Someone has been able to break into Apple's Cupertino headquarters and steal the document containing the biggest secret behind the iPad. [9gag]

ScrollMotion's been tapped to to transmogrify textbooks published by McGraw-Hill, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and every standardized test-taking student's favorite, Kaplan. The WSJ says that education was indeed a "focal point" in the iPad's development, which we reported months ago.

If you're over-analyzed the iPad keynote as much as we have, by now you've probably gotten the distinct sense that something felt like it was missing. One of those things, apparently, were Apple's ideas about re-inventing the textbook. (Not to mention magazines. And, mayyyybe, something more.)

To see where this is going in the more immediate future, you can probably justlook at what ScrollMotion already does, since they're doing the heavy lifting getting these textbooks onto the iPad—they take digital versions of books from publishers and integrate features like search, page numbering and interactive elements. And hey, why read about the moon landing when you can watch it, right on your "book"? The iPad announcement last week? Clearly, tip of the iceberg.

Oh, and I wonder how Amazon feels about this. Goodbye margin-sapping used books—I'm pretty sure that's how the publishers feel. How do I feel? I wonder if the GRE would've been more fun to study for on an iPad. Riiiiight. "Oooo, Mini Squadron!" [WSJ]

It leaked earlier today, but we're still pretty struck by Olympus's latest micro four thirds camera, the E-PL1. Why? It has a built-in flash (finally!). And it's $600, making it the cheapest micro four thirds camera around.

The E-PL1 takes the opposite tack of the E-P2, stepping down a rung. So, you're probably wondering what you give up to shave off that couple hundred bucks. Shockingly little. It's got the same sensor as every other micro four thirds camera. But it's not as solidly built as the E-P1 or E-P2, trading metal for polycarbonite (but that makes it lighter), and you lose some of the controls on the back, which are shifted from dial to a d-pad + menu, so they're slower to get to. Oh, and sound for video is cut back to mono, but you can attach a stereo mic to the accessory port. I'd venture, too, that it's a little uglier than its more retro predecessors, since it's boxier in an unpleasant way though it is, to be fair, even smaller.

Besides the pop-up flash and the price, the other major new thing is a revamped intelligent auto mode, which walks beginners through taking more advanced photos using plainfolks language and simple sliders for settings in the menu. For instance, white balance is shown as a scale between blue and orange, and live view adjusts the preview in real time. Aperture becomes a setting to "blur" or "sharpen" the background. Nikon's done this with the D3000, but I think the E-PL1 might be even easier to follow.

Finally, we've got a pair of new lenses, a superwide 9-18mm, (35mm equivalent to 18-36mm) and a 14-150mm (35mm equivalent to 28-300mm), both with a variable aperture of f4-5.6. We care about them because they focus noticeably faster than the existing glass for the PEN series of cameras, and because they're almost totally silent, which makes them much better for shooting HD video (which now has a dedicated button).

If you're going to look for something more upscale—like with a full-metal build—in the micro four thirds realm, the GF1 remains your best bet (BTW, Mark's review is a great intro to micro four thirds), but I can think of little reason to reach out for the Olympus's more expensive micro four thirds cams at this point, or at least when the E-PL1 hits the shelves in March for $600. Look out, cheap DSLRs.

POWERFULLY SIMPLE: INTRODUCING THE INCREDIBLE

User: Unnamed  Source: Gizmodo

Internet Explorer 8 is the best browser Microsoft's ever shipped. It actually sorta tries to be compliant with modern web standards, or at least more so than its predecessors, so it's a huge leap forward, even if it's nowhere near WebKit-based browsers like Safari or Chrome on that front. So, I'm glad to see it's now the world's most-used browser, instead of IE6 or IE7, with 25.6 percent of the total market, according to Net Applications. [Windows Team Blog]

This is a still image of an AT-AT walker. But! If you go here using any WebKit browser (Safari, Chrome), it dances to life. Like a Flash animation, except it's not. It's pure CSS3. Point taken. [Anthony Calzadilla via DF]

Oh, I've waited for this day. The day Nikon delivered legit HD video. Not only does the P100 deliver full 1080p video in H.264, it shoots 120FPS bursts, and goes with a 10MP CMOS sensor for better low-light performance. Yeah.

It is a superzoom—26x (26mm-678mm), which is a little shorter than what Fuji or Olympus dropped over the last couple of days—which I'm admittedly prone to disliking, but there's a lot here in what's easily Nikon's flagship point-and-shoot.

