What’s that? You heard Apple is readying its fifth-generation iPad, but you just bought its new iPad with Retina display in November?

Just great, you’re thinking.

And of course the new and improved model will likely be faster, lighter and thinner, and with other bells and whistles.

But such is life in the fast lane, where tech companies can't afford to stand idle for long. The tablet space is a perfect example of this fact, given there are many dozens of rivals bringing new products to market – including Apple’s no. 1 competitor, Samsung.

Unless you thrive on being the first on your block with the latest and greatest gadgets, it often pays to wait when new tech toys debut.

In fact, here are a few reasons why it doesn't always pay to be an early adopter.

Get the bugs out

It's been said an engineer, programmer and video game designer are never "done" their job on a product – they're just told when to stop. While in development, there's a checklist of hardware and software kinks that

Lincoln on DVD & Blu-RayMarch is the traditional time for the prestigious Oscar-nominated films to cycle onto DVD and this year is no exception. You could sprain a frontal lobe trying to keep up with them all. Here are five new releases with Academy Award pedigrees now out on DVD and Blu-ray.

Lincoln: Steven Spielberg's historical drama was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won for Best Production Design and Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis). One of last year's biggest critical and commercial successes, it might be the single must-see film of the year. By narrowing the focus to a particular event in history – passage of the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery – the film keeps the story tight. It's a remarkable collaboration between actor and director, with a terrific supporting performance from Tommy Lee Jones as the irascible Thaddeus Stevens.

Extras: Six behind-the-scenes featurettes on everything from the historical context to John Williams' musical score.

Life of Pi: Ang Lee took home the Best Director

www.hometheater.comIf you are looking to replace your old television it has become a given that you upgrade to a flat screen HDTV. Standard definition TVs are scarce – if not extinct – and most people believe HDTVs are their only option. This is not true.

While HDTVs are an increasingly practical choice, with prices and sizes for most every budget and living room, a smart consumer always looks for options. To help you, we offer these HDTV alternatives for your consideration.

High Definition Projectors
First, a story. Years ago I was tending bar in a Philadelphia restaurant called Zesty’s. The owner, a proud native of Greece and a tech enthusiast, discreetly set up a projector and screen at the bar. As dinner service began he’d screen aerial videos of the Greek Islands. The stunning white architecture popped in contrast to colorful fishing boats bobbing on the deep blue water. People would come in off the street to admire the breathtaking images. Then, of course, I’d offer them a drink and a menu and

GlobalgigBusiness travelers of the world have a new option when it comes to wireless service while globetrotting. It’s called Globalgig, and the service just introduced a new suite of low cost mobile data plans. The company behind the product, Voiamo, describes Globalgig as a unique service that removes the need for expensive roaming costs when accessing mobile broadband across its international network.

“With new flat rate pricing packages that are amongst the best for use within the USA, Globalgig offers incredible savings of up to 93 percent of the amount major wireless providers charge for 1 Gb of data used overseas,” said a Voiamo spokesperson.

In March, the company launched the new data packages for mobile broadband access in any country where service is available – USA, UK, Australia, Hong Kong, Ireland, Sweden and Denmark. For instance, a Globalgig WiFi Hotspot device is free with an 18-month plan. For 1Gb you’ll pay $17 per month (32 percent less than its previous price). On the high

For many, springtime means stepping out of the man cave to get some fresh air, and hopefully shed some of that weight gained while hibernating over the winter.

Sound daunting? At least tech is on your side, as there are hundreds of gadgets and apps that can help you get fit and remain motivated.

The following are a few notable suggestions:

Fitness watches, bands

Consider it your workout companion: the Nike+ SportWatch ($169.99) tracks time, distance, pace, heart rate and even the number of calories you've burned. It does this with a little GPS help from TomTom, built behind the watch’s face, and a Nike+ Shoe Sensor (included) that helps you track speed and distance indoors, too. The SportWatch can record up to 50 runs, plus it’ll alert you when you’ve beaten your personal bests. You can also pair it with the Polar WearLink+ transmitter (sold separately) to monitor heart rate via the chest strap. Plug this watch into your PC to offload all the data to NikePlus.com.

Also consider the

ShredderIt may not be the sexiest gadget I have ever written about, but the Fellowes 73Ci shredder is a must-have for you tech geeks out there. Especially if you’re a tech geek in the midst of tax season, a time of year when we’re especially vulnerable to identity theft. Don’t let scumbags find your personal information when they go through your trash. Shred instead.

The Fellowes 73Ci Shredder lives up to its claim of being unlike anything else in the marketplace by automatically sensing and responding to consumer behavior for “optimized performance and safety. The 73Ci couples Fellowes’ exclusive state-of-the-art and proprietary technologies, including a 100 percent Jam Proof System, SafeSense Technology and an Energy Savings System, with a stylish new design complete with capacitive touch screen controls,” according to a spokesperson.

That’s some fancy language for a machine that shreds things, but it is well said. I’ve had my share of frustrating shredder experiences, and this one worked

Your beloved iPad can do quite a lot – but compared to your personal computer it falls short in accessing a wide range of files.

A new app can help.

Called Files App, this $0.99-cent download supports dozens of media and document files – from .avi to .zip, if you will -- and its graphical interface makes it a breeze to find what you’re looking for.

While missing a couple of features, this iOS app makes your iPad or iPhone far more versatile.

Probably the most sought-after feature of Files App is support for multiple document types, including Microsoft Office files (Word, Excel and PowerPoint), as well as Apple files (Pages, Numbers and Keynote), .txt and .rtf, and Adobe’s PDF documents.

PDFs in particular look sharp, including the option to see all slides in a thumbnail view at the bottom of the screen. PowerPoint presentations didn’t look quite as good, on the other hand, as it didn’t retain the font types in the original .pptx file, nor did animations and videos carry over from the

BundleExcitement is high when a new video game console launches. For many gamers, this one is long overdue. Sony’s PlayStation 3 was released in 2006. The Xbox 360 has been around even longer. Gamers will be able to get their hands on the PlayStation 4 in time for the holidays. Most gamers don’t believe Nintendo’s recent Wii U launch was the true start of the next generation, so they are anxious for the next console generation to begin.

However, the end of a console’s life brings with it some of the machine’s best games and good reasons to buy the console. This is great news for PS3 owners, as well as those looking to pick one up now that the price is low – and will only get lower. Three recent exclusive titles are plenty reason to believe in the PS3, but they’re not the only reasons to commit to Sony’s big black box right now.

Sly Cooper1. The platformer reborn
Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time is a delightfully respectful and innovative homage to the action/platformers of days past. It is also a cool