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Amazon updates Kindle iOS app with X-Ray for Textbooks

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 24, 2012

Amazon refreshed its Kindle lineup last month ahead of Apple's September 12 iPhone 5 announcement. One of the easily overlooked software features the online retailer also brought out: X-Ray for Books, Textbooks and Movies. In a nutshell, the X-Ray feature intelligently retrieves additional information when you tap an on-screen object, like a movie character, book passages, glossary and what not, also pulling related data from Wikipedia and YouTube to enhance your e-reading experience.

Likewise, X-Ray for Movies lets you learn more about the movie's cast and characters by just tapping the screen, which produces relevant content by cinema site IMDb. In today's update to its free Kindle app, Amazon is bringing X-Ray for Textbooks to iPhones, iPads and iPods...

Poll: do you plan on getting an iPad mini?

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 24, 2012

Pundits were flabbergasted when Apple didn't price the iPad mini at $199 to go for the kill. At $329, the iPad mini is a $130 more than seven-inch tablets from Google and Amazon, both starting at just $199. Furthermore, Amazon's 8.9-inch Kindle Fire HD with a higher-resolution display than the iPad mini is still thirty bucks cheaper than Apple's gizmo.

On the other hand, Apple is good at these things and it's outrages to assume the company somehow got the price wrong. Analysts are convinced the $329 iPad mini is an absolute homerun. Certainly the device does appear to protect Apple's price umbrella by making the iPad more enticing to budget shoppers while forcing rivals to scrape the bottom of the barrel. Taking it all in, would you buy an iPad mini at Apple's current price points?

Dutch court rules Samsung did not violate Apple’s prized multitouch gesture patents

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 24, 2012

A court in The Netherlands let Samsung off the hook, ruling that some of the South Korean conglomerate's many Galaxy smartphones and tablets did not infringe upon Apple's prized patents related to multitouch gestures on iPhones and iPads. As you know, Apple took Samsung and other handset makers to court, arguing they copied the zoom to pinch feature and other multi-finger gestures on iOS devices.

This ruling alone won't help Samsung evade the $1+ billion payout from a massive loss in the Apple vs. Samsung mega-suit in the United States. The U.S International Trade Commission is set to determine on Thursday whether Samsung really infringed on Apple's patents...

Angry Birds Seasons get 30 spooky Halloween levels

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 24, 2016

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fa_QVIprn8Y

Angry Birds maker Rovio has issued an update to its Angry Birds Seasons game, adding a Haunted Hogs episode which brings out thirty new Halloween-themed levels. As the piggies get all dressed up for Halloween, there's also a hilarious new Frankenswine character to get excited about. You'll be playing at the haunted house, with the ghostly Halloween music helping you get in the right mood. And watch out for those ghost bricks that behave differently from regular blocks - use them for fun trick shots...

Analyst predicts the iPad mini will kill off the iPod touch

Ed Sutherland ∙ Updated June 5, 2018

Is Apple getting ready to discontinue the iPod touch, now that the Cupertino, California firm has a bevy of low-priced alternatives, including the just-announced iPad mini? That's the opinion of one analyst who has correctly predicted the demise of other Apple products. The iPod touch "has entered the final stage of its product life cycle," according to Ming-Chi Kuo, analyst with KGI Securities. He also believes Apple "will not invest significantly in developing future models"...

Unofficial Lightning cables and adapters shipping November 3 for half the price

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

iPhone5Mod previously released an interesting iPhone 5 Flash Lightning Dock, its first unauthorized Lightning-equipped accessory, and recently announced a nice backplate replacement for your iPhone 5. Today, they're launching three new Lightning accessories set to ship November 3. Of course, these unsanctioned cables and adapters lure with low prices that significantly undercut Apple's comparable offerings (think a 50 percent discount or more). We've got more information and nice promo clips right past the fold...

Shit Android fanatics say

Sébastien Page ∙ October 24, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7huae767Rxg

Last month we showed you two absolutely hilarious videos about shit Apple fanboys say (part 2). It looks like someone took a page from that book and came up with a similar version, this time targeting Android users.

Titled "shit Android fanatics say", this video isn't quite as funny as its Apple counterpart, but I still got a good laugh out of it, and I'm sure you will too.

Tweetie creator releases a free iOS word game

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated August 24, 2016

Tweetie, a beloved Twitter client for the iOS and OS X, was first in many respects. It was first to introduce the pull to refresh feature, now a norm in iOS app design (even Apple borrowed it for iOS 6 Mail). The program set the tone for what a decent Twitter client should be long until TapBots' Tweetbot came into full view.

Tweetie was refined and refined until Twitter came along purchasing both iOS and Mac versions on April 9, 2010. And now its developer Atebits is back to iOS development with a game, another first for them. Called Letterpress and provided free of charge, it's basically a word game with a simple, charming design and addictive concept that's hard to put down...

Report: Apple’s $329 iPad mini is an ‘absolute home run’

Ed Sutherland ∙ October 24, 2012

Analysts are fawning over Apple's new iPad mini, one describing the smaller tablet as "an absolute home run." Although investors concerned over the $329 price tag briefly sent shares of the Cupertino, Calif. firm down, Wall Street dismissed the worries.

"Due to the high quality of the hardware, we expect the device will be very well received by consumers once they have an opportunity to test it," Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore said.

Although Whitmore described the iPad mini as "a modest disappointment," he said the new iPad includes features "richer than we anticipated."

Phil Schiller talks iPad mini price: people pay for quality

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 24, 2012

I have long insisted that Android people (lots of them, but not all) aren't accustomed to pay for quality because Google envision Android as an ad-supported ecosystem, an extension of its business philosophy on the web. Some Apple fans were taken aback when Apple priced the iPad mini at $329 rather than $249 or even $199. While analysts believe the current price defends the iPad ecosystem from above and have no doubt the gizmo will be a smash hit, Apple's head honcho of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller went on the record to defend the iPad mini's price tag, here's what came out of him...

New Lightning HDMI and VGA adapters, 12W USB charger now on sale

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 29, 2016

Per rumors, Apple yesterday alongside the iPad mini, a revamped iMac, refreshed Mac mini and the new 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro also took the wraps off some new Lightning accessories that will be of note to people who want to show off their presentations, apps, games and more on devices that accept HDMI or VGA input.

Each adapter commands a steep $49 price and is available now from the online Apple Store, with shipping estimates already slipped to a 2-3 week backorder. Apple also put on sale a more powerful USB iPad charger that now provides twelve watts of power instead of ten, helping with faster charge times...

iPad mini event keynote now available for download as a podcast from iTunes

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

In case you were not able to watch the iPad mini keynote live as it was happening yesterday, Apple made the video available for streaming on its website shortly after. But for those of you who don't want to be tied to a wifi network in order to watch the keynote, you'll be happy to learn that the whole iPad mini event is now available as a podcast download from iTunes...