Apple’s touch-screen iPad tablet will go on sale in the UK in “late April”, the company has revealed. The late April launch date applies to both models of iPad – the wi-fi only and wi-fi plus 3G – in the UK.

Apple’s UK website still gives a March launch date for the wi-fi only iPad with the 3G iPad stated to arrive in the UK in April. However, according to a press release from the company today, both devices will now arrive at the same, albeit slightly later, time.

CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the iPad back in January. The touch-screen tablet device resembles a giant iPod Touch and is designed for web browsing, playing games and reading e-books.

The news coincides with Apple’s first iPad advert, which featured during the Oscars. You see the airbrushed hands of a man at home picking up the iPad to check out videos, read the New York Times, flip through book pages, check his private mail, and that sort of thing… See for yourself.

Those who find the touchscreens on their ever shrinking gadgets too fiddly to handle, will be glad to hear scientists are developing a new touch surface… your own arm.

Developers at Microsoft Research and Carnegie Mellon University are working together to create an armband that projects an interface directly onto your skin.

They have combined a mini projector which creates a changing display with a sophisticated sensor that can tell which part of your arm is being tapped.

The researchers showed Skinput can be used to control audio devices, play simple games like Tetris, make phone calls and navigate simple browsing systems.

The gadget effectively turns your arm into a touchscreen surface by picking up various ultra-low sounds produced when you tap different areas.

Different skin locations are acoustically distinct because of bone density and the filtering effect from soft tissues and joints. The team then used software that matched sound frequencies to specific skin locations. The prototype then uses wireless technology like Bluetooth to transmit the commands to the device being controlled, such as a phone, iPod, or computer.

In April, the researchers plan to present their work at the Computer-Human Interaction meeting in Atlanta, Georgia.

2010 is the year of 3D television and theatrical film, but do not forget about still photography. Fujifilm is planning a spring shipment of its 3D camera station kiosks that are designed for spots where people are likely to take photographs, such as tourist attractions, parks, and special events.

No pricing details are known, but Fujifilm’s camera can print out 4 different size photos, which can also be altered and enhanced with 3D graphics from various templates. The company claims that to enjoy the effect, no 3D glasses are necessary. The stations are 50kg each, so do not even think about lifting one.

At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Samsung’s 3G-enabled uVending Machine caused quite a stir.

Unlike conventional dispensers, this prototype has a massive touchscreen. Not only does it spit out Coca-Cola and Sprite, the machine also carries handsets, music and videos. There’s embedded 3G connectivity which allows vendors to revise product prices without having to be there physically as well as receive alerts whenever the supply gets low.

Extending the concept of a connected life is the media player/tablet device that “talks” to the vending machine. What this means is you can “push” content from your handheld to the vending machine and make use of the huge display of the latter. For example, if you are a video online store, you can swipe your finger across the screen on your handheld in the direction of the vending machine.

The gesture essentially “sends” information such as the video description to the vending machine so it’s easier on your eyes if you’re reading chunks of text. How this is achieved is by infrared which is used to detect when a device is near the vending machine. The data is then transferred via Wi-Fi.

Of course, you’ll still have to pay for the goods, although it won’t be at the time of purchase. Instead, this will be charged to your monthly mobile phone bill.

Content strategies and discussions will dominate the launch of new networks and the re-thinking of older networks. Content began to rise to the top of the agenda in 2009 and now in 2010 it takes a front and centre seat.

No matter what shape or size the display is, content is the fundamental element which ultimately leads to the very success, or failure, of a digital signage deployment. Some of the greatest success stories for brands in 2009 have been achieved by creating content that is relevant to the experience and activities that the consumers are engaged with at the time of interaction.

Keith Kelsen, author of “Unleashing the Power of Digital Signage” and CEO of the 5th Screen, says:

“Any team that is operating a digital signage network or is planning a network has a unique opportunity to bring excellence to this emerging industry and set some precedents. We can see this already in the work of some networks that have focused on research with innovative approaches using content as the source and cause for relevant messaging that is useful, helpful and provides a positive experience for the viewer.

“Content for DOOH will stand alone during its creative production, but content will have more continuity in 2010 with the other four screens (cinema, TV, PC and mobile) to echo its message across the digital landscape of screens. As for every screen that is put into this new landscape, it will be the experience that the consumers will take away, and what better way to impact that experience than with great content.”

