The HP Slate–almost by default–stands out as a more business-oriented platform, if for no other reason than its ties to the Windows 7 operating system. The iPad, which comes across more like an iPod Touch with a thyroid disorder, can certainly be used in some ways within a business context, but it is clearly designed for delivering entertainment media and information to consumers.

Comparing the HP Slate against the Apple iPad based on Flash support is like comparing a Jeep Cherokee to a Chevy Camaro based on which one supports Sirius satellite radio. In both cases the comparison is between objects with completely different audiences, based on a proprietary technology that doesn’t fundamentally impact the function of the object itself.

As my PCWorld colleague David Coursey illustrates, “The Slate and other Windows 7 devices support Adobe Flash and AIR, Apple’s iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, do not.”

On one HP Slate video, Adobe’s Alan Tam shows how the HP Slate “will access the full web, and not just a part of it.” Tam demonstrates streaming video from a Web site using Flash from within the browser, Flash-based games and applications, and Web-based photo editing based on Flash. He also shows Pandora running on Adobe AIR as a standalone app.

It is accurate to say that the Apple devices do not support Flash, but rather than compelling me to forego the Apple iPad and wait for the HP Slate–which is not expected any time soon, it leads me to ask the question: “who cares?” You may have noticed that Apple has done quite well with the iPhone and the iPod Touch without Flash support. Why should the iPad be any different?

In the HP Slate video, Adobe’s Tam explains that 85 percent of the top 100 Web sites (according to Alexa.com) use Adobe Flash, and that 75 percent of all video on the Web relies on Flash technology. Those are impressive statistics, but they don’t change the fact that iPad users will be able to watch Youtube videos, listen to Pandora music streams, and interact with the Web just as iPhone and iPod Touch users have done for years–and nobody is really complaining.

As much as Adobe might appreciate being the center of attention in the battle for tablet supremacy, the fact is that Flash is largely irrelevant. As a platform for multimedia content on the Web, Flash has definitely served a purpose and it’s hard to argue with how ubiquitous Flash is on the Web. Just try to browse the Web without installing a Flash plugin and you will see just how much Web sites rely on the Adobe technology.

However, that is not necessarily a good thing. HTML5 is establishing itself as a vendor-agnostic standard capable of delivering much the same experience users have come to expect from Flash. Web content based on a free Web standard makes much more sense than multimedia content requiring proprietary software to create it, and requiring users to install a proprietary plugin to be able to interact with it.

Both the Apple iPad and the HP Slate appear to be very capable devices. The two devices have some overlap in functionality–both with each other, and with other devices like the Kindle or Nook, or MP3 players, etc.

However, the devices are not defined by their overlap. Each platform has a unique functionality and a different target audience–neither of which really needs Flash in order to find value in the tablet device itself.

[Thanks: http://www.pcworld.com]

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The PrintSpots mobile printing service is free to hotel guests and works with any smartphone, Hilton Garden Inn’s press release says.

The chain sees the mobile printing service as a way to help make its customers - who on average take nine business trips per year - more productive. “Workloads do not ease up when traveling,” said Jim Cone, brand marketing exec for Hilton Garden Inn.

Readers: Whether you stay at chains like Hilton Garden Inn, Marriott Courtyard or Hyatt Place hotels, or you stay at boutique hotels, how easy - or difficult - does your hotel make it for you to print out documents?

[Thanks: http://content.usatoday.com]

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The business information provider founded in 1990 lists and sells company and industry profiles to sales, marketing, business development and other professionals.

The tool for Apple Inc.’s iPhone and iPod touch allows users in the U.S. and Canada to find information for companies headquartered in the same location as the device. Information for companies in other locations can also be viewed, including business name, address, phone number, Web site, industry, sales, employees and key contacts.

The Near Here App will cost $29.99, but is currently available for $19.99.

The company was the second in Austin recently to announce an iPhone application. On March 3, the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas launched the iPheedANeed application. The free tool features news from the Food Bank’s blog, a hunger stories podcast, low-cost recipes, Facebook updates and fundraising events.

To download, click here.

[Thanks: http://www.bizjournals.com]

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The next iPhone iteration is coming, if all the iPhone 4G rumors are to be believed, but what interests us today is the new HiPhone slider, dubbed W008.

The HiPhone W008 looks passably like a Nano clone, but rest assured the clickwheel is a genuine knock-off of the original.

For $127.99 you get a slideout keypad, dual cameras, JAVA, MP4 and MP3 support. Also added is a shake-function for music browsing.

It’s available in different colors and seems pretty solid design-wise. For more info click at the link below.

[Thanks: http://www.pmptoday.com/]

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The present AT&T expansion has been much desired by 3G phone customers who in some particular areas have suffered from bad coverage. The upgrades going on in regions such as Florida and New York will be greatly appreciated and is certainly long overdue from AT&T so seems a good use of resources.

However all the talk these days is of the imminent arrival of the 4G iPhone. Nobody knows quite sure when, but we know it’s coming, though it does appear that the 4G network may not be ready for it. AT&T doesn’t look likely to have a 4G network ready until sometime in 2011. So will the iPhone 4G be delayed until then, or maybe Verizon will be offered it instead?

