Now Apple Stores are selling Square plug-in card readers, which enable iOS users to make credit card transactions via their mobile devices. Combined with Square’s free mobile app, the $9.95 reader plugs into your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad and lets you make credit card purchases with a simple swipe. You’ll be charged 2.75 percent per transaction, but Apple is crediting $10 for every Square reader bought.

Founded by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, Square was formally launchedfor iOS and Android devices in May 2010. Until now, neither Google nor Apple have endorsed the product apart from offering the required Square app in their app stores.

After years of false starts and delays in deploying near-field communication (NFC) in the U.S., mobile payments are on the rise as more mobile companies explore the technology. Google is reportedly working with MasterCard and Citibank to embed mobile payment technology on Android phones, and is believed to be testing NFC technology in select markets. Apple is also reportedly trying to get into the NFC game as well.

Google also recently brought direct carrier billing to Sprint, which is already available on AT&T and T-Mobile, to allow users to bill purchases on Android Market on their monthly phone bills. And apart from Square’s mobile credit card reader, there’s MobilePay’s phone-as-a-credit card service, and initiatives from payment processors PayPal and Intuit. American Express and MasterCard have also recently launched their own mobile payment platforms.

Perhaps the most anticipated mobile payment initiative is Isis, an NFC-based mobile payment platform that combines the efforts of Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile. Earlier this month, Isis announced plans tolaunch out of Salt Lake City in 2012.

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The new Typescreen from Spinning Hat is actually a typewriter style keyboard dock for the iPad and iPad 2 that allows you to feel like you are back in the old days, while using some modern technology at the same time. As an officially licensed Apple product, the Limited Edition Typescreen provides all the style and quality that you’d expect from Apple with the playful design and innovation expected from Spinning Hat

Analyst firm Piper Jaffray has published a report on Apple’s initial weekend sales of its new iPad 2 tablet computer, noting that not only were the iPad 2′s sales stronger than the original iPad, but that it basically sold out within the first 24 hours.

Based on a very small survey of 236 people in line to buy the new device in New York and Minneapolis, Piper Jaffray has put together a number of statistics. Most interesting of them, perhaps, is that 70 percent of buyers surveyed were new to Apple’s iPad, though 80 percent already owned an Apple iPod. Those surveyed were split almost evenly between Mac and PC owners, at 51 percent and 49 percent, respectively. 65 percent of those surveyed owned an iPhone, which is on par with the 66 percent figure of original iPad buyers that owned an iPhone.

Piper Jaffray estimates that Apple sold between 400,000 and 500,000 iPad 2 units through the various retail chains, which is significantly higher than the 300,00 iPads sold on launch day last year. It is worth noting that the original iPad was offered only in a non-3G configuration at launch time, while the iPad 2 was available in a non-3G version as well as in 3G versions for both AT&T and Verizon Wireless.

Verizon Wireless has announced the pricing and plans for the iPad 2 with 3G, which will be released tomorrow evening.
Pricing for the iPad 2 will be $629.99 for the 16GB model, $729.99 for the 32GB model, and $829.99 for the 64GB model, which is the same as the pricing for the original iPad as announced by Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

Verizon Wireless will be offering four monthly data plans for the iPad 2, all without contracts. Customers can purchase 1GB of usage for $20 per month, 3GB for $35 per month, 5GB for $50 per month, and 10GB for $80 per month. The 1GB plan has an overage charge of $20 per GB, while the other plans have charges of $10 per GB over the allotment. Any of the plans can be canceled at any time.

Rumors, rumors, and rumors. Everyone is getting sick of all the iPad 2 coverage. But don’t worry, because we’ve got more! You might have heard that how the iPad 2′s white and black versions will be shipping simultaneously and how iOS 4.3 will be released alongside the next generation tablet on March 11.

Some of you maybe thinking that Apple was kidding around when they said that the tablet will be ready for store shelves on March 11th, hey! you will be happy to hear that the device has officially hit the FCC. While this isn’t exactly the most exciting announcement to happen today there is at least one thing to take away from it and that is that there will in fact be separate version for AT&T and Verizon. The reason I say this is because there was some fuss right when the device was released with consumers a bit confused over whether Apple stuck both a CDMA and GSM radio into a single model, or if there would be separate models.
Let’s wait for further information about this. [MW]

Today is the day for the announcement of the upcoming Apple’s popular iPad 2. Apple is all set to announce the iPad 2 later today (March 2), and if you think this will be the only new iPad introduced in 2011 well, you may be wrong. We have some source and according to CultofMac, an anonymous Apple employee declared that a newer iPad – iPad 3 – is “on track for release later this year.”

Reportedly, the iPad 3 is the one that customers should really wait for, since the iPad 2 is a “ho-hum update”, “more of a speed bump than a redesign” – much like the iPhone 3GS was for the iPhone 3G, maybe? Unfortunately, We don’t have any clue about the specs.

Until we hear more about the third generation iPad, let us remind you what the iPad 2 should bring: two cameras (one on the back and one on the front – for FaceTime video calling), a speedier processor, more RAM, and possibly both GSM and CDMA connectivity. The new Apple tablet should be thinner than the current model, and there may even be a white version of it. We’ll have all the details as soon as Apple announces the device.

We have heard the rumors about this iOS 4.3, and today the Beta Version has been released. Apple is adding WiFi hotspot mode to AT&T iPhones. Today Apple released iOS 4.3 beta 1 to developers, and the hotspot isn’t the only addition you can look forward to in the iOS upgrade because AirPlay will now be usable for video. The beta iOS 4.3 is now available for the iPhone 3GS and up, the iPad, and 3rd and 4th generation Touches.

The other great feature is Apple also gives the iPad a multi-touch tweak by recognizing five-finger gestures. Since this is the Beta version, maybe we should wait until the Final release. [Source]

Just like the Verizon’s iPhone rumor, it looks like Apple is going to do something Huge this following weeks. While we haven’t gotten anything official regarding the iPad 2 out of Apple, Digg.com founder Kevin Rose has come forth to give his insight. According to Rose, Apple is set to launch the iPad 2 within the next 3-4 weeks “possibly Tuesday, February 1st”. Additionally, Rose says the tablet will feature a display with a higher resolution than the original generation device alongside front and rear facing cameras.
Can this statement to be believed? Well, the speculation regarding the hardware changes seems about right but we’ll have to wait for the official confirmation. [MW]

We have another PC game come to iOS following the recent TellTale games new Monkey Island series. The next almost old-school PC game of the nineties is 7th Guest, and Bill Gates once referred to it as “The new standard in electronic entertainment”. It was a unique puzzle and story-telling adventure around a haunted house of a man named Stauf. Now You are able to get this award-winning game on iTunes store for about $2.99 for the iPhone and $6 for the iPad version. [MW]

A new high quality game for iPad which is titled as Tales of Monkey Island: Episode 1 has been released. After having reinvigorated our love for old Monkey Island favorites, the iPad now has fresh high seas adventures in the form of Tales of Monkey Island. The first episode of five is available now for $7. [Gizmodo]