You might be wondering why you would want a helicopter that is controlled by your smartphone, but believe it or not, there are games that can manipulate the screen showing the live feed to show enemies that you are now responsible for taking care of.  With all of that going down, you must not forget you are the one controlling the plane.

The AR Drone has been around for a little more than one year now since it was launched in Vegas at last years E3 conference.  Since then the company has been trying to advance the helicopter technology.  In addition to improvements to the company has started a competition of sorts that is worldwide and called “AR Drone Challenges”.  Te competition puts users against each other has they post video challenges.  Of the very first competition that the company started with, 14 users will have their challenge videos selected to go to Paris on some time in October.

The card readers accept all major credit cards and of the 500,000 readers delivered, the number of total transactions with the reader hit 1 million in May alone.  In addition to the Square hardware and free app, they also have Card Case, which allows users to check out local businesses, view a menu or track all your receipts and make instant purchases all from the familiarity of your smartphone or wireless device.  The Square Register is another app that Square hopes that will help reinvent the buyer-seller relationship with an easy to use app available for free.

The Tabs feature on the app will allow users to make an instant purchase much like websites that implement the “one-click” purchase.  Once a tab is set, the seller can verify information on the buyer and the purchase is made much faster.  Card Case is a feature that can be activated via text message after buying something at an authorized merchant.  Merchants that participate, about 50 in major cities, will see a better relationship with buyers.

The big unveiling of the new store design came and what did people see when they walked in?  iPad 2s.  A whole store full of iPads that were sitting right next to each product that Apple had for sale in the store.  The iPad 2s were set up to give information about the products that people were looking to buy.  The iPads were running a custom software that Apple created for the “customer service experience” and apparently it is less likely to get tampered with than the regular iPad software if it were installed on these units.  The laptops were connected via a special cable that was also connected to the product on display.  The iPad 2′s would serve as a simple, but informative customer service representative allowing the customers to browse the specs, features and the price.

Disconnecting the cable will set off an alarm and stealing the iPad 2 would set off a homing device that would “call home” to Apple until it’s found.  Looks like Apple has figured everything out, including ways of selling products without actually employing anyone.  We’ll see how this goes, but if it takes off, it could revolutionize how shopping is done.

First we have the new Xperia Mini, which will be powered by a 1 GHz processor and will feature the Android Gingerbread as its operating system. As a display and input device, you’ll have a 3″ display with multitouch support and resistance to scratches and other forms of wear – what’s interesting about this part of the phone is that it will be based on Sony’s well-known Bravia Engine, offering crystal-clear images according to Sony Ericsson. Though we couldn’t tell any difference from the pictures, according to SE the phone’s battery has been given a 30% increase in its size – and subsequently its capacity.

On the other hand, we have the Xperia Mini Pro which will feature more or less the same hardware configuration, with the extra addition of a physical full QWERTY keyboard (with a sliding design – similar to the one used previously in the X10 Mini Pro).

The two models won’t come out simultaneously, with the Xperia Mini set to be released around August, and the Xperia Mini Pro given a non-descriptive third quarter of this year as its eventual release date. So if you’re looking for a nifty smartphone with a solid design and 720p video recording support, it may be worth putting off your purchase by a few months.

1. iAnnotate PDF, a highly versatile tool with many features that can enhance your reading experience – you can leave marks on pages and draw directly on them, set bookmarks, view multiple documents in separate tabs, and even customize the app’s interface to your likings. It also offers a service together with Dropbox, allowing you to get your e-books from your Dropbox account – a feature certainly handy for those that use the tool.

As the only downside of this app, we can probably point out that it has more features than the average user would need, which can make it seem quite complex at first.

2. iPDF Reader claims to be the most lightweight PDF reader currently available, and it does certainly make an impression of speedy operation and an easy to navigate interface. It also offers an integrated PDF search engine, though it doesn’t seem to work perfectly yet as it’s prone to finding unreadable documents.

3. Stanza – another PDF reader packed with useful features, Stanza has a clean and streamlined interface that focuses on the content right from the get go, and it allows you to create your custom categories and organize your literature in different ways. And with the integrated dictionary, you’ll never have to switch over to another app for that purpose continuously!

