With the advent of the iPad 2 coming it seems that everyone and his dog is giving away iPads at the moment. As all you app fanatics out there are probably desperate to get your hands on one I thought I’d let you know a few places where you can win one of these amazing machines. Here are a few sites that I came across today:

Win an iPad on the Independent

Win an iPad on TalkTalk

Win an iPad on Cult of Mac

Win an iPad on BBC

That should keep you going for now!

I’ll have a look around and see what else I can find! If you do win an iPad please let me know in the comments!!

Enjoy!

The Chimp… boooyaaaakashaaa!

If you’ve had the Google search app for a while, I seriously suspect that you’ve not used it very much. Apart from the fact that you could search by voice, it really wasn’t that good. The good news is that they’ve redesigned it completely and with it’s new features and a well designed UI it’s definitely improved.

In their blog, Google have said “If you need to do a Google search on your iPhone or iPod touch it’s now faster and easier when you use our redesigned Google Search app, formerly Google Mobile App,”

So let’s take a look at this completely redesigned app, which is available for both the iPhone and the iPad. Google have changed the controls to feature a new swipe-down and swipe-right function which takes you to a settings screen and an apps button, or to the more search tools area that you get on the non-app versions of Google e.g. image search or news, etc…

Image search

This means that you can swipe-down to see the search bar and make changes to your settings whilst looking through search result, or even on the webpage your viewing through the application itself. Pretty cool. Also, by hitting the Apps button which appears at the bottom of the display you can rapidly access the various mobile search apps that Google have developed.

Swipe Action controls

One of the most significant effects of all these changes is that you can browse through the web for hours without having to leave the app itself… no need for Safari, although currently there’s no where near the functionality of the iPhone’s native browser.

The fact that you can now change the settings for the app is interesting and allows you to set your own preferences as to which Google apps you want to appear.

All in all a decent upgrade and I’m sure not the last. This is definitely a big move for Google and the start of what I think will be a much more aggressive strategy to get more involved with what we’re doing on our mobiles.

Well, kind of…

Gameloft have announced that they’re releasing the first WOW style multiplayer online game app called Order or Chaos? Which I think is a pretty weird/crap name but hey ho. The game should be out in a couple of months, and if it’s anything like how addictive WOW is then I definitely need to stay away!! I even got addicted to the Ninjas Live app! Anyway, here’s a teaser video…

A recent 9to5Mac report claims that a source from Foxconn whom they think is trustworthy has provided them with information regarding the hugely anticipated iPhone 5.

A lot of the info they provide has been chatted about for a while although there are some interesting tidbits. The hottest gossip is that the iPhone 5 is actually going into mass production… right now! How exciting!

Apparently the design of the iPhone 5 is pretty similar to it’s predecessor, except that they believe that the screen will go to the edges of the device, and instead of having the glass back it will revert to the style of the original 2007 iPhone… although there are rumours that the iPhone 5 will have a curved metal back, 9to5Mac’s source claims that it will have a flat metal back. They say that they’re hoping for a ‘Liquid Metal’ back which sounds a bit Terminator!

Obviously, the embarrassing reception issues with the iPhone 4 are expected to be dealt with in the new incarnation.

The bigger screen is going to be a major enhancement but the details are a bit sketchy. There are no precise sizes mentioned. There have been many rumors pointing to a smaller iPhone with a smaller display, Digitimes is now reporting that Apple’s fifth-generation iPhone will have a 4-inch display that will allow them to go head to head with Android device’s bigger screens. This information is said to come directly from Apple’s production lines.

I personally can’t wait to see the difference that having a faster, dual core chip, similar to that of the iPad 2, will make to the funtionality of apps. Surely this will allow for a whole new evolution of sophistication… roll on June!

Command & Conquer: Red Alert whilst an enjoyable game is flawed in some major ways.

The controls and graphics are pretty good, but actual game play and lack of a multiplayer option gives you the feeling that this is just a test rather than a mature product.

I’ve always loved the PC C&C series and had high hopes for this game, and whilst all the elements exist in the game to make this a hot new iteration – great controls, including fairly easy unit selection and grouping, and smart screen options to maximise the small iPhone screen, there are still flaws that are highly annoying.

The most annoying problem is that units have a habit of bunching up and making it impossible to distinguish one from the other. It’s also very confusing if you’re trying to manage more than 2 groups of units at a time as the whole map feels quite squashed.

It is possible to create tabbed groups which helps keeps the game playable, but you can only create 3 of these at a time which is a serious disability when being attacked from all angles on multiple fronts! The units also are always getting stuck behind buildings and trees which means that you always have to be keeping an eye on them and can’t just make them attack and then go back to defending your base.

One of the features I really like is the diversity of units available, and once you’ve worked out what they all do and how to best use them the game gets a lot better. There is a lack of naval units however, and little chance to really get into base building.

Command and Conquer: Red Alert has very few maps unfortunately, and the only way to extend the game is to purchase them from within the app, and without multiplayer I get bored pretty quickly and would like a new challenge.

One of my main gripes is that of the few missions that there is, most of them are not what I would call strategy, the challenge being little more than building as many units as possible and full frontal assault. A little more sophistication wouldn’t go amiss.

I think that Red Alert’s flaws are serious, but definitely remediable, and to be honest I haven’t played a better old school strategy game on the iPhone.

Don’t shake hands… Bump your Iphones!

This free app from Bump Technologies is pretty darn good… if only I could find other people who’ve got it!

Basically it makes it easier for iPhone users to exchange their contact details by bumping their phones together.

Imagine you’re running for the train and meet someone you haven’t seen for years but really want to get back in touch with… instead of having to stand there, telling them your new details this app allows you to bump your long lost friend’s phone and like magic your details are exchanged!

The whole process is very quick, only taking a couple of seconds, but it does need a decent signal, wifi or 3G, as the contact details are stored on the Bump servers… I wonder why they didn’t just use the phone’s address book? This does raise security concerns for some users, but Bump say that everything is totally secure and encrypted.

Bump can also be used to share photos and other stuff so when I finally find someone else with it installed on their iPhone it’ll be pretty cool, I’m sure!