Losing weigh is an obstacle that many people come in contact with. It can be very hard to track your progress and monitor your habits all by yourself and doing both of those things are key to a successful weight loss. If you have an iPhone and are on the journey to lose weight there several apps that you can buy right from the app store that will help you to achieve all of your weight loss goals. All that you have to do is go to the app store and look at the apps about to be mentioned, download them and then begin monitoring your progress.

An app that is great in helping you to monitor your eating habits and calorie intake is, Lose It! With this app, everyday you record all of your meals, breakfast, lunch and dinner. The app knows the calories of must foods and will help you to keep count of your calories. The app claims that 85% of its users have lost weight.

Another app that will help you lose weight is, iPump Free Workout! Working out is one of the keys to losing weight. Not everyone can always make it to the gym so this app provides you with work out videos that you can do right from your home. There are two full body workouts with this app so you know you will be seeing results.

For those who like to walk for a workout then StepTrackLite is a great app for you. This app is a simple pedometer that will keep track of all of your steps.

All in all the iPhone is a great aid when it comes to losing weight. There are countless workout and calories tracking apps that will make your road to weight loss a stress free one. You are going to be more than satisfied with the results.

Chief Executive Howard Stringer, CEO of Sony Corporation, was not a least bit apologetic regarding Sony’s delay in informing their at least 100 million customers in the hacker breach they faced a few weeks ago. The information of the customers in the company’s PlayStation Network were stolen by a hacker or several hackers April this year.

As a complete contradiction to the apologetic tone of the company half a month ago, when Kazuo Hirai and the rest of the senior executives bowed in apology in Tokyo; Stringer fired back on Sony’s critics who claim that the company did not act timely in notifying their customers once they found out about the hacker attack.

Stringer told the press on Tuesday that it was an unprecedented situation. He added that most of the information and security breaches are unreported by many companies; and 43% of those that do, notify within as long as a month. He said that Sony announced the breach in a week. He even challenged the critics who say his one week is too long.

Lawmakers and a some state attorneys general have started an investigation regarding the hacker attack and the possibility of identity and credit card theft.

The hacker attack is said to be the biggest in the history of the Internet. It even prompted Sony to shut down the PlayStation Network and all other related services for nearly a month.

This attack allegedly stems from a case issued by Sony to a famous hacker George Hotz. The company sued Hotz this year for copyright infringement. Hotz is known for unlocking Apple’s iPhone. Hotz, however, denies the allegations in his blog saying he is not involved in the break-in.

After months of speculations and expectations, the iPad 2 has finally arrived; however, Apple already confirmed that it will be sold online first. A lot of iPad enthusiasts breathe a sigh of relief as this means they can avoid the expected long lines in gadget stores.

If you do not have the patience to wait a couple days for shipping, the Apple iPad 2 will be available in all Apple stores, AT&T, Walmart, Verizon, Target, and Best Buy one day after its online release. Everyone who purchases the latest iPad in Apple retail stores will be delighted with free services; such as, e-mail set-up, applications, and more.

For those who will opt to order iPad 2 directly from the Apple official website, they will be given free shipping and an online exclusive offer of free iPad engraving.

Apple showcased a thinner, lighter and sleeker iPad 2 with a promise of faster performance. The new iPad also has rear and front camera for video chat; something its predecessor lacked. Tech bloggers especially enjoy the extended battery life, which has now reached 10 hours; and its smart cover.

However, iPad 2 fell short of a few people’s expectations. Some complained that the unit does not have a crisp retina screen like that of an iPhone 4; while others noticed that it was not constructed with Corning Incorporated’s Gorilla Glass Display which is a cause of dismay for many.

The 16GB Wi-Fi iPad 2 is priced at $499 while the 64GB Wi-Fi with 3G unit is sold for $829. The latest innovation in iPad comes in black and white.

Verizon Wireless says it has more iPhone sales online than in its local store branches. The information disputes the apprehension that few people welcomed the in store debut, which pointed out low sales on the Apple Inc device.

