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Looking at the Apple iPad Through the Old Retroscope

During yesterday’s earnings call, Apple revealed that is has sold 14.79-million iPads since the tablet computer launched in April 2010. That’s a frickin’ ridiculous amount of hardware! It’s crazy that in less than a year, the iPad has become so successful that it has eclipsed Apple’s MacBook division in terms of revenue.

I was confident that the Apple iPad would be a massive success, but I didn’t think it would be this nuts. Just for kicks, let’s take a look back at some of the comments you left in the iPad-infused Coffee Talk #115:

Personally I won’t consider this device until the 2nd generation. I don’t know what I would use it for necessarily. — smartguy

I don’t think that the first generation is anything to really write home about. Maybe the second or third generation will change my mind on this, but as I see it now it really doesn’t seem revolutionary. A giant iphone is nothing different so far other than it’s bigger. — bsukenyan

It will be a fad for some and that’s about it. — N8R

I predict it will go the way of the Apple III. — Iceman

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not trying to be all, “I told you so!” Lord knows I’ve had my share of bad predictions (hello PSP!). I’m just trying to contrast your expectations with the iPad’s crazy sales.

Obviously many of you “think differently” (*snicker*) about the iPad. Now that it has been out for nearly a year, how do you feel about Apple’s tablet? Did it turn out to be much different than you originally thought? Are you surprised by its massive success? Are you considering getting one or an iPad 2?

PSA: $10 Off RPad.tv American Apparel T-Shirts!

Great news everyone! You can now get high-quality American Apparel RPad.tv t-shirts! The greater news is that for a limited time you can get them for $10 off!!! Between now and January 23rd, you can use coupon code LoveAA2011 for the discount. I’m a huge fan of American Apparel goods and I highly recommend them.

Thank you in advance for any purchases. I super appreciate them. With some luck and your support, the site will stick around for a long time.

Congrats TQ Jefferson, Now Where’s My Quasar Game?!?

I was pleased to learn that TQ Jefferson was promoted to vice president of production for Marvel Entertainment’s games division. A friend of mine works at Marvel and introduced me to TQ at Game Developers Conference. He’s a cool guy…and I’ve been bugging him to make a Quasar game ever since I met him. Perhaps with his newfound (great) power he will do the (greatly) responsible thing and make a frickin’ Quasar game.

For the record, I’m talking about Wendell Vaugh Quasar, not the lesbian Quasar…though at this point I’ll settle for any videogame that shows the world how awesome Quantum Bands are…. How about it TQ?!?

Have You Tried Kongregate Arcade for Android?

One area where Google Android looks silly compared to iOS is games. With that in mind, I was thrilled that Kongregate Arcade appeared in the Android Market…and was bummed that it got pulled. Thankfully, you can still download it here. The program is on my trusty T-Mobile G2, but I haven’t had the chance to try any games just yet. I know that several of you are Android users. If you have a chance, check out Kongregate Arcade and let me know if it has any games that you enjoy. I’ll do the same after I play a few.

Coffee Talk #287: Cutting the Cable Cord with Consoles

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, who should replace Regis Philbin, HP’s upcoming WebOS press event, or if Lance Armstrong is a cheater (or not), Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

“Cutting the cord” was a popular phrase among tech nerds in 2010. The practice of cancelling cable or satellite service and relying on streaming television will become even more popular in 2011. There are several reasons for this. A lot of people are still struggling financially and it’s cheaper to go with streaming. It’s fashionable among hipster douchebags to rely on modern services. And most importantly, streaming movies and TV shows has gotten really, really good.

A person can subscribe to Hulu Plus and Netflix, as well as rent movies on Vudu, for less than the cost of cable service with a premium channel. The offerings have gotten so good that many consumers are able to watch their favorite TV shows and new movies for a fantastic price. I’m super tempted to cut the cord, but that would leave me without live HBO boxing, live WWE Monday Night Raw, and original HBO shows (Entourage, Curb) when they premiere. Streaming services have gotten pretty excellent…but they’re not quite there yet for me. (To be completely honest, I might have to cut the cord whether I want to or not. Ha!)

