Splash and Style Come Together In New Wipeout Update

Activision and The Blast Furnace’s Wipeout, the smash hit iOS game based on the hit ABC television show, has been updated with new content with its latest title update. Today’s free update comes packed with new accessories and features to make Wipeout even more fun.

Customize your favorite contestants: Helen, Russell and Aaron with new costumes including: Pirate, Superhero and Football outfits. The new Amaze-O-Helmet lets you walk right through obstacles, and the Slo-Mo Helmet has been improved so that only the obstacles slow down around you as you blaze through the course! Helmets also now have improved indicators showing a full charge when ready to use. Compare character stats with friends with a revised character interface and enhanced course intros and outros. The Game Center has been improved; posting your most epic Wipeout moments to Facebook is even easier!

If you are not sure what Wipeout is, you can check out my review of the game: http://totalipad.com/wipeout/

Wipeout is available for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch for only $1.99 in the iOS App Store:
Wipeout - Activision Publishing, Inc. (iPad)

Wipeout - Activision Publishing, Inc. (iPhone/iPod Touch)



[box type='info']
Wipeout now fully supports the iPhone 5 which makes wiping out look even better on the big screen.[/box]

Tim Cook critiquing competing tablets from Samsung and Microsoft

Tim Cook talking about tablets from the competition.

What I see, for me, is that some of these are confusing, multiple OSes with multiple UIs [user interfaces]. They steer away from simplicity. We think the customer wants all the clutter removed. We want the customer to be at the center of everything. I think when you start toggling back and forth between OSes and UIs, etc., I don’t think that’s what customers are looking for. I think that customers want tablet-optimized apps. You know, we have 275,000-plus apps that have been optimized for the tablet. If you just stretch out a smartphone app on a tablet, it’s an awful experience. It’s not what customers want. I think it’s another reason that usage is so low on these other tablets.

I don’t doubt that there will be units sold in other tablets. It’s happening today. It will happen in the future. But what I strongly believe is that many people that are doing so might feel good initially if they pay a low price, but will bring it home and start to use it, and they’re no longer satisfied. That good feeling is gone. And those people don’t repeat purchases.

Let me give you an example of this. I was thinking about this the other day. Look at netbooks. Many people thought netbooks were the coolest thing ever. Many companies hyped them. In fact, the sales boomed, and then what happened? They crashed, because they were awful! They were flimsy products with crappy, cramped keyboards. They were underpowered. They were just awful.

So we never went into that category. We never put any time into it. A great product doesn’t mean an expensive product. It means a fair price. The iPad mini is all the way down to $329. This isn’t an expensive product. So when we can do great products and achieve a great price, we feel great. But what we wouldn’t do is say, “We’ve got to have something for this price, and then let’s see what we can do for it.” That’s not how we think. We think about the product and making a great product that we want to use. When we can do that and achieve another price point, that’s great. But our customers have a high expectation, and we’re not going to try to pass off something—we would never do that. That’s not how we think.

You can read the entire article on Mashable.

YouTube now iPad ready

Yesterday Google updated a few of their iOS applications including Gmail and YouTube. YouTube is now finally a native iPad application, sporting a new logo and Google+ like feel to the application. I have really missed having a nice native YouTube application on my iPad as I have been using iOS 6 for quite a few months now, since the summer time when it was in beta. It is nice to have YouTube back on my homescreen where it belongs.





YouTube is a free application and you can download it in the iOS App Store:
YouTube - Google, Inc.

Figure by Propellerhead

Figure is a universal iOS application that will run on the iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. Figure is $0.99 in the iOS App Store and easily worth every penny for music lovers. Even if you are not a music lover then you should honestly download this app as it is really fun to play with.

I bought this App back in March I believe or sometime around then and when it first launched there was not much you could do with the app then. But, the developers have recently added the export to iTunes feature, you can now open your creations in a limited number of other applications, you can sync via Bluetooth with other iOS devices, and just last week the app was updated to support the iPhone 5 and the iPad. This is one of those apps that you show to people who say the iPad is a consumption only device. Let your creativeness shine through on your iPad.

Download Figure from the iOS App Store:

Figure for iPad

Figure for iPhone / iPod Touch

 

Be sure to follow me online elsewhere..

I would love to have any of my fellow readers follow or friend me on any of my most used social sites. My new YouTube channel desperately needs some subscribers and the videos sure could use a few 'Thumbs Up', my Tumblr is my personal spot on the Internet and I don't always post the most family friendly stuff on there so be forewarned. My Twitter is is about the same as my Tumblr, it is not iPad related at least not my personal Twitter account, I post anything from games I am playing, music I am listening to, or the mood I am in currently. The Total iPad Twitter and Facebook pages are just that, most of what I post on there are things that I post from here. Every now and then I will Tweet interesting iPad related things on the Twitter page but for the most part it is just an easy way to read Total iPad without actually having to visit Total iPad.

My YouTube
My Tumblr
My Twitter
Total iPad Twitter Page
Total iPad Facebook Page

Next up I will be reviewing the Cygnett Enigma for the iPad mini. I hope to have it up in the next couple of days. In the meantime checkout a pictures from the gallery of the Enigma.

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The iPad mini

I finally decided to post a short review on the iPad mini. No, I do not own an iPad mini yet but I bought one for my daughter for her birthday and have been using her mini for a couple of weeks now. I do plan on getting a cellular version of the mini after the holidays. I love the lightness of the mini, the thinness, the design, the feel, the look, the sound. I love everything about the mini except the lack of retina. Of course that is the same thing anyone else who has reviewed the mini has stated and like all those "anyone else's" after a few days of using the mini you do not really notice the lack of retina.

Everything about the mini makes it a joy to own. I ended up getting my daughter the 32GB Wi-FI only version and only opted for the 32GB because I know she will be watching a lot of movies on it. The one thing about watching movies on the mini is the improved quality of the speakers. With my big iPad sometimes I have to grab my EarPods because the speakers are not loud enough. You do not have this problem with the mini as the iPad mini sports stereo sound. Sure you will only be able to take advantage of stereo sound if you are watching in portrait mode but the speakers are really that much louder and do not sound muffled when you have it propped up using the Smart Case or another iPad mini case with a built-in stand.

Should you buy an iPad mini if you already have a bigger iPad?

If you own a third-generation iPad and you mostly use your iPad when you are at home whether it is on the couch or in bed then you probably do not need the iPad mini. Unless the weight and the size of the larger iPad is uncomfortable to hold when you are reading on it. If those things do not bother you then you should be perfectly set with the big iPad you have now.

If you are someone who takes your iPad everywhere with you, you know when you go out to a coffee shop or on vacation, then I would highly recommend grabbing an iPad mini because it is that much more portable. It does fit right in a jacket pocket, if you watch my video review you will see me actually demonstrate this.

I can honestly say without a doubt in my mind, if the iPad mini had a retina display then I would sell my larger iPad and get a mini as long as it stayed the same thickness and weight. That is probably the reason the iPad mini doesn't have retina though. Retina would require a larger battery which would make it heavier and mostly likely thicker.

The iPad mini will make a great Christmas gift for the wife, husband, or kids. If you are thinking of getting a friend or family member an iOS device then I would put the mini at the top of that list!

Be sure to check out some of my iPad mini case reviews:

FlexiGel for iPad mini

Workmate for iPad mini

Video review of Workmate from Cygnett

This is the video review of the Cygnett Workmate for the iPad mini. I had a problem with my Blip.tv account yesterday and couldn't upload it with the written review. Be sure to check out all my other Cygnett case reviews for not only the iPad mini but also the big iPad.