A hip, straightforward guide to squeezing every bit of functionality from the iPad 2Apple's new iPad 2 offers new functionality, WiFi or 3G connectivity, a choice of data plans, and a new and more powerful iOS 4 operating system in a thinner, lighter device. This book shows how to get the most from every feature. It covers the two front- and rear-facing cameras, advice on using the multitouch display, and the pros and cons of WiFi vs. 3G. Then it explores video chatting with FaceTime, streaming music and movies to your HDTV, tips on shooting HD video, how to sync the iPad to your computer and transfer content, and much more.
- With its advanced iOS 4 operating system, the iPad 2 offers new functionality, two cameras, WiFi and 3G connectivity, and the availability of thousands of apps
- This book explains how to evaluate and choose a data plan as well as how to set up your iPad 2 with iTunes, transfer content, and sync the iPad with your computer
- Covers downloading movies, music, and iBooks; buying or renting TV shows; managing e-mail, calendars, and to-do lists; and using built-in productivity apps
- Explores video chatting, taking photos and HD video, accessing social media, finding hotels and restaurants, and even how the iPad can make learning more fun for kids
Get all you paid for in your iPad 2 with the advice in this book!
From the Author: iPad 2 Fully Loaded Extras--Games
I don’t only read books or do business on the iPad, but once in a while, I like to spend a little time playing games.
Angry Birds, Angry Birds Seasonable, Angry Birds Rio
This deceptively simple game and the spinoffs have cost me hours... maybe days of my life. The premise is simple, just shoot the birds using a slingshot at the “buildings†and knock out the pigs. Sounds simple, but it can be frustrating and really difficult to stop. No matter how crazy the appeal of this game might be, it’s still a whole lot of fun and every time a new version comes out, I immediately download them to my iPad.
Scrabble for iPad
I have talked about this app before, and it is one of the only apps that once it was on my iPad, it has never left. The scrabble game for the iPad is a really slick app that brings the look and feel of the traditional board game to the device. You can play with Facebook friends, on a local network or pass and play, which allows up to 4 people to play using the same iPad. The only downside to me is the music, which I turn down so that I can think more clearly. Doesn’t help that much since the computer still seems to have a better vocabulary that I do and wins most of the games I play.
Plants vs Zombies HD
I played this game on the iPhone and had a blast defending my home with plants from the seemingly endless stream of zombies. The iPad version is even better since you have a bigger screen. The premise is simple, plant a variety of plants that will destroy the zombies before they reach your house. You get to protect your front yard, then once you have the hang of that, it’s time to protect the back yard and roof. This game is as addictive as the Angry Birds and I hope to see a sequel soon.
Starfall
This is a space themed tower defense game and has great graphics, addictively easy game-play, and really has a good balance between too easy and too tough. All you have to do is place your towers in a way to defeat the incoming spaceships. As you progress through the game, you can spend your experience points on upgrades. So everybody’s experience with the game will be different depending on what you upgrade and when.
Infinity Blade
If you want a game to show off the capabilities of the iPad 2, then this is the one for you. It is just beuatifuly done with sharp grapphics and engaging gameplay. Thisis a fantasy role playing game that is quiet violent since you are swing a sword or other medievil weapon for most of the game play. This also one of the first games to use the desktop gaming Unreal engine on the iPAd and they did a great job. So if a little sword swinging sounds like a good time to you, then check this game out.
From the Author: iPad 2 Fully Loaded Extras—For Photographers
I love my iPad and iPad 2, but as a professional photographer, I really want to use the iPad in a productive way. There are two new apps that really take sorting and editing your images on the iPad to a new level: Photosmith and Filterstorm Pro.
Photosmith
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Photosmith |
The iPad has always been a big hit with photographers and this app will really please those of us who use Adobe Lightroom on our computers to sort out images. The idea behind this app is pretty simple, you can use Photosmith to review your images on the iPad, then add to custom collections, filter by selectable criteria, assign metadata and sort by that metadata. One more really impressive feature is the ability to see a full 1:1 zoom even of the biggest RAW files.
There are three views in the Photosmith App. The first one is the Grid View, which shows the thumbnails of your current images and the list of your collections. Just tap on the new collection button to create a new collection, then just drag and drop the thumbnails into the new collection. Photos can be tagged and have keywords added. Now when you sync the Photosmith app back to your computer, you can run the Photosmith Plugin and the collections from the iPad will be synced over.
The second view is the Loupe View, which allows you to rotate the image, auto advance, mark as reject, color label, rate with stars (1-5), view the EXIF data and edit any of the IPTC fields. When you are done editing, just swipe to the next photo.
The third view is the Full Screen View. This view allows you to use the screen to its maximum effect and makes the controls as small as possible. There are three little tag choices over on the right side. This allows you to mark the image as rejected, label it with Red, Yellow, Green, Blue or Purple and give it a 1-5 star rating. Then just swipe to see the next photo.
This app really is a great tool for photographers who use Adobe Lightroom and makes editing on the go a breeze.
Filterstorm Pro
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Filterstorm |
I have written about Filterstorm 2 in the iPad Fully Loaded book but now the same company has released Filterstorm Pro, which not only has a great set of editing tools, but also allows you to do batch image processing and can work with all the RAW file types supported by Apple. There are over 20 editing tools available in the Filterstorm Pro app.
Filterstorm Pro was written o work with both the original iPad and the iPad 2. There are some differences due to the increased memory and processing power of the iPad 2. The original iPad can export images up to ~7.5 Megapixels while the iPad 2 can export images up to ~22 Megapixels.
Since the Filterstorm app was designed for photojournalists it was important to make sure that the IPTC data could be added or edited. The following data can all be edited: Caption, Headline, Title (byline), Keywords, Instructions, Subject, Category, Supplemental Category, Caption Writer, Creator, Source, Provider, Image City, Image State, Image Country, Image Country Code, Copyright, Usage, Star Rating, JobID, Job Title, Contact Address, Contact City, Contact Postal Code, Contact Country, Contact E-mail, Contact Website, Contact Phone