Apple iPad 3: Retina display and 5 more features we'd like to see

Re-Post from http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2011/08/apple-ipad-3-retina-dispaly-and-5-features-we-want-to-see.html
By: Nathan Olivarez-Giles and David Sarno

The Web was abuzz Friday with a rumor we've all been hearing for months -- that the iPad 3, whenever it comes out, will be outfitted with Apple's retina display.

Double the resolution, up to 2,048 by 1,536 from the iPad 1 and iPad 2's 1,024 by 768 for a crisp 326 dpi (dots, or pixels, per inch) matching the density of the much-loved screen on the iPhone 4 -- that's the rumor and the latest to report that this is happening from unnamed sources oversees: the Wall Street Journal.

The journal says the retina-display-packing iPad 3 will hit stores early next year, while others have said such a device could launch this fall or winter. Either way, nothing is official as of yet -- an Apple doesn't comment on rumors. The Cupertino tech giant hasn't yet said anything about the next iPad and the iPad 2 is enjoying huge sales.

But, with a growing swarm of tablet competitors running various versions of Google's Android mobile OS (rest in peace HP TouchPad), the iPad 3 might have to be more than simply thinner, lighter, faster and equipped with a better screen.

In that vein, here are five unsolicited features that we'd like to see on the next iPad -- or any tablet for that matter.

Thinner and lighter

This may seem obvious, but while the iPad 2 is svelte, Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 is barely thinner and yup, even lighter. However, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 achieves this with the use of a plastic back that feels much flimsier in the hand than the iPad 2's aluminum body. Apple has used plastic and glass to create thinner and lighter iPhones and this might be an option in the iPad 3. Another idea for Apple might be the use of something similar to the grippy, rubberized plastic feel of the Motorola Xoom.

Glare protector

Among the biggest knocks on the iPad is that its glossy screen reflects too much light and is therefore no fun to take outside and read by the pool or on the beach. (Yes, it's a good problem to have.) But it's a serious issue for Apple, which wants to become a major player in the electronic book market and compete with Amazon's Kindle, the leading e-book reader. The Kindle has a matte-type screen that diffuses light rather than reflect it -- so why shouldn't the iPad have a glare-proof screen?

As Apple offers with its MacBook Pro laptops, an anti-glare screen and a glossy screen could be offered so consumers can choose what they want.

Haptic feedback

Apple seems to have become an accidental force in the mobile gaming industry. It's iPhone and iPad have inspired developers to make hundreds (if not thousands) of affordable games with low barriers to entry. The iPad 2 offers impressive graphics performance and the iPad 3, which will assuredly make use of a faster processor, will see a bump here as well. But if Apple wants to make the iPad an ever better gaming machine, it needs to give gamers a rumbling iPad, one that vibrates and shakes in response to the video games played on screen in the same way that every home gaming console'scontrollers do.

This isn't impossible by any means. Many Android phones and tablets already feature haptic, or tactile, feedback when using keyboards and other functions. Of course, this would have to be a feature that could be turned off or on for those who do or don't want to make use of the rumble.

Biometric security

The physical security of mobile devices is still rather limited. Users are able to protect their phones and tablets with a four-digit unlock code, but many don't even bother, leaving their iPads and Androids vulnerable if they leave them in a coffee shop or taxi cab. So why not add another layer of security -- like iris scanning? Companies like Hoyos Group make iris identification systems that scan 2,048 points in the eye's most colorful layer -- the software can even detect "liveness" so, you know, no one can use some dead guy's eye to break into an iPad.

Wireless charging

Apple's iOS 5 will enable iPad and iPhone owners to "cut the cord" and wirelessly sync songs, contacts, apps and plenty of other content whenever Apple mobile devices are near their Mac computer counterparts. And, with iOS 5, users will even be able to download operating system updates "over the air" without having to plug their i-device into a computer for the latest software. This can be taken a step further with wireless charging.

The technology is already proven. Many third-parties accessory makers offer wireless charging products for phones, tablets and even TV remotes. Hewlett-Packard had built wireless charging into its HP TouchPad as well. All TouchPad users had to do was lay their tablets into a charging dock and it would charge right up, no need to plug any cables into the device itself. Post-PC should be post cables and wires too.

Amazon Sees a Good Read in the Cloud

Re-post from: http://www.technologyreview.com/web/38298/page1/
Friday, August 12, 2011
By Erica Naone

Yesterday, Amazon launched Kindle Cloud Reader, a Web browser-based version of its popular e-reading platform.

Built using HTML5, an emerging standard that lets Web applications function like desktop ones, the Kindle Cloud Reader looks and acts a lot like the Kindle apps created for the iPad, Android tablets, and PCs, even offering the ability to store content so it can be read in the browser offline. Experts say the move furthers Amazon's efforts to make Kindle the dominant standard for e-books.

Amazon's original Kindle, a device designed specifically for electronic reading, has long enjoyed dominance in the e-reader market. But Amazon has also built an empire that stretches far beyond this one device. The company gives away Kindle apps for a wide variety of devices, including PCs, Macs, Android tablets and phones, Windows Phone 7, Blackberry smart phones and tablets, and the iPad and iPhone. These free apps get readers to expect the Kindle format, and they encourage those who don't own a Kindle to build up a Kindle library.

The cloud-based app could extend Amazon's reach farther still. In a statement released at launch, Amazon noted that the Kindle Cloud Reader supports its philosophy of "Buy Once, Read Everywhere." The Kindle device and related apps all sync with one another via the cloud, so that a user can access her full library—with bookmarks, notes, and highlights intact—from any device.

Much of the early discussion around the launch has focused on the way the new app circumvents Apple's stringent App Store rules, because it can be accessed via the iPhone or iPad's browser, and doesn't need to be approved by Apple. Apple recently limited developers' ability to take users out of an app—such as by offering a link to make a purchase on Amazon.com. But publishing experts say that focusing on this squabble is shortsighted.

"The Kindle Cloud Reader is a game changer, from my perspective," says Kassia Krozser, owner of Booksquare, a site that tracks the publishing industry. "What really excites me about this platform is that it is browser-based; it uses the technology that people are using all day long. No special software is needed, no dedicated devices."

Krozser believes the browser is "the future of reading," since it gives aficionados the most flexibility and provides a familiar, easy-to-use environment for newcomers to test the waters.
he Kindle Cloud Reader is likely to make things easier for Amazon, too. "Amazon has worked hard to create apps specific to pretty much every platform available, which is one of the biggest reasons I read Kindle books almost exclusively," says Brian Sawyer, a senior editor at O'Reilly Media who manages the company's Missing Manuals division. "But it becomes a huge burden—and a losing game—to put this much development effort into every new operating system, especially ones whose user base and outlook [are] questionable."
The first version of Amazon's reader is designed primarily for the Safari and Chrome OS browsers, but the company plans to add support for other browsers, including Firefox and Internet Explorer, in the coming months. Sawyer says that once Amazon does this, the availability of Kindle books will leave Apple and other formats "far behind." He adds, "Amazon's Kindle platform is indeed becoming the de facto standard for consumer books."

Despite the likely impact of Cloud Reader, Amazon's format has its flaws. Michael J. Deluca, cofounder of independent e-bookstore Weightless Books, says that Cloud Reader makes him worry about privacy and control of his own digital assets. Deluca says that the Kindle format limits a publisher's design options. PDFs, which are by far Weightless's best-selling format, allow for artistic page designs. However, he notes, "The bottom line is that no matter how we or any small press feels about it, Kindle is already too big to ignore."
"[As both a publisher and a consumer], I'm disappointed that Amazon decided to try to carve out [its] own format," says Joe Wikert, who is general manager and publisher at O'Reilly. He says that Epub, a free, open standard supported by many in the publishing industry, offers a richer experience than the Kindle allows.
But Krozser wonders if Amazon will take this opportunity to embrace more-advanced technology. The latest version of Epub, Epub 3, is based on HTML5, she says, and it might make sense for Amazon to abandon its format to make better use of the browser.