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The Aubrun, Maine school department has announced this week that every kindergarten student in the district will receive an iPad 2 tablet for the upcoming fall semester.

There are 285 students and teachers, and the endeavor will cost around $200,000.

As a test program, 20 or so students will get their iPads in May.

Says superintendent Tom Morrill:

When you look at what the iPad 2 apps that are out there, from learning your letters from books, that can be read, finger painting your name, it's absolutely something we must do.

The Department of Justice has approved Google's $700 million purchase of ITA Software, the world's largest flight data company.

As part of the approval, Google must accept certain restrictions, however.

The major restriction is that Google must continue to license ITA software to airfare sites "on commercially reasonable terms" and Google must promise to continue enhancing the software "in a manner consistent" with ITA's development over the past decade.

Google must also use an internal firewall that will block the company from gaining "competitively sensitive information" off of ITA customers.

Says the DOJ (via CNN):

The Department of Justice's proposed remedy promotes robust competition for airfare websites by ensuring those websites will continue to have access to ITA's pricing and shopping software.

Citing "trusted sources," IGN is reporting that Microsoft will soon make free-to-play games available through Xbox Live.

By doing so, gamers can play the games for free, but will purchase virtual content (currency, weapons, clothes, etc) just like in popular Facebook games like MafiaWars and CityVille.

The industry has seen an expansion into F2P, with big publishers like EA even trying the model on shooters like Battlefield Play4Free.

That game is still in beta.

For now this is still rumor, but we will keep you updated.

Verizon has confirmed this weekend that it will indeed be ending one-year contracts for mobile phones starting April 17th.

Two-year contracts and monthly options will still be available.

As its reason for dropping the option, Verizon says "the greater majority" of subscribers chose two-year contracts anyway, in order to get the full subsidy for their new phone.

Verizon continues to remove consumer-friendly options, removing "New Every Two," unlimited data and now one-year contracts. New Every Two gave users a discount on phone upgrades after 20 months of their contract. Early termination fees have been increased, as well.

IHS Screen Digest research has said this weekend it expects Nintendo to sell 11.6 million 3DS handhelds in 2011, but overall the console will not be as successful as the previous DS/DSi/DSi XL line.

Added competition from tablets, iPod Touches, iPhones and Android smartphones will "prevent the 3DS from matching the sales of the previous-generation Nintendo handheld," says the report.

After four years, the DS had an installed base of 91 million users buy IHS says by 2015 the 3DS will have a base of just 70 million devices.

Adds Piers Harding Rolls, lead games analyst at IHS:

Nintendo’s accent on network services in the key U.S. market represents an attempt to convince users to carry their 3DS systems with them at all times and to engage with the platform everyday and in every place. This engagement strategy, alongside 3-D graphics, camera and video, is key to Nintendo competing with upcoming devices from Sony and also from non-specialist smart phones, entertainment devices and tablets, which offer a legitimate alternative to handheld consoles.

The FCC has ruled this week that carriers must now offer "reasonable" data roaming rates for their networks in the U.S.

"Mobile providers must be able to offer nationwide voice and data plans to have any chance of competing in today's market," added FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. "However, roaming deals are simply not being widely offered on commercially reasonable terms."

Sprint, US Cellular and MetroPCS have been lobbying for updated rules, which will allow their customers to use smartphones anywhere in the U.S., not just in their home states or surrounding areas.

If AT&T's $39 billion bid for T-Mobile is allowed by regulators, AT&T and Verizon would control over 80 percent of all the mobile subscribers in the U.S.

"With AT&T's proposed acquisition of T-Mobile and the corresponding threat it poses to continued wireless competition, it is absolutely critical that the FCC take steps to promote competition and level the playing field," notes Vonya McCann, Sprint's senior vice president of government affairs (via Reuters).

Even with the new rules, AT&T and Verizon will be able to freely negotiate the terms of the roaming deals, and can throttle if it will prevent congestion for their subscribers.

Netflix has confirmed today that all Star Trek series will be available for streaming starting in July.

The deal with CBS was first announced in February and includes other library hits like Frasier and Twin Peaks.

For fans of the show, the available series will be Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise.

Deep Space 9 will launch later than the rest, on October 1st.

Star Trek and Enterprise will be available in HD.

The deal is U.S. only and will last for two years.

Voyager fans will likely be the happiest of the bunch, as the series has never been available digitally, not even through iTunes, explains TrekMovie.com.

Currently serving a 20-year prison sentence for his role in stealing and reselling over 170 million credit and ATM card numbers, Albert Gonzalez has flipped on his guilty plea and is now claiming that the U.S. government authorized him to commit the crimes he was convicted for.

Gonzalez now wants to withdraw his guilty plea and wants a court to vacate his sentence.

Additionally, the hacker blames his lawyers for not "properly representing him" and not appealing his sentence like he requested them to do.

The hacker stole the credit card numbers using sql injection and packet sniffer malware software to create backdoors into the corporate systems of retailer chains TJX Companies, BJ's Wholesale Club, OfficeMax, Boston Market, Barnes & Noble, Sports Authority and Dave & Buster's. Gonazalez and two other conspirators also used wardriving, hacking using accessible Wi-Fi in retail stores. One of the conspirators is 7-foot-tall Stephen Watt, a Morgan Stanley investment banker who wrote the sniffing programs.

