Sharon Zimmer

If you haven’t heard about bitcoins by now then you might want to read up on them here. In short, bitcoins are a digital currency that can be transferred anonymously to and from anyone with a bitcoin wallet. Bitcoins can be ‘mined’ by using the processing power of your computer and they have a market price of around $3 per BTC (bitcoin).

Bitcoins are a grey area. Because they can be traded anonymously and have no governing body or centralised bank, they can be used to purchase or sell anything. Already bitcoins have been used in a number of ways to purchase products that would otherwise be banned including poker.

Already some websites have set up that allow US players to deposit and play poker using bitcoins. You can then withdraw your bitcoins and convert them back into dollars from any of the bitcoin exchange sites. However the legality of using bitcoins to play poker is not clear and many US players have stayed away from it because of this.

Currently this bitcoin poker site is only open to UK players due to licensing issues – however there may come a time when the use of bitcoins becomes a clear option for US poker players looking to play cards online.

A lot of iPad users are unaware of ultra portable and iPad-compatible projectors that make watching your 7″ content a much more emmersive experience. Whether you are looking to play games on a bigger screen, watch movies with friends or present to a large audience – an iPad projector will allow you to do all of that almost 200″ from just a tiny iPad or iPad 2 screen.

iPad Projectors for iPad 2

The initial iPad model was not particularly compatible with any projectors. Microvision launched a projector called the SHOWWX that allowed connectivity to the iPad as well as all VGA devices. It was the first of its kind to really be a success in the industry and since then many pocket projectors have followed. Just over a year on from the initial SHOWWX release, the SHOWWX+ HDMI has come to market that allows connectivity to any device with a HDMI socket. And yes, that includes the iPad 2. This iPad projector still has the same ultra small (iPhone sized) shell and was designed largely to work as an iPad 2 projector. With a higher contrast and brighter display than much of its competitors, the SHOWWX+ HDMI is certainly one of the best ‘pico’ projectors around for iPad and iPad 2.

iPad 3 Projector?

If the rumours are true then we may expect to see built in projectors for the iPad 3 and iPhone 5 in 2012. This would dramatically increase the usability of the iPad but it may also wipe out the market for iPad specific projectors.

But forget the rumours. If you are the owner of an iPad or iPad 2 then you should really take a closer look at these iPad projectors – arguably one of the best mobile devices of 2011.