Although the patent application was made public Thursday, it was actually filed back in February, and according to the application, the company is seeking to identify stolen or jailbroken devices, as well as protect private customer data. One possible application is when a customer’s phone is reported stolen, the data could be moved to Apple’s servers, and then erased from the device, which of course would be disabled.

Apple could also apparently disable the jailbroken devices, and it could inform AT&T, who could then disconnect phone service. Either way, if this application is granted, it could grant Apple the exclusive power to disable both stolen and jailbroken devices.

The EEE pad, which runs under the Windows platform (and is shown to the left), will be the basis for the Android tablet. It will, of course, differ vastly from the Windows versions, because it will be running Google’s Android operating system.

The first of its tablets will likely bow in December, and another will follow in January. Two months later, then, the Android version will come along, and with the tablets will come serious competition for the iPad. Will users bite? Will it do as well as Asus is hoping for?

The answer to the question of who has the best apps probably is up to each individual user, but it usually all comes down to numbers. The iPhone has around 230,000, while the Android has a relatively measly 70,000. They largely compete directly in 10 categories, but when it comes to widgets, there’s not an app for that….at least not on the iPhone. There is where the Android has Apple’s baby beat.

It also appears that Android’s app store is slightly less organized than that of the iPhone, and as we all know, the easier you make it for a customer, the more likely they are to make a purchase.

At the end of the day, who has the best apps is a subjective question, but it appears that both the iPhone and the Android are formidable foes in the battle for users and their app money.

You don’t have to sacrifice functionality in the name of affordability; you can still get 3-G without a contract and without paying a monthly fee. This latest price slash makes reasonably recent technology available to just about anyone. Amazon isn’t just reducing the cost of the Kindle, either. Its own Nook device is now just $149.

With the cost of items such as Kindle, Nook, and even the iPhone going ever downward, it will likely come to pass that a price war of sorts will go on between companies such as Apple and Amazon. It appears that the customers will emerge as the victors in that war.

The device connects with your Comcast cable box, allowing you to use the iPad as a glorified remote control. With it, you can tune to or record programs, and even invite friends to join you at their house in watching the same show that you’re watching.

At this point, it doesn’t look as if it will allow you to record a show while you’re away from home, as DirecTV users can do with their BlackBerry devices, but this is indeed a good start, and will no doubt go over well with iPad and Comcast users nationwide.

Why is it so superior? He cites the fact that Apple claims the 3G is heavier than its wi-fi cousin, but he couldn’t tell. He was also impressed with the device’s video streaming capabilities… over AT&T’s own network. He also praises the 3G iPad’s battery life.

“Without the Internet, the iPad is a severely handicapped device,” he wrote, and judging by his review, the 3G iPad device is wonderful thing, well worth the admittedly high price. The people who waited in long lines to get the device are likely to agree.

That’s a very impressive number for just one day, and it just goes to show that the hype that Apple built up paid off. The question is whether or not the iPad device will shake things up in the industry, or whether it will simply be a fizzle and fade fad.

Starting at 5:30 a.m. Pacific Time (8:30 a.m. Eastern, 12:30 p.m. GMT) on March 12, pre-orders will be taken on Apple’s Web site. When will the product actually ship? It looks as if it’ll ship on April 3, so if you place your pre-order tomorrow, you’ll have less than a month before it’s in your hands. Of course, pre-ordering isn’t mandatory; one can simply wait until it hits your local Apple store, or eventually your nearest Best Buy, but people are certain to pre-order tomorrow for fear of being left out of the “in” crowd.

Prices for the device start at $499, and though those in the United States can meet their new toy in mere weeks, it will not be until the end of April when those in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom can get the device. Users in other countries will have to wait until later this year.

Developers will be encouraged to write applications that will be compatible across various devices, and the store will apparently make it quite easy for developers to write and publish their work. This move would make it harder for Apple to have total control over applications distributed for its iPhone powerhouse.

It’s estimated that the WAC will be able to reach 3 billion customers. It’s also ironic to note that AT&T, who for the moment exclusively offers the iPhone, is part of this arrangement.