Top 5 virtual reality games using Oculus Touch

Los Angeles: Oculus is getting touchy.

The virtual reality creator invited attendees at its second annual Oculus Connect conference to go hands on with games for the consumer rendition of its Oculus Rift headset using Oculus Touch hand-held controllers.

"The biggest challenge for us to solve was adding support for dual controllers," said Nick Donaldson, senior designer at Epic Games. "We never had the concept that the player would have more than one controller in their hands. Now, we can't really imagine it any other way."

Several of the demos on display at the three-day event this week are intended to launch early next year alongside the VR system, although Facebook-owned Oculus has yet to announce the system's price or release date.

A look at five games utilising Touch:

1. Bullet Train

The most polished of the demos on hand at Oculus Connect came from developer Epic Games, best known for the "Gears of War" series.

"Bullet Train" is essentially an interactive version of "The Matrix," where users can teleport across a train station, shoot baddies, bend time and catch bullets.

The demo flawlessly showcased the Touch controllers' ability to mirror hand movement, whether that meant gripping a shotgun or punching a soldier.

2. Surgeon Simulator

Bossa Studios' surgery simulator series ventured into outer space at Oculus Connect with an "Alien Autopsy"-inspired level.

In the wacky demo, players are space surgeons who must use various medical implements to remove an explosive organ from a big-eyed extraterrestrial.

The combination of an instinctual control scheme and some gravity-defying physics provided an extremely silly sense of presence for wannabe quacks.

3. Dead and Buried

This wild Western-themed shooting gallery put players above a canyon where everything is a target — from mine carts to lanterns.

The player is virtually armed with a pair of surprisingly intuitive six-shooters, which must be reloaded by actually flicking the Touch controllers.

"Dead and Buried" is ultimately gimmicky, but the demo's shooting controls offered a glimpse at how precise a first-person shooter could feel inside Oculus.

4. Pulsar Arena

"Tron" meets "PaRappa the Rapper" in this overwhelming rhythm game where the goal is to blast floating balls along to a pulsating beat.

It's basically a hyper take on tug-of-war set inside an hourglass-shaped stadium where players compete against a computer-controlled opponent.

With its flashy futuristic aesthetic, "Pulsar Arena" proved to be an immersive experience. However, the minimalistic gameplay won't leave any lasting VR legacy.

5. I Expect You to Die

Schell Games' quirky spy simulator strands players in a deathtrap-filled car parked inside a gas-filled cargo plane. The mission? Escape!

The controllers are mimicked in the virtual driver's seat as hands which can push buttons, grab bombs, turn keys and open the glove compartment.

"I Expect You to Die" is a maddeningly fun, tactile interactive experience, and it's proof that problem solving in VR will shake and stir Oculus users.

Also read A New Samsung Gear VR Might Be In The Works For 2016

Tips: 

Oculus Rift is a virtual reality headset not only for playing games, but also a headset on which you can play your own movies using the Oculus Cinema with brilliant immersive viewing experience. Then how can we watch 3D movies on this cutting-edge development kit?

Here are related tips: 

• Oculus Rift vs HTC Vive
• Play ISO File on Oculus Rift DK2 
• Rip 3D Blu-ray to Oculus Rift DK2 
• Watch DVD on Oculus Rift DK2 
• View MKV Movies on Oculus Rift DK2 
• Import 3D YouTube to Oculus Rift DK2 
• Watch 3D Movies on Oculus Rift DK2 
• Make 3D YIFY Movies Compatible with Rift DK2 

Source: http://www.ibnlive.com/news/tech/top-5-virtual-reality-games-using-oculus-touch-1116154.html

How to prepare your Mac for OS X 10.11 El Capitan

Apple is set to release OS X 10.11 El Capitan. Is your current Mac compatible with El Capitan and, if so, how do you go about downloading and installing the new Mac OS? Read on for answers and other El Capitan preparation tips.

1. When and where can I download El Capitan?

Starting Wednesday, September 30, Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan will be available for download from the Mac App Store.

2. How much will it cost?

Not a cent. Like OS X 10.10 Yosemite before it, El Capitan will be free.

