The new iPad is official, with Retina display, LTE and A5X CPU.

So, what'd you have in the office pool? iPad 3, iPad 2S, iPad HD? Doesn't matter, really. All that matters is that it's here! This is the next generation of Apple's iOS slate and, as usual, she's a beaut -- and yes, she's still rockin' a physical button. As was rumored this thing is packing a Retina Display, potentially making this the most pixel-packed slate on the market. The 9.7-inch screen plays host to 3.1 million pixels in a 2048 x 1536 arrangement -- that's 264ppi. It's not just a higher resolution though, the screen also boasts improved color saturation. Of course, what would a new iPad be without some updated guts. The new model has an A 5X Processor and quad-core graphics chip. Apple even claims its newest sliver of silicon can deliver four times the performance of a Tegra 3 -- we'd say dems fightin' words.

There's also a new i Sight Camera on board that's quite similar to the version inside the iPhone 4S. It's only five-megapixels, but it does have a backside illuminated sensor with a five element lens. It's also capable of capturing 1080p video, which should come as no surprise. We're also excited to see the keyboard sporting a brand new dictation key that lets you speak instead of type -- yes, just like on Android. The new software inside will also let you use the slate as a portable WiFi hotspot... so long as the carriers are game. It even has the ability to recognize at least some bezel gestures, as revealed during its iPhoto Demo.

Perhaps most exciting though, is the new connectivity options -- you guessed, LTE! The new iPad is sporting 21Mbps HSPA+, but it's also rocking an LTE radio capable of pulling down 73Mbps on both Verizon and AT&T here in the US. Outside of the states Rogers, Bell and Telus will also be scoring 4G flavors of the iOS tablet. Amazingly enough, even with an LTE antenna on board, Apple is still claiming to get 10 hours of battery life. That's probably partially do to the slightly increased weight of 1.4lbs, though the 9.4mm thickness is nothing to sniff at.

The new iPad will be available March 16th, starting at $499 for the 16GB WiFi model and scaling up to $829 for the 64GB version with 4G. So, on the price front, nothing has changed. Pre-orders start today in the US, Canada, UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia, with much of the rest of the globe to follow on March 23rd. For more details hit up the PR after the break.

More New Ipad Pictures.

Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight hands-on

What's American's number one problem in the bedroom? Honestly, whatever you first guessed is probably the right answer. For the sake of this conversation, however, let's just assume that it's light, as Barnes & Noble suggests. People are keeping their partners awake at all hours by leaving the light on as they finish the final gripping pages of that Stieg Larsson novel. There's got to be a better way! Something like, say, the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight (make sure to put little sparkly illustrations over the last word when you read it aloud, by the way).

As you'd imagine, it can see in the dark. -- or, rather, you can see it in the dark, so you won't have to get kicked out of bed for reading The Hunger Games anymore. The clunkily named Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight is up for pre-order now at $139 a pop. Plunk down your information today, and it should be on its way to you in early May -- just in time for Mother's Day and with a bit of time to spare for 'ole pops. So, how does the reader stack up to its predecessor? Click on through to the other side to find out.

For all intents and purposes, the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight is exactly like the original Nook Simple Touch. We're talking the same stubby body, TI processor, 2GB of storage, microSD slot and six-inch Pearl E Ink display with infrared touch. Oh, and the rubberized page turn buttons on the sides of the screen, the little "n" home button on the bottom and that power button on the rear are all in tact. The concave back cover that makes it easy to hold the reader one-handed? That's the same, too.

There are a few distinctions, though: the border around the perimeter of the device is lighter, so you wont accidentally pick the wrong device out of a pile (think of the slight difference in color between the Nook Colour and Tablet). The device is also a bit lighter than its predecessor -- five percent, to be exact -- a change significant enough that seasoned Simple Touch users might actually notice if they were to compare the two. Really perceptive folks might also pick up on the screen, which feels slightly more textured. This is due to the anti-glare technology screen overlay B&N added to compensate for the differences in screen. All of which brings us to the main thing distinguishing the two devices.

The centerpiece of the Nook SimpleTouch with GlowLight is, naturally, that illuminated screen. The reader uses a patent-pending technology Barnes & Noble built in-house, which shines a light from over the top of the screen. The illumination is triggered by holding the "n" button down for two seconds. You can adjust the brightness by clicking the button again and sliding the dial on a Quick Settings screen. Half brightness should be enough to keep you reading in a dark room. You can also turn the light off here or just hold down the "n" button again.

The light is actually quite well distributed on the display. You'll notice a bit of a gradient at the top, near the light source, but after reading for a bit, odds are you'll completely forget about it. We used it for a bit in a darkened room, and it's really a pleasant reading experience, staying true to most of the benefits of e-ink. We asked Barnes & Noble reps how the resulting eye strain compares to a back-illuminated device like the iPad, and while they refused to say anything conclusive, they conceded it should be "equal or less" to what you'd experience on such a device.

Battery life, on the other hand, is much better. The Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight should give you an estimated month of reading time, according to B&N's numbers, compared to two months with the light off. That second number matches the rating for the standard Simple Touch -- the battery, like the rest of the hardware, is identical. The price, however, is a bit of a jump. At $139, it's $40 more than Simple Touch, and will be sold alongside that device (albeit in a darkened case that gives you a better idea of its powers). That premium might be a bit rich for some people's blood, though keep in mind that that price is the same as the WiFi Kindle Touch once you drop the "Special Offers." If the rumor mill is to be believed, however, Amazon's likely got some competition on the way.

In the meantime however, it may well be worth the $40 investment to make sure you don't get booted out of the bed again any time soon.

iPhone Long Future

Smartphones industry itself rose nearly 50% over last year. Looking at it, it is natural to assume that the iPhone will continue its growth trajectory as Android has. Not so fast, let’s take a deeper look.

1) Short term – Apple products, especially the iPhone and the iPad, following a sales cycle, where peak sales during the launch of a new product and tails off just before the release of next version (eg, before the release of iPhone 4S). Now that the iPhone 4S is complete, this trend should continue to come, even with slowing demand and waste out until the iPhone 5. But there are still some wrinkles here who were responsible for the performance of Q4 iPhone:

(i) pent-up demand for the iPhone – As the interval between the release of the iPhone 4 and 4S was 15 months, he created a huge pent model for the new iPhone. Apple’s strategy after two one-year contracts has created a demand for the iPhone 3G have not been able to update the iPhone 4 last year.

New Apple IPOD

Another dual SIM Android smartphone

Another dual SIM Android smartphone has recently offered by Chinavasion. This handset is called the Achernar and sold in fully unlocked for price of $94.92.

Running on Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS, the Achernar smartphone boasts a 480MHz processor, 271MB RAM, 256MB of built-in storage, and a 1,000mAh battery.

New Achernar affordable dual SIM handset brings a vibrant and bright 3.5-inch resistive touchscreen display with 480 x 320 resolutions, a front-facing 0.3MP camera, and a 1.9 megapixel camera on back.

Other feature is microSD card support (up to 16GB), two GSM SIM card slots, WiFi, a 3.5mm headset jack, and Bluetooth. Dimensions of Achernar are 110 x 60 x 12mm.