Four popular movie theaters in New York City have announced the ticket prices for the upcoming Shrek Forever After and for the first time ever, IMAX 3D prices have reached the $20 threshold.

The theaters are: AMC Kips Bay, AMC Loews 34th street, AMC Loews Lincoln Square, and the AMC Empire 42nd street.

Says media analyst Richard Greenfield of the move: "With the state of the economy remaining questionable, we worry pricing is simply moving up too quickly. The danger is scaring consumers away from the movie theaters."

The new price hike follows a recent round of price increases in March, where theaters in NYC raised IMAX and 3D prices as much as 25 percent. At the time, AMC 34th charged $19.50 for the IMAX 3D showing of "How to Train Your Dragon."

While the price may scare away a number of consumers, AMC seems to think it is worth the risk, given the recent string of blockbuster successes in IMAX 3D showings, including 'Avatar,' 'Dragon' and 'Alice in Wonderland.'

Box office revenue is up 6 percent year-on-year, mainly due to increased price tickets.

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Google has announced today that it has started a beta Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) version of their search engine, encrypting the information that is sent between everyday users and the service.

You most likely use an SSL site everyday, as all online banking and most e-commerce sites use it. The URL will start with an "HTTPS" instead of the standard "HTTP." Most sites also use SSL when you are sending private information or creating a password.

Google has been using SSL encryption for Gmail, Google Docs and other services, but plain-old Google search had not used it.

Starting this morning, users can try searching more securely at https://www.google.com.

Adds the search giant: "When you search on https://www.google.com, an encrypted connection is created between your browser and Google. This secured channel helps protect your search terms and your search results pages from being intercepted by a third party on your network. The service includes a modified logo to help indicate that you're searching using SSL and that you may encounter a somewhat different Google search experience, but as always, remember to check the start of the address bar for "https" and your browser lock indicators."

The company says the "beta" tag is given because the service only covers the core Google web search product, while "Maps," "News," and "Images" are not yet covered. The company also notes that searches may be slightly slower than regular Google searches, due to the encryption process.

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AT&T has raised the early termination fees for its smartphones, following recent moves by rival Verizon to do the same.

The early termination fee (ETF) is the charge that consumers pay if they cancel their monthly plans before the set expiration date (usually two years).

The ETF will fly from $175 to $325 for all smartphones and netbooks that use a 3G modem.

On the other hand, non-smartphones will have their ETF dropped to $150 from $175.

The new prices take effect on June 1st, so current customers do not need to worry.

The move has very coincidental timing to the upcoming release of the new iPhone 4G, which is expected to sell over 1 million phones in its first weekend. The new ETF will effectively lock-in users to their new iPhone for the duration of the contract. For the time being, the Apple device remains an AT&T exclusive.

Last November, Verizon made the same exact move, raising the price from $175 to $350, right before the launch of the popular Motorola Droid.

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Late last year, Google announced it intended to buy mobile ad giant AdMob for $750 million USD.

After over six months of delays, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has cleared the purchase, thanks in part to Google's arch rival Apple.

Earlier this year, Apple purchased the third largest mobile ad company, Quattro Wireless, and used it as the backbone of its new iAd platform on the iPad and iPhone.

The FTC had been concerned that Google (the world's largest ad platform) merging with AdMob (world's largest mobile ad platform) would violate anti-trust laws. Apple joining the fray eased those concerns.

Says Jeff Shinder, former special counsel to the FTC: "The presence of Apple made it for hard for the commission to construct a merger challenge that it felt it could win."

Apple had tried to purchase AdMob first, but Google swooped in with a higher bid.

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Last night, Yahoo sent out an invite for a press conference in which it promised an "exciting announcement" relating to "rich online and mobile experiences."

AllThingsD says that mysterious invite will lead to a joint announcement by Nokia and Yahoo that will place Yahoo email, search and other apps on Nokia smartphones.

The partnership is code-named "Project Nike," named after the Greek goddess of victory, and has apparently been in the works for at least three years.

For the most part, Yahoo's mobile initiatives have failed, says the source, but Nokia remains the top smartphone seller in the world by volume, giving the new deal a chance at success.

The deal is said to have been fast-tracked by Yahoo Americas EVP Hilary Schneider.

Adds someone close to the companies: "Recently, Nokia has offered devices that people don't want and Yahoo has launched mobile services that they don't want. Perhaps in working together, they will find a way to finally create some value."

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Last month, Justin Long, the "Mac" in Apple's popular Mac vs. PC commercials (officially "Get A Mac"), said the ad campaign may be close to its conclusion, ending one of the more effective ad series in history.

He said he had heard from "PC" John Hodgman that Apple was planning to move on.

Today, it appears that prediction has come true, as Apple has officially ended the series of ads, the last of which played in October of last year.

The "Get A Mac" series has been replaced on the Apple site by the "Why You'll Love a Mac" page, which markets Macs over PC counterparts, claiming: "Better Hardware, Better Software, Better OS, Better Support, and It's Compatible."

All of the ads have been removed as well and it is unclear if the ads will play on TV anytime in the future.

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According to Piper Jaffrey analyst Gene Munster, the Apple iPad is in extremely low supply in the United States.

Munster sent a note to clients on Friday claiming that the tablet was sold out or "in low supply" at 50 stores his team searched.

About 75 percent of all the stores checked were completely sold out of the popular tablet, with 3G models being sold out everywhere. The other 25 percent of stores had low supply of Wi-Fi only models, in a variety of capacities.

Says Munster: "We note that the stores have implemented a reservation system, by which customers can request to be placed on a waitlist for future iPad shipments, notified upon arrival, and given 24 hours to pick up the iPad."

That system normally takes anywhere between 4 and 7 days.

Additionally, Munster says he doesn't see the tight iPad supply easing until September.

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