It has been nearly a year since I first came in close contact with the original iPad. It blew my mind, and since then, it has become a daily accompaniment. I create content on my MacBook Air, but I spend a lot of time consuming content and media on the device. In fact, if I had to guess, I use my iPad as much as I use my notebook computer.

Steve Jobs called it magical. Fast-forward to today, and I (and about 15 million others) agree. Wednesday, Jobs announced the newer version of the iPad. It’s lighter, thinner, has more curves, and it’s definitely beefier. What’s more, it has many new capabilities: cameras and gyroscope for example. In other words, it’s more magical.

However, if iPad, the device, is more magical, the applications (apps) for the device are anything but. For nearly a year, I’ve been waiting (and waiting) for experiences befitting the device and its hardware capabilities. Sure, there’s Flipboard, but as the saying goes, one swallow don’t make a summer. And same goes for the iPhone and other smart platforms.

Let me explain. On an iPad, you have four elements — big screen, touch, connectivity and location — that make it unique. The iPad 2 has added two cameras and a gyroscope to the mix, making the device even more potent. And yet, we’ve seen application after application come to market as just an incremental improvement of the web or desktop versions of the same (or similar) application.

Some of the magazine apps developed for the iPad are just simply horrible, turning out to be no more than bloated multi-media versions of the print publications. Even The Daily, the made-for-iPad publication from the house of Rupert Murdoch, is nowhere close to being able to leverage the iPad platform, despite all the help from Apple itself.

Why? Because apps, content and consumption experiences on iPads and other tablets need to be rethought and re-imagined by combining the hardware capabilities with software. As Steve Jobs said in his keynote yesterday:

Our competitors are looking at this like it’s the next PC market. That is not the right approach to this. These are post-PC devices that need to be easier to use than a PC, more intuitive. The hardware and software need to intertwine more than they do on a PC.

Since the iPad is connected and location-aware, I want my news (or news reader) application to serve me information with a local (or a regional context) as a starting point. Since news lives on an always-on connection, it should be near real-time. More importantly, since it’s again, news, on a touch-based device, it needs to be optimized for touch actions that are core to the iPad (or Android) platform so one can quickly consume the information.

It’s not just media apps; even games on these new platforms aren’t leveraging the capabilities of the platform. Earlier this week, Neil Young — co-founder of mobile games developer, ngmoco, now a division of DeNA — stopped by my office for a chat. I asked him if he’d seen games that leveraged the uniqueness of the smartphone and tablet platforms.

“I don’t think we are anywhere near to fulfilling the potential of the platform,” said Young. “The games that are popular today are either casual games and upgrades/variants of the games that have been hits on the web.” Like me, he’s looking for games that use touch, location and connectivity in a way that’s unique and entertaining. “On the tablets, I am finding it hard to find a great tablet experience.”

Like everyone else, Young too has been impressed with Flipboard, which has introduced a magazine-like user experience to iPad users. But that still doesn’t build on the uniqueness of tablet platforms.

Ronald Kuetemeier is one of my many super-smart readers. In an email, he pointed out the problem with the apps today is that many of the app developers are thinking with PC computer modality. What does he mean?

A spreadsheet may make perfect sense on a big screen device that takes its data input via a keyboard. Trying to retrofit it to a device with a smaller screen that uses touch for interaction is an exercise in futility. If I’ve used one of these apps — QuickOffice and Apple’s Numbers — it’s mostly as a way to read files attached to emails or shared via DropBox.

I’m hoping things will change in the near future. Yesterday, Apple showed off GarageBand for iPad 2, and to me, that was the highlight of the event (ahead of the smart-covers). Why? Because this is an app that was putting iPad 2′s capabilities to maximum use. This is an app made for the iPad.

Even from afar, it made sense: Touch is a better way of strumming guitars than using a mouse. Similarly, when hitting the drums, that the iPad’s accelerometer can detect the strength with which you’re hitting the screen could help translate into a better music. Apple could even take this app a step further.

Say, I’m in India (or Brazil). The app should surface some of the local musical instruments (and sounds) based on my location. Since iPad has a live connection, these add-ons should seamlessly download to the device in the background. Forget emailing the creations; the app should simply allow us to share the tunes via services like Sound Cloud.

