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    ZAZOO: Sleep aid for children

    Gadgets Team
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    ZAZOO: Sleep aid for children

    Are the kids keeping you up at night? Those bedtime stories and lullabies and even that warm glass of milk not putting them to sleep? Do they wake up before the sun is up? Here’s one device that may help kids sleep earlier and parents sleep in longer.

    The ZAZOO photo clock is designed specially for kids and comes with a set of features that will make telling time and knowing when it’s time to wake up or go to sleep much more fun. Features include pre-programmed “awake” and “asleep” images, rotating digital photo frame, alarm clock, and MP3 and Video. The ZAZOO photo clock also has a 7-inch LCD screen so kids can better see the time.

    It comes in 5 different styles and colors and costs $89 each.

    Apple iSync: Going green into the future

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    Apple iSync: Going green into the future

    With all the buzz Apple’s been making what with the release of the iPad 2, what better way to titillate your senses even further than by giving you yet another Apple creation you can perhaps one day add to your growing Apple family of gadgets. Introducing the Apple iSync, a concept car from designer Nathan Williams who has successfully integrated Mother Nature with probably the most famous fruit in the tech world.

    This three-wheeled electric pod car is designed to sync up with (yes, you guessed it) all Apple gadgets. As the name implies, you can be sure that aside from driving, you can also check messages, play music, receive updates, connect, share, and do whatever it is your Apple artillery can do individually… but all together now.

    Maybe once all the hype of the iPad 2 dies down, Microsoft might want to give this cool ride some attention. I mean, you can’t get any more “mobile” than with a car, right?

    Source: Ecofriend

    Crysis 2 Multiplayer Beta: First impressions

    Gadgets Team
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    Crysis 2 Multiplayer Beta: First impressions

    Are you itching to get back into your nanosuit and bitch-slap aliens again in Crysis 2? Well, here’s something to scratch that itch before you get the game on the 22nd: EA’s been kind enough to give prospective buyers a chance to take the multiplayer component of the game for a spin. There’s two modes available – the standard team deathmatch (Team Instant Action), and a domination type game (Crash Site) where each team vies for control of crashed alien pods. There’s four main weapons to try out for each of the four classes, mainly a fully automatic assault rifle, semi-auto shotgun, sniper rifle and a machine gun for the assault, recon, sniper and heavy classes respectively. 

    The two maps on the demo are Pier 17 and Skyline. Skyline takes place in interconnected skyscrapers that make for some really close quarters combat. Pier 17 on the other hand, has two main buildings separated by a long expanse of flat terrain with little cover, which is a prime location for snipers to do their thing. Like other multiplayer shooters currently in the market, Crysis 2 allows players to customize their soldiers by adding different enhancements to both their guns and their suits. There’s also a nice leveling system in place.

    The game is unquestionably fast paced. Like the previous game the nano suit allows players to enhance their combat prowess by either adding an extra layer of armor on top of their health, or by cloaking them. Players can also jump higher than a mere mortal by pressing the space button longer, and while in the air they can stomp on unsuspecting enemies. It is a bit annoying though that there isn’t a dedicated hot key for grenades, and the game still requires you to switch to them first before throwing.

    The question in everyone’s mind by this point is how hard is the new game on requirements? Well, you’ll be happy to know that Crysis 2 has comparably low system requirements compared to the first game. The rig we ran it on was only a first generation Core i5 running at 3.33GHz paired with an ASUS HD6970 but it managed to keep the framerate at a zippy 50-60 FPS at 19200 x 1080. The graphics are undeniably pretty, and there’s plenty of servers for you to run in on. While there are no local servers for the Pinoy gaming community, I was able to connect and play properly at a California based server without any large issues.

     

    Crysis 2 will be available to purchase starting March 22, and it’s more than likely you’ll be able to grab your copy from Datablitz. You can download the demo from here.