3. Will my old Mac be able to run El Capitan?

The minimum hardware requirements for OS X 10.11 El Capitan remain the same as they were for Yosemite. Here are the Macs that will run El Capitan:

• iMac (Mid 2007 or newer)
• MacBook Air (Late 2008 or newer)
• MacBook (Late 2008 Aluminum, or Early 2009 or newer)
• Mac Mini (Early 2009 or newer)
• MacBook Pro (Mid/Late 2007 or newer)
• Mac Pro (Early 2008 or newer)
• Xserve (Early 2009)

Also, if you haven't updated your Mac's operating system in a number of years, then you need to check to see if you are running at least OS X 10.6.8 Snow Leopard, which was released way back in 2009. Its 10.6.6 update introduced the Mac App Store, which you'll need in order to download El Capitan. You need be running one of the following:

• OS X Snow Leopard (10.6.8)
• OS X Lion (10.7)
• OS X Mountain Lion (10.8)
• OS X Mavericks (10.9)
• OS X Yosemite (10.10)

If you have an ancient Mac with an OS predating Snow Leopard, you will need to install Snow Leopard before then moving to Yosemite. You can buy Snow Leopard for $19.99 here.

Learn how to deal with unreadable movies on the new OS X 10.11 El Capitan.

4. How do I find out what vintage Mac I have and what version of OS X it's running?

Click the Apple button in the upper-left corner of your Mac and choose About This Mac. If you are running Yosemite, both the era of Mac (in my case, Early 2011) and flavor of OS will be displayed. For older versions of OS X, you will see the OS information and will then need to click the More Info button to view your Mac's year.

5. How much space will I need?

Apple has not stated how big a download El Capitan will be, but if OS X 10.10 Yosemite is any indication, you will need roughly 8GB of hard-drive space. Yosemite also required at least 2GB of memory, a threshold your Mac likely meets.

You can find out how much memory and hard-drive space your Mac has by clicking About This Mac from the Apple menu.

6. Should I back up my Mac before installing El Capitan?

Of course! You should always perform a system backup to protect your data before installing a new OS. Should the installation go awry, you don't want to lose important documents along with your photo and music libraries. Thankfully, Macs include a tool that make backups easy: Time Machine. Otherwise you need a Data Recovery Software. Learn how to extract iTunes Backup.

More Topics:

• iOS 9 Update Guide
• Surface Pro 4 Vs iPad Pro 
• iPad Mini 4 Vs iPad Mini 3 Vs iPad Mini 2
• Create a System Image Backup in Windows 10  
• iOS 9 vs. iOS 8 – Important Changes You Should Know About 
• New Apple TV vs Chromecast vs Roku 3 vs Fire TV

Source: http://www.cnet.com/how-to/how-to-prepare-your-mac-for-os-x-10-11-el-capitan/

A New Samsung Gear VR Might Be In The Works For 2016

Last month when Samsung took the wraps off its highly anticipated new phones the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ many expected a new Gear VR to debut as well. We would soon find out that was not the case. In fact, it was nearly a month later when Samsung’s mobile chief JK Shin told the tech world a new model was coming “Soon” in an interview, he gave to CNET in August this year.

Now we are finding out new information from Samsung out of its home country of Korea. Per the new information, it’s  looking like we will see a new 3rd edition Gear VR  probably in 2016.

Unlike the Gear VR, which operates with an attached phone, the new headset would be more like an Oculus Rift. By removing the connection to a smartphone, the Samsung headset would be more powerful, but it would also require a desktop connection. Samsung has already patented a VR headset design that includes a built-in display and projector.

It was also said that the new Gear VR would be a dedicated VR device and that the reason for the delay was because of Samsung’s efforts to get content exclusively for this new VR device. So with other tech companies starting to join the VR party, Samsung has a few more months to work on its latest VR headset. All while hoping it will stay the industry leader in this emerging new market.

Samsung has been known for making a lot of products and software. Their phones up until recently with the Galaxy S6 line and the Galaxy Note 5 line have been stocked full of features and software. They have also made a lot of phones for all those features. They have everything from high-end devices like their new Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ to low-end flip phones such as the Samsung Rugby 4. That being said not many in the tech community saw the Samsung Gear VR coming last September. Made to work with the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, the Samsung Gear VR partnered with Oculus VR a virtual reality company based out of Irvine, California.  The Samsung Gear VR  used the Note 4 screen to give the viewer a 3D interactive world at their fingertips. JK Shin, President and CEO of IT ; Mobile Communications Samsung had this to say when the Samsung Gear VR was announced last year. “The Samsung Gear VR goes far beyond expectations of how mobile technology can be used to consume content, and is a powerful representation of the progressive innovation of the Gear series,” We are pleased to have partnered with Oculus VR to bring this incredibly immersive mobile content experience to consumers.