It's the first Coolpix to switch to CMOS, cutting back to 10 megapixels to deliver hopefully better low light performance, along with built-in HDR processing. And, Nikon's first ever camera to do 1080p video, which I was told is in H.264. Hot shit, 'cause it makes me hopeful to see that in their next DSLRs. Also excellent: You can actually zoom while recording video, something of a rarity in these parts. It shoots fast too: 10FPS at full res, and up to 120FPS bursts (but only at 1.1MP, bleh).

The Fuji HS10 outguns the P100 on paper: Longer zoom, at 30x; same promise of excellent low-light performance thanks to an optimized 10MP CMOS sensor; 1000FPS slow motion video and 1080p like the P100. But, the P100 costs $100 less, running $400 when it hits in March, so it's a tough call 'til we see how they actually perform.

NIKON COOLPIX P100 ZOOMS TO THE TOP OF THE SUPER-HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPACT DIGITAL CAMERA CATEGORY WITH VERSATILE FEATURES
With a 26x NIKKOR Zoom Lens, CMOS Image Sensor and Full HD Movie Recording,
COOLPIX P100 Brings Compact Digital Camera Photography to a Whole New Level

MELVILLE, NY (Feb. 2, 2010) – Nikon Inc. today unveiled the new COOLPIX P100 digital camera, marking a series of firsts for Nikon with the debut of a CMOS image sensor and full High Definition (HD) movie (1080p) capabilities in the COOLPIX line. Additionally, with an expansive 26x Optical Wide Angle Zoom-NIKKOR ED glass lens and a 3.0-inch 460,000-dot vari-angle Clear Color Display LCD screen, the COOLPIX P100 delivers a compact camera fully equipped and readily able to expand a user's photographic potential.

The COOLPIX P100 is Nikon's first compact camera to offer full HD movie (1080p), allowing consumers to entertain audiences with movies that capture the entire impact of a scene at the touch of a dedicated movie-record button. A stereo microphone optimally mounted on top of the camera accurately captures audio to further enhance the video capture experience. Contributing to compositional freedom, both the optical zoom and autofocus functions are available while recording video. Additionally, the high-speed movie function provides the added benefit of recording movies that can be played back in slow motion or fast motion to create artistic effects. To further ease integration into an existing home theater system, an HDMI connector allows for easy playback on a compatible HDTV.

"Our portfolio of cameras is designed to ensure that any photographer, at any level, can find the camera that feels right for them," said Bo Kajiwara, director of marketing, Nikon Inc. "The P100 blends a stellar lens with creative automatic and manual features to allow the more advanced consumer to explore the boundaries of their photographic capabilities."

The Nikon COOLPIX P100 digital camera features a 10.3-megapixel backside illumination CMOS sensor, which enables high-speed shooting at 10 frames per second (fps) at full resolution and exceptional image quality even when shooting in low light settings. Other functions benefitting from the lower noise and exceptional image quality of the new CMOS image sensor include an in-camera high dynamic range (HDR) function, which merges images of the same scene to achieve a single image with a broad range of tonal detail. Additionally, the Night Landscape mode combines a series of consecutive shots taken at a fast shutter speed into a single image with reduced noise when taking handheld shots in night scenes.
The versatility of the COOLPIX P100 digital camera is also attributed to its new 26x Optical Wide Angle Zoom-NIKKOR ED glass lens. This lens offers unparalleled compositional freedom, with its wide angle (26mm) to super telephoto coverage (678mm). The broad focal range lets consumers capture a variety of shots and scenes, ranging from sweeping landscapes to action shots taking place far away on a sports field. For further versatility, this extraordinary lens allows the user to take images or video as close as 0.4 inches while in macro mode. As part of the flagship Performance Series of COOLPIX compact digital cameras, the COOLPIX P100 is the ideal photographic tool for photo enthusiasts, sports and travel photographers and consumers with more advanced photography skills who crave a high performance camera.

