iPad By Davis: “Pixar names its main office building in dedication to former CEO Steve Jobs” plus 15 more

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• Pixar names its main office building in dedication to former CEO Steve Jobs
• Mobile Nations Passport is now live!
• Xbox SmartGlass now available for iPhone and iPad
• iPad mini vs. BlackBerry Playbook hands-on
• Best apps to follow the 2012 Presidential Election results
• Right on schedule, OS X 10.9 appears in server logs
• iPad Tips: How To Delete Cookies for Individual Websites
• How to replace the vibrator assembly in an iPhone 4S
• Gelaskins Now Has iPad mini Skins Available
• Apple, publishers, reportedly ready to settle EU ebooks probe
• How to manage Newsstand subscriptions directly on your iPhone and iPad
• Need an iPad mini Case that Costs More than a Ferrari? Here’s One
• Nokia's new Lumia 820 and 920 go cheap to compete against iPhone on AT&T
• River of News Google Reader RSS App Is Now a Free App
• Deal of the Day: 60% off the Cruzerlite SPI-Force Case for iPhone 5
• U.S. election day straw poll

Pixar names its main office building in dedication to former CEO Steve Jobs Posted: 07 Nov 2012 12:16 AM PST Pixar, the makers of superb films like Monsters Inc. and more recently Brave has named its main office building in honor of the late Steve Jobs. The building which is part of the Pixar campus now proudly displays the sign "The Steve Jobs Building", the new comes from Pixar Times. On Twitter, a Pixar employee shared an image taken by a friend, stating that the building had been named "The Steve Jobs Building." Peering in through the windows, you can clearly see the outline of Sulley, confirming that this is the main building that Steve Jobs himself played a major role in designing. He came up with the idea that the building should be centered around a large atrium, which would lead to accidental collaboration that may not occur if everyone was stuck in their individual offices. I find this to be the perfect way to honor the legacy of Steve Jobs. Placing his name above the main building not only reminds those who walk through the entrance of his importance to the formation of the studio, but is also a meaningful representation of his influence on the famed building. This is a well-deserved dedication as Pixar was in a lot of trouble before Steve Jobs stepped in and financed the work of the studio before it became profitable. He put a lot of his own money into Pixar's projects believing in the employee's ; he was right to do so. Without his help, we may never have had the chance to enjoy brilliant movies like Toy Story, Finding Nemo and Wall-E; now that input will never be forgotten. Source: Pixar Times

Mobile Nations Passport is now live! Posted: 06 Nov 2012 11:41 PM PST Easily access all of Mobile Nations, all with one account! You can now also register and login via Facebook, Twitter, Google and Microsoft! Your most-requested feature is finally here! Instead of having to maintain separate account logins and passwords for each and every one of our five communities -- Android Central, CrackBerry, iMore, Windows Phone Central and webOS Nation -- with Mobile Nations Passport you can now access all of your favorite sites with one easy login. Now, don't worry! Even though we've unified our account management, we know and love the unique identities of each of our sites as much as you do, and we're not changing that. The power to control which sites you want your account to be associated with is still all in your hands -- we're making it easy, not automatic and certainly not mandatory.  We're also maintaining your individual post history and forum profile on a site by site basis, so you get the recognition you deserve for each and every platform. The video above will give you a quick, two-minute run-down of how Mobile Nations Passport works. Watch it, and then register or, for existing members, simply login to activate your Passport now!

Xbox SmartGlass now available for iPhone and iPad Posted: 06 Nov 2012 05:58 PM PST Microsoft's companion app for the Xbox 360 is now live for iOS, allowing users to remotely control the gaming console, view related content, type out messages, and otherwise complement everything you'd normally just do with the hardware controller. The new app has been rolled out as an update to the existing free My Xbox app for iPhone and iPad. The recently-launched Xbox Music has its own dedicated SmartGlass dashboard with playback control and artist information, as does Movies. In addition to that, a few Xbox games provide tailored second screen experiences. Players can tweak their Xbox Live avatar and bio, as well as set Beacons so friends know what games you're looking to play online. Internet Explorer is controllable from the iPad as well, which is a little bizarre considering how polzarized Apple and Microsoft are, however handy it might be. Sports has an interactive element that allows those watching the game to vote on who they think is going to win, and see what the voting results are from everyone else online, not to mention see player stats and info mid-game. You can also summon a virtual gamepad that helps you get around the menu system with swipe and a few virtual buttons, but I wouldn't count on it for playing any games. The biggest caveat with Xbox SmartGlass is that many of the features that are locked to Gold subscribers on the console trickle down to the iOS app as well. Really silly stuff like being able to type messages or use Internet Explorer require annual dues to Microsoft. For those that are already loyal Gold Subscribers, this limitation is a non-issue, but for those of us that aren't, it feels like petty nickel-and-diming. Xbox Music requires users to pay for an entirely separate music pass, though it provides access to a whole cloud-based music streaming service. In any case, gamers, are you excited about the addition? Do you see yourself using SmartGlass for much more than games? Free - Download Now

iPad mini vs. BlackBerry Playbook hands-on Posted: 06 Nov 2012 05:47 PM PST Rene already expressed the opinion that if Amazon, Google, et. al really want to come at the iPad mini based on price, what they're really doing is telling people to buy a $150 BlackBerry PlayBook. So, in the interest of science, I picked one up to put it's through it's paces. First off, the iPad mini is incredibly light, almost too light. I toss my PlayBook around a lot and the iPad mini feels as though I may break it I tossed it too hard. It's also really thin. Almost stupidly thin. I get why Apple opted to go with the smaller bezels and they do look great but overall, I would have preferred something a little thicker to grab onto. Landscape is fine but portrait annoys me. Apple says there's software to reject unintentional touch events, but it's still a pain point. Like the iPhone 5, the iPad mini has that slick anodized aluminum backing on it. It looks good but it doesn't feel particularly grippy. I prefer the softer finish on the BlackBerry PlayBook and even the Google Nexus 7. The BlackBerry PlayBook has a 1024x600 screen at 169 ppi while the iPad mini has a 1024x768 screen at the original iPhone's 163 ppi. A lot of people have been complaining about the lack of Retina display on the iPad mini, especially compared to the higher density Nexus 7 and Amazon Kindle Fire now on the market. I'm not really bothered by it. Some stuff looks better on the iPad and some stuff looks better on the PlayBook. Text, in my opinion, looks better on the PlayBook. It's all in the eyes of the beholder. While the iPad mini has stereo speakers, a first for an iOS device, and that makes it less likely your hand will completely cover up the sound while playing a game or watching a video, the sound levels are still way to low. On the PlayBook, even if you do cover up the speakers, their loudness makes up for it. Check out the video above for some more hands-on impressions and a quick run through of the iPad mini vs. the BlackBerry PlayBook. If you have any questions, drop them in the comments, and if you're a PlayBook owner who's also picked up an iPad mini, let me know how you think they compare!

Best apps to follow the 2012 Presidential Election results Posted: 06 Nov 2012 05:25 PM PST It's election day! If you're an American and haven't voted yet, GO VOTE! Once you're done, all that's left to do is wait for the results. Between the internet, television, radio, iPhones, iPads, and other devices, there's a countless number of ways to stay up to speed on the results, so iMore is here to narrow down your options for tracking results with your iPhone and iPad. Pulse News for iPhone and iPad Pulse News is a great way to follow your favorite news sources, in general, and it does not disappoint when it comes to election coverage, either. When adding a news source, Pulse has created categories for election news and election results making it really easy to find the best news for today's Presidential Election. As an app, Pulse News is very well made, has a beautiful UI, and runs like a champ. Of all the apps listed in this article, Pulse News is my favorite, by far. Free for iPhone - Download Now Free for iPad - Download Now CNN for iPhone and iPad The CNN app has an "Election Center" that includes a section titled "The Elections Report" and another called "Election Results". Both of these sections are great for following today's elections and include news stories, videos, polling results, live electoral college results, and more. You can also set up push notifications to make sure you don't miss out on any of the important news. Free for iPhone - Download Now Free for iPad - Download Now 2012 Map: The Presidential Election App for iPhone With 2012 Map: The Presidential Election App you can view live maps that are updated daily with the newest polling and election data, "Historical" maps that detail every election, from 1789 through 2008, and a blank map that you can customize from scratch. You can tap states to change their colors or tap and hold to see their details including percentages for each candidate, electoral votes, and previous winners, and share your scenario on Facebook and Twitter. $1.99 - Download Now Your favorite election apps? This is just three of the different ways to follow today's election, but what's your favorite way to follow the election? Is it a different app? The television? Your favorite social network? Let us know in the comments below! While you're at it, let us know who you think is going to win!

