According to Rodney Charters, director of photography on 24, print media might not be the only thing Apple's tablet is saving in coming months. Charters cheerfully Tweeted that Jack Bauer might wield the ubergadget later this season on 24.

The production team on the show, which recently aired the fifth episode of its eighth season, is apparently working behind the scenes to outfit its hero with Apple's forthcoming device. This morning Charters announced:

Hmmmm looks like we may get an iSlate into Jacks hands for Ep 20 getting giddy with excitement

and later updated, with a bit more certainty

Got a bit too excited probably more likely Episode 22 but Apple provided fingers crossed

In any event, it's a testament to the hype surrounding the device that it's even managed to make its way into the dreams of fictional characters. I'm sure Jack, too, is giddy with excitement. [Rodney Charters]

You might think this 9" PLEN hobby robot a little on the pricey side, but that's before you've seen him dance. Or skateboard! Better yet, you can control him with and Android app from your phone, via Bluetooth.

The $3,000 robot from Akazawa is part of a limited edition of 50, so if you do happen to be charmed by his android wiles, you should get on that soon. Me, I'm happy just to kick back and watch the little guy dance, clap, and kick his way into our hearts. [AudioCubes via Android Guys]

You might think this 9" PLEN hobby robot a little on the pricey side, but that's before you've seen him dance. Or skateboard! Better yet, you can control him with and Android app from your phone, via Bluetooth.

The $3,000 robot from Akazawa is part of a limited edition of 50, so if you do happen to be charmed by his android wiles, you should get on that soon. Me, I'm happy just to kick back and watch the little guy dance, clap, and kick his way into our hearts. [AudioCubes via Android Guys]

In today's Remainders, the tablet-confirming Tweet from a German retailer that wasn't really from a German retailer, a video of the Air Force smushing faces with seven Gs, an iPhone app that keeps track of all those rumors, and more!

Markt Up
This morning, technology websites were buzzing with news that the Apple tablet's price had been leaked by a German retailer. The source: a Tweet from German electronics giant Media Markt which claimed the tablet would be available on March 1 for roughly $600 with a T-Mobile contract or $1000 without. This seemed fishy to us. Why would a German retailer be privy to all of this information on Apple's supersecret device? Well, a few hours later our skepticism was confirmed: a Media Markt representative confirmed that the Twitter account was not an official one. The real question here: who's getting their kicks pretending to be a big German electronics store on Twitter? [MacRumors]

Barf Bag
Today Wired dug up this little gem that reminded us why we didn't pursue our dreams of joining the Air Force. Though the video is nearly half a decade old, and thus not quite fresh enough to warrant a post, there is something truly timeless about watching men and women of all shapes and sizes contorted into entirely different shapes and sizes by the face-smushing, mind-melting, puke-inducing power of seven Gs. [Wired]

Scary Berry
If the unicorn is the iPhone's spirit animal in the great Gadgetverse, this monster is surely the Blackberry's. [iRumors
Love playing the rumors game but having trouble keeping track of them all? There's an app for that! David Weiss's Prediction was approved by Apple today and lets you to stay on top of all the latest speculation from the palm of your hand. Even better, it lets you log your take on each rumor so you can see how your gadget prescience plays out in the long run. If that's a little too high tech for you, Weiss put together a handy PDF of all of the prevailing Apple tablet rumors that you can print out and fill out before tomorrow's event. [Daring Fireball]

In today's Remainders, the tablet-confirming Tweet from a German retailer that wasn't really from a German retailer, a video of the Air Force smushing faces with seven Gs, an iPhone app that keeps track of all those rumors, and more!

