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We followed the rumors, the leaks, the speculation and the comings and goings of various peers and future competitors, but Apple's finally gone and revealed the updated iPad. Who presented the event? None other than CEO Steve Jobs himself.

The iPad 2 is powered by an Apple A5 chip, a dual-core CPU that somehow consumes the same amount of power as the iPad 1's A4 unit, but delivers "up to 2X" the speed. This also leads to faster graphics, which Jobs quoted as being "nine times" better than the iPad 1. The A5 is the "first dual-core tablet to ship in volume."

iPad 2 is just 8.8mm deep, compared to the iPhone 4's 9.3mm and original iPad's chunky 13.4mm, and it's also just 1.3 pounds--much less than the original's 1.5 mass, and thus way more handler-friendly. It's coming in both white and black (that's the glass front bezel, not the aluminum back) and will will launch March 11th in the U.S. and it'll be available in 26 nations from March 25th.

The twin cameras on front and back support PhotoBooth and Apple's videocalling protocol FaceTime, the front unit is a VGA-res webcam, and the rear unit has 720p video recording powers. To go with the new video features, iMovie is now on the iPad, bringing simple touch-based editing and production skills directly to the tablet itself--it's a $4.99 App Store app, available universally (so can we expect it on iPhones too?). An iOS GarageBand app is also en-route for the same price. The device will run iOS 4.3, which includes a much faster mobile Safari browser, iTunes Home Sharing for easy media streaming at home, better AirPlay features and the return of the screen orientation lock switch. This iOS refresh also brings the Wi-Fi hotspot skills that were revealed on the Verizon iPhone to the iPad.

Pricing may have been the first iPad's secret killer feature, so Apple's not messing with the recipe: The Wi-Fi only 16GB iPad 2 will launch at the same $499 as the original, and the most expensive 3G-enabled 64GB version will still cost $829.

In terms of accessories, the iPad 2 supports a new HDMI cable that hooks directly to the 30-pin iPod connector (and also supports charging via USB) which mirror's the display onto an HDTV at up to 1020p full-HD resolution. The idea is to boost presentation skills of teachers and business folk, and the system even recognizes if you rotate the iPad. A new flush-fitting case has also been created, in multiple colors and coming with a neat magnetic latch that automatically conforms to the iPad's shape.

Revealing the iPad, Jobs began by noting that Apple's competitors teased Apple for using the word "magical" and that the price wasn't reasonable--he wondered what those same competitors are saying now. Jobs then gave us an update on iPad sales figures: 15 million in 2010, in just nine months--"More than every Tablet PC ever sold," and earning Apple $9.5 billion in 2010 alone (there was even a little dig at Samsung's Galaxy Tab sales figures). There are also over 65,000 iPad-specific apps, while the competition launches with "at most" a hundred apps.

Jobs began his iPad presentation noting that users have downloaded over 100 million ebooks from the iBookstore in well under a year's availability, and that combined with the App Store and iTunes stores, Apple has just achieved over 200 million accounts in the stores, what jobs thinks is the most accounts with credit cards of any online service...

That's a lot of statistics to back up that the iPad, and its ecosystem, has been an astonishing success.

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San Francisco, March 3 (IANS) Apple CEO Steve Jobs returned from his medical leave to to unveil the next-generation iPad. The new iPad is thinner than an iPhone 4, boasts faster processing speeds, and sports two cameras for Apple's FaceTime feature.

'While others have been scrambling to copy the first generation iPad, we're launching iPad 2, which moves the bar far ahead of the competition and will likely cause them to go back to the drawing boards yet again,' Jobs said at a launch event here Wednesday.

A surprised a audience gave him a standing ovation and tech bloggers immediately and breathlessly tweeted out the news.

The iPad 2 also comes in both black and white versions, and will be available in the US from March 11. Prices start at $499 for a WiFi-only model. There are a total of nine different iPad 2 models, with Verizon and AT&T having their own distinct 3G versions.

Apple has also taken strides in making the iPad 2 more than just a device for consuming media, as its predecessor was. With the announcement of tablet versions of its Garageband and iMovie apps, it is hoping the new iPad will be used as a content-creation device.

In addition, Apple has also designed its own case for the iPad 2, called Smart Cover. The case (below) uses a magnetic hinge, folds into a stand for typing, and will wake or put to sleep the tablet when opened or closed, respectively.

Along with the iPad 2, Jobs also announced an update to iOS. Version 4.3 includes a faster Safari, enhancements to AirPlay and the Personal Hotspot feature. The latter will allow users to share their iPhone 4 cellular data connection over WiFi with up to five devices.

But the appearance of Jobs made a bigger splash than the unveiling of the new Apple iPad.

