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Sunday, 1 April 2012
Run Verizon's iPad as 4G LTE hotspot for 24 hours plus
Turn off the display and you can run Verizon's new iPad for 24 or more hours as a 4G LTE mobile hotspot.
In battery tests run by AnandTech on the new iPad, they found battery life to be slightly lower than in the iPad 2. That might be expected when looking at the bright new Retina high definition display. But what's not expected is the ability, on Verizon iPad models, to run the iPad as a 4G LTE mobile hotspot for more than 24 hours on a single battery charge.
Thanks to the larger 42.5Wh battery in the new iPad added to run the new display, turning off the display means other functions can run for much longer than before. Add in the fact that Verizon added the mobile hotspot feature, or, more accurately, turned it on while AT&T leaves it off, makes your new iPad a great choice for a 4G LTE mobile hotspot. And if you don't want to look at anything on the iPad screen, you can hotspot for a full day or so.
In battery tests run by AnandTech on the new iPad, they found battery life to be slightly lower than in the iPad 2. That might be expected when looking at the bright new Retina high definition display. But what's not expected is the ability, on Verizon iPad models, to run the iPad as a 4G LTE mobile hotspot for more than 24 hours on a single battery charge.
Thanks to the larger 42.5Wh battery in the new iPad added to run the new display, turning off the display means other functions can run for much longer than before. Add in the fact that Verizon added the mobile hotspot feature, or, more accurately, turned it on while AT&T leaves it off, makes your new iPad a great choice for a 4G LTE mobile hotspot. And if you don't want to look at anything on the iPad screen, you can hotspot for a full day or so.
Really?
Yes, amazing that you buy an iPad powered with a 42.5Wh battery, and you just turn it into a hotspot.
Fleeb on anandtech.com
So you can bust through your cap several times over in one charge?
Whoamihmmm on theverge.com
Makes sense, since the iPad (and its battery) are bigger than most hotspots. There may be some obscure use out there where someone wants to pay for LTE for days on end with no access to a power outlet
nagromme on appleinsider.com
Plans
Awesome. Time to get an LTE iPad and swap it onto one of my unlimited lines. And on top of that, its the only Verizon tablet that is sold off-contract
c.hack on theverge.com
The new iPad could chip into the mobile hotspot market for those who also want to buy a tablet.
SolipsismX on appleinsider.com
So if you want an iPad but also want a hotspot for your laptop, now you can do it in one purchase with pay-as-you-go data.
BC2009 on theverge.com
Slaps
All those extra iPad 3 pixels are realy not gonig to make much difference on such a small screen I say.
asrey1975 on anandtech.com
Turn the screen on, and kiss those 25 hours good bye.
DrDoppio on appleinsider.com
He cant help it, all members of the iCult become iSmug and that then makes them iJerks. I call it the Jobs Effect.Of course, data plan charges may take the fun out of mobile hotspot marathons. YMM certainly Vary.
B3an on anandtech.com
6 things every IT person should know
A solid IT generalist has to know a little bit of everything. Here are 6 skills you should master, no matter where your life in IT leads
[ Free download: Killer resumes for techies ]
No book or teacher can magically pour deductive problem-solving skills into your head. What works is lots of experience falling flat on your face -- and lots of pounding your head on a desk until you solve a particularly intractable problem. I've learned the most from incidents during which I've broken something so thoroughly that I have absolutely no idea how to put it back together again. That's a gauntlet no one wants to walk, but everyone does. The more painful the experience, the more likely you are to get wiser.
Nonetheless, received wisdom has its place -- especially if you work in a siloed IT environment or specialize in a particular domain and need to broaden your knowledge. You'll thank yourself the next time you're so lost and alone in the weeds even Google can't help you.
