iPad

It's been a long time waiting, but Diablo 3 is finally a reality. Unfortunately, most of us won't be able to spend 24 hours a day and 7 days a week playing it. So, for those times when you are stuck on the subway (or just stuck on the can), here are a few games that can give you that Diablo-fix in a more mobile fashion:

Dungeon Hunter 2. Easily the best outright Diablo clone for the iPad, Dungeon Hunter 2 will make any fan of isometric RPGs feel right at home. The game has three classes, each of which can be specialized in different ways. This gives you a lot of options on how you want to go about playing the game. What about Dungeon Hunter 3? Unfortunately, the sequel falls short of being the great dungeon-exploring item-hunting RPG that a Diablo clone is supposed to be.

The Bard's Tale. If like humor with your RPG, The Bard's Tale is the game for you. A rather good port of the 2004 PS2/Xbox game, the newest updates include the classic Bard's Tale and Bard's Tale II games from the 80s.

Mage Gauntlet. A retro-style game, Mage Gauntlet is a carefully crafted action-RPG that harkens back to the days of Legend of Zelda. With a unique magic system and plenty of loot, this one should hold you over for those times when you can't play Diablo 3.

Infinity Blade. Infinity Blade's combat has always reminded me of what an action RPG would be like if Blizzard had designed one for the iPad. Simply put, Epic Games nailed melee combat on a touchscreen. Not quite the dungeon-exploring item-gathering RPG that Diablo is known for being, but easily one of the best RPGs on the iPad. You can also download the sequel, Infinity Blade II, or just check out the trailer for Infinity Blade: Dungeons, which looks to be more of a true Diablo clone.

The Best RPGs on the iPad

The rumor mill is already starting to churn for when the next 10-inch iPad will be released, with many outlets speculating on a possible iPad Mini in August and a 4Q 2012 release for the next full-sized iPad. But if you are a betting person, you'll want to throw your money on no new 10-inch iPad until 2013.

The new rumors started with a report from Digitimes, a website well known for reporting anything and everything Apple-related that passes across their desk. And as with any website that repeats every rumor or whisper, they are usually wrong.

Reports of a 7-inch "iPad Mini" in August could hit a little bit closer to home. While the actual release date is anyone's guess at this point, it wouldn't be a big surprise if Apple released a smaller tablet. Not only would a 7-inch iPad compete directly with the Kindle Fire, it would also give a cheaper alternative to schools looking to adopt the iPad and the iBooks platform.

But don't look for the 4th generation iPad until 2013. And I'm going to go out on a limb and say it will be released in the March.

iPad 101: A New User's Guide

Miami's Jungle Island is using an iPad to help orangutans communicate with trainers. I know what you are thinking: It's bad enough that apes are trying to take over the planet and computers are trying to trap us in a virtual reality in order to use our bodies as giant batteries, now we have to put mankind's two biggest science fiction threats together.

OK. Maybe I'm the only one with that particular concern.

The Associated Press story is rather cool. The orangutans seem rather similar to humans in that the younger teenagers are attracted to using the iPad as a communication device while the older orangutans mostly ignore the technology. The orangutans already communicate with their trainers using sign language, and the hope is that the iPad will allow them to communicate with people who don't know sign language.

I guess if cats can have an iPad game built for them, apes can have an iPad app to use as a messaging platform. But the first time I get a FaceTime request from an ape, I'm going to start getting worried.

The Best iPad Travel Apps

Apple has released update 5.1.1 for iOS, the operating system that powers the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. The iOS update improves the reliability of HDR photos when using the camera from the lock screen, fixes issues with AirPlay video playback, improves syncing of Safari bookmarks and the Reading list and addresses issues with switching between 2G and 3G networks on the iPad among other issues

A full list of security updates in the new version can be found on Apple's website.

You can download and install the update by going into settings, choosing general settings and tapping on "Software Update" from the list. This screen will tell you if you are on the latest version of iOS and allow you to update your version if an update is detected. You can also get the latest version by hooking your iPad into your computer and going into iTunes.

A recent survey by PriceGrabber.com shows that price beats size when it comes to an iPad Mini. 64% of those surveyed cited price as the biggest reason to buy the device and 84% listed lower price as their top feature for the rumored tablet. Less than 1 in 4 of those surveyed currently own a tablet.

Size was a popular feature, with slightly over half naming a more portable size as a contributing factor in wanting an iPad Mini, but it is a low-cost alternative to the iPad that is really driving most of the interest.

The iPad Mini has been rumored since the days when we were still talking about what features the iPad 2 might have and haven't slowed down since the release of the 3rd generation iPad. And while Steve Job famously dissed the idea of a smaller iPad, it is untrue to believe he wouldn't have released one. After all, Jobs was also against the idea of an app store at first.

Apple to Settle the iPad Trademark Dispute?

CNET reports that Apple may have changed its tune slightly in the trademark case, showing more of a willingness to talk about a possible settlement. But this could also be a smokescreen thrown up by Proview's lawyer in hopes of putting more pressure on Apple to make a settlement offer.

Apple has a long history of not caving into the idea of settling lawsuits, as shown by its willingness to take on the government to defend itself against eBook price fixing.

More About the iPad:

After clear domination in its first year, the iPad saw its market share decrease last year as more and more Android-based tablets were released. And Amazon's Kindle Fire seemed to be the icing on the cake, snagging 17% market share in the fourth quarter, driving the iPad's market share during that period down to 54.7%.

