BLACKBERRY

While the new iPad remains the market leader in the media tablet segment, there is one tablet that definitely steals the spotlight -- Amazon's Kindle Fire. Rumor has it that Amazon wants a larger piece of the tablet market, and it may launch three new tablets in 2012 in an attempt to accomplish its aim.

Investors wonder if Research In Motion Ltd., which reports quarterly results Thursday, can rebound from recently anemic performance due to falling sales of its BlackBerry device. RIM's turnaround is being led by Thorsten Heins, who took over as CEO in January.

Nokia's big push into the U.S. smartphone wars begins April 9, and when the Lumia 900 releases on AT&T for $100 on contract, people will want the best new apps for their new toy. Lucky for them, Nokia has been hard at work on new apps for quite a while. Most of that work has gone into Nokia's own operating system Symbian, but now its Microsoft partnership will be the focus.

Lady Gaga, most famous for her outrageous theatrical outfits and bright-hued wigs that she wears at all hours of the day, has uploaded a photo of herself without make-up on her Twitter account.

In early May, Research in Motion (RIM) will provide software developers with prototypes for its upcoming Blackberry smartphone platform, expected to launch later this year. RIM will give out as many as 2,000 BlackBerry 10 test models at its BlackBerry Jam Convention in Orlando, scheduled for May 1-3.

Research In Motion plans to give developers a prototype BlackBerry 10 device to help them design applications for future smartphones that will run on a modified version of the software running RIM's poor-selling PlayBook tablet.

Much of iPhone 5 rumored specs are predictions based upon the new iPad features, smartphone rivalry/competition and Apple's behavior. Rumors about the next iPhone featuring 4.6-inch display are neither based on iPad nor on Apple's behavior. It is just a false prediction based on the day-by-day hardening competition in the market where rivals like Samsung, Motorola and HTC are releasing some big-screen Android smartphones.

When the DingleBerry jailbreaking tool for the PlayBook surfaced last year, Research in Motion (RIM) rushed to patch it and said it would continue to investigate any tools that would enable root access to the tablet. Now, in a post on Inside BlackBerry for Business blog, the company has taken one step further against jailbreaking by officially announcing that such practices will void the warranty of the device.

IBM senior manager for global security operations Nick Bradley said threats from cyberattacks increased last year despite more awareness by computer center managers. New threats come from iPhones and BlackBerrys.

A Reverse Telephone Lookup, which is commonly known as gray pages directory, criss-cross directory or reverse phone directory, is one of the most popular investigative searches on the Internet to collect customer details associated with telephone numbers. Check out the list of five best US service providers.

Other than that, there are few surprises.

Video games are typically associated with hours in front of the television screen and online co-op (or competition) with friends. But gaming gurus have found ways to indulge their passion in a less digital and more intoxicated atmosphere.

Smartphone users with slippery fingers may be in luck with the iPhone 5. According to TechRadar, a company that produces water-repellent gadgets has been talking with Korean manufacturers about liquid-proof parts.

The next line of BlackBerry smartphones is not expected until autumn. However, meanwhile, Research in Motion (RIM) keeps working on new ways to make its enhanced PlayBook tablet even more attractive. In this effort, RIM has officially launched its long-awaited BlackBerry Mini Keyboard, a new and exciting accessory for the PlayBook.

For proof of how entirely dominant Apple is in the tablet world, witness the iPad 2 drop in price to $400 and the bewildering BlackBerry PlayBook rise in price to $500. This is but one reason why the reduced price iPad 2 is the best tablet deal around.

Google talks are focusing more on a new tablet that the search engine specialist is releasing with partnership with Asus. This new tablet, which is rumored to be a “Kindle Fire Killer” as it will have the same price tag and screen size as Amazon’s offering, is expected to hit U.S. stores in May.

Apple took the veils off its new tablet at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco in the presence of select few and called the holy grail “New iPad.” The new iPad comes packed with robust specs and some pretty cool upgrades that could help Apple maintain a solid lead over competitors in the tablet space for quite some time.

Today Apple released its latest tablet device--the new iPad--but while all of the improved features wooed bloggers, journalists and fans alike, one fact was left lingering in the minds of those that had closely followed the event: The name of the new iPad cuts against the grain of names previously given by Apple to its mobile devices.

Facebook has officially launched its Messenger for Windows 7 which is free and easy to download. The Messenger desktop client eliminates the need to open the browser and log into the Facebook site.

Research In Motion will be forced to slash the fees it charges carriers for BlackBerry service this year, an analyst said on Monday as another U.S. government customer edged away from the service, cutting into a pillar of the struggling smartphone company's business model.

The $64 billion global video games industry, shaken up by the likes of Zynga in recent years, may be on the verge of another identity crisis.