    Samsung Galaxy S II and Tab 10.1 coming soon

    Gadgets Team
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    7
    Samsung Galaxy S II and Tab 10.1 coming soon

    Our editor in chief, Armin Amio, is in Singapore for the Samsung SEA Forum and sent in this piece of news. After being introduced at the Consumer Electronics Show in LasVegas last January, it looks like Samsung’s much-awaited Galaxy S II and Tab 10.1 will finally arrive on Philippine shores sooner than expected.

    Samsung Electronics Philippines say the two devices may be launched in the country by next month, or the latest, in May. “It depends on the arrival of stocks,”said Benjie Jimenez, marketing director.

    The lightning-fast, dual-core Samsung Galaxy S II powered by AndroidGingerbread has been equipped with a new crystal-clear Super AMOLED Plus screen.

    The 10.1-inch new Galaxy Tab is an entertainment powerhouse. A dual-core smart media device powered by Android Honeycomb, the Galaxy Tab 10.1 boasts of a lightweight and thin design. The device has been developed todeliver the ultimate mobile entertainment experience to immerse users with its dual surround-sound speakers.

    Other Galaxy smartphones introduced during the SEA Forum in Singapore are:

    Galaxy Ace – Designed for the trendy young professionals, the Ace offers a premium experience with a 3.5” display on a compact and comfortable handset. Its 800MHz processor, voice search and ThinkFree document viewer give it quality performance.

    Galaxy Fit – Crafted for the user who wants a device that meets all the challenges of a career and busy social life. With a 3.31” display, the Fit is functional and fun, delivering a user experience optimized for sharing and web browsing on the go.

    Galaxy Gio – Developed for stylish young professionals who want to stay connected with a sleek device, the Gio keeps you connected thru its enhancedsocial networking capabilities.

    Galaxy mini –The first smartphone designed for trendy and sociable youngsters. With a 3.14” display, the mini delivers optimal productivity and performance ina compact design and is the perfect gift for smartphone rookies. It also offersGoogle voice actions and Quick Office document viewer, all powered by a 600MHz processor.

    Galaxy Pro – Designed as a smartphone with an edge, the Pro comes withSamsung’s Social Hub Premium and a dual-inputcontrol based on a touchscreen and QWERTY keyboard. On a 2.8” display, professionals are able to get ahead of the game when managing their busy work and social lives.

    But before all these, Samsung expects to put out its push for its TVs, particularlythe flagship LED series sets.

    The South Korean electronics powerhouse sees the television becoming the centerpiece of technology in the living room, thus consumers will use it increasingly in more unique and personal ways.

    The Samsung Smart Hub feature is basically a menu system used to connect, discover and enjoy a wide range of content. Users can search for movies, shows and videos via online services and across connected devices, browse the Webfrom their TVs and access apps from Samsung Apps, the world’s first applicationstore for the television. This is featured in all Samsung’s 2011 LED TVs above LED D5500 series and PDP D6900 and Blu-ray products as well as 3D and TVaccessories have been designed to seamlessly accomplish this.

    Also coming up are the Samsung D8000 and D7000 LED TV. Here, Samsung has redesigned the TV screen by slimming down the bezel to 0.2 inches. By virtually eliminating the traditional TV frame, Samsung’s ultra-narrow bezel provides consumers with extra screen size without increasing the outside dimensions of the set.

    Additionally, the D8000 Plasma Series showcases Samsung’s Plasma+1 designand have 51 and 64-inches of viewable screen size.

     

    WD buys Hitachi GST for $4.3 billion, showdown with Seagate inevitable?

    Gadgets Team
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    WD buys Hitachi GST for $4.3 billion, showdown with Seagate inevitable?

    Massive. That pretty much sums up WD’s acquisition of Hitachi GST, one of their main competitors. WD, responsible for the world’s first 1TB 2.5-inch drive will pony up $3.5 billion in cash and $750 million in common stock, which at the time of acquisition was pegged at $30.01 per share. In return, Hitachi will own approximately ten percent of Western Digital shares outstanding after issuance of the shares and two representatives of Hitachi will be added to the WD board of directors at closing. This isn’t an unprecedented move as WD’s main competitor Seagate took Maxtor for $2 billion back in 2005. It’s still pretty unclear what this means for consumers, though you can be sure that the fight for your storage just got a bit more intense.

