iPad Atlas

iPad users on Windows targeted with malware

Scammers are distributing e-mails designed to trick iPad owners into downloading software that they think is an iTunes update, but which turns out to be malware that opens a back door on the computer, researchers warned on Monday.

The e-mails have a subject line that says "iPad Software Update" and offer a link to a Web page that looks like a legitimate iTunes download page, according to BitDefender. Instead, the link installs malware identified as Backdoor.Bifrose.AADY, according to the BitDefender blog.

The malware injects itself in to the "explorer.exe" process and opens up … Read more

'Huge Pedometer' for iPad is huge (and absurd)

I am no stranger to pedometers. Last year I used a very high-tech one with an OLED display and over-the-air data syncing. Newly available iPad app Huge Pedometer is brimming with even more hardware potential, though it's wrapped around what is certainly the most ridiculous premise: using a tablet as a tool to track your steps.

Like any other pedometer app on the App Store, the 99-cent Huge Pedometer uses the accelerometer to determine how many steps you've taken. This is something that typically requires you to situate the pedometer hardware on your person--be it on your belt, … Read more

iPhone Wi-Fi sync app is real, but will Apple approve?

This is what wireless iPhone syncing looks like:

Too bad you probably won't get to enjoy it.

Earlier this month, just ahead of Apple's iPhone OS 4 announcement, I posted a poll asking what new feature you wanted the most. Though multitasking was the clear winner with 36 percent of the vote, nearly 10 percent of voters named "syncing over Wi-Fi" as their top pick.

Needless to say, those folks didn't get their wish.

Despite the fact that Microsoft's Zune player has offered Wi-Fi syncing since 2007, Apple is either unwilling or unable to bestow it upon iPad, iPod, and iPhone users. Well, probably not unable, but obviously unwilling--which is why the new Wi-Fi Sync app will likely get rejected by Apple's App Store overlords.… Read more

How to get home movies onto the iPad

The iPad makes a great photo album or "brag book" to pass around to friends and family.

Its big screen is far superior to a smartphone for showing off snapshots and home movies. Getting photos onto the device isn't too hard. But getting your home movies onto the iPad so you can share them is not nearly as easy, especially if you're syncing the tablet to a Windows machine.

I've been poking around with different ways to get the videos I take with my Canon S90 compact camera and different Flip video cameras onto the … Read more

Israel lifts ban on iPad imports

Two weeks after it began confiscating Apple iPads being brought into the country, Israel has lifted its ban on the tablet computer.

"Following the completion of intensive technical scrutiny, Israel Minister of Communications Moshe Kakhlon approved the import of [the] iPad to Israel," Yechiel Shabi, a spokesperson for the Communications Ministry, said in a statement.

Israel prohibited the devices from being imported into the country over concerns its wireless signal could disrupt other devices, leading to the seizure of several iPads at the country's airports. The Communications Ministry said iPads would be allowed to be imported beginning … Read more

30 best iPad games

Editors' note: This post was updated March 26, 2013, with five new games.

Wondering which games to buy for your iPad? Well, we've taken our best shot at putting together a list of top titles that we feel meet the criteria for a good iPad game.

And just what does make a good iPad game? We debated it for a while and narrowed it down to these five factors:

It's gotta be fun (obviously). Ergonomics (Are the gameplay and control scheme well-suited to the iPad?) Uniqueness (Though many iPad games play well as upconverted, higher-resolution versions of their iPhone predecessors, we respect new, iPad-exclusive games.) Value (Some of the best iPad games currently carry high price tags, but we also tried to include titles we thought were simply a good value.) Showoff quotient (Extra points if the game flat-out looks good, or makes efficient use of the Retina display.)

… Read more

Hidden iPad keyboard options

Most people generally consider  the iPad's lack of a physical keyboard a disadvantage. However, if you do a little digging, you will find that Apple includes a few useful features in the iPad's onscreen keyboard  that physical keyboards can't match.

You can easily uncover some of the tricks to extend the keyboard's capabilities by peeking at the iPad's general settings and opening the keyboard options.

However, some of the other tricks are truly hidden. If you've never held down a vowel for an accent character or successfully found the symbol for the … Read more

The iPad's hidden shuffle

The iPod music app on the iPad is an odd crossbreed of Apple's iTunes interface and the playback capabilities of the iPhone and iPod Touch. In some ways, it excels beyond either interface, delivering a lightening-fast version of iTunes or a more jukebox-like version of the iPod experience.

But when Apple spliced the DNA of iTunes and the iPod to create the iPad's music player, it buried one of the most useful features of both products: shuffle.

It seems a little odd that Apple would turn its back on a playback feature so popular--the company named a product … Read more

I ordered an iPad. What apps should I install first?

What are the must-have apps for a new iPad owner?

You see, it finally happened: I'm the proud owner of Apple's much-ballyhooed tablet. No, I didn't win a contest or rip one out of some poor guy's hand. I actually plunked down some cold, hard cash.

As readers of my Cheapskate blog know, that's something I'm loathe to do. But for me it was a legitimate business expense, and dang if my curiosity didn't get the better of me. Would the iPad live up to the hype? Would I find new and unexpected … Read more