Apple’s rollout of its new iPad tablet device became the usual media circus that we’ve come to expect from Apple product announcements. Speculation in advance of the presentation was pretty accurate with respect to what the device would do and what features it would have. Perhaps the only suspense was the name, iPad, which was a bit of an upset over the rumored favorite, iSlate.

Jeff Pollack, a longtime music consultant who works with MTV and VH1, said television is the fastest way to music success these days, but that's a forum more interested in pop singers than guitar heroes. "Against the backdrop of an 'Idol'-dominated landscape, a young rock band has a much harder time getting exposure today than a pop or even country artist," Pollack said. "There is virtually no rock played on Top 40 radio . . . and there are even fewer contemporary rock stations than just a few years ago. New rock bands need to rely on continual touring, social media and music sites to expose their music."

Within hours of the news of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, people from around the world responded with offers of aid. One of the quickest and easiest means for people to donate was via text messaging. Within 5 days of the earthquake, $22 million had been donated via the special 90999 texting campaign, orchestrated by the U.S. State Department.

 Last week we covered multiple new developments in 3-D technology, which was one of the dominant themes at this year's CES. However, many other important consumer-friendly technologies were also prominent. For example, Mobile TV was on display, utilizing two non-compatible & compelling services, pitting Qualcomm against a coalition of LG, Zenith & Harris.

To read the full "Tech Trends" for the week of 1/18, click here.

Check out our New Music Preview for January, featuring:

• Ke$ha
• Muse
• Vampire Weekend
• Lady Antebellum
• Charlotte Gainsbourg
• And More!

Click here for the full preview.

PMG President Tommy Hadges has just returned from his annual visit to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas & here’s Part 1 of his overview:

The Top Searches of 2009 are in...

• Google: Twitter, Micheal Jackson, Facebook
• Yahoo: Michael Jackson, Twilight, WWE
• Bing: Michael Jackson, Twitter, Swine Flu

To see the full list and read the rest of the "Tech Trends" for 1/04/09, click here.

Jeff Pollack interviewed for LA Times article discussing Carson Daly's return to LA Radio:

"They're programming against excellent competition. KIIS is a really good station," said Jeff Pollack, chairman of the Pollack Media Group, an L.A.-based media-consulting firm. "If you're trying to stake out a claim for yourself, the 'more music' position is a really good way to do it. Let the other stations capture more of the gossip and the interviews and the celebrities."

3D, a technology that dates back several decades, is finally going mainstream. As of now, there are more than 3,500 theaters in the US equipped for 3D, with more coming online every week. In Europe and Asia, 3D in theaters is growing just as fast, if not faster than it is in the U.S. And it won’t be too long before we seriously discuss 3D for home HDTV theater systems.

Shazam, the popular music identification service has launched a new premium service called Encore. For a one-time fee of $4.99, users can download the new app from the App Store and receive additional functionality beyond what Shazam offers. The new features include: