New iPad review 03/17/2012
 

With a breathtaking display and big hardware upgrades, does the tablet king retain its crown? 

- Pictures from the Verge -
The moment Tim Cook took the stage and announced the new iPad on March 7th in San Francisco, I immediately started brainstorming on my review for the device. There are clear challenges in comparing generational, iterative products like the iPad — especially when the devices themselves look nearly identical. Looks, of course, are really only half the story with the new iPad (side note: the name is just "iPad," though Apple seems to be using "new" quite liberally). In fact, looks may not be the story at all.

While the device does appear to be physically nearly identical to its predecessor, there are significant changes in the product. For starters, it's boasting that outrageous Retina display — its 9.7-inch screen delivering a whopping 2048 x 1536 resolution. The new iPad is also equipped with a greatly improved camera on its back (a 5 megapixel shooter, not unlike the one featured on the iPhone 4), new 4G LTE options (for both Verizon and AT&T), and a considerably more powerful processor.

After the event last Wednesday, amongst the praise you could also detect a distinct sentiment of disappointment — mostly from the press. Much like the fallout after the introduction of the last iPhone, there were questions: Why does it look the same? No quad-core processor? Has Apple lost its edge? Yet despite the questions, pre-orders seem to be record breaking (just as with the iPhone 4S).

But is the iPad as good as it needs to be? Has Apple made the right moves, or is it slipping behind the competition? Most importantly, does the new iPad successfully defend the last version's reputation as the King of Tablets? I'll answer all those questions, and more, in this review — so read on!

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Ok folks, we’re not saying this will be the best Assassin’s Creed ever, but based on this short trailer it most certainly looks that way. 

Just a few shorts weeks ago, Ubisoft began to trickle out information regarding Assassin’s Creed 3.  Much like the games before, this one occurs in the past and places the game’s protagonist in a time period and location that is pivotal; the America Revolutionary war.  In fact, this website was born out of Boston, and its founder (me) grew up just steps from where the first shot was supposedly fired.
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So, what'd you have in the office pool? iPad 3, iPad 2S, iPad HD? Doesn't matter, really. All that matters is that it's here! This is the next generation of Apple's iOS slate and, as usual, she's a beaut -- and yes, she's still rockin' a physical button. As was rumored this thing is packing a Retina display, potentially making this the most pixel-packed slate on the market. The 9.7-inch screen plays host to 3.1 million pixels in a 2048 x 1536 arrangement -- that's 264ppi. It's not just a higher resolution though, the screen also boasts improved color saturation. Of course, what would a new iPad be without some updated guts. The new model has an A5X processor and quad-core graphics chip. Apple even claims its newest sliver of silicon can deliver four times the performance of a Tegra 3 -- we'd say dems fightin' words.
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We we’re just getting comfortable with the fact that the 599 GTO was Ferrari’s fastest road vehicle to date.  And now they go and announce the F12 Berlinetta. 

Yes, it is the Italian company’s fastest car EVER, rocketing to 60mph in a hair over 3 seconds and reaching 124mph in as little as 8.5 seconds.  Gasp.  Achieving this kind of performance is no easy feat and some of the credit can be attributed to the all aluminum chassis coupled with a 740 horsepower 6.3liter V12 engine.  Ferrari hasn’t released pricing as of yet, but they say that it consumes 30% less fuel than the 599, which is probably equitable to a few extra pennies in the change jar – if you’re buying this car, or any Ferrari for that matter, fuel consumption isn’t much of a concern. 
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Windows 8 might be a gamechanger for tablets, but it's designed for desktops too. How does it fare with a keyboard and mouse? 

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Windows 8 Metro Start Menu There's a mix of Metro apps (the brightly-colored ones like Photos, Store, and Weather) and regular Windows programs (like Internet Explorer) in this new Start screen. Dan Nosowitz
Since Windows 7, Microsoft's been busily honing the interface for Windows tablets, which uses a bold bunch of squares and rectangles in flat neon colors and has been christened "Metro." Windows 8--undoubtedly the biggest change to the operating system in a few generations--finally brings Metro to the desktop. So how does it work with a keyboard and mouse?