Microsoft releases Web development technology source code ( Latest it news )
Microsoft releases Web development technology source code
The source code for ASP.Net Web API and Razor are being made available via an Apache 2.0 license
Looking to build community around some of its Web development properties, Microsoft is releasing source code for its ASP.Net Web API and ASP.Net Web Pages technologies under an open source license.The two projects are being made available via an Apache 2.0 license. They have their code repositories hosted on Microsoft's CodePlex open source project site, leveraging Git version control, said Scott Guthrie, corporate vice president in the Microsoft server and tools business, in a blog post this week. ASP.Net Web API features a framework for building HTTP services for clients, including browsers and mobile devices; developers can build RESTful applications on Microsoft's .Net Framework. ASP.Net Web Pages, also known as "Razor," enables the combining of server code with HTML to build dynamic Web content.
By hosting code repositories on CodePlex and releasing source code, Microsoft wants to increase transparency for these two projects; ASP.Net MVC, which already has been available under an open source license, will be hosted on CodePlex as well. "[Releasing source code and hosting the projects on CodePlex] will enable a more open development model where everyone in the community will be able to engage and provide feedback on code checkins, bug fixes, and new feature development, and build and test the products on a daily basis using the most up-to-date version of the source code and tests," Guthrie said.
Microsoft also will allow developers outside of Microsoft to submit patches and code for possible inclusion by the Microsoft development team, Guthrie said. "We announced a similar open development approach with the Windows Azure SDK last December and have found it to be a great way to build an even tighter feedback loop with developers -- and ultimately deliver even better products as a result." ASP.Net MVC, Web API, and Razor will continue to be fully supported Microsoft products shipping as standalone products and also as part of the Visual Studio IDE.
This article, "Microsoft releases Web development technology source code," was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Follow the latest developments in business technology news and get a digest of the key stories each day in the InfoWorld Daily newsletter. For the latest developments in business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter.
A quad-core Windows 8 laptop more ultra than an ultrabook?
Imagine a quad-core Windows 8 laptop as light as a tablet. Enticing -- but first let's see if commercial designs actually appear from top-tier device makers.
Can a quad-core Windows 8 laptop be as thin as an iPad? That's the design Qualcomm is aiming for. But we've heard this story before.The San Diego-based chip supplier anticipates superthin laptops running Windows 8 on top of its Snapdragon chips, according to a report in PC World.
It's certainly an enticing idea: Laptops lighter and thinner than even Intel-based ultrabooks -- an idea also put forward by Nvidia, which already supplies its well-received quad-core Tegra 3 processor to Asus for its Tranformer Prime tablet.
At a macro level, this is about ARM versus Intel on Windows 8, which will be compatible with both chip technologies. More specifically, it's about the camp of chip suppliers, like Qualcomm and Nvidia, that use a power-efficient silicon design versus performance-centric Intel.
The argument goes something like this: ARM-based laptops can be thinner and lighter than an ultrabook because power-sipping ARM processors don't require fans (Intel-based ultrabooks do).
Qualcomm made a similar argument a couple of years ago, in fact. At that time, it made a lot of noise about Linux-based "smartbooks." And Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs even "announced" one from Lenovo -- which never saw the light of day, by the way. Nor did any smartbook.
Though Windows 8 offers more hope than Linux, a competitive ARM-based laptop will be a bigger challenge than either Qualcomm or Nvidia anticipate, because Intel is a moving target, and a pretty fast one at that.
Intel's highly integrated (and likely much faster) Haswell chip will be available in the timeframe in which Qualcomm announces its quad-core Snapdragon.
Moreover, it's not clear how soon Windows 8 will be ready for ARM. Microsoft is carefully choosing its words here. The company's Steven Sinofsky said on his blog that Microsoft's "collective goal" is for Windows 8 on Intel and ARM to become available at the same time. That tells me Microsoft is leaving itself some wiggle room for ARM.
And, Microsoft, on the same blog, made it clear that Windows compatibility on Intel chips will be radically broader than on ARM chips.
But there's still plenty of opportunity for Qualcomm and Nvidia, because Windows 8 tablets will probably favor ARM chips, for the power-efficiency reasons cited above.
So, Qualcomm, Nvidia, et al would be well-advised to focus more on proselytizing tabletlike designs, not laptops, which have been, and will always be, an Intel stronghold.
