Also, there is a group of consumers who are confused and wonder –”which is better for reading – an eBook reader like Kindle Fire that can also work like any other tablet or a bigger and fully capable tablet like the Apple iPad 2?“

The answer is not simple and it really boils down to one’s personal read and preferences. Ebook readers tend to be lighter and sturdier than tablets of the same size. On the other hand, Tablets can be used for a lot more than just reading books and magazines – you can watch videos, check email, surf the web, view/edit office documents and download various apps and games.

Also, other factors like your budget, ease of finding 3G connectivity or Wi-Fi hot-spots, duration of usage, need of other features beyond the e-Book reader capability etc will help you decide what to buy finally.

Amazon Kindle Fire eBook Reader Vs. Apple iPad 2

During last holiday season both of these mighty gadgets were at tie and on the top of holiday wishlist chart, but here is a head-to-head comparison of specs and features of both the gadgets to help you make that decision. Introducing, Amazon Kindle Fire and Apple iPad 2:

Kindle Fire

Amazon dropped a bomb on the tablet world with the Kindle Fire, which is both cheaper and more powerful (with a dual-core processor) than anyone expected. And unlike most were skeptical about, its performance has lived up to its promise, making it one of the strongest contenders for an eBook reader that can make any other tablet owner envious.

- Screen: 7-inch, 1024 by 600 pixel LCD screen
- Weight: 14.6 ounces
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi, USB
- Battery life: 8 hours
- Operating system: Android 2.2 (modified)
- Price: $199 from Amazon

iPad 2

The product that started the tablet trend, Apple’s iPad is still the market leader. Like always, its next installation aka the iPad 2 is even more exciting than the original product (iPad). It’s set apart by great hardware design, Apple’s slick mobile operating system, and a well-stocked App Store. It’s also the priciest tablet currently available.

- Screen: 9.7-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit glossy widescreen Multi-Touch display with IPS technology
– Weight: 1.33 pounds (601 g)-1.35 pounds (613 g)
– Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G (3G version only)
- Battery life: 10 hours
- Operating system: iOS 4
- Price: Starting from $499 from Apple

If you want to stick with “just reading” E-books, and maybe some newspapers and magazines (not just in black and white, but colorful news reading) — Amazon Kindle Fire is probably your best bet. In addition, it also lets you do most of the tablet features at a much lesser price tag.

On the other hand, if you want more functionality you’ll need to step up to a tablet. High-end full-size tablets like the iPad 2 or the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 are much more versatile than e-readers, and they are powerful enough to even replace your laptop for some tasks. But they’ll cost you upwards of $500 to start.

Editor’s Choice:

If you’re a serious reader and don’t care about frills, go for the Kindle Fire.  But if you want something with all the bells and whistles, the iPad 2 is the best all-in-one tablet device available on market today.

So which gadget are you going to buy when you go shopping your next eBook reader? Apple iPad 2 or the Amazon Kindle Fire?

There are currently more than 100,000 native iPad apps available, although, as with the iPhone, a big chunk of those are filler. But the good apps are really good: creative, innovative, imaginative, useful and fun (or at least several of the above). So here is our pick of the top 20 best iPad (and iPad 2) apps of year 2011:

WindowShop: Windowshop is Amazon’s attempt to reinvent its website for tablets, and it does a great job. As with eBay, the focus is emphatically on product images and flicking between items with swipes and other gestures.

Barrel Tones: An amazing 3-D drum experience! Lay down your beats over top of home-grown jam tracks. These drums are the real-deal! Low latency, fully animated, made by musicians for musicians! Also, check out the Algoriddim Djay App For iPad if you are a music fan.

Tweetdeck (free): Another brilliant port to iPad, Tweetdeck shows you the feeds of your Twitter friends, your own mentions, and your direct messages. It works well because there is enough screen space to actually read all of this content.