How about you? Are any of you considering cutting the cord in 2011? Does the combination of Hulu Plus, Netflix, and Vudu provide you with enough entertainment? Why do cable companies suck so hard? Leave a comment and let me know (please)!

Samsung to Blame for Lack of American Galaxy S Updates?

Owners of American Samsung Galaxy S phones (Captivate, Epic 4G, Fascinate, and Vibrant) have been waiting for an Android version 2.2 update for quite some time — certainly longer than owners of comparable high-end handsets from HTC and Motorola. Some people have blamed their carriers, while others have blamed Samsung. A recent post on XDA-Developers forum suggest that it’s all Sammy’s fault. Here’s the deal:

In the past, most phone updates would mainly consist of critical and maintenance updates. Carriers almost never want to incur the cost of a feature update because it is of little benefit to them, adds little to the device, and involves a lot of testing on the carrier end. Android has changed the playing field, however — since the Android Open Source Project is constantly being updated, and that information being made widely available to the public, there is pressure for the phone to be constantly updated with the latest version of Android. With most manufacturers, such as HTC, Motorola, etc. This is fine and considered a maintenance upgrade. Samsung, however, considers it a feature update, and requires carriers to pay a per device update fee for each incremental Android update.

Now, here’s where the politics come in: most U.S. carriers aren’t very happy with Samsung’s decision to charge for Android updates as feature updates, especially since they are essentially charging for the Android Open Source Project’s efforts, and the effort on Samsung’s end is rather minimal. As a result of perhaps, corporate collusion, all U.S. carriers have decided to refuse to pay for the Android 2.2 update, in hopes that the devaluation of the Galaxy S line will cause Samsung to drop their fees and give the update to the carriers. The situation has panned out differently in other parts of the world, but this is the situation in the United States.

While Samsung has the right to charge whatever it wants for its custom Android builds, it’s pissing off American carriers and customers (if the aforementioned information is accurate). I’ve been largely unimpressed with Samsung’s “efforts” to update its Google Android phones since it flip-flopped on the Behold II.

Aside from the Nexus S, which receives updates directly from Google, I wouldn’t consider buying a Samsung Android handset simply because of how the company has handled updates. Hopefully it smartens up and realizes that its actions are alienating partners and customers alike.

What do you think of this information? Does it make you wary of Samsung Google Android phones?

Source

Buy Portal 2 PS3, Get PC/Mac Version for Free

Valve Software has announced that customers that purchase the PlayStation 3 version of Portal 2 and tie their PSN ID to their Steam account will get the PC/Mac version for free. Additionally, the game will feature cross-platform multiplayer and chat between Mac, PC, and PS3 players. In today’s press release, Valve president Gabe Newell said:

We made a promise to gamers at E3 that Portal 2 for the PlayStation 3 would be the best console version of the product. Working together with Sony we have identified a set of features we believe are very compelling to gamers. We hope to expand upon the foundation being laid in Portal 2 with more Steam features and functionality in DLC and future content releases.

This is a really exciting development for Portal fans…except for those that only play games on an Xbox 360. In light of today’s announcement, that version looks kind of crap in comparison, don’t you agree?

Rumored Chip Specs Have Me Totally Psyched for iPad 2

AppleInsider’s repot on the rumored iPad 2 chip specs have me drooling for Apple’s next “magical” tablet computer. While a CPU and GPU bump are expected from generation to generation, the iPad 2 appears to be getting a pretty massive kick in both departments. Here are some details:

Apple’s next custom System on a Chip is expected to jump from the SGX535 (which has been used since the iPhone 3GS) to the new SGX543 graphics and video core, which is said to offer around twice the processing power at the same clock speed. The new graphics core also supports OpenCL, used to offload general purpose computing tasks on the GPU for fast execution.

A source familiar with Apple’s graphics strategy says the company will not only be upgrading its video core, but also going to multiple cores, a feature that is designed into the SGX543 design. The most likely configuration of Apple’s next custom chip is reportedly the SGX543MP2, which pairs two SGX543 cores to work as one, offering around four times the capability of the previous A4 in graphics and video tasks.

Outside of graphics, Apple will reportedly be using the multiple core ARM Cortex-A9 for general purpose processing.

