The day has finally come! After long months (and I mean loooong months) of waiting to hear of the gadget mecca’s newest innovation, they’ve finally revealed the newest addition to the Apple family: the iPad.
At 9.56″x7.47″, the iPad is Apple’s answer to the e-Reader craze that is taking over the tech world. Here are a few of the cool features that the iPad has:
- a large touch screen that uses a Safari browser to view webpages
- you have access to all your songs in your iTunes library and the iPad can play them similar to an iPod
- you can watch videos on the large screen (way better than the tiny iPhone screen)
- there’s access to all 140,000 apps and new apps have been added just for the iPad
- iBooks, a new feature that allows you to buy digital books and read them on your iPad
The iPad is basically a large iPod Touch that has some new special features. They will start at $499 US and go up to $829 US. Plus, you’ll have to get a 3G plan from an internet/phone provider.
As cool as this is, I was secretly hoping for an Apple netbook. It’s about time that the company starts offering a cheaper portable computing device like the PC people have been doing for years.
For more info, visit apple.com
The holidays are here, and your home is probably fully decorated by now. But don’t forget about your tech! Dress up your iPhone or iPod Touch with these pretty winter-themed wallpapers. Jamie Beck, a New York photographer, has posted 54 free holiday and wintry wallpaper images on her blog, From Me To You.
Below are 6 of my faves. So pretty!
In the words of celeb stylist Rachel Zoe, “I die”. That is, when I first saw this incredible laptop sleeve from mister Marc Jacobs himself. It’s totally sassy in raspberry red and a fun animal print, and it dons stitched letters all over (plus, let’s not forget the designer’s signature black and gold-tone plaque on the front). Looks like I’ll be retiring my 2-month-old laptop bag, because this beauty is a winner.
$68 US, available at net-a-porter.com.
We all know stealing music is lame and I’m an avid iTunes user — I like the option of purchasing songs without having to buy the whole CD. Unfortunately bricks-’n'-mortar music stores have suffered because of this availability.
With the holidays fast approaching, I was in the mood to search for tunes to add to my Christmas playlist and I heard about a brand new digital download site. HMV Canada has finally joined the tech world and created a site for you to browse and download music, similar to iTunes (although still in the Beta stage). The benefits of the HMV site is that you have a longer preview time of songs, and it creates a mini-playlist of recently browsed songs. And like iTunes, most songs are $0.99 a download, with the current chart toppers selling for $1.29 each.
I’m really glad HMV decided to do this, not only because I had a blast working at the stores throughout my high school years, but because HMV is a British corporation that invests largely in the Canadian market and not within the US. Even though I love Apple, I’d rather support a company that gives back more to the Canadian economy.
Check it out at hmvdigital.ca
Okay, so we don’t have Virgin America flying out of Canada just yet (let’s be hopeful!), but man-oh-man would I love to cruise the air in one of their jumbo jets. Check out the pic below of their first class lounger chair:
Not only do the lounger chairs look great all done up in white leather, but guests are treated to the full VIP tech treatment too. You can plug in your laptop and surf the web, play video games, or watch a movie on the screen in front of you. Are you and your friend sitting at opposite sides of the plane? No worries there — Virgin has introduced the Seat-to-Chat feature where you can have an instant messaging convo with other people on the flight. And, if you want to tune out the chatty person seated next to you, scroll through the 3000 MP3’s available at the press of a button.
Picky eaters aren’t left behind either. Choose what you want from an a la carte menu on your personal screen and just swipe your credit card to pay. Even better? Virgin strives to give you the best flying experience for the lowest price possible. I’d say that’s a mantra that sounds pretty sweet!
For more info and flights within the U.S., check out virginamerica.com.
I spotted these adorable (said in a French accent, btw) earbuds on our senior web editor Natalie Bahadur’s desk and I fell in love upon first sight. Mixing music, tech and glitzy style all in one? Doesn’t get much better than that folks. Here’s what Natalie had to say about them:
“I adore anything that’s got a touch of bling and these earphones from chicBuds are fantastic! They’re so girly and stylish and are adorned with Swarovski crystals, which instantly takes them from ordinary to extraordinary. But they’re not just about form; they’re big on function too. The earphone wires are rolled onto a retractable wheel (also adorned with crystals!) that keeps them from getting tangled. And as I’m sitting here listening to my iPod, I’m amazed at the sound quality. Crisp, clean, clear. Perfect.”
Check them out for yourself (chicbuds.com) — tons of colours and designs to pick from!
I’m a bit of a label snob when it comes to my electronics — I love displaying the logos on my Sony DSLR, Flip Mino camcorder, and especially my iPhone, iPod, Airport, and iMac (yeah that’s right, I just name-dropped).
Check out these seriously cool MacBook adhesives from iamhuman. With a sweet slogan selling “human individuality for non-human objects”, the company lets you jazz up your laptop while still displaying that sweet Apple logo. The graphic prints go for a cool $30 US and the wood grain one is $35 US.
Available at iamhumannow.com.
As much as I love iPhone apps, I get bummed out when they cost more than $1.99 (I did buy The New York Times Crossword app for $10, but that took several days of convincing myself).
Style at Home assistant editor Jenn Houlihan just forwarded me a link to the absolute coolest app I’ve seen in awhile. Best thing about it? It’s 100% free! It’s Benjamin Moore’s Ben Color Capture app, and it basically lets you take a pic of anything you want, tap on any colour in that image, then shows you the Benjamin Moore paint swatches that most closely match your colour. Brilliant!
I’m a TiVo fanatic. Ever since I brought the wonderful little box into my apartment, I’ve been hooked. How did I enjoy life before the magic of digital TV recording? I just don’t know. Whether it’s to watch junk reality shows like MTV’s The Real World, or record my fave movie that is inconveniently airing at 4am, my TiVo has become a reliable pal.
Well, TiVo has just made my life even easier. When I was away in Boston this past weekend, my little video buddy recorded a plethora of programs and I’m having a hard time trying to watch them all. And now, I’ve just found out this fascinating little program: iTiVo. That’s right, folks. You can now transfer your recorded programs from your video box to your iTunes account on your Mac computer. From there, you can upload the content onto your iPod or iPhone. How cool is that? Now there’s no reason for you to fall behind on your fave TV shows, even when you’re on the road.
Check out the details here, as well as instructions on how to download the instruction manual.
Oh, how sweet this is. Another treat for my graphic design friends – check out these oh-so-cool coasters featuring logos from the Adobe Creative Suite programs. Made out of MDF plywood and covered in a durable varnish, these coasters are not only ultra chic, but washable, too.
If you can’t live without Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver or InDesign, you shouldn’t have to live without these coasters either.
Price: $25 US per set of 6
Available at: Meninos.us
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