New video from OffBlock Films

I've mentioned in other articles about OffBlock Films, a film company that I started with Nic H. Over this last weekend, we worked on a short skit. Watch it below. Like, comment, share, anything you can do to get it out! Thanks for watching and enjoy!

iPad 3 teardown now avaible

An iPad 3 teardown is now available via iFixit. Check it out here or watch the video below:

iPad 3 released today

The long awaited iPad 3 hit the market today at 8 AM. It was released in 10 different countries simultaneously. Apple has reported that the pre-orders for the new iPad were "off the charts." As I've already written, the 3rd generation iPad will be $499 for the 16GB Wi-Fi version, the same as the previous prices for the iPad 2.

Google Logo 2012

I wanted to briefly post about a new contest that Google is doing for their next doodle. Google usually has doodles for their logo on special days. They are inviting kids from K-12 to create a doodle for this year's theme: "If I Could Travel In Time, I'd Visit..." The winning artist will receive $30,000 for college and a $50,000 grant for their school, as well as having his/her doodle featured on Google.
There are a couple of rules:

1. The drawing can be made with pen, pencil, crayon, paint, or computer drawing software. However, Google is not accepting 3D designs.
2. The Google logo has to be clearly visible in the doodle.
3. Only U.S. citizens can enter.
4. One doodle per student, and no doodles from parents.
5. Entries must be postmarked by March 20th and received by March 23rd. 

The winning doodle will be featured on the Google homepage on May 18, 2012. More information can be found at the Doodle 4 Google homepage or on the Doodle 4 Google FAQs page.

iPad 3 announcement keynote video available

This morning, the new iPad was unveiled. As usual, Apple didn't stream the event. However, the keynote video is now available via Apple's website. You can watch it here. Take a look!

iOS 5.1

Along with the new iPad, iOS 5.1 was released today. It contains several improvements for iOS 5, including battery bug fixes, and Siri support for Japanese. iOS 5.1 has been in beta for a couple months now, so it's no surprise that Apple released iOS 5.1 with the new iPad. This is a milestone update, because it is the first update that iOS users can receive "over the air". iOS 5.1 will not require a computer to install, unlike all previous updates.

Other features of iOS 5.1 include:

•   Genius Mixes and playlist for subscribers of iTunes Match
•   Optimized audio for movie playback via the iPad
•   Podcast controls and 30-second rewind button for the iPad
•   Updated AT&T network indicator
•   A fix for audio dropping for outgoing calls

The new iPad

The iPad 3 was announced this morning! Several new features were announced. The majority of the new features were hardware-based and not software.

The biggest and most rumored feature was the famed Retina display. The new iPad (there is no actual name) now features a higher than HD screen. 2048 x 1536, to be exact. It has 3.1 million pixels. "The most ever in a mobile device." Phil Schiller says, "This presents a problem for us in presenting it to you. For the first time, an iPad has a higher resolution than the entire display behind you...that's a fun challenge." That is crazy!

The new iPad also has a dual core A5X processor with quad core graphics. I saw a demo of the new iPad on TWiT. It looks great and seems very fast!

The next big feature was an upgrade to the camera on the iPad. The rear facing camera is 5 megapixels, enough to shoot full 1080p video. The camera is the same setup as the iPhone 4S. It features a 5 element lens, a hybrid IR filter, and video stabilization.

Apple also released the iPad on 4G LTE. Unfortunately, there are two different versions of the iPad, one for Verizon and one for AT&T. However, there will still be 3G support, so when you are roaming, you can use 3G networks. Apple also announced that you can create a personal hotspot with your iPad, but only if your carrier supports it.


And the best thing, the pricing:

Not only can you get the new iPad for the same price as the iPad 2, Apple is still keeping the iPad 2 around, for a $100 discount. Apple pushed the iPad in the iBooks Author announcement as a textbook replacement. Now, "So many more schools can afford this." with the iPad 2 price drop. The new iPad is available for pre-order today, and will be available in the United States and several other countries on March 16th.

This was an interesting announcement. We did also see a new Apple TV, but it wasn't the full TV set that Apple has been rumored to have been working on. The new Apple TV has 1080p support, still maintains the same form factor, and still costs $99. Many of the rumors came true, but some rumors, such as an A6 processor, or iOS 6, are still in the future. 

iPad 3 Live streams

The iPad 3 announcement is this morning in San Francisco. You can find several live streams and live blogs. TWiT is providing live coverage via Ustream.  You can also tune into another Ustream live video feed courtesy of AppleKeynotes. TechCrunch has a Ustream feed. If you want to follow along the old fashioned way, there's also a live blog on Cnet. Hope you enjoy the event!! I can't wait!!

OffBlock Films' first Youtube video

My last post was about OffBlock Films. I wanted to update you about our progress. We've posted our first Youtube video. It's a video of Lightazmic's light show synced to Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "Wizards in Winter." Watch it below:

OffBlock Films

Some of you may know that I started a film company not too long ago with my friend Nic. We have finally got the website finished, so go check it out at OffBlock Films.