iPads replacing note pads as Asian schools go high-tech

Apple's iPad and other tablet computers are replacing traditional note pads in some Asian schools and making the lives of thousands of students a whole lot easier.

Soon pupils could be reading on their tablets about a quaint old communication device called "paper", especially in Asia's advanced economies where many schools are racing towards a paperless classroom.

The slim glass slabs slip easily into a bag and can store thousands of textbooks, making a fat school bag full of heavy books, pens and notepads a thing of the past.

Chinese teen sells kidney to buy iPad 2

A teenager in China's Anhui province has sold his right kidney to buy an iPad 2. His mother, who knew nothing of his plans, now hopes to hunt down the criminals who disabled him, a media report said.

Seventeen-year-old Xiao Zheng had been dreaming of a new iPad 2 for a while, but the price was beyond his means.

Zheng found an agent ready to buy his kidney and travelled to Hunan province in central China to undergo surgery in a local hospital. With the 22,000 yuan ($3,900) he was paid, Zheng bought a new iPad 2 and iPhone and then returned home, according to a report on the Dongfang TV channel Thursday.

Disney CEO defends use of 3-D in movies

Disney CEO Bob Iger defended the company's production of 3-D films Thursday after 3-D ticket sales for several recent movies lagged their predecessors.

It's "way too early to write 3-D's epitaph," Iger said at the D: All Things Digital conference. "I think a lot of conclusions are being reached about a business that's still relatively new."

Industry experts point out that The Walt Disney Co.'s fourth "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie and the second installment of "Kung Fu Panda," from DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc., generated around 40 percent of their revenue from 3-D screenings, compared with about 60 percent from earlier films such as "Shrek Forever After" and "How to Train Your Dragon."

THQ expands uDraw gaming tablet to Xbox 360, PS3

Video game company THQ plans to bring its uDraw gaming tablet to the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 later this year, hoping that player appetites for new experiences extend beyond motion controls to painting, drawing and Pictionary.

THQ Inc. said Thursday that the uDraw GameTablet will be available for the two consoles over the holidays. There's a Wii version out already for $70, but THQ is not saying how much the new, high-definition versions will cost.

Zuckerberg: Contract for Facebook ownership 'fake'

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg says emails and a signed document that form the basis of a New York man's lawsuit claiming part ownership of the social networking phenomenon are fakes.

Zuckerberg's statements were included in papers filed Thursday by his attorneys in federal court in Buffalo. The attorneys want expedited access to the original materials, copies of which were filed with Paul Ceglia's lawsuit, and to examine Ceglia's computers and electronic media.

Nokia dismisses Microsoft takeover report

Nokia chief executive Stephen Elop on Wednesday dismissed as "baseless" a report that Microsoft had agreed to purchase the Finnish company's mobile business.

"There are absolutely no discussions," Elop said at the D9 technology conference here hosted by All Things Digital. "The rumors are baseless."

The website Boy Genius, or BGR.com, reported on Wednesday that according to industry insider Eldar Murtazin, Microsoft has struck a deal to buy Nokia's mobile phone business for $19 billion.

Nokia hired Elop, a former Microsoft executive, to be its chief executive in September and in February the Finnish company announced that it was abandoning its smartphone platform to adopt Microsoft's mobile operating system.

Elop said the first Nokia smartphone using the Windows Phone 7 software would be released in the fourth quarter of the year.

He briefly took a prototype out of his pocket but quickly put it back without providing so much as a glimpse of the screen.

Sprint's HTC EVO 4G is getting 2.3 Gingerbread today

Sprint’s HTC EVO 4G unleashed the 4G wave in the States by being one of the first 4G-enabled phones, but with the passing of time it has lagged slightly in another area – that of Android updates. That’s changing today as Sprint officially confirmed that one of the most popular Android phones to date has gotten Gingerbread and can be manually updated now. To give your EVO 4G Gingerbread love just follow the path:

Menu > Settings > System Updates > HTC Software Updates > Check Now > OK >Yes

For those who are not that impatient, the update is confirmed to automatically roll out starting June 6th. Transitioning to Android 2.3 is done in two simple steps as the update is carried on over the air. The instructions below are given on Sprint’s website:
1.    Users will receive a notification that Android 2.3 is available for download.

2.    Once the user has downloaded the update, they will be prompted to install the update. The user will be notified that their device will be disabled during the installation process. The phone will be ready to use once the process completes.

So while rumors were split about a June 3rd and June 6th date for the update, it turned out that both are true. It’s not yet clear whether the update will bring the latest 2.3.4 flavor of Gingerbread, but – apart from the minor changes in the UI - it’s expected to fix some bugs including battery discharges, the ability to sync multiple Gmail accounts and display email attachments. Feel free to let us know how your update went and whether you personally find the promised improvements!

source: Sprint via Electronista