Microsoft posts

The iPad is just one of a series of futuristic devices Apple plans as it stakes an ever-larger slice of the connected home – expect the company to introduce an Internet and iTunes-connected HDTV. Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster (one of the better Apple analysts) says the front room Apple-powered television will sell for “around $2,000” and will ship in “two to four years”. “Apple is uniquely positioned to deliver a premium all-in-one solution (different than Apple TV),” Munster wrote….

There’s an iPhone browser break out beginning, with Opera Software submitting its Opera Mini 5 browser/app for the iPhone to the App Store. All that’s left is to wait and see if Apple will approve the Safari-competing browser….

Many sporting organizations have been well known for their resistance to new media and Web-based technologies; however, times are quickly changing. The NBA and Turner Sports (a broadcaster for the NBA) are teaming up to offer new technologies like live streaming chats, mobile updates, and live Twitter updates. …

If you are committed geek, using Internet Explorer is a bit like a fashionista wearing something from last year’s line: it simply isn’t done. But with the release of a preview version of the newest version of Internet Explorer, it looks like Microsoft is looking to shake off its venerable browser’s dusty image and start anew….

Skeptics who don’t believe people will use Apple’s iPad to read books may have to rethink their position today, after Amazon showed off a pretty impressive Kindle app for the iPad and other tablet computers. Kindle for tablets is both a reading app and a bookstore, allowing you to instantly purchase books as well providing a fancy-shmancy touch-screen interface for reading them….

Palm, the company behind Web OS, is currently suffering; however, just released news about the Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus heading to AT&T customers might reduce the pain a bit. The Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus are now going to be available to virtually anyone who wants one, but there is doubt that AT&T will heavily advertise Palm’s hardware over Apple’s iPhone. …

Break out the cake and the candles, March 21st is Twitter’s 4th birthday.Yes, that means Twitter is an Aries. …

Blackberries – you gotta’ love ‘em. But lets be honest: if you have one, you peer over at your friend’s iPhone or Motorola Droid with more than a little envy. Sure, that Crackberry may be practical. But even the latest version aren’t exactly pretty. That all looks set to change, if a couple of leaked screenshots are anything to go by. …

If there was one trend to emerge from the geekfest that is South-by-Southwest interactive this year, it’s that mobile location services are heating up. Though nobody’s quite sure why people are all telling the world where they are, it sure is getting popular. Case in point: Patently Apple have discovered that Apple is working on their own location-based service called ‘iGroups’….

GetJar researchers reckon the CD is a dead format and smartphone applications are the new rock and roll, predicting the dollar value of app sales made  in 2012 will be far greater than that of CDs. They say mobile apps will generate $17.5 billion of revenues by 2012. The research also claims that in 2009, the number of mobile app stores jumped from eight to 38 – and is set to further increase in 2010. …