iPad 2 to debut this week?

Rumours say the iPad 2 may appear as early as this week and ship starting in March, reports The Washington Post.

The second would be a turn-up for the books, since conventional wisdom has put the iPad 2 release in April, a year after Apple revealed its 'magic' predecessor.

The rumours seem to stem from the Japanese blog Macotakara, which has previously leaked details about iPad cases, speculating that the production schedules at Foxconn point to a March release.

Asus claims it has a “secret weapon” up its sleeve, which it believes can take on Apple's second-generation tablet, says Dialtosave.co.uk.

When questioned about how his company would fight off competition from Apple's upcoming tablet, Asus CEO Jonney Shih said: “Also, we will try to provide a 'secret weapon', something we have not shown at this time but closer to the release time we will show.”

Although no further details are revealed, rumour has it that Asus' secret weapon is in fact a 3D tablet. During the interview, Shih went on to talk about his belief that 3D glasses will fall away this year, stating that “[3D] may be possible on smaller tablets without wearing glasses”.

Sprint Nextel plans to unveil a smartphone that will include a twin set of touch screens made by Kyocera of Japan, according to a person familiar with the device, states the Wall Street Journal.

The device, named the Echo, features two 3.5-inch touch screens that can be stacked side by side to form a pseudo-tablet design. Users can accomplish multiple tasks on the two screens, or drag items from one screen to the other, the publication says.

The phone, which runs on Google's Android software, uses a pivot hinge that allows one screen to be tucked under the other, transforming it into a more conventional touch-screen phone.