iOS 5.1 and the Cloud

A point of frustration to many iDevice owners is the software update process. Of course, since we're always looking for the next best thing, we're anxious to get our hands on the shiny new software updates that keep the engines on our iPads running smoothly. Unfortunately Apple does not offer support with software updates. Too often users are stuck with old software because their computer can't handle the update.

Without fail, each time a software update comes around, it coincides with an iTunes update. For people with slow internet connections the several hundred MB updates can take a long time to download. Beyond the iTunes update there is the sync, which again, is based on the quality and essentially "newness" of ones computer". Only after all that can you download the actual software update. That has all changed. While the update to iOS 5 was somewhat confusing to me (all my apps were gone), the update to iOS 5.1 was amazing.

We've been craving the Cloud for too long and Apple has finally answered out prayers. Being able to download and delete apps at a whim has been great. Being able to update software simply by clicking an on screen notification was a dream. So thanks go to Apple for getting this one right. The cloud has saved the day.  If only you provided support to the hundreds of thousands of users who haven't been able to update the software. If only.

Angry Birds Tips and Tricks

Angry Birds got you down?

We've all experienced it - long evenings, staying up late, your significant other hounding you to get off your smart phone or iPad. 

If you've learned the basics, just remember these five simple rules and you'll be knocking 'em down every time! A few tips to live by.

1. Visualize your attack

This takes practice but it is perhaps the most important tip to take in to any level in any version of Angry Birds.  Luck still certainly have a significant impact on your results but don't rely on it.  Haphazard planning results in haphazard results.  Look at the game field and your birds.  Design a plan of attack. It's easy to get frustrated and rush things - DON'T! Take a minute and think about it! Seal Team 6 spends the time to organize a plan and you KNOW their results.

2. Employ Paper and Pencil

This is most important for that one stubborn level that you can never quite beat.  It might sound silly but it will get you thinking about what will fall where and which birds will do the best damage to the resulting pile of rubble. Fall angles and trajectories are of critical importance. 

3.  Levels are designed to be beat

Impossible is not in the vocabulary of Chillingo or Rovio.  Sure they make some levels SEEM impossible, but they're not.  They're is always a way and always a way that, if done correctly, will work every.  Even if you can't figure it out yourself you can always;

4. Google it!

Picking up hints online is a perfectly reasonable approach to beating an app.  Don't lose sleep over something you can pick up with a quick search online.  You'll be amazed by the number of specific tricks you can find for every single level of every Angry Birds.

5. Destroy the wood

For the advanced Angry Birder it becomes more about points that anything else.  Points are what separates you from the rest of the pack.  The only way to maximize your points is to maximize destruction.  Once you've mastered levels, go back, pull out the pencil and paper and plan a more vicious attack on the scaffolding.

iPad 3 Rumors

It's no secret that Apple is planning a significant release before the end of the year. While it's not likely to be iPad 3, given that iPad 2 only showed up on stores less than 6 months ago, it likely will be iPhone 5. Having not announced a new iPhone at WWDC, Apple is overdue. This leads me to believe, unlike other articles, that the iPhone 5 design WILL be radically different. If the only change is the new A5 processor and updated camera, there was no reason to delay production when iPhone 4 has already become the most popular model. While Apple is likely to stay quiet on the future of the iPad for the time being, the new iOS update to version 5 promises gestures to replicate, if not replace the hardware on the iPhone.

While the schedules of new iPhone and iPad releases have been staggered, a new SDK has always provided some clues towards the direction in which each iDevice will take.

In addition to the added space afforded by eliminating the home button, Apple has also take out pattens which has led many to believe that screen space will be added to the sides of the phone.

With the exception of the retina almost all of the new design and functionality of new iPhones has manifested into the next generation iPad as well. While many signals point to iPhone 5 being the most radical change between iPhone version to date, the real blockbuster will be when the same design is adapted to iPad 3.