The company started selling the phone on its website last February 3. Since then, the demand for the phone has been at top levels, Chief Executive Daniel Mead said during an interview with Reuters held at the company’s headquarters in New Jersey.

The phone hit the company’s store shelves on February 10, seven days after it launched on their website. Mead said the absence of longer lines outside Verizon Wireless stores on that day could be due to the fact that around 60 percent of their sales were made through its website.

Also, executive said the iPhone has helped greatly increase the pace at which customers changed to Verizon Wireless from its other rivals in United States. At peak times, the device brought its website up to 100 times more orders than the usual.

Mead reiterated the company’s notion that it would sell as many as 11 million iPhones this year. He informed that the company will report their sales figures specific to the iPhone when it releases earnings on the first-quarter.

The launch of Apple iPhones at Verizon ended the three-year exclusive rights deal with AT&T Inc to sell the device in United States. As a result of the added data traffic from its iPhone users, AT&T was overwhelmed with complaints about its performance. However, Verizon said its performance is doing well even with the additional data traffic received from the phone.

Apple Inc. will hold an invitation-only event next week in San Francisco. Media speculations have appeared Tuesday saying Apple’s March 2nd event will unveil its second-generation iPad.

The multinational company established in Cupertino, California has already sent out invitations for the media event. Suspicions about the nature of the event are held liable by the “double meaning” graphics portrayed in the invitation.

The invitation shows a front calendar page that emphasizes the number “2”. The upper right hand corner of the invitation can be peeled away to reveal an image of the Apple iPad underneath.

Rumors say the large number “2” on the front page can either signify the date of the event or a hint that one of the largest computer companies in the world will release its second iPad product.

Only guests who have received the invitation can attend the event. It will be held at Yerba Buena Center of the Arts Theater located in San Francisco. Registration starts at 9:00 a.m., but the main event will start at 10:00 a.m. Guests are also advised to arrive early.

The actual details of the iPad 2 were not disclosed. However, various rumors have already circulated about the original iPad sequel. According to reports, the new iPad will have a front-face camera that will allow users to carry out video chats using special services such as Skype.

With video chat applications, the iPad’s design would appear closely related to the iPhone 4, which is also built with a front-face camera and installed with FaceTime video chatting software. Others said iPad 2 will look thinner and lighter in comparison to the first Apple tablet.

Creative accessories that add character and enhance functionality to Apple’s iPad are crowding in the market. Some of these include customizable and hardcover cases with keyboards.

Heart monitors, hard drives and a digital crayons specially designed for iPad were also demonstrated at the Consumer Electronics Show that was held early January in Las Vegas.

M-Edge Accessories, the provider of eReader accessories offers customizable cases that will bring personality to tablets and e-readers. Through an online design tool offered by the company, users can create their own artwork using images and photos.

Once the desired design is achieved, M-Edge will print the image on the jacket adding a layer of Scotchguard film to protect the artwork. These jackets are coming soon at the price of $50 for Apple iPads.

Zagg Inc. also offers a protective cover and keyboard for Apple’s iPad. The hard cover is made from aluminum while the middle of the case contains a keyboard that connects to the tablet using Bluetooth.

The Zaggmate plus keyboard is a handy accessory for travelers and users who often make documents through Apple’s iWork suite. It is priced at $99 and is only available at their website.

Earlier this month, iHealth Labs released their iHealth blood pressure monitoring that can be connected to iPad, iPhone, as well as iPod Touch. It includes arm cuff, hardware dock, and an app that collects the blood pressure information. The device is priced at $99.95.

For those people who want an extended storage for iPad, the Sanho HyperDrive hard drive is the solution. It offers up to 750GB additional storage that also includes an internal storage of up to 64GB.

Prices for the iPad hard drive range from $299 for 120GB up to $599 for 750GB hard drive. These are available at the Hypershop’s website.

