The iPad 2 on its own is already a pretty good multimedia device for personal use—okay, two or three people looking at the IPS screen should still be fine—but this tiny new accessory, unveiled during the iPad 2 event turns the tablet into a player that a lot more people can enjoy. Costing $39 at the Apple Store, the Apple Digital AV Adapter plugs into the standard 30-pin port, giving your iPad 2 (or iPad, iPhone 4 or iPod touch 4G) HDMI connectivity.
The adapter comes with two ports: HDMI that goes into an HD display, and a 30-pin pass-through port so you can still plug it into a power outlet while playing. Connected to an HDTV, HD monitor or projector, this cable will let you pipe content or whatever’s showing on the iPad 2’s screen to a larger display in 1080p quality (or 720p if you’re streaming HD movies).
There’s a difference between supported devices though. If you use it with the iPad 2, you’ll get the mirroring function (which shows a live screen on both the tablet and the connected HD display; useful for making presentations) and 1080p support. It’ll work with Apple’s other iOS devices, like the original iPad, iPhone 4, and iPod touch 4G, but you’ll only get 720p quality and no mirroring (which is still fine if you’re just going to play a movie).
Just make sure you have an extra HDMI cable on hand. The $39 adapter doesn’t come bundled with one.
Like the iPad 2, the Digital AV Adapter will be available from Apple on March 11.
Tags: Apple, iPad 2, Mobile Accessories