     

    Source: Bloomberg

    The evolution of baby talk to real talk

    Gadgets Team
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    The evolution of baby talk to real talk

    Talk about capturing your child’s every precious moment. Deb Roy from MIT decided to capture and track their family’s every movement. With a series of fisheye lenses in every room in their house, they hoped to learn how we understand language through the use of context. Of course, what better subject than their own baby.

    Using cutting edge vocal analysis software and speech transcription BlitzScribe, the Roy’s were able to parse 200 terrabytes of data representing 90’000 hours of their life. This vocal parsing software was able to capture the emergence and development of words in their son’s vocabulary.

    Unreal 3-D visualizations allowed his team to zoom through the house like a dollhouse and map the utterance of each word in its context.

    In a landscape-like image with peaks and valleys, you can see that the word “water” was uttered most often in the kitchen, while “bye” took place at the door.

    The aim is to some day bring the platform into more commercial contexts such as charting how social media environments interact with televisual live broadcasting events.

    Perhaps with this information, we’ll know better how to communicate with our own children.

    Source: PSFK

     

    Game Review: Dong Dong Never Die

    Gadgets Team
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    2
    Game Review: Dong Dong Never Die

    Think of all the crazy things that made you go WTF you’ve seen come out of Japan. Now think of all the fighting games you’ve ever played. Now combine both of those, but instead of Japan, think China. That pretty much sums up Dong Dong Never Die, a freeware 2D fighting game that almost manages to usurp Japan as the center of all things WTF, but only just. The insanity starts at the character selection screen, which is reminiscent of the Super Street Fighter selection screen, only much more insane. Because only in Dong Dong Never Die can you play as two nurses against a guy who thinks he’s the Asian Micheal Jackson.

    What, did you think we were joking?

    At first glance, the game looks like someone re skinned a bunch of fighting icons like Iori (KOF) and Ryu (Streetfighter) with a unique (some may say deranged) twist. Like the guy that fights with an inner tube for example.

    You've never seen a guy fight with an inner tube before?

    Or Mario.

    It's-a-me, Mario

    Once you get past the initial WTF AM I PLAYING stage of shock, the game’s fighting mechanics are pretty good. It’s not as polished as the ones in commercial games obviously, but the hitboxes and the character animations are surprisingly well done. You can initiate hyper moves right after super moves for example, delivering some massive damage when timed correctly.It’s all very impressive, and the fact that it’s made by a bunch of Chinese fans is a nice plus. Special effects are nice and some of the super moves are superbly executed, like the one where the dainty girl with the umbrella calls Optimus Prime to beat you down.

    Because, at this point, why not?

    I don’t really endorse freeware games all that much, but this game just begs to be played. It’s a nice conversation piece when your friends come over, and heck, who can resist kicking ass as an obese construction worker?

    We should all be that lucky

    You can download the game from here.

    [album: https://gadgetsmagazine.com.ph/wp-content/plugins/dm-albums/dm-albums.php?currdir=/wp-content/uploads/dm-albums/[email protected]/Dong Dong Never Die /]

    Facebook now valued at $65 billion

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    Facebook now valued at $65 billion

    Last time we checked, the digits were $15 billion less. According to a new report, investment firm General Atlantic has bought out some shares from former Facebook employees—giving them a 0.1 percent stake in the company. This puts the social network at a 30% increase from its last investment which valued it at $50 billion.

    What does this all mean? Facebook is growing at a fast rate, and it’s not even a publicly-traded company yet. Word on it being opened to the public has yet to be made; for now, we’ll have to rely on the news that employees having stock options and that 17-billion-dollar investment firms are putting their money into it.

    General Atlantic bought about 2.5 million shares of stock; but while their deal with former employees have been made, it will still need Facebook’s approval to push through.

    Apparently, investors have been on the hunt for Facebook stock so much that they’ve been hunting down former employees and large stockholders from its earlier days.

