The ultimate in interactive elements has arrived in the form of The Elements for iPad. I was a little late getting to this app seeing as how it came out at the iPad launch, but I am really soaking up what the Elements has to offer now. It’s is basically an interactive book made by the folks at Periodic Table. They make printed books, etc for the education market around the world. This is their first foray into the iPad/iPhone and I have to tell you; wow. I wish they had this stuff when I was a kid.

The way The Elements works is you have a complete listing of the periodic table of elements in front of you. These objects are not just photos of the elements, but actual 3D renders that move. Tap on an element and it takes you to that element’s custom page of discovery.

The element page consists of a big render of the element or an example of it’s use on the left of the screen and all the information you could want to know on the right including the atomic radius, structure, weight, density and more of the element. WolframAlpha provides additional information and proves to be an awesome resource.

The bottom right corner gives you additional navigational tools. Tap the right arrow to bring up more information about the element along with even more 3D renders of the the element or it’s uses. You can spin/rotate all of the element examples in real-time; there are over 500 renders in this app. You also get a detailed history and story about each element to give even more insight. Of course just having interactive 3D renders aren’t enough. No, double tap a render and you are presented with a fullscreen object. Tap the double circle icon and you can view the object stereoscopically. Focus your eyes, you can see a “real” 3D render of the object. Of course, some of us just can’t do that. So The Elements gives you a convenient link to order the special 3D glass for $4.95. That is rather cool. I can imagine students sharing the glasses to examine all of the elements in this way and it is really exciting to see the future of interactive education for students.

Alas, there is always another side to the story and regretfully this app has crashes constantly even with the most recent update. I so am looking forward to a few more updates to make it ultra-stable.

The newly formed company TouchPress is responsible for creating The Elements and are on a mission to make more books like this one. What is on my wish list? The human body and the universe, I can’t wait.

[$13.99- iTunes Link]

Pros

• Fantastic view of the elements in our world
• Unparalleled level of involvement and depth for this subject matter
• Background on the element and its uses
• Wolfram Alpha integration

• Hefty size, almost 2GB
• Crashes constantly

The Elements for iPad- app review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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There’s a legitimate argument to be made for leaving the iPhone and going to Android, but Newsweek’s Dan Lyons (aka Fake Steve Jobs) utterly, bitterly failed to make it last week in his column on switching from Apple to Google’s mobile platform.

It was so outlandish I wrote most of this up and then decided not to use it, but a combination of slow news day (US holiday) and some of the switcher and technorati commentary that’s followed made me reconsider reconsidering. So here it is. And before you start calling me an “Apple fanboy” or apologist, I’d preface it by saying we have one heck of an Android team here at SPE, led by Phil Nickinson, and each and every one of them could have nailed a switcher article with style and grace — what Newsweek ran did just as much a disservice to Android as it did the iPhone.

Okay, so Lyons feels the new version of Android 2.2, Froyo, “blows the doors” off the iPhone OS. Only Froyo hasn’t shipped to consumers yet, just like Apple’s next generation operating system, iPhone OS 4, hasn’t shipped to consumers yet. (We’ll see the final version of iPhone OS 4 at WWDC next Monday.)

Flash is one of the first things Lyons mentions. Froyo will support it, Apple has said it will decidedly not. Apple’s point is at least understandable given their usual behavior. Google’s reeks of being reactionary and tactical. Apple is a controlling company exerting control by not allowing Flash. Google is a company that has championed open web standards suddenly throwing full throated support behind a proprietary plug-in which is not open. If anything, I’d of expected Google (and even more so Palm) to take the lead against Flash and towards HTML5.

But politics makes strange bedfellows.

Lyons says Froyo beats OS 4 because it supports tethering (which he lumps in with the separate but admittedly far more interesting mobile hotspot service), and Apple and AT&T do not. He’s halfway right there. Somewhat. The iPhone has supported tethering for almost a year, since iPhone OS 3.0 shipped in June 2009. AT&T has chosen not to offer it. And guess what? AT&T could easily choose not to offer Android 2.2 tethering either and just strip it out. Or they could choose to offer it and charge for it. So could any other carrier. Case in point, mobile hotspot for the EVO 4G on Sprint will cost you. The pipes belong to the carrier, you can’t complain bitterly about Apple’s penchant for control when one of the issues you’re complaining about involves an area where users suffer due to the lack of Apple control.

