Steve Jobs hid iPad Development from Google's Eric Schmidt

Courtesy of MacTrast

There is no doubt that Jobs was furious when he saw Android's "pinch to zoom" feature while on a trip to Google's headquarters. Jobs reportedly hid Apple's iPad development from Google CEO, Eric Schmidt - even though Schmidt was on the board of directors at the time.

Steve Levy recently published a book about the complex relationship between Apple and Google. It specifically describes the battles between CEO's Steve Jobs and Eric Schmidt. In the book, you will be able to read about the in's and out's of Google and how they started as a company and how they started to get involved with Apple, Inc.

Now back to the original post:

Jobs was fairly upset towards Google because he felt they were "ripping off" some of the iPhone's best features and incorporating them into the Android OS. After the news of this, Jobs felt he wasn't able to trust Schmidt any longer, who, at the time, held a seat on Apple's board of directors, each of which held details of Apple's innovations in technology. Eventually, Schmidt stood down for Apple's board, and the iPad was released only 6 months later.

The book is available for order from Amazon and includes Jobs referring to Google's "Don't Be Evil" motto as "Bullshit".

The Sony Dash: Pros and Cons

Not too long ago, I was looking for a present to get my mom. I knew I wanted to get her some kind of tablet other than the iPad because that was just too expensive for me. So somehow, I came across this product: The Sony Dash. It seemed really cool and it was really cheap, compared to the Apple iPad, coming in at just around $200. It wasn't until I read more into it that I didn't really like and opted for something else.

PROS:

1. Completely customizable.
The Sony Dash comes with many different apps that you can download to add to your Sony Dash. Unlike the iPad, you are able to have a stream (such as Facebook or Twitter) on the home screen that updates it automatically. There's no need to have to wait to update just when you open the app; the Sony Dash updates itself in real-time.
2. Apps are completely free!
When I came across this piece of information in the FAQ, I was amazed that they offered all of their apps for free! If you tried to get all of the top apps on an iPad, you can easily find yourself up $5 for each app!

All for around $199.

This product only costs a mere $200! That amount of money at the Apple store won't get you anything except for accessories to their products.


CONS:

1. Listen to internet radio... what about my own?
Sony provides an internet radio app so that you can listen to your favorite radio station. They even say you can reach your photos and videos... online. The Dash does not actually store any kind of information. It has no storage at all. The only way to get to your own music, photos, or videos is if they are online.
2. How portable is this "tablet"?
If you go to the Sony Dash website and look through the pictures, you won't even see one that shows a power cord connected to the Dash. It wasn't until that I read on the FAQ pdf file that I realized it had to be connected to a power source the whole time it is on because it has no battery. This is directly from the FAQ page:

8. Is DASH™ portable? DASH™ does not have a battery and requires an AC power cord (included).

I don't know if it's just me, but I would have liked to know this on the original website instead of having to look through the FAQ page.
3. Read some of the reviews of the product. Some of the customers have said things like, "Waste of money", "Not Worth It", "Returning it after 2 weeks." It seems to me that most people aren't a big fan of Sony's product that's supposed to compete with the iPad.

If you have a Sony Dash yourself, leave a comment below and let me (and everybody else) what you think about it!

iPad 2 Review

With Apple’s recent announcement of the iPad 2 coming out on March 11th, many are waiting for the doors to open that day and be one of the first one’s to get their hands on the iPad 2. Until the launch, nobody will be able to know how it actually measures up to Apple’s description of it. On the Apple website, it seems to be an amazing product with it being 33% thinner, up to 15% lighter, a dual-core A5 chip, and front- and rear-facing cameras. But are these differences going to make the iPad 2 that much different than the first generation iPad? Here are some of the things that I found that I think you should know before purchasing one:

1. iPad 2 is lighter and thinner.
   
   Apple called this the all-new design for the iPad. The main physical appearance is that it is 33% thinner than before coming in a 8.8 mm. (That’s thinner than the iPhone 4.) You’ll also notice that it is 15% lighter than the first generation.
2. iPad 2 has FaceTime.
   
   It was expected that the iPad 2 would have the front-facing camera like the iPhone 4. (As well as the one on the back.) The rear-facing camera has the same resolution as the iPhone 4’s rear camera taking pictures in 720p. The only downside to the rear-facing camera is that it doesn’t have a flash like many other tablets contain.
3. iPad 2’s battery life stays the same.
   
   Even after the add-ons that Apple packed into the new sleek design, they were able to keep the same 10 hour battery life, with the also stated month-long stand-by time from Apple. (But who’s not gonna touch their iPad for a month?!)
4. iPad 2’s display stays the same as the first generation.
   
   While everybody was hoping for a larger-scale retina display, their hopes were put down with this iPad launch. The new iPad still has the same 9.7-inch display. It would definitely be expected for the third generation to have a better display.
5. iPad 2’s graphics will be amazing!
   
   During the much awaited announcement, Steve Jobs said the graphics capability will be 9 times that of the first generation iPad. That promises the improvement of games on the iPad as well as the fact that is now has the same gyroscope the iPhone 4 and latest iPod touch has.
6. iOS 4.3!
   
   The latest version of iOS ships with the iPad and will be available for iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod touch on 11 March. There’s faster Safari browsing performance; iTunes Home Sharing and thankfully an enhancement to AirPlay. Let’s hope it works now. (By the way, iPhone 4s can act as Wi-Fi hotspots too).
7. HDMI out.
   
   Like the HTC Evolution, the iPad will also have an HDMI out. Plug it into any HDTV and not only will it mirror what you do on your iPad, it’ll charge it while you do it. This feature will be great for those of you that like to use your Apple products for presentations and the like.
8. Shipments start on March 11th.
   
   You can order your iPad 2 on March 11th and it will be shipped to you from Apple for free! If you like to go into the stores to purchase your new product and not have to wait for it to arrive on your doorstep, Apple stores won’t start selling the device until 5pm on the 11th. But one advantage of getting it in-store, they offer free personal setup when you make your purchase.

So those are just some things that I found that helped me to make my decision to purchase the product. I’m excited to wait in line to buy mine and start using it! So what do you guys think? Is it worth the money to buy it or wait until iPad 3?