iPad Passcode Lock Basic Security Flaw
If you are a bit paranoid, like me, you certainly protect the access to your iPad via the Passcode Lock (available under Settings > > General > > Passcode Lock). While using our iPads earlier today, we uncovered an unexpected, low tech security flaw associated with this feature. If you haven’t played with the Passcode Lock yet, the feature is basically designed to prevent unauthorized access to your iPad by asking for a 4 digits code, each time the iPad is woken up. Each digit is comprised between 0 and 9, so the total number of possibilities is 10,000, and it is fair to assume that it would take a while for someone to guess your passcode, especially given that the iPad goes into a protected mode for some time if you enter too many erroneous passcodes. However, the number of actual possibilities can be greatly reduced, because of the combination of these 2 basic flaws: The location of the Passcode Lock window, which never changes The smudges the end users leave on their screen If you don’t clean your iPad screen often enough, smudges quickly appear, especially in locations where you happen to tap a lot, just like the Passcode Lock window. And since the window always shows up at the same place, the smudges tend to accumulate exactly on the digits used to unlock your iPad. By looking at the screen at an angle in a luminous room, it is very easy to discover which digits are used the most, and if like me you happen to use a 4 different digits combination for your passcode, the number of possibilities for an intruder to figure out your key goes from 10,000 to… 24! Trying the 24 combinations takes less than 5 minutes, even if you trigger the protected mode by typing too many erroneous codes. In order to protect your iPad, try to use the same digit twice (for instance, 9313), as this will prevent a wannabe intruder from being able to use this method. Most of all, clean your screen as often as you can. Hopefully the next iPhone OS update will “randomize” the location and/or the order of the digits of the Passcode Lock window, in order to avoid the issue once and for all. Tags : flaw , lock , passcode , security Category : iPad News Powered by WizardRSS | Full Text RSS Feeds
Proporta Introduces Eco Friendly iPad Case
If you’re an iPad owner that’s environmentally conscious, you’re in luck! The Proporta Apple iPad Recycled Leather Case might be your ticket. Proporta, a British company that manufactures and sells gadget accessories, introduced their plan to positively impact the environment yesterday. The Proporta Smart line includes a number of eco friendly gadget cases made from sustainable bamboo, recycled leather and hessian.
Nowadays lots of people try to do what they can to be environmentally friendly. Whether you buy local produce at the grocery store, recycle your trash or drive a hybrid vehicle, there are plenty of ways to make an impact. Many companies are also jumping on the “green” bandwagon by making an effort to become more eco-friendly.
Proporta, with its Proporta Smart line, is one such example. They’ve done extensive research and looked “at every aspect, from the drawing board to the manufacturing supply chain,” in an attempt to not only reduce their carbon footprint but create a quality product. Not only has Proporta used recycled and sustainable materials to produce their products, but they’ve also reduced the amount of packaging and created ways to integrate packaging materials into the products themselves.
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Facebook Integration on iPhone OS 4?
Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) is coming up next month (June 7 – 11). As many of us are aware, this is the time of the year when Apple’s creative developers get together. This is the big event where Apple engineers present to the development community advanced coding and development techniques to help them learn how to enhance the capabilities of their apps. This year is shaping up as a promising event. We all know about the iPad’s success and number of apps already in the App Store. We have also heard, plenty, about the upcoming iPhone. So, the expectations are high for this year, since developers will get a chance to hear about the latest advancements in iPhone OS 4. There is a rumor floating around, that Apple is expected to announce Facebook integration as part of iPhone OS 4. According to sources obtained by Silicon Alley Insider , the announcement will be made at next month’s WWDC. We have not heard of specific features or implementation details. The rumors are mostly related to a few Facebook integration areas. There is a possibility Facebook contact syncing gets added to the iPhone OS 4. Another area being rumored, is the inclusion of Facebook Connect in parts of the iPhone OS 4. This would allow developers to connect to Facebook from within their apps to post messages, photos, status updates to a user’s account. As of now, there is no Facebook native-iPad app. Facebook HQ has not released anything. We know about the iPhone app, but the look and feel on the iPad does not feel right. There are several options for you in the App Store that could provide bits and pieces of Facebook. Of course, you can always go to the Facebook website directly via your iPad. We do not know if Apple wants to move towards feature parity since other mobile operating systems have offered Facebook integration for some time. But for now, everything should be considered as a rumor. All we know is that Facebook has over 400 million users , and people seem to be spending over 500 billion minutes per month on Facebook. This is a big addressable market for developers and their apps. Who knows, maybe Apple surprises all of us at WWDC. Tags : facebook , Facebook for iPad , iPhone OS4 Category : iPad News Powered by WizardRSS | Full Text RSS Feeds
