It's hard to believe it's already/only been three years since Apple introduced its category defining iPad. On the one hand, it seems like only yesterday. On the other hand, for those of us with tablet computers of one stripe or another, it's hard to imagine life before our new constant companions—in the same way those of us who came up before the Internet can barely remember the days before Pine. There was a great piece on Ars Technica about two weeks ago in which its editors reflected on the device, their initial impressions and its impact on their lives since. I recall my own...

I’m sure you’ve experienced this. You go to the doctor or dentist, and you’re informed that “someone will be with you in a minute.” Yeah, right. Knowing you’ll really have a lengthy wait, you try to find a magazine to read. Hmm. People from three months ago. Time from one month ago. Conde Nast Traveler's fall edition. Why aren’t there any current magazines? Foli aims to fix that problem. Instead of ancient, dog-eared periodicals, Foli offers businesses a way to offer current magazine content to their customers through an iPad app. I was fortunate enough to have my home temporarily transformed into a Foli spot, so I could...

* Note: Click here to read Mobile Magazines, Part I — Google Play Magazines, here for Mobile Magazines, Part II — iOS Newsstand and here for Mobile Magazines, Part III — Next Issue and here for Mobile Magazines, Part IV — Periodicals on E-Readers This story is more for you corporate types. imgZine isn't really a consumer-based venture, but it's an interesting story about using tablet technology to reach and engage people. Corporations have a lot of information they want to distribute, or that they expect their employees to read as a way of staying current in their industry. Most companies distribute...

LifeProof announced this past Tuesday that they're offering a Total Water Protection Program for the Apple iPhone and iPad to anyone who purchases a LifeProof case from their website. This optional program takes the protection of these devices to an entirely new level by offering a one-time repair or replacement of the device if it sustains accidental water damage while in one of their cases. LifeProof cases are advertised as being waterproof, submerged down to 6.6 feet deep, as well as being dirt proof, snow proof and shock proof. The Total Water Protection Program will offer consumers even greater peace of mind. Available as of Tuesday,...

Here's an idea whose time is long overdue: A company known as Foli is using location detection technology to update all those wrinkled, months-old magazines that are always sitting around in sad little piles at the dentist's office or the waiting room at the hospital. Here's how it works: First, a business interested in offering the service has to visit the Foli website, where they can sign up to become a Foli browsing spot. (The service isn't yet widely available, but it does currently seem to be in the process of spreading itself throughout the country.) Visitors to the waiting room...

It’s been awhile since we last heard a quasi-believable next-gen iPad story, but it shouldn’t be long now until we get something conclusive. That’s because several sources claim a new full-sized iPad is closing in on its release, with the official unveiling rumored to happen by the end of this month. But is that possible? We’d be inclined to say no, because, again, there have been far too few iPad 5 rumors lately and Apple is usually very skilled at building hype months before an actual release. Then again, with the third-gen iPad released in March 2012 and the fourth-generation back in...

When is the best time to purchase a new Apple device? Is there a best time? We’re fully aware of how sporadic and paltry the big Apple can be when it comes to offering customers discounts on their products. Usually feeling like you’ve earned a ‘deal’ from an Apple retail store or from their online store involves taking advantage of a promotion, which can result in spending extra money to receive reduced priced accessories or services (of which you may or may not actually need). But saving any amount on a fresh Macbook Pro or iPad straight from the source? Not likely. So...

Last week The New York Times gave me an offer I couldn't refuse: 12 weeks of digital access for $5. No, that's not $5 per week. That's $5 for the entire 12-week period. See why I couldn't refuse? I'd been reading the Times' Top News on Flipboard for months, and I knew I liked it in that format. Now that I have access to the entire paper for a few months, I decided to try out the native Android and iOS apps and see which I liked better. Note that I purchased Tablet access, so I didn't test this out on my...

The iPad mini looked like a bit of a gamble for Apple at first, but you don’t get to Cupertino’s dominant position over the tablet market without taking some risks, do you? And this one seems to have paid off rather nicely, as a second-gen 7.9-incher is allegedly in the works already. Meanwhile, if you’re one of those folks living in the shadows and scouring the Internet for the best deals on the most awesome gadgets, you should know that an assortment of refurbished iPad minis are again available via Apple’s U.S. Store. The tabs are not exactly dirt-cheap, but they offer...

I use several text editing and word processing apps on my iPad, but my writing tools of choice for composing and editing with the tablet are usually from the family of text processors from German developer Infovole. What’s a text processor? It’s a writing app that’s more than a basic text editor, with more tools and features, but doesn’t support full word processor abilities like text formatting, styles, footnotes, and page layout. For the vast majority of my text crunching needs, Textkraft hits the sweet spot. Textkraft normally sells for a reasonable $3.99 on the App Store, but before infovole begins a...

Have you ever run across a solution looking for a problem? Unfortunately, that's my reaction to Perdrix TXT, a new e-reading app for iPhone and iPad. The developer contacted me over the weekend and gave me a promo code for a free review copy, and I gave it a look. Here's what they say about the app on their site: Getting closer to the real book experience… Focused on book immersion, this app features innovative design such as book side views, life-like bookmark and a separate Search screen. Read free e-books and plain text files. At a quick glance that sounds good. The app...

There is no doubt in our minds that Apple’s fourth-generation 9.7-inch iPad is the most spectacular to date, and almost certainly the best-ever conceived tablet. The only catch is that it doesn’t exactly come cheap. At best, you can find one at $500 with 16 GB of on-board storage and Wi-Fi. If you also want 4G LTE speeds, you have to be ready to fork out roughly $120-$130 more. Then again, if you don’t need a new iPad, you can save a few bucks by choosing a refurbished model instead. Apple put a few of those up for grabs via its U.S. Store last week,...