Unlocked SIM-free iPhone 5s now available in online US Apple Store

I no longer buy my smartphones subsidized because I just can't stand paying north of $2,000 in service fees over the course of my contract. Beginning with the iPhone 4s and onward, I've been purchasing my iPhones contract-free and unlocked. Of course, this means paying the full price upfront.

On the flip side, contract-free iPhones are unlocked out of the box, which gives me the freedom to switch carriers as easily as popping in another SIM card. Although a bunch of oversea markets have had the fully unlocked iPhone 5s for several weeks, Apple has now finally started selling the device in the United States through its online store...

Apple now allowing walk-in Retina iPad mini sales

You can now finally just waltz inside your nearest brick-and-mortar Apple Store and pick up an iPad mini with Retina display, an indication of Apple slowly buy surely catching up to demand, despite the shortages which are expected to ease in Q1 2014.

When Apple quietly and rather unceremoniously put the device on sale on November 12, it limited availability to online orders-only, which customers could either have shipped or picked up personally at a desired Apple Store.

Walk-in purchases were not possible due to high demand up until now, with LTE-enabled models only recently having started arriving to Apple's retail outlets...

Second Real Racing 3 Ferrari update adds Enzo Ferraris, cinematic replays and more

Electronic Arts' Ferrari-focused Real Racing 3 update is out for a little more than a month and earlier this week the super publisher pushed another update which will make Ferrari fans happy and glued to their iPhones and iPads.

Building on the new racing tracks, events and Ferrari's racing cars from the previous update, the Enzo Ferrari lineup has now joined Real Racing 3's selection of extreme performance cars.

The latest update also adds other perks and goodies, including cinematic race replays (finally!), four new event series with a total of 100+ new events, weekly time trial tournaments and more. Your promo clip and other highlights are after the break...

Jony Ive on Charlie Rose on the value of simplicity

Apple's SVP of Design Jony Ive along with his good friend, industrial designer Marc Newson, has lent his magic touch to a few one-off items for Sotheby’s (RED) charity auction to help fight AIDS in Africa. Some of the unique objects the two men designed include a one-off red-colored Mac Pro, a unique aluminum-clad desk and a gorgeous Leica M camera.

Ahead of tomorrow's charity, Ive and Newson sat last night with American television talk show host and journalist Charlie Rose to discuss how they interacted to create these unique objects of affection that'll end up being used by their highest-paying owners...

Boxer adds Evernote integration and iPad support, finally

What is it about third-party email clients that send us into a frenzy? We either love them or hate them. Each person has a very specific set of requirements to establish what they think is a worthy app to house our digital correspondences.

Boxer is an email client that lets you access multiple accounts, includes Dropbox integration, Sanebox cloud storage, to-do list organization, and all manner of additional inbox-zero features. The popular email app just received an update that adds Evernote integration and finally optimizes it for the iPad…

Apple files for 5 new patents related to Liquidmetal, 3D printing

On Thursday, the US Patent and Trademark Office published five patent applications Apple has filed regarding the process by which it would use Liquidmetal to build next-generation products including smartphones, tablets and digital displays.

Apple has been rumored to be experimenting with amorphous metal alloys ever since it signed an exclusive deal with the California-based company Liquidmetal Technologies back in 2010. But like most rumors, this one has yet to materialize...

Apple highlights various ways people use iPad in new ‘Life on iPad’ webpage

Apple has added a new webpage to its website entitled "Life on iPad." The page is dedicated to showing the various ways people are using the popular tablet, and as of right now, it features stories on how 6 people use it in their day-to-day lives.

One of the stories talks about how champion speed skater Bridie Farrell uses the iPad to review practice and race videos as she prepares for the Olympics, and another shows how Siemens Energy-Wind Service technicians use the device at work...

Dropbox iOS 7 update: AirDrop, video uploads, full-screen iPad viewer and more

The popular cloud-storage startup Dropbox recently teased an image that gave us a glimpse into its iOS 7 makeover and we were pretty ecstatic about the new look. The good news is, the app is now live on the App Store - and it looks even better than we were hoping for!

Dropbox 3.0, now available for download on the iPhone and iPad, is a major redesign that feels right at home in iOS 7 because it honors Apple's guidelines.

It's not just the looks - Dropbox packs in some interesting and much welcomed new features like an improved PDF viewer, wireless AirDrop sharing (finally!) on iOS 7 devices, enhanced exporting and video importing, speed improvements and more.

As a bonus, full-screen viewer for photos and files is now but a tap away. Do give me a favor and jump past the fold to check out release notes and some really nice iPhone and iPad screenies...

Apple adds new features to iWork for iOS and Mac

As you know, Apple earlier in the month has promised to bring back dozens of recently-removed iWork features over the course of six months. In keeping with that promise, a barrage of updates has gone live Wednesday on the App Store and Mac App Store, adding new capabilities to the iWork suite of applications on Macs, iPhones, iPads and iPods.

This is the first major refresh since last month's downgrade stealthily removed arguably less popular though essential features in favor of cross-platform document compatibility between OS X, iOS and the web.

I've included full release notes and a couple of highlights right after the break...

FCC to discuss lifting cellphone ban on in-flight voice calls and cellular data

After the United States Federal Aviation Administration appeased travelers by permitting airlines to finally expand the use of smartphones, tablets and other personal electronics devices during nearly all phases of flight, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is now mulling letting passengers make in-flight voice calls and use cellular data when above 10,000 feet.

Current regulation mandates passengers to put their devices in Airplane mode, which shuts down all radios, thereby reducing any possible interference with the avionics.

However, only specially equipped planes will support making in-flight phone calls and accessing cellular data, should the proposal pass the FCC's December meeting...

Good deal: 88% off Mac software bundle

A little over a week from now, retailers everywhere are going to open their doors to hordes of holiday shoppers as they rush towards their must-have items. Everything from TVs to iPads will be heavily discounted for what is known as Black Friday.

But these holiday sales aren't just limited to consumer electronics—take this new Black Friday Mac Bundle from Stack Social, for example. The deal site is offering up a package of 11 popular Mac apps (well 10 apps and 1 game) at an 88% discount...

The verdict is in: Samsung must pay Apple an additional $290 million

The verdict is in folks. After just a few days of deliberation, a jury of six women and two men reached a conclusion for the retrial between Apple and Samsung over damages, and it's ruled in favor of the iPad-maker. Samsung must pay Apple $290 million.

This is in addition to the damages awarded in the original trial last fall, bringing the total amount Samsung owes up to $890 million. So essentially, Apple won back most of the damages that Judge Koh cut in March after finding the initial verdict flawed...