IBLOG SPACE

Screenshots of Yahoo’s iPad app have surfaced, and it certainly looks like they’re making good use of the iPad’s extra real estate. It’s only a few more days now till the iPad starts shipping. If you’ve already ordered your iPad, do you have any apps in mind that you’re planning to download? Check out some extra screenshots of the app after the jump.

It looks like Apple’s iPad won’t be the only iPad launching on the 3rd of April, as Shenzhen Huayi, a manufacturer of counterfeit iPads is also planning to release their fake iPad on the same date, and at $290, it’s about half the price of the real iPad. Of course, it being a counterfeit product, don’t expect to get the same experience from the real deal, not to mention the click wheel at the bottom doesn’t look anything like the real iPad. That being said, it’s still quite cute, like a novelty item.

Folks who own a Verizon branded BlackBerry Tour 9630 should be happy to hear that there should be an official OS update this coming Monday. What the exact version of the OS isn’t entirely clear, but speculation is that it’s OS 5.0.0.591. Either way, it looks like we’ll be able to check it out on Monday Improvements should include: Camera - Smoother operation in both camera and video applications. Calling - Improved Bluetooth functionality for last number dialed, enhanced functionality for Voice Activated Dialing in both French and English, improved missed call log showing missed Call Waiting calls, and upgraded Call Waiting caller ID and call timer. Messaging - Improved functionality for reading, sending, forwarding, and deleting SMS messages as well as corrected in-box display when in holster. Bluetooth - Improvements in operation when using VZ Navigator Push To Talk - Push To Talk capability Software Availability The software upgrade will first be available to customers on the night

What makes the Philips HeatProtect netbook case different from the rest would be its ability to double up as a cooling pad just in case you need to work for long hours while you're on the move, thanks to a layer of aluminum on one side of the case that is specially designed to disperse heat. That portion of the HeatProtect functions as a case, being flexible enough to let it rest on your lap comfortably. There are a few sizes of the HeatProtect available, ranging from 15.4" all the way down to netbook-friendly models like a 10" model.

A picture of Samsung’s Coby MP570 MP3 player has surfaced, though there isn’t any information on how you’re supposed to control it. What we do know is that it’ll sport 2GB of internal memory, and supports playback for MP3 and WMA files. You’ll be able to juice it up via the USB adapter that’s included. There isn’t any pricing or release information associated with this MP3 player just yet, but when it’s released, it looks like it would make a great gift for any occasion.

Panasonic has slapped price tags on its HDC-TM700 and HDC-HS700 1080p 3MOS camcorders that will hit the market in the US from the middle of April onwards, retailing for $999.95 and $1,399.95, respectively. You can be sure that you will have a great time recording all your favorite moments as they happen in full High Definition glory - just make sure you have enough storage space to make backups of all your media files in the long run, and good luck migrating potentially terabytes' worth of data to another platform in the future!

Here’s a rather interesting interactive display, dubbed Impress. The impress sports an Arduino based processor fitted to control sensors placed between pieces of foam on the surface, so you can prod and press on the surface to get different results, which will be reflected via the overhead projector. One of the possible uses for such technology would include 3D modeling, as can be seen in the video (after the jump), 3D galleries, music creation and news reading. It’s actually quite interesting to see how the user can press and mould the 3D model with your bare hands. Check out the video in the full post and see for yourself what we mean.

If you don’t want to buy all those crazy iPhone cases that are on the market, and just want to customize your iPhone, you might want to check out the iaPeel Skins , which are rather interesting. What sets the iaPeel Skins apart from the rest is that they’re printable, so you can just load up the software on the computer, and print your desired image on it via your home inkjet printer. To make the deal sweeter, there are pop-up guides on the back of the printed labels, just to help you get the skins stuck on your iPhone properly. The synthetic material used by the skins are easy to remove, and fortunately don’t leave any of those pesky residues. The starter kit, which includes 5 skins will set you back $29.95, which doesn’t sound too bad if you’re into customizing your devices.

Nokia has just announced its acquisition of Novarra, a Chicago-based company that focuses on mobile browsing technologies. Novarra came up with the mobile browser, dubbed the Vision Mobile Browser , which has been used on smartphones and featurephones since 2002. There isn’t any mention of whether Nokia will be reusing the browser, or just cherry picking some tech from it. Nokia mentioned that it plans to “deliver enhanced Internet experiences” on its mobile devices, whatever that means, but as long as it’s good progress, who are we to complain, right?

Screws are so passe with the Century Japan COM25U3 2.5" SATA HDD enclosure, where it will hook up to your machine using a USB 3.0 port. Of course, you will need to make sure your computer's motherboard has a USB 3.0 port in order to maximize its performance when it rolls out in Japan later next month. Looks like you will need to import this if you want one at the moment.

