The dust is just settling after the announcement of Apple’s fall products featuring next-generation versions of the iPod Touch, iPod Shuffle, Nano and even the forgotten Apple TV. If you aren’t interested in the event the at least the iOS 4.2 may have cuaght your attention. At the same event the next-gen products were announced, so was the update that is now believed to fix issues with the iPhone 4 and finally bring multitasking to the iPad.

iOS 4.2 overview as appears on Apple’s website.

• Multitasking. A simple double-tap of the home button brings up a quick-switch interface allowing users to easily jump back to recently used Apps. Multitasking also allows for Apps like Pandora to run in the background while you surf, e-mail, or catch up on the news.
• Folders. Adding organization was essential for iOS, especially considering the ever-growing myriad of Apps available on the App Store. Just drag one App on top of another and iOS automatically creates a folder. You can even store it in your dock for quick access to your favorite Apps.



• Printing. One of the most exciting aspects of the iOS 4.2 update is the inclusion of wireless printing. The ability to create documents, spreadsheets, and other material on the go is one of iPad’s greatest assets. By adding print capabilities, Apple has pushed another step forward in making iPad a tool for creation (not just consumption).



• AirPlay. What’s the biggest buzzword in tech right now? Streaming. AirPlay allows you to stream your video content to the new Apple TV and your audio content to any AirPlay speakers, including your AirPort Express.

For further features and information about the update, visit the link listed above(before bullets).

Steve jobs took the stage earlier today(Wednesday) and let out much of what we all expected, with the exception of a few. It certainly looks as if an executive decision was made to get much of Apple’s new line-up out to the public before the holiday season’s rush of new gadgets. Some users may be disappointed though as Steve didn’t mention Verizon or the White iPhone 4. Both the iPhone 4 and iPad will be getting a facelift in the way of bug fixes and aesthetic changes.

The new iPod Touch and iPod Shuffle were announced. the iPod Touch seems to look much like the iPhone and is running iOS 4.1. It also features the same display used in the iPhone 4 along with front camera and back camera with HD capable recording. Steve confirms Facetime via wifi and the use of Facetime with iPhone 4 to iPod Touch and vise versa. Check out the videos as shown on CNET.

148Apps reports a little milestone for Apple. over the weekend the iTunes App store reached over 250,000 applications for use on the iPad but the vast majority for use on the iPhone and iPod Touch. With more devices planned from Apple, like the next generation iPod Touch and iTV, an explosion of Applications is likely to take place.

It’s also worth mentioning that a significant amount of apps are denied for inclusion in the app store, for unknown reasons. If those denied applications were counted, along with applications currently in queue, the number would be doubled if not tripled. Steve Jobs will likely mention the news at Apple’s press event on Wednesday.

In a world where materialism is becoming commonplace, it seems as though having the  coolest gadget on the market earns you some cool points yourself. With the rapid growth of Apple’s popularity, more and more users are buying the iPhone, specifically the iPhone 4. Independent studies are showing that users who are spotted with an iPad seem to get more attention, or are approached by a stranger more often.

This may be due to the recognizable size and shape of the iPad, in addition to it being an Apple product of coarse. When potential buyers were asked about why they would be buying an iPad, a significant amount of them replied with, “because it’s cool”, or something of the like. Has Apple started a Cult? No. They definitely have revolutionized the tech industry though.

The iPad has certainly made an impression in the last few months. Not only has it been a hit with users that would otherwise had not even thought of buying an iPad for entertainment but big universities and schools are taking a real interest in the iPad to aid in the classroom and at home. A handful of schools are doing trial runs and experiments to see how the iPad stands up against traditional paper and books.

Many are finding that the iPad is, overall, a better choice than books because it saves money in the long run, which is a huge plus in these hard economic times. Having an iPad for all students seems to be increasing the overall appeal of a certain course. Students are responding very well to the thought of getting a free ipad. This could very well be a growing trend in the next few years. The success of the iPad is clear as day when looking at all the other slate-like devices coming out, trying to get a piece of the market Apple single-handedly created.

If you come to FreeiPadGear.com for the news then you may know that we’ve been running since early January bringing you the latest free iPad offers, giveaways and contests as well as updated news. There has been another site that stemmed from this one though, our Free iPhone 4 Giveaway website started up soon after the iPhone 4 launched, It has struggled to keep traffic flowing but is still well alive and serves the same purpose this site does.

Bringing you the latest offers on gadgets like the iPhone 4 and iPad have been slowly becoming what we do. Please show some love for our network site by stopping by, giving it a read and taking advantage of some of the free iphone 4 offers if you’re interested. We’ll continue to seek out ways to get free gadgets and bring the latest news to you.

FreeiPhone4GGiveaway.com

MagicJack, the phone service that boasts unlimited short, long distance and international calling via the Internet will soon have it’s sights set on smartphone applications. The company has a Windows and Mac application in the works and will then be developing iOS4, android and Blackberry applications. There is no word on whether the service will only use Wifi or utilize cell phone carriers 3G and 4G networks. iOS4 development suggests that not only will the iPhone 4 get an application but the iPad and iPod Touch may as well.

MagicJack has gained huge success from it’s aggressive marketing campaign through television infomercials despite other companies being much earlier to the VOIP game, such as Skype and Vonage.

Ah, yes. You probably recall both reports on the Netflix iPad app and the Hulu iPad app but which really gives the most bang for your buck. Both require a monthly subscription of around $10 a month, both offer popular TV shows on demand, so what distinguishes the two? Well, a lot. It really depends on your preferences. Hulu Plus looks more appealing visually, it boasts less advertisements than the regular Hulu as well as access to more episodes and seasons while regular Hulu users only get to watch the 5 most recent.

Lets compare these features with Netflix. Netflix is less visually appealing by comparison but still has a user-friendly interface. Netflix offers a much, much wider variety of movies than Hulu does, it also partners with Starz to bring even more options. Netflix carries all the popular TV shows Hulu does but is often late to add new seasons until they are well done and over with. The Biggies are definitely that Netflix has zero ads, has exponentially more movies than Hulu and even allows for DVD delivery. Hulu’s iPad app may be better overall but we’re talking about 10$ a month here. Netflix is the way to go.

Apple users consistently complain about the rules and limitations it forces on it’s users and app developers. Applications can freely be submitted but they undergo strict investigation in-order to actually make it onto the app store. Many apps have been denied for reasons we’ll never know.

Flash has been a big issue with Apple and many application developers have introduced flash to html5 conversion apps. Now that the iPhone 4 has been jailbroken, many users are going that route in-order to add third-party tweaks to get Flash working.

Apple also puts the hurt on various video extensions, instead offering more support for common file types like .mov and .wmv. CineXPlayer is a new application that offers the ability to play Xvid videos without the hassle of having it convert to mp4 in the background. CineXPlayer works like any other video player, although it doesn’t look as fancy as Apple native iPad video player, it gets the job done for Xvid file types.

Research-live.com posted an article not too long ago that called into question traditional paper surveys in comparison to new media gadgets like the iPad. Users today are more tech savvy than ever, controlling devices like an iPad, smartphone or PDA is simple. Traditional marketing research can be time consuming and expensive. You may remember when door-to-door or telephone surveys were more active, it seems less these days..

Why is that? Computers are much cheaper to serve these purposes because a company doesn’t need to eat the high cost of hiring workers for door-to-door visits and telemarketers. Companies now have the ability to offer up surveys virtually for free, using the Internet and by consumers using their favorite way to get on the web, whether that be their desktop, laptop, smartphone or iPad.

To read more about this, see here.