Apple is preparing to announce the iPad 2 at an event in San Francisco on March 2nd. The new iPad, which many are calling the iPad 2, doesn’t have an official name yet, nor do we have a full list of specifications, but we do have a roundup of the new iPad 2 rumors and an idea of what we will actually see on March 2nd.

Given the long list of iPad 2 specifications and features that are rumored to come next Wednesday we wanted to share the features we most want to see when the iPad 2 is announced, and share how likely we think it is that Apple delivers them.

Cameras Front and Back - Likelihood - 100%: One of features that would get us ready to upgrade in a hurry is the inclusion of front and rear facing cameras. We don’t plan on replacing point and shoot cameras, but the ability to snap images of notes and documents for Evernote and being able to FaceTime or use Skype video calls is so tempting we’re ready to get our credit card out.

Thin and Light iPad 2 - Likelihood 90%: Another thing we are pretty sure will happen and we hope happens is a slight reduction in size and weight. Personally, we really hope for a slightly lighter iPad since we use it in our hands much of the day, but we wouldn’t mind a thinner figure either.

Wireless Syncing and Free Mobile Me - Likelihood 80%: Apple has readied a new Datacenter in North Carolina that is rumored to be preparing for an onslaught of data usage that would occur with the launch of wireless syncing and a free MobileMe service.

Better Sound – Likelihood 80%: Many of the early leaks indicated a larger speaker grill on the iPad and while we don’t expect to see anything like the Beats TouchPad combo, the recent push for higher fidelity iTunes music leads us to believe that the iPad 2 and also the iPhone 5 will have better audio performance.

Faster Processor – Likelihood 75%: So far we haven’t hit too many brick walls in terms of speed, but every now and then there’s an app that feels like it could benefit from a boost in speed. This is rumored to be a new dual-core processor developed by Apple.

Longer Lasting battery - Likelihood 60%: Sure the iPad battery lasts 10 hours, but Apple loves to deliver longer batter life in a small package which is why we are hoping for a thinner lighter iPad 2 that lasts just a bit longer.  The likelihood is low because the iPad already has long battery life and isn’t facing stiff competition.

Medium Size Please – Likelihood 30%: We really want this, but doubt it will happen right now. A smaller iPad would solve the issues we have with weight and make it easier to carry around without the need for a manbag or a ScotteVest. Unfortunately, we don’t see this happening just yet.

More ports and SD card - Likelihood 30%: The only real port on the iPad right now is the Dock Connector, which leaves many users wanting more. We are hoping that Apple will throw in an SD card reader, but even that is doubtful in our opinion. We would also be interested to see a micro USB charging port or Thunderbolt, but won’t hold our breath.

Retina Display Likelihood 20%: While we think a high-res iPad display would be a joy to look at, all signs point to this being cost prohibitive for the time being.

Stylus – Likelihood 0%: Perhaps the highest ranked, but least likely feature for the iPad 2 is a stylus. While we would love to see better support for taking notes with a stylus on the iPad, we don’t see it coming on the iPad 2, even with the recent patent.

Lower Price - Likelihood 0%: We all wish that the things we want were cheaper, but Apple doesn’t typically compete on price and in the case of the iPad, it doesn’t even need to try because every other tablet is coming in at a higher price.

That’s our iPad 2 wishlist, what would you like to see announced as a feature of the iPad 2 next week? Would you agree with our picks and ratings?

iPad 2: The Rumors We Want to Come True is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

Apple announced the first developer preview build of the next Mac operating system OS X 10.7, better known as Mac OS X Lion today right around the time it released a collection of new MacBook Pro notebooks. Mac OS X Lion was first shown off last fall, but today developers can get their hands on the newest OS X Lion features to prepare thier apps for the public launch of OS X Lion later this summer.

The new features in OS X Lion include numerous enhancements and changes to the way you interact with your Mac and will undoubtedly make for an exciting summer release.

Mission Control: The unification of Dashboard, Expose and Spaces is now Mission control which provides a birds eye view of all your running apps, grouped by application type.

