#CanIHaveIt

Why the new iPad 3 is completely irresistible to even a shoe-loving girl

First things first: I'm no tech writer. I have a certain level of comfort that comes with growing up in the digital age, but I definitely can't write HTML, I don't understand how Micro Four Thirds cameras work and I call the Genius Bar only slightly less often than my parents.

So this whole iPad 3 business has raised a lot of questions, namely — do I buy one? I didn't buy the iPad because I figured it would be best to let Apple work out the kinks and come out with something better. I didn't buy the iPad 2 because one of my sale sites had a flash sample sale and there were these SUPREME Brian Atwood wedges that I wanted more.

So here we are. The third iteration. What's different? What's supposed to be better? Read with me, as I do my consumer research in a story:

Retina Display

This might not mean much to me, since (#trueconfessions) I can't even tell when my television is and isn't on HD, but the iPad 3's Retina Display (fancy word for screen) is apparently the stuff of nerd dreams.

Writes Gizmodo's Casey Chan of the iPad 3 as compared to Apple's other iOS devices: "The 2048x1536 screen would dwarf everything (emphasis his)." He says, "If the 2048x1536 iPad 3 retina display turns out to be real this year, oh god almighty it's going to be glorious."

It's unclear whether the iPad 3's Retina Display will actually be such an impressive resolution, but it would follow, since it would double the resolution of the first two iPads — like the iPhone 4's (and iPhone 4S) Retina Display doubled the resolution of the iPhone 3GS screen.

FaceTime

iLounge reports that the iPad 3 will have an HD front-facing camera, the better to FaceTime your friends with and — oh, god — upload high-res sexy pics with?

Yes, you'll view images in higher res, and you'll take images in higher res. Both the front and rear cameras are reportedly getting upgraded, via Mashable.

Also, the iPad might — and I mean might, maybe — go 4G before the iPhone, according to consumer electronics site BGR (Boy Genius Report, a spin-off of Engadget.)

Verdict

If even an iota of the rumors are true, I might have to have it. A glossier virtual magazine-reading experience AND better airport movie-watching? Count this girl in.

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shine brightly

Tesla plans $10 billion solar cell factory for Houston suburb

Courtesy of Tesla

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Electric vehicle and clean energy company Tesla is considering building a new $10.1 billion solar cell manufacturing facility in Fort Bend County, according to documents filed with the Texas Comptroller’s Office.

If approved, the plant, called Project Sun City, would be located on a 3,050-acre site off FM 762 and FM 1994 in Richmond, Texas. Tesla aims to finish construction in 2028, with the plant being operational by early 2029.

The plant will manufacture photovoltaic (PV) solar cells and modules that can convert sunlight into electricity. PV Magazine reports that the facility is "the largest single manufacturing investment Tesla has proposed on paper."

Advisory and consulting firm Kroll submitted the documents to the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts and noted if an agreement regarding tax incentives isn't reached, the project will exit Texas.

Tesla has requested credits under the Jobs, Energy, Technology, and Innovation (JETI) Act. The incentive program aims to attract large, capital-intensive economic development projects by lowering the property taxes an entity must pay over 10 years if it meets requirements related to job creation and investment. For example, pharmaceutical giant Bristol Myers Squibb Co. recently announced that its forthcoming $2.3 billion Houston-area manufacturing site is a qualified project under the JETI program.

Kroll predicts that the facility would create 9,712 new full-time jobs, over 1,100 construction jobs and billions of dollars in future property tax revenue, the documents show. Additionally, it says the project will spur $1.1 billion in local business expenditures and that Texas would increase its GDP by approximately $107 billion as a result of the project activities.

Tesla opened its $200 million Megafactory in Brookshire, Texas, last year. The company is continuing its goal to deploy 100 gigawatts of solar manufacturing in the U.S before the end of 2028. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 100 gigawatts is equal to about 8 percent of the country's power grid capacity.

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This story was first published on our sister site EnergyCapitalHTX.

technology tesla