Snikkr: Snikkr for iPhone and iPad is the first social productivity tool for iPhone. It supports mapping, navigation, directions, and local search. Snikkr also lets you safely share your location, and your favorite places, with friends, inside and outside of the Snikkr network.

Citrix Go To My PC: Just like BomGar remote support app, GoToMyPC for iPad makes it simple to control your computer while away from your work area, but the lack of multitasking support, and latency issues, may dampen the experience. GoToMyPC is the fast, easy and secure way to instantly connect to your Mac or PC, with access to all of your files, programs and network.

Vevo: MTV doesn’t show music videos any more, but Vevo is the nearest we have to a successor. Its iPad app is arguably the best way to use the service, too, tapping and swiping to browse a wide collection of videos.

123D Sculpt:This is a digital sculpting app: you pinch and rub the screen to mould virtual clay, buying in-app theme packs for 69p each including “Medieval” and “Transportation”. A tactile and creative delight.

Dragon Dictation: Featuring very accurate voice transcription and the ability to share messages via e-mail, Facebook, and Twitter, Naunce’s dictation app is both fun to use and immensely helpful—as long as you’re connected to the Web.

Kindle: Amazon’s e-reader app narrowly gets the nod over Apple’s own iBooks, with fewer visual frills but a large collection of ebooks, including regular discounts and offers. It also syncs your reading position across different devices.

iChromy: It’s an iPad browser that looks and feels like Chrome. And since I use Chrome every single day, that’s a good thing! It has tabbed browsing, an incognito window, and an omnibox (a shared box for typing in URLs and search terms) too. As close as you’ll get to Chrome on an iPad. Free

Epicurious: You like food, right? Epicurious has got tons of recipes presented in a nice, photo-friendly format. Show this to your Mom to justify your iPad purchase. Free.

Dropbox for iPad: Simple to use and extremely useful, this file synchronization app will keep all of your files in step, but the lack of built in file editing, and other limitations, may prove irritating.

Infographics: The app has about 50 different infographics created by the design company for its clients. There’s trivia-filled images for technology, sociology, learning and more. Perfect for those moments when you have a few minutes to spare and want to read something besides boring news.

Trulia: Trulia, an impressive real estate search engine and a respected name in the real estate game, has an iPad app that makes finding a new place a lot less intimidating and almost even fun. Poking around to explore apartments and homes with your finger is somehow much less frustrating than clicking around on a website.

FlipBoard: Flipboard wants to be your personalised, digital magazine, and does a great job of serving up articles that your Facebook and Twitter contacts have been linking to, as well as stories from your favourite websites.

PhotoBooth Free (included with iPad 2): A staple of the iPad 2′s starter apps, PhotoBooth takes advantage of the iPad’s dual cameras to bring you stupid pictures of yourself. Yes, it is a novelty app, but it’s one that might make you smile. Or, more probably, make young’uns chuckle at the sight of themselves with silly effects applied.

Google Earth: Google’s planet-mapping service was born to be on touchscreen tablets, getting you to swipe and pinch-zoom your way around the world. It’s an impressive showcase for iPad’s computing power, particularly the iPad 2.

Hootsuite: HootSuite allow users to create numerous social network streams and view them in a clean, friendly interface, dispatching messages to multiple networks simultaneously. Compose and Converse on the Go. HootSuite for iOS is the perfect social media tool for Twitter, Facebook, and Foursquare.

Also check out these top 10 Ever Green, Best (Yet FREE) iPhone and iPad Apps

Calculator for iPad: Need to crunch some numbers? Calculator for iPad Free gives you a large, easy-to-read, attractive basic and scientific calculator for solving problems. Multitouch support lets you swipe away numbers. Upgrading to the $0.99 adds six additional themes: Standard, Silver Keyboard, Retro Grey, Pink Keyboard, Happy Pink, and Wooden.

Roambi: Roambi interactive mobile dashboards let you tap, turn and swipe to analyze and share your company’s latest information on any iPhone or iPad – keeping you connected to your business, anytime and anywhere.

