Technical Pro

DJ Rana Sobhany is changing the face of modern DJing using the new Apple iPad. She got her idea to use iPads instead of turntables while she was waiting outside of a New York City Apple store at two o’clock in the morning on the day the iPad was to be released.

Sobhany first thought of different ways to DJ while playing with her iPhone before the iPad was released. In an interview with Wired.com, Sobhany admits, “I just started playing with some of the music apps that were available for the iPhone, specifically the IK Multimedia GrooveMaker apps.” She went on to say, “I got really inspired by the basic functionality of these apps and I started thinking about ways to incorporate iPad into a live performance. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it was entirely possible to build a set around solely iPad music software and applications.”

These thoughts moved Sobhany into action. Within five days of getting her iPad, she was ready to rock and roll. She wired up a DJ setup with her new iPads and began testing.
Sobhany says that one of the main reasons she thought to use the iPad was because of the basic functionality and simplicity of Apple’s GarageBand. Instead of music creation being some pie-in-the-sky, difficult task, Apple, through GarageBand, has enabled regular people to learn to create music with ease. “Lots of great bands and artists have come from the ‘GarageBand generation’ of production, as I like to call it,” she said. “With iPad, I think that a lot of people will start downloading music apps and learning to play instruments from them.”
Although million dollar studios will never be replaced by a $500 iPad setup, Sobhany does believe that the iPad will become a more utilized part of music creation in the near future. “The iPad will quickly evolve into the ideal device for music creation and DJing,” she said. “Loop libraries will get better. Hardware will get better. More hardware and software companies will build mobile apps and the users will become more savvy about what they want from the iPad. There will be peripherals that support inputs like USB and FireWire. Video remixing will be possible.”
Sobhany has found it quite simple to transition into iPad DJing. She simply connected dual iPads to a Numark M3 DJ Mixer and a sound system and she was ready to DJ. Unless she is recording what she is creating, there is no need for addition pieces of equipment such as instruments or computers.
Some Pro’s and Con’s of iPad DJing:
Pro’s:
• Cost – In her interview with tech blogger Robert Scoble, Sobhany explains that her iPad setup cost roughly $1,200 ($500 a piece for two iPads, $100 for a DJ Mixer, and $100 for a Sound System) compared to a traditional setup using a laptop and expensive hardware/software costing $3,500 and up.
• Haptic feedback on the multi-touch surface of the iPad – Sobhany says, “Even now, when I use some of the drum machine apps, you can actually feel the bass when you touch the pad on-screen, and I would love to see this extend to feedback from touching keys on a keyboard and the feeling of changing a setting on a knob.”
Con’s:
• Lack of app multitasking – Sobahany says, “The lack of multitasking in the OS makes it really hard to transition quickly between apps. There really is no room for error. There are so many things happening at once that it can be dizzying.”

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A Restaurant in Sydney, Australia is changing the restaurant experience as we know it.

THE iPad is already a tasty product among gadget lovers, but a North Sydney restaurant has become the first in Australia to replace their printed menus with Apple’s new touch screen device.

Global Mundo Tapas in the North Sydney Rydges Hotel yesterday introduced a custom-made iPad application which allows customers to browse the virtual pages of the menu with a sweep of their finger.

Diners can peruse the dishes and see a picture of what the dish looks like along with tasting notes before compiling their order and sending it wirelessly to the kitchen.

The iPad menu can also suggest the best wines to go with certain dishes and suggest the best food pairings.

When ordering steak, users can even specify how they’d like the meat cooked and which sauce they’d prefer.

It will even ask them if they’d like fries with that.

Mundo’s iPad menu app can also help keep track of stock levels so if certain dishes and wines sell out they will automatically disappear off the on-screen menu.

Craig Simpson, Rydges area general manager, says the new iPad platform will enhance the dining experience.

“We have something that presents really well, sells our food really well and is absolutely dynamic,” he said.

Mr Simpson said the iPad menu would eventually make it possible to order food based on the weather or even match dishes to a person’s mood.

While the waiters and waitresses of the restaurant will still be required to take the food from the kitchen to the tables, the iPad will mean they will have to work a little harder for their tips.