There have been all kinds of rumors floating around that the iPad 2 will boast a 2048 x 1536 resolution. Those that doubt the reports cite the fact that the iPad 2 would require a serious GPU update in order to support a resolution that high. Well, if the reports pan out, here it is.

The tablet computing market will explode in 2011. While Apple has a nice head start over the upcoming Google Android, HP Palm WebOS, Windows 7, and RIM BlackBerry Playbook tablets, it still needs to work in order to maintain its dominance. The (rumored) increased power of the iPad 2 and the superior offerings of the iOS ecosystem should help it do so.

What do you think of these rumored iPad specs? Do they have you drooling too?

Source

PSA: Huge EA Xbox Live Sale

Microsoft and EA have slashed prices on all sorts of digital content on Xbox Live. Loads of games and excellent DLC are on sale. Here’s the list:

Add-ons
Dragon Age: Origins:
Awakenings Normally: 2400 Sale: 1200 Discount: 50%
Warden’s Keep Normally: 560 Sale: 280 Discount: 50%
Return to Ostagar Normally: 400 Sale: 200 Discount: 50%
The Darkspawn Chronicles Normally: 400 Sale: 200 Discount: 50%
The Golems of Amgarrak Normally: 400 Sale: 200 Discount: 50%
Witch Hunt Normally: 560 Sale: 280 Discount: 50%
Leliana’s Song Normally: 560 Sale: 280 Discount: 50%

Medal of Honor Hot Zone Pack Normally: 800 Sale: 400 Discount: 50%
FIFA 11 Live Season All Leagues Normally: 800 Sale: 400 Discount: 50%
Madden 11 Max Pack Normally: 800 Sale: 400 Discount: 50%
Tiger 11 Favorites Course Pack Normally: 1600 Sale: 800 Discount: 50%
NCAA Football 11 Powerpack Normally: 2400 Sale: 1200 Discount: 50%
NHL 11 20th Anniv. Bauer Boost Pack Normally: 560 Sale: 280 Discount: 50%
Fight Night Round 4 Champions Pack II Normally: 800 Sale: 400 Discount: 50%

Games
Madden NFL Arcade Normally: 800 Sale: 400 Discount: 50%
NHL 3 on 3 Arcade Normally: 400 Sale: 200 Discount: 50%
RISK: Factions Normally: 800 Sale: 400 Discount: 50%
MicroBot Normally: 800 Sale: 400 Discount: 50%
Battleship (Hasbro FGN) Price: 800 Sale: 400 Discount: 50%
Scrabble (Hasbro FGN) Normally: 800 Sale: 400 Discount: 50%
Boggle (Hasbro FGN) Normally: 800 Sale: 400 Discount: 50%
DeathSpank Normally: 1200 Sale: 600 Discount: 50%
DeathSpank: Thongs of Virtue Normally: 1200 Sale: 600 Discount: 50%
Battlefield 1943 Normally: 1200 Sale: 600 Discount: 50%

I’m going to buy the last bits of Dragon Age: Origins DLC that I don’t have. How about you? Anything on the list temp you?

Source

Sprint Adds $10 Data Surcharge for All, iPhone Related?

Remember that $10 data surcharge for Sprint customers that use the Evo 4G and Epic 4G? Now all Sprint unlimited data customers can enjoy that $10 solution! Here’s a clip from Sprint’s new terms and conditions:

Effective 1/30/11, all current and future 3G and 3G/4G smartphone activations will require the $10/month Premium Data Add-on charge. This allows Sprint to continue to offer simple and affordable unlimited data plans for our smartphone customers, while maintaining a wireless network able to meet the growing appetite for mobile data.

On the plus side, Sprint still offers truly unlimited data. Perhaps this surcharge will help the company maintain that (increasingly rare) service. The funny part is that some Internet writers have already pointed to a Sprint iPhone 4 as the cause of this “$10 surcharge for all!” party. I’m not buying that…but it does make a certain amount of sense…and Sprint is having David Blaine at its February event…. Nah, still not buying it.

What do you think of Sprint’s $10 solution? Do you think it’s iPhone related? Or is that just an Internet knee-jerk reaction?