Louis Vuitton Stacks Up iPad 2
August 30th, 2011 by Christen
Louis Vuitton replies to the cat calls of the knock offs with a new iPad 2 designs. The new sexy iPad cases that not only protects your precious iPad 2 device also double as stands when you fold the top cover back. The exterior of the Monogram iPad Case features Vuitton’s iconic monogram pattern along with a soft microfiber lining that protects the iPad. It also has golden brass details, holes for a headphone jack, dock connector port, on / off buttons and volume control. The Monogram iPad Case retails less than $700.
Paired with the iconic speedy bag and any fashionista is ready for the boardroom or the runway in full DivasandDorks style.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 vs Apple iPad 2 Review
August 29th, 2011 by ChristenBy now, you’re aware of how much I truly enjoy using my Apple iPad but the lack flash viewing has made me long for more….In a time where tablets are king, brands are vying to manufacture the next best tablet for consumers to clammer over. Often called the “iPad killer” – the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 has grabbed my attention and I’ve matched it up against my favorite iPad 2 to see who comes out on top…
To my surprise, while attending BlogHer 2011 in San Diego earlier this month, I was awarded a Verizon Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 during a Verizon/BlogHer brunch – which provided the perfect opportunity to compare it to my beloved iPad 2 and see who out-matches who.
Upon, unboxing the Galaxy Tab 10.1 the first thing I noticed was it’s slim, light and widened design. The Galaxy Tab 10.1 gets its light weight from the all plastic construction, if you’re not a fan of the iPad’s metal casing then this may entice you. The Tab’s light weight along with the super thin body make this tablet really comfortable to work with.
The specs:
- OS: Android Honeycomb 3.1
- Processor: Nvidia Tegra 2, 1GHz dual-core
- Memory: 1GB RAM; 16GB storage
- Display: 10.1-inch, 1280×800; 149 pixels per inch
- Video: 1080p playback (30 fps); Codecs supported: WMV7, WMV8, WMV9, H.264, MPEG4, Xvid, DivX, H.263, VP8
- Cameras: front- 2MP; rear- 3MP, auto-focus, flash, 720p video recording
- Ports: proprietary dock port (charging), 3.5mm audio
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n dual band (2.4GHz, 5GHz), Bluetooth 3.0
- Battery: 7000mAH
- Dimensions: 256.7 x 175.3 x 8.6mm (10.1 x 6.9 x 0.39 inches)
- Weight: 565g (1.24 lbs.)
The front of the Tab 10.1 has a glass touch screen that facilitates operation (similar to the iPad2). The front-facing camera is located at the top center of the screen when held in landscape orientation. Two stereo speakers cup the screen in this orientation on either side of the tablet. And unlike the iPad2 there are no physical buttons on the front of the device.
There are no physical controls on either side of the Tab, and on the top is the power, volume buttons and 3.5mm headphone jack. These buttons are easy to use and conveniently located for access in either landscape or portrait orientations. The display on the Tab is bright and vivid which is typical of Samsung screens. The speakers are very small and while loud, are not the best for loud listening. Samsung does include some decent headphones in the box with the Tab for cranking up the tunes. The rear camera on the Tab is not going to win any awards, but is a decent camera for taking stills and video. The video is restricted to 720p which is not the best but lets face it, a 10-inch tablet is not really a good form for snapping photos/videos. The battery life isn’t daunting…I easily got about 10 1/2 hours of very heavy usage of the Tab on a charge. While a single charge won’t last two full days of casual usage, it easily lasts a full day and well into the next. The speed and performance was pretty nice as well…using the WiFi option on both the iPad and Tab was great in comparison, but Verizon’s 3G vs 4G service was brutally quick (I mean I was definitely surprised.)
Pros: The ability to view flash on this device was amazing.
Cons: The widened design, (created for optimum viewing) was a bit too large for me.
Pros: The vibrant LED screen and colors made using the Tab enjoyable.
Cons: The portable function isn’t as great as the iPad…the design is too wide for me to put in my bag and go.
Conclusion: All in all the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is a great device. It offers productivity “on the go” and with the power and speed of the Android system, I’d love to see how Samsung plans on topping this device in the future.
…AND THE WINNER IS…
July 1st, 2011 by ChristenThe Big Announcement is HERE! It’s been a year in the making and we have announced the lucky DivasandDorks.com iPad Winner…
DivasandDorks.com Announces Anniversary Apple iPad Winner from divasanddorks on Vimeo.
