Pre-orders for the iPad started this morning bright and early at 5:30 AM, Pacific time. This is just for the United States — for those across seas, iPad sales won’t begin until late April. Both Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + 3G models are available now at the Apple store. Apple iPad accessories are also available for order — keyboard dock, dock, power adapter, case, headphones, etc…

After just two hours at sale, MacRumors tells us Victor Castroll from Fortune reported an estimated “51,000 orders in two hours.” Insane, but definitely not a shock. In 2007 when the iPhone first came out, Engadget says 270,000 units sold in the first 30 hours of sales. Could the iPad beat those numbers?

If you are still trying to weigh out the cons and pros of getting an iPad, I came upon two articles arguing each side. Dan Frommer at Business Insider “Just Ordered an iPad: Here’s Why.” And SmartMoney takes a hard look at whether or not you should pre-order an iPad. Note that Apple only allows a two per customer pre-order limit.

Well, all is not lost I suppose. I’ve got a blog post out of it! While sort of paying attention to the Oscars last night, my friend Alex screamed out, “What?! They have a 3D TV now?!” Yep, it’s true. According to Gizmodo, Best Buy will be rolling out a couple Samsung LED 3D HDTVs on March 21st.

What’s made even bigger headlines today is the iPad commercial. Announced not too long ago, it’s probably safe to say it’s one of the year’s most anticipated tech products. Unfortunately, since the Oscars weren’t all that interesting last night, we seemed to have missed the broadcast. I don’t remember seeing the iPad commercial at all. No fear, that’s what YouTube is for:

Do know that HP is coming out with a similar product (with a much better name) called the Slate. And hey, it runs on a Windows 7 OS and supports Flash — whereas, iPad does not.

Well, according to the China Post, 1,000 taxis in Taipei will soon be offering Internet services. By March 9th, VMAX Telecom Co., one of six WiMAX licensed operators in Taiwan, will launch the service through taxis installed with WiMAX technology. “For the first time ever, taxis will be equipped with WiMAX technology to offer passengers wireless access to the Internet,” said a VMAX spokesperson. The service will be free for the initial trial period to assess whether the service will make any money long-term. As passengers use the Internet services provided during their ride, they will also be polled.

VMAX Telecom predicts the 1,000 equipped taxis will poll a minimum of 15,000 people a day. The capital city of Taipei is home to over 2.5 million people — that’s more than 10x the population of Salt Lake metro. It’s also home to a widely used bus system, train system (including the fairly new MRT) and subway system. I think it’s fair to say that Taipei is a metropolitan city where taxis are utilized fairly often. Actually, I think there was a day when I was in town and commuted in four separate taxis, all during lunch time! But, I wonder just how much the Internet can be utilized during a short car ride though…

Okay, tell me that ad won’t run through your head every time you hear “iPad” from now on?! iPad is a HORRIBLE name!! But the product itself is pretty snazzy, I admit.

The press event, held at Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco, lasted about two hours. And to my slight disappointment, only included a long presentation about the the tablet. I was looking forward to hearing about the iPhone 4 and possible Verizon ventures, but I guess that will be later down the line. Nevertheless, my highlights for today’s event as follows…

“We call it the iPad.”

Basically, it looks like an over-sized iPod touch.

Maps. Address book. Calendar. iTunes, YouTube. Also syncs to iTunes like an iPod touch or iPhone. “More intimate than a laptop” and “more capable than a smartphone.”

Photo scrubber bar at the bottom is awe-some. And built-in slideshows!

It’s 0.5 inches thin, 1.5 pounds and green tech evolving. There’s a “9.7 inch IPS display.” 10-hour battery life (a month on standby) with the “latest in wireless: 801.11n, WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1 plus EDR.”

Fancy apps, just like iPhone and iPod.

iBooks app that will give Kindle a run for its money.

AT&T team-up for a $14.99 250mb per month data plan or $29.99 unlimited data plan.

