Based upon market research data released by Investment Bank, Morgan Stanley, SVI placed iPad sales for the first eight quarters at no less than 67.9million units.

The figures, whilst based on market data, may be slightly over-exaggerated, as the research was based upon the devices initial sales data, which, although declining to slow so far, are seen by many as too high to be sustainable.

Whatever the final total at the end of the eighth quarter we can be sure it will be far in excess of any previous tablet device, and with no real alternative yet on the market the iPad is looking to set the standard, just like the iPod did for mp3 players.

Google has recently added device orientation to its open source, Chromium project, which the Google Chrome web browser is based upon.

Device orientation is the technology that allows the device to know which way up it’s being held and to detect which direction it’s being rotated.

The news of device orientation being added to the Chromium project has set Android blogs, which are hopeful of a iPad competitor by the end of the fourth quarter, ablaze with rumours of when the Google Chrome OS will ship.

The device orientation protocol is vital to the capabilities of any tablet, allowing it to be used at any rotation and has also been added into the latest version of the Firefox browser in anticipation of tablets capable of running the browser.

Specialising in renting textbooks Chegg hopes that the Kno, which is short for knowledge, will help them compete in the ever more important eBook market sector.

Designed to be large the Kno is certainly that, weighing in at 5.5lbs this is not a direct competitor for the iPad, however for students wanting an alternative to multiple textbooks the device’s large, dual screen display will be ideal.

Due later this year the Kno will retail at under the $1000 price point, although Osman Rashid, the devices creator, declined to be any more specific.

As well as being an ebook reader, the Kno is also able to access the internet and combines a number of built in calendar and note taking functions to add to its offering. Let’s hope that the Kno at least fairs better than the Slate and Courier.

If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.

And when it comes to the Streak (which is actually not a bad name), this is one device which looks, swims and quacks more like a mobile phone than a tablet.

1) It looks like a duck

Although not quite literally a duck, the Streak is certainly very small with a tiny 5″ display, only an inch larger than the largest phone on the market and half the size of the iPad.

2) It swims like a duck

Now whilst I don’t recommend sending your new Streak for a swim, it is by far more ‘phone-like’ than ‘tablet-like’ in what it does. It has both a microphone and speakers, not to mention support for bluetooth headsets, so whilst it not look that sensible up against your ear it is most defiantly a mobile phone device.

3) It quacks like a duck

This ‘tablet’ isn’t being sold by Dell, or even any kind of PC retailer, instead it’s being sold by AT&T and O2, both of which of phone companies, not where you’d expect to find a tablet.

Then it probably is a duck

There can be no denying the Streak is a phone, it has all the characteristics of one but in a more tablet-like format. Let’s wait and see how this new ‘large-phone’ fares on the market and whether there is indeed a niche for such a device.

1. iGrowIt

A fantastic way to improve anyones gardening skills, this app provides all the details you could need to grow your own vegetables, all from within an app.

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2. ToDo

Coming pre-installed on the iPad this app is a fantastic task manager with an easy to use interface. This really is the perfect app for keeping track of all those things that need to get done and giving the good ol’ memory a helping hand.

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3. Pages

As part of the iPad launch Apple announced a series of apps to replicate the functionality of its iWork package for Mac OS X. Not only does the Pages app allow users to write letters or documents on their iPad but it will make it possible for your Grandma to type again (she probably learnt on a typewriter). We even found a video of one Grandma giving her iPad a run through its paces.

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4. SCRABBLE

I never used to believe the stereotype of old people and scrabble, and then my Grandma brought it out of the cupboard. This app brings the classic game to the iPad, a great way to keep your favorite game with you at all times.

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5. Financial Times iPad Edition

Possibly more aimed at the Grandpa audience than Grandma, this app brings one of my Grandpa’s favorite newspapers directly to the iPad, no more early morning walks in the rain to fetch the paper.

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6. Solitaire City (Deluxe)

The name alone was enough to get us excited about this app, bringing the computer classic to the iPad in full HD glory.

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7. Cribbage HD

The best selling Cribbage game for the iPhone has come to the iPad. With a sleek interface Cribbage HD has the potential for hours of amusement.

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8. Epicurious Recipies & Shopping List

Cooking is one of the things in life which never change and no Grandma’s iPad would be complete without at least one recipe app. With hundreds of recipes this is a sure winner.