CAN’T SEE THE VIDEO ABOVE? CLICK THE LINK BELOW…
DivasandDorks.com Announces Anniversary Apple iPad Winner from divasanddorks on Vimeo.
Today’s Drink At The Genius Bar…
June 15th, 2011 by Christen
Today, I embarked on a quest for knowledge…Apple knowledge that is. I realized as much as I love to multi-task, edit, update and more from my iPad 2 – I still didn’t believe that I’ve actually scratched the surface of all that this machine (better known as my daughter) does. This led me to sign up for a free iPad 2 workshop at my local Apple store. Signing up was super easy, I simply downloaded the Apple Store app onto my iPad, clicked on Workshops and Events tab and selected which workshop I’d like to attend.
By the time I arrived at the store (which was completely filled to capacity … at 11am) I checked in and was escorted to Jake, my friendly and knowledgeable Apple Genius. Once the session began, Jake (who I believe was completely blindsided by my immediate barrage of questions) began with a simple tutorial of the iPad 2′s features and how its created to assist with multitasking & making your life as productive as possible. The immediate tips he mentioned are similar to the tips posted here earlier this year on DivasandDorks.com.
Some of today’s tips included…
Text / Typing with Virtual Keys: Holding down on certain virtual keys will bring you to some additional options. This kind of function applies to vowels, consonants like C and S etc., even some punctuation marks. You’ll get some extra helpful options by pressing and hold these virtual keys. It’s best to try them all in order to get a feel for your options.
Keyboard Shortcuts: If you connect your iPad to the Apple Bluetooth keyboard or the Apple iPad Keyboard Dock, you can actually use some of the same keyboard shortcuts that you are used to using on your Mac. Here are some great keyboard shortcuts you can use:
• Command-C, X, and V for Copy, Cut and Paste
• Command-Shift-Arrow key-based text selection
• Option-key shortcuts for typing diacritical characters
• Command-Z and Shift-Command-Z for Undo and Redo
Auto Correction / Spell Check: iPad 2 has a great function, auto-correction algorithm, which can give you cool experience when you’re typing using the on-screen keyboard. Incredibly, the faster you allow yourself to type, the better the algorithm will become and it will soon learn the words you actually meant to type. You don’t have to look and check everything during typing. You only need to see how close it comes after you finish typing. Of course, if it’s an important email, definitely check before tapping “send”.
Keep Your iPad 2 Running At Full Speed: Some apps chew up data and resources while running, and more or less bring some affect to the speed of other running apps. So you’d better to close apps that are still running in the background. To force an app to close completely, you can follow the below simple steps.
a) Double-tap the Home button to bring up the multitasking bar.
b) Then press and hold on any one of the apps you see until them start dancing around.
c) Now tap the red circle on the running apps in your multitasking bar that you’d like to quit.
We even discussed some great apps for productivity like Keynote as well as an app that busts the “flash” debacle – Skyfire. I even got a couple of cool tips for newer apps that may become “free” sooner than later 
The time spent at the Genius Bar was well worth my time, so much so that I’ve already signed up for two additional sessions. (In addition to the one on one workshops, if you have any problems or questions regarding your device which may not be covered in the workshop session, if you’re lucky the cool folks at Apple will troubleshoot it for you right then and there within the workshop session ((instead of you having to book a separate genius bar appointment.))
Limited-edition Gold Plated iPad 2
May 10th, 2011 by Tech StaffGuest Post by: Terrance Gains – Brothatech.com
Gold & Co. is known for its gold-plated gadgets in the fashion-forward/money to burn circles. Well, the London-based company has decided to deck out the must-have tablet of 2011 in 24ct gold to offer its client base…who knows what it means to “Go big or go home”.
Your limited-edition, made-to-order iPad 2 will be accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity (only 250 units will be offered in a calendar year) complete with a wax seal and is packaged in a svelte hand-crafted leather box. According to Gold & Co. “It represents the ultimate in luxury. Enhancing an already amazing product and taking it from the mundane to the extraordinary”
And the moment you’ve been waiting for – The device will be on sale for $6,495, which for the monetarily gifted, is a mere call to their portfolio manager to move some stocks around to free up some dividends to make the purchase. If you haven’t quite made “baller” status yet, you might want to make sure your priorities are COMPLETELY in order before a purchase like this comes up in a conversation with your family over dinner.
Apps for Designers, Entrepreneurs & More!