Additional features of the Nikon COOLPIX P100 digital camera include:
10.3-megapixels and Backside Illumination CMOS Sensor for stunning prints as large as 16x 20 inches, while retaining fine detail

In-Camera High Dynamic Range (HDR) merges multiple images of the same scene to create an image with a range of tonal detail that could not be captured in a single photo

Night Landscape Mode combines a series of images into a reduced noise composite for low light shooting
3.0-inch Vari-Angle 460,000-dot Clear Color Display LCD and Electronic Viewfinder make it easy to compose and share pictures with friends and family. The new LCD, with anti-reflection coating, can tilt as much as 90 degrees up or 82 degrees down. This enables photographers to shoot from higher angles or from the hip. The incorporation of the an electronic viewfinder enables consumers to see through the lens in most any lighting condition

5-Way Vibration Reduction (VR) Image Stabilization System
Optical VR Image Stabilization by image sensor shift compensates for the effects of camera shake, producing clearer, sharper results in lower lighting or unsteady conditions
Hybrid VR Image Stabilization combines both sensor shift VR and Electronic VR
Motion Detection automatically detects moving subjects and adjusts shutter speed and the ISO setting to compensate for camera shake and subject movement
High ISO 3200 capability creates new opportunities to take sharper, more natural-looking photos in lower light conditions (up to 10 megapixels)
Best Shot Selector (BSS) automatically takes up to 10 shots while the user presses the shutter, and saves the sharpest image
Program, Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority and Manual Exposure modes give ultimate creative control over images
New Sport Continuous Scene Mode for shooting at up to 10 fps at full resolution and 120 fps for 1.1-megapixel images
Subject Tracking automatically activates autofocus while tracking moving subjects such as children and animals. Even when the subject momentarily moves out of the LCD frame, the camera will restart tracking if the subject returns in the frame within 3 seconds
Pre-shooting Cache lets users capture up to 40 shots before shutter is released. This setting helps photographers stay ahead of the action
Active D-Lighting minimizes loss of details in highlights and shadows resulting in beautiful, more natural-looking images
Smart Portrait System integrates the following features to make it a snap to capture stunning portrait photos of friends and family:
In-Camera Red-Eye FixTM automatically fixes most instances of red-eye
Enhanced Face-Priority AF can detect up to 12 faces from a variety of angles
Skin Softening ensures smooth skin tone on the face of subjects by leveraging built-in face-detection technology
Smile Mode automatically detects when a subject smiles and releases the shutter
Blink Warning notifies the user when a subject has blinked in a photo
Blink Proof detects the subject's face and automatically takes a series of sequential shots, then saves the image in which the subject's eyes are open

The Nikon COOLPIX P100 digital camera will be available nationwide in March 2010 and will retail for $399.95* MSRP. For more information on the P100 and all COOLPIX cameras, please visit www.nikonusa.com.

Nikon's S series are their flashier point-and-shoots, and the S8000 is the splashiest: Super skinny, but it's got a 10x zoom lens, crazy crispy 3-inch, 921,000-dot display and it shoots 720p video. Plus, uh, look at it.

The S8000 and the next step down, the S6000, both shoot at 14MP (I predict noiiiise) and 720p vid at 30fps, though the S6000 has less zoom (7x) crammed in a skinnier 1-inch frame. The S8000 is $300, while the S6000 is $250.

The S4000 is their new touchcam, which seemed more responsive than the last gen, with a decent-sized 3-inch touchscreen. It shoots at 12MP, but also pulls out 720p video. And it's cheaper than before, at $200.

"S" REPRESENTS STYLISH, SLIM DESIGN, SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE AND SUPER ZOOM WITH THE NEW NIKON COOLPIX S-SERIES DIGITAL CAMERAS
Whether a User Needs HD Video, Super-Long Zoom, or a Functional Fashion Accessory, There Is Something for Everyone with Nikon's New Style Series of Digital Cameras

MELVILLE, NY (Feb. 2, 2010) – Today, Nikon Inc. continues the tradition of blending innovation, design and performance in its line of COOLPIX compact cameras with the introduction of four new COOLPIX Style Series cameras. The S-series cameras provide users with innovative and fun features such as long zooms, speedy performance, advanced flash controls, touch-screen technology, and enhanced high resolution LCD screens in sleek, stylish camera bodies. In an impressive slim body, the new COOLPIX S8000 digital camera sports a long 10x optical zoom, 720p HD Video, and a 3.0-inch 921,000-dot LCD screen with bright Clear Color Display. Not to be outdone, the COOLPIX S4000 blends a user-friendly touch-screen interface with an elegant camera design, while the COOLPIX S6000 and COOLPIX S3000 digital cameras deliver the speed, accessibility and ease-of-use that have made the S-series the camera of choice among consumers who value style and performance.