I use free iPhone tethering on Rogers HSPA 7.2 all the time. It’s fantastic.

Froyo’s ability to let you buy songs over the air (OTA) and download them directly to your phone is likely awesome. It’s been awesome on the iPhone since OS 3.0 as well. Tap iTunes Store, tap the song you want, and it downloads directly. Apple thought it was important enough to give up the $0.99 price point for and it’s nice Lyons finally learns about it via Google I/O nearly a year later. Streaming songs from your music library is also great in Froyo, and something iPhone OS leaves for 3rd party apps, which previously included Simplify, and app bought by Google, likely to power their streaming. Smart move.

Why doesn’t Apple do this directly? I’d like them too as well. Now that Google has removed Simplify from the App Store, maybe they will. Maybe it will involve the iTunes.com service they’re rumored to be working on. Either way, right now it’s not there. Fair point.

Lyons lauds Google’s tone towards Apple at Google I/O. The tone where Andy Rubin likened Apple to North Korea. The tone where Vic Dundotra said Google developed Android because they “faced a draconian future where one man, one company, one carrier would be our future.” — which was utterly laughable considering Google bought (not developed) Android 2 years before Apple announced the iPhone and 3 years before Apple announced the App Store (which Google CEO Eric Schmidt was on Apple’s board of directors!). Never mind Google’s position in search and online advertising is far, far scarier than Apple’s tiny share of the smartphone market.

Google didn’t come off as mature or professional in any of those statements. They came off as frightened and duplicitous, and it was disappointing given the strength and growth of Android.

A proud, straightforward Google would have admitted that both open and closed models have their good and bad points. Apple’s control gives them a remarkable user experience but results in frustration for segment of their developer community and user base. Google’s open platform gives them amazing diversity but results in fragmentation (not legacy) that also frustrates a segment of their developer community and user base. There’s no magic model. Everything is about making choices. If that makes Apple North Korea it makes Google any of a number anarchistic, warlord-strewn territories. Hyperbole is unfortunately just another double-edged sword.

He also trots out the Q1 results of Android outselling iPhone in the US. Where the iPhone is on one carrier and Android is on almost 4 (we don’t really count that AT&T Backflip, do we?). Where the iPhone has been on the market since the previous summer and Verizon had just given the then-brand-new Droid a huge marketing push. Where users on Verizon desperate for an iPhone that still hadn’t gone CDMA, and not willing to go Storm, had not competent touch-screen rival other than Android. In markets like Canada and the UK where the Droid (Motorola Milestone) competes directly against the iPhone on the same carriers, the results haven’t been the same. That’s another difference between Apple’s “one phone” and Google’s “many phones” model — there’s no direct comparison.

Lyons finishes with a bizarre diatribe against Apple and Steve Jobs and another conflation of AT&T into his argument against the iPhone.

The reality is Apple and Google (and others) are giant corporations who keep control over what makes them money (Apple hardware and ecosystem, Google search and advertising) and use open, free offerings to compete in areas that don’t make them money. Neither are good or evil, neither are better than the other.

There’s a legitimate case to be made for someone switching from iPhone to Android — deep integration of Google services, especially in the US where Navigation and Voice are included, CDMA options in the US, a less regulated application market, form factors that include a keyboard, etc.

Lyons just doesn’t make that argument. He doesn’t even try.

[Newsweek]

Fake Steve goes Android for fake reasons is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Marware Eco-Vue case brings executive leather folio look-and-feel to iPad

Make no mistake, the Marware Eco-Vue case for the iPad [$42.95] is the executive option for iPad cases. It’s the leather bound Cadillac. It’s the finely appointed Benz. No, I’m not writing a luxury car review, but that’s kind of how this case feels. The quality is excellent — it smells excellent. Deep black leather with crisp white stitching on the outside sandwiches your iPad providing a think layer of plush protection, softer gray microfiber swaddles it inside while still granting access to hardware buttons and ports. There’s also a clear screen protector included to keep the display safe.