For more on this story go to Product-Reviews.net. Do you want to see the iPhone 4G offered to the Verizon network as well as AT&T, or maybe even instead of? Let us know your thoughts.

[Thanks: http://www.onlykent.com]

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In an email sent earlier, he said that “The iPhone section of our website states video calling is charged at the same price as voice calls. We can confirm that this was listed in error. We will be amending our website shortly to clarify this.”

At the time of writing, the O2 website has yet to be changed to reflect this change. Furthermore as some readers have pointed out, all the Simplicity tariffs, even the ones for feature phones, have this “UK Video Calls” option.

The possibility of the iPhone 4G carrying a front-facing webcam first surfaced when tech blogger FSM first pointed to the UK video call option from O2’s website.

[Thanks: http://www.itproportal.com]

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The app includes three smooth quality levels, and processed movies are saved in the iPhone’s photo album so they can be transfered and shared like any other movie or photo.

Smooth Movie 1.0 is priced at US$1.99 and is available at Apple’s iTunes-based App Store.

[Thanks: http://www.macobserver.com]

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There is one company that has a reputation for having the safest and easiest to use unlocking software and they now have software that will work with version 3.1.2 firmware for iPhone 3G and 3.1.3 firmware version for iPhone 2G.

However, when you unlock iPhone 3G or Unlock iPhone 2G you remove that programming block. It allows you to leave the cell phone company that is currently providing you with service and seek out other companies with terms and conditions which are more to your liking. This may mean lower monthly fees or more access to applications and other features. Whatever the benefits, being able to pick the best company for you is a great benefit indeed.

By using software from Unlock-iPhone.org you can jailbreak and unlock your iPhone 2G or iPhone 3G. With software from this company you can now use your iPhone on any network worldwide. Calls you make to 08 numbers are also free and you can download exclusive wallpapers, screensavers and games as well. When you add the ability to use mobile tethering for no cost, the savings can build faster than you realize.

Unlock iPhone 3G and Unlock iPhone 2G the easy way. The Unlock-iPhone.org company offers software that allows you to unlock your handset in only a few minutes, making it perfect for novice users. You can feel confident knowing that any issues will be resolved by the live support department.

When you are planning on Unlock iPhone 3G 3.1.2 or you will be Unlock iPhone 2G 3.1.3 in the near future you need to visit www.unlock-iphone.org.

[Thanks: http://www.officialwire.com]

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There are also apps, like Ski-O-Meter, which displays both your maximum and average speed, and how much distance you have covered. The SkiTips iPhone Apps offers skiing instruction, enabling skiers to take their skiing lessons on the slopes with them. SkiTips1 contains 30 lessons that teach all the fundamentals of skiing as well as carved turns and unweighting turns.

Here’s a list of the top iPhone apps for skiers. To download an app, visit the App Store by tapping on the icon on your phone and search for the application you are interested in. Or, visit Apple’s online App Store and use Power Search to search for an application using “skiing” or “ski” as keywords.

[Thanks: http://skiing.about.com]

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It’s a fair question to ask, as the tethering situation for Apple’s iPhone can be confusing enough as-is. Officially, the iPhone can share its mobile or WiFi connection with an attached desktop or laptop. It’s not a question of the phone’s technology; it’s a question of the phone’s carrier. AT&T, the iPhone’s sole carrier in the United States markets, doesn’t yet support tethering. Though it promises to bring this feature to iPhones eventually, there’s been no set date for deployment—just a promise that it’ll come “at some point in the future,” says AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel.

European users–Söderlund included–are free to tether their connections to their hearts’ contents, provided their carriers support the functionality. But in the case of the iPad, it’s the hardware itself that’s apparently going to be the stopgap. Gone is the idea of a connected platform of devices that all intermingle over the same connection, a dream Söderlund makes note of in his email to Jobs:

“I’ll keep it short.

I’m Jezper from Sweden, a long time Apple fan, currently about to replace the very last computer at home with a brand spanking new iMac i7. I’m also awaiting the release of the iPad. However, I have one question:

Will the wifi-only version somehow support tethering thru my iPhone?

Two devices, based on the same OS, with already built-in technology to share one data plan suggests a secondary contract could possibly be redundant.

From the look of your keynote, where the iPad sits well between my MacBook Pro and my iPhone, I was hoping the three of them could interact as seamless as possible.

All the best,
Jezper Söderlund”

Jobs’s reply–”No. Sent from my iPhone”–doesn’t go into great detail as to what exactly is going to be impossible on the iPad. Will a 3G-supported iPad be able to tether a connection to a desktop or laptop PC? What about a WiFi-only iPad? Will a user be able to plug a 3G iPhone into a WiFi iPad to tether the connection? Is anything involving the word “tethering” right out? What about jailbroken iPhones or–presumably–jailbroken iPads?

And, of course, there’s the biggest question of them all: Will consumers accept having to purchase separate data plans for mobile Internet on their iPad an iPhone devices?

[Thanks: http://www.pcmag.com]

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