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This video from Mashable is probably the best overview video that I've seen on the new iPad. The best news is perhaps that the iPad2 is now $399 making it more affordable for schools. Other features: the New iPad will let you connect 5 devices through the mobile hotspot feature You can create and share photo albums using the new app iPhoto (looks like all of us can get this one) of course the new "retina" display lets you have higher def viewing the iPad is thicker but supposedly has longer battery life The biggest ripple is that Apple proclaimed that the iPad has taken us to the "post PC era." They need to hold on, of course, as Google glasses aren't here yet. The changing form factor of computing devices is not over, I predict, but some sort of tablet device is probably in our future. After all, isn't that an iPad Captain Kirk is using there on the Enterprise? Photo credit: Film Junk: top 10 Star Trek devices in use today .

Chris Lehmann at the Guggenheim at yesterday's announcement from Apple The world is buzzing with the Apple announcements about their move into eTextbooks. As I listened to Leo LaPorte and Sarah Lane's podcast about the announcement in the car coming home from the basketball game last night, my son said, "Mom, don't just listen to what people are saying, but try it out yourself." Of course, he's right. I haven't had a lot of time but let's rundown the facts as I know them today and as I played with these tools. Just remember, that there are some great things but there is also a whole lot of commercialism in these new apps and ebooks for education. iBooks 2 This is an upgrade to the iBooks you already have. Update the app. Here is my live blog of my first experience with an interactive iBook, maybe it will save you some time. I downloaded the Beatle's Yellow Submarine Interactive book and it took 7 minutes to download. Expect intera...