Jobs was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2003. He had a liver transplant in 2009. On January 17, he took his second leave from the company in the past two years.

Speculation about Jobs' health had increased in recent weeks, with tabloids weighing in with unsubstantiated reports.

Some of those rumours were tempered when Jobs was photographed in February attending a private dinner with President Barack Obama and other Silicon Valley elite.

what if my girl was called aharit instead of arit



My girl has always been my closest friend but not one day has she ever told me her

real name . She said her name is arit and many times i go Aight ? and she says Right

. Not one day has she dared to put it all together and say AHARIT !

I wondered why she would never tell me her real name . I wondered not for long as I

asked her to marry me . to which she immediately agreed . She had been waiting for

this for ages .


Now we are about to get married it is just a few days or even weeks away .



And I asked her for the last time What is your name Arit

And she said AHARIT and I looked at her and understood . AHA RIGHT !


He sold his birthright for a meal of porridge He ignored the 'Aharit' . That which

comes After . Show me Temptations and I will ask for the AHARIT .

Now we shall soon be together for ever even after the AHARIT !

Happy Valentine

Ephesians 4:2

Former World Boxing Council (WBC) heavy weight champion, Samuel ‘the Nigerian nightmare’ Peter, is confident his upcoming fight against three times world heavyweight champion, Wladimir Klitschko, will not last the distance.

Peter, who lost his WBC crown to the older of the Klitschko brothers, Vitali, in Berlin, Germany, back in October 2008, had in September 2005 fought against Wladimir in an elimination bout for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and International Boxing Organization (IBO) world titles.

The Nigerian, however, lost the bout on points, despite knocking Wladimir down on three separate occasions over the course of the 12 round contest.

That inherently makes the September 11 rematch in Germany one of the more interesting fights that can be made in the heavyweight division, especially since Wladimir has not been involved in a tough fight ever since their 2005 bout.

Five years in the making

It’s almost five years since Peter’s painful loss to Wladimir in Atlantic City and the Nigerian now has a chance to get back at the Ukrainian for inflicting what, back then, was his first career loss. He has promised his fans that “it’s going to be a short night” this time around.

“You are going to see a very good exciting fight this time around,” said Peter. “No bullshit, I’m ready. I’m ready to go. I know my fans are going to be really happy with me this time around because it’s going to be a short night.”

Following his loss to Vitali, Peter went on to suffer defeat at the hands of Eddie Chambers in March 2009, but returned with a bang afterwards by recording four straight wins, with the longest of them lasting just four rounds, against journeyman, Gabe Brown, in September 2009.

The underdog

Irrespective of that, Peter will be coming into the bout against Wladimir as the underdog. He, however, insisted he is not bothered by that.

“I like when people keep on thinking like that because some people, they are thinking with their legs,” he said.

“They are not thinking with their heads or brains. They don’t see what I see. They don’t know what I know. Let them keep on thinking. I love that,” added Peter, who then went ahead to boast that he would be prepared to give Wladimir the opportunity of fighting him all over again right after their upcoming rematch.

“Definitely,” exclaimed Peter. “Even that same night, they better be ready because it’s not going to be long. I would still beat him again that same night,” said Peter, who represented Nigeria at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games.

Wladimir, a gold medallist at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, hasn’t lost since his April 2004 loss to Lamon Brewster, and knocked out Chambers in his last title defence in March this year.

He, however, admitted in a recent interview that he will be prepared for the hardhitting Nigerian by the time they meet in Frankfurt next month.

“The first fight against Samuel was one of the hardest combats in my career. He is a hard puncher who developed further. I know what to expect at the 11th of September, but I will be prepared,” Wladimir said.

He was said to have brought her from Egypt

Criticisms continued to trail the alleged marriage of former governor of Zamfara State, Senator Ahmed Sani to a 13-year old Egyptian girl.

The former governor reportedly paid $100,000 as bride price to the parents of the minor.

But in a statement made available to our correspondent in Lokoja on Monday, the National Council of Women Societies condemned the action of the senator, describing it as shameful.

Speaking through its National President, Hajia Ramatu Usman, the umbrella women’s organisation said Sani’s action did not come to Nigerian women as a surprise because, according to them, many northern governors had been using religion as an excuse for not passing the Child Rights Act.

She further stated that the council had been mounting a campaign against young girls being given out for marriage at ridiculously early ages of 12 or 13 years, adding that the action was against all reasoning.

According to Usman, “Vesico vaginal fistula has been attributed to under age marriages due to the practice of early marriages in Nigeria, where young girls are given out for marriage at ridiculously early ages as 12 or 13 years. They get pregnant and when they are ready to deliver, their pelvises are so small for the babies to pass through.

“The baby gets stuck in the birth canal and in some cases dies. The baby‘s head wears a hole between the birth canal and the bladder (VVF) or rectum (RVF).

“So, when the dead baby is eventually delivered, the young mother is left with a dead child and she begins to drain urine and/or stool continuously. She develops sores on her skin and smells horribly from the constant drips of urine and stool on her clothes.”

The body therefore advised parents to avoid giving out their under age daughters in marriage in order to check cases of this health risk, which it said is particularly common in the northern part of Nigeria.

The statement further said, “It is a shame that while we are seeking ways to view closely what pushes parents into giving out their underage daughters into early marriages, a former governor of a state is celebrating this act of child trafficking and abuse.”

It also called on well-meaning Nigerians to mount pressure on northern governors to immediately commence work on the Child Rights Act.

Tens of thousands of sympathisers yesterday trooped to the Emir of Kano's Palace to witness the funeral prayer for the late Muhammadu Abubakar Rimi.

The former governor of the old Kano State died on Sunday evening, following an encounter with armed robbers on his way to Kano from Bauchi State.

As the news continued to spread in the early hours of Monday in the city about the demise of the outspoken and firebrand former governor, people gathered around the city discussing and mourning. They all wore grim looks..

Tumultuous crowd

Immediately the death was confirmed, the Emir's Palace - which was the venue for the funeral - was besieged by sympathizers.

Thousands of persons, irrespective of party leanings, took part in the rowdy funeral. Crowd control was overwhelming for the authorities as they were unable to bring the corpse out of the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital ambulance for the funeral prayer. The body was later brought to the palace at 12.45pm, where the deputy Imam of the Kano Central Mosque, Nazifi Dalhatu, led the prayers. The prayer was attended by the Emir of Kano, Ado Bayero, among several other dignitaries.

Other dignataries who witnessed the prayer include the governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido; the former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; the former Labour and Productivity Minister, Musa Lawan Gwadabe; and the deputy governor of Kano, Abdullhahi Tijjani. The former governor has since been buried in the Tarauni Mosque in the city.

Among the dignitaries who paid tributes was Muhammed Abacha, the eldest son of the late Head of State, Sani Abacha. He said, "The loss is a monumental one, not only to the polity but to the entire human race. Rimi's single vocal voice has tremendously brought some purity in the elitism and political office holdership. Filling the vacuum he left behind is the greatest challenge that Nigerians as citizens would face in the next couple of years. The legacies he left behind in terms of social infrastructure, and otherwise is there for everybody to testify. The only justice Nigerians will do to Rimi is to strive hard to fill in his shoes, so that at least there will be some sanity in the conduct of life."

Former presidential adviser to President Shehu Shagari, Tanko Yakasai, said Mr. Rimi's death is a big loss not only to his family, but to the entire nation.

"Rimi was a dodged fighter, a fearless politician who dedicated his life to the unity of the nation and enthronement of everlasting democracy in the country. By his death, Nigeria has lost one of its pillars who stood firm in the struggle for the restoration of true democracy, not only in Nigeria but in the entire African continent. May Allah forgive his mistakes and grant his gentle soul rest in peace."

Tributes to a man of the people

Former Lagos State Police Commissioner, Abubakar Tsav, blamed police laxity for Mr. Rimi's death. "The death of Muhammadu Abubakar Rimi through armed robbery attack by a gang of blood thirsty armed robbers on the road brings to question the willingness and capability of the Nigeria Police to provide security for the people of this country. The federal, state, and local governments have on several occasions purchased and donated patrol vehicles to the police as well as provide money for fuelling to aid their operations. All these have not enhanced police efficiency in crime prevention and detection."

Rimi's younger brother, Sule Sa'a, said the Emir of Nasarawa, Hassan Ahmad, had advised the late Mr. Rimi to cancel the night journey. The younger brother, who sustained scalp injury during the encounter with the armed robbers, in tears narrated how "Rimi insisted on the journey to enable him meet some commitments in Kano."

Kano State governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, who is abroad, described Mr. Rimi's death as a big tragedy to the state and the entire nation. Mr. Shekarau, who spoke through his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Sule Yau Sule, said, " it is tragic, a big loss not only to Kano, but the nation in general. He was a political icon whose ideology is being emulated by many."

Former All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP) governorship candidate, Kabiru Gwangwazo, described Mr. Rimi's achievement during his tenure as governor of the state as the best ever.

"From 1979, when he became the first elected governor of old Kano State, no governor in both Kano and Jigawa States, and probably in the whole north, can be compared with him in terms of service delivery and mass followership. Since his time as governor, all politicians and political parties recruit most of their leading elites from among Rimi's disciples. His shoes would be very difficult to fill."