Stanza does suffer from some interface drawbacks, but nothing too serious that should detract you from trying it. In fact, if you can overlook the small problems it has in this regard, you’ll actually find some options that no other PDF readers can offer you at the moment, such as a finer control over the scrolling speed and more.

4. Bookman Fast PDF Reader is an app that focuses on speed and smoothness, with a sleek interface that gives you immediate access to your books in an organized fashion. You can use large-sized thumbnail images for each of your books, and the reader handles larger documents remarkably well, opening and going through them noticeably faster than most other readers.

Organization is one of the major benefits that Bookman Fast PDF Reader offers you, as it makes it very easy to get your books separated into different categories for easy access later on.

5. ReaddleDocs was an interesting app to play around with. It features a traditionally-styled interface that should feel familiar to most Mac users. This is another app that can handle large documents easily, while it also gives you access to features like quick scrolling through the pages, intuitive highlighting (though it may take some getting used to, it’s implemented better than most other solutions), and a built-in document downloading tool.

Readdle is quite versatile for a PDF reader, as it also gives you access to other unrelated features like e-mail access, browsing the photos on your iPad, and even a web browser.

6. FastPDF was among the best PDF readers for the iPad we’ve tried, offering quite a lot of functionality and truly living up to its name. Not only does it go through large-sized PDF files in a breeze, its interface is also easy to use and very streamlined, giving you immediate access to the important reading features as well as bookmarking functionality. If you’ve been using the default PDF reader that comes with the iPad, you’ll find the interface of FastPDF very familiar.

7. GoodReader is something else we’ve been hearing about for a while, so we decided to give it a go. It’s among the more advanced PDF readers for the iPad out there, offering functions like organizing your documents in folders, advanced bookmarking functionality, as well as a really speedy and intuitive reading interface. There’s also a handy option to “lock” your scrolling to only work vertically, preventing you from accidentally moving to the next page by sliding sideways. The only thing we noticed missing from GoodReader was the ability to read documents in a two-page layout.

8. ReadPDF – small and lightweight, this is another good choice for those who value speed above everything else in their PDF reader apps. Apart from reading PDF files quickly and without problems (its compatibility with the format is excellent too), it also allows you to work with other kinds of documents, read e-mails and download attachments from them, and synchronize your library with an iTunes account.

9. SmileyDocs is not specifically a PDF reader, as it can handle various formats – MS Office documents being among them as well (including PowerPoint presentations). As you’d expect, you have the basic features to bookmark pages and highlight particular content, and the app uses its own internal database for storing those annotations. The benefits of this is that you have a lot of freedom over what kinds of marks you can leave on documents; on the other hand, you lose the portability that in-document editing gives you. If you can cope with the unpolished interface, this is a great choice.

10. CloudReader – last but not least we have CloudReader, a nifty little app that can view images (including comic book formats) apart from PDF documents, and it can also read files straight from within RAR archives. A really impressive app that has a lot to offer, CloudReader is additionally good due to its file transfer interface, designed in a fast and intuitive way.

An order was placed with a company that manufacturers parts for tablet computers and the gadget from Amazon is expected to ship the second half of 2011.  With over 700,000 projected sales through the holiday season, it sounds like Amazon is at least expecting a large turn out of consumers.  What reason would Amazon have to get into the tablet business?  Well, the Kindle is only popular in North America and Europe, whereas the tablet could gain worldwide popularity.

Many are expecting the Amazon tablet to run on Android, based on the fact they opened their own Android App Store in March.  Right after that Amazon launched its online file storage service called CloudDrive.  These would both be an advantageous to Amazon tablet users.

Although Amazon did not comment on the news, they did have over $1 billion in expenses over the last year, hired over 4,000 workers and has plans to build 9 more fulfillment centers.  This would be certain evidence of growth in more than one way, don’t you think?

There are not many details out about the tablet right now, but I am sure we’ll hear from Amazon over the next few months.  Once that has happened, people can start getting in line for this bad boy!

