Apple iPad, Applications and Accessories

Even in 2012 there are a number of classic films that have yet to be released on Blu-ray, but we can knock one off that list March 6th when Monty Python and the Holy Grail comes home from Sony Pictures. Beyond being remastered in HD and featuring a 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack, the release will also bring exclusive Lost Animations, extended scenes and outtakes features running for over 30 minutes. iPad owners will also be able to snag a companion Second Screen app called The Holy Book of Days that includes special background content from each of the 28 days of the movie’s filming. It will cost $4.99 on its own, but for a “limited time” there’s a $5 rebate available for those who purchase both disc and app.

Danish student Frederik Rosberg uses his new iPad in April 2010. Photo: Bryan Derballa/Wired.com More and more schools are jumping on the digital bandwagon and adopting iPads for daily use in the classroom. Apple’s education-related announcements yesterday will no doubt bolster the trend, making faculty tools and student textbooks more engaging and accessible. But today another data point emerged, demonstrating that the iPad can be a valuable asset in education.

Keep your scanner dock next to your printer dock and maybe even your fax dock You probably don;t need yet another iPad dock, but if you have gone computer-less and still need to scan the occasional sheet of dead treeware, then the iConvert Scanner Dock might be just the thing for you. It’s a front-feed, 300dpi document digitizer with a slot up top for your iPad 1 or 2. The gap adjusts from 2-inches to 8.5 inches wide, and scanned pages are spat into your iPad as JPG files

We’ve already seen some rumors about what Apple has in store for its education-minded announcement in New York City tomorrow, and now Bloomberg is out with a report of its own that backs up some of those earlier rumblings and offers a few new details. Citing two people with knowledge of the announcement, it says that the main focus of the event will be a set of tools that will “make it easier to publish interactive textbooks and other digital educational content.” That not only includes tools for the big textbook publishers, but self-publishers as well — Bloomberg gives the example of teachers preparing materials for that week’s lesson, or scientists and historians who could publish professional-looking content without a publishing deal. According to Bloomberg’s sources, Apple is expected to use a modified version of the ePub standard for the content, and that it’s main focus is on the K-12 market. In case you needed a reminder, we’ll be there live to report on the announcement as it happens — the event gets underway tomorrow at 10AM Eastern

After all of our tablet stories, the first question people ask is “But will it run Vogue?” Fortunately for all of you who are desperate to strike a pose and let your bodies move to the music, it won’t be long now. Cond

Sure, we may have established that Stan Lee doesn’t really know what to do with his iPhone on the last Engadget Show , but that doesn’t mean your friendly neighborhood Marvel employees aren’t ready to embrace the digital wave with full-force. According to Gizmodo , the comics publishing powerhouse will be bringing its full line of books (save for some third-party licensed titles) to digital platforms the same day they’re released in stores, a move that comes as the company’s chief competition, DC , has been aggressively establishing itself in the digital space . The transition is expected to be completed by the end of March. ‘Nuff said. Excelsior! Marvel Comics to offer digital releases same day as print originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Nov 2011 19:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds .

A screenshot of the Gmail iOS app on iPhone, which quickly disappeared from the App Store this morning. The Gmail app for iPhone and iPad went live earlier today. After many users downloaded it and reported a bug, the app has now vanished from the digital shelves of the App Store. Luckily, we were able to download the app during its short availability window, and you can see my first-look impressions here . But for now, here’s the troubling tale of Google’s stutter-stepping app launch. Around 9:30 a.m.

British expats and international fans of BBC television alike can now stream some Gavin & Stacey to their televisions (past season 1 anyway, which is on Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video), as long as they’re properly equipped. The global iPlayer app for iPad has been updated with AirPlay streaming (those in the UK however, have no such luck so far) so once users update to iOS 5 and buy an Apple TV box, they’re in business.

iPhone 4S owners are poised to become members of an elite class. Their new phones boast an improved camera, dual antennae and an  unpaid personal intern named Siri — all relevant talking points in “Who’s got the real iPhone?” one-upsmanship battles.

The next version of XBMC isn’t ready for prime time yet, but the team behind it is already talking about what’s being added and tweaked in v11.0, a.k.a Eden. This is the first major release since the media player app added iPad, iPhone and Apple TV support and as such improved touchscreen support is high on the list. We can also expect a new “Files” view in the video library, a different default skin, improved CPU / GPU efficiency, customizable home screens and other UI tweaks as seen above