The first Gear VR was called the First Innovator Edition, and it was released to work with the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 in December 2014. After the Samsung Galaxy S6 had been unveiled this spring, Samsung released a second edition Gear VR called the Second Innovator Edition. This model pretty much was identical to the old model with a few tweaks here and there. It was designed to use the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge as a screen just like the original model had with the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.

Related Gear VR Solutions:

• Play Blu-ray on Gear VR in Oculus Cinema
• Enable 3D YouTube files to play on Gear VR
• How to Use Gear VR Play 3D YIFY Movies?
• Copy ISO files to Gear VR for viewing
• Transfer DVD to Gear VR (Innovator Edition)
• Import MKV to Gear VR for playing on Galaxy S6

Source: http://news.list-online.com/a-new-samsung-gear-vr-might-be-in-the-works-for-2016-android-headlines-android-news/

Create a System Image Backup in Windows 10

Both Windows 8 and Windows 10 offer a type of backup known as a System Image Backup and it is a legacy tool left over from Windows 7. Often referred to as “system image” or just “image”, this type of backup is basically a complete copy of your hard drive compressed into a single file.

The advantage of this type of backup is that it backs up everything including your installed applications – it is the only built-in backup mechanism that does so. The other mechanisms I covered in this series (Part 1: Save to OneDrive and Part 2: File History) are more focused on protecting your data with the idea that Windows and applications can be easily reinstalled later. While this sounds like an awesome way to keep your system protected, there are a couple of downsides. First, the backups take quite a while and are normally done manually (in contrast, using OneDrive or File History is automatic). Also, the backups are large and each backup is a separate (large) file. You will need a good-sized USB hard drive or network share in order to keep your system image. Finally, they are an “all or nothing” backup.

That means that in order to restore a single file, you need to restore (and overwrite) your entire Surface. As you can image, overwriting all of the files/apps you’ve updated or installed from the date the backup was created (perhaps months ago) might be worse than losing a single file.

For that reason, you should consider a system image a “Disaster Recovery Backup” – i.e. you use it when a disaster has happened like your Surface has been completely wiped or you have such a bad malware infection that you can’t recover it.

Create a System Image Backup in Windows 10

You will have the option to backup to a USB hard drive, multiple DVDs, or a network share. In all of these cases, ensure there is enough space (or blank DVDs) to hold the contents of your hard drive plus about 20% as a cushion for overhead (i.e. if your Surface has 200GB of data on it; you will need at least 240GB of free space to be safe). If you want to backup to multiple DVDs, you will need a USB DVD burner that works with your Surface. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend the DVD option unless you have no other choice.

• Log in with an administrator account and ensure your Surface is plugged into power.
• If you want to back up to a USB hard drive or USB DVD burner, plug it into your Surface. If you plan on using a network share as your backup location, make sure you can connect to it.
• Search for “Backup and Restore” and select the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) option from the search results.
• Choose Create a System Image from the left side of the window.
  
  
• You will be prompted to pick a location to share the system image backup. You can pick any of the 3 options. For this example, I’m going to use a USB hard drive. Tap or click Next.
  

You will see a screen outlining what will be backed up. Tap or click Start Backup to proceed with the backup.

If you have BitLocker turned on, you will get a warning like the one below. If you do, tap or click OK then Start Backup to proceed.

The backup will take some time to complete. I would plan on it taking, at least, a half-hour. You should make sure your Surface stays connected to power the entire time.

If you need to, for some reason, you can stop the backup operation by tapping or clicking Stop Backup. Doing so will not damage your Surface but it will render the backup unusable.

Restore a System Image Backup in Windows 10

Of course, creating the system image is only half the process. In order to be useful, you need to be able to restore the image. Since system images are best used as disaster recovery backups, let’s assume your Surface is only bootable from a Recovery Drive (which, conveniently, was covered in Part 3 of this series).

Restore a System Image from a Recovery Drive:

• Make sure you know where the system image (you want to restore from) is located and that it’s available (i.e. you have your backup USB hard drive with you).
• Connect your Surface to power.
• If you can, copy off files that might have changed between now and the date of the system image.
• Boot from your recovery drive and select Troubleshoot from the available options.
  
