We’ve seen the Kindle DX fail as a textbook alternative, but the iPad marches ever onward as a pioneer of wireless education. Or so it seems, anyway. This time the tablet has set its sights on a private school in Knoxville, TN, where all students from fourth to 12th grade will be required to carry iPads starting this August. Webb School students can either provide their own slate or lease a WiFi-only model for $20 a month. Just like administrators at Seton Hill University, the folks at Webb School see the iPad as an eventual replacement for traditional textbooks, as well as a tool for interactive learning. We’ve voiced our skepticism about the in-school iPad trend before, and while we still wonder just how effective the devices might be in the classroom, we’re interested to see how this thing turns out. You know, we love the Oregon Trail and everything, but don’t today’s students deserve to see more than pixelated trailblazers dying of digital diphtheria?

[Thanks, Jordan]

Wistv

Webb School of Knoxville

SHANGHAI: The unveiling of Apple’s iPad tablet computer was one of the most anticipated technology events in recent years, but a similar looking device has been on sale in China for nearly six months.

The touchscreen iPad look-alike marks a new milestone by Chinese manufacturers: cloning a product before it had even been announced, mused a Shanghai city blog website.

But Shenzhen Great Loong Brother Industrial Co. — makers of the Chinese device, which resembles an over-sized iPhone — said Apple appeared to be the copycats.

“We don’t understand. Why did they make the same thing as us?” Huang Xiaofang, an executive at the company, said.

The iPad-like “P88″ was launched in August and was on show last year at the Internationale Funkausstellung consumer electronics fair in Berlin, she said.

“We launched it earlier,” she said.

Although thicker and heavier than the iPad, the P88′s specifications boasts a slightly larger screen, faster processor, larger memory and, unlike the iPad, has USB ports, according to the manufacturer.

But its battery life is only 1.5 hours compared to the iPad’s 10 hours.

Apple’s first iPads will ship worldwide at an entry-level price of 499 dollars in two months.

But for gadget fanatics who cannot wait, Huang said the P88 is available now on Great Loong Brother’s web site.

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Apple announced iPad, a new device with features similar to iPod touch and iPhone but with a modified interface. and enhanced capabilities. The iPad is for surfing web, reading, watching pictures and videos, email and for accessing apps such as maps, contacts and a calendar. Apple also announced a new e-book store and a version of iWork for the iPad. With so many features packed in one beautiful device, iPad competes with — and could potentially replace– devices such as netbooks and electronic book readers such as Kindle. Watching the video on Apple website, it is clear that Apple iPad is more than a large size iPhone – its a stylish mobile Internet and entertainment device from Apple which will drive up mobile broadband usage and result in a larger wallet share for Apple.

Models vary by memory and connectivity options (WiFi is cheaper than 3G). Pricing ranges from $500 to $829. International pricing has not been announced yet. With iPad, Apple can clearly capture many market segments and just like the iPhone store, it is hoping for developers to come up with innovative apps to keep user interest high.