Amazon.com Inc. has launched a new Cloud Player music locker service. Amazon has beaten its rivals with the late Monday launch of the Cloud Locker service.

Amazon are calling the service “Amazon Cloud Player.” This is a service that enables users of the service to upload their music library  to a server hosted by Amazon. Users can then listen to their music from any Web browser. They can also play their music from their mobile phones or tablets by using an application.

Reports circulating around the tech blogs say that Apple Inc. and Google Inc. will be launching their own similar service. It is rumored both companies are hard at work developing their services. The service from Apple, which Apple enthusiasts call SkyTunes, will include the current MobileMe cloud service.

The MobileMe service from able enables users to upload their documents to Apple servers and access them from any computer though a web browser. The service however does not currently support music files.

Apple is in negotiations with the major record labels and publishers to acquire the licenses to enable them to stream songs from their servers.

Apples intended introduction of a cloud locker service is viewed by analysts as an attempt to neutralize Google. Google has been in negotiations with record labels for licenses to its own music service for the Android platform. According to those close to the negotiations, the service from Google will be launched later this year.

The launch of Amazon’s Cloud Player music locker service beats both Apple and Google to the start. The service from Amazon will offer 5 gigabytes storage for storing music. The 5 gigabytes service will be for free. Customers who buy a digital album from the Amazon digital store will receive 20 gigabytes of free music storage for a year. We don’t know at this time if Amazon will charge for storage beyond the one year.

Apple’s MobileMe service costs its users $99 per year for 20GB storage. Analysts believe there is an advantage to whoever enters the Cloud Player music locker service first. This is because the uploading of music collections to the locker can take hours or even days and users will be hesitant to switch to a different service.

Amazon’s launch of its Cloud Player locker also beats Google to the service on its own Android platform.

Rumors speculating on the tech blogs this week suggest that Apple has pushed back the release date of its iOS 5 operating system to the fall of this year with a September release date more likely.

During the launch of the iPad 2 earlier this month, there was no talk of iOS 5 by Steve Jobs. This left Apple enthusiasts disappointed. But now Techcrunch is revealing that this might be due to the fact that the product wouldn’t be released anytime soon. According to the report from Techcrunch, the new iOS 5 will be a major revamp and is set for a fall 2011 launch date.

The new iOS will be coincide with the release of the iPhone 5, the report said. The fall release date will be a deviation from Apple’s tendency of launching new versions of their iOS software in the spring. Apple’s consistency of releasing a new iOS version during the spring was the reason many people thought Apple might talk about iOS 5 during the launch of the iPad 2. As there was no such talk, rumors quickly spread that a new event might take place in April to discuss the software and MobileMe. However that seems very unlikely to happen this time.

The is however believed the new version of the iOS will be previewed at WWDC, but will not be launched at that time. Rumors are that the new operating system will be heavily based on the cloud system with the proliferation of new services from Apple to make full use of this new power. One of the services likely to be launched for the cloud based iOS will be a “music locker” service. It is believed Apple will extensively talk about the cloud stuff at their annual developers event, WWDC, in June this year.

iPad 3 rumors and release date

Another hot rumor is that Apple will also release a new type of iPad. It is thought that Apple will release a new iPad 3 in September this year to coincide with the release of the new iOS 5.

Apple is also on schedule to release a OS X in the summer. The OS X will also feature some cloud components.

In previous practice, Apple releases a new iPhone to coincide with a new iOS version release. So our believe is that the new iPhone 5 will also be be released in September this year. the iPhone 5 is likely to be unveiled at the WWDC event in June and might be released a few months after that. This could mean that the iPhone 5 could be released with an iOS 4.X update. We will keep you updated when new information comes our way.

ICANN, the body to manages domain names, has approved the introduction of .XXX domain extensions to be used for the adult industry.

Any url with the .xxx extension will be easily identified as containing contents suitable for adult audiences only. The move will also make it easier for Internet Service Providers (ISP), system administrators and parents to easily block access to porn on their networks.

Moves to introduce this domain name started way back in 2003, but faced stiff criticism from the industry.

The new .xxx domain names will be available for registering through the ICM Registry. so far, over 230,000 .xxx domain names have been reserved through their website. The move is not a mandatory one. You don’t have to use the .xxx domain name for adult contents. You can still put adult contents on any of the other domain extensions such as .com and .net.

People can start registering the .xxx names from the second quarter of 2011.

Some advocates against porn will see this as a victory of some sort. It will make it easier for anyone who does not want to come into contact with porn to steer clear of a site with the .xxx domain name. The move will make it easy for companies and individuals to block any domain with the .xxx extension as they can be sure it has adult contents.

The registrars of the domain name said strong measures will be put into place to make sure the sites using the .xxx domain names will comply with strict rules. These rules have been set to prevent fraud, spamming and child pornography.

ICM hopes the new domain names will increase traffic and profits for webmasters as the extension will become a trusted name in the adult industry.

iPad 2 was released just a week ago but already, reports say Apple might have to face parts shortages for the iPad 2 due to the Japanese earthquake and tsunami that occurred on the same day the iPad 2 was released.

According to a report released on Thursday, Many of the iPad’s key components, including the battery and the flash memory storage unit in the device, are made in Japan. This was made known in a report by the research firm IHS iSuppli.

According to the report, the battery of the iPad 2 is manufactured by Apple Japan, which is an Apple subsidiary, and most likely uses a manufacturing technology that is only available in Japan due to the unusually thin nature of the battery.

The reports indicate that Apple will not be able to ask a different manufacturer other than the Japanese one to supply the batteries. It said the Japanese manufacture of the battery is likely to face difficulties following the earthquake and tsunami.

Many of Japan’s manufacturing plants have stopped productions after last week’s earthquake and tsunami.So far over 5,000 have been confirmed dead and the death toll is set to top over 10,000.

The iPad 2′s flash memory units are manufactured by a number of companies. Toshiba, which is one of the flash memory manufacturers for the device, closed one of its flash memory production plants in Japan and has warned that it will face logistics difficulties in distributing the memory devices.

The report also said that, companies that supply other components in the iPad 2 whose plants were not damaged by the earthquake and tsunami will also likely face logistical difficulties like the procurement of raw materials and the distribution of their parts.

The iPad 2 was released last week and demand has since been very high. Industry analysts project the number of units sold that weekend to top 1 million.

Currently if you order the device from the Apple online store, you’ll have to wait 4-5weeks for delivery. But this might become longer when manufacturing slows due to lack of parts.

Apple said on Tuesday it was delaying the release of the iPad 2 in Japan. This, Apple says has nothing to do with any component shortages but was a decision to enable to wait as the country and their team make a recovery from the disaster.

Apple has started taking donations through its iTunes service and AT&T is offering its users free calls and text messaging to Japan till the end of March. These follow the devastating earthquake and tsunami that ripped through northern Japan on Friday.

If you have an iTunes account, you will be able to make a donation to the Red Cross through the iTunes store. You can donate in $5, $10, $25, $50, $100 and $200 amounts.

Apple will be giving all the donations to the Red Cross to aid in the relief efforts going on in Japan after the quake and tsunami. In line with Apple’s privacy policy, the company will not be sharing the names of donors with the Red Cross, so you will not receive any personal acknowledgment from the Red Cross.

Apple will send an email to you in acknowledgment of your donations. And your credit card statement will show the donation as a purchase from the iTunes Store. Also, you can’t use your iTunes Store credit to make donations.

It will be recalled that, Apple did the same thing when Haiti was hit by a destructive series of earthquakes in 2010.

AT&T is also providing support to the relief efforts by offering free calls and text messages to Japan for its users till March ending.

This is AT&T’s way of helping those who will like to call people they may know in Japan. User’s of AT&T’s wireless prepaid services will see no charges when they make a call to Japan from the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The same applies to all text messages to Japan.

Customers on wireline can ask for up to 1 hour of credits of calls to Japan.

If you are an AT&T wireless customer, you will also be able to donate $10 to the Red Cross if you text “redcross” to 90999. You will not be charged any text message fees.