March 31st, 2011 by ChristenLooking for productivity and creativity while on the go? Isn’t that what your iPad or iPhone all about? If you’re a blogger, designer or entrepreneur, then these are the top 7 apps that are necessary for your everyday in business survival.
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Creativity
PixelPipe - PixelPipe is a free and fully loaded photo sharing app that lets users easily send and geotag their photos to any of 50 supported destination sites including Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, Seesmic, Facebook, FriendFeed, Tumblr, WordPress, and FTP sites.
Ruler - Now you can use your iPhone as a ruler. You can measure any object by placing it on the device screen or just next to it.
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Productivity
Byline- Byline allows you to read the latest news from your favorite sites and blogs on your iPhone or iPod Touch, even when you’re offline.
WordPress- WordPress for iPhone allows you to create and edit content on your WordPress blog with support of offline use.
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Financial
PayPal – The PayPal application allows you to send money to anyone you want using your existing PayPal account.
Square – Sign up for Square, get your free card reader in the mail, and start swiping. Accept all credit cards. No hidden fees, no commitments—ever.
Pageonce – Pageonce is dedicated to simplifying your daily financial life. Automatically organize your accounts and collect your transactions, help manage your money.
iPad Tricks To Customize Your Life!
March 3rd, 2011 by Christen
Now that the iPad 2 has been officially announced, let’s dive into some tips and tricks that you can use to personalize your iPad and make it more efficient. (Hint: You can use these tricks on the iPad that you can ENTER TO WIN HERE too!)
5. Quick Mute - So you’re at your desk at work watching a YouTube tutorial on how to apply your new red lipstick and your boss waves from the office and begins heading your way. Instead of scrambling to turn down the volume – just simply press and hold the volume down button on the side of the iPad. Within two short seconds you will be regaled with the sweet sound of silence and can pretend to be working on that report….
4. Dock more apps for easy accessibility – Your iPad normally keeps 4 apps docked for your convenience. As easy as you can rearrange the apps on your homescreen (By pressing & holding an app until the surrounding apps “shake”) Once the apps shake you can drag the selected app down to the dock and press the home button to lock it into place.
3. Safari Quick Zoom – When you’re on a webpage with columns, you can quick-zoom by double-tapping on the column (just don’t tap the link or else you’ll end up opening it and not zooming in on the page.) When you’re finished with the reading, just tap again to quick zoom out. (Pinching to zoom in and out still works, however the double-tap is quicker and more accurate.)
2. Transport Scroll to the Top – You’re online perusing through a lengthy article about the Spring trends for flirty fashions in Paris and now you remembered that there was an interesting contest link at the top of the article…instead of scrolling and scrolling and scrolling up to the beginning – there’s a quicker way to the top. Just tap the Status bar located at the very tip-top of the iPad screen and there you are! Within Safari, Mail and Notes you can use this time-saving gen.
1. Forced re-boot – Sometimes in everyone’s life a little frozen iPad must fall. When this happens don’t fret. You can do a forced re-boot of the system. Simultaneously press and hold the Sleep/Wake (aka Power) buttons until everything powers down. Just ignore the “slide to power off” message and keep holding! This only takes a few seconds. Now that the iPad is off, press the Sleep/Wake button to start your refreshed iPad up again.
This is just a short list of tricks that you can use — make sure to check back as we’ll have more tricks soon!
Fashion Designers Choose the iPad
March 3rd, 2011 by ChristenEveryone knows it….from the Geeks to the fashionably Chic —-> Apple iPads are the best and they are here to stay! Even the top fashion designers of your favorite brands have to come to the eppiphany to cash in on the gadget obsession sweeping the nation and creating fashion friendly designer iPad cases.
10. Clad in unquestionable class, the beige and embody diamante iPad case features a strap with a hook and loop closure and camel brown leather trim. Plus, the suede lining will prevent any scratches on the screen. $230 | Gucci.com
9. Made from Italian leather, the front of this iPad sheath is embossed with the classic Burberry logo. The zip closure and protective interior leather keeps your tablet secure. Available in Black Patent, Gold Oxide, Jet Blue, and Rasberry Sorbet.