Rumors of the HP Envy 14 and Envy 17 have been floating around for quite some time already, but here is more evidence that those are not just vaporware. These Envy models have been spotted in a HP support document generated in February this year which lists both Envy machines, alongside another support document that points toward the optical drive technology Lightscribe used in both the Envy 17 and dm4. Of course, all will be revealed in due time when HP makes an official announcement but we will just have to be content with some solid speculation in the meantime.

While Nintendo hasn’t furnished us with the full details of the upcoming 3D-toting Nintendo 3DS yet, the folks over at Yanko Design have come up with their own interpretation of a 3D-capable Nintendo DS, and it looks awesome. The idea of it having both displays linked together is certainly a good one, as when you flip the console open 180 degrees flat, you’ll have a flat surface with a giant screen. It’s able to project 3D images on the display, and you can interact with said items, something like what you saw in the Iron Man movie. If Nintendo did come up with anything close to this, you can be sure that it has a winner on its hands.

FaceVsion has just announced its latest FVexpress Combo kit which will hit the US for $149.95 a pop, where it will include the FV TouchCam L1 HD webcam, an FVexpress ExpressCard which will performa hardware H.264 encoding of video files before it is streamed over the Internet thanks to the included QuLives communication manager software. Of course, the asking price is way higher than what one would normally pay for a standard webcam, but then again you get back so much, much more

Imagine your portable device being powered all the time wherever you bring it, without the need for wires? That is RCA's dream, with their AirPower chargers which were designed to soak up residual power from any available Wi-Fi signal in order to juice up its internal battery. When fully charged (that would take up to 6 hours of Wi-Fi exposure), you will then be able to recharge other low-power devices via USB. Best of all is, there is no need to plug in the AirPower - just leave it lying around with a Wi-Fi connection and you are good to go. No word on pricing, but this is one interesting development, don't you think?

Considering Apple’s uncanny ability to come up with amazing graphical interfaces, what would it be like, if the fruity company really put its mind to coming up with a MacBook 3D, like the concept here. Can you imagine the dock popping up at you, or something along those lines? The concept calls for stereoscopic iSight cameras, as well as a touchscreen trackpad, where it can display all sorts of useful information, as well as control media functions. As 3D technology is taking off in 2010, do you think that Apple’s upcoming MacBook Pro refresh will offer 3D capabilities?

The Jolicloud desktop mode is now available for download in its latest update, where it will function just like most standard OS interfaces to get you started almost immediately. The low learning curve is coupled with the ability to switch modes under the “Preferences” section, making it suitable for resolutions which are higher than 1,024 x 600. Anyone given it a go yet, and how do you find it?

Rogers subscribers who are chomping at the bit to get hold of the Sony Ericsson X10 from the carrier have a little something extra to tease them before the actual product is offered. The carrier has begun sending out email notifications that the Xperia X10 is almost ready for pre-order, so the device shouldn’t be that far away. Word is that the phone will be going for $199.99 on the standard 3-year contract. It seems that there is a possibility of a mid-April launch, but that’s not officially confirmed just yet. Specifications of the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 include:

We have heard and seen water-cooled PC systems before which have been rigged to eke out every single iota of performance, using water to keep things running cool despite the potentially flame-bursting temperatures in the absence of such a cooling system. Guess this idea has made its way to the notebook pad market, where this model packs a water cooling system which runs on a USB-powered pump located under the stand, where it will go ahead and circulate water via a copper radiator which has a fan mounted over it. This keeps the water flow cool at all times. Would be interesting to see whether this idea catches on in the long run or not

Forget about forking out a huge amount of money to go to France and bring back a piece of its memory in the form of an Eiffel Tower paperweight or other equivalent souvenier. The Eiffel Tower USB flash drive which holds 8GB of data inside might just do the trick, and you don't even need to travel all the way to France to do so since you can always place a $38.99 order for it online. Definitely not one of the more romantic gifts you can give, eh?

Considering the many digital photo frames already out there in the market, another one to further increase the competition should be good news for consumers. The Mojito Wi-Fi display by bluelounge functions just like your normal digital photo frame, but with the added functionality that it can play videos as well. To further stand out from the competition, the Mojito can grab content from Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites, allowing you to see a customized Lifestream. Of course, make sure you know what photos it’s going to pull from Facebook before you allow your relatives to pop by for a visit. The Mojito Wi-Fi photo frame will be available soon for $299.