"Building on the hallmarks of the COOLPIX line, the new S-Series cameras combine the features consumers want, along with high performance and innovative technology into elegant camera designs with colorful results," said Bo Kajiwara, director of marketing, Nikon Inc. "The digital camera has become an accessory to today's consumer, and with the S-series camera, users can challenge their creativity, and complement their sense of fashion."
All new COOLPIX S-series cameras incorporate Nikon's world-class NIKKOR lenses, delivering accurate detail and brilliant color, as well as Nikon's EXPEED™ digital image processing concept, which ensures high-quality pictures with stunning color and sharpness. Many of the new S-series models embrace the addition of High Definition (HD) video by adding an ideally located video record button on the back of the camera. Other COOLPIX features include Scene Auto Selector, which automatically recognizes the shooting situation and adjusts camera settings accordingly for great pictures anywhere. To make better portraits easier, the Smart Portrait System incorporates a series of automatic functions including In-Camera Red-Eye Fix ™, Improved Face-Priority AF, Face Priority AE, Smile Mode, Blink Warning and Skin Softening to flatter even the most camera-shy subject.

New COOLPIX S8000: Deceptively Slim Yet Hides a Surprise
Hidden inside the COOLPIX S8000's slender body resides a powerful and versatile 10x Optical Zoom-NIKKOR ED glass lens that produces incredibly sharp, crisp images up close or far away. To banish the blur at any focal length, the S8000 features a 4-way Image Stabilization System and ISO settings to 3200. Additionally, the S8000 has the ability to record HD movies (720p) at 30 frames per second (fps) with stereo sound, and features an ultra high-resolution 921,000-dot Clear Color Display LCD for sharp, clear viewing of images.

The 14.2-megapixel COOLPIX S8000 digital camera also includes a new feature called the Creative Slider, which simplifies adjusting brightness, saturation and color tone in-camera by utilizing the Rotary Multi Selector. Another new feature, Advanced Flash Control, allows users to create more natural-looking flash shots by utilizing higher ISO settings and faster shutter speeds in low light as well as apply Multi-area Auto Backlight Compensation for even exposures. Additionally, the COOLPIX S8000 packs an improved Sport Continuous Mode, high-speed continuous shooting at up to approximately 4 fps for 45 frames (3 MP), plus a fast start-up time and a quick shutter-release time. To further ensure no moment is missed, the S8000 has the ability to acquire the subject and lock focus using Subject Tracking.
The COOLPIX S8000 will be available in February 2010 for $299.95* MSRP in a choice of colors including black, red, bronze and champagne silver.

The New COOLPIX S6000: High Performance Is Always In Style
The new COOLPIX S6000 digital camera blends performance into an elegant camera design to create the ideal accessory for wherever life leads. Though the S6000 measures only one-inch thick, it comes with a versatile 7x Optical Zoom-NIKKOR ED glass lens to zoom in on the action or fill the frame with your subject. The COOLPIX S6000 also has the ability to record HD movie clips (720p) at 30 fps to preserve memories in high quality video, which are easily played back later on an HDTV from the camera via HDMI connection.
The COOLPIX S6000 includes features like 14.2-megapixel resolution and a bright 2.7-inch 230,000-dot Clear Color Display LCD. Similar to the COOLPIX S8000, the COOLPIX S6000 boasts advanced features and controls like Sport Continuous Mode and Advanced Flash Control. The S6000 also sports a fast start-up time of approximately 0.75 seconds and a short shutter-release time of approximately 0.3 seconds to help ensure memories are recorded as soon as they happen.
To further help users snap stunning photos easily, the COOLPIX S6000 features ISO 3200; 4-way VR Image Stabilization System; Subject Tracking; Scene Auto Selector Mode; Nikon's Smart Portrait System all packed into an ultra-stylish design.
The COOLPIX S6000 will be available in March 2010 for $249.95* MSRP in a choice of bold colors, including champagne silver, black, red, and bronze.

