One of the key feature in the new iPad is the high speed 4G LTE wireless. If you’re an international customers looking to buy the new iPad for the 4G, then it pays to confirm with you telco if the new iPad is compatible with their LTE network.

Similar to GSM, depending on deployment and market, different LTE network operates at varying frequency band. For example AT&T’s LTE network in US is operating at 700MHz and 2100MHz bands. While some telcos in Europe and Asia are using the 800MHz, 1800MHz and 2600MHz bands. The new iPad does not have a switching world LTE thus the iPad you bought from AT&T in the US will not work in Europe telcos using different frequency bands.

Apple in its official specifications only stated LTE compatibility with AT&T, Verizon in the US and Bell, Rogers and Telus in Canada. Apple has confirmed with The Verge that “iPads sold internationally will be able to connect to AT&Ts LTE network when in the US with the appropriate SIM and plan.” Which suggests that Apple will ship the same AT&T version of iPads to international markets. If this is true then it is likely that the new iPad is not compatible with a number of LTE networks in Europe and Asia.

Apple released a brand new iPhoto for the iOS during its March 7 iPad media event. iPhoto for iOS, costing $4.99 on the App Store, is a universal app for both iPhone and iPad. It requires at least iPhone 4/4S and iPad 2, and requires the latest iOS 5.1.

When you try to install iPhoto on the first iPad, a message will pop up preventing you from buying and installing the app. The message “This app requires a front facing camera” is indeed strange as iPhoto is not a camera app.

We are highlighting this for those who own the first generation iPad. You can purchase the app on your iPhone 4/4S, thinking that it will work on your old iPad. Bt if you’ve already plan to buy the new iPad, then it is just a couple of days of waiting to use the app on a bigger screen.

Apple just completed its March 7 media event at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco. If you want the full coverage, please visit the usual suspects such as Engadget, MacWorld etc websites. For those in a hurry, here are the quick summary:

• iOS 5.1 will be available later today. Those with iOS 5 can update directly from within Settings app.
• As part of iOS 5.1, Siri will add Japanese language support.
• iTunes in iCloud now support movies with the ability to re-download movies you’ve purchased on any device. iTunes movie now come in 1080p.
• Apple unveils third generation Apple TV with 1080p support with a streamlined new user interface. The price is the same as existing model at $99. Available next week March 16th, order starts today.
• Apple launches new iPad. It is not iPad 3 or iPad HD, just iPad. Or the new iPad. Or third generation iPad.
• New iPad comes with 264ppi 2048×1536 resolution Retina Display. This is twice the resolution of existing iPad and more than 1 million pixel more than HDTV 1080p (1920×1080) standard. The new screen also boasts 44% greater saturation.
• New iPad has a new A5X processor with quad-core graphics and is twice as fast as Tegra 3.
• New iPad has a 5M pixel iSight camera with backside illuminated sensor, 5-element lens, Hybrid IR filter, face detection and ISP (signal processor) module built into the A5X chip. It can record video at 1080p with video stabilization and temporal noise deduction features.
• There is no Siri for the new iPad. Instead it comes with voice dictation for US English, British, Australian, French, German and Japanese.
• The new iPad supports World Ready 3G and next-generation 4G LTE wireless. It is capable of 21Mbps HSPA+ and DC-HSDPA at 42Mbps, and LTE at 73Mbps. (Compare with iPad 2 which is capable of 3.1Mbps on EV-DO and 7.2Mbps on HSPA).
• The new iPad has a 10 hours battery life. The battery life is 9 hours on 4G LTE. It is 9.4mm thin and weights 1.4lbs, which is slightly heavier than iPad 2.
• The new iPad has the same pricing as iPad 2: $499 for 16GB Wi-Fi, $599 for 32GB Wi-Fi and $699 for 64GB Wi-Fi. The price for 4G LTE version is $629 for 16GB, $729 for 32GB and $829 for 64GB.
• The new iPad will be available March 16 for US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia. Pre-orders starts today.
• The new iPad will be available March 23 for Austria, belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macau, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
• Apple updates iOS apps: iWorks, iMovie, Garage Band. Free update for existing users.
• Apple releases new iPhoto for iOS with photo editing and organization features. $4.99 available today.
• iPad 2 16GB will be made available at $399, a price drop of $100.

Readability has released its universal iOS app for iPhone and iPad, and it is worth the wait. Readability is similar to offering such as Safari’s Reading List and Instapaper, where you submit web pages to read-later. Before the launch of the iOS app, Readability is a website-only service. Core to Readability is its ability to scrap web pages to retain only the main content. In fact Apple is using the same technology in its Reader implementation in Safari.

One advantage of Readability compared with Reading List is the website readability.com. You can login to the site when you are not around your Mac, let say on a Windows PC, to access your bookmarked reading list. In addition, an open API allows you to submit bookmarks to read-later from browsers and third party apps such as Reeder, Pulse, Tweetbot, Echofon etc. Readability app is free, beautiful, and set to become the new standard for read-later service on iOS.

