Sporty’s Pilot Shop has introduced the first completely wire-free weather receiver for the iPad—and it requires no monthly subscription. Stratus combines an ADS-B and GPS receiver into a single unit that wirelessly streams NEXRAD radar, text weather, TFRs and aircraft position to the popular ForeFlight Mobile app for iOS devices.

Faster, thinner, lighter, and more personalised, the new iPad 2 has caused quite a stir already. As the device hits the shelves, hoteliers, airlines and concierges will be among the keenest buyers, all looking for new ways to exploit the technology in the tourism industry.

Just six months after launching the iPad, Apple is believed to lining up the release of a successor to its groundbreaking tablet computer. According to component makers in Taiwan, the “iPad 2” could hit the shops as early as February 2011, but is more likely to be nearer April 2011.

Italy’s tourism minister has demanded that Apple remove an “offensive and unacceptable” app from its online store after the travel guide described her country as home of “pizza, the Mafia and scooters”.

With its prestigious address on the fashionable Central Park South, the highly acclaimed South Gate (154 Central Park South between 6th and 7th Avenues, NYC, 212.484.4715) continues to revolutionize the dining experience as the first New York City restaurant to leverage the groundbreaking new capabilities of the iPad.

Jetstar is to become the first airline to offer passengers iPads for inflight entertainment. The Australian low-cost carrier will rent the devices for AUD10 (€6.85) per flight on domestic services from later this month, and aims to expand the service to international routes later this year.