Rumours of a tablet computer – similar to a large-screen iPod touch – have
swirled for months, but many analysts and experts dismissed the chatter as
wishful thinking rather than indicating any solid plans from Apple.

But according to the Financial Times, which quotes sources close to the
company, Apple is hoping to launch a tablet computer this September.
Although details of the device, jokingly dubbed the MacBook Touch, remain
scarce, the Financial Times reports that it will have a 10in screen, Wi-Fi
connectivity, and the ability to download e-books as well as music, which
would pitch it in direct competition with Amazon’s Kindle ebook reader.

Panasonic released a bundle of home theater systems at CES 2009, but the
SC-ZT1 is easily the best of the bunch. The SC-ZT1 is a wireless home theater
system that uses the 2.4GHz band to send uncompressed audio to all four
speakers. Like all wireless systems, you’ll need need to run a power cable for
each speaker–so it’s not completely wireless–but you won’t have to deal with
long speaker cable runs all over your living room.

The SC-ZT1 is somewhat unusual as its technically a 4.0 system–there are
just the four, spindlelike speakers (Panasonic calls them Sound Slim Speakers),
pictured in the image. These four speakers each have four vertically aligned
speakers within them, which the SC-ZT1 uses to create a virtual 7.1 surround
sound effect. Sure, it probably won’t sound as good as a real 7.1 system, but
you’ll be dealing with a lot fewer wires. You’ll also notice that the SC-ZT1
lacks a dedicated, separate subwoofer.

This week, Dunkin’ Donuts launched an application for the iPhone and Web that helps organize and automate group orders.

Using their computers and mobile devices, customers can initiate orders through ‘Dunkin’ Run’ and alert friends and colleagues that they are willing to be the “Runner.”

Each member of the group can add their order to the list and then the Runner can print the choices or use the iPhone to create a checklist so that when they get to the store, they don’t miss anyone’s order. The app doesn’t yet transmit the order to the local donut shop.

“We conceived of Dunkin’ Run as a social application that helps hard-working Americans stay slightly more productive,” said Baba Shetty, Hill Holliday’s Chief Media Officer. “It’s based on the idea of reciprocity — I’ll get your coffee today and hopefully you’ll get mine tomorrow — in a way that perfectly complements the ‘we’re in it together’ ethos of the Dunkin’ Donuts brand.”

Adobe is set to introduce Flash Player 10 for most mobile operating systems later this year, including Google Android, Microsoft Windows Mobile, Nokia Symbian, and Palm WebOS.

Adobe’s CEO Shantanu Narayen said during a recent earnings call that multiple partners of the company have already received an early version of Flash Player 10. Developers will be able to get their hands on a beta version of Flash Player 10 mobile later this year, at Adobe’s Max conference in October.

Flash Player 10 will enable smartphones running on the above-mentioned operating systems to benefit from a richer Internet browsing experience, including watching videos embedded on some websites. Web-based applications can also be built on this platform, theoretically freeing developers from any applications stores.

T-Mobile announces a mea culpa Monday in the form of the myTouch, a new Android phone that addresses the most common complaints. The myTouch will be available to T-Mobile subscribers at the end of July, the company said.

Not that T-Mobile is throwing the G1 under the bus. It has sold a million G1 phones, enough to qualify it as a hit, they say, with a crowd they call “tech seekers.” But that is a comparatively small crowd.

To reach to the less tech savvy customer the new myTouch has been given a friendlier look. It’s thinner than the G1, and available in black, white and maroon. It is missing the curved “chin” of the G1, which made the phone pop a wheelie if the phone was on a flat surface when the track ball was used. The buttons stand higher than the face of the phone than on the G1, making them easier to press.

In case you didn’t like the Mondrian-style ZEN Mosaic, Creative has announced a new option: the ZEN Mosaic EZ300. It’s the same 1.8-inch player but this time, the entire PMP is of one shade of Black or Pink. It plays MP3, WMA, WAV, Audible 4 music files and will have 4GB or 8GB of storage. Price is 49.99 pounds ($81 $59.99) for the 4GB and $79.99 for the 8GB.

I have to agree that the Mosaic EZ300 is much easier for the eyes compared to the original mosaic, but believe me, cheap MP3 players are available with more features.