The iPad

There has been a lot of hype about Apple's next big innovation. Rumors were flying around the web concerning the highly anticipated Apple press release. On January 27, 2010, Steve Jobs, Apple CEO, announced the new Apple iPad.

Perhaps the best way to explain the iPad is to call it a jack-of-all-trades. It has all the functionality of the iPod Touch, including gaming, music, and video. But it's also a day planner, e-mail device, Web tablet, e-book reader, digital picture frame, and portable DVD player.

The high-resolution, 9.7-inch LED-backlit IPS display on iPad is remarkably crisp and vivid. The multi-touch screen on iPad is based on the same revolutionary technology on the iPhone. But the technology has been completely reengineered for the larger iPad surface, making it extremely precise and responsive. The dementions of the iPad are height: 9.56 inches, width: 7.47 inches, depth: 0.5 inch, weight: 1.5 pounds (Wi-Fi model with out 3G). The iPad has up to ten hours battery life. It is also available with a choice of 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of flash storage, giving you lots of room for your photos, movies, music, apps, and more.

With built-in 802.11n, iPad takes advantage of the fastest Wi-Fi networks. It automatically locates available Wi-Fi networks, which you can join with a few taps. iPad also comes with Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, letting you connect to devices like wireless headphones or the Apple Wireless Keyboard. The iPad is available with 3G capability. However, 3G has limited availability in Montana and this version of the ipad will not be available to purchase in the MSU Bookstore.

This new and exciting product from Apple may become much more compelling with the development of new applications specifically designed for the iPad between now and its ship dates. The iPad should be released in March or April of this year. The iPad can be purchased starting at $499 and will be available in the MSU Bookstore once shipped.

Source:
Video Release
Apple Website
Apple vs. Kindle article
Reasons For and Against Purchase an iPad article

This Week's Best Selling Non-Fiction

Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin

In 2008, the presidential election became blockbuster entertainment. Everyone was watching as the race for the White House unfolded like something from the realm of fiction. The meteoric rose and historic triumph of Barack Obama. the shocking fall of the House of Clinton-and the improbable resurrection of Hillary as Obama's partner and America's face to the world. The mercurial performance of John McCain and the mesmerizing emergence of Sarah Palin. But despite the wall-to-wall media coverage of this spellbinding drama, remarkably little of the real story behind the headlines has yet been told.

In Game Change, John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, two of the country's leading political reporters, use their unrivaled access to pull back the curtain on the Obama, Clinton, McCain, and Palin campaigns. How did Obama convince himself that despite the thinness of his resume, he could somehow beat the odds to become the nation's first African American president? How did the tumultuous relationship between the Clintons shape-and warp-Hillary's supposedly unstoppable bid? What was behind her husband's furious outbursts and devastating political miscalculations? Why did McCain make the novice governor of Alaska his running mate? And was Palin merely painfully out of her depth-or troubled in more serious ways?

Game Change answers those questions and more, laying bare the secret history of the 2008 campaign. Heilemann and Halperin take us inside the Obama machine, where staffers referred to the candidate as "Black Jesus." They unearth the quiet conspiracy in the U.S. Senate to prod Obama into the race, driven in part by the fears of senior Democrats that Bill Clinton's personal life might cripple Hillary's presidential prospects. They expose the twisted tale of John Edwards's affair with Rielle Hunter, the truth behind the downfall of Rudy Giuliani, and the doubts of those responsible for vetting Palin about her readiness for the Republican ticket-along with the McCain campaign staff's worries about her fitness for office. And they reveal how, in an emotional late-night phone call, Obama succeeded in wooing Clinton, despite her staunch resistance to become his secretary of state.

Based on hundreds of interviews with the people who lived the story, Game Change is a reportorial tour de force that reads like a fast-paced novel. Character driven and dialogue rich, replete with extravagantly detailed scenes, this is the occasionally shocking, ofter hilarious, ultimately definitive account of the campaign of a lifetime.

This book can be found on the bestsellers shelf in MSU Bookstore.

This Week's Best Selling Fiction

Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton

From one of the best-loved authors of all time comes an irresistible adventure of swashbuckling pirates in the New World, a classic story of treasure and betrayal.

The Caribbean, 1665, a remote colony of the English Crown, the island of Jamaica holds out against the vast supremacy of the Spanish empire. Port Royal, its capital, is a cutthroat town of taverns, grog shops, and bawdy houses.

In this steamy climate there's a living to be made, a living that can end swiftly by disease-or by dagger. For Captain Charles Hunter, gold in Spanish hands is gold for the taking, and the law of the land rests with those ruthless enough to make it.

Word in port is that the galleon El Trinidad, fresh from New Spain, is awaiting repairs in a nearby harbor. Heavily fortified, the impregnable harbor is guarded by the bloodthirsty Cazalla, a favorite commander of the Spanish king himself. With backing from a powerful ally, Hunter assembles a crew of ruffians to infiltrate the enemy outpost and commandeer El Trinidad, along with its fortune in Spanish gold. The raid is as perilous as the bloodiest tales of island legend, and Hunter will lose more than one man before he even sets foot on foreign shores, where dense jungle and the firepower of Spanish infantry stand between him and the treasure....

Pirate Latitudes is Michael Crichton at his best: a rollicking adventure tale pulsing with relentless action, crackling atmosphere, and heart-pounding suspense.

This book can be found on the bestsellers shelf in the MSU Bookstore.

Product of the Week!

