Things are looking up for the BlackBerry PlayBook from RIM. We know that it will have a comparable (or even better) battery life than the iPad. And now there is talk of a 6 million sales figure for the year ahead, according to RBC Capital Markets GM Mike Abramsky.

This figure comes from the data of an independent survey of 1,100 consumers that found out that 6% of respondents were likely to purchase the BlackBerry PlayBook as soon as it arrives. To put that in perspective, that is almost double the interest shown ahead of the iPad’s launch, so when you extrapolate that you get 6 million. Can RIM actually get those sales?

If you like to get all science-nerd on your skin, check this out. Handyscope is an optical attachment that transforms your iPhone into a dermascope. That’s what a dermatologist uses to examine your skin. The gadget uses its own app, which lets your iPhone multiply its magnification power.

You’ll be able to check out your zips or other skin irregularities. The handyscope is scheduled to arrive in February when the app can also be purchased at the Apple app store. I wouldn’t recommend it for hypochondriacs.

For those of you in Japan who are looking for a new radio, this may be the one. The Sony ICZ-R50 radio recorder is now available for purchase in Japan. This device comes packed with 4GB of storage space, an AM/FM radio recorder and an SD/SDHC card slot for storage expansion up to 32GB.

Sound good? If so, the Sony ICZ-R50 can also be used as an MP3 player or an IC voice recorder. Sadly, we don’t have any info on pricing right now, but hopefully soon.

3D TVs are gaining in popularity, but it will take time for many to adopt it. Regular 3D TV, which requires glasses might be embraced more if…well if you ditch the glasses. They are nerdy and expensive. That’s why Sansa is offering Universal 3D glasses. I mean, what if you buy a 3D TV and you lose the glasses? Or they break?

Well, Sansa’s 3D glasses will recognize 3D signals coming in from any 3D TV. The glasses cost $100 a pair. Still expensive, but at least they work across the board. They recharge via a USB cable and can be purchased in 3 different sizes, small, medium and large and they even come with a nose piece if you wear spectacles.

Apparently some lucky folks may be getting a PlayStation 3 for just $39.99. We think. Of course word spread quickly about this promotion and thousands of orders must have been made while it was up. However, some 8 hours later, it was removed from the internet, replaced by an Error 404 page. It’s unclear if this was a mistake or a promotion, since Target and Amazon both listed the PlayStation 3 console for sale at $40. Our guess is a mistake, since $40 for a PS3 is just ridiculous.

But if you bought one, the PlayStation 3 console was legally purchased, so Target is bound to ship the console. And if that is accurate, the company is going to have some heavy losses because of this snafu.

IOGEAR has a new and innovative on-lap wireless keyboard. The GKM571R-581R 2.4 GHz allows wireless connectivity for laptops, HTPCs, HDTVs and your game consoles. It’s also been contoured to fit anyone’s lap. It has a 1,000 DPI trackball, left and right mouse click buttons, a scroll wheel, and a USB port for recharging its NimH batteries or uploading new content.

It also features a USB 2.4 GHz receiver with 33 ft. range. The device is compatible with the latest Windows OS and will cost you just $74.95. Your purchase includes the keyboard, a charging cable, a couple of NimH batteries, and a USB RF receiver.

This new case from US+U has surfaced called the Swivel Pro and it has an emphasis on being easy to handle while offering protection. The case has a large handle on the back that you slip your hand inside. This is on a plate that swivels, allowing you to rotate the iPad from portrait to landscape with ease.

There’s also a prop on the back to lift the screen up a bit when you set the iPad down. The Swivel Pro will cost you $69.99 and 3% of the purchase price is donated to one of the charities on the purchase page. You get to protect your iPad and help a good cause at the same time.

Wouldn’t you like to “future proof” your gadgets? Sure, we all would. And now we can, thanks to Best Buy’s Buy Back program. It will allow users to trade in their laptops, netbooks, tablets or smartphones for a percentage of the device’s original value. The company calls it “future proofing”. We call it, getting something for your old gadget, instead of just tossing it and getting nothing.

The Buy Back Program will start later this month and will cost $69.99 for laptops, netbooks and tablets. It’s $59.99 for mobile phones. When your device is covered, Best Buy will purchase the product back anytime within two years and you may receive up to 50 percent of the product’s original purchase price, paid back to you in the form of a Best Buy gift card, valid for six months.

Radio Shack has announced that the HTC Evo Shift 4G smartphone is now available for purchase in its stores. The Shift 4G was just unveiled officially at CES last week and the 4G smartphone will also work on the 3G network that Sprint operates.

Some features include a 3.6-inch touchscreen, slide out QWERTY keyboard, and a 5MP camera on the back that can record video in 720p resolution. The smartphone will also function as a 3G or 4G hotspot for up to eight devices.

There have been many times that I wished I could yell at the clock to turn off the alarm, but sadly it doesn’t work that way. However, Moshi, a company known for their voice recognition technology has just made their Moshi Voice Control Reflection Clock available for purchase. I can’t wait to tell it to shut the hell up.

This clock features eleven voice activated functions that can be customized, with commands for setting the time and alarm, snoozing, getting the outside temperature, and recording an 8 minute memo. The Moshi Voice Control Reflection Clock is just $59.95.

According to Asahi Shimbun, the PlayStation Phone is expected in the spring of 2011 for a North American and European release. That timeframe fits with what we have been hearing and while we don’t know what Sony Ericsson has for CES, they’re planning some new Xperia-branded models for MWC. I guess we will find out soon.

We also still don’t know how any of this ties into the standalone PSP2, or how gaming titles will be purchased. We still don’t know a lot of things, but hopefully soon we will learn.

Credit card fraud is always going on somewhere and the latest example is a UK teen who recently got caught using stolen credit cards to purchase about $750,000 worth of music. His own music that he and his band offered on Amazon and the iTunes music store between January 2008 and June 2009. By doing so, he earned himself some nice royalty fees. Not that this will help him when he is behind bars.

The group allegedly downloaded the songs 6,000 times during that period. Crime doesn’t pay kids. And if you have to buy your own music to make it sell, maybe you should get a new gig.

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.

Some Kindle owners who purchased the non-lighted Kindle cover from Amazon have been having some issues with the eBook reader after using it. Many users are reporting that the covers are causing the eBook reader to freeze or reboot.

Speculation is that the metal hooks on the cover are the problem. They conduct electricity and are used to power the lighted case, however they are pretty useless for the non-lighted version. Amazon is looking into the problem and has agreed to replace the units.

The handheld Wikireader eBook device has just gotten a bit more attractive to buyers as it has received 33,000 books to add to its library thanks to Project Gutenberg which is now available for the Wikireader.

All 33,000 books can fit onto a 4GB micro SD card that the Wikireader accepts, which means you get to carry them around without a forklift. It works similarly to Wikipedia already on the devices, allowing you to search for titles by keyword.