April 3rd is fast approaching so it’s only fitting that Apple is rumored to begin shipping iPad review units to select reviewers this Thursday (either that or they’ll be arriving Thursday, like many rumors it’s not exactly clear).

Also not clear is whether the lucky reviewers will receive Wi-Fi only, WiFi+3G, or both iPads, and exactly who is getting them (other than Mossberg from The Wall Street Journal and Pogue from The New York Times, of course).

We here at TiPb aren’t holding our collective breaths, but we have pre-ordered (and Rene’s making the long drive down to the US) so you’ll get to hear our thoughts soon enough.

Until then, however, let us know how many of you are waiting to hear some reviews before you bite the bullet and lay down your hard earned cash for an iPad?

[Via Silicon Alley Insider]

Apple Rumored to Ship iPad Review Units This Week is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

SCOTTeVEST makes serious gadget apparel for the serious gadget geek — cases in point are their jackets which typically include a couple of iPhone and iPod touch friendly pockets (that let you see and control your device right through the translucent material) and the only pocket we’re aware of big enough to carry an iPad.

And because this could no doubt come in handy to TiPb readers, SCOTTeVEST CEO Scott Jordan has graciously offered up a $150 gift certificate/credit for us to pass along to one of you.

All you have to do to enter is jump on over to the TiPb forums and leave a reply telling us in which SCOTTeVEST product you most want to store your iPhone, iPod touch, and/or iPad.

Give-away starts now and ends Sunday, March 28 at 12:00pm PT. Only one entry per person.

Oh, and every reply you leave on the Forum also counts as an entry for TiPb’s big iPad give-away, so get going!

And just to make sure you appreciate just how much you can stuff into SCOTTeVEST, I’m re-embedding our TiPb Gear video after the break!

YouTube link

TiPb Give-Away: $150 SCOTTeVEST Gift Certificate (iPad Give-Away Qualifier) is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Apple CEO and part time CSR Steve Jobs is on a roll replying to the faithful about the state and status of their beloved gadgets, this time giving word on Google Docs to iPad, and a universal inbox for iPhone Mail and a confirmation on free ePub eBook support for iTunes and iBooks.

First up, TUAW tells us:

Late last night, a TUAW reader sent us an email that was reportedly from Jobs. The reader asked if there was a way he could transfer his Google Docs to his iPad through iWork.com or iDisk. Jobs’ reply? “Yes.”

Reader Julio R. asked Steve if we can expect a universal mailbox on the iPhone. His answer? “Yep.”

iPhone 4.0 perhaps?

Also, TiPb Facebook friend Andrea N sent us word that he double checked with Jobs about free ePub books (like those we mentioned yesterday from Project Gutenberg) working on the iPad. The response? Another “Yep”.

While the brevity (even terseness) of Jobs’ emails entertain at times, it’s amazing to see him respond at all, let alone so frequently. (Though we’d love to see Ballmer and Schmidt responding from their BlackBerry Nexus Ones and Windows Phones respectively…

Sent from Steve’s iPad: Universal Inbox for iPhone Mail, Google Docs to iPad, Free ePub Support is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Live from CTIA 2010, Dieter takes a look at Opera Mini for the iPhone, just now submitted to the App Store.

Watch along after the break!

YouTube link

TiPb Apps 6.2: Opera Mini for iPhone (CTIA 2010) is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

According to Analytics firm Flurry 44% of apps tested by Apple for the iPad are games. Ever since the release of the iPhone SDK, gaming and the iPhone have gone hand-in-hand so it really does not come to a surprise that the iPad is aiming be a popular platform choice among game developers as well.

Coming in at second place with 14% of the pie is the entertainment category and then social networking with 7% of the apps, sports 6%, travel 5%, etc.

If the Flurry data is accurate It seems gamers on April 3rd will be pretty happy customers as there does not seem to be any shortage of gaming titles. And don’t think the competition hasn’t noticed Apple assault on mobile gaming. Nintendo has just announced that in 2011 they will be releasing their follow up to the DS with the 3DS – a glasses-free 3D handheld device.

A 3D handheld does sound pretty intriguing, how does a 3D second generation iPad sound? (Hey, we can dream!)

[Via Apple Insider and Engadget]

44% of Apps Tested by Apple on iPad are Games is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Opera PR tells us they’ve submitted their Opera Mini browser for iPhone and iPod touch to the iTunes App Store. If that reads a tad non-plussed, there’s a reason for it. We’re posting it because it’s “big news” but it smells manufactured. No doubt tons of apps were submitted to the App Store today and there’s no way we could post about all of them, but due to Apple’s perceived reluctance to approve a “rival” browser to Mobile Safari, and Opera’s use of that for their own PR purposes, tech sites all of the internet are carrying the story. So good for Opera.