$475 | us.burberry.com
8. Sporting the classic and timeless design known to all Chanel products, this clutch is the little black dress to your iPad. It’s made from quilted lambskin and features the signature Chanel logo on the zipper pull. $1,555 | www.chanel.com
7. Cole Haan’s sleeve is made from snake print leather, and is embossed with the designers subtle logo on the bottom right. The leather tab closure and suede lining offers some protection for your favorite tablet. Also available in Black/Red, Whiskey Burnished, and White Patent Croc Print. $99 | www.colehaan.com
6. On the lighter side of fashion, Juicy Couture’s iPad case is fun and luxurious. It’s shimmery leather features custom cutouts and a soft cotton polka-dot interior. It also does double duty as a stand for easy media watching. It’s also available in black. $128 | www.bloomingdales.com
5. From the cutting edge of fashion, Oscar de le Renta covers the iPad in colored snake skin; choose from blue, red, or yellow. The ultra suede lining and snap closure keep your iPad secure, while the inspired design sends out a message of fearless style.
$390 | www.oscardelarenta.com
4. The simple, yet sophisticated black leather is the epitome of understated class. The classic gold Y monogram closure hearkens a timeless pocketbook from this same designer. $795 | www.ysl.com
3. Ferragamo products are known for their exquisite craftsmanship, and the two iPad cases here are no exception. The envelope-like design with magnetic closure is made from European farmed calfskin leather or beige canvas and brown leather trim. The inside is lined with Alcantara, which will help prevent scratches. $290 | www.ferragamo.com
2. Slim clamshell luxurious design.Iconic detailing and customized design with contemporary style and quality.Michael Kors silver color signature … $129.99 | MichaelKors.com
1. Set to release in early 2011, Louis Vuitton’s iPad sleeve comes in two of the brand’s most famous patterns, the classic Monogram and the monochrome Damier Graphite. Stylish and practical, the canvas exterior provides protection against dings, as do the microfiber lining. $390 | www.louisvuitton.com
THE IPAD 2 IS HERE!!!!
March 2nd, 2011 by Christen
Apple has made the official iPad 2 announcement! And as previously reported it features a dual-core A5 chip and, finally, cameras, both front and rear!
The new iPad is said to be up to twice as fast, with graphics performance up to nine times better than on the original iPad, while power requirements have been kept the same. (Battery life is the same promising 10 hours.)
Pricing, too, is the same as previously reported, starting at $499. The new tablet will come with an HDMI output capable of 1080p (for an extra cost of course) but you can hook it up to your tv which makes it totally worth it. There’s an enlarged speaker grille on the back, as rumored, and its even kept the same visual resolution at 1024 x 768.
There’s a new cover for the device, which is best defined by Steve Jobs himself: “We designed the case right along side the product. It’s not a case — it’s a cover.” Basically, it’s a magnetic flap that protects the front and automatically wakes and puts the device to sleep according to whether it’s open or closed. (Starting at $39 bucks)
The thinner, lighter iPad 2 is available March 11th at 5pm (in stores) or available online at apple.com.
Watch the iPad 2 in action HERE!
Apple Event Predictions (LIVE)
March 2nd, 2011 by Christen
You’ve heard the predictions, speculations and rumors around the world wide web (including here)…Now get the specifics before anyone else on what to expect from today’s Apple announcement & how much it’ll cost you…
7. Free MobileMe – Currently costing customers $99/yr, this announcement may not be iPad related but since when did you ever not want anything for free?
6. The end of the MiFi 2200 Hotspot – In order to get with the Verizon times, Apple has to offer compatible service for Verizon’s 3G Network (straight out of the box).
5. Around the same pricing – This is not a typo. Apple has always offered improved products with the same pricing to remain competitive. DON’T expect a price hike for it’s new products, but DO expect reduced pricing for older models. - $499 AVAILABLE MARCH 11th
4. A preview of iOS 5 – With all these updates a faster operating system is necessary & details will be revealed just in time for the iPhone 5 release in June.
3. An upgrade to 4G – The Motorola Xoom struck first allowing customers the ability to connect to Verizon’s 4G network, now it’s time for Apple to respond (with an upgrade).
2. Dual cameras - You asked for it & in order to be competitive with the Motorola Xoom, Apple has responded with Dual cameras.
1. A sleek designed iPad 2 – Portability is key, and in order to compete – a slimmer, sleek and sexier design is inevitable.
Check back often as we update today’s post with even more news and more details as it becomes available! And while you’re waiting, ENTER to win our Apple iPad Giveaway!
LIVE UPDATES:
Steve Jobs is live on stage ready to begin…(Beginning with the sales numbers and back story about iPads)
(Video) Highlights how everyone uses the “magical” iPad – from Doctors in surgery to school systems in classrooms.
IPad details – Thinner design? (CHECK!) Front/Rear Camera? (CHECK!) Faster processing? (CHECK!) Comes in White or Black? (CHECK!)