Windows 8 integrates Metro with what in reality is a barely-changed version of Windows 7, with all the programs and behavior we've gotten familiar with for the past decade or two. It sounds disjointed, but functionally, after using it for a minute, I see what Microsoft is doing here, and it makes sense. For tablet users, Metro is everything. For desktop users, it's essentially Microsoft's new Start menu.

On a tablet, Metro is highly touchable, with big buttons and swipey gestures and pretty bright colors. Apps run in full-screen, with the additional option of sticking an app in a quarter of the screen on the left or right (great for stuff like Twitter or an instant-message client). On a desktop, Metro's still useful, but it's not where you'll spend most of your time. A desktop user triggers Metro by clicking, from anywhere, on the lower left-hand corner of the screen (or by hitting the Windows button on your keyboard), and there you are: home base.

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Despite operating within the profit-driven world of consumer technology, Apple has often maintained a distinctly rebellious public persona. Launched by two former telephone hackers Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak (in addition to Ronald Wayne), Apple forged their own path by ignoring the status quo and offering such innovations as the first widespread GUI and desktop publishing software which was easy for anyone to use.

As Apple lost a series of running battles with Microsoft over market share and the company faced a number of vicissitudes, Apple embraced their underdog status and turned their near destruction into a rallying cry. Never had a technology company made financial disaster seem so cool and owning an Apple computer could feel like being part of an exclusive club. However, as Steve Jobs and co guided Apple back from the brink to renewed success, there is a perception that perhaps they lost something of their free-thinking spirit along the way, that Apple have become part of the establishment which they once so gleefully ignored.

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Super PACs are changing the face of American politics. And it may be impossible to reverse their startling advance

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IF HE could have done one thing to avert his plunge from front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination to also-ran, Newt Gingrich told the press on the eve of the Iowa caucuses in January, he would have “pulled the plug on Romney’s PAC”. As it was, the super PAC backing Mitt Romney, a rival candidate, spent millions on advertisements rubbishing Mr Gingrich, causing his support to wilt. This new breed of electioneering outfit, brought into being by a Supreme Court ruling in 2010, has already reshaped the presidential campaign—and its influence is only likely to grow. 
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BioShock is a survival horror first-person shooter video game developed by 2K Boston (now known as Irrational Games) and designed by Ken Levine.

Set in an alternate 1960, the game puts the player in the role of a plane crash survivor named Jack, who must explore the underwater city of Rapture, and survive attacks by the mutated beings and mechanical drones that populate it. The game incorporates elements found in role-playing video game and survival games, and is described by the developers and Levine as a "spiritual successor" to their previous titles in the System Shock series. The game received overwhelmingly positive reviews, which praised its "morality-based" storyline, immersive environment and its unique setting, inspired by Objectivist philosophy and rhetoric.

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Limbo is horrifically beautiful. A monochrome purgatory painted in jet-black ink and scratches of charcoal. The screen’s peripheries glow and flicker, as if we’re peering into this world through a grainy, fish-eye lens. The gloomy background, given a sense of depth in just a wash of grey shade depicts destitution and despair. The figure of a young child hangs limply from a noose. Death is everywhere. White butterflies that flutter gently by are the only sign of hope. For all its terror and macabre, it’s mesmerising; impossible to turn away from. 
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We all love to paint the town red; whether it’s fast-flowing drinks or easy women you’re after (or both), there’s nothing quite as brilliant as a night out on the town with your closest buddies. However, sometimes a trip to your local spit-and-sawdust bar just doesn’t cut the mustard -- after all, there’s only a certain amount of times you can chat up the same barmaid, play the same pool table and listen to the same faulty jukebox. Yes, sometimes a trip further afield is the only way to get the party truly started, which is why we’ve compiled a list of the top 10 nightlife cities across the globe, from Miami to London.

Included for their array of nightlife hot spots, their up-for-it locals, their late-night last calls and their excellent après-party transportation systems, we couldn’t think of a better way to spend a boys-only weekend then in these top-notch nightlife cities.
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