iPad Software

Microsoft could be releasing an iOS version of its popular Office suite later this year. A source at BGR echoes previous reports that an Office app for iOS devices is in the works. Microsoft denied last year's rumors, despite leaked photos of the iPad app in action.

The latest information indicates that Microsoft plans to launch the mobile office suite in November. This comes just one month after Apple is widely expected to release the sixth generation iPhone this October. The source at BGR claims to have already seen the Office app running on an iPad.

Version 5.0 of LinkedIn's iOS app has arrived, bringing full LinkedIn functionality to iPad screens for the first time. The app has been optimized for iPad retina display users in addition to adding universal support for older Apple tablets.

Other improvements to the app include a new calendar feature that lets you see LinkedIn profile information ahead of meetings. The updates view has been redesigned to make it easier to stay in touch with connections, view groups, see industry news and more.

One drag about the iPad is no built-in ability to set up multiple user accounts for sharing the device. This becomes especially important when it comes to web browsing, since a trail of sites visited as well as cookies and passwords are left behind. Thanks to Passtouch, iPad users now have another option to privately share the iPad web browser.

Not only does Passtouch make it possible to set things up for several users, but the app provides gesture-based logins and stores passwords for effortless secure website access. Instead of remembering passwords for everything, Passtouch remembers them for you automatically when you login.

Apple has some tricks up its sleeve when it comes to the iPad keyboard in iOS 5. The addition of the split keyboard was helpful for people who enjoy typing with two hands while holding the iPad vertically. In this manner thumbs can more easily be used much like on the iPhone.

Now Finer Things in iOS has pointed out that there are actually hidden keys when typing in this mode. The keys found on the inside edge of the split keyboard are repeated on the opposite side, even though there's no key depicted.

iPhone Dev-Team has released the latest version of the redsn0w jailbreak tool, which will jailbreak the original iPad untethered in a few easy steps. Redsn0w is available for both Mac OS X and Windows computers, and will jailbreak iOS 5.0.1 firmware.

Before you follow the instructions below, make sure your iPad is running the latest stock Apple firmware, version 5.0.1. This can be checked by navigating to Settings -> General -> About -> Version. Updating the iPad over-the-air (OTA) requires iOS 5.0 to be installed first. Otherwise an update to 5.0.1 can be performed using iTunes on your computer.

You may be asked to turn off and stow your electronic devices in the cabin of an airplane, but now thanks to the FAA pilots can use iPads in the cockpit. After months of testing in all phases of flight, American Airlines is slated to begin using the iPad on Boeing 777 aircraft later this week.

Boeing itself has encouraged airlines to test the iPad, hoping to get its own flight navigation apps on the flight deck and enhance efficiency. Replacing the 35 pound flight bag across all of its fleet could save American Airlines $1.2 million in fuel costs alone.

More evidence of a thicker iPad 3 design has surfaced from Asian suppliers. The latest report from Macotakara claims to reveal an iPad 3 prototype case photo, as seen below. This prototype is incredibly boring, and indicates no cutouts for a rear camera or any other distinguishing marks that help prove it's an iPad case.

If this silver blob means anything, the iPad 3 will not only be thicker, but the back of the iPad 3 could be a return to the curved profile see in the original iPad. This form factor was replaced by the second generation iPad's flat back and thinner profile. If Apple is indeed planning to increase this dimension on the iPad 3, there had better be a good reason.

Microsoft is developing an iPad version of its popular Office suite for release sometime in 2012. According to a report in The Daily, the apps would likely be comparable in price to Apple's competing products Pages, Keynote and Numbers selling for $10 each.

Apple's productivity tools are designed to optimize use of the iPad touch screen, with redesigned menus and functionality for editing presentations, spreadsheets and text documents on the mobile device. With the iPad dominating tablet market share, it seems Microsoft is jumping into the fray to get a piece of the action.

The trailer for upcoming fantasy sequel Infinity Blade 2 is packed with impressive graphics that take full advantage of the A5 processor in the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S. Of course, the game will still run on older iOS devices and brings scenery and lighting in the title to a whole new level.

The Infinity Blade 2 release date has been confirmed for Thursday December 1, 2011. Apple watchers got a sneak peak of the app at the iPhone 4S keynote, but now a trailer showcasing the incredible art in the game is available below. Epic Games and ChAIR Entertainment also announced that the original Infinity Blade is on sale for $2.99 for a limited time.

Adobe has announced the end of mobile Flash development after a long and public battle with former Apple CEO Steve Jobs over the technology. Jobs cited Flash as too inefficient and insecure to run on Apple's devices, including the iPad and iPhone. Initially some questioned the decision but the adoption of HTML5 has skyrocketed along with iPad sales, making Flash less relevant.

Manufacturers of Android tablets have long contended that the inclusion of mobile Flash on their devices makes them superior to the iPad. Now that Adobe is abandoning the technology on mobile devices, some reports have declared a posthumous victory for Steve Jobs. Adobe has already begun to invest in HTML5 technology despite its refusal to acknowledge the limitations of Flash on mobile devices.