A thin elastic band lets you secure the Marware Eco-Vue closed or flipped back and open. There’s a leather strap that folds over the top and tucks in to keep your iPad from falling out. I’m paranoid so it didn’t de-stress me to the level a snap or velcro or some other form of security would have, but it’s long enough and the friction is high enough that the iPad stays put. It’s leather-glove tight inside either, which will annoy perfectionists but does make getting the iPad in and out far easier. Since I haven’t seen a dock yet that will work with this size case, that could be a plus for those who want to take their iPad out every once and a while.

Inside the Marware Eco-Vue’s front cover are a couple of highly useful extras. An elastic leather strap lets you slip one hand inside so you can carry the iPad around and tap away with the other hand without worrying it will slip and fall. A stand folds out to let you prop it up on a table to create a better typing angle. A magnet keeps it from flopping around when not in use. Smart. So smart I kind of wish a magnet was also used to keep the case closed, though the elastic is certainly more traditional.

And if you’re wondering about the Eco in the name, Marware says it’s made out of substances healthier for the environment and meets RoHS standards.

On the negative side, luxury comes at a price and in this case the price is bulk. The Marware Eco-Vue isn’t a skin, it isn’t a film, it’s a fairly hefty leather bound folio. If 1.5lbs of iPad is already dragging you down, this won’t help (hitting the weights might). I found the protection worth it, and didn’t even use a bad with the Marware. I just closed it, secured the elastic, and carried my iPad around like a book. That way, the net total was a lighter, more portable, if somewhat Yuppy-esque solution.

I’ve heard some complaints that there’s nowhere inside the Marware Eco-Vue to carry a paper notebook and pen. Sure. Okay. That’s valid. I got an iPad so I’d never have to use pen and paper on the go again, but for those of you who want to take the old and the new with you, Marware doesn’t offer that option. Nor is there a place to stick some business cards. It’s also black only at the moment, so if you prefer your leather in Indiana Jones brown, you’re out of luck.

Other than those gripes I’ve been very impressed, and I’m decidedly not the type of person who usually likes the leather fold-over case form factor. (See Sikora, Jeremy). I’ve actually been using it more than what’s required to review it and I have a sneaky suspicion that means it’s won me over.

If you’re looking for a smart, sexy iPad case that offers both protection and panache, look no further — the Marware Eco-Vue has you covered.

Check out the Marware Eco-Vue on the TiPb iPad accessory store…

Marware Eco-Vue for iPad pros

• Excellent craftsmanship
• Good level of protection
• Includes hand-strap and stand

Marware Eco-Vue for iPad cons

• Adds bulk
• No additional pockets/slots for pens, cards, etc.

Marware Eco-Vue for iPad rating

Marware Eco-Vue for iPad video review

YouTube link

Marware Eco-Vue for iPad gallery

Marware Eco-Vue case for iPad – accessory review is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Following last Friday’s first international launch, Apple today announced that they’ve sold 2 million iPads in under 2 months.

Apple began shipping iPad in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland and the UK this past weekend. iPad will be available in nine more countries in July and additional countries later this year.

"Customers around the world are experiencing the magic of iPad, and seem to be loving it as much as we do," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "We appreciate their patience, and are working hard to build enough iPads for everyone."

Jobs has often quoted the saying, “great artists ship”. One of Apple’s strengths is actually shipping product. The other is selling it.

Apple sells 2 million iPads in less than 2 months is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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With the flood of iPhone HD/iPhone 4G prototypes and spare parts turning up it was only a matter of time before someone put the screen under a microscope and began counting pixels, and yes — it looks to be the ultra-sharp 960×640 pixel display we’ve been drooling over for a while now.

It also looks to be an IPS panel like the iPad and latest generation iMacs, which means those glorious dots will have an equally glorious field of view.

WWDC 2010 and the presumed official unveiling is just a week away!

[superiphone.cz via Engadget]

Microscope confirms iPhone HD/iPhone 4G has 960×640 screen? is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

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Best of Smartphone Experts, 30 May 2010 is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog