Here it comes: iPad Mini sales start in New Zealand

With Apple's global launch of the iPad Mini set for 8am, November 2, plenty of consumers in New Zealand, where it's already Friday, will be busy testing out the new device.

When Apple announced that sales of the new iPad Mini would begin at 8am on November 2, residents of New Zealand hoping to get their hands on the new device knew they’d be the first to have the opportunity to do so, beating their San Francisco counterparts by 20 hours thanks to the beauty of time zones.

And so, as the sun goes down on the US on November 1, plenty of customers in the South Pacific country have already unboxed their diminutive iPad and have likely made up their mind as to whether it lives up to the hype.

As the Wall Street Journal points out, New Zealand doesn’t have an official Apple store, leaving resellers to deal with expectant Apple fans.

“I don’t know who will have what (products) where in New Zealand but the retailers will certainly be able to open their doors so people can come in and touch and play straight away,” Apple spokeswoman Fiona Martin told the WSJ.

Kiwi James Griffin tweeted a photo of himself holding aloft his new 7.9-inch iPad Mini, delivering his verdict a couple of hours later: “Love it! It’s the perfect size.”

The device marks Apple’s entry into the smaller-tablet market, taking on the likes of Google with its Nexus 7 tablet and Amazon with its range of Kindle Fire devices.

The Mini, however, is a pricier proposition than its rivals, with, for example, the $329 16GB model going for $130 more than the 16GB Nexus 7.

The latest addition to Apple’s range of gadgets is 53 percent thinner than the full-size iPad, and just 7.2mm thick. Apple decided to leave out its high-definition Retina display with the Mini’s 7.9-inch screen, going instead for a 1024 x 768 resolution with a pixel density of 163ppi.

Many industry watchers are interested to see to what extent sales of the Mini affect those of its big brother, and how that might impact Apple’s overall financial performance.

[via MacRumors]

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Windows 8 and New Apps Launched At Microsoft Event in New York

Image credit: Joanna Stern / ABC News

After 1.2 billion hours of testing, Windows 8 is ready. Or at least that’s what Microsoft came to New York City today to tell the media.

At an event on Pier 57, the company detailed its new operating system, which is meant for all sorts of computers, including tablets, laptops and desktops.

“This is the best release of Windows ever,” Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, said on stage.

Steven Sinofsky, president of Windows, detailed the new operating system and the momentum around it at the event. There will be more than 1,000 Windows 8 computers at launch, including tablets, ultrabooks, laptops and desktops. Starting tomorrow, Windows 8 will be available for download and pre-loaded on new computers and tablets.

Windows 8 is the biggest change to Windows since Windows 95, Sinofsky said on stage. While there is still the traditional desktop, it is really just an app on the new Start Screen. The new Start Screen is full of colorful tiles or apps, which you can buy in the new Windows Store. While much of the software is designed for touch, you can still use a mouse and keyboard with it. Office 2013 is also available for the operating system and has a new touch mode.

“You’re not going to find that phenomenal productivity experience on any other tablet,” Ballmer said when discussing the new Office.

Microsoft has received criticism in early reviews, including ours, of its own Surface RT tablet, about the lack of apps available in its store. “We see today as a grand opening and a very solid one. Developers are adding hundreds of new apps everyday,” Sinofsky said.

Today already a number of new apps have been added, including ABC News’ own app. Additionally there are new apps from The New York Times, Barnes & Noble, Amazon Instant Video, ABC television and Nickelodeon.

Check out our behind the scenes look at Windows 8. 

Source : abcnews[dot]go[dot]com

Squeezed out by Twitter, Tweetbot makers introduce the App.net-friendly version, Netbot

After Twitter's API restrictions hurt its alpha testing, Tweetbot makers went the developer-friendly route with Netbot, the App.net iPhone and iPad apps.

Fan-favorite iOS Twitter client Tweetbot recently announced it would be shutting down its alpha testing as a result of Twitter’s recent API restrictions. Initially, Tweetbot developer Tapbots reassured us all that the application would be just fine, and the team was working closely with Twitter on the project. Unfortunately that was not the case, as user tokens became limited and so did Tweetbot’s ability to functionally test its app.

So while Tweetbot for Mac waits in the proverbial wings, Tapbots decided to take action where it could – over at App.net. The anti-Twitter, microblogging platform has been developer-friendly from the get-go, launching in reaction to tide of API restrictions Twitter began whispering about early last summer. App.net recently announced it would be incentivizing — allowing developers to build for its platform by offering them a crack at a $20k pool.

App.net also recently dropped its user fees from $50 a year to $36 a year, or $5 a month. The quick assumption there is that the platform is trolling for new users as its initial hype begins to fade, but App.net is spinning this as good news, saying it’s nearing 20,000 users, easily surpassing its 10,000 paying members goal.

Of course, it’s still no Twitter – which, this summer, was estimated to have more than 300 million registered users. But given the platform’s distancing from developers, it’s only natural that app builders are starting to look elsewhere, Tapbots included.

Which is what brings us Netbot. “If you love Tweetbot and are on App.net, you’ll want Netbot,” co-founder Paul Haddad wrote in a blog post introducing the new client. “We’ve been working very closely with App.net. Their goals of always putting users first resonates with what we believe at Tapbots. Even though App.net is currently a small network, we expect big things from them and are proud to be a part of the community.”

Haddad says App.net is also working on bringing expected features like push notifications and private messaging to the platform, and once available, they will be integrated into Netbot as well.

Netbot for iPhone and iPad is available today (both cost $4.99 — Tweetbot for iPhone is $2.99, for the record), and the app is incredibly reminiscent of what we all fell in love with in Tweetbot for iPhone (the long-awaited iPad version was in the works when the Twitter hammer fell). App.net iOS users will absolutely want to turn to this client for their mobile use. Getting Tapbots – a very respected and creative team – on board with the platform speaks well of where mobile development for App.net is going and the kind of talent it’s attracting. But it’s important to remember that App.net is not a Twitter-as-we-know-it-now killer – it’s just trying to resurrect what Twitter was and could have been. 

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com