We have the latest version of the Apple iPad while Samsung has also announced the next version of its famous tablet Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 during the Mobile World Congress. Among the Android tablets, Samsung’s tablet is the most popular tablet in the market while Apple’s iPad is, as we already know, the most popular tablet of all time. A brief comparison of these two giant devices is in order.

A noteworthy aspect with regard to both these tablets is that you won’t find many hardware changes in both of them, even though there are several software enhancements, among them being 4G LTE capability for both.  With respect to the physical structure of these devices, even though Galaxy Tab is a bit thicker compared to iPad, its weight is slightly lower. The weight of iPad happens to be 662g while the corresponding weight of the Samsung tablet is 588g. With respect to the screen resolution, the new iPad has clear edge with its Retina Display, having a resolution of 2048 x1536 and a pixel density of 224 ppi. The resolution of Galaxy Tab 2, on the other hand, is 800 x 1280 pixels along with a pixel density of 149 ppi. When we compare the processing power of these devices, once again, Apple seems to have an edge. Surprisingly, Samsung didn’t upgrade its device to the anticipated quad core processor and instead decided to retain the 1 GHz dual core processor along with 1 GB or RAM memory. The new iPad, in comparison, runs on efficient dual core Apple A5X processor, with its widely acclaimed architecture.

From the software side, the battle between iOS and Android continues. Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 would come with Ice Cream Sandwich which has an extremely well designed user interface while Apple tablet would run the latest version of iOS, that is, iOS 5.1.

There was no update in the camera feature of the Samsung tablet as well and it remains to be the same 3.15 mega pixel camera with a resolution of 2048×1536 pixels and HD video recording in 720p format. Apple’s new iPad, on the other hand, contains a 5 mega pixel rare and camera with 1080p video recording along with video stabilization. So basically the bottom line is that the new iPad has a clear edge over the latest Samsung tablet and its pretty evident that some fine hardware and software enhancements have been made by Apple while Samsung, although contrary to the expectations, didn’t really impress the tech buffs.

Apple introduced some fine software enhancements, including various shortcuts, in the latest version of iOS. But unfortunately, some of these were not available for the people who were using jailbroken devices. Probably the most important of these features was the lock screen short cut for the native camera app introduced in iOS 5.1. According to this app, you can take snaps with your camera by tapping on the camera icon even though the screen of the device is locked. This can be done on iPhone as well as iPad. But finally a jailbreak tweak has been introduced by which the jailbreakers would also be able to enjoy this useful feature. For all the jailbroken devices that are running iOS 5.0.1, an app with the name of ‘Camera Grabber for iOS 5’ has been made available which would make the use of the above feature possible. What’s even more exciting, this app is available for free and you can download it and enjoy the resulting benefits right away, since you don’t need to change anything in the camera configuration after the installation of this app.

The developers of this app have also taken the fact into consideration that the devices that don’t have any pass code would provide complete access to the camera roll once the camera icon is tapped from the locked screen. This has made the use of the feature simpler and you just need to pull up from the icon to use the camera app. You can also view the recently taken photos in the similar way. You might feel a slight difference in the appearance of the new short cut and the one that exists on the devices that are not jailbroken, but there isn’t much of a difference. Although previously, utilities and apps that facilitate this kind of features on the Apple devices have been made available, Camera Graber seems to be the best one among them all. Other than having close resemblance with the standard look, Camera Grabber is also the easiest to use since you don’t need to play around with the configuration. So for all those who were missing out on this important feature, here’s your chance to enjoy the full potential of your jailbroken device. Download the utility for free and start enjoying the benefits.

The new iPad from Apple has been here for some days now and it has been making a lot of headlines. While it isn’t exactly an all new product from Apple, it does come with upped specs, especially with that Retina display that has wooed many. While Apple has already shipped three million new iPad tablets within three days of launch, it’s time to see why you should or should not buy this tablet.

Why you should buy it?

The most significant feature and the first thing that you will notice the moment you lay your hands on the new iPad is its ultra-high, ultra-clear Retina display. With an A5X processor which supplements the tablet with quad-core graphics, you are able to get a very vivid tablet experience. Talk about having a true feel of gaming, surfing the web or watching movies.

Also, the new iPad comes with iOS 5.1 which is incredibly refined and sleek. To put it in a few words, there are no glitches or breaks with this nifty piece of software. Also, Apple has been able to keep the battery life of the tablet constant even when all that power goes into juicing up the 2048 x 1536 display. That’s a real achievement although there have been indications that the new iPad gets more warm than iPad 2 when it is working. Finally, for those who have wanted an Apple tablet with high-speed 4G connection, the new iPad is their dreams come true.

Why you should not buy it?

One of the major down-sides of the new iPad is that although it furnishes the same battery time as iPad 2, it takes much, much longer to recharge. Also, as mentioned earlier, the new iPad warms up a lot more than iPad 2 and you may have to put it down at times, which is further exacerbated by the fact that it weighs more than iPad 2 and is thicker (essentially a departure from Steve Jobs’ philosophy of getting things only thinner). Moreover, whereas the new iPad does have a 5-megapixel camera which is really good, the front-facing camera still remains VGA. So if you were planning a FaceTime chat on the new iPad, that’s still going to be a poor experience.

While you may be all prepped up to spend a solid $500 on this tablet, you may feel a little disappointed because essentially, the only thing that significantly stands the new iPad apart from iPad 2 is its Retina display – and that distinction blurs when you realize that iPad 2’s price is hovering near $350 since the launch of the new iPad.

The rumors that are surrounding the famed upcoming model of iPad are shifting the release date between late February and early March. Previously, there were rumors that iPad 3 would be released on the birth date of Steve Jobs, that is, 24^th  of February. This seemed a befitting tribute to the person who actually made Apple what it is today but now the release of iPad 3 on the birthday of Steve Jobs does not seem very viable. But of course, none of this news is the final word and the actual release date is yet to be decided by Apple. If indeed the release has been delayed till March, this is probably because the massive production of these devices demanded more time. The latest news about the release of the tablet in March was released by a Japanese tech blog, but the resources were not revealed.  According to the same tech blog, an Apple event would take place during February but the release of iPad 3 has not been scheduled for this event. Instead, we would see some service announcements and probably a few changes in iOS 5.1 since the OS has only been released in the beta form as yet. This event has been called the “Strange” event which, according to the resources, would take place instead of the expected Special Event in February.

There are certain important changes that everyone is expecting to see in the upcoming model of the iPad but of course, no one is sure about the kind of changes that would actually take place, thanks to Apple’s conventions of keeping things extremely secret. There are, however, certain things that everyone is sure to see in iPad 3. Above them all is the Retina Display that happens to be the best possible resolution that you would find on any tablet. Apple has already made Retina Display part of iPhone 4S so it won’t be much of a surprise if it is now also made part of iPad 3. Besides, we would also be seeing the A6 processor and support for 4G LTE networks. Another important area of improvement happens to be the enhanced battery life. Due to these critical structural changes, the next model of iPad would be slightly thicker than the previous versions. Last year, iPad 2 was also announced and released in March so the idea of releasing iPad 3 in March seems quite reasonable.