Launchpad: Launchpad shows all of your Mac apps in a full screen view that allows you to rearrange and find your favorite apps. You can also create folders of apps just like on the iPhone and iPad.

Full Screen Apps: New support for full screen apps and the support for resizing windows from any of the edges or corners.

New MultiTouch Gestures: In addition to the standard pinch to zoom gestures Apple is adding gestures that support, “swiping left or right to turn a page or switch between full screen apps and swiping up to enter Mission Control.”

The following new features were described in the Apple Press release;

New Mail: with an elegant, widescreen layout inspired by the iPad; Conversations, which automatically groups related messages into one easy to read timeline; more powerful search; and support for Microsoft Exchange 2010;

AirDrop: a remarkably simple way to copy files wirelessly from one Mac to another with no setup;

Versions, which automatically saves successive versions of your document as you create it, and gives you an easy way to browse, edit and even revert to previous versions;

App Resuming: Resume, which conveniently brings your apps back exactly how you left them when you restart your Mac or quit and relaunch an app;

In app AutoSaving: Auto Save, which automatically saves your documents as you work;

Disk Encryption with FileVault: the all new FileVault, that provides high performance full disk encryption for local and external drives, and the ability to wipe data from your Mac instantaneously; and

Mac OS X Lion Server: makes setting up a server easier than ever and adds support for managing Mac OS X Lion, iPhone®, iPad and iPod touch® devices.

You can learn more about OS X Lion on the Apple product page.

Mac OS X Lion (10.7) Released to Developers: New OS X Lion Features Shown Off is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

Internet Explorer 9 is almost ready for public consumption, as evidenced by the release of the Internet Explorer 9 Release Candidate from Microsoft today. Internet Explorer 9 is the re-imagining of the way many users get online and will bring new features and beauty to the browsing experience when it officially arrives.

The official Internet Explorer 9 Release Candidate, the last testing version before the browser is officially launched, is now available for all users to try out. You can find the Internet Explorer 9 RC installation files at the download links below.

• Windows  7 x86 version
• Windows 7 x64 version
• Windows Vista x86 version
• Windows Vista x64 version

There are many new features in Internet Explorer 9, many of which take advantage of new features in Windows 7. Some of the most exciting or noticeable features are listed below.

• Design - A new look and feel to the browser brings IE up to date with the competition.
• Pinned Sites – Pin your favorite websites to your Windows 7 task bar.
• Jump Lists - if you pin a site you also get access to commands form a jump list.
• One Bar – Search from right inside the address bar and see your web history
• Privacy - Turn off advertiser tacking
• Performance Advisor – see if add ons are slowing down your browsing
• Hardware Acceleration - With Flash 10.2 you’ll see better speeds since the browser can use your computer’s graphics card instead of just the CPU.

After you install Internet Explorer 9 you should head over to the Internet Explorer Test Drive page to kick the tires and see what IE9 can do!

Here’s an example of what IE9 can do when web developers take advantage of the new features:

If you want o know more, check out these Internet Explorer 9 Reviews:

• ZDNet - Internet Explorer 9 RC Review
• Download Squad – Internet Explorer 9 RC released :Everything you need to know

Stay tuned for a full look at Internet Explorer 9 from Notebooks.com.

Internet Explorer 9 Release Candidate Now Available, What’s New? is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

iPad 2 is coming, if that’s what it is called. The announcement could come this month at “small event” with the device shipping in March, if a report on Japanese site macotakara.jp/blog is correct (in Japanese, translated with Google by MacRumors). The image below is purported to be the display of the new iPad.

The iPad 2 has been in production, but is on a hiatus for Chinese New Year celebrations. The launch event will supposedly come at the end of February, based on production cycles. Also, there have been cases showing possible new features showing up and parts are shipping to repair houses already, according to TUAW.

With Steve Jobs on a leave due to health reasons, there is speculation over whether he will return for this event or leave it to Tim Cook, the temporary leader of Apple.

