New iPad Lasts 24 Hours as 4G LTE Hotspot

Apple doesn’t market the new iPad as a $630 Wi-Fi 4G/LTE router, but tests have found the tablet can be used for up to 24 hours as a personal hotspot. Under the right conditions, you can use the new iPad as a wireless router for an entire day on a single charge, independent testing from AnandTech and The Verge indicates.

Those with a new 4G iPad with AT&T service need not apply: the personal hotspot feature is only enabled on the Verizon version of the tablet, while internationally the feature is available for 3G connections on certain carriers and it could be charged extra. The feature allows you to share the 4G LTE connection from your iPad via Wi-Fi with up to five devices.

Samsung Has Shipped 5 Million Galaxy Note Devices

For those who think there's no market for phone-tablet hybrids like the Galaxy Note, Samsung would like to offer 5 million counter-arguments.

That's how many Samsung Galaxy Note handsets have shipped over the last five months, the company announced. Earlier this month, Samsung said it had moved 2 million Galaxy Notes, but since then it has shipped another 3 million units.

Flat-panel TV shipments to fall for the first time ever in 2012?

The past fourteen or so years have been a great run for flat-panel TV sales, but according to IHS (formerly iSuppli), that run is finally going to turn in the down direction in 2012. The expected drop off is predicted to be five percent, which still leaves the total TVs sold in 2012 at 37.1 million, more than a few dollars for sure. The fact that last year saw a modest one percent raise is as good of an indicator as any that the good times are over. Of course this is but a single prediction from a single analyst firm and we'll all have to wait until the year is over and earnings are announced to know anything for certain.

Kinect for Windows version 1.5 to be released in May

Seems like it was only yesterday that Microsoft took the wraps off version 1.0 of Kinect for Windows, putting the power of voice and gesture controls in the hands of the hoi polloi. Now, the gang in Redmond has said that version 1.5 will be coming in May, and will bring 10-joint skeletal tracking to let the sensor bar work while users are seated. The update also includes Kinect Studio, an app that allows devs to record, play and debug clips of users to fine tune their applications. Additionally, it brings language support for French, Spanish, Italian and Japanese, plus there's added support for regional dialects in those languages and English as well. Lastly, Microsoft is promising a whole slew of new countries around the globe will be getting Kinect for Windows in May and June, so to see if your homeland made the cut, check out the source below.

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