Microsoft has been working on touch technology for a while. The big drawback was the hardware interface. But that is no longer the case. Here are some of the enhancements that Microsoft has done to improve the user interaction with their touch screens…

Easier grasp on PC’s.
Microsoft has enlarged icons in Windows 7 for the Start Menu, Taskbar and Windows Explorer. This makes it easier to grasp the PC. So in place of the mouse, you can open and shut programs by directly tapping or double-tapping with your fingers. You can also summon a virtual onscreen keyboard, too, though it’s nowhere near as natural as typing on a physical keyboard.

Multi-touch operations
You can also zoom in on a picture by spreading two fingers apart, or zoom out by pinching them back together. You can “right-click” by holding down one finger while you tap the screen with a second finger.

100 Point Support
Windows 7 can support up to 100 touch points, Microsoft says, though there are hardware constraints (screen size) and the genetic reality of having just so many fingers with which to perform gestures. The behavior on the screen changes depending on how many fingers you use.

Apple’s impact on the smartphone market shows no signs of letting up – but the iPhone maker is facing stiff new competition in the touchscreen stakes.

The popularity of touchscreens on smartphones has increased massively since Apple introduced its iPhone. And in the last quarter of last year, for the first time ever, touchscreen devices accounted for more than half of all smartphone shipments globally, according to research from analyst house Canalys. Another survey conducted by the analyst at the end of last year showed that more than half (60 per cent) of 4,000 consumers polled wanted a touchscreen interface on their next mobile device.

In the latest piece of research, touchscreen smartphones took 55 per cent of the market in the fourth quarter of 2009, with shipments of touchy-feely devices up 138 per cent year-on-year, according to Canalys.

By contrast, overall smartphone growth was significantly lower, standing at 41 per cent. The analyst said the total number of touchscreen smartphones shipped in 2009 was more than 75 million, with total smartphone shipments hitting 166 million.

The iPad is the topic of conversation the web is buzzing about after the touch screen product was finally unveiled. Last week, Trendrr revealed that there were 177,000 tweets alone in the first hour after the announcement. But what was the sentiment behind those tweets?  

Crimson Hexagon analyzed the content of more than half a million tweets following the iPad announcement. While the results aren’t shocking, what it boils down to is that the Twittersphere is split straight down the middle. 48% of tweeters reacted positively, while the remainder — 52% — had less than stellar things to say about the iPad in a virtual tug-of-war.

Based on the breakdown below, the largest chunk of tweets were very enthusiastic about the iPad, with 29% of people firmly decided on buying it. It may just be Apple ‘fanboy’ syndrome, but even in light of all the negative counter tweets, it’s hard to ignore that nearly one third of half a million tweets — 145,000 to be exact — indicate a decided intention to buy the iPad, with the $499 price point resonating with these future purchasers.

Of the 52% of tweets that lacked enthusiasm for the iPad, the majority — 21% of all tweets — had a bad reaction to the name itself. Nineteen percent just weren’t impressed, and 11% were critical of all the build-up and/or just sick of hearing about it. Those that were disappointed, per the Twitter sentiment analysis, primarily took issue with the iPad not supporting Flash or multitasking.

Apple is inviting reporters to an event next week to see what it calls “our latest creation,” which is thought to be a tablet-style touch-screen computer.

The company email offered no specifics about what it would display at the invitation-only January 27 event in San Francisco.

But it comes amid speculation that Apple is close to unveiling the gadget that is bigger than an iPhone but smaller than a standard laptop.

Tablets are one-piece computers with big screens and no keyboards. Such devices have been around since the early 1990s, but haven’t seen much success in the mainstream.

The real questions will be asked after the launch, when focus will fall on who will be providing what types of content (music, magazines, video, games, books etc) for Apple’s new slate.

Recent rumours have suggested that Apple is currently in talks with HarperCollins and a number of other major book publishers suggesting the tablet will be looking to straddle the eReader market.

Mobiles used to be powered by some sort of Duracell-esque energy but these days, with the widespread use of modern day smartphones sapping up juice like a gasping desert wanderer who just found an oasis, there is widespread demand for alternative phone charging methods when people are away from laptops and plug sockets.

Fortunately for those users, who sap their battery with music, videos and web browsing – oh, and the odd phone call – a new kiosk is being deployed that can offer rapid phone charging for little or no money and has already proved successful in Asia. It is now set to be rolled out in the US and then the UK.

Typically comprising of at least one set of connectors for various phone types and a monitor, the kiosks also can include touch capability, a payment mechanism and connectivity for the processing of transactions, remote management and the download of new content for the monitors.

Just as the ATM cash machines provided a new and unique solution for people on the go to acquire cash, the mobile phone-charging kiosk will help them stay connected.