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Editors' note: Read part one and part two of this three-part article.

"Where's iBooks?" the man was asking. "I want to see iBooks."

An older guy, one of the half dozen or so Apple sales associates on the floor, didn't know exactly what he meant at first. But then he figured out the man just wanted to see an e-book on the screen. That's why he'd come to the Apple Store: to see what an e-book looked like on an iPad.

The customer peered down through his fairly thick glasses at the James Patterson novel the sales associate had opened for him.

"Is it backlit?" he asked.

"What?"

"The screen."

"Sure," the sales associate said. "It's an LCD."

For some reason the guy seemed shocked to learn the truth.

"I will go blind reading this," he declared.

"Why?" the sales associate asked.

"It's backlit. I will go blind."

The sales associate asked him the next obvious question: Did he use a computer? … Read more

Tom and Rafe review the iPad after a couple weeks of using it, plus take comments and questions from iPad users.

Take note all you DIYers and parents with creative kids. If you don't want to shell out $40 for a high-tech iPad stand, you can make your own--or have your kid make one.

With the help of his father, my 10-year-old nephew Brett went to Home Depot, got a piece of wood, a hinge, and a couple of knobs, and presto, instant iPad stand. I'm not sure Brett's going to win any design awards, but the thing does look pretty sturdy and only cost $12.40 plus tax. That may not be as cheap as Case-mate's … Read more

It may be a direct clone from the excellent iPhone app, but Google's Mobile App for iPad loses something in the translation. Or rather, it loses an opportunity to go further and deeper by creating a rich, native home for its many services.

There's the search screen with voice search and text input, a Settings menu, and a screen displaying a long list of Google's Web services, like Google Docs, Picasa Web albums, and Google Reader. Just like Google Mobile App for iPhone, which we primarily regard as a search tool, tapping any of these shortcuts takes … Read more

Everyone knows the first-gen iPad is lacking a camera and multitasking and that many of its apps are overpriced. Annoying. But those of us who bought iPads knew this going in, and we've found ways to work around or to justify to ourselves these omissions in the product. What we didn't know about on iPad Day, April 3, was all the little things that would drive us up a tree. These are the annoyances and roadblocks that makes this appliance, otherwise engaging and attractive, feel like it was rushed out the door. Or done on the cheap. Which, … Read more

Note: You can read part one of this article here.

For those of you who didn't read part one of this little tale, I was recently in an Apple store in New York looking for the new, updated MacBook Pro units and toying with the idea of buying an iPad, when I was approached by one of Apple's friendly and knowledgeable sales people, who asked me whether I needed any help finding what I was looking for.

After conversing with her for a few minutes and having a frank discussion about some of the product's shortcomings, including its overheating issues, I found myself ready to take possession of Apple's "magical" new slate despite my reluctance to buy first-generation products. I wrote how she'd sold me with her zen-like anti-sell and I realized that "a thousand iPad ads seared into my retinas had taken their toll and worn me down. I was a beaten man, ready to submit."

But alas, there were no iPads to be had, and when we last left off, I was in the MacBook section of the store, filling out an online form to reserve a 32GB iPad, feeling disappointed yet relieved that I'd been temporarily released from the iPad's gravitational pull.

As I filled in my iTunes account name and password to generate the request, I actually thought the white entry-level $999 Macbook I was writing on looked better than I remembered it looking (somehow when you're in an Apple store, the products just have an added glow to them, a halo effect if you will).

"Do you have the new, upgraded MacBook Pros?" I asked, suddenly having an urge to pick up a laptop instead of an iPad.

Maybe the fact that there were no iPads in stock at this particular store was a sign from God for me to buy another product instead.… Read more

RIM gears up to take over your dashboard, Toyota facing a record fine for buggy car tech...Best Buy has its eye on dealer showrooms...The first iPad in dash is spotted...And we spot a Ghost--hell, we thrash the damned thing.

• RIM buys QNX in an apparent assault on Sync

• Runaway cars a rare complaint

• Will all Mercedes' S-class cars soon be hybrids?

• Car stereo store integrates iPad in dash

• Alpine de-emphasizes audio to concentrate on driver distraction

Is the iPad all that it's cracked up to be? This "late" in the game, who cares what we think right? I mean, it's been out for a whole week! Anyway, Dong and I had a chance to check it out and pass judgment--ultimate judgment!

Dong finally gains elite status. He's been blessed by the gods at Blizzard with a Starcraft 2 beta key. He attempts to keep his composure, but instead it's half an episode of his giddy schoolgirl impression. Pathetic.

Also, Dong's further adventures in getting taken by the man as … Read more

Before the launch of the iPad, Apple removed all the plastic and film screen protectors from its online and brick and mortar stores, even though they are among the most popular accessories for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Apple didn't seem to give any particular reason for this move, but as iLounge noted in an article, "One vendor speculated that the ban is an Apple marketing attempt to suggest screen durability, despite scratches that have damaged both plastic and glass displays of its products for years." Others have mentioned that because it's hard to adhere the … Read more