iPhone-Play Event @Plug&Play 4/8/10

This iPhone-Play event at the Plug&Play Tech Center in Sunnyvale will be all about the iPad. I will be introducing the new Tech-Series, a segment of talks that will be attached to the iPhone-Play events and highlight certain aspects of mobile/iPhone development. Tomorrow I will be speaking about the new possibilities of the iPad, highlighting three elements of the iPhone that are opening both new opportunities as well as challenges for developers. Examples of existing applications that make use of those new features will be shown. The talk is followed by a presentation of iPad applications in the main segment. For more info and registration see:
http://ipadplay.eventbrite.com

iPad has Landed!

This device is really nice and new - yes, you might not need it immediately, but once you hold one in your hands it changes your perspective. First, it has some weight to it that makes it not slip through your hands and it has a size that is right for it's job which creates an instant familiarity with the device. Next, gestures are really gestures as they allow you to move you hand in space (as opposed to little finger swipes on the phone). One thing you will notice too is that this is no iPhone as it has more space to display information and interacting with it has a very different quality to it: Just bringing up the keyboard - which in my opinion is not sufficient on the iPhone - allows you to easily type what you think. Finally, even turning the device felt very different in a positive way..... It will be interesting to see which applications will take advantage of those device specifics in a good way.

Waiting for the Launch of the iPad

These are exciting times: When was the last time a new device category was launched? Yes we remember the lines in front of stores for the Playstation 2 and 3 and iPhone, but this one is different, this is really a new device category that everybody seems to be curious about - at least that how it seems: Today by mid-afternoon there was a line forming already at the Apple Store in New York. Pre-orders have been strong (the delivery date was moved to April 12th due to strong demand) and rumors have it that even Apple seems more than surprised about the interest. If you count the apps in the app store right now there are already over 3,000 apps specially designed for the iPad in addition to the somwhat 170,000 existing apps that also run on the iPad of course. We will find out more tomorrow.