There was good news for Apple today with new research from price comparison site Kelkoo UK stating that 40 per cent of consumers are ready to ditch their laptops for a tablet PC like the iPad, reports "V3" (http://www.v3.co.uk/v3/news/2260785/four-ten-uk-consumers-fancy").

When it comes to the iPad, 23% felt its functionality was too limited at the moment, while 32% said they didn’t see the need for one at all. However, Bruce Fair, managing director of Kelkoo UK,says the iPad could do for the tablet market what the iPhone did for the smartphone market and pave the way for a host of imitators.

“When it comes to transforming the fortunes of niche markets, Apple undoubtedly has the ‘Midas touch’,” he told "V3." “The iPad is a hybrid of Apple’s best loved products all under one roof, which is good for consumers as it could lead to significant cost savings. Like netbooks, the iPad provides the basic functions offered by a laptop at a margin of the cost -- which in the...

DODOcase (http://www.dodocase.com/) is announcing its limited first edition iPad case. Hand built and designed in San Francisco, CA the DODOcase takes the best of the traditional hardcover book/journal and brings it to an iPad case with inspiration from the Moleskine writing journals we all know and love, says Patrick Buickley, founder and CEO of DODOcase.

The DODOcase's protective cover is constructed using traditional book binding techniques. The iPad is held in place by a carved bamboo piece with foam inserts for added protection. Lightweight, strong and eco-friendly, the DODOcase design enables easy access to your iPad on the go with a fold around cover and a simple lift out for when you want to take the iPad from its case, says Buckley.

Orders are being accepted now at DODOcase online. Due to high demand cases will ship in 3-5 weeks. The price is normally US$49.95, but, for a limited time,...

iPresentee (http://www.ipresentee.com), a developer of add-ons for Apple’s iWork and iLife applications, released Mail Stationery 1.0 templates to be used with Apple’s Mail software. It's a collection of 65 templates for Apple Mail.

What's more, iPresentee is presenting 15 free Easter Mail Stationery templates. Most of the templates includes extra design variations. Messages created with Mail Stationery can be read by popular webmail services and email programs on both Mac computers and PCs.

Moreover all Messages created with Mail Stationery can be viewed on iPhone, iPod touch or iPad. New Mail Stationery templates comes with an installer to make sure the templates end up in the right place and would be displayed in Apple Mail New Message Stationery menu automatically. 

Mail Stationery 1.0 is priced at US$25 and requires Mac OS X 10.5n. Free Mail Stationery templates for Easter holiday...

MusicSkins has launched a new line of vinyl skin products for the iPad. Available today, the new line of MusicSkins covers the entire back of the iPad, custom-cut to allow for complete functionality. 

The new line of fully removable entertainment-themed skins for the iPad feature MusicSkins’ entire catalogue, encompassing musical genres like rock, rap, country, R&B, pop and reggae, as well as fashion, art, models, Adult Swim and other media themes. Through its partnership with Live Nation, MusicSkins has gained rights to market skins from some of the largest acts in the industry, including The Beatles, Jay Z, Black Eyed Peas, Sex Pistols, AC/DC, Madonna, Lil Wayne, and Kiss, as well as acts from other companies such as Bob Marley, Taylor Swift, The Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, Rihanna, Linkin Park and among others.

Jed Seifert, MusicSkins executive vice president, says the MusicSkins line of device skins are made of premium quality vinyl that provides a high-gloss...

On the new "MacVoices" (http://www.macvoices.com), Marco Arment is "the guy who does everything for Instapaper," talks about the origins of Instapaper.

He reveals his method of beta-testing, explains why graphics aren't included in Instapaper-processed articles, and what drove his feature set and pricing decisions for the two versions of the program. Arment also discusses his iPad expectations, and why he thinks it will be important to have an iPad-native version of Instapaper available as soon as possible.

"MacVoices" is an Internet show and podcast that delivers in-depth discussions with the most influential people in the Mac industry, as well as "the individuals who are out there making it happen on the front lines of the global Apple community," according to host Chuck Joiner.

