Chanatown

Article first published as iPad Accessory Review: Sony Speaker Dock RDP-X700IP on Blogcritics. Speaker docks for iPods have become increasingly commonplace, and a wide range of options can be easily found at both your local drugstore and at your favorite electronics retailer. Docks that can accommodate a larger tablet device (i.e. an iPad) are also flooding the market, and I got a chance to test a fine performing one from Sony, the RDP-X700IP.  Billed as a "premium" iPad speaker dock, I was pleased to fill my office with sounds from both music and movies, as well as test the AirPlay wireless functionality.

As more educators and other professionals pick up iPads for use in the classroom or office, the need to share one's screen via projection becomes more important. Teachers want to use educational apps to improve instruction while corporate users want to be able to share their screen during presentations. Wired connections have existed since the release of the iPad, but the natural next step is a wireless connection. After the jump, I'll discuss some of the possibilities both wired and unwired to get your iOS screen onto the big one.

Can you imagine a scenario where you would be able to take photos using your digital camera and when you got home, they were already organized in iPhoto, or even on your mobile device within minutes? Is this some Apple iOS magical update or a new cloud miracle from Google? Nope. Just a simple SD card that happens to have wireless capabilities built-in. What does this mean for all the wires and cables that you currently use to connect your camera to your computer? Keep them where they belong - in a drawer - and get ready to truly go wireless with the Eye-Fi Wireless Card.

Article first published as AT&T Buys T-Mobile - Who Gets What and What About Verizon? on Blogcritics. In a move to steal some of Verizon's publicity following the introduction of the iPhone 4 and shared release of the iPad , AT&T decided to make some noise by offering $39 billion to purchase T-Mobile, making the combined wireless carrier the largest in the nation. Before you can say "Where's my T-Mobile iPhone?" let's take a closer look at what this might mean for all parties, including Big Red (Verizon).

I suspect that I am in a large majority that wondered when wireless syncing of data between computer and phone would finally make its way to the mainstream user. I figured Apple would make some grandiose announcement and hold a huge event broadcasting to the world about "one more thing..." Instead, I read a short blurb on my Flipboard about how doubleTwist, an app that I already had on my Droid X phone, had quietly released a new application called AirSync. The app claims to let you wirelessly sync your iTunes playlists, photos, and videos using your home Wi-Fi network. So, what's the real story behind the experience? Find out after the jump.

Image via Wikipedia I like my iPad. A lot. So much so that I treated it to a keyboard. You know, a real physical one. Soild keys, and not those virtual ones that think they how you type and what words you want to write. I even splurged on the fancy bluetooth wireless keyboard that they have at the Apple Store. It's the one you'll often see in the living room of an Apple enthusiast controlling their Mac Mini while streaming video or music. I opened it up, synced flawlessly with my iPad, and typed away. Less than two weeks later, I returned it. Find out why after the jump.

Image via Wikipedia I've been troubleshooting a lot of our wireless projection devices, so it's time for a quick update on the device that seems to have taken a lead in the "stability" and "reliability" categories. In February, I gave a rundown of our devices and nothing has really changed other than Addlogix's PC2TV seems to be the most reliable thus far. One would think that the native Epson solution would be the clear winner, but we haven't been able to test many of these yet, and one of the few that has experienced classroom testing has had troubles connecting to the Tablets. Today, we focus on the PC2TV device called InternetVue (made by Addlogix).

The past two weeks have been filled with a lot of requests and troubleshooting for our Tablet PC's and how they wirelessly connect to the projector.  Currently, we have two major systems in place. For our Toshiba Tablets, we've been using Internetvue 2100 PC2TV adaptors.  On the Tablet, a user will open a program (PC2TV) and connect wirelessly to the projector.  I used this when I was teaching chemistry with a tablet last year, and I found it to be a bit clunky at times, but overall relatively stable.  There was an issue with the firmware update that disabled portrait mode as a viewing option.  Internetvue responded by allowing for a firmware downgrade, but that's a lot of legwork for our teachers.  Consequently, I refused the firmware upgrade for a long time as a teacher, but this meant closing a message box every time I connected.  I have since been upgrading the firmware and telling users that portrait mode will not be enabled.  This year, ...