A look at the Apple.com iPad site now reveals the iPad 2 has gone on sale today. If you go to the site, you should be able to place an order online.

Where else to buy the iPad 2

If you don’t want to order online, then you’ll have to wait till 5:00 pm PST to buy from the Apple retail stores nationwide. However, you should expect to join long queues at the Apple retail stores in order to buy the iPad 2.

The iPad 2 will also be available Bestbuy.com but a quick glance at their website hasn’t listed the product online yet. But you can buy from any of the Best Buy shops nationwide.

You will also be able to buy the iPad 2 from Walmart stores nationwide. A quick glance on Walmart.com only showed listings with a “coming soon” written on them.

However you can buy from the two stores from 5:00pm PST today Friday March 11.

It will also be available at Verizon Wireless stores nationwide from 5:00pm today.

AT&T is yet to comfirm if the product will be in their stores from today.

All the models of the iPad 2 will be available for sale today. You will be able to buy both colors as well. However, we are very sure shops like Verizon, AT&T, Best Buy and Walmart will carry more of the black colors than the white ones so if you prefer the white color version, make sure you get to the shops early.

Here are a few tips if you plan on buying the ipad 2 today.

• If there is a walmart or Best Buy shop near the Apple store, chances are that there will be shorter queues there so if you are in a hurry, you can consider going to one of them instead.

• People started queuing at the Apple Stores in some places as early as Thursday night so expect long queues at Apple retail stores. If you can wait to receive your iPad 2 on Tuesday, then order online at the Apple.com

• Know that even on ordinary days, Fridays are a busy shopping day at Verizon and AT&T stores so expect today to be more busier.

• As is typical of launch day, Apple retail stores are expected to open a couple of hours late to make sure they have everything in place to receive the large number of shoppers expected.

• If you have a size or color preference, then its best you order online. Its not any good queuing for hours only to be told your preference is out of stock.

The iPad 2 models available for sale will be the Wi-Fi model ranging from 16GB to 64 GB with the 16GB version selling for $499. You can also buy the Wi-Fi + 3G model in sizes ranging from 16GB to 64GB and comes on either AT&T or Verizon.

Happy shopping for your iPad 2.

Where, when and how to buy the new iPad 2

Tomorrow March 11th marks the day consumers can order the iPad 2 in the United States. The tablet will be available for sale online and in stores. If what we’ve seen with regards to trade-ins is anything to go by, then we can safely conclude the iPad 2 will be best seller.

We believe there will be very long queues in front of Apple stores all across the US. If you will be one of the many buying the iPad 2 when it launches, then you should know the things below.

Last year, consumers were able to pre-order the iPad and iPhone 4 before it became available but Apple has chosen not to go down that lane this time round.

Rather, you’ll be able to order the iPad 2 from Apple.com early tomorrow, Friday March 11, and in Apple stores from 5:00pm on Friday. Reports say that the start time for sales of the iPad 2 on Apple.com will be 12:01am PST on Friday. That means those on the East Coast will be able to place their orders from 3:00am.

Apple.com will make available both the Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi + 3G models in black or white colors. For the 3G models, you’ll be able to choose between AT&T and Verizon.

When you place your iPad 2 order at Apple.com this Friday, you will probably get your iPad on Monday March 14th.

The Apple stores will begin selling the iPad 2 at 5:00pm on Friday March 11th. As is typical with first day sales, you should expect a couple of hours delay before the shops open.

We believe people could start queuing at some Apple stores as early as Thursday night.

You can also go to Best Buy, Walmart, Sam’s Club and Target to buy the iPad 2. We are not sure if these stores will offer online sales tomorrow as well. But they will most probably also start sales from 5:00pm on Friday.

The iPad 2 will also be available at Verizon Wireless tomorrow. But AT&T is yet to confirm if they will have the tablet from the launch date.

However, you can get the AT&T version from stores like Walmart and Best Buy.

The basic model, the 16GB Wi-Fi model, will sell for $499 and the most expensive model will be the 64GB Wi-Fi + 3G model at $829

Some tips people going to buy from stores.