Some of the best iPad and iPhone applications that have made a revolution in the Apple (iTunes) market are discussed here. I’ve selected my top 10 from dozens of great apps for your iPhone or iPad this year — and here’s the best but: they’re all FREE.

1. Drop box:

Dropbox is one of the best applications that has come out in the year 2011 and is exclusive for use in iPad to bring all your files under a single roof. Using Drop box you can bring the files with you from the office synchronizing the day’s work and still give time to complete the urgent presentation while on the go. This is easy for offline viewing of files, easy to upload photos and videos and share them freely with family and friends.

2. Audibly:

Audibly is the iPad and iPhone application that is handy for those who are voracious readers. This application is a collection of nearly 3000 audio books, all of which are free. However, it is sad that you will not find some of the recent favorites like Harry Potter series or Twilight, but if you are a lover of classic novels, then this is the perfect application for you.

3. Google Places:

Are you looking for a perfect venue for your first date? Then Google places is the application that has a directory of restaurants, cafes, bars and other venues worldwide, besides the choice of the places that this application recommends, usually meets your requirements.

4. Hey Tell:

This application is for those who find typing very difficult and are more dedicated towards sending voice messages using their iPhone or iPad. Using Hey Tell app this is possible to send voice messages to single users or to a group using 3G or EDGE or Wi-Fi connectivity using push notifications for new messages.

5. Thermo:

Are you traveling using you car? By using thermo, you can decide whether to switch on the air-conditioner of your car or not. Thermo is the application that will tell using your iPhone or iPad, the current temperature of outside. Besides, it also provides a consolidated report of the weather from the past, like yesterday’s temperature and it also provides weather forecast.

6. Merriam – Webster:

This is like carrying your pocket dictionary in your iPhone or iPad. This application will let you search for the meaning of a word instantly, and at the same time, helps you to increase your vocabulary by providing with an option of word of the day. This dictionary application is very much easy to use and the spoken search feature is much more efficient and has been liked by many users.

7. Onava:

Onava is a must-to-have application for both your iPhone and iPad, as this saves a lot of money on data usage by working behind the scenes and by shrinking the data usage via its servers, especially when you are on a capped data plan or using data abroad on roaming. It can effectively double or even triple your data plan, by compressing much of the data you use while surfing the web or using apps.

8. Color:

Color is one of the best applications that has been used and liked by many of the iPhone and iPad users, which combines both social networking and photo-taking, and helps to bring together the people in your vicinity, especially when you are making new connections and develop professional networks on the go.

9. Opera Mini 6.x:

For unknown reason, among the web browsers for mobile phones and tablet PCs, which does not leave out iPhone and iPad, that Opera has been the best of the web browser making internet browsing experience really pleasureful? Background tab loading is one of the greatest and the most desired feature of this web browser that has been attributed for this success. This is also fast and most of the time comes at no cost.

10. Photosynth:

Photosynth is an application that has been exclusively designed for iOS applications like iPhone and iPad, in both of which this will help you to capture the precious moments at 360 degree, to create and share them via the ability of Photosynth to synchronize what you capture via Facebook with your friends.

Now, you have in front of you some of the best applications that are most commonly used for iPad or iPhone or both, and if you are not using one of them, then it is the best time to pic your choice. These are one of the best applications available for iPhone and iPad lovers.

Guest Author: This is a guest article by Amanda Kidd who is a blogger and writer and she writes about various health and tech topics on her related site. She gives full attention to makes her readers aware about hacking. Being a versatile writer she is busy in writing on Smart cell phones these days.

Meon, The Light Quest – Story Line and Game Play:

Professor Tagishaki, from Tokyo Quantum Mechanics institute found new elementary particles in 1997 which he named “Meons.” In this puzzle game, you must solve more than 120 levels to free Meons. Use Prism, Splitter and other various tools to light all the Meons and solve the Light Quest!