As we inch closer to the day that iPad goes officially on sale, the gears that make it all possible have already been set in motion. Best Buy will apparently be launching the Wi-Fi iPad models on the April 3rd, and is currently providing its retail store employees with details of events leading up to the launch. The iPad will initially be carried at Best Buy locations offering “store-within-a-store” Apple Shop sections. Apparently two notebooks and an iMac will be removed from the usual Apple Shop layout in order to make room for the iPad during its launch day. Are you looking forward to picking up Apple’s iPad on launch day? How do you plan to get hold of one of the many units?

Folks looking for a USB TV Tuner to record the matches in the upcoming World Cup might want to check out what Elgato has to offer, especially with its smart marketing method. It seems that folks who purchase the Football Edition of its EyeTV DTTT Deluxe TV tuner have a chance to get their money back, provided that England wins the world cup. This £79 ($118) USB TV Tuner allows users to watch, pause and rewind live TV on their computer, and also sports an EyeTV 3 for PC and THC software Mac. The football edition even provides you with an England flag that can be placed on the TV tuner’s antenna, just to show your support. With this deal in place, do you think you’re rooting for England this World Cup, or are you rooting for another team?

Do you remember the dispute that Fujitsu had with Apple over the iPad’s name? Well, it seems that all will end well for both companies as Fujitsu Frontech North America Inc. has assigned Apple the rights to the iPad trademark. This comes just about a week before the iPad is scheduled to go on sale. There isn’t any mention of whether Apple had to pay, or how much it had to pay for the trademark assignment. So it seems that the iPad name is here to stay, eh?

We have prepaid mobile phones, so why not prepaid electricity? Instead of having many people resorting to stealing electricity, which is generally dangerous and not advisable, the TUME concept might be able to solve the electricity issue. TUME BASE stations can be setup in public areas, and folks who have a TUME ACCESS unit can plug into the base station and draw the necessary electricity. Credits for the electricity can be purchased online, via mobile phones or existing brick and mortar shops. It’s certainly an interesting concept. Maybe it’s time to change the way we think about getting electricity?

Sony Ericsson knows that their recent handsets, the C905 , Satio and Aino might be well marketed, but that does not distract folks from the fact that said handsets come with software as well as hardware issues. According to Sony Ericsson, those problems will soon be a thing of the past as their upcoming phones “will restore retailer and consumer confidence.” Let us hope that they will back up their words with the right action, otherwise you might just see consumers flock to other handsets.

Have more than six digits of spare change in your bank account? Great - why not give that up for Stuart Hughes' latest creation, the MacBook Air Supreme Ice Edition. This unique MacBook Air won't change the innards to include a far superior, futuristic processor, but will instead aim to wow other notebook owners into submission with 25.5 cts of flawless IF diamonds on the outside for a magnificent total of 53 individually-set sparkling gems that reside on the solid platinum Apple logo. The entire front housing is made out of a single piece of highly polished platinum, where it increases the MacBook Air's weight to 5.512 lbs. Since there are only 10 of these puppies available worldwide, you might want to pony up the £139,995 ($207,900) asking price - fast!

Guess tertiary education has gotten too expensive for some, which could be the reason why students studying pervasive computing and user interface engineering at the University Duisburg-Essen came up with the 'Poker Surface' as a way to hone their poker skills to win some money. We jest - this brilliant invention will merge the functionality of cellphones and a multi-touch surface, letting one play poker by directly interacting with objects on the table and by using a cellphone. The cellphone itself offers a tangible feeling of holding cards in your hands as well - best to get an anti-reflective display and privacy filter for your handset, and wearing contact lenses would bode your quest well, too.

Netflix is preparing itself to roll out a big upgrade in the coming year, where it will include 5.1 surround sound streaming for an even more realistic movie watching experience, complete with close captioning. While there are no further details furnished to the masses, including the availability date as well as the kind of titles that support 5.1 surround sound, it is nice to see Netflix making progress in terms of technology. So far, there is no mention on a price increase for the upgrade, so hopefully everything will remain the same in these economically trying times.

Don't look surprised. With the Windows Phone 7 Series dev tools now out in the open the pent up demand for that elusive HD2 upgrade was bound to be a priority for some well-meaning developers, somewhere... namely, Russia. Now we've got what looks to be the first screenies of the WP7S OS running on an HD2. Better yet, htcpedia claims that almost everything is working including WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth. However, the graphics driver is still showing problems and there is noticeable device lag. Nevertheless, the team is planning a beta release soon. Imagine it, an HD2 WP7S ROM available before Microsoft and its partners can even launch an official device, with its 5 buttons or not -- now that would be something. One more grab after the break, the rest at the source below.