Bento for iPad – App Review
FileMaker just released Bento for iPad and we wanted to give it a sping. We have been using the Mac version of Bento here at PadGadget to track new iPad applications and accessories and to schedule our editorial calendar. I was eager to try out Bento for the iPad to see how it would fit into our workflow and how it could enhance the way we operate. When you first launch Bento , you’re presented with the home screen where you can create a new database or get a guided tour of the Bento app. Being the adventurous type, I jumped right in and opted to start using Bento without reading the manual or tutorial. The iPad version of Bento follows in the footsteps of the Mac and iPhone versions and was simple to learn and easy to start using within a few minutes. After tapping the “Start using Bento” button you’re presented with a demo database so you can start playing with Bento’s many features. One of the first things that struck me, was the beautiful “real world” themes Bento uses for your database. The demo database was presented as a leather notebook complete with leather textures, stitching and paper. You have a choice of three built-in themes; leather notebook, clipboard or a modern stone look. FileMaker’s approach of using real world materials gives Bento a very polished feel. Bento for iPad’s themes Creating a new database is a snap. To get going quickly, you can choose from 25 pre-designed templates covering school, work, home and community. Once you’ve selected a template you can either get to work entering your data or you can customize the fields and layout to get a look and feel you like. Bento’s template library Bento does a very nice job of handling a wide range of information you might want to store, including photos and movies. Adding photos from the iPad is straightforward; simply select a photo field in your database and a “Saved Photos” pop-up menu appears where you can select a photo from your iPad’s photo album. We especially liked they way you can store e-mail and web addresses with Bento. One of my favorite features is the ability to browse a web link or send an e-mail without having to leave Bento, this is a great time saver for us here at PadGadget since we’re constantly tracking new iPad product introductions and maintaining correspondence with partners. If you use Bento on your Mac, you’re going to love the wireless sync feature. Setting up the wireless sync is very intuitive. There is a menu option on the iPad to “Sync with a New Computer” and you follow a few easy steps and your Mac and iPad are now in sync. You can update the database copies at any time by selecting the “Sync Now” option from the iPad. Wireless sync is quick and much more convenient than having to drag out a USB cable to sync things with your Mac. We’d love to see more iPad apps follow Bento’s approach. Bento is a great addition to the iPad and is one of the most polished apps we seen. We’ve been a long time Bento user on the Mac and Bento for iPad is the perfect compliment. What I liked: Great way to store, track and organize your information. Slick design with a wide range of templates and themes. The application works in both landscape and portrait modes and the wireless sync features with the Mac sets the bar for data sync on the iPad. What I didn’t like: Lacks an undo command. No export options besides wireless syncing. Syncing only works with a Mac. To buy or not to buy: If you’re a Mac owner with an iPad and want to organize or track your data, then Bento is one of the best apps out there and definitely worth $4.99. App Name: Bento for iPad Developer: FileMaker Version: 1.0 Category: Productivity Price: $4.99 Score: Tags : application , Bento , database , featured , Filemaker , Review Category : App Reviews , iPad News , iPad for Work Powered by WizardRSS | Full Text RSS Feeds
Adobe Loves Apple – Well, Kinda
Adobe did not seem to appreciate Steve Jobs’ “Thought on Flash” letter , and decided to retaliate via a “we love Apple” ad campaign – and surprise surprise, its very own open letter . Do not be fooled, the ads may look sweet, but are definitely sour, as Adobe praises the values both Apple and Adobe share, such as creativity and innovation, but ends its ads with this simple statement: “What we don’t love is anybody taking away your freedom to choose what you create, how you create it, and what you experience on the web”. Adobe’s founders and Chairmen, Chuck Geschke and John Warnock, stress in their letter that open markets are in the best interests of developers, and restrictions applied by folks like Apple limit creativity and innovation. In their closing statement, the co-founders state: “In the end, we believe the question is really this: Who controls the World Wide Web? And we believe the answer is: nobody — and everybody, but certainly not a single company”. While the values praised by the ads and the letter are commendable, we are not completely convinced that they really apply to Adobe, or Apple for that matter. Both of them praise openness and creativity as the main reason to use their respective platforms, but there is a lot of speculation about both companies’ real motives. We believe in open standards and think that ultimately, consumers will decide which of the two will provide the best eco-system. Tags : Adobe , Apple , feud Category : iPad News Powered by WizardRSS | Full Text RSS Feeds