It is basically a puzzle game where you have to direct beams of light with the help of objects like Prisms and splitters in order to complete the levels and ultimately free Meons. In a single sentence – ‘Meon is challenging, fun, and addicting.’

Game Features:

- Cute Meons
- Magical musics
- Game Center support, with 29 achievements
- Additive puzzles
- More than 120 levels to solve
- Two challenging modes : Classic and Time Attack

Moreover, this new version of Meon game has updated Graphics for Retina Display. It also features Cute Meons Magical music, Game Center support, with 29 achievements, more than 120 levels to solve Two challenging modes : Classic and Time Attack.

Meon – Video Demo

For all information about Meon (news, trailers…), visit their official site and connect to them on Facebook to be aware of all future updates and releases. Meon is available on Apple Store for free, download and enjoy this brainy game.

Air Playit is an evolutionary streaming video software to stream video and audio libraries to your iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch via WiFi and 3G/4G networks without the need of video conversion. Air Playit can instantly play any video and audio files and let you share them with friends and family effortlessly.

What is Air PlayIt?

Instead of cramming the precious storage of iDevice, users now are capable of streaming video audio in any format to their iPhone iPad iPod via WiFi, 3G/4G network via Air Playit. Air Playit lets them access the videos stored on their PC or Mac instantly even from hundreds of miles away. It acts as a personal video audio cloud and makes the capacity of iDevices “infinite” immediately.

This app is now ranked on top 50 under the Entertainment category in Apple App Store since its release on July.16. Air Playit is totally free available to download. The Android version will be coming soon.

For iPhone/iPad users, Air Playit gives seamless access to video and music collections stored on both owner’s and friends’ computers on the go, even miles away from where you live. This video streaming app is compatible with the iPhone/iPod touch/iPad and available in the App Store.

Setting up of the server (on PC/Mac) as well as the client (on iOS device) is simple and straight-forward. Though the app works on 3G, considering the exorbitant costs, it might be wiser to set it up on Wi-Fi. If both the server and client are on common WiFi connection, the setup is even simpler.

Just launch the server application and choose the folders you want to share with the client. On your mobile device, you will be able to see the server automatically listed under Local servers. Just select it to access the shared folders and choose the file you like to stream!

Key features of Air PlayIt

- Automated server discovery on local network.
- Automatic remote server addition by specifying IP address.
- Supports streaming all 1080P/1080i HD videos, such as MKV, M2TS, AVCHD, TP, MPEG-TS, AVC and MOD.
- Supports regular videos including MPEG1/2, WMV, ASF, AVI, MOV, RM/RMBV, FLV, MP4, H.264, M4V, WTV, WebM.
- Supports multi-audio tracks video and lets you choose any language in the video file.
- Adjusts the video/audio quality and resolution for each video on-the-fly.
- Chooses and adjusts default video/audio quality, resolution and FPS for different network connection type including local WiFi, remote WiFi, 3G and 4G to get the highest video viewing effect.
- Automatically lists the recent played videos and remember the last play point for each video.
- Downloads all compatible Audios videos to Download Library inside iPhone or iPad.
- Lets you define various permissions to the shared folders. Three permission levels are available: Admin, Kids and Public.
- Resumes downloading at breaking-point. If you already started downloading the video, Air Playit can remember and provides you with the option whether to download from where you left off, or to start over.
- Option to remotely power off your home computer after finishing watching.

Air Playit – Streaming Audios/Videos to iPhone, iPad, iPod & Android (for PC & Mac) [Video Tutorial]

And in case, you want to RIP your videos before streaming them to your iOS devices using Air PlayIt, you may try out  WinX DVD Ripper Platinum to do so.  At any rate, Air PlayIt is an evolutionary app that is amazingly fast, efficient and yet completely free to use. Give it a try and let us hear what you think.

Risking that much money by loosely carrying around such a high-priced gadget is simply ridiculous. Not only will a good case/cover protect your iPad 2 from any accidental spills or scratches, but it will also afford you a better peace of mind. Some service and protection plans can’t even be purchased until you keep your iPad in a case.