21st May 2010 is the date that has been blocked by Hrithik Roshan's fans world over. After all, it's the day when Hrithik's much awaited film Kites opens across cinema halls. Kites is extra-special to Hrithik as for the first time ever, the superstar will be seen or should we say heard crooning a song in the film. The song in question ' Kites In The Sky ' is an English song that will be premiered on TV channels on the 29th of this month. In this interview, Hrithik shares his experience of recording this song. Read on! What inspired you to sing in the first place? I did not decide to sing, I was forced to do it. My uncle had tunes and Anurag had this ridiculous foresight that I could sing. Somewhere he had thought that I have all the talents: that I can act, dance and I do know music. So he believed that I can sing too for the film and it would

Drawn from the innermost recesses of its extraordinarily versatile profound and prolific creator's mind, somewhat like the water that emerges from Boman Irani's well at the end of this delicately-drawn satire on babu-giri and red tape(ism), Well Done Abba is a little sparkling gem of a film. Its humour warmth and tenderness are not as easily obtainable as was in Benegal's last comedy Welcome To Sajjanpur which was far more readily and immediately engaging. Well Done Abba takes longer to settle and sink into our satiated sensibilities. Long parts of the film describing the Hyderabadi protagonist Armaan Ali (Boman Irani)'s close encounters with babu-giri and the bewildering maze of the bureaucracy(somewhat like Pankaj Kapoor in the serial Office Office ) are done with a sense of insouciant indulgence that takes the bite away from the cruelty of watching a man run from one musty office to another trying to get a well dug into his parched backyard. Ev

He's been there done that. Wait! Let me re-phrase this. He has been there and is still doing what he does best - making cinema filled with artistic narrate. Yes, that's the word which Shyam Benegal uses to describe his films - 'artistic narrate'. They are, aren't they? Ankur, Kalyug, Manthan, Sardari Begum, Zubeida, Welcome to Sajjanpur and his latest venture, Well Done Abba. His films aren't to do with the latest technology, aren't spectacular in visual effects, aren't shot in foreign locales and aren't the years most awaited releases. Surprisingly, Shyam Benegal's cinema has an earthy fragrance. But more importantly, they have which many of today's films lack - an honest and a truthful storytelling with an equally supportive execution. UK's Harrow Observer columnist and Bollywood Hungama 's London correspondent caught up with this visionary filmmaker to know more about which films should go to the festival circuits

The sheer delight of watching Arshad Warsi play the lead rather the supremely self-assured sidekick gives this otherwise-pale rom-com a cutting edge. Arshad in his own words plays a guy, who van see dead people. Wish he could see dead plots too. The screenplay by Arshad Warsi , Soumik Sen and Arshad Ali Syed is a deadweight carried forward not by any inward propulsion, conviction or compulsion but by the producer-leading man's will to create a slick and cool space for himself within the stifling space allotted to a one-note film about friendly spirits and a disbelieving girlfriend. The romantic lady Dia Mirza is very adept at expressing energetic exasperation. She is whiny clingy and bossy just like over-protective girlfriends tend to be. Arshad is very skilled at conveying the killing anxieties of cautious courtship.He reminds one of Saif Ali Khan in Dil Chahta Hai , though we and this baggy film are not even going there. Warsi is ill- supported by poor writing.

She is the Queen of Bubblegum generation. And who can forget the famous bubble gum scene in Om Shanti which blew everyone's mind! We are indeed talking about the one and only Deepika Padukone, who looks the look in the latest edition of 'People'. This PYT, who looks gorgeous on People's cover, talks about range of subjects about her life that includes her last summer memories, her take on the reportedly fresh start with Ranbir, her styling trick, her plans for this summer... to name a few. This issue of People will surely prove to be cooler than a dozen cucumber put together! All in all, an interesting read for all Deepika fans!

Shaapit has turned out to be a decent earner at the box office. A safe investment, though a mind blowing opening was never expected out of it, a decent fare was pretty much on the cards, hence turning this Vikram Bhatt directed film into a plus affair. As his horror trilogy (after Raaz and 1920 ) comes to a conclusion, Bhatt looks at the difference in the way horror films are treated in Bollywood v/s rest of the world. "In India, we are required to make far more fuller films when it comes to horror", says Vikram Bhatt who is sure about 'selling fear' in each of his films to come, "You need to have a love story, great music, good locations, the works. Look at films like Woh Kaun Thi, Bees Saal Baad or Kohra from the past - you always need to do a lot more. Our films come from this lineage; this is where we got out horror germ from. Audience look for 'our' kind of films. We don't come from Ringu and Grudge lineage." It is al