Key Japan-made iPad 2 parts in focus
The ongoing availability of key components used in Apple's new tablet are still uncertain but manufacturing geographies appear to be favoring some over others.
iPad 2
(Credit: Apple) While Toshiba's manufacturing production of flash memory continues to recover, lithium-ion battery production is not faring so well, as it was much closer to ground zero.
Flash memory/Toshiba: The world's largest supplier of flash memory--and major Apple supplier--provided updates dated March 14 and 15 for its massive Yokkaichi factory, located about 500 miles south of the earthquake's epicenter.
As of March 14, production had stopped partially, but had "almost recovered." On March 15, the company issued another update, stating that the complex "is now operating as usual."
Compared to other component factories located in hard-hit Iwate and Miyagi prefectures that's a fairly upbeat report, but it still hints at prolonged downtime at some facilities since the earthquake struck on March 11.
The biggest problem that Toshiba will face in Yokkaichi hinges on the supply chain. "A mid-term impact on the overall supply chain, including material procurement, is anticipated, as are short-term problems with logistics," a report said on March 15. "We continue to carry out a detailed investigation of the status of the plants and their recovery."
Lithium-ion batteries: iSuppli analyst Wayne Lam believes that the battery cells in the iPad 2 may be made in Japan, though the outer battery pack is marked "assembled in China."
"That's our understanding," Lam said in a phone interview. "Based on 'Apple Japan' markings on the cell. We can probably call it a Japanese cell," he said.
Japan is a prolific manufacturer of all kinds of batteries, particularly lithium ion. Sony, for example, has stated that operations have been affected at battery factories in Fukushima and that obtaining a stable power supply and raw materials are ongoing problems.
If, in fact, battery cells are coming from earthquake-impacted areas in Japan, that could result in future disruption of supplies for products like the iPad 2.
A Google Nexus tablet? Bad news for Android partners
A Google Nexus tablet? Bad news for Android partners.
Commentary: You may think it's difficult to operate in the tablet business now. But just you wait until Google itself gets into the game.
Tablets, even tweener ones like the Galaxy Note, could face pressure if Google gets into the business itself.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET) The worst thing Google could do to its budding Android tablet business is get into it. But that appears to be what the Internet search titan is up to. The latest report from Digitimes has Google partnering with Asus to create a low-cost tablet to compete with Amazon's Kindle Fire.
If Google wanted to assuage its Android partners that it isn't interested in competing against them, the company is going about it completely wrong. Android tablets haven't exactly been blockbusters like Apple's iPad, but device makers have begun to make some slight progress in the area. Google getting into the business with its own so-called Nexus tablet may spark some interest in the area, but it'll come at the cost of sales to its Android partners.
Sure, Google can get away with the occasional Nexus smartphone, which carries the best and latest from Android. But the smartphone market is fairly mature, with more and more consumers adopting them everyday. There's certainly a big enough market to support a product from Google.
But the Android tablet is still in its infancy, and Google would be rocking the boat in a big way if it launched its own tablet.
Google is already walking a tightrope with its partners over its acquisition of Motorola Mobility. While the acquisition is largely meant to shore up Google's patent position to better defend Google itself and its partners from legal attacks, it also means the Android maker will eventually compete directly against its partners with a handset unit of its own.
Google isn't going so far yet with the tablet, instead purportedly partnering with Asus. To better compete with the Kindle Fire, the only other real success in the tablet business, Google would price the device at $199, according to Digitimes.
That'll add a lot of pressure to its partners to get the price of their products down while maintaining some level of quality. While the Kindle Fire is relatively inexpensive, it also uses lower-end parts. Amazon can afford to keep the price low because the device is designed to spur sales of the company's products and services.
Other Android partners aren't so fortunate. Products like Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Note and Galaxy Tab lines are priced much higher, while Motorola's Xyboard line also feature premium prices.
If a Nexus tablet becomes the standard at $199, what hope do the other vendors have in selling competing products at twice that price?
Of course, another low-cost tablet may be good for consumers. A high-profile Nexus tablet may drive prices down for everyone, and bring more badly needed attention to the Android side of the tablet playing field.
But that will hurt the ability of many vendors to continue making tablets at a profit, dimming the longer-term picture for tablets. For the sake of its partners, Google should stay out of the game.
