Apple has been backing HTML5 heavily and has been keen on making Flash obsolete. While they are a long way from being able to phase out the old format, they are certainly doing great by establishing the HTML5 format as the new platform that designers should use.

According to a recent report, YouTube Mobile is now running in HTML5. This makes the website accessible from the iPhone, iPod and iPad devices from Apple. The iOS can only support HTML5 and not Flash –which has rendered many website inaccessible to Apple users.

Despite this, Apple still stands behind many other mobile phone makers in terms of format compatibility. It is expected that by next year, most platforms would be able to support both Flash and HTML5, while Apple would only have access to HTML5. This is because Apple had chosen not to support Flash –which caused a major falling out between the Adobe and Apple.

In the meanwhile, Apple is still dealing with the issue regarding the iPhone 4’s antenna. The problem began when users noticed that the device had a tendency to lose signal power when the antenna on the side was touched. With the number of complaints regarding dropped calls increasing, it was only a matter of time before Apple sprung into action. However, their solution was something that users did not expect; Apple released a patch that corrected the signal meter to show a proper strength.

While the patch did help identify areas with weak receptions better, many felt that the patch was not a real solution and only served to divert the attention of users from the real hardware issue that they were complaining about.

The Apple iPad is a gimmick device, and nothing proves it better than the Dell Streak. This impressive piece of hardware brings people closer with all of its functions and of course, the ability to take and receive phone calls. Others may argue that the iPad is a “tablet” and should not require voice call support.

In this case, one has to ask what determines a tablet. As it is, most smart phones qualify as a tablet device –they have touch screen displays. And if we are to set the line with how large the screen is, the 5 inch capacitive touch screen on the Dell easily matches half the screen size on the iPad. And if this argument is not enough to convince Apple tablet purists, then they want to watch out for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Tape (which packs a massive 7 inch touch screen).

Going back to the Dell Streak, the handset has been announced as available straight from Dell and retailers at a very decent price of 449 GBP. Not quite a steal, but for all the nice features that this phone offers, it makes for a good investment.

The 5 mega pixel camera, 1GHz Snapdragon CPU, and 5 inch touch screen display all complement each other, and the Android 2.1 Éclair provides an excellent operating system full of useful features that makes the phone worth the seemingly steep price. At the very least, it makes more sense going for the Streak than buying an iPad.

For those looking for contract offers for the Dell Streak; try checking out O2 UK.

Take Samsung for example, the Korean phone maker has just announced the Samsung Galaxy Tape, which is packing a huge 7 inch super AMOLED capacitive touch screen and will enable users to make and receive phone calls. It has the best of both devices –a big screen and the ability to make phone calls.

On a side note, for this argument, having a big screen is a definitive factor for what defines a tablet –the Apple iPod Touch is basically a really small iPad, but nobody refers to the device as a tablet, which shows that the general consensus about what determines a tablet also factors in screen size.

With that said, many are wondering, what is the threshold for size?

The most common rule of thumb that people would be willing to accept is that any touch screen device that allows users to make and receive phone calls that fits into a regular pocket is enough to be ruled out of the tablet category. And in that same logic, if the Galaxy Tape is to be the new standard for tablets, then the iPad is lacking features as it fails to allow both voice calls and video chat.

There are however, two types of tablets. The upcoming Android Galaxy Tape tablet and the Apple iPad are basic tablets. There are however, devices that come out before these two which are to be considered as computer or computing tablets (which are basically computers shrunk down into a tablet form). The difference between the two kinds is the purpose; normal tablets are only meant for accessing media, games and the internet. Computer tablets are basically tricked out desktop computers which have very little practical use.

As if the 4 inch sized screen on the XPERIA X10 was not enough, Sony Ericsson took on the initiative that Dell started and pushed the envelope further –for about half an inch more.

There is a new Sony Ericsson Android handset that has appeared in a few leaked images just last week showcasing a device that used a 5.5 inch touch screen display. The device looks even more compelling and curious to see with the images which clearly showed the handset sporting a slide out QWERTY keyboard and a hinge that allowed users to set up the device like a small laptop.

Korean manufacturer Samsung has also been playing around with large touch screen displays and from the looks of their latest device, the Samsung Galaxy Tape, they have the largest and fanciest screen displays available. The new tablet-phone hybrid device sports a massive 7 inch super AMOLED touch screen display. With a faster CPU and specs that easily outmatch the Apple iPad, this tablet is poised to take command of the industry when it launches.

With all the new devices using the Android sporting giant touch screen displays, it would not be hard to imagine Google coming with a second variation of the open source operating system that brings more functionality for larger screen displays.

Stephen Fry has been the first to say it, camping out is a cultural thing and there is certainly more to waiting for a product launch than commercialism at its finest. There have been more than a couple of hundred folks who were in line at Regent Street alone, and there were several other queues in other Apple store locations as well. While the lines may already seem huge, the fact that retailers such as Curry’s and PC World provided alternatives certainly helped cut down the size of the crowds to a more manageable size.

Apple store employees bravely faced the crowds, cheering on the many people who have lined up for the early opening of the store (they would clap for each customer who came in); as part of the iPad launch, the stores opened up at 8 in the morning –earlier than usual in order to let the folks who camped out at night to catch some rest later in the day.

Of course, there are also those who pre-ordered the tablet but have not been part of the early shipping; so instead of having to wait for more than a couple more weeks (estimates shipping is by June 7), some of these folks have decided to brave the lines as well. The longest amount of time some folks have waited reached as long as 16 hours (some reported 20), while the average wait time for many folks in the middle to the end of the queue was anywhere from 2 to 4 hours.

