UPDATE: Instructions for using Absinthe for Windows are here.

iOS developer pod2g wasn't lying when he promised us an iPad 2 jailbreak was only a few days away. The Chronic Dev Team and a group of dream team iOS hackers have released the Absinthe jailbreak tool for Apple A5 devices running iOS 5 and iOS 5.0.1 firmware. This is the untethered iPad 2 jailbreak you have been waiting for since its release almost a year ago.

The long awaited hack is so popular that the greenpois0n servers crashed from the large amount of downloads on Friday. Hopefully most of the iPhone 4S owners have already jailbroken their devices, and things will start getting a lot smoother this weekend. The iPhone Dev-Team is also working on incorporating the A5 jailbreak procedures into redsn0w, and plan to release a command-line interface (CLI) for advanced users in the future. We'll keep you updated.

Jailbreaking specialist pod2g released a picture of a untethered jailbroken iPad 2 via his blog on Wednesday. The iOS developer has been working on a series of untethered jailbreaks moving his way up from an iPod touch to A5 devices. On Monday, Chronic Dev Team member Dustin Howett posted a video showing off their latest untethered iPhone 4S hack.

Pod2g said that an A5 exploit is only a few days away from a public release. He previously released Corona for A4 devices. You can learn how to jailbreak the original iPad here.

Is Apple going to release the iPad 3 and 4 in 2012!?! It's not as crazy as it sounds, but the report does come from Asian supply chain watcher DigiTimes; who doesn't have the best track record when it comes to Apple rumors. Citing "Taiwan industry sources," the DigiTimes writes that Apple is prepping to release two iPad models in 2012. The so-called "iPad 3" will feature a QXGA (1,536x2,048 pixels) display and longer battery life. The so-called "iPad 4" will ship with many "upgraded hardware specifications and integrated applications." The iPad 2 will be reduced to $399 to compete with Sony, Motorola Mobility and Samsung Electronics' cheaply priced tablet PCs.

This may sound like a new rumor, but it's actually not. Component suppliers are just using the names "iPad 3" and "iPad 4" to describe what could be the new mid-range and high-end Apple tablets we've been hearing so much about. Previous reports from the supply chain have claimed Apple is working on a "complete iPad series" for 2012. The new iPad line will feature a $299 to $399 entry-level Wi-Fi only iPad, a new mid-range iPad and the high-end iPad 3. The new iPad line is supposedly Apple's plan to compete the Amazon Kindle Fire and Google's rumored new tablet PC.

The latest iPad rumors come from iLounge‘s Jeremy Horwitz' Twitter feed (via 9to5Mac). According to Horwitz, the next generation iPad will feature a front-facing FaceTime HD camera, and the rear camera will be more "iPhone 4S-like." 9to5Mac also heard Apple was prepping an 8-megapixel camera for the iPad 3 last summer.

Horwitz also tweeted that the iPad 3 will be thicker like previous reports have suggested. This is due to the rumored dual OLED backlights for the improved LCD display.

“Curve radiuses on the body will change only a little to accommodate the added thickness, not dramatically. Think iPad 2 Pro, not a redesign."

"Body of the next iPad is, as we previously reported, getting just a little thicker to accommodate new parts - little = 1mm give or take."

Contradicting their previous report that Apple is working on a 7.85-inch iPad, the DigiTimes writes that Apple will release a "complete iPad series targeting the entry-level, mid-range and high-end market" in 2012. The iPad 2 will be reduced to compete with the Amazon Kindle Fire, and the next-generation iPads will "focus on the mid-range and high-end segments," according to sources in the supply chain.

The new iPads will feature 9.7-inch screens, QXGA resolution (1,536x2,048 pixels) and the rumored dual OLED backlights we keep hearing so much about. The new "high-end version" of the iPad will feature an increased battery capacity of 14,000mAH compared to 6,500mAH used currently. Both new devices will use the quad-core A6 processor being manufactured by Samsung.

iPad 3 home buttons have popped up in China and 9to5Mac got the fist look at them. As you can see below there is not much of a difference between the iPad 2 and iPad 3, but it does prove that the home button is not going to be larger or totally removed like some rumors have suggested. According to 9to5, the new iPad 3 home buttons are "floating around right now-in large quantities" confirming rumors that the iPad 3 is in production.

Before the holidays we learned that Apple could be aiming for a Feb. 24 iPad 3 launch in honor of Steve Jobs' birthday. Other rumors have suggested either a February or March release. The new 2048 x 1532 iPad 3 panels began shipping in November, and iPad 3 replacement parts have already been spotted for sale online. Hopefully everything goes as planned so we don't have another iPhone 5 disaster on our hands.

I'm not sure if there is a demand for iPad family bands, but if you were looking to form one, Rockmate is the app you'll need! The new app transforms your iPad into a music studio allowing you to compose, record and play songs with up to 4 people.

Rockmate features everything you need to record and share music with your family and friends. You just have to choose what instrument you want to play, guitar, drum kit or keyboards, and use the smart metronome and a real-time looper to kick start your iPad music career. The app is being offered at the introductory price of $0.99 for one week. Hurry and download it now because it will jump to $3.99 on December 21.

It only took about a month, but Netflix finally released its updated interface for the iPad. Originally launched on Android tablets and the Amazon Kindle Fire, Netflix version 2.0 offers a better experience while browsing and selecting movies.

The new interface displays twice as many movies than the old interface did, and addresses stability issues. Version 2.0 is available for devices running iOS 5.0 in Latin America, the U.S. and Canada. The app is free to download, but requires a monthly fee to access Netflix's streaming services.

Apple announced the best iPhone and iPad apps of 2011 on iTunes on Thursday. Dead Space won Best iPad Game of the Year, Snapspeed won Best iPad App of the Year, and Tiny Tower won the Best Game of the Year for the iPhone. The top five selling iPad apps of 2011 were; Angry Birds, Pages, Angry Birds Seasons HD, GarageBand and Angry Birds Rio HD.

One of my favorite holiday traditions as a kid was using various store catalogues to create my Christmas wish list. I would neatly fold the pages and circle the toys I had to have creating an easy shopping guide for my mother. Every year she would turn into a living gift registry remembering what items my family and Santa bought to avoid duplicate gifts on Christmas morning. Amazon has decided to make things a little easier for parents this year with the new Santa App for the Kindle Fire and iPad.

The app allows children to search through five-hundred thousand of the "hottest kid-friendly gifts" helping them create the ultimate holiday wish list. The choices are broken down into six categories: Music, Everything, Books, Video Games, Toys and Games and Movies and TV. The app also works as a gift registry, keeping track and removing items after they have been purchased. Parents can edit and approve the list before sending the Wish List link to family members and friends. I'm assuming grandma and grandpa will need their own iPad to participate.