Facing ever-increasing competition from Google's Chrome and even Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Mozilla has announced that it will be moving to a more aggressive timetable for its Firefox browser, with Firefox 5 expected before June 21st.

Firefox 4 was released just last month, after over a year of development and delays.

Even more shockingly, Mozilla expects to release Firefox 6 just 60 days later, at the end of August.

Following in Chrome's footsteps, Mozilla is moving to a faster development cycle. Despite being released in 2008, Chrome is already in version 11 (beta for users) and version 12 (beta for developers).

Chrome uses four-channels to continually add features to Chrome, "nightly," "dev," "beta" and "stable." Because of this, there is a new version of Chrome (usually) every two months.

CW explains what Mozilla will need to do to meet the tight deadlines: "Mozilla will add features to Firefox as it goes. If a feature is not ready for the first of the four channels -- what the company calls "nightlies" as well as "Mozilla central" -- it will not be added later to the aurora or beta builds. Features with problems will be backed out of an edition -- say Firefox 5 -- and deferred until the next in line."

The hacking group 'Anonymous,' which recently stopped its attack on PSN and other Sony services, has said this week that it will stage a 24-hour boycott at Sony stores around the world next week, Saturday, April 16th.

On the Facebook page, there are over 1000 RSVPs for the event.

Over the last week, Anonymous used DDoS attacks to take down the PSN and a few individual Sony employees. The attack was stopped after the group decided it was hurting the Sony consumers they were trying to avenge.

You can read Anonymous's full letter to concerned PSN users here: 'Anonymous' stops its assault on PSN

The group is pissed at Sony for its lawsuit against Geohot and its criminalization of users who even click on info related to PS3 custom firmware and homebrew. Geohot opened up the console to homebrew by running 'jailbreak code' and creating a custom firmware for version 3.55.

YouTube has started its live streaming service this weekend, available at http://www.youtube.com/live.

The service will allow users to stream live broadcasts, and Google itself is advertising Indian Premier League Cricket and the upcoming Mortal Kombat live stream.

Google says it will keep rolling out the platform to YouTube partners with "accounts in good standing."

"The goal is to provide thousands of partners with the capability to live stream from their channels in the months ahead. In order to ensure a great live stream viewing experience, we'll roll this offering out incrementally over time," concluded YouTube.

The Acer Iconia Tab A500 is now available for pre-order via Best Buy, with a price tag of $450.

Acer's first real entry to the tablet market features a 10-inch screen, Android 3.0 Honeycomb, a Nvidia Tegra 250 1GHz dual-core processor, 16GB internal storage, microSD slot, GeForce graphics, 1GB RAM, dual cameras and Flash 10.2.

Says the company (via CSM):

One of the tablet’s most impressive features is its ability to run and play premium HD arcade games and complex online games. The 10-point touch display and six-axis motion sensing gyro meter control provide an entertainment experience on par with the best game consoles. The Acer Iconia Tab A500 will ship with two pre-loaded games: Need for Speed: Shift and Let's Golf.

Apple has said today that it will actively look into the 3G glitch that has been giving Verizon iPad 2 owners connectivity issues.

Users have reported troubles connecting back to 3G after they have turned the feature off and back on. The only fix so far has been to reboot the device, which can get understandably frustrating.

Apple says: "We are aware that a small number of iPad 2 customers have experienced connectivity issues with the Verizon 3G network and we are investigating it."

Those with AT&T iPad 2s do not seem to be having similar issues.

Many believe Apple will fix most of the iPad 2's early bugs with the release of iOS 4.3.2, set for rollout within weeks.

Samsung released their first Android tablet, the Galaxy Tab, last November.

The device sold with two-year data contract for $400 at start, but has since dropped to $250.

As of April 10th, users who may still want the device can get their hands on the long-awaited Wi-Fi-only version for $350 and no contracts necessary.

Samsung's tablet runs on Android 2.2, has a 1GHz processor, a 7-inch multi-touch screen and dual cameras.

“We are excited to have the WiFi version of the Galaxy Tab join our growing portfolio of Galaxy-branded devices,” said Dale Sohn, President of Samsung Mobile. “The 7-inch Galaxy Tab is the first truly mobile tablet on the market, allowing users to comfortably hold the device in one hand while typing or navigating the Web with the other.”

Following Viacom's suit over their live TV streaming iPad app, Time Warner Cable has counter-sued the content giant and the issue appears headed to court.

Last month, TWC released their TWCableTV app, which allowed its paying subscribers to watch live TV via their iPads.

Warner wants a "declaratory judgment" and a court ruling allowing the company to transmit TV programming to any device its customers may have.

Viacom, on the other hand, says all its previous distribution rights deals have been device-specific, and do not include tablets or other mobiles. The company is now seeking damages for TWC's alleged breach of contract and licensing agreements.

Says TWC of the app:

We have steadfastly maintained that we have the rights to allow our customers to view this programming in their homes, over our cable systems, without artificial limits on the screens they can use to do so, and we are asking the court to confirm our view.

Viacom has made clear that it is willing to discuss extension of similar rights to others -- including TWC. What Viacom cannot do, however, is permit one of its contracting partners, TWC, to unilaterally change the terms of its contractual relationship.