Apple’s iPad 2 is finally unveiled and it will ship in the United States on 11th March while 26 other countries will only be getting their hands on the iPad 2 on 25th March. Right now, I don’t know when the iPad 2 will be launched in Malaysia but I hope that it would be one of the first countries to get it!

The iPad 2 sports vast improvements from the original iPad. While I do not own an iPad, I have played it often enough as I have a friend who owns it. I’ve thought that the iPad was a little too thick and heavy and I couldn’t hold it for long, one or both hands. The iPad 2 is one third the thickness of the iPad one and it is 0.2 pounds lighter.

iPad 2 is also said to be significantly faster and the huge difference between the original iPad and iPad 2 is the camera. iPad 2 has video calling capabilities. However, there is no mention that flash is still not supported by iPad 2. Maybe Skyfire will fix that.

Can’t wait to see how much iPad 2 will be selling in Malaysia.

Nintendo has issued a warning that 3D games can ruin the eyes of children under 6 years old. Heck, even though I am an adult, and I don’t need correction glasses, my eyes feel funny too after playing 3D games for long. Not just games, but also movies.

I am never comfortable with 3D and would get a bad headache and even vomit but even for people who do not suffer from this same ailment as I do, too much for 3D is not good too. It’s not so much 3D, I think, but also the vibrant colours and the glare that contribute to eye strain.

Nintendo recommends that users take breaks from 3D after every 30 minutes. My, that just spoils one’s 3D movie watching experience!

Surprisingly, iPad is now available in Malaysia, and at one of the lowest prices in the world to boot, ranging from RM1,549 to RM2,599. Pity my friend who bought his iPad in Singapore at RM600 more a couple of months ago. The good news is that we can buy iPad without a contract at authorised Apple resellers. At the same time, we could also buy it through telecommunications companies, with contract, and cheaper price for the iPad.

Although I am looking for a tablet myself, I don’t think I will fall for the iPad hype. I already have an iPhone and having an iPad is redundant so I am waiting for a good Android based tablet, and there will be so many flooding the market next year so I am holding on till then till the market is more mature.

There are actually so many different tablets to choose from, I don’t have preference yet. I may even get a netbook that comes with a swivel foldable screen that doubles up as a tablet. Well, the most important thing for me is that it can really work.The iPad, to me, is not a work device.

I told my friend about the Toshiba Libretto W100 that has dual screen and a virtual keyboard. I love the dual screen though it could be a bit difficult to use at first, but I don’t like its virtual keyboard. I figure it will be a little slow to use compared to a real keyboard. I saw it at the recent PC Expo 2010 in Ipoh.

According to my friend, he went to Toshiba USA website and saw this. he told me that this is not a good indication of the product. he said that it reminds him of Google nexus One, which was pulled from the US market. you all know what happened to Google Nexus One, don’t you?

And, the unit that I saw was supposed to be “limited edition”. Another friend told me that I shouldn’t think of it as “exclusive”. Boy, I really wanted it but now with all these signs, I am thinking twice!

My friend, KK, told me that he would like to send a few music tracks to me. I agreed since I am all for free music. However, after one day and still not receiving anything from him, I asked him what happened. Apparently, the files were too large and he couldn’t attach them in email. He didn’t know how to use file sharing websites either!

I found out that the files were large because he had forgotten to convert the files into MP3, which are smaller in size, yet quality is maintained. I looked for a popular MP3 converting software online and found one by NCH, which I remember using some months back before I bought a new computer. I still haven’t finished installing my programmes after 3 weeks!

I suggested NCH MP3 converter to KK and asked him to convert his music before emailing to me since he doesn’t want to use a file sharing site. I am thinking of getting a copy of NCH software myself. It doesn’t only convert music, song and audio files to MP3 and vice versa, I also like that it extracts audio from video files and save to MP3. This is very useful as it allows me to edit music videos by incorporating dialog from popular TV dramas.

*** This post has been sponsored.

I am in the market for a light and small laptop/netbook yet I am not willing to compromise on speed. I spotted this new Toshiba Libretto W100 and I am very interested in it, though I haven’t seen it selling in shops in my hometown yet.

What I like is its dual 7in multi-touch screens that could be viewed in split or extended mode. Also, instead of hard disk drive, it’s using Solid State Drive (SSD) which makes the laptop very light. This Libretto starts from 819g only; not the lightest in the market but light enough.

I do not understand why people are hoo-haaing that Apple’s new laptop is using SSD and that they are claiming that Apple will be the killer of hard disk drives. Other companies like Fujitsu and Sony are definitely ahead of Apple yet Apple fanboys refuse to accept the fact. Don’t get me wrong, I also use Apple products.

Anyway, my friend told me that while SSD is light, lower quality SSD are actually slower in speed than a good hard disk and has a limited lifespan. On the other hand, it’s tougher in the sense that it cannot break.