There are a number of rumors as to what will be different with this new iPad. Here is a list of all the rumors we’ve seen thus far:

• Higher resolution display that is either the same, higher or just lower than the iPhone 4′s retina display
• Cameras on both the front and back
• SD card slot
• Thinner and slightly smaller
• Flat back
• Anti-glare and smudge proof display
• Higher quality speakers
• Faster dual-core processor
• Verizon compatible 3G and AT&T 3G both built-in although another says there will be one for each wireless as well as a Wi-Fi only
• USB port either for charging, doing away with the 30-pin dock connector or in addition to the dock connector
• In addition to one with the exact same size, there will be a 7-inch display version

It is pretty certain that not all of these will come true, because the iPad would then cost about $2,000. But we are certain Apple will be including enough newness to make it desirable to current owners and those who have been waiting for certain features to take a leap.

iPad 2 Announcement Rumored for End of Feb, iPad 2 Rumor Roundup is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

Personalization is a major focus of Windows 7, the aim is to make your Windows experience more unique, interesting and culturally aware through a variety of mediums such as exquisite wallpapers, colors and sound. Sound in particular has gotten a major revamp in Windows 7 with a large collection of sound schemes to choose from.

Click Start, type: system sound

Then Hit Enter on your keyboard

Click in the Sound Scheme list box and select a sound scheme

To preview the sound of that Sound scheme, select one of the Program Events:

Then click the Test button to preview it.

You can also mix and match your Program Event sound schemes. So if you don’t like the sound provided for when a Device failed to Connect, simply select it and click Browse select one of the sound schemes available, then click Open.

How to Change Sounds in Windows 7 is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

Alongside many other items shown off at the Back to the Mac event Apple announced Mac OS X Lion, otherwise known as Mac OS X 10.7, which will be available in Summer of 2011. Mac OS X Lion has a few cool new features built-in that Apple hopes will make using your new Mac even more enjoyable including, a Mac App Store, LaunchPad, Mission Control and enhanced full screen support.

Mac App Store: Perhaps the biggest news of the day is that Apple is bringing the App Store experience that has served the company and users well on mobile platforms to Mac. The Mac App Store will launch ahead of Lion, but it will be built right into the next OS X. The Mac App store will allow users to have a trusted centralized place to buy apps and will provide developers with a similar split of profits.

Just like the App Store experience on the iPhone and iPad, the Mac App Store will also provide users with a simple way to make sure that all of their apps are up to date. The apps will be licensed for use on all the Macs in your household with one purchase. It is important to note that it you won’t need to jailbreak your Mac to install other apps or software.

LaunchPad: Launchpad takes a cue from the iPad and provides a homescreen for you to keep your apps. The LaunchPad will sit in the dock, and when clicked fold out to show the apps you have installed. Like on the mobile platforms you can organize apps and group them into folders for faster access.

Mission Control: Mission Control is the new go to place to keep track of everything happening on your Mac in one location. Featuring the next version of Expose, Mission Control provides a, “unified view of every app and window running on your Mac, so you can instantly navigate anywhere.”

Mission Control will show you the windows running on your Mac in groups with full screen apps on the top, open windows and docs — allowing you one click access to anything running on your Mac.

Enhanced full screen support with Gesture Switching: In Mac OS X Lion there is “system-wide” support for full screen applications. With one click you’ll be able to make any app full screen and switch to another full screen app with a gesture on the mousepad. Instead of minimizing or switching, you can just swipe to the left or right on your mouse and you will change applications.

These are just a few of the biggest Mac OS X Lion features shown off today at the Back to the Mac event and highlight many of the iPad style features being brought back to the Mac.

What’s New in Mac OS X 10.7 Lion: Mac App Store, Launchpad, Mission Control and More is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

Windows Live Essentials is a collection of tools for Windows that make it easy to keep in touch with friends, edit and organize photos, edit movies and send email. Here we look at how to install Windows Live Essentials 2011 and how it compares to previous version.

