ipad2

iPad 2 battery life results (or, where is my video loop feature?!)

Testing tablets can sometimes be a time-consuming endeavor, especially when a tablet like the iPad 2 can last for well over 10 hours on one charge while running video. To make matters worse, the iPad 2 has no loop option for video. This means that when running a movie like "Toy Story 3" to drain the battery, every 1 hour and 40 minutes, I am required to be standing in front of this thing to restart the movie.

I have to basically plan my entire day around testing: when I take lunch, bathroom visits, meetings, Starcraft II matches, etc. It also means I have to be at work for more than 12 hours on the days the iPad is battery-tested.

Being able to loop the video until the battery dies would be the obvious, desired solution, but unfortunately, there is no way (that I know of) to loop iTunes-downloaded video on the iPad. There are a few apps out there that claim to loop video, but I had little luck with them. Sure, one was able to loop video recorded by the iPad 2, but again, not with video downloaded from iTunes.

Below you'll find new results for video battery life of the iPad 2 and gaming battery life on all three tablets featured here. Also, if you're privy to a workaround that allows iTunes downloaded video to loop on the iPad 2, do not hesitate to pass it along. You'll save me from some very long workdays.… Read more

Moshi set to ship iVisor AG 'bubble free' screen protector for iPad 2

Putting a thin-film screen protector on your iPad or iPad 2 can be a difficult task no matter how closely you follow the instructions. However, Moshi, which makes its iVisor AG for the iPad--and now the iPad 2--solves the problem with a special screen shield that's thin yet rigid and adheres to the iPad's display more easily without trapping those nasty bubbles.

Moshi says the iVisor AG also features an antireflective matte finish that helps "reduce glare and smudging" while "retaining optimal touch-screen sensitivity and feedback." (You can use capacitive touch-screen styluses with it.) The shield can also be peeled off and re-applied and comes in both black and white.

We haven't got a review sample of the new iPad 2 version yet, but we can say that reviews for the iPad version have been very positive. The only downside: the iVisor AG for iPad 2 costs $30. … Read more

Top 5 tablets to Beat the iPad

Something like 100 new tablets will hit the market this year. Certainly at least one of those will draw your glazed eyes away from the iPad, at least for a minute. Brian Cooley runs down a list of the Top 5 tablets that could be better than an iPad as of early 2011.

All of CNET's latest tablet news, reviews, and iPad alternatives can be found here.

Can the iPad 2's camera see through clothes?

We're seeing the above video spreading around the Internet, and while it's cool, and it's based on real science, we're calling an early April Fools' gag.

U.K. comedian, tech-head, and all-around good nerd Jason Bradbury is seen in the vid using a pair of cheap night vision goggles, cling wrap, and an iPad 2's camera to take a revealing photo of himself--through his clothes.

The idea is based on an inadvertent side effect that some camcorders with low-light functions experienced about a decade ago. The cameras worked by emitting infrared light via special LEDs. The camera, when in "night vision" mode, would then record video in infrared instead of visible light. Some cameras, though, generated an "X-ray effect," allowing the viewer to see through the clothes of the person being videotaped.

This phenomenon was well documented and later-generation cameras were modified to exclude the "feature." While Bradbury's setup is more or less similar to the one employed by the first-generation naked-inducing cameras, we're not remotely convinced. … Read more

Asus' Transformer tablet pledges and turns for $400 on Best Buy

It seems Best Buy has completed the first two parts of its tablet magic trick. According to a post at Engadget today, Asus' EE Pad Transformer appeared on BestBuy.com for $400 and was subsequently pulled from the site a short time later.

Back at CES 2011 in January, Asus announced that the Android 3.0-enabled EE Pad Transformer would debut some time in the spring for a price ranging from $400 to $700, depending on the storage capacity of the version purchased.

If this price holds true, this would place the Transformer a full $100 cheaper than the iPad 2 … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1436: Think before you Color (Podcast)

We're thrilled about Amazon's new Cloud Drive and Cloud Player, but the record labels might not be -- so good for them for potentially forcing that anti-consumer claptrap out into the open. Also, we might complain a lot about our Internet issues, but at least we don't live in Canada. Plus, the Color hack you knew was coming, and our official advice: don't use it. Plus, can the hypnotizing baby blues of Jack Dorsey turn the Twitter ship around? We'll see. --Molly

Is Speck's PixelSkin HD Wrap for iPad 2 smarter than Apple's Smart Cover?

While Speck's PixelSkin HD Wrap for iPad 2 hasn't hit the market yet, it seems like an excellent alternative to Apple's Smart Cover. Why? Well, because it protects both the front and back of your iPad 2 yet offers similar design features to the Apple case and all its folding fun.

Apple's Smart Cover costs $39 for the basic version and $69 for the swankier leather version, whereas the PixelSkin HD Wrap costs $49.95. As we said, the only problem is that it isn't shipping yet--and it may be a month before it does. … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1435: Oh Symbian.. We hardly got to Nokia

Apple's WWDC announcement could signal the iPhone 5 is coming later this fall. Facebook's movie model is working, mobile phone payments will be the new black, and Symbian phones will be discontinued in 2010...*tear*. Plus, thanks to the Oxford English Dictionary "muffin top" will live forever.

Timbuk2 Pop-Up case fits both iPad and iPad 2

With a lot of people buying Apple's magnetic Smart Cover to go along with their new iPad 2's, many iPad accessory case makers are starting to tout the ability of their sleeve-style cases to accommodate the iPad 2 with that Smart Cover left on. The idea, of course, is that when you travel, you'll want a little more protection for your precious Apple tablet, and the sleeve is the perfect way to completely cover your iPad 2.

Timbuk2's upcoming Pop-Up case is kind of a hybrid sleeve/hard case, with a rigid front for added protection, … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1434: Fare thee well, Benito, the cake is not a lie (Podcast)

On today's show, Benito announces that he's leaving us for his one true love, Gamespot--the good news is, he's still in the family, and more importantly, in the building, to help out the new guy, Steve Beacham. Be nice, everyone. Also, Google plays Honeycomb close to the vest, Groupon might be on a downward slide, and laser bongs and douche telecoms. Friday! --Molly