TechBytes: iPad Sales Beat Expectations

April 5, 2010— -- Sales of Apple's iPad appeared to get off to a strong start over the weekend. The company didn't release any figures, but one top analyst doubled his first day sales estimate to as many as 700,000 because of the long lines at stores. That analyst is now forecasting Apple will sell as many as 5.5 million iPads this year. Despite those long lines most stores didn't sell out.

Behind the iPad and iPhone is a booming app industry. But how do you know if they're safe? A new Web site launched by Internet security experts at Stanford University hopes to help answer that question. WhatApp.org reviews how well certain mobile and Web applications protect your privacy. A team of lawyers, computer scientists, and privacy and security experts reviews them. Buyers and developers can add their opinions and request reviews as well.

3D is coming to your handheld devices, and you won't need special glasses for it to work. Sharp says it plans to start making 3D displays for cell phones and other mobile devices this year. It's easier to create 3D that doesn't require glasses on these smaller devices because we tend to hold them at the same distance and angle from our faces, which removes one of the challenges of 3D.http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6311ZW20100402

The world's largest solar-powered boat, "Planet Solar," has taken to the waters for the first time as its builders begin testing it. The boat is more than 100 feet long, and 50 feet wide, and took 13 months to build. Next April, a German adventurer plans to take it on a world tour, the first-ever for a large yacht powered only by the sun. He's charting a course as close to the equator as possible, to catch the best sunlight. The epic journey is expected to take 140 days.