The New COOLPIX S4000: Touch-Screen Technology, Nikon Performance
Integrating elegant design and intuitive operation, the new COOLPIX S4000 digital camera comes equipped with a touch-screen interface that places the camera's controls at the users' fingertips. The COOLPIX S4000 incorporates a new 3.0-inch 460,000-dot touch-panel Clear Color Display LCD, which makes it easy to compose, review, edit and share pictures.
To fully utilize the touch-screen interface, the COOLPIX S4000 comes with several advanced shooting features. With Touch Shutter, users can select their subject by a single touch on the screen to adjust focus and exposure, and to automatically release the shutter. When selected, Subject Tracking can automatically follow and focus on a subject selected by touching the screen, such as a fast moving child or a pet throughout the frame.
At the touch of a finger, users can record HD movies (720p) to create and share. The S4000 also includes user-friendly modes like Scene Auto Selector, which automatically recognizes the scene in your picture and adjusts camera setting to take the best photo possible for the given conditions.
The 12-megapixel COOLPIX S4000 features a 4x wide-angle Zoom-NIKKOR lens, ISO sensitivity to 3200; 4-way VR Image Stabilization System; Subject Tracking; Scene Auto Selector Mode; Nikon's Smart Portrait System and a compact stylish design.
The COOLPIX S4000 digital camera will be available in March 2010 for $199.95 MSRP in a choice of vibrant colors, including plum, champagne silver, pink, red and black.

New COOLPIX S3000: Make a Statement in Color
Sleek design, attractive colors and innovative technology truly set the new Nikon COOLPIX S3000 digital camera apart from the competition. The COOLPIX S3000 comfortably places advanced shooting controls in the hand for great fun and optimal results. User-friendly advanced features and ease-of-use, along with the camera's compact size make it a pleasure to carry around anywhere from the family reunion to a night on the town.
With the stylish looks and the vivid color choices of the S3000, the camera is the perfect tool to express one's personal style. The COOLPIX S3000 also includes a bright 2.7-inch 230,000-dot LCD screen designed to make it easy to compose, review and share pictures.
The 12-megapixel COOLPIX S3000 features a 4x wide-angle Zoom-NIKKOR lens; ISO 3200; 4-way VR Image stabilization System; Subject Tracking; Scene Auto Selector Mode; Nikon's Smart Portrait System and a colorful and compact design.
The COOLPIX S3000 will be available in March 2010 for $149.95 MSRP and in a choice of vibrant colors, including plum, champagne silver, black, orange, green and blue.

We know that Hulu's free glory days are numbered, but the question that always follows talk of premium pricing for the video streaming site has been whether people actually use it all that much. Well, to me one billion video views seem like a resounding YES.

From the sounds of it, plenty of people would be willing to open up their checkbooks to keep streaming videos. Of course, even those unwilling to pay won't just be left hanging with nothing to watch because according to Hulu CEO Jason Kilar, a "free version of Hulu will always exist" even though the company is in fact "exploring premium pricing." Now we just have to wait to find out if, when, and what kind of subscriptions will come. [USA Today]

TI's new dual-core OMAP4 mobile chipset, the sequel to the OMAP3 series that powers the Droid and Palm Pre (among others), claims crazy performance: Three independent displays running 1080p video, for example, and an estimated 145-hour battery life for audio.

Basically, TI made up a kind of demo unit (pictured) to show what the OMAP4 can do, which is not inconsiderable. The demo unit is a portable device running Android, equipped with two screens and HDMI-out as well as a 12MP camera, pico projector, plus all the wireless protocols and sensors you can imagine. It's a fantasy device, most certainly not intended for market, but it's a pretty effective way to get our hearts racing.

The ARM A9-based chipset will be competing with the Apple A4 and Tegra 2 in tablets and smartbooks, but it's also small enough and energy-efficient enough to power handhelds—good news, since it's got some pretty serious muscle. The demo unit uses a dual-1GHz-core version, and supports 1080p video recording at 24/30fps, three simultaneous independent displays (why you'd need that is beyond me), 20MP image processing, and more memory bandwidth than the Tegra 2 (for better multitasking). Besides that, TI's built in image stabilization and "universal decoding," which means it should be able to (software permitting) play back just about any media file you throw at it. TI claims that with a 1000 mAh battery, it can hit 145 hours of audio playback, which sounds freaking insane—the current OMAP3 can only get between 30 and 40.

It's slated to hit the market either in late 2010 or early 2011, aimed first at smartphones and later possibly larger devices like ereaders or tablets. We'll report on it more as it gets closer to release, but even if the chip can only hit 75% of what it claims, it'll still be damned impressive. [Slashgear]

We've read about Steve Wozniak's car troubles and he even updated us on the lack of assistance from Toyota. What we hadn't seen until now is a video of him venting his frustrations. And wow! The man is truly frustrated.

Well, Woz, I've gotta say that the host of that show was right. Your message is everywhere now, but is Toyota listening yet? [Fora TV]