The Best iPad 2 Cases Money Can Buy [Latest Models]

However, keeping your iPad 2 in a case doesn’t have to be cumbersome. In fact, there are many iPad 2 cases that come in a wide variety of styles to fit each owner’s unique personality while also offering different levels of protection. Some of the more popular iPad 2 cases include:

The Arcadia IMP35B

This cover is designed solely to cover the back of your iPad2. Although this cover may seem like it doesn’t provide enough protection, it does provide extra grip so you don’t have to worry about it sliding around and it works in conjunction with the Apple Smart Cover to provide additional protection.

The Trent IMP23B

For those willing to pay a little extra for their case, the new Trent IMP23B offers users more protection and better functions. With this case, you are able to safely prop your iPad 2 up, and the case offers 3 adjustable angles so you are able to watch movies or videos, or type out emails in whatever position works best for you.

The Trent IMP38B

For those wishing to use their iPad much more like a laptop, the Trent IMP38B is for them. This hard-bodied case offers users a built-in blue tooth keyboard along with the ability to rotate their iPad 2 in one of four different positions. You are even able to rotate the stand a full 360 degrees.

If you are already willing to purchase a cover for your iPhone and iPod, you should also be willing to purchase one for your iPad 2 which comes at a much higher price. Don’t risk shattering or scratching the screen of your iPad 2 simply because you wanted to save a few bucks on your already high priced purchase.

Check out these Top 10 Best Tablet Alternatives to the Apple iPad

Buy a case. It will keep you from flinching every time your iPad bumps into something and from clenching it to your chest like it is “your precious” when walking around in public.

The home-made tablet is of course not an iPad, as it runs on Windows XP and is a tad heavier but its is still worth raising eyebrows. This tablet was crafted using a set of laptop parts, a touch screen and a leather case complete with a keypad.

If you wish you could assemble an Apple iPad tablet at your own home, here is good news — the man filmed himself making the device on YouKu, the Chinese YouTube, which could allow others to follow his slightly eccentric lead, in getting a tablet computer without getting bankrupt.

iPad 3 Part 1 – How To Assemble an iPad look-a-like From Scratch

iPad 3 Part 2 – How To Assemble an iPad look-a-like From Scratch

Liu is a 21-year-old youth from Shandong Province, he originally worked in a computer shop in Jinan City. He said that this video was uploaded a month ago, so far more than a dozen people asked him create an iPad for them, but he refused.

“I just do it for fun, this machine costs 2000 Yuan.” Compared to the cheapest genuine16GB iPad 2, which is sold in China at 3688 yuan, the most expensive 64GB version is even up to 5288 Yuan.

Check these Top 5 Best Tablet PCs Available In Market Today

Its worth mentioning that iPads and iPhones are hugely popular in China — the world’s largest Internet market with 457 million online users — and the launch of new models has been known to trigger fights and even crimes.

It was a moment with mixed feelings when Steve Jobs introduced iCloud to the world at Apple’s annual WWDC [Worldwide Developers Conference] in San Francisco. As he introduced Apple’s long-awaited iCloud service and platform, Jobs noted how the act of synchronizing multiple devices has “broken down” of late.

Noting that devices have changed over the past decade, with people now using photos and videos on the go, the PC should no longer be the hub for your digital life, with all media hosted on the computer. “Keeping these devices in sync is driving us crazy,” Steve told the crowd.

What is iCloud?

To address the new reality, Apple Inc. has moved the digital hub to the cloud. iCloud stores your music, photos, apps, calendars, documents, and more. And wirelessly pushes them to all your devices — automatically. It’s the easiest way to manage your content.

All iOS devices can talk to the cloud whenever they want, with instant propagation to all other devices. With iCloud, users get 5GB of free storage for mail, documents and backups; purchased music, apps and books don’t count.

iCloud completely replaces MobileMe. Mail, contacts, and calendar are all free. Contacts and calendars will be updated across devices, just like they currently do, but there are several new components to iCloud.