Today, Stuck in Customs, the folks behind 100 Cameras and I, announced their app for the iPad 2, and boy, have they put the platform to good use. I saw the demo of it earlier, and I can’t wait to get my hands on this application, for it does leverage the hardware.

Another app you’ll find impressive is Shadow Cities, a real-world MMORPG developed by Finnish startup Grey Area, which recently scored over million in funding from Index Ventures. It’s currently the number-one game app on the Finnish iTunes app store, lapping global phenomenon Angry Birds in the process.

What makes it so unique? It uses your real-life locations (with maps like you’ve never seen before) and real people, and puts them in a game-like environment. It doesn’t need any typing; touch is what makes it fun. And since it’s connected, it uses your social graph to build a whole new immersive experience.

Though it’s made for an iPhone, I believe this is an app that foretells the future of applications that really put an iPad to work, and in process, create magic.

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GigaOM

Optoma HD20 High Definition 1080p DLP Home Theater Projector (Grey)

• True High Def 1080p Resolution
• 1700 Lumens Brightness
• 4000:1 Contrast Ratio
• Up to 300-Inch Screen size
• HDI Component, Composite, Video, and VGA Connections

The Optoma HD20 brings a new level of flexibility to your high-definition home theater/multi-media experience. With true 1080p resolution, the HD20 delivers excellent color saturation and subtle details for superior image quality. With its sleek design and weight of 6.4 lbs, the Optoma HD20 is perfect for sharing big-screen movies, sporting events and concerts or for taking your video gaming to the next level by connecting the HD20 to your favorite game console.

Rating: (out of 74 reviews)

List Price: $ 999.99

Price: Too low to display

The OpenTablet 7 from OpenPeak looks like a pretty decent little piece of hardware. I don’t see any specs in the release, but it’s based on Intel’s Moorestown platform, has a 7″ screen, and probably is respectable in the areas of RAM and so on. It’s even got two cameras, HDMI out, and more. The thing is, though: it’s all Flash-based. I don’t know about you, but the idea of an entire tablet being reliant on Flash is kind of disconcerting to me.

They say of the device:

…an ultra-sleek, portable, touch-screen tablet that combines high-quality telephony with advanced multi-media communications services and applications to deliver an engaging, interactive experience.

…OpenPeak’s software framework enables designers and developers to create highly interactive applications using Adobe® Flash® CS4, eliminating the need to learn new programming languages or complex APIs.

(from the press release)Maybe I’m crazy, but doesn’t that sound a bit like “make thousands from home” or “lose weight without exercising”?

I tolerate Flash apps on the net because sometimes they’re the only way… but it doesn’t seem like an ideal choice for basing your whole platform on. Just look at how everyone avoids Flash websites like the plague — you think they want their entire computing experience to be like that? I don’t know, maybe for some people it’d be nice to work within a well-established and delimited framework like that.

Also, I have to register my ire at the fact that this thing is called the “OpenTablet” and it’s tied at the hip to something which is not even close to open. It’s open in that developers should feel free to develop Flash apps for it, but that’s about it. I think I’ll wait for Chrome OS or a related fork, running on actual open hardware.

[via HotHardware]

The PogoPlug, reviewed earlier this year, is a simple no-fuss NAS solution. I enjoyed using the product, and so have many other folks. In just the few short months since my review, the crew at PogoPlug have updated the hardware and features, and are rolling out their latest iteration. The new PogoPlug features four USB ports, a new address book feature, global search across all the drives attached to a PogoPlug and all the PogoPlugs associated with a single account, and a host of other improvements.

At the suggested retail price of $129, the PogoPlug offers a lot of bang for the buck.

Here’s the full press release, for your enjoyment:

Second Generation Pogoplug™ Unveiled Today

Next-generation Hardware Design and Software Provide Enhanced Storage, Multimedia and Social Media Capabilities

San Francisco, Calif. – November 20, 2009 – Cloud Engines, Inc. unveiled the second generation of the award winning Pogoplug multimedia sharing device today giving consumers more flexibility to store personal content safely in the home and access, manage, and share it from anywhere on the Internet. The new Pogoplug hardware sports a new design boasting multiple USB ports supporting up to 4 external drives for expanded data capacity. The new Pogoplug also gives users improved sharing capabilities, an easy drag-and-drop interface to create engaging multi-media slide shows, seamless media playback, and enhanced sharing with friends on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.

