Apple’s iPad announcement is big news. It’s a robust tablet form factor that is a half-inch thick and weighs 1.5 pounds, with a 9.7-inch capacitive touchscreen IPS LCD display that supports 1024x768 VGA video.The ebook implementation is everything one would expect. The application can be downloaded from the App Store and the content is managed by the “iTunes” platform, so it seamlessly integrates e-book with the other popular personal content. All iBooks are stored on your Bookshelf. As you would expect, all books are displayed on a sharp, color screen with many personalization options.

Mobile Device Shipments Will Nearly Double Before 2015, Says ABI Research. 2009 will see a total of 1.2 billion mobile devices shipped, according to the latest data from ABI Research. That includes all categories of wireless devices including cellular handsets, MIDs (Mobile Internet Devices), netbooks, mobile consumer electronics products, and cellular modems. Shipments of these mobile devices will have nearly doubled in 2014 to a total of 2.25 billion, according to the firm’s new forecasts.

Today, consumers, both household and enterprise, delve for larger TV screens, multimedia capabilities and higher reliability. Convergence of entertainment, computer and telecommunication service is also on the horizon. With the change of format and transmission characteristics of video signal, entertainment TV is going digital. HDTV is a revolutionary technology in the television industry that produces pictures far sharper and clearer than the television most of us use today. HD televisions are available in four different TV display technologies - Projection, Directview Cathode Ray Tube (CRT), Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) and Plasma television.

Want to give that special someone an affordable new cell phone for the holidays, but are concerned about the accompanying sky-high monthly bills and tying them to a long-term service contract? Holiday help is just around the corner thanks to Boost Mobile, which offers all-in-one mobile phone and service packages without a contract available at nearly 20,000 locations throughout the Unites States, including major retail stores like Best Buy, Walmart, Target and RadioShack, as well as Sprint Retail Stores and independent wireless dealer locations.

Nuance Communications announced that Samsung, a leading mobile phone provider, has extended its relationship with Nuance to ship T9 and XT9 predictive text input products across Samsung’s global portfolio of cell phones. Nuance’s T9 and XT9 are the industry’s most widely adopted predictive text technologies that make it faster and easier for consumers to send text messages and e-mails, and quickly type URLs via any keypad format, including standard and touchscreen 12-key and QWERTY keypads.

Research and Markets: "The Future of Mobile Retailing on the High Street". The last 24 months has seen rapid change on the high street for mobile phone retailers, particularly in the United Kingdom. What had been a vigorous and vibrant independent sector is now looking diminished and under threat. In a bid to improve customer relationships and thereby increase sales, some network operators have trebled their retail presence in town centres, to the detriment of independent dealers and resellers. Mobile markets elsewhere in Europe, and in North America, are seeing their own changes in the retailing landscape, brought about by ever-increasing competition and the fight for market share.

Consumers Desire Bluetooth Headsets and Speakerphones from Bose & Sony. Motorola and Nokia Also Among Most-Preferred Brands. A recent Strategy Analytics survey of vehicle owners in the USA and Western Europe found that Bose was rated as the most-preferred brand for Bluetooth headsets and speakerphones by consumers in the USA, while those in Western Europe rated Sony as their most-preferred brand for these products. "Even though Bose does not currently offer Bluetooth headsets and speakerphones, 45% of US respondents rated Bose as a preferred brand for these products," commented Chris Schreiner, Senior Analyst at Strategy Analytics.

The launch of the Apple iPhone with its large touch-screen technology (and the flurry of iPhone 'killers' from other handset manufacturers), the inclusion of GPS navigation functionality on many high-end mobile phones and the success in the Far East of payment systems on handsets using Near Field Communication technology are ushering in a new phase in the development of the mobile handset which is becoming much more than a simple tool for making phone calls and sending text messages. Developments in a range of new technologies are bringing new functionalities and capabilities to mobile handsets.

Over the last two years, HD Televisions ranked as the most desired product at the holiday season; and it was no different this year. HD TVs remain at the top of respondents’ holiday wish lists, according to market researcher In-Stat. “Over all, consumer electronics continue to top holiday wish lists, which is good news for retailers and manufacturers. However, the downside is purchase intent has fallen from 2008. The 2009 consumer survey reveals that the percentage of respondents who plan to purchase a electronic device have declined within each market segment,” according to Stephanie Ethier, In-Stat Analyst. “In-Stat believes the economy is continuing to take a toll on consumer spending.”

While iPhone shipments are growing quickly, smartphones based on the Symbian operating system remain dominant and will continue to grow over the next several years, reports In-Stat. However, Symbian will wane, resulting in a drop in net Symbian-based smartphone shipments in 2014. Meanwhile, the basis of competition will change from the OS to the functionality and “user experiences” that the cell phone can provide. The advanced feature sets of smartphones continue to evolve as users demand capabilities such as touch screens, increased camera resolution and Wi-Fi connectivity options.