  
• From the troubleshooting options, select Advanced Options then System Image Recovery and follow the on-screen directions. You will be asked to provide the system image to restore from at some point.
  
  
  

Be aware the restore may take quite some time, so keep your Surface connected to power for the duration. After you complete the recovery, your Surface will be restored to the state it was in when you performed the system image backup.

If needs be, you can do the restore from within Windows at the Backup and Restore (Windows 7) screen from the restore section highlighted below:

If you choose to do the restore from here, the same basic process applies (keep connected to power, know where your system image is located, follow the on-screen instructions).

How Often Should I Make a System Image Backup?

If you want, you can make one nightly but, if you’ve followed the advice from the earlier parts of this series, and you’re using OneDrive and File History backups, I would recommend you perform a System image backup no more than monthly. Personally, I do mine just prior to applying patches.

I would also recommend that you keep, at least, the system images from the previous 2 months and delete older ones to save space on your backup drive. That way, you have a fallback in the event your latest image gets corrupted.

Wanna a one-step solution for your multimedia problem on Windows 10? iFastime Video Converter Ultimate is a professional program in ripping Blu-ray/DVD/HD video for playback, storage or editing. It can rip the latest 3D/2D Blu-ray and DVD and convert any kinds of video files to various video formats for some popular smartphones and tablets as well as editing software. And you can add srt/ass/ssa subtitles to the output videos to make it unique and perfect. Especially it can convert 3D video files to 3D MKV/MP4/MOV/WMV/AVI format now. Simple interface and CUDA acceleration will bring you an easy but effective conversion. Mac version is also available.

More Topics:

• Google To Challenge Apple TV With Chromecast 2
• Here’s The Latest On Google Inc. Upcoming Nexus Smartphones
• iPad Mini 4 Vs iPad Mini 3 Vs iPad Mini 2: What's The Difference
• iOS 9 vs. iOS 8 – Important Changes You Should Know About
• iOS 9 for iPhone/iPad: Download and install Apple's newest operating system
• Apple Allowing Developers Who Won Apple TV Lottery to Place Orders

Source: http://www.lovemysurface.net/system-image-backup-in-windows-10/

iOS 9 vs. iOS 8 – Important Changes You Should Know About

Apple had one year to perfect its iOS 9, and in the past months, we have been teased with snatches of information about what to expect from the upcoming operating system. iOS 9 has been announced in June, at the developer conference, then, the company released the first developer preview beta and the official release date came on September 16. So, what did the iOS 9 bring in addition?

Split Screen

The Slide Over feature will increase the multitasking capabilities of your iDevice, allowing you to do more things simultaneously. To access slide-over, when you’re running an application, you will slide your finger from the right side of the screen, then a panel will slide out and you’ll see a column of app icon. If you’ve already opened an application, you will slide your finger down from the top of the slide-over panel to reach the list of apps.

Improved Searching Capabilities

Apple improved the search function to obtain better results. This feature can be accessed by swiping left from the main home screen and they will get a lust of the most searched applications, contacts and other information stored on their devices.

Zoom On Video Clips

Until now, the users were able to zoom only on photos.

Hide Photos

There are curious friends who like to explore your private data, to look at your embarrassing photos and to make fun of you. To hide the photos that you don’t want to be visible, go to the Share menu and select the Hide option.

Ad Block

When you were browsing on Safari, you were seeing all kinds of annoying ads. Apple introduced an option which blocks these ads, but to enable it, you will need to go to Safari section of Settings and select the Content Blockers option.

Notes App Has Been Revamped

This application has been changed a little bit, so you can now add drawings, web links, photos or checklists, and they will be synced with iCloud.

Email Events

iOS 9 will select an event from your emails and automatically add it to the Calendar, then remind you about it, to not miss it out.

More News Content

To be up to date with everything that’s happening in the world, iOS 9 will offer you a new section which will give you the most important news and the reading will be very enjoyable.

