Michael DeAgonia

Apple's newest iPad, the 3G-equipped model that arrived Friday, is identical to the earlier Wi-Fi-only model, save for a plastic black strip running along the top of the device -- for 3G reception -- and a SIM card slot on the lower left side. Otherwise, the iPad 3G offers the same features as the model that arrived April 3: same solid design and construction, same bright and sharp 9.7-inch screen, same battery life.

Other than weighing a tenth of a pound more (1.6 pounds instead of 1.5), the big difference is that you can now take online access pretty much wherever you go -- as long as there's an AT&T 3G network nearby and you're willing to pay an extra $130 (plus a monthly fee) for the privilege.

For browser fans, this is the best of times. The five most popular Web browsers -- Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Google Chrome and Opera -- have released significant new versions this year.

Although Internet Explorer retains the lion's share of browser use, its competitors are gradually gaining favor. It's been a very long time since the browser market has been this unsettled and open to competition.

Firefox 3.5 for Windows

When Apple Inc.'s new iPhone 3G S -- the "S" stands for speed -- officially went on sale this morning, I made sure I was one of those standing in line at an AT&T store so I snap one up as soon as the doors opened. Unlike past years, the number of people waiting at stores around the U.S. to get the new iPhone was smaller, perhaps because the latest model is evolutionary -- not revolutionary -- compared to the original iPhone or the 3G model that debuted last summer. (More likely, it's because buyers could pre-order it and either pick it up at the store or have it delivered directly to their home.)

AT&T divided the 20 or so people in line into walk-in buyers and those who pre-ordered. I was a walk-in, so I had to wait while those who pre-ordered the phone by last Friday got their phones first. Time to wait for the 32GB model I wanted: about 55 minutes after the store opened. Price out the door: $299 (I've been using the first-generation EDGE-based model, so I qualified for AT&T's upgrade pricing.)

With the release of the iPhone 2.0 software on Friday and the opening of the App Store -- where hundreds of third-party applications are now available -- Apple Inc.'s iPhone has taken a major leap toward becoming a premiere mobile platform.

Since the iPhone's arrival last year, one of the constant complaints about it was that the hardware was a technological marvel but the software was lacking. A little over a year after the iPhone's debut, Apple released not only the most significant hardware upgrade since the device's inception, but also the most significant software release to date. Best of all, the apps work on the first-generation iPhone as well as the newer iPhone 3G, and on the iPod Touch. (You have to pay $9.95 to update the iPod Touch so it can run third-party applications, though.)