• it’s about 33% thinner and 0.2 lbs. lighter
• there are front and rear cameras like the newer iPhone
• it comes in white or black
• the graphics processor is much faster
• since the iPad 2 can handle more, apps like iMovie and Garage Band are now available (but not for the original iPad) at $4.99 a pop
• Apple’s “case” is actually more of a top cover held on with magnets
• the prices and selections are exactly the same as they were for the previous iPad models
• it ships in the U.S. beginning March 11

Read on:

MacWorld.com – Live Update: Apple iPad/iOS event

Engadget.com – Live from Apple’s iPad 2 event

Apple.com – iPad 2 specs

(image above from MacWorld.com)

Whether it’s your niece on her iPod Touch, your older brother on his Android phone, or cousin Steve sitting there with his iPad, they are all playing and talking about the best selling app of 2010¹, Angry Birds.  Angry Birds is a simple but addictive 99-cent game where you launch birds at some green pigs who stole the birds’ eggs (don’t ask). There are many levels and, thanks to its surging popularity, there are now Angry Birds stuffed animals, theme songs for sale, theatrical-style trailers (see video below), and seasonal levels available for purchase where the birds wear Halloween gear or Santa hats.

If you are unaware of Angry Birds, consider yourself lucky – you have saved hundreds of wasted hours.  Plus, now you know what the rest of us have been doing while waiting in line at the mall for that Christmas scarf you asked for.

Other addicting games for smart phones likely to be mentioned over the holidays: Doodle Jump and Fruit Ninja.

Read on:

MobileCrunch.com – Apple Highlights The Best Selling iOS Apps Of 2010

(image above from Rovio.com)

Kindle - NOT friendly with Google eBooks

While the original intent of the Kindle and the Amazon Kindle store was to have users download books and take the Kindle device with them, loaded up with dozens of books and plenty of battery time, Amazon has rolled out free Kindle apps which make it possible to read the same book on a PC, Mac, iPhone, Android phone, etc., all while tracking any appropriate notes and bookmarks. In other words, Amazon already provides many of the features as Google’s new offering and doesn’t require the user to stay online.

The advantage of Google’s new strategy is their eBooks are available in a wide range of formats to be read on several different types of ebook readers (Sony Reader, Barnes & Noble Nook, etc., but NOT the Kindle) as well as on smartphones, computers, etc.  The problem with the Kindle is that Kindle purchases can’t be read on the other ebook readers in the event a person wants to buy a different kind of reader.

Buying eBooks from Google gives the reader a little more freedom in terms of future choices, but as of now, Google has made a business decision to NOT include the Kindle as a compatible reader, so while they may hurt Amazon a little by making the Kindle device appear a little less “open,” it will also hurt initial sales of Google eBooks as the millions of Kindle owners will simply bypass Google due to incompatibility and stick with Amazon.

As for selection, Google’s eBookstore appears on par or better than the competition, offering millions of titles (many older ones for free) but still suffering from the same conflicts with specific publishers and authors in getting them to release their content digitally.  Pricing appears to be very much in line with other online retailers. Online competition should help the consumer, and once publishers begin to release more digital content, it won’t make sense for them to limit distribution via exclusivity contracts, so don’t put too much stock into which company is trying to screw the other right now.  If you’re in the market for an ebook reader, stick with one of the large companies, buy the one that you like best and can afford, and there will be plenty of books for you to read on it.

BEST BUY – Free Shipping on Hundreds of Thousands of Items, Exclusions Apply.
Read on:

Google eBookstore

WSJ.com – Google Opens Online Bookstore

Android is an operating system¹ used in many mobile phones from several different companies, including Motorola, HTC, LG, Samsung, etc.  It is also used in several upcoming tablet computers and other mobile gadgets.  As for the other companies’ handsets:

• Apple’s iPhones use an Apple-developed operating system called iOS.
• Blackberry phones² use Blackberry OS.
• Newer Palm phones like the Pre and Pixi use Palm’s system called webOS.
• Microsoft has a handful of mobile OS platforms, from Windows Mobile to Windows Phone OS to a new Windows Embedded Handheld OS.  It’s a bevy of choices with no clear focus and explains why Android’s OS has surpassed Microsoft in market share of new phones.
• Lastly, while not popular in the U.S., Nokia phones use an OS called Symbian which is currently the largest market share holder worldwide.

(video above is a commercial for the new Droid X phone by Motorola which runs the Android OS)

Now you have a better understanding of Android and its competitors, and just in time because mobile OS are in the news now with Research in Motion announcing its quarterly earnings today and Gartner (a technology research company) issuing a statement predicting that Symbian and Android will battle for the top mobile OS spot by 2014.

Read on:

Android.com – What is Android?

CRN.com – Invasion: Android Makes Big Gains In OS Share, Passing Microsoft

• a new iPod Touch with front and rear cameras, just like the iPhone 4
• a new iPod nano which looks drastically different than older models and is a small touch screen square
• a revived Apple TV, which is a small box allowing users to stream movies, TV shows, and photos to their TVs
• a new version of iTunes which includes a Faceb00k-type social media platform for sharing music choices
• TV show rentals on the new iTunes for as little as 99 cents

What Jobs failed to mention in the presentation but is quite obvious in the image below is the removal of the video recording device in the new nano (which was present in the previous generation’s nano).  I guess Apple chose to sacrifice some features for the sake of size.

the new nano (image from Gizmodo.com)

Read on:

Gizmodo.com – All the Cool New Stuff From Apple Today

The iPhone 4 is being released in five different countries around the world (the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, and Japan), and in those countries, the lines have been massive.  Hundreds, if not thousands, of people have lined up to get their hands on the newest Apple product for the last few days. A YouTube video on this site shows the lengthy queue for the new iPhone in Tokyo. Someone took advantage of the sitting ducks in line by mugging one of the Apple fanatics, as seen on this tweet. He did post later on his blog that he was ok.

On the other hand, a video on the ABC website shows that hundreds of  ”twihards” (Twilight fans) have camped out in front of the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles for the red carpet premiere of Eclipse, the third installment in the saga. Some commentators have compared the Twilight craze to the Beatlemania in the 60s. Many of the campers do not even have tickets to view the movie; they just want to watch the actors walk into the theater. The San Fransisco Chronicle, who thinks that Twilight fans are crazier, has some good pictures of the tent village that sprung up in the last few days.

So which fans are crazier? Comment on this post to share your point of view.

image from Apple.com

In case you missed it, Steve Jobs unveiled the newest iPhone yesterday, dubbed iPhone 4, and it looked just like the one acquired by Gizmodo in April.  As expected, it’s a step up in battery life, screen resolution, camera, speed, etc.  The “big” thing introduced is video chat (but only between new iPhones via wifi), although I personally can’t figure out a need for it, especially since most computers made in the past few years already offer the ability to video chat.

Read on:

NYTimes.com – On Newest iPhone, Another Camera