Windows Live  Essential 2011 uses the same approach as version 3, just go to Explore Windows Live Essentials page, and click the download button and it will prompt you to download the 1 MB web installer. I notice there is now option to access the offline installer like wave 3 allows you to. If you want the Offline installer, you can download it here Windows XP users, this version is not compatible with it, you need to upgrade to Windows Vista SP2 or 7, just like Internet Explorer 9, Microsoft has made some significant improvements to programs such as Photo Gallery and Windows Live Movie Maker that require access to low-level features such as Direct3D.

Windows Live Essentials 4 setup experience

Programs that come with Windows Live Essentials wave 4

Immediately you are taken to the Programs to Install page (no Service Level Agreement this time around), which displays all of the programs that are included in the suite. If you have a previous version of the suite installed, programs such as Messenger, Photo Gallery/Movie Maker, Mail, Writer, Family Safety are automatically updated. Optional components include the new Windows Live Mesh (formerly Live Sync), Outlook Connector Pack and Messenger Companion.

Installing Windows Live Essentials

Very minimal experience indeed, the installation itself was way quicker than version 3 and this was over the Internet too, so there are some definite performance improvements here. I didn’t have to restart my computer either.

Past Windows Live Essentials Install Experiences:

When Wave 3 of Windows Live Essentials was released last year, I took a look at the new install experience in that release. Users will note that there was a lot more going on in comparison to the new Windows Live Essentials wave 4. Specifically, the slide show has been replaced by a more conservative installer.

Windows Live Essentials version 1

Windows Live Essentials’ wave 3

How to Install Windows Live Essentials 2011 – the New Install Experience is a post by Andre from Notebooks.com.

Evernote Trunk was announced today by the service’s CEO Phil Libin at a San Francisco event. Evernote is a multi-platform service designed to help users “Remember Everything” as their home page proclaims. Users can collect and synchronize data from various sources including the Internet or other programs integrating Evernote. It can be installed as a separate program on Windows or Mac computers as well as most mobile phones.

Evernote Trunk is a collection of different services, products or hardware devices that have integrated the Evernote API. One example is a an iPhone/iPad app that I use regularly called OliveTree. It is a Bible Reader that allows you to take notes on the passages you read and sync them with your Evernote account.

To access the Trunk you can click on the new button that is added to the program’s Windows and Mac versions now. You can also view Evernote Trunk Partners in your web browser.

The web version will have Trunk sometime today and the iPad app will include it soon. At launch there are almost 100 services or devices in five different categories including Mobile, Desktop & Web, Hardware, Gear and Notebooks.

The goal is to expose users of the service to these partners who have included Evernote functionality in their products. This includes hardware like the Eye-Fi SD card that allows users to automatically upload pictures and videos taken with a digital camera using an Eye-Fi card. It also allows you to wirelessly send those pictures to your Evernote account.

Other examples include Dial2Do which is a voice transcription startup that allows you to, “Just speak to get things done” and Voice2Note which allows you to dial in and leave a voice note in Evernote.

Other products include Seesmic, Read It Later, and more. It is a kind of “app store” for Evernote, although that is not entirely accurate as the services are free. In the future there will be “in-trunk commerce” meaning you can add tools to Evernote for a fee paid to third-party vendors.

Some of Evernote’s partners are included in this video announcement:

Evernote is currently experiencing heavy web traffic which is preventing some users, including myself from accessing the full website. If you experience an error, try back later to check out Evernote Trunk.

Evernote Trunk Announced, Full of Useful Tools Integrating the Service is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.

Intel Wireless Display, the technology that allows users with a capable notebook and HDTV to wirelessly stream HD content to their HDTV, has previously been limited to just a few notebooks, like the Toshiba e205 and other Blue Label PCs at Best Buy, but Intel reports that the Intel WiDi service will be in 25 notebooks for the back to school season and there will be even more features to address many of the issues I found in my hands on with the service.

Intel reports that major manufacturers like ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba make up the 25 currently available Intel WiDI systems which are equipped with Intel Core i3 or Core i5 processors. These notebooks are available at numerous retailers including, Amazon, Best Buy, Dell.com, Fry’s, Sony Style, OfficeMax, Tiger Direct.

