Issue 4 of iPad-only mag Project available for free - Phone Arena

Phone Arena - Good news for all of you who want to try out Project - the iPad-only magazine - and try it out for free. That's because the new issue of Richard Branson's offering is now available in the App Store and it costs... well, not a single cent.

It's not often we feel like we want to thank the guys at American Express, but it seems the right time has come, as the Project folks say this promotion is only happening because of AmEx. Anyway, the really important part is that issue 4 of this mag features Eric Bana on the cover, and you can download it for free from the iTunes link below.

Besides Mr. Bana, here's what else you can expect from this Project issue:

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Apple iPad 2 Gaming Test - Phone Arena

Apple iPad 2 Gaming Test - Phone Arena: "Already deemed as a venerable gaming machine in its own the regard, the iPad 2 will undoubtedly kick things up a notch, as it should, thanks to upgraded internals found under the hood. If 3D gaming is more your kind of thing, then the 1GHz dual-core Apple A5 processor is an inviting evolutionary step forward that should bring along some graphically rich titles down the road once developers begin to take advantage of it. In the meantime though, we decided to check out the kind of graphics prowess that the iPad 2 has to offer – and more importantly, how it compares to its brethren."

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Apple iPad 2 Unboxing & Hands-on - Phone Arena

Apple iPad 2 Unboxing & Hands-on - Phone Arena: "Precisely after it was unveiled to the public not too long ago, we only had to wait a short period of time before we found ourselves finally here at the launch of the highly anticipated Apple iPad 2. Setting the bar in terms of coming to market the fastest soon after it was officially announced, consumers all around have the opportunity starting today to purchase the follow up to last year’s model that seemingly revolutionized the industry in many ways. Packing some upgraded hardware under the hood, it’s naturally impressive to see all of the upgraded internals packaged into a slimmer body – while retaining the same price points as before."

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BlackBerry PlayBook to come with a music store, over 13 million tracks on board - Phone Arena

BlackBerry PlayBook to come with a music store, over 13 million tracks on board - Phone Arena: "BlackBerry's PlayBook might be coming out next month, but folks from RIM continue adding features and the newest one is the 7Digital music store with its collection of over 13 million high-quality MP3 tracks (320kbps that is), which will come pre-installed on the 7-inch tablet. You'll be able to search tracks, artists and albums, as well as preview songs prior to making a purchase. Prices will be the same as the ones on the 7digital.com website, but translated into your local currency. In addition, a podcasting app will be similar to the music store in terms of categories and basic functionality. Subscriptions are also included bringing the latest of audio and HD video podcasting content right to your tablet."

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Staples to launch Wi-Fi only Motorola XOOM and BlackBerry PlayBook next month - Phone Arena

Staples to launch Wi-Fi only Motorola XOOM and BlackBerry PlayBook next month - Phone Arena: "Perhaps Staples wouldn't be the first place that you would think of going to when purchasing a tablet, but according to internal documents, both the Wi-Fi only Motorola XOOM and the BlackBerry PlayBook will be offered by the office supply company. The internal document lists the date when Staples Tech Associates begin to train on the tablets using online modules. The employees will have 30 days to complete the modules, each of which will take 30 minutes to finish.

The documents show that training for the 3G-less Motorola XOOM will begin on March 23rd and for the BlackBerry PlayBook, training starts March 30th. Since 30 days is the maximum required for the Tech Associates to finish the courses, that would lead to approximate launch dates of April 22nd for the XOOM and April 29th for the PlayBook at Staples."

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FCC gives the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 the ole' once over - Phone Arena

FCC gives the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 the ole' once over - Phone Arena: "Visiting the FCC the other day was the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. The tablet, powered by Android 3.0, was designed to challenge fellow Honeycomb flavored Motorola XOOM and the Apple iPod 2. Designated model 7100, the tablet visited the FCC with a radio that supported the 850 and 1900MHz bands. Those are two U.S. frequencies which hints of an imminent launch soon in the U.S.

One thing that might hold back the release of the tablet is last week's announcement of the Apple iPad 2. As we reported yesterday, Samsung's executive VP of mobile, Lee Don-joo, called the Galaxy Tab 10.1 inadequate after seeing how thin the Apple iPad 2 is. Besides the issue about the thickness of the Samsung tablet, the executive also said that after seeing the Apple iPod 2, the Korean based firm would have to reconsider its pricing of the device. The problem is that with the Apple iPad 2 listed as the same price as the older, original iPad, it puts pricing pressure on all newer tablets even if they have many improvements over older models."

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Apple's Jobs: The tablet PC 'crashed and burned' | Nanotech - The Circuits Blog - CNET News

Apple's Jobs: The tablet PC 'crashed and burned' | Nanotech - The Circuits Blog - CNET News: "Apple CEO Steve Jobs had some choice words today for the tablet PC, a relatively obscure PC product category that never caught on with consumers. What is the tablet PC exactly? While there's a long history of this product category and thus not a hard-and-fast definition, it's probably best exemplified today by hybrids like Hewlett-Packard's EliteBook 2570p (which starts at a whopping $1,599) or the Fujitsu Lifebook T900 Tablet PC (which starts at an even higher $1,899).

The tablet PC has been largely a vain attempt--certainly compared with the popularity of the iPad--to meld the laptop with a tablet, based on the Windows tablet interface."

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