iPad 2...thoughts

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

As the fanboys say, "its finally here"!

The ever eloquent Steve Jobs revealed to us all the new iPad 2 today. The specifications are pretty much what most tech sites had predicted. If you have missed those, here's a summary of the specs (at least what little Apple has revealed officially):

Screen Size - 9.7 inch LED backlit (same as the iPad)

Resolution - 1027 x 768 pixels (same as the iPad)

Processor - 1GHz Dual Core Apple A5 processor (no other details revealed)

RAM - not revealed (some sources are claiming it to be 512MB)

Camera - Rear camera (720p, 30fps) and Front camera (VGA)

HDMI out - via a $39 Apple accessory (NOT supplied with the iPad 2)

Others - 16, 32, 64 GB storage; gyroscope, same 10 hour battery life

Disappointments:

1. No storage expansion slots

2. Front camera resolution too low for a high resolution iPad

3. HDMI out only via the accessory, not available straight out of the box

4. Price points remain the same, hence okayish. Nothing to be overly crazy about

5. No path-breaking hardware or OS features

6. Will face tough competition from Android tablets, hence maybe outdated earlier than expected.

Testing Times!

I simply cant wait to post this thingy! Its one of my fav tests ever! :)

I dont know how many of you have done this, but its hell of an awesome stuff! The test I'm talking about is the Component Vs HDMI upscaling test.

I have an HD ready Bravia at home and I wanted to check out the upscaling capabilities of my LG DV388 DVD player. So there I was with two silly looking (although quite expensive) cables and plugging in all the right spots! :D

First up, I connected my HDMI cable (thats a JAE cable, cost me Rs. 2450 INR from Sony World) to the HDMI connectors on my DVD player and my LCD. Then I did the same for the component cable.

I changed the upscaling resolution of my DVD player to 1080p and inserted "The Dark Knight" DVD in the tray.

Next, I enabled the HDMI option and paused the video at a particularly awesome scene in the movie. Then I switched off my HDMI and compared it with the component output (Rs. 350 INR MX component cable).

Lo and behold! The picture quality turned out to be "EXACTLY" the same (at least to the naked eye!) WTF! I was shocked!

Duh! A 350 bucks component cable gives me the same pic quality as a 2450 bucks HDMI! Unless you dont have a home theatre for audio output, there's absolutely no sense for paying such huge bucks for a bloody HDMI cable which gives you the same quality as a standard and way cheaper component cable!

Try this at home and do post a reply.