Category: ipad

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Windows on my iPad via Parallels 6

After dismissing the nag screen once again, I decided that I would upgrade my Parallels installation to version 6.

I generally don’t have problems with Parallels on my Mac, but thought that the performance improvements would be nice. I also want to try out the iPhone/iPad App and see if that would allow me to access a Java application that I need to use for work.

It was pretty easy to set up, requiring a login of my Parallels account on both the Mac and the iPad. And though Windows 7 is not designed for a touch interface, at least if needed I can access Windows through my iPad!

The key test will be over wifi outside my home network and over 3G. In the olden days in my previous job, I would VPN into my office network and use Microsoft Remote Desktop Connection to connect to my office PC when I was out on the road with my (then) PowerBook. Use to do that to find old e-mails and files. Also used the VPN so I could watch BBC News on the website when I was on a trip to Finland.

Now I have a fast broadband connection at home I hope that I will find less latency problems that I had with the VPN and RDC method.

One side effect of the installation was finding out the number of virtual machines on my iMac. More than I thought I had, so a fair few were culled.

Will use it a little more and see what improvements there are with version 6.


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Downgrading Osfoora HD for the iPad

I recently upgraded Osfoora HD for the iPad and was very disappointed with the resulting performance. It was very slow and wouldn’t automatically update.

It’s not easy to downgrade iPad applications, certainly Apple don’t make it easy. I have no idea how to do this on a Windows PC either.

One of the things to remember on the Mac, when you upgrade your iPad (and iPhone) applications on iTunes, the previous version is moved automatically to the trash. You can of course move these files to a backup drive or folder when this happens.

So what I did was sync the iPad first with iTunes, this ensures that any apps I purchased on the iPad are synced with iTunes before I do something like this.

In iTunes I go to the App tab for the iPad. By hovering over the app I can see a cross that will allow me to delete the app from the iPad.

I can then delete the App from the iPad.

I then drag the backed up App to iTunes, at which point iTunes will ask this?

Click replace and then re-sync the iPad.

You will need to (in the case of Osfoora HD) re-enter your Twitter credentials and change the settings to how you like using it. However it does mean that if you are having issues with the new version of an App it is possible to downgrade it relatively simply.

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iPad update

Apple have released an update for the iPad, taking the firmware to 3.2.1

Quite big at 456MB.

The update is hoping to solve various iPad wifi problems.

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Some days I hate DRM!

Sometimes I really hate DRM.

I have the new iPad and I bought the VGA connector, connected  it to a monitor and I thought (after trying out Keynote) I would try a video, an episode from the new Doctor Who purchased through iTunes…

Well this was the result!

But…

I paid for this episode….

I did not copy it, download it, or pirate it, I PAID for it.

I can play other videos through the connector (ones converted from EyeTV recordings for example) why can’t I play the nice videos I PAID for?

Some days I hate DRM!

This annoys me.

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iPad

Finally details about the international release of Apple’s iPad have emerged.

From Apple’s Press Release:

Apple today announced that iPad will be available in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK on Friday, May 28th. Customers can pre-order all iPad models from Apple’s online store in all nine countries beginning on Monday, May 10th

So how much are they going to cost?

£429 for the 16GB model

£499 for the 32GB

£599 for the 64GB

As for the WiFi + 3G

£529 for the 16GB model

£599 for the 32GB

£699 for the 64GB

Apple have also said that the iBooks App will also be available in the UK allowing e-books to be downloaded and read on the iPad.

Thinking about the 32GB WiFi model myself, though I quite like the idea of a 3G iPad.

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Time for an iPad

Lots of press coverage across the internet and papers about the launch of the iPad. Today as people get to use the iPad (rather than just queue for it) we get to hear much more about how they like using the device and whether it is the game-changer that has been hyped for months or whether it’s just a nice gadget that will be gathering dust on a shelf in a couple of months time.

The more I see and hear about the iPad, the more I wonder if it will be the game changing device that the iPhone has been, or whether it will be another Newton or iPod HiFi (remember that). The key I believe will be how the device sells not initially to the geek audience, but down the line to non-geeks in places like John Lewis and Apple Stores on the High Street or in local shopping centres.Of course the launch is US only and it’s looking like the earliest we will get the iPad in the UK is the 24th April, but so far no confirmation whatsoever from any official source.

What I am hoping that when the iPad is launched in the UK, the 3G version is released at the same time as the WiFi version, so I don’t have to make that difficult choice that many in America are making right now, that of buy now or wait until the 3G version is available.

Part of me is sad that I didn’t go out to the states and buy an iPad, and part of me knows how sad that would be!

Having said that if the geeks don’t like it, this can rub off on the general public, look at how there was a negative reaction to the Blackberry Storm following Stephen Fry’s adverse reaction. Now according to Time, Stephen Fry quite likes the iPad (though that’s a bit of an understatement) and I respect his opinion and if he likes it, I am sure that many others will like it too.

Looking forward to getting mine.

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Really, all that from a job advert!

You have to love the rumour sites, have a read of this article from Macrumors.

Computerworld points to an Apple job listing posted last week which suggests that Apple is looking to expand the iPhone OS beyond the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad to additional platforms.

It suggests….

Let’s all speculate the future production of Apple products based on the job description of someone who will probably design those future products…

I love the rumour sites!