iPads can create content, too!

For a long time now numerous tech blogs have stated that the iPad is only for content consumption and not for content creation. I have to wonder, what have these people been smoking?

I've created many things on the iPad, such as videos using Avid Studio. I even wrote a book using Pages using only the iPad. I didn't even need an external keyboard, used only the touch screen.

I also have musical friends that composed a new song using GarageBand on their iPads as well.

So to make the bold claim that the iPad is bad for content creation, you must be an idiot.

Taposé

Does anyone remember the Courier? Well it seems like the developers of that vaperware have came up with the Taposé app for the iPad. I don't get excited over Microsoft products all that often, but I was very excited for the Courier after watching this video. So although Taposé has numerous bad reviews about performance issues, I bought it anyway (currently going for $2.99 in the App Store). I trust that the developers will, over time, fix any bugs in the software. After all, they were passionate enough to quit Microsoft after Bill Gates nixed the project, so why wouldn't they fix the bugs?

For those of you that didn't know, Gates rejected the project after he asked how it will run MS Office and was told that it won't. The developers wanted something different, not another vessel for Windows and Office, but something truly unique. This scared Gates and he shut the project down. Windows and Office are, of course, the bread and butter of Microsoft.

If you have an iPad and want to give this app a try, search for Taposé in the App Store. Or for more information about this app, you can visit their website at tapose.com

The true speeds of Cablevision and Verizon

I've had Cablevision since the 1980s, and over the last two years their service has really gone down the toilet. It became really bad about three months ago, and I switched over to Verizon. So now instead of Optimum I have FiOS.

Over the past year I've performed four different speed tests, two on Optimum and two on FiOS, as you can see the speed of uploads on Optimum are not very optimum... It seems what Cablevision fails to realize is that uploads are just as important to consumers as downloads, especially since 2007 when people really started getting into YouTube and uploading videos. Not only YouTube but also sites like UStream, which upload video feed from your webcam for live video chatting with friends and family.

The two tests marked in blue are from Optimum, whilst the two marked in red are from FiOS.

This should end once and for all, the debate about which is faster. Both companies advertise that they are faster than the other, well it seems like Cablevision were the liars in this case.

Google isn't doing enough to improve Android

Whether you like Android or hate it one thing is clear, Google isn't doing enough to improve it. One of the greatest drawbacks to Android (for both consumers and developers) is that it's way too fragmented in both the screen size and the operating system. The screen can range from under 4 inches to over 5 inches, and most phones being shipped now are two OS versions behind.

The digital magazine Distro has a good graphic showing the percentages of OS versions on various Android phones.

Going beyond an HDTV

Everyone seems to be going gaga over the fact that the new 3rd generation iPad has more pixels than an HDTV, but these same people seem to forget that this is nothing new. My 2010 iMac has more pixels too.
2560x1440

The new iPad has a resolution of 2048x1536, it's height is greater than the iMac but when viewing movies what you really want is a better width. In the case of movie watching, this is where the iMac shines.

Yes, the new iPad display is impressive, but we've seen more impressive displays in the past. I for one love watching my DVDs on my iMac (as opposed to my HDTV) because the letterboxing is less. There are some that will argue that DVDs and Blu-rays are at a fixed size and they don't scale to larger displays (thus their argument for not wanting to buy a newer 21:9 HDTV; current HDTVs are 16:9), but you really do notice a difference when watching on an iMac with larger resolution than a standard HDTV.

Four reasons I dislike Dragonvale

Just now there was an "internal server error" which reset my game and I lost my most recent progress. This made me think about the upsides and downsides about having a game that lives on the Internet.

Rather than have the game data saved locally, Backflip Studios decided to save it on their servers. One good thing about this is that if you have an iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, you can pick up whichever device you want and continue your game where you left off (rather than have separate games on each device). However, the negative outweighs the positive with online game data storage.

These are four reasons I dislike the strategy Backflip Studios took with data management:

1, The game loads slow as it tries to contact the servers.
2, If you don't have an Internet connection, you can't play.
3, If there is a server error, you may lose some progress.
4, There is no guarantee that your data won't be lost in the future (like if Backflip goes out of business), thus voiding all your hard earned progress over the years.

Though there are good reasons to have online data storage, there are many more headaches with it than there are joys.

Overall, I enjoy playing Dragonvale, but I hate the fact that it requires an Internet connection and there is no guarantee that your game is safe. Play at your own risk. Dragonvale is free in the App Store.