The MSU Bookstore overs a wide array of Under Armour products that are sure to please! If you haven't experienced the superior fabric that is sure to keep you warm this winter or cool in the summer, put purchasing any Under Armour clothing at the top of your shopping list! All of the Under Armour apparel offered in the bookstore display Bobcat pride ranging from hoodies, shirts, and polos, to bags and caps. Stop by the bookstore for the widest selection or order from the selection online. These products make great birthday and Valentines gifts!

Under Armour at the Bookstore

Cats Beat the Griz Despite Fan Fiasco

MSU Conquers the Griz

Saturday night, the Montana State University Men's Basketball team faced off against the Griz.

The Bobcats maintained a consistent lead most of the game. During the final media time out, the Bobcat mascot Champ and the cheer squad sent hundreds of the tiny golden balls flying into the crowds. A member of the crowd threw one of the balls at Grizzly coach Wayne Tinkle which hit him in the back and another nearly grazed UM center Brian Qvale in the middle of a free throw attempt.

The second fan toss prompted MSU head coach Brad Huse to grab the public address microphone from its perch. "You're going to cost us a technical foul," Huse said, among other things, in a quick speech to the crowd of 6,427 - the largest Brick Breeden Fieldhouse has seen this season. The address was met with applause. But little did Huse know, his home fans had just cost him a technical foul, as the referees had already issued a warning after the original ball hit Coach Tinkle.

Qvale, who made the first free throw despite the distraction, made the second and Anthony Johnson hit the two technical foul shots which cut the Bobcat lead to 51-50 with 2 minutes, 33 seconds to play. Worthington Arena got a little quieter until Bobcat forward Branden Johnson drilled a deep 3-pointer with 1:59 to play, putting MSU back up four. "Getting the crowd back into it, it was a great feeling," said Johnson. That bucket and a layup from Navarre seconds later ended the game with a final score Montana St. 61, Montana 52.

After the game, Bobcat senior Branden Johnson commented that "the ball incident was crazy," and Coach Huse said his team was appreciative of the fans, saying "they helped us a heck of a lot more than they hurt us." However, those two novelty Bobcat basketballs will likely give Montana State's promotional department something to think about this week.

Montana State Bobcats - Bobcats Hold Off Grizzly Rally

Coach's Response to Technical Foul

Bozeman Chronicle's article

Chamberlin Rail Jam 2010

Buy tickets to the Rail Jam on March 5 & 6

The MSU Bookstore is selling Rail Jam 2010 tickets! Ticket price is $13. Gain access to every awesome event with these two day tickets! Buy early to take advantage of this special low price!

Snowsports, loud music, energy drinks, epic competition, and so much more! Rail Jam is not only a competition for snow athletes but also a music festival featuring Modifyde, Black Mask, GZA, Chicharones, Bassnectar, and 2009 Battle of the Bands winner Cure for the Common. Ski and Board Prelims start Friday the 5th followed by the finals on Saturday the 6th. This event is a the Gallatin County Fair Grounds and promises to be the biggest and best event yet!

Athlete sign-ups end February 12th! For more information and to purchase VIP tickets visit

http://www.therailjam.com/

Best Selling Nonfiction: The Case for God

The Case for God by Karen Armstrong

Moving from the Paleolithic age to the present, Karen Armstrong details the great lengths to which humankind has gone in order to experience a sacred reality that is called by many names, such as God, Brahman, Nirvana, Allah or Dao. Focusing especially on Christianity but including Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism and Chinese spiritualities, Armstrong examines the diminished impulse toward religion in our own time, when a significant number of people either want nothing to do with God or question the efficacy of faith. Why has God become unbelievable? Why is it that atheists and theists alike now think and speak about God in a way that veers so profoundly from the thinking of our ancestors?

Answering these questions with the same depth of knowledge and profound insight that have marked all her acclaimed books, Armstrong makes clear how the changing face of the world has necessarily changed the importance of religion at both the societal and the individual level. And she makes a powerful, convincing argument for drawing on the insights of the past in order to build a faith that speaks to needs of our dangerously polarized age. yet she cautions us that religion was never supposed to provide answers that lie within the competence of human reason; that, she says, is the role of logos. The task of religion is " to help us live creatively, peacefully, and even joyously with realities for which there are no easy explanations." She emphasizes, too, that religion will not work automatically. It is, she says, a practical discipline: its insights are derived not for abstract speculation but from "dedicated intellectual endeavor" and a "compassionate lifestyle that enables us to break out of the prism of selfhood."

This bestseller can be purchased at the MSU Bookstore, located on the bestsellers self.

Best Selling Fiction: The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

" My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973."

So begins the story of Susie Salmon, who is adjusting to her new home in heaven, a place that is not at all what she expected, even as she is watching life on earth continue without her-her friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her killer trying to cover his tracks, her grief-stricken family unraveling.

Out of unspeakable tragedy and loss, The Lovely Bones succeeds, miraculously in Building a tale filled with hope, humor, suspense, even joy.

This national bestseller has been hailed as "A stunning achievement" according to The New Yorker and "A triumphant novel... It's a knockout" by Time Magazine. The novel is now a major motion picture directed by Academy Award winner Peter Jackson (director of The Lord of the Rings trilogy) staring Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz, Susan Sarandon, and new comer Saoirse Ronan as Susie Salmon. The movie is now playing in theaters everywhere. This book is now available at the MSU Bookstore on the Bestsellers shelf.