Pogoplug acts like a gateway from your home or office through the Internet. It allows you to access, share and even stream your personal digital media directly to anybody, anywhere in the world. Your content always remains physically in your home or office, making it secure, convenient and available on your terms. Pogoplug is perfect for those individuals with increasingly mobile lifestyles and small businesses in need of simple, inexpensive mobile data access solutions.

“The reaction to the Pogoplug has been incredible. By listening to user feedback and following our own product roadmap, we are bringing a great second-generation product that gives our customers access to a host of new features that both improve the function of the Pogoplug, and add to the fun of using it as well.” said Daniel Putterman, CEO of Cloud Engines, Inc. “We are committed to giving our customers the best way to access their data from anywhere in the world, pushing the envelope with both product quality and design aesthetic. The result is what you see here today.”

NEW HARDWARE
The new Pogoplug design retains the simplicity and ease of use of the original while listening to consumer feedback and adding the ability to directly connect up to 4 external hard drives at once. The resulting product boasts an improved design with greatly improved functionality for users with multiple drives and an increasing need for easy synching and sharing of their digital libraries. This upgrade turns the Pogoplug into an even more prominent feature in the modern digital home or small business.

NEW FEATURES
Automatically Synchronize Photos, Videos, Music and Other Selected Content
Users can synchronize their Pogoplug with their PC or Mac to automatically import new content from popular applications such as iTunes, Windows Media Player, and iPhoto. This feature allows Pogoplug owners to “set it and forget it” and always have access to new photos, videos and music from anywhere on the Internet.

Drag-and-Drop Music and Photo Slideshows
Users can easily create and share fun and engaging slideshows using their stored photos, videos and music. Creating a slideshow with Pogoplug is as simple as drag and drop, and sharing these slideshows is just as easy as ever. Once a user’s link is shared and viewed, their slideshow will immediately begin with the photos, videos and music they selected, playing seamlessly in the viewer’s browser.

Easier Sharing with Pogoplug Address Book
Pogoplug Address Book greatly improves the speed and ease of use of sharing with a user’s friends and family. Pogoplug automatically remembers all email addresses entered in a user’s previous shares – even if that share no longer exists – and makes them available in an easy to use address book to make sharing truly one click away.

Global Search Across Multiple Drives and Pogoplugs
With support for multiple drives on a single Pogoplug (and multiple Pogoplugs on the same account) Pogoplug has added “global” search support across all of a user’s Pogoplugs and drives. Search filters are now a distinct feature, allowing users to view all of their photos, videos and music in a single organized view, or to search for a specific file across all Pogoplugs and drives.

Organize Your Music, Photos and Videos
Pogoplug automatically displays music by Album, Artist and Genre, and shows cover art for quick access to a user’s favorite music. Photos are now displayed by photo timeline and videos are only a click away, including the ability to watch a preview in the thumbnail itself.

Play movies directly from my.pogoplug.com, or even to the iPhone
Pogoplug now supports the playback of videos directly from a Pogoplug, with support for the most popular cameras, video cameras and mobile phones. Movies can be shared and viewed directly from the Pogoplug website – or even from an iPhone!

Pricing and Availability
We are currently taking Pre-Orders for Pogoplug at www.pogoplug.com Units will ship before the end of the year – just in time for the Holiday Season. The Pogoplug has a suggested retail price of $129, with no additional service fees.

USEFUL LINKS

• Pogoplug web site: www.pogoplug.com
• Product photos: www.flickr.com/photos/pogoplug
• Twitter feed: www.twitter.com/pogoplug
• Pogoplug online community: www.pogoplugged.com

ABOUT THE POGOPLUG
The Pogoplug is a device that connects up to 4 external hard drives to the Internet. It is designed for consumers who have an external hard drive and have high speed Internet. Consumers can securely access and share all of their content [Files, Photos, and Video] from any Web browser or enabled mobile device with no additional monthly fees. Free your inner drive.

ABOUT CLOUD ENGINES, INC.
Founded in 2007 by experienced entrepreneurs from the digital media and security industries, Cloud Engines is located in San Francisco, California. The company was formed with a mission to change the way personal content is stored and distributed over the Internet. The Cloud Engines philosophy is that by making a product simple, open and affordable, the community will participate in making it better. For more information, please visit our Web site, www.cloudengines.com.