Lastly, Griffin Technology will brighten kids’ days as it offers a digital crayon that replicates the old Crayola crayons called iMarker styles. Kids can draw on the iPad through the coloring book application. The device will be available on the next quarter.

Strong earnings from big retailers, as well as an update to for Hewlett-Packard helped put stocks to better position on Tuesday.

Two companies raised their earning forecasts for this year. Sears Holdings Corp said that they could earn twice as much as the analysts had foretold this year. Tiffany & Co. also said that vigorous holiday sales will push their earnings higher.

According to Matt Lloyd, chief investment strategist at Advisors Asset Management, the consumer stocks have been left for dead. The consumer companies had slashed so many costs during the recession and he said that any slight changes in the spending this year will make a much bigger effect on margins.

Hewlett-Packard Co. became one of the leaders in the Dow Jones industrial average. This happened when analysts at the UBS increased their earnings estimates for the company that creates computers.

AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. were the two lowest companies on the Dow Jones list. Verizon fell 1.6 percent to $35.36 while AT&T fell 1.5 percent to $27.91.

Verizon will start selling their version of Apple Inc’s iPhone this coming February 10. This will break AT&T’s strong grip on the famous phone. They were the exclusive carrier of the phone since launched in 2007.

Aside from stocks, yields went higher as bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note increased to 3.34 percent from 3.29 percent late Monday. The yield is utilized to put interest rates on several kinds of loans that includes mortgages.

There are about three stocks that increased for every one that dropped on the New York Stock Exchange. The consolidated volume noted was 4.1 billion shares.

Amazon.com is said to be launching their applications store for Google Inc’s Android Mobile platform by the Wall Street Journal on Thursday.

If this will happen, Amazon will be in competetition with other available application stores online from Apple Inc., as well as from Google itself.

Amazon.com is America’s largest online retailer. Just recently, they started selling eBook contents through the Kindle platform. Although few application games have been released for Kindle, an application store that would be used for several Android phones and tablets would benefit the online shopping giant.

The Amazon spokesman, when asked for any feedback regarding the speculations, replied through email that they have not announced anything yet. On the other hand, Google did not mention anything about it. According to the Google spokesman, they do not comment on rumor or speculation.

Amazon has wanted to become a software selling company. Based on the given report from Wall Street Journal, the company only wants a 30% cut of profit. This means, application developers will get a total of 70 percent revenue from sales.

The 70/30 revenue sharing arrangement is actually the same as what Apple uses for its application developers.

Google’s Android Marketplace only has 80,000 applications while Apple’s applications store has more that 270,000 apps to boast.

Android mobile has been gaining popularity around several smartphone users. They have even begun competing with Apple iPhone handset. Several devices are already Android-installed such as Samsung’s Galaxy S and Motorola’s Droid.

The Microsoft Corporation had just recently completed their Windows 7 Phone software. This new software will be formally launched to the public on October 11. By November, Windows 7 is expected to be installed on several handsets that are believed to compete with Apple and Google Android smartphones.

Samsung and HTC Corp, as well as other groups of smartphones are expected to release Microsoft-based phones this coming holiday season.

The employees of Microsoft Corp gathered around last month at its Redmond, Washington campus. This marked the completion of their software and revealed how they really want to get themselves back in the fiercely competitive phone market.

However, it is still a question whether the Windows 7 is good enough to turn the iPhone obsolete in the market.

According to Bryan Keane, analyst for the Alpine Mutual Funds that holds the shares of Microsoft, the product cannot just outrun everything that is out in the marketplace. However, Windows 7 might just be better than the other Windows platform.

Microsoft just missed a generation with their last phone operating system, Windows Mobile, admitted by Steve Ballmer, the Microsoft Chief Executive. The Windows Mobile struggled its way in the phone market while iPhone and Android reigned well with their touch screens and fresh applications.

Today, Microsoft ranks fourth in the fast-growing operating systems for the smartphone market in the U.S. It is behind Blackberry-maker Research in Motion Ltd, Apple and Google. From comScore research firm, Microsoft has a share of less than 12 percent.