You’ve got the grill, the tools, the meat, and the rubs, but a measly five bucks and your iPad might get you the best grill companion you’ll have all summer. Weber’s On the Grill for iPad ($5; iPhone version also available) is a virtual grill companion app, offering a searchable database of over 250 classic recipes, instructions on making 40 rubs, marinades, and sauces, a grocery list, how-to videos, an integrated grill timer, and the ability to note each recipe when you find that “secret ingredient” that makes your BBQ stand out from the rest. (Hint: most often it’s booze.) But just be sure not to throw meat on your iPad or iPad on the Grill or your sure to see an unforgettable time

First off let me say this is just stupid & If you do this to your suit you know you have issues!  Notice how he has to hold the bottom – the reason why is beacuse 5lbs will weigh your Jacket down! Well if your still eager to make a custom ipad pocket then you might consider pitching your pennies towards a Custom iPad Pocket Suit (Inquire price) by Mohan Custom Tailors. These dapper threads come with a hidden built-in pocket to carry his iPad on his most important business missions.

Although the iPad in my eyes was a huge disappointment, i have to say its very cool. More than all the hype and the glamor the future in the iPad lies in the future. The iPhone was not a mere smart phone but rather it was a new creation something that changed the industry and the way world views phones. The iPod did the same thing: many mP3 players came around before the iPod as were smart phones before the iPhone but the iPod changed the way the world associated with them and created a market people could only image about. The iPad is changing the tablet industry and created the future. Newspapers, TV Guides, Comics, Magazines & Books are all being changed. Newspapers are becoming more intelligent more interactive but not losing the taste of the old newspaper. The TV guide is not just an on screen guide but 1 with more information on the show and characters then ever imaged possible. Comics; how in the world can comics get better with a computer? for 1 you can get your comics delivered straight to your tablet no matter where you are, 2 the feel and the zoom are astonishing, but it still has some way to grow. Magazines in till now if you liked something in a magazine you had to call to order it or go on the web now with a simple click you can see more info and order it. Extra features like video and links will change magazines. Saving Articles and photos also much easier then snipping it from the magazine. It’s amazing how the world that we know will change in the next 20 years… reading a book will never be the same watch the video for more ideas.

ThinkGeek is showing the new iCade, an iPad arcade cabinet that gives realistic arcade controls to class games running on the iPad.

In their own words, “Knowing that many of our loyal geeky customers would eventually get their retractable claws on an iPad at some point, we knew we needed to take it to the next level. What cool things could we do with the iPad that you, our lovely geek customers, would squee over? A few brainstorming sessions later, the idea of a MAME cabinet came up and we knew we’d struck gold. How cool would it be to slide your iPad into a desktop-sized arcade cabinet and rock it old school with some Pac-Man or Space Invaders?”

The cabinet is designed to allow an iPad to slide in firmly and dock into a standard 30-pin connector at the bottom. It includes a power adapter for uninterrupted gaming, but can also be used without one. The iCade software, which allows the use of the joystick and game buttons, is free and should be available in the iTunes app store soon.

While we all anticipated the iPad and finally it came true last week, I can’t stop feeling disappointed. In the past when Apple was asked if they are making a iPhone nano the answer was “we’re not looking to make cheap products we’re looking to make the best products”. With that being said the iPad should have been the Best Tablet out there, above and beyond the competition when in essence its a really big iPhone Lacking a few features. Now i know what your thinking this thing is super cool! and this writer has clearly lost it. You can imagine yourself using one of these magical 10″ iPads in the train or on a plane and of course your going to try to read some books on there, the NY Times app looks like the future of Newspapers especially if you can download the whole paper and take it with you when you can’t have service or want to save battery. Oh and the price can’t be matched Apple hit the price we all wished for and never imagined would be possible $499 and an optional 3G internet service for $15 and $30 BUT lets talk about why its a huge disappointment.

Let’s talk about that price point $499 that price was just to magical, so magical it caused apple to cut out some key features which left this iPad as a HUGE DISAPPOINTMENT. Now I’m not saying i don’t think its cool or “magical” but at the end of the day if i want something Magical I’m going to Disney, and if i want something powerful I’m going to Apple. with that said i will now stop venting and let you know what’s missing from this Magical Device.

1. No Front Facing Camera:  iChat
2. No Multi Tasking:  With all the magic in the iPad you could only run 1 app at a time. With such a big screen : how cool if it could splint into 4 iphone screens tiled!
3. No Widgets: 0 Widgets! there should be some way that i can take iPhone apps and use them like widgets
4. No USB Ports: There is 1 but its solely to import images!
5. Network Jack: if they can get one on a Macbook air i want one on here, hardwired internet is so much faster than wireless LAN
6. Flash: are you kidding there is no flash support still!!!
7. No Snow Leopard  rather we got a cheesy iPhone OS
8. No Magsafe connector
9. 3G we want 4G!
10. At&t come on it’s time to offer the best service with the best unit!

In truth Apple iPad is not  that much better than a rock see below, haha.