With digital textbooks becoming the latest craze among students, it looks like students and teachers will have to fork over a bit more money to be a part of this emerging trend. Introduced early last week by Apple, digital textbooks are quickly becoming adopted into school curriculum in an economy which is still struggling to get back on its feet. From school supplies to clothes and now iPads, students are quickly learning that the price of education is only going to rise and those less fortunate will definitely be left behind as others take advantage of this new technology. The Big Divide There's already a major gap between the rich and poor when it comes to schools. Budget concerns and a faltering economy are just a few things preventing students from getting the education they deserve and the introduction of textbooks for the iPad pushes that gap further. Students without the money to afford a tablet or the many books their school requires will ultimately become segregated from their peers . What this could lead to is students not "fitting in" when they are stuck with regular textbooks and set the standard for new trends. $500 bucks for a tablet doesn't come cheap and digital textbooks can't be resold or even transferred to other devices for cost savings. Accessories & Apps There's no arguing that tablets such as the iPad have plenty of features to offer, but the costs are only going to add up as these devices become crucial to the learning experience. The cost of the tablets with textbooks is already expensive enough, but when you add in other accessories and apps, things go even further out of reach. To protect tablets, case protection is a definite must to prevent damage, portable chargers are needed to keep the devices juiced up and apps are just icing on the cake. Students without the proper protection may end up damaging their device and fall behind or find a replacement and those who don't have portable chargers may end up dead tablets for the rest of the school day. Adding new technology to the learning curriculum is a positive sign of the future, but not if measures are put in place to help the lower class get the same education.

Taking huge leaps into education, Apple has unveiled three new products aimed at students and publishers to bring digital learning tools to the iPad. With rumors circulating for weeks on the upcoming announcement, the announcement by Apple comes as no surprise. Textbooks have been added in a new textbook category in iBooks 2 which provides a modern and interactive way to view educational content. The app allows multitouch gestures and features such as dictionary look-up, annotation, students can also highlight text, take notes, and also create virtual note cards for future reference while studying. For now, the high-level text books will be available through the iBookstore and priced at $14.99 or less. Textbooks from publishers such as Pearson, McGraw Hill and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt will be the first available with many more expected to follow. Apple also introduced iBooks Author, a mac application which provides tools that allow anyone to build and publish interactive digital books for the platform. Users can use custom Javascript or HTML 5 code to create interactive tools with the same look and feel of Apple's iWork apps. iTunes U was also unveiled which brings an iBooks-like interface through which they can access iTunes U content. With over 700 millions downloads to date, iTunes U has been primarily used for lectures and other educational content. The new version gives teachers a variety of tools to create and manage curriculums, give assignments, or stream live content. Students can take notes in the app and courses from a number of universities such as Yale and Harvard are available now. You can download the app for free in the iOs App Store.

From revolutionizing the digital music scene to mobile technology, Apple has had plenty of experience at diving into new markets. In his biography, Steve Jobs revealed that he had cracked the secret to making a user-friendly television, but it seems textbooks may be the next market Apple is taking a leap at. There are reports that Apple plans to unveil a new product at a press conference this Thursday which they hope will change the way students use textbooks. According to rumors by the Wall Street Journal, Apple will launch a platform which publishers can create educational materials which are optimized for the iPad. With multiple partnerships in the works with publishers such as McGraw-Hill, it seems Apple has been fairly busy with its textbook product. The biography also mentions the fact that Steve Jobs met with a number of publishers and thought all textbooks should be "digital and interactive, tailored to each student and providing feedback in real time." Although Apple won't be the first company to introduce digital textbooks, it may succeed in selling them in massive quantities. The luxury people have with paper textbooks is the fact that used ones could be bought and re-sold after students are done with them for a cheaper price. Digital textbooks could force students to pay higher prices since their purchase may not be transferrable and prices would be standard just like the digital music scene. Some universities have already begun testing programs to deliver iPads to students as well and this move into the textbook scene could solidify Apple's ever growing user-experience in the future.

Earlier this month, rumors have been spreading that Target may open mini-Apple stores at select Target locations. During a presentation this Thursday, Target confirmed that it will have 25 stores which will feature "special displays" of Apple products, although neither company has given details on the partnership. Best Buy already has a deal with Apple to sell its products, so the contract with Target should be somewhat similar in nature. Currently, Best Buy has around 600 retail locations with mini-Apple sections for its customers. There are still questions on whether Genius or Apple specialists will be available at this smaller locations to provide service on Apple products, or whether they will only deal with the actual products instead.

Ever since it first launched, competitors have been scrambling to come up with "iPad Killers" to take over what was a relatively new market segment. From the HP Touchpad to the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, there definitely hasn't been a shortage of new tablets, but none of them have even come close to the success Apple has had with the iPad. The Amazon Kindle Fire is the only tablet which can truly call itself a success, but it's smaller form factor puts it in a different segment in the market and doesn't compete directly with Apple directly, yet. Locked-In Anyone who's owned both an Android and iOS tablet knows exactly which one dominates when it comes to apps. Apart from some serious fragmentation issues and lack of developers, other tablet platforms just can't keep up to what customers are demanding. It even took competitors a full year to come up with a decently competitive tablet and even longer to match Apple on the price. Amazon's Kindle Fire managed to undercut the iPad by a substantial margin, but it had to make sacrifices in both size, features and profit in order to do so. Even with so many tablets on the market now which are priced well below the iPad, it still retains the most value because of it's diverse ecosystem and it provides some of the best software available for its users. Once users are locked into the app store, chances are they won't be leaving after spending boatloads of cash on their favorite apps. No matter how many manufacturers try to come up with their own app storefronts and skins, the fact is iOS simply has more of it and in better quality. We'll see what 2012 brings to the tablet in terms of tablets, but hopefully competitors can come up with more innovative ways to compete.

Apple's next generation smartphone has finally hit the market after months of delays. The iPhone 4S comes with the same design as the iPhone 4, upgraded A5 processor, double the ram, 8.0 megapixel camera, and even Siri voice controls. If you're one of the lucky ones and purchased an iPhone 4S, then the only thing left to do is accessorize it of course. Here are the Top 5 iPhone 4S accessories we recommend.

Amzer Luxe Argyle TPU Case for iPhone 4S Get the high gloss look of a hard case and the flexibility and shock absorption of a silicone. The Amzer Luxe Argyle TPU will prevent your iPhone 4S from getting damaged and also add style to your favorite Apple device.

Kensington Travel Battery Pack for iPhone 4S Keep your iPhone 4S from running out of power with the Kensington Travel Battery Pack. It comes with enough power to give you an additional 7 hours of video and 5 hours of talk time and has fold out tips to charge and recharge.

Amzer Screen Protector for iPhone 4S Anyone who's owned a touchscreen knows how important it is to take care of it. Dings and scratches not only inhibit the performance of your display, but can also be annoying as well. Protect it with the Amzer Screen Protector and you can make sure it never gets damaged.

Motorola S10 Bluetooth Headset for iPhone 4S Listen to music and take calls with the Motorola S10 Bluetooth Headset. Not only does it have a flexible lightweight design, but its high-quality noise-reduction will make sure you get heard loud and clear.

iLuv Stereo Speaker Dock for iPhone 4S Wake up on-time with your iPhone 4S charged and ready with the iLuv Stereo Speaker Dock. You can download a free iLuv alarm clock app and also view your device in both a horizontal and vertical viewing angle.

With location tracking already a heated issue concerning privacy on mobile devices such as the Galaxy Nexus, Droid Razr & HTC Rezound, Carrier IQ could be potentially be even worse. Depending on who you ask, you'll get different responses on what exactly the software does, but the company behind the controversial program has published a report detailing how it operates. According to the company, they admit that text messages do get collected in certain situations such as when a text interferes with an ongoing call or data session. They also state they are working on a fix because it is nothing more than a glitch and the text message is encrypted. The report also indicates that multimedia messages, e-mail and website data isn't being recorded. Overall if what the company says is true, Carrier IQ may not be as bad as some make it out to be and it's still too early to jump to conclusions. What the report doesn't explain however is why the software hides the information it logs from the device itself and why it can't be deactivated. It's up to you to decide who's telling the truth, because in the end this issue needs to be fixed and standards put into place on how carriers and manufacturers collect data from unwary customers.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwct7AvRuB4[/youtube] There may be plenty of smartphones to choose from this season but two in particular are making waves. If you missed it over the past month, Samsung is taking a less subtle approach to Apple's dominance by releasing commercials showing fans of iOS as "sheep" standing in line. The Korean tech giant is playing on the "cult-like" following of Apple products and using it as a way to show their products as nothing more than a fad. Apple is also known for bashing competitors by creating commercials showing how different Macs and PCs are, but the recent move by Samsung shows that competition is heating up for the mobile side as well. Differences? So what exactly is the difference between the two phones? Well, both are incredibly thin and feature plenty of speed, but there are some key differences to take into consideration. The Samsung Galaxy S II has a larger AMOLED screen for web browsing and media, microSD slot for extra storage and the customizable Android platform. Although the iPhone 4S lacks 4G connectivity, it has SIRI, a DPI screen for reading text and iOS which houses some of the best apps available for mobile. So Which Phone? With the iPhone 4S, you're getting a great user-experience with iCloud, SIRI and some incredible apps which can't be found anywhere else. Those who purchase a Samsung Galaxy S II will get faster download speeds, a larger screen and more customization options through Android. No matter which smartphone you opt for this season, make sure you don't let just some silly commercial decide for you. Taking time to research exactly which features would suit you the most is the only way you can be satisfied with your purchase.

Filling up those stockings is easier than ever this year and there's so many ways to satisfy anyone's love for technology. It's hard to find someone who doesn't own a mobile device and the trend is continuing to break age barriers with products like the iPad 2 and Amazon Kindle Fire. So, for the ultimate in stocking stuffer ideas, look no further than these three great gift ideas. App Gift Cards Giving a simple $10 or $25 dollar gift card as a stocking stuffer makes perfect sense when you take the time to think about it. Not only will those cards pay for the purchase of multiple apps, but they also allow the user to pick out exactly which software they want to install on their favorite mobile device. It's a gift that they can take everywhere they go and use for years to come. Accessories From back-up batteries to protective cases, filling up those stockings with useful accessories like GALAXY Nexus Accessories, DROID RAZR Accessories is the perfect idea any tech lover would enjoy. By getting that special someone accessories which can help protect and enhance their device, they'll finally have a gift that they can use over and over again. Digital Subscriptions Streaming TV shows and music is a big plus for any mobile fanatic, so giving digital subscriptions as gifts makes a smart choice for holiday shoppers.  Now that special someone will never run out of content to consume with a subscription to things such as magazines, music, TV shows, and even movies right onto their device.

You can't have a smartphone without tons of apps tucked into the interface. With millions of holiday shoppers bombarding shopping malls and discount stores looking for the perfect gift, many are ignoring the immense benefits of purchasing digital software for loved ones instead. To help convince you that app gifting is the way to go this year, here are 5 reasons why! For Work & Pleasure From casual gaming to productivity, there are thousands of apps available for practically anyone. Giving apps as gifts will allow that special someone to pick out software they know they'll enjoy and even add functionality to their existing mobile device. You really can't go wrong when they can use their smartphone or tablet as a recipe guide, musical instrument or even a portable gaming device. Take It Everywhere Many gifts over the holidays often end up being re-gifted or unused, but the same can't be said for apps. With so many different apps which can be fun, entertaining or even educational for the user, they'll never leave home without it because it's installed right onto their mobile device. They'll be using the app you got them for months and even years to come and you'll be satisfied with the fact that you finally got a gift that's going to good use. Save Big Mobile apps are incredibly cheap considering how much software costed before. Giving a simple $25 dollar gift card would cover the purchases of several apps and giving individual apps are also possible. After that special someone has downloaded the app, purchases can be re-downloaded and some can even be used on both their smartphone and tablet for even greater value.

Not surprisingly, tablets are at the top of the wish list for many this holiday season. They allow everything from surfing the web, running apps and even face-chats with friends and family. With many models to choose from, getting the perfect tablet for that special someone may not be as easy as it looks. To help you on your quest to get the perfect gift, here are the top tablets you should be looking at this season. Amazon Kindle Fire Both budget friendly and feature-rich, the Kindle Fire tops the charts as one of the hottest tablets to hit stores this season. It does everything from running the latest Android apps to web browsing and even movies. Although it lacks a camera or 3G connectivity, the Kindle Fire is still a bargain at the low retail price of $199. iPad 2 This is the tablet everyone actually wants this year. Although it's over twice as expensive as Amazon's tablet, there are quite a few reasons people are putting this at the top of their wish list. With the iPad, you get the user-experience that Apple is known for and the best apps available for any mobile platform. It also features a 10.1 inch screen which makes media viewing and face-time so much more enjoyable. Asus Transformer It's essentially the Android equivalent of the iPad, but with some pretty unique features. Apart from running Android and the latest apps on the market, you can also turn it into a laptop by getting the optional docking accessory with it too. It also has some things other tablets don't such as a microSD slot and mini HDMI port to view movies and shows. So if that special someone just wants the most basic of functions, get them the Amazon Kindle Fire, if they expect the most out of their tablet and want the best apps, then the iPad is much more up their alley, however, if they want a tablet that can act as a laptop too, then the Asus Transformer is just the gift they want.

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