It starts at only $499. Not bad.

Thoughts? Comments? Let us know; we want to hear your comments! For more thorough coverage of today’s event, check out gdgt.com or engadget.com‘s live blogging coverage.

Yesterday morning, Apple announced an event for January 27th. “Come see our latest creation.” Held by invite only in San Francisco, news outlets are unanimous: Apple will be unveiling their anticipated tablet device. iSlate? iPad? (Please don’t call it the “iPad”; that’s a horrible name!) Whatever you want to call it, that’s what everyone is predicting and WSJ totally called it.

Fox News talked to a source at Apple who hints that the tablet may just be the icing on the cake. Fox reports “the event will likely focus on three projects: the tablet device, iPhone 4, and a new round of iLife 2010 software.” Since Google has been making so many news waves lately, I can see Apple using this press event as a way of gaining back some ground. iPhone 4, eh? I’m intrigued.

Gizmodo has an “exhaustive” guide to all things Apple tablet, if you need a refresher about what’s been said. They are also running a contest to win one!

Plans to ship the tablet are not planned until March this year though, according to WSJ. A January announcement and a March product release… could Apple be throwing out some headlines to compete with Google in the press? I mean, this announcement reeks the doings of a controlled leak and Google is working with HTC to produce a Chrome OS Tablet, after all. Then there was the recent Google Nexus One announcement and additional product releases for March…

Here are a few gathered bullet points for the Apple tablet:

• 10 to 11 inch screen
• 3G connection with support by Verizon
• although Apple is one of several groups playing with 3D multitouch, the tablet most likely won’t feature it
• possibly named iSlate
• a secret, exciting new feature is imminent

Do you have a favorite? What are you looking more forward to? Apple tablet? Google/HTC tablet?

10. Obama stimulates IT
An avid techie, Obama creates stimulus packages to adopt various IT practices. Embrace change.

9. Bing
Cashback shopping, flashy and colorful interface for search – Powerhouses Microsoft and Yahoo team together to bring a new search. Bing ups the ante and brings a better competition to Google search.

8.Tablet computers and netbooks
My mom has one. Apple seems to be in the works towards creating one. They are the must-have accessory for the modern, swanky professional on the go, I’d say. They are just going to get more popular.

7. Windows 7 blows Windows Vista out of the water
Windows XP users finally have a reason to upgrade their systems.

6. iPhones are given a bit more competition with the Droid
I once heard a rumor that Verizon was originally approached to offer the iPhone. Were they waiting for the Droid all along? They’ve certainly put on a fierce campaign with the new Motorola phone. For weeks, I had thought it was an upcoming blockbuster film. Here’s one of the many commercials.

5. Bill Gates retires
Okay, so technically he stepped away from the reigns in 2008, but I honestly had no idea until just a couple of weeks ago. So it’s news to me in 2009! Ha, I know. I know.

4. Social media explosion
Although Twitter started back in 2006, more celebrities and other users jumped on board causing social media to explode and almost become a necessity in the workplace. Was this blog a result? Hm…

3. Google announces it’s own operating system: Chromium OS
I’m telling you! Google is going to dominate the world. It’s just a matter of time.

2. Switch to digital television
It was pushed back a bit, but it eventually happened this summer. I can’t decide if I like it or hate it. As someone without cable TV, it’s been easier to pick up better signals with the transition. But, as someone without cable TV and DVR, I can’t really utilize my VCR to record missed shows anymore. I suppose that’s why there’s Hulu…

1. The Birth of SoftwareNewsDaily.com
This article would not exist otherwise. This has to be the most important tech news of the year! Muwahahaha.

There’s a rumor going around that Apple may be demonstrating the long-awaited Apple Tablet on January 26th, during a media event. Nick Bilton, blogger at the New York Times, proclaims 2010 as “the year of the tablet.” An inside source at Apple even told his colleague, “I can’t really say anything, but, let’s just say Steve is extremely happy with the new tablet.”