Have issues after upgrading to iOS 9? Here are solutions:

• Recover iPhone messages after Upgrading to iOS 9
• Retrieve iPhone Contacts after upgrading to iOS 9
• Recover iPhone Voice Memo after iOS 9 Upgrade on Mac

Source: http://neurogadget.com/2015/09/21/ios-9-vs-ios-8-the-important-changes-you-should-know-about/15911

Google To Challenge Apple TV With Chromecast 2

Some time ago Apple introduced the 4th generation Apple TV focused on gaming followed soon by Amazon stepping in the ring with three new TV-focused devices including the new fire TV box, an improved Fire TV stick, and a new fire gaming TV box. With Television based devices being the hottest thing this season, it was only a matter of time before Google entered the race with an announcement about the Second-generation Chromecast.

9To5Google claims to have obtained documents highlighting the massive changes in the second-generation Chromecast. Apparently the major objective for the new Chromecast was to make it as different to its predecessor as possible. The dongle like shape of the original has been replaced with something, that is for now, entirely unintelligible. The new shape appears to be a singular earmuff although it is not possible to say with certainty, at this time, if what we see will end up taking the shape of the final product.

Offered in three colors: yellow, black and red the device is expected to have an extravaganza of functional upgrades from its previous version.  Similar to the Amazon Fire TV set-box, the second-generation will feature better Wi-Fi to aid High-Quality streaming with no buffer issues. Although the full technical specifications for the new device are still unknown it is speculated to offer the new 802.11ac band where the original Chromecast only supported the 802.11b/g/n.

The new Chromecast is also reported to be able to support content feeds on the home screen. Although the nature of these feeds is currently unknown it probably means you will be able to look at social media feeds while the screensaver is on. The screensaver or “backdrop mode” itself, is fully customizable with the ability to add preset wallpapers/ weather info or your own personal photos. Another new feature called the “Fast play” is presumed to utilize the improved Wi-Fi to stream content from a supported device with as little delay as possible. As soon as the user presses the “cast” button after choosing a device to stream from, the Chromecast will begin streaming.

After Apple’s and Amazon’s respective TV oriented products earlier this month it would only be logical to see how Google attempts to trump the competition with its new Chromecast. It is advisable to wait until September 29th, when the Chromecast is said to be officially introduced, before making any investments in the aforementioned products. The device is said to be priced relatively similar to the original Chromecast and will launch in exactly 10 countries to start off with. Compared to this the Apple TV is clearly more superior. Additionally its amazing remote along with a virtual assistant we feel that it will blow Google’s offering right out of the water. The Apple device also allows its users to play a game which is a big plus for most tech savvy people.

Tips for Enjoying Movies on Chromecast 2

If you have collected lots of Videos (H.265, MKV, AVI, Tivo, FLV, etc.) and Songs (such as FLAC, AAC, AC3, M4A, WMA, etc.), and want to stream these files to Chromecast 2 for enjoying freely, here recommend iFastime Video Converter Ultimate. With it, you can batch convert various videos and audio files to Chromecast 2 readable MP4 video with AAC audio, most importantly, without any quality loss. It’s freely to adjust the video, audio parameters to get a decent output video that you want. It perfectly supports Windows 10! Mac version is here.

           

More Topics:

• iPad Mini 4 Vs iPad Mini 3 Vs iPad Mini 2 
• iPhone 6s And 6s Plus Pre-Order Trend 
• Google Inc. Upcoming Nexus Smartphones
• Apple Allowing Developers to Place Orders 
• Stream MP4 to Xbox One for Entertainment 
• Sync 3D Blu-ray to Apple TV 4 on Mac 

Source: http://cupertinotimes.com/google-to-challenge-apple-tv-with-chromecast-2/

iPad Mini 4 Vs iPad Mini 3 Vs iPad Mini 2: What's The Difference?

"I'm having a bit of a hard time deciding between the iPad Mini 4, iPad Mini 3, iPad Mini 2. Which one should I buy and waht I should take into consideration when buying it?"

iPad Mini 4 is replacing the Mini 3/Mini 2 entirely. Should you upgrade? It’s a tough question with each new smartphone release, but even tougher when it comes to tablets as they tend to have much longer lifespans. Do you really need their latest features?

Well, for the first time in a few years, when it comes to considering the latest iPad Mini the answer may well be ‘Yes’…

Unlike its predecessor, the iPad Mini 4 makes a whole host of exciting changes. This is hugely welcome after the iPad Mini 3 turned out to be nothing more than an iPad Mini 2 with added Touch ID and makes it easy to compare all three models. So let’s get going.

Note: Strangely Apple has discontinued the iPad Mini 3, but will continue to sell the Mini 2 at a discounted price for the next year.