The new Canon PowerShot SX230 HS is the next best thing.  With a 14x zoom which is very close to having a 400mm zoom lens on your 35mm camera, will take your shots closer and more personal.  This camera might just be the one for you if you like to take photos of birds or any nature happening for that matter.  The only other thing you will need with your new camera is a nice, sturdy tripod.  Holding a camera steady at 400mm is not very easy, now matter how good you think you are.

The software that comes with the camera will give you the control over your photos to allow you to create stunningly creative shots.  Along with 1080p HD video capture and other manual settings you will be right up there with others that have lower end DSLR cameras.  The 14x zoom is not the best in the industry, but it will get your camera closer than you can get, but the 12.1 mega pixels will sharpen up your shots real nice.

You can get a detailed review from CNET right here.

The second tablet from Sony is called the S2 and this is the one that’s turning heads.  With dual 5.5 inch screens and a design that allows a user to fold it in half.  The other feature of the dual screens is that you can use them both as one screen or have them doing separate tasks at the same time.  Even though a smaller screen size isn’t appealing, game developers might like the dual screen notion for controlling games.

The new Sony tablets will run exclusively on cloud based services like Qriocity, Playstation Suite and ReaderStore 2.  Both tablets will also include functions for transferring content to larger screens.  The S1 includes features for infrared technology so that it can be used as a remote for Sony Bravia televisions.

You can expect the tablets to be coming out this fall sometime, but at this time Sony has not commented on any price point.  I would guess they will be priced in similar ranges of the other tablets, right now at about $400-$600 range.

Will Sony be able to compete in the cut-throat world of tablets?  We will find out this fall.

First up is the HandStand 2 for your iPad.  It basically turns your hand in to a tablet holding machine.  You can strap the HandStand on your hand and take control of your iPad for various tasks.  The iPad cover rotates a full 360 degrees while on your hand making it easier to work with your iPad.  The cover is made form 100% USA recycled plastic and resin.  $49.99 at TheHandStand.com.

Next is a solar powered phone charger equipped with suction cups for your cars windshield.  This unit allows you to charge your phone up via the sunshine and while you drive.  The connection is via USB and Scosche.com claims the charger will fill your battery up two times at the same rate as a regular charger.  You can pick this up at Scosche.com for $34.95.

And finally, the last one isn’t a gadget per say, but it is a website directory that can help you find the more energy efficient computers, telephones, flat panels and more.  Putting each through tough test, EPEAT.com gives each a grade and from there you can search.  This flat panel monitor from AOS has the highest gold rating the website gives out.  See if you can save some energy on your next gadget purchase.

Check the others out at CNET.com.  Did you celebrate Earth Day?

Naturally, tablet PC competitors felt they had nothing to worry about but this in fact, turned out to be the exact opposite of the case at hand: the Blackberry PlayBook is putting other PC tablets to shame one by one!

Most potential customers were set back about the fact that this tablet computer was being produced by a cell phone company. However, because of the obvious success they saw from the Blackberry Storm and their other touch screen enabled products, consumers were slowly but surely changing their minds about this device!

According to many who have used the Blackberry PlayBook, they are so unbelievably satisfied with the tablet that they are recommending it and using it everywhere possible. The average PlayBook has a 7 inch touch screen to work with and yes, many people love those nice, large tablet PC screens but if it’s portability you’re looking for, this screen size is a must have!

Many users have exclaimed how the weight of the product is so close to perfect it’s almost scary! The point of a tablet by Blackberry is to be able to take it with you and if the PC is to heavy, the user won’t be inclined to take it with them; therefore rendering the product much less valuable to the user! This is exactly what RIM wanted to avoid because they believe that life happens on the go and so should you’re devices!

The Blackberry PlayBook is most often seen in a 16 gigabyte model but there are also 64 and 32 gigabyte systems available as well!  This tablet also comes with all of the best features including Bluetooth, 5mp camera and a 3mp front camera for video chat and self portraits! Add in the amazing 1GHz processor, 1 gigabyte of RAM and the overall 10 mm thickness of the device and you’ve got a tablet perfect for all!