Apple buying up LCD and OLED touchscreens preceded the release of the iPad at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show, fueling rumors about the forthcoming tablet. Insiders say Apple could have sold even more iPads last year if it could have had more touchscreens and won't allow that to happen this year as it gets ready to release the second generation of the device.

Touchscreen shortages also reportedly affected the supply of iPhones when the fourth-generation model was released last June.

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

iPad 2 expected to ship in April

Technolog - iPad 2 expected to ship in April: "Two days ago, our own Wilson Rothman gave you a rundown of what we know about the Apple iPad 2 —including details about the dual cameras, the body and SD card slot — and now we've got another tidbit to add to the pile: mass shipments of the highly anticipated device are scheduled in April.

The latest churn comes via Digitimes, which has passed on progress reports from its sources that claim Apple has increased the number of printed circuit board (PCB) suppliers for the iPad 2 to seven, from three. According to those sources, these manufacturers (Compeq Manufacturing, Gold Circuit Electronics (GCE), Meiko and Nan Ya PCB) of high-density interconnect (HDI) boards, which reduce the size and weight of the PCB, 'will begin shipments of any-layer HDI boards in small volumes between the end of February and early March prior to mass shipments in April.'

As Meiko explains it, the any-layer HDI technology 'yields finer circuit patterns, (B2it technology), producing boards that are even thinner and have other advanced techniques.'

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Tablets crowd gadget show, chasing iPad's tail

Tablets crowd gadget show, chasing iPad's tail - Yahoo! News: "Big tablets and small tablets, white ones and black ones. Cheap ones and expensive ones. Brand names famous and obscure at the starting line of a race where the iPad is already a speeding dot near the horizon.

It's impossible to walk the floor at this year's International Consumer Electronics Show without stumbling across a multitude of keyboard-less touch-screen computers expected to hit the market in the coming months. With Apple estimated to have sold more than 13 million iPads last year alone, the competition is clearly for second place, but even that prize is worth pursuing.

Technology research firm Gartner Inc. expects that 55 million tablet computers will be shipped this year, most of them still iPads, but there will be room for rivals to vie for sales of the remaining 10 million to 15 million devices.

A bevy of consumer electronics makers, including major names such as Motorola Mobility Inc., Toshiba Corp. and Dell Inc., showed off their tablets in Las Vegas at CES, betting 2011 will be the year the gadgets finally take off.

Companies tried for years to popularize tablets, but the frenzy began only with the release of the iPad in April. Now companies whose names don't include the word 'Apple' are doing everything they can to differentiate themselves from the tablet front-runner.

They're adding bells and whistles the iPad doesn't yet have — such as front and back cameras for video chatting and picture taking and the ability to work over next-generation 4G data networks — in hopes of taking on the iPad, or at least carving out a niche.

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Apple launches app store for Macs, a la iPhone

Apple launches app store for Macs, a la iPhone - Technology & science - Wireless - msnbc.com: "Apple Inc is launching an applications store for Mac computers, replicating a model that proved wildly popular on its iPhones.
Apple is hoping to capitalize on Macs' surging sales as it aims to change the way software is sold for its computers — centralizing distribution, simplifying discovery and leaving Apple as a gatekeeper of sorts.

The Mac App Store, similar to the iPhone App Store and linked to iTunes accounts, went live on Thursday offering more than 1,000 apps, or programs. The store is launching in 90 countries with paid and free apps in areas such as games, design and education.

Phil Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of marketing, highlighted the ease of use of the store, which he said will be familiar to anyone who has bought iPhone apps."

Tablet market will see lots of road kill

Tablet market will see lots of road kill Therese Poletti's Tech Tales - MarketWatch: "Anyone heading to Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show this week won’t be able to avoid the avalanche of examples of tech’s hot new thing, the tablet.

Analysts are predicting that at least 100 tablets will be introduced, just about a year after Apple Inc. (AAPL 328.75, -0.82, -0.25%) led the way when it unveiled the iPad on Jan. 27, 2010. The anticipation of Apple’s tablet even managed to cast a shadow over last year’s show.

So this year, the rest of the industry hopes to catch up with Apple’s iPad — the clear leader for now. Does anyone else have a chance?

The biggest loser at the hands of the tablet will initially be the netbook. Companies which placed big bets on the netbook could suffer if they are not able to garner more interest with their new tablets, especially if they adopt a similar lower-price, less functionality strategy. One reason netbooks are losing their popularity is because they do less than a laptop, but at prices that are getting closer to those of laptops."

Gadget show to bring fiercer competition to iPad

Gadget show to bring fiercer competition to iPad - Yahoo! News: "Apple Inc.'s popular iPad is getting its strongest competition thus far as consumer-electronics manufacturers unveil tablet computers with bigger screens, front-facing cameras for video chatting and more.

The iPad has been a smashing success since its April launch, leaving other companies to play catch-up in the suddenly hot market for the keyboardless, touch-screen devices. Rivals are making a bigger push at this week's International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, betting they can challenge Apple with such features as Android, the popular smart phone software Google Inc. developed to compete with the iPhone; high-definition touch screens and cameras for video chatting and taking photos.

The competition is going to be fierce. DisplaySearch analyst Richard Semenza estimated that a hundred different tablet models are in development, though not all of them will reach store shelves."

Digital grudge match: Tablets vs. eReaders

From Kindles to iPads, MSNBC's Wilson Rothman discusses the pros and cons of ebook readers.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

What Recession? Consumers Are Snapping Up Tablets - Yahoo! News

CLICK to read article on Yahoo! News: "Consumers have been snapping up computer hardware online during this year's holiday shopping season, with e-purchases growing 25 percent over the same period last year, according to a new report from comScore. The research firm said the upsurge in demand is being driven by purchases of handheld devices such as Apple's iPad.

Other popular hardware purchases include e-readers, laptops and flat-panel TVs, with the latter growing 22 percent over the same period last year due to attractive pricing. Additionally, purchases of computer software, excluding PC games, rose 16 percent from the same period last year.

For the holiday season to date, $27.46 billion has been spent online -- a 12 percent increase compared to the corresponding period of 2009, noted comScore Chairman Gian Fulgoni on Monday. 'Free Shipping Day [Dec. 17] punctuated an exceptional week in which consumers spent more than $5.5 billion online, representing a 14 percent increase from last year,' Fulgoni said.

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

NerdBoyTV: Hot Holiday Gadgets

TODAY's Tech Gifts for the Holidays

Release your inner geek with some of these terrific gift ideas. Don't tell, but I'm gonna get the guitar t-shirt for my son, Brandon ;-)

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Samsung Continuum (Verizon Wireless)

NerdBoyTV is really liking this smartphone. Bonnie Cha reviewed this phone for CNET and it comes with a unique split screen with the lower one serving much like a ticker tape for social media updates. It will ship with the Android 2.1 operating system and a 5 megapixel camera that also shoots HD video. You may want to check this phone out at Verizon this holiday season.

Samsung Galaxy Tab vs. Apple iPad 3G

NerdBoyTV relies on these CNET Prize Fight reviews. This is their first knock-down, drag-out review between the two current tablet computers on the market—the new Samsung Galaxy Tab takes on the reigning champ, Apple's iPad 3G. Watch to see which one comes on top!