Right on schedule, OS X 10.9 appears in server logs Posted: 06 Nov 2012 03:04 PM PST Now that Apple's on an iOS-like yearly update schedule for the Mac's OS X operating system, it'd be big news if we didn't start to see traces of the next version, OS X 10.9, start appearing in server logs sometime that is soonish. Well, no cause for concern, because the next big cat is out of the bag and stealthily surfing the web. Seth Weintraub from 9to5Mac posted this morning that he'd been seeing 10.9 in his logs, so I checked iMore's and sure enough, it's there too. We probably won't hear much more about 10.9 until Apple formally announces the beta sometime next year. But if nothing else, you can rest assured newly anointed SVP of Software Engineering, Craig Frederighi and company are already hard at work on it. And since they might be reading this very post, why not take a minute and let them know what you'd like to see in OS X 10.9? Per-app AirPlay so we can work on one app while mirroring another? iBooks for OS X? Reupholstering of the linen and stitched leather to something more Ive-inspired, like aluminium? Documents in the Cloud that aren't tied to specific apps but can be accessed via a unified repository? A much better, much more social Game Center? What's on top of your OS X hit-list?

iPad Tips: How To Delete Cookies for Individual Websites Posted: 06 Nov 2012 01:06 PM PST Clearing out cookies and data in a web browser can often be a useful thing to do, and the same holds true on mobile web browsers like Safari that we use on the iPad. This can come in handy when a website is not performing as expected, or when it fails to recognize that you are logged in or out, or in a number of different scenarios. It's easy to clear out all cookies and website data for the iPad's Safari browser. You go to the Settings app, tap on Safari, tap on 'Clear Cookies and Data' and confirm the action when prompted. What I hadn't realized until today, when I saw this handy tip shared by Kelly Hodgkins at TUAW, is that you can also choose to just get rid of cookies and data for specific websites – and this is also very easy to do. (...) Read the rest of iPad Tips: How To Delete Cookies for Individual Websites (100 words) © patrickj for iPad Insight, 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: iPad delete cookies, iPad tips Related Stories Can't Save Facebook Photos in iOS 6: An Easy Fix iPad Basics: How to Change the Apple ID on the iPad This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

How to replace the vibrator assembly in an iPhone 4S Posted: 06 Nov 2012 11:17 AM PST If you've got an iPhone 4S that's out of warranty and the vibration function has stopped working or is very faint, odds are you need a new vibrator assembly. A DIY repair isn't too terribly difficult and will cost you far less than a new iPhone. Follow along and we'll help you replace the vibrator assembly and keep your iPhone 4S going strong for even longer. Disclaimer: As with any repair, neither iMore nor The Pod Drop can be held responsible for any damage you may do to your device. It's also worth considering that opening up your device to perform any repair or modification can and will void your Apple warranty. If you don't feel comfortable opening your device, don't. Use extreme care and caution when performing a repair on any device. Not comfortable with DIY repair? Leave it to the pros If you aren't comfortable performing a DIY repair on your own, don't. It is possible to cause more damage or run into issues you aren't ready for. In this case, it's probably better to either pay the money for a replacement device from Apple or use a local or mail-in service that will handle the repair and any issues that may arise for you. The Pod Drop has many locations in the midwest and is a rapidly growing company. You can check for a Pod Drop location near you, mail it in, or use another third party repair service. For more information on mail-in repairs or possible Pod Drop locations near you, you can visit their website. Pod Drop locations and mail-in options If you are comfortable with repairing your own device, put your ninja pants on and keep reading! What you'll need to DIY replace an iPhone 4S vibrator assembly The Pod Drop recommends using only quality and genuine parts from a reputable supplier like eTech Parts. They have quality parts, tools, and much more for all your repair needs. You will find links to the specific parts you'll need for this repair in the list below. iPhone 4S (any variant) Replacement vibrator assembly - Link to part #00 Phillips screwdriver - Link to part Security screwdriver - Link to part Spudger tool - Link to part SIM removal tool or paperclip Video walkthrough While the video walkthrough is pretty detailed, we still recommend using it in correlation with the written steps below. The video above is a complete teardown and you don't need to complete all the steps in order to replace the vibrator assembly. Power off your iPhone 4S Before performing any repair you should always power off your device before opening it up. Remove the back plate Using your security screwdriver, remove the 2 screws on either side of the dock connector port. Set them aside. They are both the exact same size and length so it does not matter if you mix them up. They are interchangeable. Gently slide up the back plate by applying a bit of pressure along the bottom with your thumbs and sliding upwards. