Weekly high-tech hot topics in the blogs: 300,000 iPads sold on day one, iPhone 4.0

Hot topics in the tech blogs for the week ending April 8: Bloggers praise the iPad as 300,000 units are sold on the first day (while consumers complain about WiFi and charging issues), FCC vs Comcast ruling divides bloggers, the next version of Apple's iPhone OS lets users multitask, Project Pink phones to be unveiled at a Microsoft "mystery" press event, and HP shows off features the iPad is lacking on its yet to be released HP Slate.

Apple sells more than 300,000 iPads on the first day
On April 3 customers in the US lined up outside Apple stores to get their hands on the company's "magical" iPad. Bloggers reported on initial sales estimates of up to 700,000 devices on April 5 before hearing the official count of 300,000 from Apple a day later. While many consumers (and reporters) were in awe of the device, there was also a myriad of posts complaining about WiFi connection problems, charging problems and overheating that appeared on tech blogs and Apple's support forums over the weekend as disgruntled iPad purchasers found the "magical device" didn't quite live up to their expectations.

iPhone 4.0 OS announcements
A press-only invitation to view a "sneak peek" of Apple's next generation iPhone OS, 4.0, saw Apple in the headlines yet again this week. "Apple set to unveil mobile advertising platform" and "On Thursday We'll See the Future of iPhone... Ads?" were just a few of the associated headlines springing up after the invitation arrived in journalists' inbox. Later, cries of joy could be heard filtering through the blogs as Apple announced it was bringing multitasking to the platform.

FCC loses legal battle against Comcast
A legal battle between the American Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and one of America's largest internet providers, Comcast, sparked divided opinions in the blogs this week. "Comcast Wins, We Lose: Court Says FCC Doesn't Have the Power to Enforce Net Neutrality," wrote Gizmodo lamenting that "FCC doesn't have the power to tell Comcast, or any ISP, to be net neutral." TechDirt, on the other hand believed that consumers (and journalists) shouldn't be upset about the ruling and wrote an article entitled, "Court Tells FCC It Has No Mandate To Enforce Net Neutrality (And That's A Good Thing)."

Microsoft's mystery event
Apple was not the only one teasing bloggers with invites. Journalists also received an invitation to a Microsoft press event that would, as CNet journalist Ina Fried writes, "herald the introduction of Microsoft's long-awaited new phones for the always-connected crowd." According to bloggers, the April 12 press event will be used to unveil the long-rumored Project Pink phones - Turtle and Pure.

HP Slate details revealed
On April 5 - in the wake of Apple's massive weekend iPad launch - HP released yet another video on their YouTube page and HP Slate blog showing the tablet's front- and back-facing video-capable cameras, a USB port, support for Adobe Flash and a slot for a SD card reader (all of which are features the iPad is lacking). Technology blog Engadget also posted 'official looking' HP Slate presentation documents detailing the tablet's specifications and pricing details. The documents claim the base model of the tablet will be sold for $549. Spanish technology blog Clipset.net previously reported that the tablet would be launched in June and would be priced at approximately €400.