The most recently announced Intel WiDi notebooks include the new Dell Inspiron R series and the new Samsung R580-11 which is available at Best Buy. The Samsung R580 is $850 and the Dell Inspiron R Series begin at $449, but no word on the price of adding WiDi to a Dell Inspiron R series notebook.

In order to use the Intel WiDi feature, you’ll need to purchase a Netgear Push2TV adapter which connects to your HDTV via HDMI or composite cables. These adapters cost $100 at Best Buy. Ideally, the WiDi technology will soon be built into HDTVs and projectors.

In addition to the excitement over more laptops coming with WiDi, Intel has released a new version of the Intel Wireless Display software, 1.2, which adds several new features that will make WiDi even better.

Extended Display Mode: Thanks to Extended Display Mode you’ll be able to use your Intel WiDi notebook while you are streaming something to your HDTV. previously, you couldn’t work on something using the laptop’s screen while streaming something. Now, much like having a second monitor, you’ll be able to surf the web on the laptop’s screen while streaming HD to the HDTV.

Remote Only Mode: This mode is perfect for sharing a movie or streaming a TV show to share with a group of people. When you enable Remote Only Mode, your laptops screen will go dark so that you aren’t distracted by the movement and slight delay between the notebook and the HDTV.

New Fast Cursor: One of the complaints I had with the Intel WiDi service has been addressed with new fast cursor support. This change makes it easier to use your cursor on the TV, a task that was difficult due to the slight delay in earlier versions of the WiDi software.

Intel Wireless Display Arrives on New Notebooks with More Features is a post by Josh Smith from Notebooks.com.

iPhone users have always looked forward to when their most desired functionality might finally be integrated into the device. It was like waiting for Christmas morning and fans hung on his every word to cheer and clap while critics did the same to jeer. But when Steve Jobs announced the new iPhone 4 this week, a lot of the common requests were addressed.  So what is missing? Is there anything still for users to long for?

I recall when I watched the 2009 WWDC keynote hoping that the iPhone would be a great tool. At the time I had an iPod Touch and an HTC Touch Windows Mobile phone. So it was good enough and I jumped from Verizon to AT&T just for the new iPhone 3GS. But soon I began to long for a few things.

1. Longer battery life: When roaming, my phone’s battery drains more quickly than normal. On Bluetooth the battery is sucked dry even sooner.
2. A higher resolution display for reading:The 3GS has a nice display, but reading does get tiring.
3. A front facing camera: I am not exactly clamoring for this, but include it because many are and I think it would be cool, especially if Skype integrates the FaceTime standard into their clients.
4. Wireless sync of songs and other content: The only reason I sync now is to back up my apps and to get podcasts onto my iPhone. This is even more desirable for the iPad.
5. Multi-tasking: This is the biggest one for me especially on the iPad. I use Bible software to prepare for my sermons. I would love to have a note taking app open in the background to quickly switch to in order to record my findings. Others want Pandora playing or want to finish downloading content in things other than iTunes while running Twitter or some other app.
6. Universal  inbox for multiple email accounts:  Tapping a bunch of times just to switch between my personal email, my business email and a third one I use for registering for online sites is a pain.

There are just a few that are top of my list. Well, guess what? Most of these are coming  to the next iPhone. Jobs claims it will have much better battery life with a larger battery and more efficient A4 processor. Apple’s battery life claims have been pretty accurate lately. The display is a higher resolution and those who have seen it like it. There is a front facing camera and a form of multi-tasking. And the universal inbox is on the way too.

Is there really anything left to long for? Will users be waiting with great anticipation for some new features next June as Jobs takes the stage for WWDC 2011? I can’t see everyone getting that excited about Multi-tasking. What do you think? Now that we know most of what is coming, what do you really want to see and what is left for Jobs and company to do to improve the iPhone?

iPhone 4: Is there Anything Left to Long For? is a post by Kevin Purcell from Notebooks.com.