 

Design – All Change

If you can’t spot the difference between the iPad Mini 2 and 3, there’s good reason: the two use identical designs and (Touch ID aside) internal components. The iPad Mini 4 also looks similar, but only until you pick it up:

• iPad Mini 3 and iPad Mini 2: 200 x 134.7 x 7.5 mm (7.87 x 5.3 x 0.29 inches) and 341/331g (0.75/0.73lbs) for cellular/non-cellular
• iPad Mini 4: 203.2 x 134.8 x 6.1 mm (8 x 5.3 x 0.24 inches) and 298.8 / 304g (0.65 / 0.67lbs) for cellular/non-cellular

As you can see, the iPad Mini 4 has undergone a significant diet and is now over 22% thinner and 10% lighter. This makes a genuine difference in hand and Apple has also updated the styling to tie in closely with the iPad Air 2 and new iPad Pro. Instead of looking like an also-ran, the iPad Mini 4 brings Apple’s smallest tablet back inline with the rest of the iPad range.



Displays – Lamination Brings Benefits, But No 3D Touch

• iPad mini 3 and iPad mini 2: 7.9‑inch (diagonal) LED‑backlit Multi‑Touch display, 2048‑by‑1536 resolution at 326 pixels per inch (ppi), oleophobic coating
• iPad mini 4: 7.9‑inch (diagonal) LED‑backlit Multi‑Touch display, 2048‑by‑1536 resolution at 326 pixels per inch (ppi), oleophobic coating, fully laminated display

Where Apple hasn’t made obvious changes, however, is the iPad Mini 4’s display. It matches the size and native resolution of its predecessors and Apple hasn’t gone on record noting any improvements to its black levels, colour accuracy or brightness.



That said, users should notice improvements as the iPad Mini 4 is the first Mini to use a ‘fully laminated display’. This means the three separate screen layers – the cover glass, touch sensor and LCD – are combined with optical bonding to eliminate gaps. This results in no internal reflectance so black levels, colour accuracy and brightness all improve.

The big disappointment, however, is Apple has not brought its exciting 3D Touch technology (seen in the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus) to any of its new iPads. This is frustrating as 3D Touch would appear to deliver most benefit on a big screen and it is something which is likely to date this year’s iPads most quickly.

Performance – Better, But Could Be Better

Apple drew (justifiable) criticism last year for not improving the speed of the iPad Mini 3, but it’s a different story this year with the iPad Mini 4:

• iPad Mini 3 and iPad Mini 2: A7 chip with 64-bit architecture, A7 motion coprocessor, 1GB RAM
• iPad Mini 4: A8 chip with 64-bit architecture, M8 motion coprocessor, 2GB RAM

The key changes in real world terms here are Apple boasts the Mini 4 has a 1.3x faster CPU and 1.6x faster GPU than the Mini 3 and Mini 2. In fact Apple has borrowed the chipset from the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

The good news is this should make the iPad Mini 4 fast enough for anything the App Store can throw at it. On the other hand it is a shame that Apple has not given it the latest generation A9 chipset seen in the new iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus or even the A8X chipset seen in last year’s iPad Air 2.

Cost is obviously a factor here, but I wonder if Apple also realised its tablets have been a little too well future proofed up to now?



Cameras – Upgraded But Still Ageing

Apple famously gives its iPad range the optics of older iPhone generations and again that is true with the iPad Mini 4:

• iPad mini 3 and iPad mini 2: iSight rear camera: 5MP photos, 1080p video, ƒ/2.4 aperture – Facetime front camera: 1.2MP photos, 720p video
• iPad mini 4: iSight rear camera: 8MP photos, 1080p video, ƒ/2.4 aperture, HDR photos – Facetime front camera: 1.2MP photos, 720p video

The good news is the iPad Mini 4 takes a major step up from the iPhone 4-originated iPad Mini 2 and 3 optics to the far superior iPhone 5S and this brings with it burst mode shooting and slow motion video for the first time.



The bad news is we are still looking at camera technology which is far behind what Apple can deliver with the iPhone 6 and new iPhone 6S – particularly with regard to the latter’s 5MP front facing Facetime camera. But perhaps Apple is doing us a favour in trying to tell people to stop taking photos with iPads!