Readability on App Store

Apple has sent out invitation for iPad 3 launch event on next Wednesday March 7 at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco. The media event is scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM Pacific/ 1.00 PM Eastern. Here’s our prediction what will be unveiled during the event:

• iPad 3 with quad-core CPU, retina display and improved camera. Option for LTE network version.
• Low cost iPad 2 model to accompanied iPad 3.
• iOS 5.1.
• Siri for iPad 3 and more language options for Siri.
• Third generation Apple TV set top box with 1080p support.
• 1080p HD video and high definition audio content on iTunes.
• Availability of iTunes Match for more countries.

MacRumors has confirmed that iPad 3′s display is indeed the rumored retina display at 2048×1536 resolution. The conclusion is a result of viewing a purportedly iPad 3 display under microscope.

Apple is expected to announce iPad 3 on 7 March. It is expected that Apple will release iOS 5.1 together with the launch.

Apple announced the preview to OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, just seven months after OS X Lion’s release last July. Here are the new features in OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion in summary form for quick digestion:

• OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion has a serious looking cat.
• Similar to Snow Leopard, the name Mountain Lion suggests it is a fine-tuning release of Lion.
• Apple surprised everyone by announcing the preview release without the usual press event. Instead, only selected tech publishers are invited to closed door briefings by Apple.
• Apple released a preview of Mountain Lion to its developers as part of the announcement.
• OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion is scheduled to release in late summer 2012.
• With OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, Apple is changing to an annual release cycle of OS X, to be on par with its iOS counter part.
• Apple started using “OS X” without the “Mac” naming since the release of Lion. But “Mac OS X” is still the title when view from within let say the “About This Mac” screen in Lion. In OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, Apple officially drops the “Mac” title from within the operating system.
• OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion will be exclusively available from the App Store. It will not be available in USB stick like in Lion.
• iCloud is integrated deeper with Mountain Lion. You will be asked to sign-on with or create new Apple ID during installation. This is similar to the startup of iOS 5.
• iCal is renamed to Calendar and Address Book is renamed to Contacts, making apps to have consistent naming in iOS and OS X.
• Messages app will replace iChat in Mountain Lion. Messages app supports existing iChat services and iMessage, allows you to message to anyone using iMessages on their iPhone and iPad without the carrier texting charges. Apple released a public Messages beta for existing users to try out Messages before it’s release in Mountain Lion.
  
• Reminders will be moved out from iCal into a standalone Reminders app. The app looks similar to its iOS counterpart and will sync with iCloud, enable you to have the same tasks on your Mac, iPhone and iPad. 
  
• Notes will be moved out from Mail app into a standalone Notes app. The app will sport the same look as iOS version and will sync between the OS X Mountain Lion and iOS. 
  
• Notification Center will be a system feature in OS X Mountain Lion. Apps can publish notifications to pop up in a sidebar. This is a port of Notification Center from iOS, and is likely to replace Growl to become the de facto notification standard in OS X.
  
• Apple will bring the Game Center app from iOS to OS X. This will bring social gaming to the desktop, let you play games and chat with friends, and keeping your game score.
• AirPlay Mirroring allows you to mirror the content of iPad 2 and iPhone 4S to your HDTV via Apple TV. With Mountain Lion, you can stream 720p content from your Mac to HDTV via Apple TV.
  
• Share Sheets is a system window component that allows app to implement standard sharing mechanism. Safari, Preview etc in Mountain Lion will have a small button at toolbar to trigger the Share Sheets, allowing you quick access to email, message, tweet, AirDrop, share to Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo etc.
• Twitter is integrated with Mountain Lion, as with iOS 5.
• You can install apps from anywhere or from App Store in Lion. With Mountain Lion, Apple introduced a third type of app which is available outside the App Store but is digitally signed with Apple. This is a measure to combat malware as Apple is able to remotely prevent digitally signed apps from installing. Signed apps also can not be modified as it will break the signature. Gatekeeper is a new security mechanism introduced in Mountain Lion that allows the users to choose the type of apps that can be run. By default, Mountain Lion will allow only apps from App Store and identified developers with digital signature.
• OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion reflects the rising importance of the China market. Mountain Lion will have integration with Chinese services such as Baidu, Weibo, Youku, QQ etc.
• Mountain Lion brings a new Documents in the Cloud view to the traditional Open/Save File Dialog for apps that support working on documents in iCloud. iCloud will appear as another location besides your local disk for opening and saving your documents.
• The usual Software Update will be relocated under App Store app in Mountain Lion.
• OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion comes with an improved Safari 5.2. One notable new feature in Safari is its integration of search bar within the address bar. Apple has seeded a beta release of Safari 5.2 to its developers.
• There are reports that some older Mac models can run Lion but not Mountain Lion. Those affected are mostly machines with integrated graphics. It is still too early to confirm the minimum requirement since there is no official statement from Apple and Mountain Lion is still months away from release.

Apple’s OS X Mountain Lion Sneak Peak

If you’re upset by the latest version 4 update of the official Twitter client, look no further than Tweetbot. At $2.99, Tweetbot is the best full-featured Twitter client money can buy. And the maker Tapbots just released a new version for the iPad.

Tweetbot for iPhone

Tweetbot for iPad