But the novelty of the Kindle Fire quickly dove into the post-holidays slump and it wasn't quite up for a battle with the "new iPad" and the discounted iPad 2. Apple's iPad rose to a 68% market share during the first quarter, while the Kindle Fire slumped to just 4%. In a bit of more bad news for Amazon's tablet, Target announced they would stop selling the Kindle Fire.

It's not all bad for the Kindle Fire. It does have a 54% share of the Android-based tablet market, and it was expected to see sales drop in the quarter after its debut. The real test for Amazon will be (1) keeping customers who have now had a taste of tablet living and may crave the king of tablets and (2) rolling out new, more powerful hardware to tempt the Apple faithful.

iPad 3 Review: Does It Measure Up to the Hype?

Barnes & Noble Nook Going Windows 8?

In the short term, Microsoft's $300 million investment in the Barnes & Noble Nook will put the Nook bookstore in the Windows Store. A longer term solution may include converting the Barnes & Noble Nook over to the Windows 8 platform, a move that could differentiate the tablet from the Amazon Kindle Fire and open up a slice of productivity that the Kindle Fire can't match.

It would also be in line with Microsoft's strategy of buying its way into markets. The software giant first attempted to buy and finally agreed on a partnership with Yahoo to boost the market share of its Bing search engine. And buying a share of the tablet market might help it overcome the nearly-fatal mobile misstep of "Windows Mobile".

The Amazon Kindle Fire vs the Apple iPad

iPad streaming just got a little bit better. Spotify's iPad app is now available in the app store and includes a free 30-day trial of the service. After the free trial, iPad users will need to pay $9.99 a month to continue the premium subscription.

What is Spotify? It's basically Netflix for music. Spotify allows you to stream music from a catalog that includes around 15 million songs. That's pretty extensive, and while there are some notable exceptions (like The Beatles, who are exclusive to Apple iTunes), most of your favorite songs will be available. Best of all, you don't have to spend an arm and a leg purchasing them all or simply hoping the song comes up in Pandora's rotation.

The iPad app fully supports the Retina Display and includes features like crossfade, which lets you customize how songs fade into each other.

When Apple declared the iPad as the flagship product moving us into the post-PC world, they may have had one eye on the declining growth of the MacBook. The second quarter of 2012 saw only a 2% growth of Apple laptops compared to the same period last year, while Macs as a whole grew by 7%.

But when you consider that Apple sold over twice as many iPads in the second quarter compared to 2Q 2011 (11.8 million compared to 4.69 million), Apple shouldn't be too worried. After all, they've basically been predicting that Mac sales (along with Windows-based PC sales) would decline, haven't they?

The iPad is also becoming a gateway product for the company. The NPD Group recently released the results of a study showing that 1-in-4 iPad purchases were made by people who were buying their first Apple product. The iPad is also penetrating the enterprise barrier, with 80% of Fortune 100 companing having adopted the iPad, according to a white paper by Apperian.

A company never wants a product to be cannibalized, but if it does happen, its always best to be cannibalized by one of your own products.

How to Get the Most Out of the iPad

I have an 11-month-old daughter who I wouldn't dare let near my iPad. She has a tendency to bang on objects as hard as she can while screaming at the top of her lungs. I'm pretty sure my iPad could take the screaming, but I'm not so sure about the banging.

There is a lot of debate about "screens" in the child-rearing community. Are these screens -- whether they be TV screens, smartphone screens or tablet screens -- good for toddlers? Bad for them? Or just a waste of time? Is an interactive screen like an iPad better than a passive screen like a TV? Could they even be an educational aid?

The most recent recommendations handed out by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is to "limit" the amount of screen time for children under the age of 2. The reason for this doesn't have as much to do with content -- too much Bob the Builder could be just as detrimental as too much Bones -- as it has to do with the child's activity (or, more specifically, lack thereof) while participating in screen time.

Watching television is an inherently passive activity. There may be plenty of action happening on the screen, but we don't control any of it. Rather, we tend to just sit on our couch and eat potato chips. The iPad has a little more interactivity (so long as you aren't watching Crackle), but even interacting with a game or educational app on the iPad pales in comparison to interacting in the real world.

And it's this real world stimulation that toddlers need. Watching television won't turn a toddler's brain to mush, but the AAP warns that the toddler isn't learning anything by watching it. They might as well be staring at the ceiling. And while they may learn to move shapes around the screen and pair them with similar shapes, they aren't learning how to recognize those same shapes in the real world.

But it is also important to note that the AAP is no longer saying that screens should be avoided at all costs. The activity should be limited, which means a little TV or iPad time is fine.

My wife and I have a favorite saying: "Everything in moderation." It reminds us that there is a certain balance in life, and that while many things in life can be abused, most things are okay in small doses. It's okay to occasionally have dessert, but now that we are in our 40s, having dessert after every meal is definitively going to take its toll on our midsection.

This is the same philosophy we have applied to our daughter and screen time. It may be okay to watch cartoons while having her morning bottle -- she'd no doubt just be staring at the ceiling otherwise -- but the TV doesn't stay on all day. And any time with the iPad comes in very small doses, with some interaction with mommy or daddy happening with iPad time.

How to Childproof Your iPad

It's easy to imagine a world where the iPad and MacBook merge together. The MacBook Air already has an eerily similar form factor, and the Mac OS can already run most of the apps built for the iPad via the simulator used to test iPhone and iPad applications during the development process.

But according to CEO Tim Cook, Apple has no plans to create a hybrid product. "You can converge a toaster and a refrigerator, but those things are probably not going be pleasing to the user," Cook said, speaking on Apple's quarterly performance conference call.

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