Features – Touch ID Still A Differentiator

The only new feature the iPad Mini 3 delivered over the iPad Mini 2 was Touch ID and strangely Apple’s decision to retire the Mini 3 instead of the Mini 2 means this remains a differentiator for the iPad Mini 4. Given Apple’s focus on Touch ID for security and Apple Pay, the decision to keep the Mini 2 baffles me.



Then again there are further reasons to pick the iPad Mini 4 over the Mini 2: upgraded WiFi (802.11ac vs 802.11n), IoT friendly Bluetooth 4.2 instead of Bluetooth 4.0, support for the Apple sim and also an integrated barometer.

Aside from hardware, the iPad Mini 4 is also the only iPad Mini which can handle the new split screen and picture-in-picture modes in iOS 9. For many that will be a reason to upgrade in itself.


Battery Life – Apple Stands Still

Unlike its iPhones, there hasn’t been a great outcry for Apple to improve battery life on its tablets and as such it is no great surprise to see the iPad Mini 4 offer exactly the same longevity as the iPad Mini 3 and iPad Mini 2:

• Up to 10 hours surfing the web on Wi‑Fi, watching video, or listening to music
• Up to 9 hours surfing the web using a cellular data network

Perhaps the biggest surprise, however, is Apple has maintained these figures while drastically reducing the capacity of the iPad Mini 4 battery. It has been cut from 6,471 mAh in the Mini 2 and Mini 3 to just 5,124 mAh.

Undoubtedly this reduction played a key part in allowing the iPad Mini 4 to become so much thinner and lighter, but I suspect many would have preferred a little more bulk and battery gains not stagnation.

Battery life remains the one area where phone and tablet makers still refuse to bend to users’ wishes.



Cost And Availability

When the iPad Mini 3 launched with only Touch ID to differentiate it, that made the cut price iPad Mini 2 look a great deal. Given it is the iPad Mini 3 has now been retired, that deal now looks considerably worse compared to the fully upgraded iPad Mini 4:

In effect what Apple has created now with the iPad Mini 2 is a genuine budget tablet that should still be good for a few years, while the Mini 4 is a premium pick that offers a real size alternative to the still-on-sale iPad Air (and far better value at mid tier storage levels).

Interestingly the iPad Air 2 has not been upgraded in 2015, so again this brings the iPad Mini 4 up as a genuine competitor (though it also means where the Mini 4 does fall short isn’t so obvious compared to the 2014 technology inside the Air 2). Meanwhile the iPad Pro stands out in the range as being overpriced – especially as it also lacks 3D Touch.

Early Verdict

With the iPad Mini 4, Apple has finally given the range an upgrade to be excited about. It makes improvements in almost every area compared to the underwhelming iPad Mini 3 and gives the company an excellent, portable tablet.

That said I do feel Apple has again played a little too safe: most notably in the lack of 3D Touch. As developers jump on this new input technology, I think it will prove ideally suited to the tablet form factor and when Touch ID inevitably hits the iPad range in 2016 today’s buyers may feel shortchanged.

The iPad Mini 4 is a positive step forward for the Mini line, but perhaps not quite big enough for those who can afford to wait another year…

Extending Reading: Enjoy Movies on iPad Mini 4 Vs iPad Mini 3 Vs iPad Mini 2

No matter which tablet you have bought, the one that can satisfy all your needs and at the same time is affordable to you is the best one. Once you have bought the tablet, it is inevitable for you to play and enjoy videos on it. Meanwhile, errors to play MTS, MKV, AVI, Tivo, etc., on iPad will emerge since formats are incompatible with iPad Mini 4/3/2 supported videos like M4V, MP4, MOV. 

If you would like to play videos and movies copied from DVDs/Blu-ary, downloaded from online movie torrent websites or recorded by camcorders with iPad Mini 4/3/2 on the move, it is necessary to get help from a professional video converter for iPad.

Here iFastime Video Converter Ultimate comes at right time. With it, you can convert any videos to almost all iPad devices (iPad Pro, iPad Mini, iPad Air, etc.) at a very high speed and delivers possible highest quality. The editing tools can help you crop, trim, merge videos and add subtitles for videos. Also, you can customize audio/video parameters, bit rate, frame rate, resolution etc. The mac version is here.

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Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2015/09/19/ipad-mini-4-vs-ipad-mini-3-vs-ipad-mini-2-whats-the-difference/ 

If you are also interested in iPhone, take a look at this poll from iFastime: