Here’s good news for anyone looking to purchase an iPad for the holiday season. Apple has officially dropped the pricing on refurbished iPad tablets, as seen on the online Apple Store. The move comes as more and more iPad tablets come back into Apple’s possession (whether they were previously returned, damaged, and so forth) and the company is trying to get rid of them quickly before Christmas. There’s always the thought in the back of the consumer’s head that makes them worry as to whether or not their refurb will be defective, but the good news is that we’re dealing with Apple — a company with incredibly high standards. Really, the only difference is that you’ll b

Speculations are rife over the next-generation Apple iPad in the Web world. According to a Taiwanese newspaper, Apple’s second-generation iPad will have video calling, two cameras, new display and touch technology, and a USB port to connect easily to other devices. Citing industry sources, the report said that the video-phone feature (probably FaceTime) is expected to benefit Apple iPad’s webcam suppliers, while iPad 2 may adopt smaller size panels featuring thinner glass. The USB feature will allow the device to be more connection friendly, while Apple’s “Retina Display” technology will enhance image and color output performance. The 3-axis gyros

Apple could sell 28 million iPads in 2011, perhaps affecting sales of lower end PCs, according to a new research note from UBS Investment Research. “Sales of traditional notebooks appear to be feeling pressure from the iPad, causing a scramble by vendors to launch iPad-like tablets,” UBS Investment Research analyst Maynard Um wrote in that note, excerpted on the blog Apple Insider. “We believe that a majority of this impact is occurring on the lower end of PC sales as the iPad is priced close enough to this range that it becomes attractive to consumers looking to make purchases within this segment.” In addition, Um reportedly suggested that “consumers who purc

Twitter has just announced the service’s official iPad app. It’s free and comes with a slew of touch interface bells and whistles built right in. The app is intended to allow for seamless navigation between tweets, photos, web pages, videos and other media and updates. It’s also usable even for those who don’t have Twitter  accounts. Twitter for iPad [iTunes link] has a few new UI touches that you haven’t seen elsewhere. These features are custom-designed for the larger screen and touch capabilities of the iPad. It also caters to what the iPad was made for: media consumption rather than creation. Twitter’s Leland Rechis, a mobile UX designer, writes on the Twitter blog

This is the ClamCase, an all-in-one accessory that virtually turns the iPad into a netbook, functioning as a stand, a case and external keyboard. The ClamCase comes with a flip-back Bluetooth keyboard with chiclet buttons. The ClamCase is made of ABS plastic and when it is close, it the iPad from falls, breakage, dust and dirt. It’s 360-degree torque hinges enable greater flexibility and fixed angles for featured modes of operation.  The grippy rubberized exterior texture of the 360 degree hinge also provides a more user-friendly hold. As a stand, the ClamCase allows users to position it into an infinite number of viewing angles. ClamCase is coming in Fall. Website: http://clam

Steve Jobs, where are you!? A nefarious virus has targeted users of your magical, shiny and overpriced Apple iPads. The virus is reportedly spread via malware links sent to clueless and unsuspecting iPad owners in the form of a purported iTunes update for Windows PCs. “[Once] inadvertently downloaded…Backdoor.Bifrose.AADY injects itself into the explorer.exe process and opens up a backdoor that allows unauthorized access to and control over the affected system,” confirmed BitDefender. “Moreover, Backdoor.Bifrose.AADY attempts to read the keys and serial numbers of the various software installed on the affected computer, while also logging the passwords to the

Mercedes-Benz Financial announced that it has received more than $2.5 million in lease and loan payments through its groundbreaking iPhone app, the first of its kind to let users manage their auto payments through a mobile app. More than 11,000 people have downloaded the app since it launched for the iPhone and iPod Touch in October. Only 3,000 people have gone on to actually make a payment through the app, but Mercedes-Benz calls it a big success. An iPad version of the app hit the App Store day-and-date with the iPad launch. “Our customers’ response to the convenience of managing their accounts with their iPhone or iPod Touch™ was so overwhelmingly favorable, it c

Apple Inc.’s iPhone and iPad devices will soon be able to run more than one program at a time, an ability that phones from Apple’s rivals already offer and that iPhone owners have long sought. The changes, coming this summer to iPhones and this fall to iPads, mean that users might be able to listen to music through the Pandora program and check a bank account online simultaneously. Currently, users must return to Apple’s home screen, effectively quitting the open program, before starting a new task. “We weren’t the first to this party, but we’re going to be the best,” Apple CEO Steve Jobs declared Thursday, as bloggers, software develope

The UPS guy handed me my new iPad just a few hours ago, and yes–the jumbo-sized screen is as glorious as they say, and I was shocked by how good HD videos looked. But I was also surprised by how heavy the iPad feels, and if you were hoping to read e-books all day under the clear, bright blue sky, well…bad news, folks. These and more iPad surprises, coming right up. 1. It screams The early reviews all said that the iPad was “wicked fast,” and boy, they weren’t kidding. Applications literally fly open, and browsing the Web on Safari is way faster than on the iPhone. I could get used to this. 2. It’s heavier than I thought it would be One-and-a-