Facetime, twice faster processor and 9 times faster graphics and now in two colors – white and black!

And Apple lowers the price to the previous generation iPad!

The updates include the new Intel i5 and i7 processors, the new Thunderbolt port, new graphics and new battery.

The Thunderbolt port is a new universal connector that may be used with various devices from monitors to hard drives and features a throughput of 10 Gigabit per second.

You can compare thunderbolt’s speed with competing interfaces on this chart.

And here are the price tags.

-17″ 1920×1200 Display. 2.2Ghz Quad i7. 4GB RAM. 750GB HD. AMD 6750M 1GB. $2499
-15″ 1440×900 (1680 option) Display. 2.2GHz Quad i7. 750GB HD. AMD 6750M 1GB. $2199.
-15″ 1440×900 (1680 option) Display. 2.0GHz Quad i7. 4GB RAM. 500GB HD. AMD 6490M 256MB. $1799
-13″ 1280×800 Display. 2.7GHz Dual i7. 4GB RAM. 500GB HD. Intel HD Graphics. $1499
-13″ 1280×800 Display. 2.3GHz Dual i5. 4GB RAM. 320GB HD. Intel HD Graphics. $1199

The new OS will ship in June (Fall for iPad, and a developer preview is available today) and has the following new or updated features:
• Multitasking
• Fast app switching
• Local notifications
• App folders
• A new Mail app
• iBooks
• Custom backgrounds
• Game Center
• iAd advertising
• 5x digital zoom
• Bluetooth keyboards

When the software ships in the summer, iPhone 3GSes and iPod Touch 3rd-gens devices will get all of the new features. The iPhone 3G and Touch 2G will get “many things,” which doesn’t include multitasking. I repeat: the iPhone 3G won’t get multitasking, ever. iPhone 2Gs will be left on a hillside somewhere to die of exposure, or something.

The mouse-less computer allows users to access the Web and other applications by swiping their fingers across the 10-inch screen.

The San Jose Mercury News reports that Jobs talked with customers and browsed the shelves of the Valley Fair Mall Apple store, and Wozniak compared waiting in line on the first day of the product’s launch with waiting in line for concert tickets.

The iPad starts at $499 for a 16-gigabyte basic models and is priced as high as $829 for models equipped with Wi-Fi and 3G networks.

Industry watchers are waiting to see whether the iPad goes beyond being a niche product, or if it revolutionizes the tablet computer industry.

Early sales estimates indicate that Apple sold more than 700,000 iPads on opening day.

By allheadlinenews.com

Apple’s iPad hits stores today amid fevered speculation over whether the gadget can meet expectations.

The iPad, which Apple chief executive Steve Jobs hopes will bridge a gap between smartphone and laptop, goes on sale across America from 9am.

Industry analysts and Wall Street are now waiting to see whether the touchscreen tablet will prove as successful and revolutionary as the company’s iPhone mobile and iPod music player.

The company has already received several hundred thousands in pre-orders and first-year sales are estimated to be between 4 million to 7 million.

Last night those wanting to be the first to buy the device started queuing outside a few of Apple’s 200-plus US outlets. Queues were shorter than for the launch of the iPhone three years ago, as the iPad has been available to pre-order since last month.

The lightweight device, which features a 9.7 inch touchscreen, is an attempt to fuse the best qualities of laptops and smartphones. It allows owners to access the internet, play video games and view a range of media from films to magazines.

Pricing ranges from $499 for a short-range Wi-Fi model to more than $800 for a 3G-enabled version.

Apple’s stock has risen steadily since the iPad was launched to much fanfare in January.

However some commentators have critisced the device as an ‘oversized iPhone’ lacking the processing power of a laptop and questioned whether it will be able to compete in either market.

Rival software giants Hewlett and Packard and Dell are also planning to launch tablet devices later this year.

On Thursday, two video-heavy apps — from Netflix and TV broadcaster ABC — showed up in the App Store for iPad, offering consumers software to watch hours of movies and TV shows.
That could take heat off Apple, which has been criticized for developing its iPad tablet computer without the ability to work with Adobe Flash, which powers most Web videos and animation.

After weeks of buildup, iPads hit stores at 9 a.m. Saturday. They will be sold out by “early afternoon,” predicts tech analyst Richard Doherty of Envisioneering Group. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster estimates Apple will sell 200,000 to 300,000 iPads this weekend and 1 million in the quarter.

Lines could be long at Apple Stores as buyers get help setting up e-mail, adding software apps and moving data from computers to the iPad. Some university campus bookstores and Apple resellers, in addition to Apple Store and Best Buy, will be selling iPads.

When Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007, lines moved slowly, in part because customers had to activate their phones with AT&T. Not this time.

The iPad comes in three models — 16 gigabyte, 32 GB and 64 GB, for $499, $599 and $699. It accesses the Internet via public or home Wi-Fi networks. Three more models due out later this month will access the Internet via AT&T’s 3G wireless network. Prices: $629, $729 and $829. Monthly AT&T service plans are $14.99 for 250 megabytes of data or $29.99 for unlimited.

Charles Wolf, an analyst at Needham & Co., says the target audience for the iPad is young teens and adults, who would previously buy the iPod Touch. If Apple takes a hit on iPod Touch sales, that’s not a problem, he says. “The iPad has a higher price point and bigger profit margin.”

Apple says 1,000 new apps will be available Saturday for the iPad.

by USA Today

We’re yet to know what features the iPhone OS 3.2 SDK fourth beta has to offer. According to the MacRumors forum, the Camera tab the Photos App found in the third beta of SDK has been removed. Apple had released the third beta of iPhone OS 3.2 SDK for iPad on February 24, pulled it back and then later made it available after making some changes.

by techtree.com

The new browser, which will be available this year, was unveiled at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.

RIM has long been criticized for its browser, which reviewers (including this one) have said is out-of-date compared to competing handsets that use Apple, Google and Palm operating systems.

The new browser is key to preserving the company’s large consumer adoption base, which has been growing thanks to two-for-one carrier deals and despite an overall lack of innovation in software from the company.

Four months ago, RIM debuted the Storm2, an update to its fully touchscreen BlackBerry, which made all the right moves on the hardware front but still felt behind in terms of software.

The Canadian company last year bought browser specialist Torch Mobile in a bid to revamp its browser.

Total revenues at Gameloft grew 11% to 122 million euros despite the fact that the company’s fourth quarter saw a 6% sales dip “due to Gameloft’s withdrawal from boxed games in January 2009 and to the drop in the dollar.” Mobile games accounted for 94% of the company’s sales in 2009, while console games took up the remaining 6% of sales.

The French developer saw 39% of its full-year sales in 2009 come from Europe, while North America accounted for 32% and the rest of the world made up 29% of revenues. Profitability is up as well, as Gameloft said its operating margin before stock options is expected to reach between 8% and 9% in 2009 compared to 3% in 2008.

Gameloft is forecasting even more growth for 2010. “In the long term, Gameloft is in an ideal position to benefit from the rapid emergence of digitally distributed video games on mobile phones, tablets, consoles and from major technological innovations brought to the market by companies such as Apple, Palm, Nokia and Google,” the publisher stated.