Microsoft Surface vs. iPad vs. Galaxy Note 10.1.

Today, Microsoft finally revealed pricing for its upcoming Surface tablet, with the 32 gigabyte model of the Windows RT slate set to go for $499 ($599 with touch keyboard) and the 64GB model priced at $699 with the keyboard cover.

At those prices, the Surface costs less than some of the other upcoming Windows RT tablets, such as the Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11, which starts at $799, and undercuts the price of the current tablet leader, the Apple iPad, by $100 for the 32GB model.

Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live division at Microsoft, said, “We’re pretty darn excited about the price, the value. When you think about everything you are getting, this is a terrific deal.”

But is it?

Here is a chart comparing some of the key features of the Surface with the similarly priced Wi-Fi-only iPad and Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 tablets. Of course, we don’t recommend buying a device based on specs alone — performance and user experience play a huge role in the buying decision — but it’s always good to know what you’re getting for your money.

	Microsoft Surface	Apple iPad	Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1
Pricing	$499 for 32GB w/o Touch Cover; $599 for 32GB w/ Touch Cover; $699 for 64GB w/ Touch Cover	$499 for 16GB; $599 for 32GB; $699 for 64GB	$499.99 for 16GB; $549.99 for 32GB
Operating system	Windows RT	Apple iOS 6	Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
Size	10.81 inches high by 6.77 inches wide by 0.37 inch thick; 1.5 pounds	9.5 inches high by 7.31 inches wide by 0.37 inch thick; 1.44 pounds	10.3 inches high by 7.1 inches wide by 0.35 inch thick; 1.31 pounds
Display	10.6-inch, 1,366 x 760 pixel multi-touchscreen	9.7-inch, 2,048 x 1,536 pixel multi-touchscreen	10.1-inch, 1,280 x 800 pixel multi-touchscreen
Camera	720p HD rear- and front-facing cameras	5-megapixel rear camera, VGA front-facing camera	5-megapixel rear camera, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera
Processor	Nvidia T30 processor	Dual-core Apple A5X processor	1.4GHz quad-core Exynos processor
Expansion slot	Yes	No	Yes
Sensors	Accelerometer, digital compass, ambient light, gyroscope	Accelerometer, digital compass, ambient light, gyroscope	Accelerometer, digital compass, ambient light, gyroscope
Ports	USB 2.0, 3.5mm headphone jack, HD video out, cover port	30-pin connector, 3.5mm headphone jack	USB 2.0, proprietary power connector, 3.5mm headphone jack, infrared port
Connectivity	Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0	Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0	Wi-Fi (802.11a/b/g/n), Bluetooth 4.0
Notable features	Features a “VaporMG” magnesium casing, ships with Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013	Siri personal assistant app, retina display with IPS technology for wider viewing angles	Ships with S Pen, a pressure-sensitive stylus that can be used to take handwritten notes
Colors	Black	Black, white	Gray, white

Apple runs out of new iPads for Friday delivery

Resellers take advantage of supply shortages, try to sell new tablet on eBay at more than 3X list price

Apple has sold out of initial supplies of the new iPad in every country where it will launch the tablet on Friday, and is now telling buyers that orders will not ship for up to three weeks.

In the U.S. and Canada, all iPad pre-orders placed through Apple's online store will now ship on March 19, three days after the on-sale date. Customers who placed an order very early in the pre-sale process were told they will receive the tablet on Friday, March 16.

Some consumers, including Computerworld staffers who ordered the new iPad last Wednesday, have received emails confirming that their tablets have been shipped.

Australian orders will ship on March 22, while those ordered in other first-wave markets -- France, Japan, Germany, Switzerland and the U.K. -- currently show a shipping delay of two to three weeks.

Hong Kong's online store simply says that the new iPad is currently unavailable.

U.S. carriers AT&T and Verizon, both which will also sell the iPad, are only taking customers' email addresses for later notification when the tablet is available.

The tight supplies and resulting delays were not surprising.

Last year, the Apple iPad 2 sold out on its first day of availability in the U.S., where shipping delays changed several times on opening day, first from two to three business days, then five to seven days, and finally settled on two to three weeks.

Four days later those delays had grown to four to five weeks, a timespan that one analyst called "intense."

Apple acknowledged it could not keep up with demand for the iPad 2.

In an April 2011 conference call with Wall Street analysts, Tim Cook, at the time its chief operations officer, called demand "staggering" and admitted orders were bogged down in the "mother of all backlogs."

Not until the mid-point of 2011's third quarter did Apple claim iPad 2 supplies had matched demand.

More recently, analysts predicted that Apple would face a repeat of the problem, in large part because suppliers of the new model's higher-resolution screen have had difficulty getting high yields from their lines.

Source: Apple earnings reports.

Last week, Richard Shim, a senior analyst with DisplaySearch, said manufacturing the iPad's 2,048-by-1,536 pixel screen was a"challenge" for Sharp, Samsung and LG Display.

The shortages have again created opportunities for resellers who claim they will have the tablet next week.

On eBay, for example, prices for a 16GB Wi-Fi third-generation iPad run as high as $1,200, a 140% markup over that model's list price of $499, while 64GB 4G tablets are priced as high as $2,799, or 238% above the $829 list price.

Apple will begin selling the new iPad in its retail stores, as well as other outlets such as Best Buy and Radio Shack, on Friday, March 16.

President Mutharika to arrest journos who 'insult' him - SO MUCH FOR

Malawian president, Bingu wa Mutharika has through his state house press officer Albert Mungomo, issued a warning to the media and non-governmental organisations that they risk being arrested for continuously insulting and vilifying his governance style.

Mutharika accused certain editors and reporters that are offered money by opposition political party leaders, donors and even civil society organisation leaders to deliberately distort information, insult him to cause panic in this country.

"The state house has yet again noted with grave concern the continuing habit by some civil society organisations and sadly too, media houses to insult the head of state, His Excellency Ngwazi Professor Bingu wa Mutharika," says the statement, issued on 8 March 2012 signed by Mungomo.

MISA-Malawi disturbed

The Malawi chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA-Malawi) says it has been disturbed by the statement.

"We are greatly shocked that the highest office of the land could issue such threats to the media as contained in the statement," said Anthony Kasunda, MISA-Malawi chairperson.

He contended that the issues raised in the statement do not in any way warrant such a strong warning of arrest. 

"The media, as far as MISA is concerned is doing a commendable job, otherwise government or indeed the state house should have lodged a complaint with us or indeed the Media Council of Malawi," he challenged.

"We are disturbed and at the moment doing consultations to see how best to respond to the statement," said Kasunda. 

Media practitioners not to feel threatened

He said MISA-Malawi would like to appeal to media practitioners and media houses in the country not to feel intimidated by the threats. 

"As long as the media remains professional, we shall always exercise and enjoy the freedom of expression and media freedom as stipulated in the supreme law of the land, the constitution," he said

Mungomo claims in the statement that deliberate attempts have been made to distort statements and actions by Mutharika with the intention to misinform the nation, thereby stirring unnecessary panic among Malawians and bring anarchy to the country.

"Some print and electronic media houses have found solace in misinforming their audiences on actions and statements by the state president," says Mungomo.

Mungomo says the state house has further observed that certain newspapers refer to the president as the 'big kahuna' or 'moya'. 

Protected by the law of the land

"This is demeaning our own head of state and no sensible and sound journalist would propagate such reportage. This MUST stop forthwith," warns the statement, before citing pieces of legislation earmarked to be used to arrest such 'journalists'.

"The laws of Malawi provide for the total respect and protection of the head of state. Section 3 (2) of the protected Flag, Emblems and Names clearly states that: Any person who does any act or utters any words or publishes any writing calculated to or liable to insult or to show disrespect to or with respect to or with reference to the President...shall be liable to a fine of 1000 pounds and to imprisonment for two (2) years."

Mungomo says Mutharika is therefore protected by that law and that he believes that such insults are a violation of the law that protects him.

The state house has also cited publications which it targets for their misdoing.

It says most recently, the state house noted with dismay and concern a lead story on the front of The Nation newspaper of 2 March 2012, captioned 'Bingu's Sneaky Fuel Strategy'. 

Misleading information

It says the article did not only carry misleading information about facts on the ground, but went a mile further with a cartoon that mentioned the name Mutharika to illustrate a point. 

"We all know that 'Mutharika' is the current head of state and to portray him through such a demeaning cartoon is deliberate provocation and stretching the state president beyond any acceptable limits," says Mungomo.

He further said stories and headlines like 'Bingu gets grilled', 'Government barks at nothing', 'An arrogant Bingu', are nothing but sensational and irresponsible writing that is only designed to provoke certain quarters of the society.

The president has also faulted some social networks which he says carry articles and comments that openly insult and ridicule him. 

"The state house monitors carefully such networks that are hostile and probably careless in demeaning the state president," says the statement before issuing its warning: "The state house wishes therefore to make it blatantly clear that it will not standby and condone this impudence."

The state house also faults some radio stations whose phones in programmes are designed to offer a platform for callers to castigate or insult Mutharika. 

"Anchors of such programmes have often found fun as the head of state is being ridiculed in public. This too is unacceptable and the state house is not amused at all," says Mungomo.

Sensationalism journalism

The statement also goes back to the 20 July 2011 demonstrations that turned ugly and left several innocent people dead and huge property lost through burning and looting were even aggravated by some media houses who intentionally sensationalised their reporting.

"The intention is to create an impression that Malawi is a failed state on governance issues and that the purported situation is worrying Malawians and donors," it says. 

Mungomo then goes on to declare that Mutharika cannot be rated to have poorly governed this country as there is no evidence and basis. 

"It is a pity that some civil society organisations and media houses find demeaning, insulting and accusing the state president as a scoop to merit themselves. It should be obvious that such insults, accusations, derogatory statements and ill comments about our head of state are but a shame in the eyes of the international community," says Mungomo.

He then says that the state house is asking civil society organisations and media houses to stop demeaning the state president and using falsehood as a means of advancing personal agendas. 

"Peddling of falsehood and insulting His Excellency the state president is not the kind of behavior expected of leaders, media houses that pose to be knowledgeable and responsible enough to be at the helm of institutions that are expected to be reputable," he says.

Mungomo says the state house finally wishes to warn in the strongest terms civil society organisations and media houses to stop equating themselves with Mutharika and/or insulting him. 

"His Excellency the state president deserves respect and protection as provided for in the laws of Malawi," he says.

Did Whitney Houston and her daughter share the same drug dealer?!

A shocking news report claims that the late Whitney Houston and her teenage daughter Bobbi Kristina shared the same drug dealer. The Daily Star has reported that mother and daughter were using a man by the name of 'Jay' to purchase drugs right up until the singer's death last month. A family insider allegedly told the publication that the man would deliver marijuana and cocaine to the Houston home in Atlanta, and that Whitney was taking drugs for 'most of the last six months of her life'. "Her regular dealer toward the end was a big, black guy called Jay," a family insider told The Daily Star. "He would call at the house most evenings in the months leading up to Whitney's death. And he earned a fortune from her." The report claims that Whitney never had any interaction with the man and rather had a friend make the deals. "They would hand Jay a brown paper bag crammed with hundreds of dollar bills and Jay would hand back the bag with the top folded down," the insider claims to the British paper. But while the dealings were taking place, the insider alleges that Whitney's 18-year-old daughter was also being given drugs and alcohol by that man, unbeknownst to her mother. "He would give her drink and drugs, usually cannabis," the source told The Daily Star. The new report comes after numerous reports about Bobbi Kristina's past troubles. The teen was admitted to a psychiatric ward in 2008 after she tried to stab her mother during an argument before turning the blade on herself and trying to slit her wrists. She had apparently grown up seeing her mother doing drugs and now her family is concerned that she may follow in the singer's footsteps in the more negative aspects of her life.

Pregnant girls must come back to school

Children who stayed on course were more likely to be employed as adults, less likely to be caught up by crime and were healthier, she said at an education colloquium.

"We need to know what those of us in education can do about pupils falling pregnant," she said.

"We know they they are not falling pregnant due to [a] lack of information. They know about the birds and the bees."

Educationists, academics and a number of civic organisations were at the meeting to discuss ways to stop children from dropping out of school before they finish matric.

Creecy said the situation had vastly improved since 1994 but there were still too many pupils not completing their education.

Schoolgirl pregnancy was a major reason for not finishing school.

Other reasons included domestic responsibilities, boredom and repeated failure.

Colleges to be Upgraded

The nine further education and training (FET) colleges in KwaZulu-Natal are to go from “glorified high schools” without chief financial officers to becoming the tertiary institutions of choice for school-leavers.

This was according to Higher Education Minister Blade Nzimande after meeting Education MEC Senzo Mchunu and the councils and management of the province’s FET colleges on Thursday.

The meeting was called to ascertain what would need to be done when they were handed to the national department, following approval of the FET Amendment Bill of 2011.

“We need a new kind of principal – it can’t be business as usual,” Nzimande said.

Department director-general Gwebs Qonde said the plan was not to axe anyone, but to “re-tool” the colleges’ existing heads through training. All 50 colleges in the country would be subjected to individual audits of staff and finances, to start in the next few months.

Nzimande said none of the nine colleges in KZN had chief financial officers, which was a “disaster”, and especially risky since National Student Financial Aid Scheme allocations ran into billions.

The department has approached the SA Institute of Chartered Accountants to recommend retired chartered accountants to temporarily act as financial officers and to establish “proper financial procedures” at the colleges.

Nzimande also intends to address the qualifications of lecturers. Qonde said a large chunk of the investment in the refurbishment of colleges and the building of additional campuses would be directed to KZN, as enrolment demands were higher here.