Business Insider tells us Apple has been telling select developers to begin making apps to support a full screen resolution mobile device. And Boy Genius Report is positive there will be a 7-inch Apple tablet to be announced in January.

Clever detective work led MacRumors.com’s Arnold Kim to find evidence that Apple purchased the domain iSlate.com back in 2007. The name, he predicts, that may be given to the new Apple tablet. Wired.com took to being Sherlock a bit further and found out more about the iSlate trademark — it was registered by a company called Slate Computing, perhaps a dummy corporation for Apple used to throw us off their scent?

The most intriguing Applet tablet rumor? Nick Bilton quotes an ex-Apple employee, “You will be very surprised how you interact with the  new tablet.” What could it be?! How will technology freak me out now? Business Insider has 25 guesses.

Itching for more? Check out Gizmodo for an ExhaustiveGuide to Apple Tablet Rumors.

• Google Chrome OS is open-source.
• There is no target price set yet.
• As a “companion device,” Sundar says, “If you’re a lawyer and you spend your whole day editing docs back and forth, this is not the machine for you. Not yet. “
• Chrome OS will print; an innovative solution is in the works for this.

Google Chrome OS focuses on three things:

1. speed | Sundar says, “We want Chrome OS to be blazingly fast.”
2. simplicity | “Almost everyone knows how to use a browser. So, we want it to feel that way.” 
3. security| “Verified boot”:  every component is signed and checked on boot

Highlights from the demo:

• Seven-second boot time and three seconds to log-on.
• Looks like Chrome with extra “application” tabs. These tabs can be customized to open your favorite applications.
• An “app menu” that functions like a Windows Start Menu.
• Applications open as “panels” that can be minimized. Think similar to the windows on your task bar (in Windows).
• Sundar demonstrates a chess game viewable through Flash illustrating what he says earlier, “Every app on Chrome OS is a Web app. No installing.”

Or view the demo:

The entire concept seems pretty neat. It’s true, most of my computer work is done on the internet: browsing, researching, reading, watching, listening, blogging… blogging… did I say blogging? Anyway, I’m still not sure I want my computer operation to be completely internet-based. Sometimes it’s nice to hit the other items on my task bar to see a window that isn’t Firefox, Chrome or Internet Explorer. It’s almost like an escape, you know? Perhaps I’m just not prepared for the inevitable future (where Google has succeeded in Pinky and the Brain‘s plan to conquer the world). What are your thoughts? Hit that comment button and share them with us!

There’s something in the air. Apple is conducive to more suspicious activity pointing to their enrollment in the tablet computer business, a market mostly dominated by PCs. In an ever-evolving environment for mobile technology, it’s about time. Don’t you think?

• Student-targeted vehicles, such as the Nissan Versa and Honda Fit, are integrating more and more features to accommodate the on-the-go lifestyle. Typical features now seem to include USB interfaces for your MP3 players and places specifically designed to store your laptop.
• Hopeful from the success of laptop use in Australian schools, Microsoft and Toshiba started the Anytime Anywhere Learning Foundation. Other technology companies (take a look at NoteSys) are also encouraging the use of laptops in grade schools.

Well, anyway… Aside from stories that Apple is shopping out this possible tablet in Australia, The Business Insider reports “a source tells us a system integration engineer friend of his at Apple has been ramping up his travels back and forth between China lately.” Back and forth between the US and Asia? The fingers are pointing! It’s also likely that Foxxconn, a Taiwan-based electronics manufacturer with previous ties to Apple, may be producing these tablets. Rumors were reported earlier this month about a tablet device with a 10.6-inch display that focuses on long battery life, Internet connectivity and simple interface hitting the market in the beginning 2010.

Too bad they aren’t rumored to be completed by Christmas. There are plenty of folks ready to fork over more than $800 for this Apple product.

More juicy stuff on the Apple tablet here.