FileMaker (http://www.filemaker.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Apple, has announced the immediate availability of its Bento for iPad on the Apple App Store for US$4.99.

The app is based on Bento for iPhone with enhancements to make the most of the big, beautiful iPad screen, says Ryan Rosenberg, FileMaker vice president of marketing and services. The new app enables users to manage contacts, track projects, plan events and more, and can be used by itself or synchronized with Bento 3 for Mac.
 
Bento for iPad works in both portrait and landscape views, automatically switching between views as the user rotates the iPad. Users can touch the screen to edit information in choice, date and rating fields and checkboxes. A new quick tap lets users watch videos, view photos and send e-mails. Customers can even browse web links in Bento without leaving the app. 
 
The app features new...

iLuv (http://www.i-luv.com) has unveiled a line of cases and sleeves that provide protection for iPads.

Ranging from casual fabric cases to leather cases to silicone cases, this series also includes protective water resistant neoprene sleeves which will feature two front cover pockets for protecting your iPad protected while on the go. Go to the iLuv web site for details and pricing.

CBS Corp. and Walt Disney Co.'s ABC are adapting episodes of their TV shows to be viewable free of charge on the iPad, according to people familiar with the matter, reports "The Wall Street Journal" (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142405270230333830457515673000868093...).

The two U.S. networks are planning to stream their TV shows over the Internet with commercial breaks, similar to on their existing Web sites, people briefed on the plans said. CBS plans to stream episodes of TV shows through the iPad's built-in Web browser, while ABC plans to stream its shows in an iPad window, says the "WSJ."

Disney and its affiliates will offer applications from all of its businesses on the new iPad. The ABC Player app extends the reach of ABC.com’s full episode player onto the iPad.

iPad users will have the ability to watch free, ad-supported episodes from approximately 20 ABC series through a Wi-Fi connection. The application will also allow iPad users to purchase downloads of episodes via the iTunes store. The ABC iPad app brings the full experience of ABC.com’s full episode player to a touch-screen, handheld device for the first time. Additionally, the ABC.com site is now optimized for the iPad, complete with full-functionality for all its features, including short-form video.

Disney Publishing Worldwide has built two original “Toy Story” read-along apps for the iPad, both combining Disney stories and activities. Each “Toy Story” read-along is an immersive multimedia experience – the books feature video from the feature films, karaoke and voice record features, the...

Here are the latest iPhone/iPod touch/iPod/iPad apps announced. You can find 'em at the Apple App Store (http://www.itunes.com/appstore).

Box.net has announced its Box App for iPad is available for free.The app is a cloud content management solution that has been designed to take full advantage of iPad’s Multi-Touch interface. Box App for iPad enables users to access, share and interact with business content stored on Box.net, which lets you share, manage and access all your business content online.

220 Software has released Glow Magic: Doodle Animator 1.0 for iPhone and iPod touch devices. With the US$0.99 app, users can draw glowing art using a variety of tools, and then add animations like falling snow, a moving starfield, or even fireworks displays.

InterLingua Medical Publishing has introduced Medical Point2 Spanish 1.0, an $0.99 iPhone app that allows medical and...

Overall satisfaction among smartphone and traditional handset owners whose phones are equipped with touch screens is considerably higher than satisfaction of owners of phones that have other input mechanisms, according to a new report by J.D. Power and Associates (http://www.JDPower.com). And the iPhone leads the pack in customer satisfaction.

Among smartphone owners whose device has a touch screen, satisfaction averages 771 on a 1,000-point scale, nearly 40 index points higher than among those whose smartphone uses other input methods, such as a text keyboard. Currently, slightly more than one-half of owners indicate their smartphone has a touch screen for navigation. While not as readily available on traditional mobile phones, satisfaction on phones with a touch screen averages 756-53 index points higher than the industry average.

"Touch screens are ideal for those using their phone for...