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9. Brushes

The app of iPhone fame is now available on the iPad, allowing users to paint masterpieces with just their fingers, perfect for the more arty Grandma.

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10. World Atlas HD

Brining the fantastically detailed maps. that many of the older generation grew up with, to the interactive interface of the iPad, this app will bring back memories of countries visited and aid in planning those all important retirement holidays.

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Following the launch of the iPad, Apple have experienced a severe drop in iPod sales, says analyst Gene Munster from Piper Jaffray.

Following the release of market sales data from the NPD Group it looks like Apple’s iPad, whilst being wildly popular has negatively affected sales of their iPod line of products.

The good news from the report however is that the Mac line of computers appear to be gaining in popularity popularity.

Munster said in the report that this was:

“The first sign of the degree to which the iPad cannibalises iPod or Mac sales”

and went on to add that:

“from the early NPD data, it appears that the iPad has a minimal cannibalization impact on Mac sales, and could be slightly cannibalising iPod sales”.

There can be no doubt that Apple’s latest product has been wildly successful, more than making up for any cannibalisation of market share from their other product lines. In fact the iPad has outperformed even what the generous Pre-sales survey reported, quite a feat, even for a technology giant such as Apple.

Following poor sales of their latest line of handsets Palm had been engaged in talks with numerous potential buyers for a number of months before eventually selling to HP.

The WebOS platform takes technologies commonly used to create sites on the web and adopts the same technology for a desktop environment, opening up the development to a host of individuals and companies already developing online.

Mark Hurd had this to say:

“After closing the acquisition we expect to leverage WebOS in the apps store beyond smartphones… such as slates and web connected printers.”

So whilst it’s still early days it’s looking like HP is planning on going with the WebOS platform over the Windows 7 OS that was due to be rolled out on the, now cancelled, Slate and just maybe WebOS will manage to go mainstream after all.

The majority of sources point to a pre-christmas launch of the device which is slated to be little more than an external monitor for a Blackberry phone.

With built in bluetooth to connect to the Blackberry but no wifi or 3G connectivity of its own, this device, whilst an interesting idea, may be little more than RIM’s attempt to capitalize on a yet-to-appear tablet fever.

So whilst the Canadian phone manufacturer, known the world over for its game-changing handsets, is no stranger to innovation, this may be one device they would be better without.

For those who own a Blackberry however it may just provide the extra functionality they’ve always wanted; a larger screen, for both email and web browsing, a touch screen interface, for those without the Storm model, and even an eBook reading interface.

Some sources have also speculated that prior to the iPad announcement RIM was developing a monochrome version, intended to rival the kindle.

During his Keynote speech at the Citrix Synergy conference, Dell reached into his pocket, pulled out the Streak MID (mobile internet device) and previewed it for the full house at Moscone Center West. Rumored for several months, it was the first public demo of the Streak.

“This will be available starting next month, first with our partner 02 Telefonica in Europe, then later this summer with our pretty good partner here in the United States, AT&T,” Dell said.

Reports last months suggested the Streak could also work on T-Mobile given its FCC application indicated it supported the WCDMA Band IV frequency (1700MHz band) used by T-Mobiles 3G network. It’s now possible to assume that this band could be for European markets; 02 Telefonica provides mobile, fixed and broadband services in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Czech Republic and Slovakia.

The Dell Streak is a 5-inch-long device resembling an iPhone or Google Nexus One with WiFi, Bluetooth, 3G connectivity and a 800 by 480 capacitive touch-screen display with multitouch zooming. It also features a dual-LED Flash 5 megapixel camera on the back and is powered by a 1,300mAh battery.

The Darden Business School at the University of Virginia is nearing the end of its Kindle test run. Already, the school is concluding that although students take well to Amazon’s ebook reader for casual reading, when it comes to classroom learning, the Kindle is a lot less popular.

Darden is one of a handful of schools to test the Kindle DX in classrooms. Findings in other schools seem to be tilting in the same direction. Arizona State University recently completed its own pilot program for the DX, the results just as unflattering. Princeton was also unimpressed in its own Kindle test. In an interview with the Daily Princetonian, one student described the device as “poor excuse of an academic tool”.

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