As to the app itself, I’m sure I’ll appreciate it when roaming internationally or when caught on really slow EDGE connections, because Opera’s proxy servers probably already have most popular sites pre-cooked and ready to render. I won’t be using it for banking or highly interactive sites though, because proxy browsers by their nature break SSL encryption and don’t offer real speed boosts for non-pre-rendered content.

I do like the idea of diversity and choice in the App Store, however, so hopefully it gets approved and those who want it can have it. (And Apple really needs to add a similar search-for-text-in-page feature to Mobile Safari already).

(Note: for Jailbreakers who want a proxy browser but don’t want to wait, @antonioj points us to UCWEB which he says does pretty much the same thing as Opera Mini but is already available on Cydia.)

Opera Mini video after the break…

YouTube link

Opera Mini for iPhone Submitted to iTunes App Store is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Poynt wants TiPb readers to help them celebrate the launch of their new iPhone app [iTunes link] — and help them name their Augmented Reality feature. If your name is chosen for the feature, you’ll win a trip for two to New York, NY valued at US$5,000 and US$2,500 spending money.

To enter, think of the very best name you can and go post it on the official thread in the TiPb Forums.

Details after the break!

Help celebrate the launch of Poynt for the iPhone! Poynt wants you to help name our Augmented Reality feature. Brainstorm it or think of it in the shower – whatever works best. It's your chance to potentially name the biggest thing since the wheel — okay maybe not that big, but we think it's pretty awesome!

Get your idea together and submit it to The iPhone Blog (www.TiPb.com) before April 6, 2010, or such later date as Multiplied Media Corporation (the “Sponsor”) may decide in its sole discretion, in accordance with the terms and conditions provided herein. Tell us what you'd name our Augmented Reality feature. Five finalists will have their suggestions chosen for the Poynt team to vote on and the “best name” will be chosen as the winner of the grand prize described below – it’s basically if we love it, you win!

If your suggestion is chosen as the “best name,” you win a trip for two to New York, NY valued at US$5,000 and US$2,500 spending money! Air, hotel and spending money to do with what you like for three fabulous nights in NYC. Or, if you are one of the four runners up, you will win a Poynt prize pack filled with lots of cool Poynt stuff — like t-shirts, pins and more!

Read the full terms and conditions of the Contest (the “Official Rules”).

Augment your reality with Poynt and win a shopping trip to New York! is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Apple’s iTunes News has a handy reminder up about the iTunes DJ feature and how it works with Apple’s Remote app for iPhone and iPod touch (and we’re guessing/hoping a new, iPad-optimized version soon as well).

The DJ built into iTunes lives at the top of Playlists in the left-hand column of the iTunes window. By default, it selects 15 tracks from your music library to start things off. Behind the scenes, it keeps track of the last five songs in rotation, and adds a new track to the end of the list each time a song has been played. At the bottom left of your track list, there’s a menu that lets you choose any of your playlists as the source for new tracks. At the bottom right of your track list, the Settings button lets you adjust how many recently played and upcoming songs are displayed and whether you’d like higher-rated songs to be played more often.

The rest of the Settings panel underlines what a flexible and accommodating soul the iTunes DJ is. Not only can you drag tracks around and drag in new ones as the spirit moves, but any of your iPhone/iPod touch-carrying guests who have the Apple Remote app installed can also add new songs to the list. You decide whether they can request songs from your whole library or a particular playlist, and they also get a chance to influence what plays next by tapping the voting heart to the right of each track.

I must confess, while I use Apple Remote for iPhone a lot, I don’t remember even looking at iTunes DJ since Apple introduced it, other than to write about it. Do you use it?

iTunes DJ and Apple Remote iPhone App is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Live from GDC 2010 Rene talks to Jodi and Jacques Ropert of Barefoot Explorers about their upcoming iPhone game, Panda Hero.

Scheduled to hit the App Store this spring, in addition to maze-style adventure and pets-style casual gameplay, Panda Hero packs an environmentally conscious message into all those great graphics — Barefoot Explorers will plant three (3) actual, real, live trees on behalf of players for each download of the game.

Check out the video below for details and a look at the beta version of the game.

YouTube link

TiPb Apps 6.1: Panda Hero for iPhone (GDC 2010) is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog

Apple’s iPhone Developer News brings word that videos from last year’s iPhone Tech Talk World Tour are now available online for iPhone Developer Program Members.

Watch these videos to learn advanced techniques to enhance the capability, functionality, and usability of your iPhone apps. Apple's Technology Evangelists take you deep into coding and design techniques so that you can take your apps to the next level.

We’ve posted and linked to some notes from the Tech Tour before and it sounds like excellent information was shared so if you’re a developer be sure to check them out.

iPhone Tech Talk World Tour Videos Now Online is a story by TiPb. This feed is sponsored by The iPhone Blog Store.

TiPb - The #1 iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch Blog