    We’ve been keeping tabs on Facebook ourselves, and like we said before. If it’s already valued this much while it’s still a private company, how much will each share cost when they’ve finally decided to trade publicly?

     

     

    Source: Reuters, CNBC.com

    Introducing the tape house

    Gadgets Team
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    Introducing the tape house

    I remember the last walkman I ever had was a Sony Sports Walkman while the last cassette tape I recall playing on that walkman was the “One in a Million” album by the late, great Aaliyah. I remember the anticipation of waiting for the next song to play or the excitement that grew as I rewound my favorite track so that I could listen to it again (4-page letter was a favorite). And I remember sitting down by my tape player, surrounded by my favorite cassette tapes, and patiently trying to come up with my own mixtape.

    Of course now, the mixtape has been replaced with what we call “the playlist” and hardly as romantic.

    As an ode to the obsolete and nostalgic, architecture student Emmett McNamara of Edinburgh College of Art decided to create, nay, erect a structure using nothing but old cassette tapes. Using over 7,000 tapes he had collected from friends, charity shops, and tape dealers, Emmett thought he could not only explicitly showcase the importance of reusing old materials, he also wanted to elicit an emotional response by tapping into his own emotions. Aptly named “tape house”, Emmett shares in an article in Archdaily, “I wanted to build something that evoked emotional memory attachment in conjunction with the practical re use of an abundant waste material. Tapes have a special place in a lot of people’s hearts. I remember making mix tapes for girls I liked. The first album I bought was a tape. When someone sees a tape they perceive it in these terms. The associated cognitive imagery is part of a deeper emotional part of us.”

    Perhaps in a few years, someone can erect the “iPod house.” For that I will gladly donate my personal (and still very usable) iPod Nano First Gen.

     

    Reports: BBM will launch on Android and iOS

    Gadgets Team
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    1
    Reports: BBM will launch on Android and iOS

    BGR.com reports that Research In Motion has plans to launch its proprietary messaging service—BlackBerry Messenger—on Android phones and soon on the iOS platform too. While details haven’t been finalized and no announcement has been made from RIM’s side yet, Jonathan Geller of BGR.com reports that the company might make the software free for users.

    Why did RIM decide on giving users of other platforms access to BBM? More importantly, is this true? Your guess is as good as ours.

     

    Source: BGR.com

     

    Super smartphone deals only from Globe

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    Super smartphone deals only from Globe

    Appease your Android fetish with one of Globe’s smartphone deals.  Just sign up with any of the All-New My Super Plans, and your choices run from budget-friendly touchscreens to state-of-the-art tablets that will have you drooling.

    My Super Plan 499 lets you choose between the Samsung Galaxy 5 i5503 or a Huawei Ideos, two budget Android smartphones.

    Samsung Galaxy i5503 Specs

    • 600 MHz processor
    • Android OS, v2.1 (Eclair)
    • 2.8” QVGA TFT capacitive LCD (240 x 320)
    • Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, DLNA
    • HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
    • Bluetooth 2.1
    • 2MP FF w/o LED Flash
    • 170MB internal memory with support for, microSD (1GB included, up to 16GB)
    • A-GPS
    • 1200maH Li-On battery

     

    Huawei Ideos Specs

    • Android 2.2 Froyo
    • 2.8 Inch Capacitive Touch Screen Display
    • 320 x 240 Screen Resolution
    • 528 MHz Processor
    • Wi-Fi
    • HSDPA 3G Compatible
    • 3G Hotspot Capable
    • dedicated Search, Home and Back Keys
    • 3.2 Mega Pixel Primary Camera

    At My Super Plan 999, you can get the Samsung S5570 Galaxy Mini or the Huawei S7 tablet that has 3G and WiFi.

