What's NEW...

Some facts about the latest sensation in the tech markets.........Apple iPAD

The iPad is a tablet computer developed by Apple Inc. Announced on January 27, 2010, it is considered to be in a category between the smartphone and the laptop computerit runs a modified version of the same operating system (iPhone OS), with a user interface redesigned to take advantage of the larger screen.

The iPad has a 9.7-inch (25 cm) LED backlit multi-touch display, 16 to 64 gigabytes (GB) of flash memory, Bluetooth, and a 30-pin dock connector to sync with iTunes and connect wired accessories. Two models have been announced: one with 802.11n Wi-Fi and one with 802.11n Wi-Fi and 3G (which can connect to HSDPA cellular networks), and Assisted GPS.Apple's first device to use its iBookstore service and companion iBooks ebook reading application

The iPad was announced on January 27, 2010 by Steve Jobs at an Apple press conference at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Three days later, at the 52nd Grammy Awards, Stephen Colbert used an iPad in announcing the nominees.

The touchscreen is a 25-cm (9.7-in) liquid crystal display (1024 x 768 px, 132 ppi, XGA) with oleophobic scratch-resistant glass. Like the iPhone, the iPad is designed to be controlled by bare fingers, not gloves and styluses that prevent electrical conductivity.Unlike the iPhone and iPod touch, the iPad supports a screen rotation of any angle (in increments of 90°), essentially meaning that the device functionally has no "up" or "down" no matter how the device is held—from the perspective of the user, only the position of the home button changes.The iPad also has an ambient light sensor to adjust the brightness of the screen.
The iPad can use Wi-Fi network trilateration to locate itself in Google Maps. The 3G model contains A-GPS while both models have a digital compass.The iPad has three plastic physical switches on the sides: wake and sleep, volume up and down, and screen rotation lock.
Three speakers are on the bottom-right of the unit, while the microphone is within the device. A volume switch is on the right side of the unit, and a 3.5 mm TRS connector for headphones The built-in Bluetooth 2.1+EDR chipset supports the HSP, A2DP, and HID profiles, which allows wireless headphones and keyboards to be used with the iPad. However, iPhone OS does not currently support the OBEX file transfer protocol.

The iPad uses an internal rechargeable lithium-ion polymer battery. Apple claims that the iPad's battery can provide up to 10 hours of video, 140 hours of audio playback, or up to one month on standby. The battery loses capacity over time and the battery is not designed to be user-replaceable.

The iPad was released with three options for internal storage size: 16, 32, or 64 GB. The Wi-Fi + 3G model includes a micro-SIM slot located on the side of the device. Unlike the iPhone, which is usually sold locked to specific carriers, the 3G iPad is sold unlocked and can be used with any compatible GSM carrier.the iPad only runs software downloaded from Apple's App Store.[34] The iPad runs almost all third-party iPhone applications, displaying them at iPhone size or enlarging them to fill the iPad's screen.The iPad comes with these applications: Safari, Mail, Photos, Video, YouTube, iPod, iTunes Store, App Store, Maps, Notes, Calendar, Contacts, and SpotlightThe iPad is currently being assembled by Foxconn, the same company that manufactures Apple's iPod and iPhone, in its largest plant in Shenzhen, China.

iSuppli estimated that the iPad 16GB Wi-Fi version cost Apple $259.60 to manufacture. Apple does not disclose the source of iPad components, but tear-down reports and analysis from industry insiders indicate that various parts and their suppliers include:

* Apple A4 CPU: Samsung
* NAND flash RAM chips: Toshiba for all models except the 64GB iPad, whose memory was made by Samsung
* Touch-screen chips: Broadcom
* Touch panels: Wintek, after TPK Touch Solutions was unable to fulfill its orders, delaying the iPad's release from late March to early April.
* Case: Catcher Technologies
* LCD drivers: Novatek Microelectronics
* Batteries: Dynapack International

Price: 16 gb-$499 (wi-fi), $629 (wi-fi+3G)
32 gb-$599 (wi-fi), $729 (wi-fi+3G)
64 gb-$699 (wi-fi), $829 (wi-fi+3G)