‘Pig Dipper’ update adds 30 new aquatic levels to Angry Birds Space

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCPD3z6iWWE

Rejoice, Angry Birds fans. Just like clockwork, Rovio has updated its Angry Birds Space game with an ambiguously titled Pig Dipper episode bringing thirty new galactic-aquatic levels to your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Android devices. This episode introduces a new planet called Splash that features pigs in boats - how bizarre is that?.

Also look for strange aquatic extraterrestrial life and water-based physics allowing for some nice trick shots. The game adds power-up specific leaderboards and amuses with the stuff like inflating the pigs with Pig Puffer and creating black holes with Space Egg, to name a few. I wonder if the giant fish is the boss...

Cook on new products, China Mobile, retail and why he loves China

Apple's Tim Cook is on his second China tour since becoming the CEO. Cook has attended meetings in Beijing with government officials, he visited Apple stores and met with China Mobile, the world's top carrier with 700 million subscribers, to talk "matters of cooperation" amid intensifying rumors of a possible iPhone deal with that carrier.

Apple's chief also confirmed that the cellular version of the iPad mini will arrive on the mainland in late January and talked business and discussed wide-ranging topics with the Chinese media on Thursday, here are some choice quotes...

Google releases a brand new iPhone application, Coordinate

Google has just release a brand new application for the iPhone on the App Store. Dubbed Coordinate, it's a workforce management tool aimed at business users that the company says will improve the efficiency of your mobile teams. The Mountain View, California-headquartered search Goliath explains that by getting real-time visibility into where teams are and what jobs they are doing, "work can be allocated in a smarter, more efficient way" using the mobile Coordinate app. The software is targeted at businesses so it doesn't work with consumer Google accounts...

Confirmed: Apple’s marketing honcho shoots down budget iPhone talk

Samsung is planning to refresh its flagship consumer electronics products at a media event on February 21, rumors are swirling that Apple is about to branch out the iPhone into two hardware versions: one flagship model aimed at high-end consumers and the other budget model costing up to $149, reportedly made from cheaper materials and possibly crammed with less features.

The inexpensive device, according to the latest chatter, should be targeted at price-conscious shoppers in China and other emerging markets. Though both WSJ and Bloomberg over the past year reported a few times that Apple executives have explored a less expensive iPhone sold without a contractual obligation, the company's SVP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller has reportedly debunked the rumor in an interview with a Japanese newspaper...

Samsung launching new gizmos on February 21

Samsung, the South Korea-based conglomerate and the world's top cell phone and smartphone maker by volume, has new consumer electronics products in the wings that it will show off to the masses at a launch event on February 21, 2013. President of Samsung Electronics’ consumer electronics division Yoon Bu-geun made the announcement during Samsung's presser yesterday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

A variety of new products will be discussed at the presser. According to Zoon, Samsung is focused on strengthening its premium product line, which probably means one thing: new Galaxy smartphones and tablets to take on its chief rival Apple...

Cook confirms cellular iPad mini coming to China late January

Tim Cook visited China for the second time since taking over as CEO of Apple in August of last year. In an interview with Chinese reporters, Cook officially confirmed that the cellular version of the iPad mini will arrive on the mainland in late January after the device gained a regulatory approval in mid-December 2012.

Both the iPad 4 and the Wi-Fi-only model of the iPad mini made a landfall in the country on December 7, following the iPhone 5's debut a week earlier which sold two million units during its opening weekend...

The iPhone quick-draw system

What's your take on belt clip cell phone holsters? I used to sell cell phones, and I would cringe every time a customer would buy one. They'd say, "it's just so accessible." I even had one guy show me how much faster it was taking it out of the holster than it was his pocket. Ok.

But what if you want that kind of accessibility, without the fashion faux pas? Then you might be a candidate for this new iPhone quick-draw system. The contraption fits around your arm, and catapults your iPhone from under your sleeve to your hand in milliseconds...

Tim Cook meets with China Mobile head to talk ‘matters of cooperation’

Earlier this week, we passed along a report that Tim Cook was on a business trip in China. No one really knows the exact nature of the visit, but he has been meeting with high-level government officials, and dropping in on Apple retailers.

And according to a new report, he's also been talking with China Mobile's Xi Guohua. The CEO is said to have met with the chairman, who sits atop the world's largest carrier, in Beijing today to discuss "matters of cooperation."

Apple settles Retina image lawsuit with Swiss photographer

With all of the reports we hear every week regarding Apple's new and ongoing lawsuits, it's nice to hear about one coming to an end. After a year of battling, the Cupertino company has settled a lawsuit regarding the alleged misuse of an eyeball image during one of its keynotes.

Apple used the photo, which was taken by Swiss photographer Sabine Liewald, to promote its new MacBook Pro with Retina display during its WWDC keynote last summer, as well as on its website, without the proper licensing. And thus, Liewald filed an infringement suit...

Privacy app Clueful returns to iOS in web form

Clueful, a privacy app by Bitdefender, garnered a lot of attention last summer when Apple pulled it from the App Store without giving much of an explanation. It was odd, because the app claimed that it just identified privacy threats.

Well here we are, 6 months later, and we have still yet to hear a reason behind the removal. But obviously Bitdefender still sees a market for the app, as the software company has just re-launched Clueful as a web-based application...

The Daily Recap – Jan 9, 2013 edition

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ji6P_CKcz4

Welcome to The Daily Recap for January 9th, 2013. Watch our video for a quick look at some of the top stories from the day in less than two minutes. If you missed out on any of today's big news, this is a great way for you to get caught up fast.

For your convenience, you'll also find links to all of the stories listed in today's recap inside...

Six years ago today, Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone

As I look around and I see all of the touchscreen smartphones and tablets on the market, I think, it's hard to believe that Apple started all of this 6 years ago. That's right, 6 years ago today, Steve Jobs took the stage at Macworld '07 and unveiled the long-awaited iPhone.

Now, you can argue that there were smartphones before the iPhone, even touchscreen phones. But you can't say that Apple didn't change the mobile landscape forever that day in the Moscone Center. And as tribute, we've got videos of the keynote and more after the fold...