Well, except access to Apple apps obviously. But the real issue here is whether Apple can maintain the exclusivity of many successful app titles on the iTunes store –many developers are already seeing the value of being a multi platform developer.

What the iPad does is provide users with a web browser, a media player and an app player –all the other extra features are simply specialized apps. What the iPhone OS can provide, so too can the Google Android, Microsoft Windows OS, and even Linux.

The Google Android can do all the things that the iPad can, and provide a better web browsing experience; we have all heard about Apple promoting h.264 and HTML5. Google’s Android OS will support H.264, HTML5 as well as Flash, AIR and the newly developed VP8. Still, this does not mean that the iPad is a bad tablet –the fact of the matter is that it is hard to say that Apple has come up with the best deal; Apple is offering the only deal at the moment and nothing more.

Once competition starts appearing on shelves and the demand for other tablets increase, we will certainly see a big change in the tablet industry as more and more companies push new limits and set new standards. Overall, there really is no need to buy the iPad now –unless that you have decided that you really need an oversized iPod Touch to play with.

First off, pack some entertainment. Nothing really makes a wait worse than the fact that you do not get to do anything productive during that time. A fully charged laptop, smart phone or other gadget will help, but be sure that your batteries have the power to last for several hours. The big tip here is to avoid playing resource intensive games on a laptop -the most recommended item you could possibly bring is a good book.

Now that you have got your sanity secured, it is time to keep yourself fit. A small bottle of water and an energy bar will do well. It pays to avoid bringing messy items as cleaning up might force you to leave your spot in the line. Of course, better make sure that all bodily needs have been satisfied before going to the line, the last thing you will need is an emergency rush to the nearest toilet.

Forget chairs; just bring a nice small blanket that you can drape on the floor. Even cheap ones would do, in fact, it is better that you just buy a cheap blanket that you can afford to throw away or just stash in your car’s compartment when you no longer need it.

If you can, bring a friend. If you are a tech fan who loves gadgets, chances are, you have made friends with similar interests and are hopefully, as eager to get the iPad. Nothing beats a long wait than a great conversation.

Still, the lack of Flash will render many sites and features unavailable.

One of the biggest missing features is video playback. Most of the video content that users will find on the internet is encoded in Flash format. While Apple’s H.264 has an impressive video compression rate and the quality is much better than FLV, there are only a few website that actually use the new format. Even YouTube which is slowly re-encoding content to H.264, still uses FLV as the default file format for users.

So what does this all mean for the Apple iPad? This means that the touch screen tablet will work great as an eBook reader, an apps platform, a media playback device, but as a browser, it is crippled.

There is no denying the fact that lack of Flash is a disadvantage. Despite being future proofed for HTML5 and H.264, the iPad is a device of today, not tomorrow. Given a choice between a tablet that can run Flash, AIR, HTML5 and H.264 –like the new Android tablet previewed at the Web 2.0 Expo, and the Apple iPad which is only limited to the last two formats, the Google device is the better choice.

Apple is simply making sales because Google has yet to release their device.

To answer the main question: yes, Flash is needed. There is no two ways about it. Apple may be prepared for the future, but they certainly lack the features that are needed here and now; and it would be a bad assumption to think that the iPad will still be Apple’s main tablet by the time that Flash is no longer used.

Originally, the touch screen tablet was meant to have a single worldwide launch. However, in the same week that it was reported that Apple was having troubles with their China based manufacturers, it was announced that the iPad would be released in the US first and later in the UK (and the rest of the world). While this was met with a few raised eyebrows, the tech community easily took in the explanation and awaited the official launch patiently.

The US release of the iPad pushed through on schedule last April 3 with thousands lining up in stores to purchase the new touch screen gizmo. Many others who pre-ordered the device were able to quickly try out the new product –leading to hundreds of unboxing videos and reviews of the device all over the internet. At this point, the rest of the world was just waiting to have a taste of the gadget.

Swallowing the wait is fine for many Apple fans. After all, it was announced beforehand that the iPad would not be coming out until the end of April. But to expect the very same fans to be content with an even further delay is too much for Apple. Considering the fact that the device is already available in the US, it is almost as if the folks at Cupertino are teasing the rest of the world with their new gadget.

It will take more than Apple’s “surprise” with large demand for the iPad to sate the angry mob of eagerly awaiting iPad fans.

Read more about the details of the iPad launch delay at Times Online UK.

The odd news comes to us courtesy from the folks at Stuff, who has stated that the new tentative launch date may be as far back as late in May –almost a full two months since the US launch. According to Apple, the reason for the delay is due to the need to produce more devices in order to keep up with the unforeseen demand for the product.

Though considering that there were previous reports about Apple having more than a million devices being prepared for launch, it is odd that they would delay the international launch of such a crucial product.

If anything, the US launch would have shown Apple that the iPad is a success, and whether they are able to keep up with demands or not, the world is already awaiting the launch of the device. In fact, some might even say that the reason why the US demand is currently so strong is because it is being bolstered by many international buyers who are having the device shipped outside of the US.

For those who missed out on the iPad launch, this is the very first standalone touch screen tablet device that serves as a unified media access device. It works as a web browser, an eBook reader, a media player and a gaming device. Users can also run iPad applications and it is compatible with apps for the iPhone and the iPod Touch.

Read more about the possible launch delay for the Apple iPad at Stuff TV

.