Two great tastes that taste great together! Blockbuster and Archos are teaming up to sell a $299 Archos 10 netbook to consumers who just can’t be bothered to “shop around” and “not go to a freaking Blockbuster for computer hardware.” What’s next? Electric toothbrushes?

The move is an odd one for the company. Both Archos and Blockbuster are fading in relevancy and it’s unclear if Blockbuster is suggesting you use the netbook to stream movies you download from the Internet – maybe from Blockbuster’s own site? The Intel Atom-based netbook doesn’t have an optical drive so all I can think is that Blackbuster wants less foot traffic in its 1,000 stores.

Blockbuster Enhances Consumer Electronics Offering With Entertainment-Ready ARCHOS Netbook

DALLAS, July 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — As a part of its consumer electronics offerings, Blockbuster Inc. will now feature a netbook for sale in 1,000 BLOCKBUSTER((R))( ) stores in the U.S. which will enable consumers to access entertainment on-the-go. The ARCHOS 10 netbook, manufactured by ARCHOS(TM), a leader in the portable media market, emphasizes mobility, connectivity and multi-media capabilities, all in an affordable personal computer. One of the first mini laptops to provide direct access to media on the move, the ARCHOS 10 netbook will be sold in participating BLOCKBUSTER((R)) stores and includes an embedded link to www.blockbuster.com.

“Blockbuster strives to provide consumers with convenient access to media entertainment when and where they want it. Enhancing our consumer electronics offerings with an affordably priced netbook that allows customers to access our online rental, retail and download services, whether they’re at home or on the road, is a natural fit,” said Joanne DeLorenzo, vice-president, product for Blockbuster Inc.

The ARCHOS 10 netbook, available at select BLOCKBUSTER stores for $299.99, features a sleek design, a pleasingly light (less than 2.8 pounds) and compact size, a 10-inch ultra-bright LED screen and a small, but easy-to-use keyboard. Also included in the WiFi-ready Netbook are an Intel((R))( )ATOM(TM) processor, 1GB RAM, a 160GB hard drive, Microsoft((R))( )Windows(TM) XP and a built-in web cam. Featured software include Lotus(R) Symphony, Outlook((R)) Express, Internet Explorer((R)), parental controls, virus protection and multi-media applications like XnView(TM) for viewing pictures and vTuner(TM) for Web TV and Radio.

100% Hi Definition Service.

If you’re a cable TV subscriber, your service provider most likely carries around 20 to 50 channels in HD. But if you have access to satellite TV, chances are you’re enjoying up to 100 channels that have nice crisp pictures and flawless reception.

Currently, not even the largest cable companies such as Comcast, Time Warner, Brighthouse, Cox and Charter Cable can match up to DirecTV’s 130+ channels you can watch on HD. By the end of the year, DirecTV projects satellite TV subscribers will be watching up to150 channels in HD. Put that HDTV to good use and maximize your viewing experience through satellite TV!

Pay Less, Watch More.

The pro-con list could go on and satellite would still emerge superior to its cable counterpart. However, it all boils down to this: You get to see more for a price that won’t burn holes in your pocket. With satellite, you get more features, more movies, more music, more cartoons, more sports, more HD! You will be getting more of almost everything each month. Great sports programming like the NBA League Pass are also available for an extra charge. What more could you ask for?

Free Set-up.

Most cable providers charge you up to $100 for sending out a technician to gear up your television sets. Satellite TV providers Dish Network and DirecTV offer free installation and setup for your convenience. You no longer have to worry about reading the fine print or fees that cable companies (over)charge one time or monthly.

Multi-media Experience.

Radio on Your Television?! The limits of media are once again broken, but in a good way. Subscription to Dish Network gives you access to Sirius Satellite, so you can listen to great music all day long once you’re tired of watching tv.

Family Friendly Packages.

With your current cable subscription you get basic packages with channels picked for you. However, satellite TV services from Dish Network and DirecTV program packages that will cater to all members of the family. Everyone should be able to enjoy viewing without worrying what they young ones are seeing. These satellite packages ensure that children access age-appropriate as well as educational shows.

Comparing your local cable company, such as Direct TV vs Comcast might save you some money. Switch now to a great Direct TV deal if you don’t want to regret missing out on anything.