Attendees of the Coachella 2012 music festival in California received an unexpected surprise when Tupac Shukar, who was murdered in 1996, took the stage for a rapping duet with Snoop Dogg.  Following his performance, the virtual version of Tupac disappeared in a flash of light.

What fans were actually seeing was an incredibly realistic 2D projection created by AV Concepts and Digital Domain. It wasn’t the first time a computer-generated performer took the stage at a concert (virtual Japanese performers have been touring for a few years) but it could be the first time a deceased performer seemed to have been brought back to life. Aside from the technical feat this performance represents, it’s raised questions about ownership of an artist’s image after their death.

Read more about the technology behind Tupac’s appearance on Gizmag and check out the amazing virtual performance on YouTube.

Anyone who has a computer in their home has probably dealt with the problem of a dusty keyboard and screen. The Dirt Devil Detailer is a cordless bagless portable vacuum that’s the perfect size for cleaning computers, phones and other gadgets. The rechargeable vacuum includes batteries, a battery charger and brush attachments. It retails for about $20 at home improvement and decorating stores like Home Depot and Bed Bath & Beyond.

If you’re interested in high tech cleaning appliances, you’ll have to check out Du.Static. This combination air purifier and dust absorber includes a metal wand that generates a static charge to attract dust on surfaces and in the air. Dispose of collected dust by turning off the wand over a trash can and letting the dust fall away.

One of the most publicized features of the new iPad is its new Retina display.  With a resolution of 2048 by 1536, this new display has four times the number of pixels as the original iPad 2 in the same amount of space.  It also has a million more pixels than HDTV. All those pixels are powered by Apple’s new A5X chip and quad-core graphics processing. Despite the increased graphics capabilities, you still get up to 10 hours of battery life per charge. The new iPad also features an improved 5 megapixel camera.

View a video review of the new iPad on the Wired Gadget Lab blog.

Residents of the continental U.S. have just switched over to Daylight Savings Time and may be having a hard time waking up in the morning. The Philips Wake-Up Light lets you wake up naturally by simulating sunrise in your bedroom. This unique alarm clock lamp gradually floods your room with light over a period of 30 minutes as your wakeup time approaches. The energy-saving 100-watt halogen lamp can be adjust to 20 brightness settings. It also provides four natural sounds or music from an FM radio. Read more about the Philips Wake-Up Light and find your nearest retailer on the Philips website.

Everyone seems to have a tablet or smartphone these days.  Now Oregon Scientific  has come up with a gadget that lets kids be part of the fun.  The MEEP! Is a rugged kid-friendly tablet  that features a 7-inch zForce touchscreen display, a G-sensor for screen rotation, WiFi and an SD card slot.  It’s designed for kids aged six and older.  Parental controls for online use are provided via an online control panel.

The MEEP! made its debut at the American International Toy Fair earlier this month in New York. More information about price and availability should be forthcoming.  Read more about the MEEP! on Engadget.

While other laptops are getting thinner and lighter, the Razer Blade is taking a different approach.  This gamer machine features a 17.3-inch main display as well as a secondary screen to the right of the keyboard (known as the Switchblade UI) that can display game info or double as a touchscreen trackpad.  All of the Razer Blade’s hardware is aimed at high performance for gaming, from Nvidia graphics to its Corei7 processor, yet it’s still less than 1 inch thick.  Additional features include an HD webcam, 8GM of RAM and 3 USB ports.

That’s Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan shown holding a Blade in the photo above.

The pricetag on the Razer Blade is about $2800, making this a machine for the most serious gamers only.  Find out more about the Razer Blade on the Razerzone website and read a full review on Wired.

When Apple CEO Tim Cook introduced the iPhone 4S last fall, it was the voice recognition system (dubbed “Siri”) that received the most attention.  Many Scots rushed out to buy the new smart phone only to find that Siri doesn’t understand their accent (even when they set it to U.K. English).  In reaction, a tongue-in-check commercial was filmed for Apple Scotland that challenges Siri with a thick Scottish brogue.  Check it out on YouTube, where it’s gone viral.

Macworld | iWorld just wrapped up in San Francisco.  This annual expo has grown from an Apple trade show to an extravaganza that Apple bills as “the ultimate iFan event.”  In addition to the usual product and services exhibits, this year saw a renewed focus on how the community of Apple users create music, art, film and more with Apple products.

Now that the event is over, its time to review the top Macworld products. At the top of the list is a simple stylus for the iPad – the Jot Touch from Adonit.  This stylus features a Bluetooth connection that also works on Android and Windows devices.  The Jot Touch detects and reacts to varying amounts of pressure with different stroke widths.  It works with most apps, especially those that have been integrated with the Jot Touch SDK (includes Clibe and Procreate).

Find out more this style on the Jot Touch website.  You can also read about another stylus in this post about the Wacom Bamboo Stylus.

The NeoCube is a new kind of puzzle that has an infinite number of solutions.  Composed of 216 individual rare-earth magnets, this cube can be taken apart and reformed into different shapes and configurations — the only limit is your imagination.  One cube will provide hours of entertainment and stress relief.

Learn more about the NeoCube on the official product website and see it in action in this YouTube video.  You may also want to check out a similar product called Buckycubes Rare Earth Magnets.

One of the top tech items at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show will be the Ultrabook, a super lightweight laptop that’s no more than one inch thick – the size of a netbook but with the power of a full operating system and a price tag under $1,000.  Several Ultrabooks made their debut in 2011 and even more are expected to go on sale in 2012.  They will compete with tablet computers by offering more processing power and a built-in keyboard.

One of the current top Ultrabooks is the Toshiba Portege.  It weighs in at less than 2.5 lbs, has an ultra-slim 0.6″ profile is starts at about $800.  Find out more about the Portege on the Toshiba website.