It’s called the iPad. According to the San Jose Mercury News,  Apple’s announcement today that it will start shipping its new $499 tablet in 60 days, “unveiled the biggest nonsecret in the tech world.”  Like a larger version of the iPhone, the new iPad is also an e-reader for books. Apple Steve Jobs said they company will launch an online bookstore iBook in conjunction with the tablet’s debut.

If you’re a regular reader, you know I’m a fan of Walt Mossberg’s technology reviews in the Wall Street Journal. But his authoritative tone and early access to products does open him up to critics. And parody.

The Wall Street Journal’s New York Edition will be a far more agressive assault on the New York Times than first indicated, reports the New York Observer.

What, please tell me, is gratifying about eating five large hot dogs in less than three minutes? That’s just one of the examples Cleveland Plain-Dealer writer Michael Heaton uses to illustrate his point that gluttony is the competitive sport du jour.

I was in Montreal over Christmas and enjoyed the mandatory lunch of Montreal Smoked Meat. But I’m from Western Canada and didn’t grow up knowing much beyond the fact that it was tasty. Now, on the occasion of a new push to bring Montreal Smoked Meat into New York City, the Globe and Mail offers an explanation of how it differs from pastrami.