After Prom iPad Raffle
Senior Prom has been a tradition in US schools for generations. Boys and girls dress to the nines, go to dinner and enjoy an evening of dancing and fun. Each school has its own traditions and many of them include After Prom events. These events offer students a place to go and hang out with friends instead of engaging in less favorable activities. Always a good thing at that age! Apparently Haverford High School in Pennsylvania is trying the high tech approach in order to attract students to their BLAST (Best and Last of All Senior Times) event this year. Despite a decrease in the number of volunteers and donations, the culmination of this event will include a 4:30 AM raffle with several prizes, the top ones being an iPad, iPod Touch and 19-inch HD TV/DVD combo. Now that’s the way to end your senior year and don’t worry, they must be present to win! Tags : After Prom Event , BLAST , High School , prom , raffle Category : iPad News , iPad for Moms , iPad for Students Powered by WizardRSS | Full Text RSS Feeds
iPad Users Have to Wait for Hulu
If you’re waiting to watch Hulu on your iPad, it looks like you’ll need to wait a bit longer. Eugene Wei, VP of Product at Hulu announced on their blog that they will stick with Flash and not move to HTML5 in the near term.
“Let me address a related topic that’s been in the news a lot recently: HTML5. Plenty of users and members of the press ask about this topic all the time…We continue to monitor developments on HTML5, but as of now it doesn’t yet meet all of our customers’ needs.”
This of course means iPhone, iPod and iPad users will still not be able to view any video from Hulu’s site for the foreseeable future. Hulu has been one of the top websites demanded by many of our readers.
Hulu’s announcement is a bit surprising as rival site CBS.com announced they would have all their CBS.com video available for the iPad this fall thanks to an HTML5 site redesign. Of course Hulu could decide to release a dedicated iPad app, much the same way ABC has done with their hit app, to deliver their video programming to iPad and iPhone owners.
We would be surprised if Hulu stays on the sideline much longer while rivals continue to release programming for iPhone and iPad users. This market is simply becoming to large and valuable for media companies to ignore.
iWork Suite – Major Updates Available
Apple has updated the iPad iWork suite, bringing each application to version 1.1. Some of the major updates give Pages support for several new languages, including Dutch, French, German, Japanese, Italian, Russian, Spanish and simplified Chinese. This becomes quite handy for future owners overseas, who will get their new toy starting on May 28. The Numbers app will get the same language updates, and a series of fixes related to importing and exporting spreadsheets. The Keynote app will also get the same language updates, and some fixes around importing PowerPoint and Keynote 2009 files. The following is a high-level summary of the new fixes available to you in v1.1: Pages App Support for French, German, Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Russian, Simplified Chinese, and Spanish Enhanced Back/Front slider in the Arrange panel Improves reliability when exporting Microsoft Word documents Toolbar and ruler are now available in wide-screen landscape view Documents automatically fit to page width in landscape view Addresses issues with exporting documents previously imported from Microsoft Word Fixes an issue with text wrapping in Microsoft Word after exporting a document with a frame around an image Addresses a chart font size issue when exporting documents previously imported from Microsoft Word Resolves an issue with scrolling after inserting and playing a movie Numbers App Support for French, German, Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Russian, Simplified Chinese, and Spanish Enhanced Back/Front slider in the Arrange panel Improves reliability when importing Numbers 2009 spreadsheets Addresses a chart font size issue when exporting spreadsheets previously imported from Microsoft Excel Fixes an issue when formatting a table pasted from Keynote or Pages Addresses an issue where formulas did not properly update when dragging and dropping cells Fixes an issue with applying a new style to a table in a template after an Undo Keynote App Support for French, German, Japanese, Dutch, Italian, Russian, Simplified Chinese, and Spanish Enhanced Back/Front slider in the Arrange panel Added the option to show additional alignment guides at smaller intervals Improves reliability when importing Keynote 2009 presentations Improves reliability when importing Microsoft PowerPoint presentations Addresses a chart font size issue when exporting presentations previously imported from Microsoft PowerPoint Fixes an issue preventing access to some table cell color fills in landscape mode with an external keyboard Tags : iWork updates , keynote , numbers , pages Category : iPad News Powered by WizardRSS | Full Text RSS Feeds
