High-tech hot topics: iPad 2, iOS 4.3, Gmail's lost mails

(Apple)

Hot topics in the tech blogs for the week ending March 4 include the introduction of the iPad 2, a preview of iOS 4.3 and Mac OS X Lion, Gmail's loss of emails and Android being plagued by rogue apps.

iPad 2
Apple introduced its thinner, lighter second-generation tablet, the iPad 2. The device features front- and back-facing cameras, and a faster dual-core A5 processor. The company also introduced "Smart Covers" for the iPad 2 and iPad-compatible versions of GarageBand, iMovie and Photo Booth. Bloggers said the iPad 2 is "very much the same, save for that new body" and "iPad 2 wasn't Apple's big March 2nd announcement"... "It was the software - FaceTime, Garage Band, iMovie and Photo Booth - and the colorful Smart Covers."

iOS 4.3
During the iPad 2 press event, Apple introduced iOS 4.3 and with it faster Safari mobile browsing, iTunes home sharing, AirPlay enhancements, the option to lock the screen rotation or mute audio with the iPad's slide switch, and Personal Hotspot sharing over WiFi. Aside from touting the features of the next version of the operating system, bloggers questioned why the iOS 4.3 update was listed for GSM iPhone only.

Gmail's lost emails
Earlier in the week some Gmail users started to complain about missing emails, labels and contacts. Google acknowledged the problem saying only 0.02 percent of users were affected and that it was working with its team to investigate and rectify the issue. The issue was reportedly caused by a software bug that "can affect several copies of the data" Google has saved.

Mac OS X 10.7 Lion preview
Apple gave developers the first preview of Mac OS X Lion. The new version of the Mac operating system includes many iOS-like features including Launchpad, full-screen apps, new UI changes to multitasking and app management, and new multitouch gestures. The OS also includes autosave for documents, AirDrop and lots of new built-in apps. Engadget said Lion had "plenty of interesting system-level features and additions - and yes, iOS's influence is all over the place."

Google Android Malware Scare
Google was forced to remove 21 of its popular free apps from the Android Market app store after it was discovered that a publisher had taken "21 popular free apps from the market, injected root exploits into them and republished." According to Mashable, "the apps in question have already been downloaded by at least 50,000 Android users" but were swiftly removed by Google.