MP3 Headlines & News for January 30, 2010

Now that the dust has settled, it's time to take an objective look at Apple's latest product, the iPad tablet.

The quick lowdown: While the device certainly has its strong points, a few big warts (*cough, no multi-tasking and Flash, cough*) prevent it from the being the groundbreaking, netbook slayer that Apple wants it to be.

We take a gander at the device's specs and other features in our first look at Apple's iPad tablet.

Photo © Apple

A First Look at Apple's iPad Tablet originally appeared on About.com Portable Entertainment on Thursday, January 28th, 2010 at 00:53:28.

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Say what you will about the viability of eBook readers as an industry. But the list of companies wading into the eReader waters just keeps goin' and goin'.

The latest player to hop on the eReader bandwagon is computer giant Acer, Inc., which announced plans to launch an eBook reader by the middle of the year. According to Bloomberg News, the Acer eReader will feature a 6-inch monochrome screen and be available for sale sometime in June.

Of course, when dealing with heavyweights such as Amazon and Sony, you're gonna need some "strategery." For Acer, the plan is to concentrate on European countries and Asia to take advantage of Amazon and Barnes and Noble's "U.S.-centric approach." 'Cause when one hot tub is getting too full, you can always hop into the less crowded tub at a neighboring house (provided you've got permission, of course).

As part of the same announcement, Acer also announced that it will launch its own app store and a new netbook that runs on Google's Chrome operating system instead of Windows. In fact, the company plans to offer Chrome in at least 10 percent of the netbooks it sells. The latter is apparently part of a strategic attempt for No. 2 Acer to overtake HP as the No. 1 computer supplier in the world while also changing the current "Microsoft-Intel" environment.

Looks like somebody thinks a certain couple is taking way too much space in the PC jacuzzi, if you know what I mean.

Acer to Release eReader, Plus New App Store and Google Netbook originally appeared on About.com Portable Entertainment on Tuesday, January 26th, 2010 at 00:11:16.

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Now what is this we have here, hmm?

Aeronautics and weapons firm Lockheed Martin took off the stealthy shroud from its latest project and it's ... a USB drive?

To quote one lady I saw at Pizzeria Bianco after being told the wait was three hours: "Huh?"

Now, try as hard as I can, I can't seem to see a hidden missile bay or laser in this thing. Which can only mean that this thing truly is a USB drive.

More specifically, it's called the "IronClad," which is exactly the opposite of the excuse one of my buddies had after his girlfriend caught him staring at another woman. ("Um, I was thinking about you the whole time?")

Anywho, the IronClad USB is a joint venture between Lockheed Martin and IronKey and is supposed to shrink "a laptop's hard drive - including the entire operating system, software applications, and files - onto a secure flash drive." Now that sounds a bit more Lockheed Martin-ish.

Of course, given the company's haughty claims about the security of its new "PC on a stick," they're pretty much inviting every enterprising hacker to create a bug that could infect the darn thing. It's like walking around with a huge bullseye at a darts tournament.

Then again, Lockheed Martin wouldn't be Lockheed Martin without the bravado.

Photo © Lockheed Martin

Lockheed Martin Locks, Loads and Fires New USB Drive originally appeared on About.com Portable Entertainment on Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 at 00:01:18.

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Hey, how about some non-Apple tablet news?

Like Zeus on Mount Olympus, Amazon has enjoyed its perch high up on the eReader throne, thanks to its wildly popular Kindle. Which makes this recent thunderbolt from the online retailer especially peculiar.

According to a press release from the company, Amazon is raising royalty rates to 70 percent for authors and publishers who use the Kindle Digital Text Platform. That's, like, double the old rate!

Now, if you're a glass-half-full guy who thinks that rain comes from the happy tears of little cherubs, you'd be thinking, "How nice of Amazon to finally recognize the sweat and toil of authors."

Or you could be like the misers over at CNET and the New York Times who point out that the new royalty rate happens to match what Apple offers to its apps developers.

"AAAAAPPPPPPPPPPLLLLLEEEEE!!!!" (Raises fist with indignation)

Um, so hey, how about some Apple tablet news?

To make a long story short, the denizens that populate the Interweb's tubes are now postulating that Amazon's move is a pre-emptive strike against any tablet that Apple may or may not announce on Jan. 27. That's the power of the mighty Apple for you.

Anywho, this appears to be shaping up as a veritable clash of the titans. (Not that Zeus was a titan, but you know what I mean.)

Photo © Amazon

eReader Poker: Amazon Raises Royalties for Kindle Platform originally appeared on About.com Portable Entertainment on Thursday, January 21st, 2010 at 00:01:00.

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As well as the new song, Bear Hands have also got a limited edition 7" vinyl that is being released at the same time. For more information, visit their Website.

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• WMP 11 tutorial: how to create a music library
• How to stream your music collection from the Web

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Bear Hands Celebrate New Single With Free Music Downloads originally appeared on About.com Digital Music on Friday, January 22nd, 2010 at 07:25:33.

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