The sleek iPad 2!

The new sleek iPad 2 is finally here! Apple chief executive despite his illness made a surprise appearance at San Francisco at the launch of the much awaited iPad2.

Wearing his signature black turtleneck and blue jeans, Jobs began the over 70-minute event by saying, "We've been working on this product for a while and I just didn't want to miss today. Thank you for having me."

Jobs also said, "Our competitors are just flummoxed. They went back to their drawing boards, tore up their designs."

The iPad 2 is available in white and black and costs same as the first version. The iPad 2 is thinner than the iPhone 4 also.

The much awaited iPad 2 will ship in the US on March 11 and in 26 other countries, including Mexico, New Zealand and Spain, on March 25.

A feature which was missing in the first model comes with front and rear cameras in the current version of iPad. The two cameras are for taking photos and video chatting.

It has a new Apple-designed chip that performs standard calculations twice as fast as its predecessor and offers a nine-fold boost in graphics performance.

The battery life is about 10 hours of usage and a month on standby.

The iPad 2 is thinner -- 8.8 millimetres instead of the current 13.4 millimetres and weighs 1.3 pounds, compared to the 1.5-pound original.

The new iPad also has a new case, a 'smart cover’ that magnetically attaches to the front of the iPad to create a screen protector.

It automatically puts the machine into sleep mode when it is attached and is sleeker as compared to the case for the original device, which was bulky and interfered with the tablet's performance.

There is also a new accessory for the iPad through which it can be connected to high-definition televisions.

The new system, iOS 4.3, includes support for Apple's video-chat programme Face Time and will enable people to hold conversations between iPads, iPhones and Mac computers.

Jobs also announced that e-books published by the country's largest consumer book publisher, Random House, will be sold directly via the iBookstore.

Source: http://www.rediff.com/business

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Evernote: A revolution in note-taking
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Source: Multiple

E-Reading Revolution: Which One is Right for You?

Book-worms the world over have reason to rejoice, as booksellers, libraries, tech companies and e-commerce sites all work to drum up new ways to cash in on the e-book reading craze.

As one of the new must-have gadgets, e-readers have taken the populace by storm, with announcements about new varieties and updated versions coming on the market every quarter, as companies tout the success of the devices.

Dan Costa, executive editor of PCMag.com, said that although e-readers have been around for some time, the current digital reading renaissance can be credited to the expansion of wireless Internet.

"The infrastructure is just now catching up, and since a lot of these devices are wireless, you can literally take the device out of the box and can go shopping and make a purchase inside of 30 seconds," Costa said. "It allows for more impulse buys," which is something readers like.

This ability to buy new books at the touch of a button, and the devices’ ease of use has given reading a whole new appeal, and as prices for e-readers continue to fall, more consumers are expected to adopt the technology.

Here’s a list of some the best-selling e-reading options available to help consumers decide how best to get their read on.

1. Amazon Kindle

2. Apple iPad

3. Barnes & Noble Nook

4. Borders Kobo

5. Entourage Edge

Source: foxbusiness