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Cheerleaders for Apple's iPad can get out their pom-poms (and perhaps their passports). As of this weekend, the new iPad will be available in 30 more countries, including Brazil, Botswana, Cambodia, Malta, Mauritius, and Qatar, according to MacRumors.

Apple's Web site lists 13 countries in the Caribbean and Latin America and says, "the new iPad is arriving in these countries on May 11th." MacRumors did some further digging on the tech company's country-specific store pages and found that 17 other countries will be selling the tablet as of this weekend (see full list of new … Read more

It's not often that a solar installation gets the royal treatment, but in the case of Torresol's molten salt solar plant that's exactly what happened yesterday.

King Juan Carlos of Spain and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, crown prince of Abu Dhabi, along with Masdar CEO Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Sener President Jorge Sendagorta, and several other royals from the United Arab Emirates, oversaw opening ceremonies at a 19.9-megawatt solar plant in Fuentes, Andalucía, Spain.

The plant, which uses molten salt thermal storage to generate electricity, is the result of Torresol Energy, a … Read more

India has canceled a ban of BlackBerry services that was scheduled to occur at the end of October.

A press release from India's Ministry of Home Affairs on Friday confirmed the news, saying that discussions with RIM had led to an interim agreement under which BlackBerry Messenger services could continue. This agreement provides the Indian government with access to the lawful interception of data over the BlackBerry network, according to the ministry. Further, RIM has promised India that it would offer a final solution by January 31, to give the government continued access.

Details of the agreement were not … Read more

Research In Motion and the United Arab Emirates have reached an agreement to call off a BlackBerry ban that was scheduled to start Monday.

Today's press release (Google Translate version) from the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA), which regulates telecommunications for the UAE, confirmed that all BlackBerry services will continue as usual and not be suspended on October 11.

The agency said that BlackBerry services are now compatible with the UAE's regulatory framework and added that RIM had cooperated in offering a compatible solution. Beyond that, the agency offered no details as far as specific actions or measures that … Read more

"If they can't deal with the Internet, they should shut it off."

That was just one of the comments that RIM co-CEO Michael Lazaridis made in an interview published Wednesday in The Wall Street Journal. In the interview, Lazaridis repeatedly took aim at the countries looking to ban the BlackBerry over what they are labeling national security issues. The governments want the ability to access and monitor customer communications.

"This is about the Internet," Lazaridis told the Journal. "Everything on the Internet is encrypted. This is not a BlackBerry-only issue. If they can't … Read more

On today's show, Intel's FTC antitrust settlement, Darren Kitchen explains the iOS vulnerability that makes all your devices belong to PDF, and the feds admit they're storing some of your checkpoint body scan images ... for ... some reason. Yuck. Also, Facebook for Android finally comes into the modern age. Phew.

Saudi Arabia has ordered the country's cell phone service providers to halt all BlackBerry services this week, the latest Mideast nation to announce moves to exercise greater control over data sent by the Research In Motion phones.

The country's Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) on Tuesday asked Saudi Telecom, Mobily, and Zain Saudi Arabia to suspend service to BlackBerry phones on Friday, the Saudi state news agency SPA said in a report detailed by Al Jazeera. The suspension was being implemented because BlackBerry service "in its present state does not meet regulatory requirements," the SPA … Read more

Research In Motion says its customer information is secure despite reports that the company may make some concessions to the United Arab Emirates to loosen up the data security on its BlackBerry networks.

On Sunday, the UAE said it would block e-mail, instant messaging, and Web browsing on BlackBerry devices starting October 11 if it fails to reach an agreement with RIM to bring BlackBerry services in the region in line with UAE telecommunications regulations. Reports also say the Kuwaiti government has asked RIM to cut off access to porn sites, and Saudi Arabia wants RIM's Messenger app shut off.

Facing a ban of key services, RIM is reportedly considering some concessions to address the UAE's concerns over the tight security of the BlackBerry network, according to Reuters, citing reports from several newspapers. The UAE has complained that the strong security used to encrypt the data of BlackBerry customers violates its own regulations and prevents it from monitoring such data in the name of national security.

But on Tuesday, RIM issued a statement to its customers, telling them that their data is secure.

In its statement, the company explained that data on its BlackBerry Enterprise Server network is encrypted so that no one, not even RIM, can access it. RIM added that it would be unable to "accommodate any request for a copy of a customer's encryption key since at no time does RIM, or any wireless network operator, ever possess a copy of the key." The company explained that it doesn't possess a "master key" nor does any "back door" exist that would allow RIM or a third party to gain access to the key or the data.… Read more

Two Mideast countries plan to block key features of Research In Motion's BlackBerry, citing national security concerns.

Regulators in the United Arab Emirates announced plans on Sunday to block e-mail, instant messaging, and Web browsing on the devices beginning October 11 in a dispute over how they store and transmit data. Meanwhile, neighboring Saudi Arabia has directed two mobile operators in that country to disable the BlackBerry's instant message function, according to a Reuters report.

The UAE's decision was the result of "failure of ongoing attempts, dating back to 2007, to bring BlackBerry services in the … Read more