Markt Up
This morning, technology websites were buzzing with news that the Apple tablet's price had been leaked by a German retailer. The source: a Tweet from German electronics giant Media Markt which claimed the tablet would be available on March 1 for roughly $600 with a T-Mobile contract or $1000 without. This seemed fishy to us. Why would a German retailer be privy to all of this information on Apple's supersecret device? Well, a few hours later our skepticism was confirmed: a Media Markt representative confirmed that the Twitter account was not an official one. The real question here: who's getting their kicks pretending to be a big German electronics store on Twitter? [MacRumors]

Barf Bag
Today Wired dug up this little gem that reminded us why we didn't pursue our dreams of joining the Air Force. Though the video is nearly half a decade old, and thus not quite fresh enough to warrant a post, there is something truly timeless about watching men and women of all shapes and sizes contorted into entirely different shapes and sizes by the face-smushing, mind-melting, puke-inducing power of seven Gs. [Wired]

Scary Berry
If the unicorn is the iPhone's spirit animal in the great Gadgetverse, this monster is surely the Blackberry's. [iRumors
Love playing the rumors game but having trouble keeping track of them all? There's an app for that! David Weiss's Prediction was approved by Apple today and lets you to stay on top of all the latest speculation from the palm of your hand. Even better, it lets you log your take on each rumor so you can see how your gadget prescience plays out in the long run. If that's a little too high tech for you, Weiss put together a handy PDF of all of the prevailing Apple tablet rumors that you can print out and fill out before tomorrow's event. [Daring Fireball]

10 A.M. PT, Wednesday, January 27, 2010. That's when Steve Jobs (or Phil Schiller) will step onstage and (probably) announce the Apple Tablet. But you, you should tune in early, because our liveblog is going to start first thing.

We'll have our usual pre-game countdown, with observations of the line, celebrity look-a-like sightings, angry rants about how cold it's going to be in SF, and photos of what people are wearing. Us? A tasteful Target and Walmart ensemble, naturally.

And if you're a developer or member of the press that will be at the event tomorrow, email Brian Lam (his email's in the masthead on the left <—) for info on a meetup tomorrow night. [Liveblog]

10 A.M. PT, Wednesday, January 27, 2010. That's when Steve Jobs (or Phil Schiller) will step onstage and (probably) announce the Apple Tablet. But you, you should tune in early, because our liveblog is going to start first thing.

We'll have our usual pre-game countdown, with observations of the line, celebrity look-a-like sightings, angry rants about how cold it's going to be in SF, and photos of what people are wearing. Us? A tasteful Target and Walmart ensemble, naturally.

And if you're a developer, work in the industry or are a member of the press that will be at the event tomorrow, email Brian Lam (his email's in the masthead on the left <—) for info on a meetup tomorrow night. [Liveblog]

It's rumored by some that Apple will announce that the iPhone is becoming available from carriers other than AT&T on Wednesday. That would mean you could leave AT&T while staying with Apple, among other interesting things.

Price War
If you want an iPhone in the US, you're stuck with AT&T. If the iPhone becomes available on more carriers, people have a choice. And if the phones are equal across the carriers, people will be choosing based on rate plans and coverage instead of whichever carrier has the phone they want.

This would hopefully lead to lower prices, especially for services like text messages, data and voice. There's already a mini-price war going on between Verizon and AT&T, who have both dropped their unlimited calling plans to $70. If they're both fighting for iPhone customers, one expects this to only continue.

Tethering
AT&T still doesn't offer tethering for the iPhone, while Verizon is offering it on phones such as the Palm Pre Plus. If Verizon has tethering, how fast do you think AT&T would scramble to get it? Assuming it's a choice by AT&T, and not some other weird technical issue, we think it would happen pretty fast. These are the benefits of competition.

Coverage and Reception
AT&T's network might not be terrible, depending where you live, but one thing is for sure: it's stuck providing coverage for the biggest wireless data hog ever made. Verizon has a great network that really hasn't been challenged. On the one hand, Verizon might handle the iPhone with aplomb. On the other, AT&T aced our 3G test and still sucks when the iPhone is on it. Is it the network, or is it the phone?

As for the assumption that Verizon getting the iPhone would lighten the load on AT&T, well, it would be nice if half of the AT&T users just went over to VZ, but that's definitely not how networks—or businesses—work.

3G vs. 4G Wireless Data
If we don't get a Verizon iPhone this year, the general expectation is that we'll see an LTE iPhone on Verizon in 2011. (LTE is the 4G wireless protocol that both VZ and AT&T are supporting.)

But if Verizon gets it sooner, it might not have Apple breathing down its neck for a sturdy LTE network by next summer. That could be bad news for not just iPhone users, but anyone looking to get an LTE phone. Remember: 3G was available when the original iPhone was released, Apple was just too cautious to hop on board before it was ready.

GSM vs. CDMA
Verizon runs a CDMA network, which would require a CDMA iPhone. CDMA phones are more difficult to hack than GSM phones, which would be a hit for the thriving homebrew and jailbreaking scene that currently exists. Not that Verizon—or Apple—would care.

Furthermore, a CDMA iPhone wouldn't be able to travel outside of the US without a GSM radio, as most international carriers use GSM, just like AT&T. Many of Verizon's BlackBerry's offer CDMA phones with GSM radios for international roaming, so it's possible the iPhone could get it too.

It's rumored by some that Apple will announce that the iPhone is becoming available from carriers other than AT&T on Wednesday. That would mean you could leave AT&T while staying with Apple, among other interesting things.

Price War
If you want an iPhone in the US, you're stuck with AT&T. If the iPhone becomes available on more carriers, people have a choice. And if the phones are equal across the carriers, people will be choosing based on rate plans and coverage instead of whichever carrier has the phone they want.

This would hopefully lead to lower prices, especially for services like text messages, data and voice. There's already a mini-price war going on between Verizon and AT&T, who have both dropped their unlimited calling plans to $70. If they're both fighting for iPhone customers, one expects this to only continue.

Tethering
AT&T still doesn't offer tethering for the iPhone, while Verizon is offering it on phones such as the Palm Pre Plus. If Verizon has tethering, how fast do you think AT&T would scramble to get it? Assuming it's a choice by AT&T, and not some other weird technical issue, we think it would happen pretty fast. These are the benefits of competition.

Coverage and Reception
AT&T's network might not be terrible, depending where you live, but one thing is for sure: it's stuck providing coverage for the biggest wireless data hog ever made. Verizon has a great network that really hasn't been challenged. On the one hand, Verizon might handle the iPhone with aplomb. On the other, AT&T aced our 3G test and still sucks when the iPhone is on it. Is it the network, or is it the phone?

As for the assumption that Verizon getting the iPhone would lighten the load on AT&T, well, it would be nice if half of the AT&T users just went over to VZ, but that's definitely not how networks—or businesses—work.

3G vs. 4G Wireless Data
If we don't get a Verizon iPhone this year, the general expectation is that we'll see an LTE iPhone on Verizon in 2011. (LTE is the 4G wireless protocol that both VZ and AT&T are supporting.)

But if Verizon gets it sooner, it might not have Apple breathing down its neck for a sturdy LTE network by next summer. That could be bad news for not just iPhone users, but anyone looking to get an LTE phone. Remember: 3G was available when the original iPhone was released, Apple was just too cautious to hop on board before it was ready.

GSM vs. CDMA
Verizon runs a CDMA network, which would require a CDMA iPhone. CDMA phones are more difficult to hack than GSM phones, which would be a hit for the thriving homebrew and jailbreaking scene that currently exists. Not that Verizon—or Apple—would care.

Furthermore, a CDMA iPhone wouldn't be able to travel outside of the US without a GSM radio, as most international carriers use GSM, just like AT&T. Many of Verizon's BlackBerry's offer CDMA phones with GSM radios for international roaming, so it's possible the iPhone could get it too.

This candy apple Sophie Madeleine limited edition LP is just oozing with style that no one can digitize. [Sophie Madeleine via boingboing]