Apple iPad 2 shortage begins in U.K.

Just a few short days after Apple launched the iPad 2 in Britain, the country is already experiencing shortages of the tablet. Hundreds of gadget-crazed Apple fans stood in lines waiting for the chance to tap their thumbs across its 9.7-inch touchscreen, only to find that the iPad 2 is out of stock. Apple did not confirm the unavailability of the tablet nationwide. As we noted yesterday, many locations throughout Europe had sold out by Saturday. 

However, not a single Apple store phoned by The Telegraph this morning had an iPad 2 in stock. 

"Country-wide, you won't get one," said an Apple staff member at the Covent Garden location. Apple suggests reserving the iPad 2 online to be picked up in stores as soon as a new shipment arrives.

Google moves forward with mobile wallet

The Internet has been abuzz with talks of NFC and the future of the mobile wallet, and today Google announced a partnership that may take this buzz into the realm of reality. Sources close to the WSJ said, Google Inc. announced a partnership with MasterCard Inc. and Citigroup Inc. to embed technology into Android mobile phones that would allow customers to make purchase by waiving their smartphones over a special reader embedded into POS systems.

Google has already embedded the “near field communication” payment chip into its Nexus-S, but the company failed to prompt widespread pickup and use of the technology. Perhaps by partnering with the two financial icons, Google can sway retailers and consumers to adopt the technology. The plan is to offer retailers more data about their customers to create targeted ads and special discounts for mobile users. Consumers can also track spending through their mobile wallet.

Consumers would have to download a mobile-payment application in order to use their Citigroup-issued debit or credit card for electronic payment. Perhaps further down the line, Google will have the application preloaded on new Android phones.

The plan involves VeriFone Systems Inc., a company which makes credit-card readers for cash registers. VeriFone would have to roll out more contact-less devices throughout stores to enable the swipe or wave feature Google is hoping to implement. The credit card readers are based on NFC technology, which are already embedded within the cash registers of thousands of merchants nationwide.

“A phone is a lot smarter than a card,” said Doug Bergeron, VeriFone’s chief executive, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. “It opens the door to a rich experience at the point of sale that retailers really covet.”

The question on everybody’s minds is, “exactly how secure if NFC?”

“Because it’s contact-less there’s a perception people can grab it from thin air, but it’s actually a more sophisticated technology than credit cards with a magnetic stripe, making it more difficult to steal a consumer’s payment information,” said Nick Holland, a mobile-transactions analyst at Yankee Group.

Although payment information may be hidden, this would not stop a thief from swiping your credit card if you happen to misplace your cell phone. Combine that with Google’s promise to retailers to obtain customer and buying information for more targeted ads, and an instant red privacy flag goes up.

The system is expected to be released this year by Google, the company hoping to broaden uses of the smartphone, which may help put the telecom ahead of main competitor, Apple.

Verizon Wireless, AT&T Inc., and T-Mobile USA announced last fall they would work together on a project called “Isis,” to enable customers to pay for goods using their smartphones, ultimately eliminating the reason to carry a wallet at all.

The market for mobile payments is growing significantly, with numbers around $618 billion by 2016, cited a report by MasterCard and consulting firm Edgar, Dunn & Co. Expect NFC and the mobile wallet to continue to grow in the coming years as more retailers, telecoms, and credit card companies continue to adopt the program.

What Are Nintendo 3DS Buyers Saying?

After a year of promises, media events, and touring demos, the no-glasses 3D eagle has landed. The Nintendo 3DS finally debuted in the U.S. yesterday to tales of long lines, brisk sales, and roaring launch parties.

Nintendo passed around oldie blue and red cellophane 3D glasses at an official midnight launch event in Manhattan outside the Union Square Best Buy, enjoining line-idling customers attired in hats, coats, and gloves to toss them away as the clock struck midnight.

Not offered in trade for those glasses: Arm braces to keep the 3DS steady in your hands while viewing its finicky autostereoscopic 3DS (the screen requires that your eyes remain in a very narrow field-of-view for the 3D effect to work properly).

While it's too soon for official launch figures or serious sales estimates, we know Nintendo sold around 375,000 units last month during the handheld's initial 48 hours on sale in Japan, that it was Amazon UK's most pre-ordered item, well, ever, and that in the U.S., Lazard Capital analyst Colin Sebastian believes pre-orders were about twice those for the Wii.

We also know it's making the rounds in some pretty unusual places--like gas stations. Yep, oil magnate BP's begun selling the 3DS at around 100 of its service stops in the UK, reports Brand Republic.

