Macworld 2011 First Looks: Best iPad, Mac Apps and Accessories
The 2011 Macworld Conference & Expo is coming up, and the Macworld 2011 First Looks program showcases the best new third-party apps and accessories for Macs, iPhones, and iPads. To get into the First Looks program, a third-party publisher or manufacturer needs only to have released their product within the last six months, and to have applied for the program on Macworld’s website.Macworld issued a press release summarizing the 2011 First Looks products, and iTWire compiled them into a bare-bones list. But behind the paragraph-long summaries were some interesting toys for users of Apple products … mostly the iPad!
What iPad accessories are being shown at Macworld 2011?
Out of this year’s assortment of cases, the Dexim iBluek stands out for being able to convert your iPad to a netbook. While ClamCase has done this already, with a case that bears an uncanny resemblance to an actual netbook, the iBluek looks more like a quality iPad case. Besides that, it appears that you can detach the keyboard from the unit itself, and use it separately.
Will there be any iPad gaming accessories at Macworld 2011?
Yes, and Ten One Design’s Fling stands out. Billed as an “Analog Joystick for iPad,” it’s basically a thumb-sized joystick, similar to the kind that you’d see on an Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 controller. It uses small rubber suction cups to adhere itself to the iPad’s screen, and uses haptic feedback to re-center your thumb.
What about iPad apps?
An app from algoriddim, called “djay for iPad,” does exactly what it says and lets you use your iPad as a DJ’s console. Not only does it let you use the songs from your iTunes library for DJing, it also lets you precue songs by listening to them through headphones (via a split cable), and can use Apple’s AirPlay technology to wirelessly stream songs to compatible speakers. Multitouch virtual record scratches are icing on the cake.
So is there anything for the Mac at Macworld Expo?
One would think such a question wouldn’t have to be asked, but apparently so! The most exciting things seem to be happening on Apple’s iOS devices, like the iPhone and iPad. Having said that, the Awind McTiVia is a set-top box that promises to “Bring EVERYTHING on your Mac to HDTV without wire”. It streams media from either a Mac or a PC, and lets you use an iPhone or Android phone as a remote.
Other Mac apps and peripherals are being displayed, but one thing’s for certain: Macworld is not just for Macs anymore.
