The Simple Touch Nook from Barnes and Noble makes it easier than ever to make an e-book reader your BFF.  A long-lasting battery will power the Nook for up to two months when the Nook is used for 30-60 minutes a day without wi-fi.  Lighter than the Amazon Kindle 3 by one ounce, the Nook uses new E Ink screen technology that allows it to refresh pages faster with less flashing.  In addition, the Nook’s crisp fonts are  exceptionally easy to read.  

Barnes and Noble Nook store offers more than two million books and magazines for downloading and you can interact with friends who also use the Nook store.

The Nook Simple Touch Reader currently costs $139 on the Barnes and Noble website.  Read a complete review of the Simple Touch Nook on Gizmodo.

This week at Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference, Apple CEO Steve Jobs announced a new tool that will let iTunes users store their ripped and purchased music in the cloud, allowing songs to be backed up on Apple’s serves for a flat fee of $24.99 per year. This new storage option, aptly name iCloud, provides up to 5GB of free storage space for everyone who installs the Apple iOS 5 update (this includes iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices).

The iCloud service will also be available for users of iBooks. Apple announced that users have already downloads 130 million books from the iBookstore.

Apple’s iCloud will compete with other online storage and data sync services like Dropbox, Box.net and SugarSync. It will allow content to be pushed to various devices, allowing users to wirelessly sync media, documents, calendars, apps and more between their various mobile devices and a Mac or PC.

Read more about iCloud on the official Apple website.

The name “Incredible” may seem presumptuous, but according to early reviews the new HTC smartphone lives up to its name.  This 2.75 by 2.5 inch device is smaller than many of today’s smartphones.  It doesn’t support the Verizon 4G network, so for many its primary function is making calls rather than entertainment.  It operates on both CDMA and GSM frequencies, which allows it to be used for international calls. 

Videos from websites like YouTube can still be viewed with good performance on Verizon’s 3G network.  A 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera allows video chat, and there’s also a standard back-facing camera for capturing videos.  Read a full review on the Wired Gadget blog.

This YouTube video shows a Face off between the HTC Droid Incredible 2 and the Apple iPhone 4.  For more information about another new 4G smartphone, read about the Samsung Droid Charge.

For today’s portable gadgets, finding the best case can be an important quest.  The Speck iGuy is a truly unique iPad and iPad 2 case that’s really just for fun.  The iGuy is a freestanding foam case that has personality to spare.  It’s lightweight and easy to hold and is sure to get noticed wherever it goes.

Speck makes a variety of gadget cases, including cases for iPods, Kindles, Smartphones, GPS devices and laptops.  They also make custom gadget cases with personalized printing and styling.

Find out more on the Speck Products website.

Amazon.com has just announced that it is reducing the price of its best-selling Kindle e-book reader. The discount of $25 comes with a catch – the Kindle will display special offers and screensaver ads. For $114, readers will see advertisements in screensaver mode instead of portraits of classic authors like Jules Verne and Virginia Woolf.

Other than the ads, the aptly-named Kindle with Special Offers is identical to the $139 Wi-Fi only third generation Kindle, which is the bestselling product in Amazon’s history. Consumers who buy the Kindle with Special Offers will have some control over which ad they see. They can visit the Kindle website and indicate what type of ads they want to see (humor, scenery, etc.). The e-book reader market has become very competitive between the Sony Reader, the Barnes & Noble Nook and the Apple iPad2. Some experts are predicting the Kindle’s price tag will drop below $100 by the end of the year in order to continue as a leader in the e-book field.

Read more about Kindle with Special Offers on Amazon.com.

Steve Jobs recently called the iPad “the most successful consumer product ever launched.” He might not be exaggerating since Apple sold 15 million of the devices in the first nine nine months after it was introduced. Last month the iPad 2 went on sale. This faster, smaller and lighter version of the iPad offers a variety of new features, including a faster processor, HD support and front-facing and rear-facing cameras.

A variety of new accessories are available for the iPad 2, including the magnetic Smart Cover (pictured above). However, If you plan on taking your new iPad 2 to the beach, you may want to invest in a water-resistant cover.

Read a full review of the IPad 2 on the MacWorld website.

Everyone want to get their hands on an iPad. Protect yours from tampering and theft with the iPad Case, Lock and Cable. The iPad as delivered by Apple has no built-in security slot, so this hard, clear plastic case provides one. Leave the case on for everday protection, then connect the security cable to the case and wrap the other end around a fixed object to secure your iPad.

The iPad cable weighs less than one pound, is very flexible and features a sleek lock-head. It can be easily packed up and carried in a briefcase, purse or pocket.
You can buy the iPad Lock, Cable and Case in a bundle at Maclocks.com.

Monitoring your skin’s exposure to the sun is one of the best ways to remain youthful looking and free of skin cancer. Now there’s a gadget to help you keep track of the power of the sun’s rays. The Oregon Scientific EB612 Portable UV Monitor tracks the current temperature and UV level and helps you know how long you can stay out. Simply input your skin type and the level of UV protection you’ve applied, and the EB612 Portable UV Monitor will beep when it’s time for you to find some shade.

You’ll find the EB612 Portable UV Monitor at Overstock.com for $17.99.

The ZuniConnect Travel from ZuniDigital is a super-portable device that can turn a wired Ethernet connection into a secure WiFi hotspot, allowing intrepid travelers to share a single Internet connection with multiple devices. It also provides multiple USB ports for recharging all of a traveler’s gadgets. With many travelers carrying smart phone, laptop, iPad and maybe even a Kindle, there is a growing need for multiple Internet connections while away from home.

The ZuniConnect is only $60, a small price when you consider that in-room Internet connections run $10 – $15 per day per gadget. Find out more in this PCWorld article and on the ZuniDigital website.

We’re one step closer to realistic android robots that resemble living human beings.  Henrik Scharfe, a Danish professor, recently worked with Japan’s Advanced Telecommunications Institute (ATR) and Japanese entertainment company Kokoro on the creation of a lifelike android that is a copy of himself.  This android is named DK and is third in a line of Geminoid robots that include HI-1 and F1.  Japan is currently in the forefront of the development of lifelike robots.

A Geninoid is a remote-controlled slave robot that mimics the facial expressions and body movement of a human master through a motion-tracking system and an Internet link.  Find out more on the Geminoid DK Facebook page.  You can also view amazing footage of a Geminoid DK robot in action in this YouTube video: