Apple has already tested the waters of social networking via its Ping music-sharing service and now the company has filed for a patent that details a social networking tool for brick-and-mortar shopping. It allows iPhone owners to share comments, opinions and recommendations about any product. The store would allow customers to access a product list from their phone, which can then be shared through the social network, where you can do things like ask friends for approval or rejection of the item, or get feedback.

The patent also lets users create a community discussion, communicate and share easily with friends, without them having to be physically present.

Sales of Apple’s iPad device will certainly grow in 2011 according to a report from DigiTimes. So it will need more screens. LG Display could receive orders for 35 million iPad panels from Apple in 2011, with Samsung and Chimei Innolux (CMI), who are scheduled to join Apple’s iPad supply chain in the first quarter of 2011, each possibly receiving orders for as many as 15 million units.

Apple’s 9.7 inch screen is making it difficult for competitors to match and the iPad’s screen size will likely lower component pricing in a way that only benefits Apple. This forces competitors to design and build 5 and 7 inch screens that don’t benefit from the scale of Apple’s high volume sales.

Gresso, makers of ultra-exclusive and expensive versions of popular consumer electronics, has now unveiled its latest product. Apple’s iPad, with 200-year-old African Blackwood as its case and an 18K gold Apple logo. Sadly, we don’t have any other details about the Gresso iPad, like what model has been selected.

We do know that it will be expensive. So expensive that they refuse to talk about it. Price will likely be revealed when the exclusive iPad goes on sale on New Year’s Eve. I’m pretty sure I can’t afford it.

If you are looking to wear your Apple Nano on your wrist then the new iTorq wristband might be just the thing. It’s a different take on the watch strap designs currently available. The iTorq is basically a brushed aluminum bracelet that you can attach your Nano to.

It’s a simple and clean design. According to the designers at 4iConcepts, attaching the Nano to the iTorq takes just a few seconds, and it can then be easily removed when you don’t want it.

The CDMA iPhone rumors just won’t go away and now there are reports that Apple is optimistic for a great 2011. The company is apparently planning to ship five to six million CDMA iPhones between January and March, and has increased the production of regular iPhones from thirteen million to fifteen million, bringing the total number of possible shipments to twenty-one million.

Rumor is that the CDMA version won’t be exclusive to Verizon since it could be shipping to the US and also Asia Pacific, with carriers like China Telecom, KDDI Au, and SK Telecom all possible destinations. Foxconn is said to be producing both editions of the iphone, and Pegatron will be helping on the CDMA side.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill will soon be permitted to use iPads, iPhones and Blackberry devices on the House floor according to a recent report. Current rules ban the use of these devices, though incoming House speaker John A. Boehmer, the Republican Member for Ohio, is working on plans to relax these measures.

Members would still be banned from using the devices for matters that are unrelated to House matters, so they won’t be allowed to shop on Ebay or play games, but permitting the use of technology should help them be greener and help members quickly refer to legislation and receive important communiqués. So it could make things more efficient.

Apple is a patent filing monster. Let’s face it, they have a patent for everything. The latest patent app to surface from Apple has the name of many of the members of the iPhone team on it and once the app is approved, it will have the Apple name applied to the final patent.

The patent app details a new way that Apple wants to put antennas behind logos on their products. So in the future, your iPhone antenna might be behind the Apple logo. The antennas will be used on notebooks, phones, and other devices. This is one that we will likely see come to pass at some point soon.

We recently saw some leaked pics of new iPad cases for the next-generation Apple iPad, and interestingly they had a large opening at the bottom of the case. Some speculated that it was for larger speakers or a built-in SD card slot.

Now another iPad case has surfaced that shows the rear with a metal mesh for an iPad speaker. This comes after recent reports hinted that the slot is for a speaker instead of an SD card slot.

HTC Sense started off as a user interface overlay to make the experience of using a HTC phone more enjoyable, but the company will now expand the service with the recently launched HTCSense.com portal. HTC’s head of user experience, Drew Bamford says that some additional services are on the way.

These services include music and video content services, as well as access to newspapers, magazines and eBooks. HTC is also planning a video chat service, similar to Apple’s FaceTime and some other services related to home entertainment.

Take this one with the usual grains of salt, but according to Chinese sources the next iPad will have a 3-mm reduction in bezel width, the same 9.7-inch display size, and will have a flattening of the back allowing it to rest better on a desktop. It all sounds very plausible, right?

There’s also a “wide-range speaker” covered with “metal mesh”. The overall unit is said to measure 239 x 186 mm compared to the current iPad’s 242.8 x 189.7 mm footprint. Word is that the new iPads will begin shipping from factories in January.

Planex has announced it’s latest router in the MKZ-RP150N pocket router. The device is pretty simple. It has just a single connection for Ethernet, and will support WiFi and basic DNS services. It measures 42mm x 15mm x 55.2mm and weighs just 27 grams, hence the name.

This USB-powered portable router retails for about $41, and may be a good alternative to Apple’s AirPort Express at that price.

Americans tend to take things for granted and we forget that you can’t get an iPad everywhere in the world. However, it is now available in one more location. The Apple iPad is finally available for purchase in the Philippines.

The company is selling all six models of the iPad on its online store, with prices ranging from PHP 23,990 (around $541) for the 16GB Wi-Fi model to PHP 40,990 (around $924) for the 64GB 3G model. Folks in the Philippines can now enjoy what the iPad has to offer and they can look forward to all of the apps and accessories that will empty their wallet.

News Corp’s The Daily iPad news app is on the way. A weekly subscription will cost you $0.99, and it will hit the iPad on January 17th according to All Things D. The app will feature a lot of video and come with some cool multimedia capabilities, including some kind of 3D effect.

The Daily ushers in a new push subscription feature for Apple where iTunes can automatically do recurring billing for the digital periodical. It was previously rumored for a December launch, but it looks like it may have been delayed to give the app some time to be fine tuned or to work out last minute details for a subscription billing service from Apple.

Disney’s upcoming Tron Legacy is getting plenty of hype and Sci-Fi fans are waiting anxiously. Apple users also can share the excitement as iAd for iPad is for this very movie. This is the first and only iAd to hit the iPad for 2010 since iAds have been showcased for just iPhones until now.

However, 2011 could see a bunch of iAds hitting the device. Each ad features rich graphics, touch navigation and video native to apps. Disney’s Tron Legacy iAd is a full screener and will run in iPad apps like TV Guide. It’ll also have purchase options for various apps etc. based on the movie. The soundtrack can also be previewed or downloaded right from the ad via iTunes.

We have been hearing rumors about the features that Apple will announce in the iPad 2, and one of those features is two video cameras to make use of Apple’s FaceTime software.

And some supposed iPad 2 cases have shown up that seem to have space on the back for a rear camera, and an opening which is reportedly for an SD card slot. Take this with a grain of salt for now, but you never know. Anything is possible.