It seems like the iPad hype is far from over, even after it has already been released in the market.

But before you get your hands on  this latest electronic gadget, here are some things you might want to know about the iPad.

(From CNN’s Before you buy: 12 things to know about the iPad)

The price
Not really the first on the CNN’s list, but I’m sure it is one of the major concerns of many. The price of iPad ranges from $499 to $899.

The more expensive ones of course would have more features, such as larger storage space, so there will be more spaces for your music, videos, and what-have-you.

Also, the less expensive ones connect to the Internet with Wi-Fi only, while the more expensive ones connect through Wi-Fi and through AT&T‘s mobile Internet network.

The iPad keyboard
By now, you may have already know that the iPad does not have a keyboard, so how do you type on it?

The iPad’s keyboard is a graphic that pops up on the device’s touch-sensitive screen. A feature that is too familiar to iPhone and iPod Touch users.

The touchscreen feature allows the iPad users to type by touching the pictures of the keys on the screen. It is about the same size as the one you have on your desk, only, you can’t feel the keys.

The iPad versus the laptop
Many are already familiar with laptop and the convenience and mobility it affords many laptop users. So how does iPad differs from the laptop?

The laptop computer, which is obviously heavier than a laptop, has its own keyboard. And while some laptops would have touchscreen features, it is something that many laptop models is really lacking.

The iPad differs in that, it falls into a category of its own which the slate or tablet computer, because of its compact size. It doesn’t have keyboard, and therefore, navigation through it would be via touching the screen like how you operate an iPhone or an iPod Touch.

iPad versus Kindle
Before the iPad fever, there were the e-readers like the Kindle where users can read digital books. It has already become popular and in fact had its own cult of followers before the iPad came to be.

Then came iPad. It can also like an e-reader, and then plus some more. For one, the iPad has color display, in contrast to Kindle which only comes in black-and-white.

This difference then would depend on your personal preference, and perhaps the kind of material you are reading.

iPad best function
With all those features, one would ask, “What does the iPad do best?”

Among other things, the iPad is designed for reading digital books, browsing the Web, and watching videos. It is also good as a portable gaming device, of course, you can choose from the hundreds of games for sale at the iPad App Store.

It doesn’t have a DVD player, but iPad users can download videos from Apple, or stream them from the Web.

Lastly, the iPad (as the article said), is better for readers and not really much a delight for those who are writing long articles and messages… such as blog writer.

These are just some of the things you might want to know before buying your iPad. Read the complete list from the CNN report by John D. Sutter.

You might also want to check the iPad competitors.

The buzzword last week was iPad, and that is because Apple finally revealed what it called the “magical” iPad.

No less that Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the Ipad last January 28, and he referred to it as a “truly magical and revolutionary product.”

“What this device does is extraordinary,” Jobs said. “It is the best browsing experience you’ve ever had. … It’s unbelievably great … way better than a laptop. Way better than a smartphone.”

The product was presented for demonstration at an  invitation-only event in San Francisco, and it operated without a hardware keyboard, with Jobs typing on what he described as a nearly full-size touchscreen keyboard. “It’s a dream to type on,” he said.

The iPad has a nearly 10-inch screen, about half-inch thick and weigh around 1½ pounds. It is available in 16-gigabyte, 32-gigabyte and 64-gigabyte versions.

Jobs said the iPad will be lightning fast: “It screams.” The device will have a 1 GHz processor, an announcement that coaxed “oohs” and “ahs” from the audience.

The price of this new device starts $499 for the 16-gigabyte version, $599 for the 32-gig version and $699 for the 64, Jobs said. Having 3G mobile access will cost an extra $130 on each, he added.

Two mobile plans will be available through AT&T, and there will be no contracts, allowing customers to opt out at any time, according to Jobs.

Some tweets I’m reading about this iPad isn’t really very encouraging. I haven’t read them though, so I’ll still give this iPad a try… that is, if I can even afford one.

As if following the cue from Google who just released a faster version of the Chrome browser, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8 is about to follow suit.

That is because Microsoft is also prepared to release the latest Internet Explorer which is the IE8, and it is packed with new features. One of the main consideration in the updated version is the user’s safety and security in their online experience.

Just like Safari 2.0′s private Browsing and Google Chrome’s Incognito mode, IE8 blocks websites with tracking applications. A new feature called “InPrivate,” is a mode where users can prevent the browser from saving browsing history of sites visited. It also boasts of automatic crash recovery feature that recovers the last known websites visited by a user.

Although no announcement has been made yet, there were reports which indicated that Microsoft is set to release the final version of IE8 on March 19.

That is really what competition can do for you… even industry-leaders are kept on their toes as new and upcoming players are easily getting on their heels.

The one to benefit from this upgrades is of course, us — the end users. I have been using Firefox for quite a while now, but I might consider going back to Explorer once I hear good reviews about this IE8.

Steve Demeter was a software designer for a large bank, and in his spare time develop and created a game for the iPhone, which now is a popular game called “Trism.”

After pitching the game to Apple, the company made it available for download in July together with the launch of App Store, an online provider of application for its iPods and iPhones.

Demeter is said to have earned $250,000 in profits the first two months the game was on sale. The game was priced at $5.

Trism is a game like “Bejeweled” in which a player manipulates colorful grid of triangles. Points are scored by lining up three or more like-colored triangles in a row, with an ‘iPhone twist’ – the triangles rearrage themselves depending on which way the player rotates the phone.

Demeter did all of the game himself, although he said his friend was the one who came up with the name ‘Trism.’ He did pay him though.

Demeter has already quit his day job two months ago and now has his own company which is called Demiforce. He plans to develop more electronic games. He now has a staff, with five games in development, two of which will come out before Christmas. One is these two is a spin-off of the ‘Trism’ called “Trismology.”