Some things in life are pretty predictable. You can usually count on millions of turkeys being sold in mid-November. There’s almost always a terrible summer movie sequel (or prequel) that should have gone straight to DVD. And Apple will unleash annually a new, upgraded version of their products. From what I’ve heard, the new iPad 2 will not disappoint.

As Apple tends to be secretive, all of the rumored improvements are mostly guesses. However, many of the improvements make sense, and use technology that Apple has already implemented in its other products in the past year, so we’ll assume that the general consensus of tech prognosticators is right.

New Features (reportedly) Include:

• USB Port
• 3 Versions of iPads: Wi-Fi only, Wi-Fi/UMTS (AT&T 3G network) and Wi-Fi/CDMA (Verizon 4G Network)
• Improved Speakers/Microphone
• Front and Back-Facing Cameras

The camera additions are probably the most exciting feature to the iPad upgrade. Introduced with the iPhone 4, many thought this would have been a feature on the original iPad, but with the growing number of businesses utilizing tablet computers, there is no doubt the iPad 2 will be conference ready.

Recently, I saw an article highlighting an event  with a unique twist. It was an evening of wine tasting that was hosted by the owners of the winery themselves –and simultaneously attended by more than 800 people in more than 30 locations across the US.

Using video conferencing to broadcast and interact in a one-of-a-kind experience, Winestyles, a national wine retailer was the organizer of the event. Michael Mondavi, founder of Folio Fine Wine Partners, led participants through an engaging wine-tasting experience, sampling and learning about six different wines grown at his vineyards.