Category: Top Story

Screen Bleeding, Does it Matter?

by Justin Alcon

It’s no surprise that there is a lot of hype around Apple’s iPad 2.  I’ve been reading lots of great reviews about everything from the upgraded processor to the innovative new cover.  Of course, any time something popular is released there are those who find something negative to say, and the iPad 2 is not immune to this phenomenon.  Roughly 12 hours after it was released, reports started to pop up over on DZONE and Mac Rumors that the iPad 2 has ‘massive screen bleeding’ problems.  If you’re anything like me, you’re probably sitting there trying to figure our what “screen bleeding” is (likely with some pretty horrific images in your head).  Let me clear this up:

“Screen bleeding” can occur when the entire surface of an LCD is backlit by a light source (CCFL light).  The LCD should block out light not currently being used to display non-black colors. Backlight “bleeding” occurs when this light is not 100% blocked, allowing some light to “bleed” through the LCD.  This “bleeding” causes spots of lighter areas on dark or black backgrounds.  On modern televisions this is sometimes referred to as ‘washed out black’. Unfortunately, almost all LCDs suffer at least a small amount of backlight bleed, though arguably it only causes problems if it can be easily detected by the human eye.

So with that said, lets go to the videotape.  One person (whose post I found through the DZONE link above) had to take pictures in the dark to show the problem.  Below, we can see that someone caught a pretty good example of this “bleeding” in full light.  As the saying goes, “who are you going to believe – me, or your own eyes?”  In my opinion this photo evidence of the “bleeding” problem shows that this isn’t really the big deal that some would make it out to be.

So: do you think that this is a major misstep by the folks in Cupertino?  Or are fanboys just screaming ‘bloody’ murder?

iPad 2 Finally Launches

by Shy Mukerjee

After what some would call a grueling wait between last week’s announcement and 5 P.M. today, Apple’s iPad 2 has finally arrived in consumer’s hands.  With some analysts already predicting sales of 1-2 million iPad’s this weekend alone, it is sure to be remembered as one of the major mobile tech stories of 2011. Now that you’re finally getting your hands on the hardware for the first time, bringing it home, unboxing your new device… what next?

Thankfully, the Internet is there for you. Hundreds of sites are chiming in with their takes on the ‘must have’ apps for the iPad 2, from major players like CNET to the SF Gate and even the Salt Lake Tribune. But the real question is, what are your favorite apps? What is going to make or break the iPad 2 experience for you?

LinkedIn Today

by Justin Alcon

It’s always exciting to see launches of big new products from well-known and trusted companies. Yesterday LinkedIn did just that  with their announcement of LinkedIn Today.  LinkedIn Today is their shiny new social news offering for business folks. This product is not positioned to compete with Twitter, Facebook, or Flipboard; instead, LinkedIn sees it as the “Wall Street Journal of social news”.

It sounds like a great idea, but how is the execution? In short, not bad. The top stories we see on the site right now are topical and fresh.  Many of these topics are covered in other places, but this product delivers real value when you drill down into industry-specific news.

Here’s a quick walkthrough: First, fire up your LinkedIn app (available on iOS and Android). Once you are logged in, tap the “News” icon (if using a browser, just go directly to LinkedIn Today). When you first use this feature, it prompts you to choose industries to follow. However, if you do not choose any you’ll see a customized feed based on the industries in which you and your connections work. For example, I see articles about the Internet, Computer Software, Online Media, and Design. You can add industries to follow, like Venture Capital, or you can follow specific news sources.

The articles are organized based on how many times each story has been shared by your network either on LinkedIn or Twitter, giving you an idea of what’s important to your social network today. One nice (and necessary, and fairly standard in these times) feature is that you can share or save stories directly from LinkedIn Today. If LinkedIn made this into an iPad specific app, rather than this current one designed for iPhone, it would likely be the best news consumption app on the market. Flipboard for fun, LinkedIn for business.