Rough impressions, scribbled around Twitter '3DS' hashtags, tell a partial tale of the user experience so far.

"WOW!!! I didnt think #Nintendo could pull it off but the new #3DS really is 3D! Simply #Amazing," cheered Twitter user PunkyBrew4.

"Brought my #3DS to work today to see how much I actually walk in a day. Mondays are also our busy day. This'll be fun," wrote Drantis82.

"Of COURSE the first thing I play in my 3DS is a DS game," wrote MrMattJay.

"Must say... #3DS is really motivating me to move more, the pedometer and coins I can earn work for me! Just need a way to spend some them," wrote gcf_klaas.

Not everyone was as upbeat about the handheld, and a few grumbled about launch games lineup and efficacy of the 3D effect.

"I tried the #3DS at @Gamedigital & it didn't work with me & I actually feel a little sick from it," wrote Sulcalibur.

"Played the #nintendo 3ds at week, really not impressed. Big let down. Standard DSi is much better," wrote DavePCampbell.

"It's a shame. Such great hardware, such poor line-up. Need Zelda. NOW. (Oh and a 3D GTA maybe?)" wrote kklsid.

Microsoft's own Larry 'Major Nelson' Hryb acknowledged picking one up: "My wife just got back from shopping and picked up a Blue 3DS. Charging it now." Hybr later noted he was playing Crysis 2, because: "My wife Bogarted the #3DS tonight."

Apple WWDC To Unveil 'Future Of iOS'

Apple typically holds its WWDC each June, and this year the Worldwide Developers Conference will kick off at San Francisco's Moscone Center on June 6. In the announcement, Apple makes it clear that it will "unveil the future of iOS and Mac OS." This means it will introduce the next major version of iOS, which is likely to be called iOS 5. Apple has already given us a sneak peak of what OS X 10.7 Lion will offer, but we're sure to get the full scoop -- including pricing and availability -- at WWDC in June.

Apple hasn't provided any information yet about iOS 5, but a report over the weekend listed a number of potential changes to Apple's mobile operating system. According to sources cited by TechCrunch, there's a lot to look forward to. Though the OS won't launch until the fall, TechCrunch said, it is likely to rely heavily on the cloud in conjunction with revamped MobileMe Web-based services. One such new service might include a "music locker" for online music storage, as well as location services for finding family members and friends.

MobileMe is definitely in need of an upgrade. The $100-per-year service offers some basic services such as email, contact syncing, photo storage, and the Find My iPhone feature. Storage for photos and/or documents is limited to just 10 GB, though, and many felt the $100 yearly cost was too steep. TechCrunch suggested that a revamped MobileMe might cost as little as $20 per year, though surely plenty of iPhone/iPad users would prefer the service to be available for free.

Apple has updated iOS continuously over the years, with the most recent update (4.3) hitting devices several weeks ago. Apple has launched a new version of iOS each summer to coincide with the launch of a new iPhone. TechCrunch isn't so sure we'll see a new iPhone at WWDC, though. WWDC is, after all, a developers conference and Apple typically doesn't use it to launch new hardware.

The laundry list of features that iOS lacks seems to grow as quickly as the features it has. Many hope to see completely re-designed notifications, a local file system, and more.

Apple's 10.7 Lion operating system is still on track to launch this summer, and WWDC will provide developers with plenty of opportunity to learn about it. The preview Apple gave in late 2010 showed a heavily revised OS that makes use of the trackpad (on laptops) for all sorts of touch-based interactions (similar to those of the iPad).

Apple's announcement today notes that WWDC will offer "more than 100 technical sessions presented by Apple engineers on a wide range of technology-specific topics for developing, deploying, and integrating the latest iOS and Mac OS technologies." It also said that more than 1,000 Apple engineers will be on site to assist developers and provide additional insight.

"At this year's conference we are going to unveil the future of iOS and Mac OS," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing, in a prepared statement. "If you are an iOS or Mac OS X software developer, this is the event that you do not want to miss."

Go to the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2011 Web site to purchase tickets, as well as for updates and more information.

Greece nabs potato thieves from Bulgaria

Police in northern Greece have arrested nine Bulgarians accused of crossing the border to steel potatoes from fields at night.

Police said Monday that the five men and four women were arrested and detained early Sunday will digging up and loading 800 kilograms (1,760 pounds) of stolen potatoes onto a truck, outside the northern Greek city of Drama that is close to the border with Bulgaria.

Police launched its operation after a farmer who owned the field and kept overnight watch said some 14 metric tons (15.7 tons) of potatoes were stolen in the previous week.