    Samsung S5570 Galaxy Mini Specs

    • 3.14″ display @ 240×320 pixels
    • 600 MHz processor
    • 160MB internal storage
    • up to 32GB via microSD (2GB included)
    • 3G/HSDPA 7.2Mbps
    • WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
    • 3.15MP fixed-focus camera
    • FM Radio
    • GPS w/ aGPS support
    • 1200mAh Li-Ion battery
    • Android 2.2 Froyo

    Huawei S7 Specs

    • 7” Inch Touch-Screen
    • 800 x 480 Display Resolution
    • Android 2.1 Eclair OS
    • 786 MHz Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor
    • Wi-Fi
    • Bluetooth
    • 2 Mega Pixel Camera
    • 3.5mm Head Phone Jack
    • 3G Compatible
    • SIM Card Slot

    Now if you pick My Super Plan 1799, you can get the Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830 or the HTC Wildfire.

    Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830 Specs

    • Android 2.2 ( froyo)
    • 800 Mhz ARM 11
    • 3.5 inch TFT Capacitive touch screen
    • 320 x 480 pixel resolution
    • Touch Wiz 3.0
    • 158 Mb internal memory expandable up to 32 GB
    • HSDPA 3G
    • Wi-Fi, Bluetooth , micro USB port
    • 5 Mega pixel Camera with Auto focus, LED Flash , GEO tagging , face detection, smile detection
    • Video recording at 15 fps at QVGA resolution ( 320 x 240 pixels )
    • 1350 mAH battery

    HTC Wildfire Specs

    • Qualcomm MSM 7225 528MHz processor
    • Android™ 2.1 (Éclair) with HTC Sense™
    • 3.2” QVGA Capacitive touch screen (240 x 320) with pinch-to-zoom capability
    • 384MB RAM, 512MB ROM with up to 32GB microSD support
    • WiFi 802.11 b/g
    • Bluetooth 2.1 w/ A2DP
    • 3G/HSDPA 7.2 Mbps
    • 5MP autofocus camera w/ LED flash
    • FM Radio with RDS
    • GPS w/ aGPS support
    • 1300mAh Li-Ion battery

    And at My Super Plan 2499, the top gadget that you’ll get for free is the Samsung Galaxy Tab, the Android Froyo tablet powered with a 1GHz Hummingbird processor.

    Samsung Galaxy Tab Specs

    • 7-inch TFT LCD @ 1024×600 pixel resolution
    • Cortex A8 1.0GHz w/ PowerVR SGX540
    • 512 MB RAM
    • 16GB and 32GB internal memory
    • up to 32GB via microSD
    • 3MP AF camera with LED Flash
    • 1.3MP front camera for video calls
    • 3G (HSUPA 5.76Mbps, HSDPA 7.2Mbps)
    • WiFi 802.11n, Bluetooth 3.0
    • Gyroscope sensor, Geo-Magnetic sensor
    • Accelerometer, Light sensor
    • Android OS 2.2 Froyo
    • Li-Ion 4,000mAh battery

    All deals come with a 30 whole days of Globe Super Surf, which gives you all-you-want surfing at no additional cost. Free Globe Super Surf for 30 days offer expires on March 31.

    Epson outs the world’s slimmest and lightest 3LCD projectors

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    Epson outs the world’s slimmest and lightest 3LCD projectors

    Epson Philippines has formally unveiled the slimmest and lightest 3LCD projectors in the world in the recently concluded event held at the Dusit Thani in Makati earlier today. The EB01700 series of 3LCD projectors promise to deliver outstanding mobility, high-quality image performance and interactive features.

    The new projectors are easy to set-up and use as demonstrated during the event, and are ideal for corporate and academic environments. The new range of projectors is relatively quiet, and is slimmer than a regular AA battery set upright. The projectors also feature Wi-Fi capability (on select models) so presenters can connect to a wireless network and remotely manage the devices.

    The new projectors will have all have attractive introductory prices for 2 months. Prices are Php 57,000 for the EB-1750, Php 61,000 for the EB-1760W, Php 68,000 for the EB-1770W and Php 74,000 for the EB-1775W.