“Some people think a cloud is just a hard disk in the sky,” Steve told the crowd. “We think it’s way more than that.” iCloud stores content (think contacts, calendar, photos, music), with wireless push to all devices. And with APIs providing developers with hooks into iCloud, all apps can take advantage of the service.

However, bandwidth constraints are still a huge challenge. So with content like movies, which require so much space, we’ll have to see what happens. But just starting with documents, cloud computing will fundamentally change how we write and collaborate on projects.

Will iCloud ‘Legitimize’ Music Pirates?

Interestingly, Apple’s new cloud music service has been heavily criticized by some of the big players from the music industry for supposedly encouraging piracy by allowing people to essentially legitimize their pirated music collections.

But we don;t think Apple will be condoning piracy and it’s better for the labels to have a transparent system run by Apple than some nefarious P2P site. Besides, what pirate would bother uploading their collection to a cloud when they probably already have an iPod full of the music anyway?

With so many favorable reviews from technology blogs for this recently launched keyboard case for Apple Inc’s iPad 2, shares of Zagg Inc rose 9 per cent to an 8-week high.

Known originally as the ZAGGmate, this iPad 2 case was a huge hit at the 2011 Macworld Expo. It provided an extremely light, aircraft-grade aluminum protection for the delicate bits of the iPad along with a high quality, and yet compact, keyboard. And since it didn’t have to depend on the docking connector, users are free to mount their iPad in either portrait or landscape mode. And dare we say, when connected to and iPad 2, it looks much like a MacBook Air!

ZAGG, which makes protective covers for mobile devices, earlier this month signed an exclusive licensing and distribution deal with Logitech International for its tablet computer accessory, the ZAGGmate case with keyboard. And we think the ZAGGmate will have much better consumer exposure and sell-through with Logitech’s distribution.

Logitech Keyboard Case for iPad 2 – Setting up [Video]

Priced at $99 you get a full keyboard that enables you to use your iPad in either portrait or landscape mode, thank Bluetooth technology for that, and you also get a layer of aluminum to make sure your screen doesn’t get any scratches or chips. So no doubt the price is right if you’re looking to strike a balance between style and functionality.

With the launch of this iPad remote support software, Bomgar now enables IT support and service technicians to remotely support the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, by providing users with custom configuration profiles on their Apple iOS devices. With a few simple clicks, users can automatically configure their email, calendars, device security policies, VPN settings, Wi-Fi settings and more.

Bomgar iPad Rep Console lets support technicians work on multiple remote support sessions at once, plus invite other in-house and external support reps to simultaneously collaborate on the same session. Customers, on the other hand, will not need to have pre-installed software on their device, or be part of any pre-defined “buddy list” to receive support, according to Bomgar.

Furthermore, the iPad Rep Console works in conjunction with the Bomgar appliance, making it the only iPad remote support solution that does not pass session information through a third-party server, keeping sensitive data safe and sound behind a company’s firewall.

Emphasizing that enterprises work under strict compliance regulations, Nathan McNeill, co-founder and VP of product strategy at Bomgar said — “With the Bomgar iPad Rep Console, we’re giving support technicians the flexibility and mobility they need, plus the security assurances their companies require.”

Bomgar says one in three North American companies now support the iPhone as a business platform. It is no surprise, Bomgar feels “CIOs can no longer afford to ignore the time their support team is spending to help users configure these devices…”.

iPhone and iPad Remote Support With Bomgar [ Video]

“Giving enterprises the tools to automatically and securely configure the iPhone and iPad is another step in our commitment to providing the most robust and secure remote support solutions for mobile devices. We’re closely evaluating the evolution of the various mobile platforms, and we’ll continue to provide customers with the most advanced remote support options possible as new devices hit the market”, according to the company. The Bomgar iPad Rep Console will be available to all Bomgar customers this summer.