The above mockup was spotted in China and seems to match closely what we have been hearing about the iPad 2. It has a slimmer profile, an almost entirely flat back, larger speaker, and rear- and front-facing cameras. The model number is one for the original Apple TV while the FCC ID is for a WiFi-only iPad, but those could be placeholders since this is a mockup and not a real working tablet.

It looks like the SIM card slot has been repositioned to a slot that was once expected to house an SD card reader. There is also the 3G antenna and the sloped power button and headphone jack.

According to BGR, multiple sources have said that RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook will hit store shelves on April 10th. They also have news that the BlackBerry Tablet OS will reach Gold Master status on March 31st, so it will be delivered as an update when you first boot up your device.

It matches what we’ve been hearing and RIM did promise a release for the first quarter of 2011, though we still don’t know which carriers will be providing connectivity on the tablet. Hopefully we will learn more soon.

I see the future of the crystal ball…It is hazy…No wait. Here it is. This 3.9″ crystal ball displays a hologram type of image inside, so it would be perfect to display a company’s advertisement, but pricey.

We’re talking over the $4,000 mark. Just connect it to a DVD or video player to project footage into a new magical dimension. It can also be enjoyed at home if you are wealthy enough. Wow your friends with films, music videos and games in a whole new way. Or heck, just use it in your palm reading business.

The Xperia Play has been officially announced for Verizon’s network when it arrives in the US this year, but according to some reports, this might not be the case after all. That’s because an Xperia Play recently passed through the FCC, but it doesn’t have any CDMA or 4G LTE radios that would allow the phone to run on Verizon’s network.

The phone packs radios that would allow it to work on UMTS frequencies (900/2100mHz), not what Verizon uses. However there could be a simple explanation. There may be a simultaneous release of the Xperia Play on multiple networks (in which case, the Verizon version of the phone hasn’t been through the FCC yet), or Sony Ericsson has decided to release the phone on a different carrier for some reason.

Sony has posted a teaser ad stating that “A smarter Walkman phone is coming soon”
which hints at a possible Android Walkman phone. We heard rumors about this awhile back and back then it was to be an average Android 1.6 phone, with a 2.6″ display, and a 5 megapixel camera.

The rumor fizzled out and things got quiet, but this new teaser has those rumors going again. We don’t have any other images or details yet, so feel free to speculate until we have something more concrete.

Panasonic has just announced that their new VIERA Cast Blu-ray players will have the ability to make voice and video calls over Skype. Just press the dedicated Skype button on the remote control to launch Skype. That’s it. Video and voice calls will require a supported webcam of course, one that works with the VIERA Cast Blu-ray player.

Using Skype on the VIERA Cast will also give you access to Standby Mode which you can personalize with different ring tones, Answering Message so you can record a personalized message to answer your calls when you’re away and the ability to record messages left on an SD card.

If you are a little too in love with beer and have a soft spot for Heineken in particular, you might want to store your data in this Heineken Beer Bottle USB Flash Drive. While the popular company has been brewing beer since 1873, this USB drive is new.

This mini Heineken Beer Bottle will hold your pictures, videos, music and other data, while reminding you how much you could use a drink. Great conversation starter.

Sony has unveiled a new addition to its PS3 accessories. The DualShock 3 Charging Station will charge up two DualShock 3 or Sixaxis controllers without having to plug into an actively running PS3. There’s no word from Sony on how quick the controllers charge, but cradling the gamepads needs an adapter for each gamepad. There’s one included in the box.

There’s also a new candy blue color version of the DualShock 3. Both will ship to Japan on April 21 for about $30 and $67. We don’t know if that new DualShock 3 will arrive in the US, but most PS3 accessories ship to the US after they hit Japan.

The T-Mobile G-Slate was officially announced last month, but we didn’t have any pricing details at the time. Well, now it has appeared on one Online retailers site, available to pre-order for $699.99. MobileCity has the G-Slate listed for $699.99, but they don’t have an availability date.

The G-Slate will be exclusive to T-Mobile in the US and features an 8.9 inch 3D display which can display 3D content with a pair of 3D glasses. It can also display HD video in 1080p, and will come with Android 3.0 Honeycomb.

If you’re in the market for a new microphone for recording stuff on your computer, check this out. Samson’s latest mic is now available for pre-order. The Meteor is available from Best Buy for pre-order right now in two versions.

There’s the standard version in chrome and a special limited edition version in 22k gold plate. Both have the same USB connectivity, 25mm condenser element and an all-metal body. The mic also has a headphone port for monitoring what you record. It looks awesomely retro and old-timey.

The Gigabyte Aivia M8600 Wireless Macro gaming mouse is the world’s first wireless gaming mouse that guarantees 100-hours of nonstop gaming. You’ll fall asleep before this thing quits. It features a two-second quick-swap battery system, multi-functional charging dock, twin-eye gaming-grade laser engine, and GHOST macro engine technology.

The quick swap battery changing system allows for instant battery changing in less than 2 seconds. It comes with an instant charging dock, which is a Li-ion battery charger and a wireless receiver unit. The Aivia M8600 Wireless Macro gaming mouse will be shown off at CeBIT 2011. Hopefully we will hear more about it.

Shopping for a USB stick? Might as well just go to a laundromat or a dry cleaners. There has apparently been a 400 per cent increase in the number of USB sticks being left behind in clothes to be dry cleaned. The news comes from a survey taken by more than 500 dry cleaners and laundrettes. About 17,000 USB sticks were left in 2010, that’s four times the number found in 2009.

It’s an epidemic that shows no signs of stopping. Sometimes it is in your shirt, sometimes in your pants, but it always ends up in the wash. Please do your part and save a USB stick today.

At CeBIT, Ford CEO Allan Mulally unveiled a new feature of the new Ford Focus that will launch next year. It’s called Sync Emergency Assistance and the service will come free with every Ford that has Sync installed. Sync Emergency Assistance uses your phone to make sure that drivers and passengers aren’t left unattended or stranded when they get into a car accident.

Should you crash, the car will automatically send out a phone call for help. It will even use GPS and cell towers to triangulate your position so that emergency services will know exactly where you are. The car will even speak the language of the emergency hotline operator, so language is not a barrier at all. We can expect to see Sync Emergency Assistance in Ford cars next year, when it starts saving lives.

Panasonic has issued a press release with pricing and availability for its 2011 LCD HDTVs. The 37- and 32-inch DT30 (shown above) will ship in April for $1,299 and $1,199 and they will include the newly upgraded Viera Connect with Hulu Plus, 3D features and more.

The E3 and X30 series will feature just the basics: Netflix, Amazon VOD, Napster, Pandora, Facebook and CinemaNow. We know from the image above that they excel at displaying butterflies.

If you want a cool looking futuristic watch, you have to work a little to find out what time it is. The Timescape Sci-Fi watch will require some brain cells to figure out, but it is worth it just for it’s style. It features a chrome exterior and uses blue LEDs to illuminate a rectangular grid, giving you the readouts. Each line contains a series of dots representing minutes or hours. The vertical lines are the hours, the first three horizontal lines show five-minute increments, and the last row shows exact minutes.

Looking good means that you’ll never know what time it is at first glance. The Timescape Sci-Fi watch will cost you $70.