    [album: https://gadgetsmagazine.com.ph/wp-content/plugins/dm-albums/dm-albums.php?currdir=/wp-content/uploads/dm-albums/[email protected]/Epson EB1700/]

     

    Make your iPad your new coloring book with Crayola ColorStudio HD

    Gadgets Team
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    4
    Make your iPad your new coloring book with Crayola ColorStudio HD

    Teaching my 4-year old daughter how to use her big Crayola crayons and to stay inside the lines as she colors is just one of the many timeless activities I enjoy doing with her. But of course, as technology is ever-advancing, this favorite learning and leisure activity has now become more than just a 2D experience thanks to the Crayola ColorStudio HD.

    At this year’s Consumer Electronics Show a new partnership between Griffin Technology and Crayola announced the latest in the world of coloring. Crayola ColorStudio HD is an entirely new digital play experience, coupling a multi-activity drawing application for iPad (Crayola ColorStudio HD App) with a custom-built digital stylus, called Crayola iMarker. Together with iMarker, the ColorStudio HD App allows young artists to color and interact with special “live” animated coloring book pages that move and react as they color, combining custom-produced pictures, animations, music, sound effects, and high quality special effects.

    The ColorStudio HD App features a large, built-in library of art that provides hundreds of hours of play in themed environments like undersea, jungle and playtime activities.

    Crayola ColorStudio HD is a unique new digital experience that will keep kids entertained for hours, and is just the first offering in this exciting partnership. Together, Griffin and Crayola are creating new ways for children to color, draw, and discover in the digital age.

    Scheduled for release in Spring 2011.

    Steve Jobs unveils iPad 2, Apple stock goes up

    Gadgets Team
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    0
    Steve Jobs unveils iPad 2, Apple stock goes up

    Just three weeks ago, speculations about the future of Apple spread the web because Steve Jobs—CEO and backbone of the company—took an indefinite medical leave of absence. The aftermath of this announcement was brutal, with Apple stock plunging from $355 to $348 and by the time the final bell rang on the trading floor it was down 2 percent. It’s hardly cause for alarm, and could be affected by other factors such as rumors of unsuccessful iPhone 4 Verizon sales, but in an innovative company such as Apple that has been churning out technological game-changers one after the other, anything that conveys “loss” for its shareholders is worrisome.

    Thus began the campaign to push Apple to disclose its CEO’s reasons for medical leave, a move that so dangerously bordered on the invasion of privacy for the big man behind the company. From a shareholder’s point of view however, it’s just good business. They’re just trying to protect their investment.

    For weeks, Apple has been dodging questions about who will make the iPad 2 announcement. There have also been rumors that Jony Ive, the guy who designed many of Apple’s iconic products, was seeking to sell his shares and move back to Great Britain. Questions about who will lead Apple abound.

    Today however, Steve Jobs shocked the world twice—by unveiling the thinner albeit more powerful iPad and by making the announcement himself, saying “we’ve been working on this project for a while and I just didn’t want to miss it.”

    Instantly, Apple stock began to climb and saw a 3-point increase from a previous day’s close. As the iPad 2 continues to peak everyone’s interests, a steady build of shareholder confidence is sure to happen—probably as long as Steve Jobs remains visible.

     

    Source: The Wall Street Journal, Apple Events

    iPad 2: the official word

    Gadgets Team
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    1
    iPad 2: the official word

     

    Alright folks, all of us have been bombarded with speculations about the upcoming iPad refresh and now the official word has come down. The iPad 2 as it’s being officially called, will feature an entirely new design that’s 33% thinner and 15% lighter than the original and features a 9.7-inch back-lit capacitive touchscreen, 1GHz dual-core A5 chip and cameras on both the front and the rear of the unit. There’s also 720p HD recording on tap, with an HDMI connector provided for 1080p output. The iPad 2 will ship on 11th of March in the US, and prices will start from $499. Again, there’s no word on when this marvel of technology will hit our shores, and considering the original iPad only became official December of last year, we’d venture to say it’d be a while. There’s a bunch of videos of the device being demoed on Engadget, so head on over to the source links below to see it in action.

     

    Source: Engadget, iPad 2 Video

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