This Week in iPad Episode 35

Cold Open
Today on This Week in iPad, Andrea gives us a first glimpse of Infinity Blade, plus we've got 5 great gifts for the iPad, and it's all about holiday apps on Planet of the Apps.

Ad
The reason you watch This Week in iPad, as well as all of our wonderful shows here at This Week in is because of the support of Storm on Demand. For all your cloud computing needs, please visit them at StormOnDemand.com.

Game of the Week!
The game of the week this week comes from Epic Games, home of such flagship titles as Gears of War. It's a swordplay RPG style game called Infinity Blade. The gameplay is a bit repetitive, but the graphics are unlike anything Andrea has seen on the iPad. Jacob thinks the app may have been sanitized to fit better in the app store.

News
Refurbished iPads are now up to $100 off.
According to cnet, the Apple store recently started selling refurbished iPads at a discount. That number has quickly gone up and now, you can get your very own iPad for as little as $429. The site seems to think this indicates a new model will soon be announced.

iTunes accounts randomly getting a free rental
Gizmodo is reporting that random iTunes accounts are receiving redemption codes for free movie rentals.

5 Great Gifts for the iPad

BookBook
The first item is the BookBook, an iPad case that looks like a classic hardcover book.

JAMBOX
Next is the JAMBOX from Jawbone. Here's a video showing it in action.



Jacob likes it, but he wonders why they'd use BlueTooth technology after AirPlay was announced. If you have a iPhone it can take calls so that might be a useful feature for you.

HyperMac
Next up, is the HyperMac stand and charger. It'll extend your battery life significantly and is rechargeable up to 1000 times. The issue Jacob has with it is that it's trying to make the iPad into something it is not. The portability of the iPad is a key feature and if you need to tie it to a charger, it defeats the purpose. Bottom line: it will give you a longer battery life, but don't buy this for someone who has an iPad unless they've complained about the battery.

AirPort Express
Unfortunately for Jacob, there aren't any AirPlay enabled speakers coming out until after the holiday season. So why not make the speakers you already own AirPlay ready? The AirPort Express has been out for a while but now it supports airplay and acts as a base station routing information from your iPad to your speakers.

Maclocks
Finally, we have the Maclocks iPad security case and lock a clear case that attaches to a steel cable and lock.

Planet of the Apps
This week we take a look at holiday themed apps.

Angry Birds Seasons
The first app this week is Angry Birds Seasons an update of the Halloween game. The app features 25 new puzzles each released once a day.

[aside] Cookie Doodle, an app Jacob reviewed a few weeks back, has a holiday update as well.[/aside]

Christmas Carol
Jacob's first app this week is Christmas Carol an adaptation of the classic story by Charles Dickens. It's a great way to tell the story, unfortunately Jacob has ADD so he became annoyed by the amount of time it takes to go through it. If you like this style of app it's a great way to revisit a classic holiday tale. If you're like Jacob, it might be worth avoiding.

Build a card
Andrea's next app this week is Build-a-card, an app that allows users to create and send e-cards. You can customize and send via email, twitter, or facebook. And it's only $0.99.

VirtualMenorah and Christmas Tree
Jacob reviews two apps. First up, VirtualMenorah an app that simulates the traditional menorah that marks the 8 days of Hanukkah. Jacob is not a fan of this app. Next up is Christmas Tree HD an app that lets you decorate a Christmas tree and save the image to your photos. Jacob doesn't like either app but was stunned that once you set which day you're on in the Virtual Menorah(it can't auto-detect) you can't change it. He thinks you should steer clear of both.

Verdict: If you haven't tried any of the previous apps from PadWorx, it may be worth your time to check the Christmas Carol app out if only to see a great use of the iPad and to see where tablet computing is headed in general. Also, there are several e-card apps out there, and few have the features or clean interface that Build a Card has.

Thanks again to Storm on Demand without them, we could keep bringing you shows like This Week in iPad. Please thank them for supporting all of the This Week in family on twitter @StormOnDemand.
See you next week!