WHAT’S NEW IN GADGETS AND TECHNOLOGY
ALL NEW IPAD ON THE WAY
Get those sleeping bags, thermos flasks and cagoules ready and prepare again for the kind of ultra-queuing hardship that occurs only with the release of a new Apple gadget. According to reports in the Wall Street Journal and elsewhere yesterday, the iPad 2 is now in production. Thinner, lighter and with the additional feature of a camera for video-conferencing, it should be making its US debut in the spring before heading over here, enabling a new breed of ultra-smug early adopters to annoy you on your commute.
IPLAYER ON THE MOVE
Back in the world of present-day iPads and Androids, it’s official: the Beeb’s iPlayer is finally going to be available in App form this week. iPad users will be able to enjoy live TV and radio, plus the full range of catch-up programmes, on a Wi-Fi connection, while those with Android devices get the same package so long as their handsets have Android 2.2 and Flash 10.1. Otherwise, upgrade time, unless your attitude to the iPlayer is iCouldCareLess.
WELCOME TO THE WHITEBERRY
T-Mobile users born with their plain old black Blackberry handsets can now get their hands on the much-groovier white Blackberry Torch 9800. They may also be lured by the fact that it’s the first Blackberry handset to feature a slide out QWERTY keypad, to have Blackberry OS6 software and a 3.2-inch display. But let’s face it, it’s that gleaming white surface that’s the real seller here. Prices start from £26.47 per month.
A JET TOO FAR
If you’ve ever spotted your dream gadget on eBay only to be thwarted by a higher bid, spare a thought for the seven-year-old boy who found his this week – a £70,000 Harrier jump jet – and bought it with his dad’s credit card, only for his old man to cancel the deal. So unfair, dad!