If there is a Walmart or Target shop new an Apple store, chances are that it will be less crowded than the Apple store. Go there instead if you are in a hurry.

If you want a particular color or size, then it’s best you buy online. You don’t want to stay in line for hours only to be told your preference is not available.

If you can, then wait until Saturday as shops can receive fresh deliveries on Saturday.

So much for the selling records broken by Apple’s iPad and iPhone sales. According to Microsoft, it has sold more than 10 million units of its Kinect motion-sensing controller since November last year when it was launched. And it sold more than 8 million of the Kinect units in the first two months alone.

And Guinness World Records has just announced that is the fastest selling consumer electronics product of all time in the first 60 days.

The selling rate of the Microsoft product is a staggering 133,333 units every day since it was launched. That is a faster selling rate than the iPad and the iPhone from Apple could manage.

Also, buyers are purchasing one extra Kinect game for each controller they buy. Microsoft says there have been more than 10 million standalone games bought in the same period.

An editor from the Guinness World Records said the sales figures from the sale of Microsoft’s Kinect devices has never been achieved by any consumer electronics device in the first 60 days of it being launched. He called it quite incredible considering the competition in this market niche.

Analysts regard this achievement as a testimonial to Microsoft’s new role as a front runner in the gaming industry. The game console industry used to be dominated by Japan’s Sony. But since it’s launch, the PS3 has struggled to keep up with the Xbox 360 or the Nintendo Wii.

Today’s statement by Microsoft follows that at CES where Microsoft announced more than 8 million units had been sold. And it appears the rate at which they are selling the Kinect is not going to slow down for the foreseeable future. Discussions amongst gamers seem to indicate that the Xbox 360 is probably going to be the choice of gamers for many years ahead.

Wednesday’s announcement also revealed that Microsoft is developing a Kinect-enabled version of Hulu Plus and Netflix. It also said it is still working on releasing Avatar Kinect. Thi is a social networking service for the users of its Xbox users.

A big announcement by Warner Brothers revealled that the film company will start screening movies on Facebook.

This is seen as a new channel of revenue generation for the studio. This will also be the first big Hollywood movie studio to work with Facebook.

The movie screening service on Facebook will initially only be available to United States users only.

The company could extend the service to other countries including the UK based on the success of their United States trials.

This is how the movie screening service by Warner Bros will work on Facebook. The company will charge users 30 Facebook credits per movie you watch. This will be the equivalence of about $3.

After you pay for the movie, you will have 4 days within which to watch the movie.

The first movie available for rent on Facebook is Batman: The Dark Knight.

There will be other movies added in the coming months. However no news has been made available about which movies will be added.

A statement released by Warner Bros said they felt making available their movies on Facebook is a natural extension of their efforts to distribute their movies online.

Facebook has several hundreds of millions of users and Warner Bros sees it as an opportunity to further generate revenue.

If the Warner Bros experiment with Facebook proves to be successful, you will be sure other major Hollywood studios will also follow their footsteps. This can result in implications for online movie streaming service providers like NetFlix.

Facebook has a vastly superior user base than all of these service providers combined and if they venture into the movie streaming business, the likes of Netflix will have some serious competition.

RIM (Research In Motion), the makers of BlackBerry today revealed the US release of their new product, the BlackBerry PlayBook will come installed with 7digital’s music store.

The music store installation will be available on its USA and Canada launches and will further be released in other countries throughout the year.

7digital is a UK based online music store which is partly owned by HMV Group. It has a digital music library of over 13 million music tracks which are all fully licensed. You are able to browse through their catalog of songs, preview a short track before purchasing.

Industry talks believe this move is to enable RIM to try and compete with the iPad from Apple which runs the highly popular iTunes store on its products.

7digital music store already has a deal with BlackBerry that has seen it develop MP3 music purchases through its application for BlackBerry smartphones. It also has a deal with Samsung where it sells songs through Samsung’s GALAXY Tab.

7digital announced that the price for songs downloaded through the RIM PlayBook will the same as 7digital.com. Songs and albums will be priced in the user’s local currency.

The BlackBerry PlayBook, Scheduled to be released in March, was announced in the middle of last year.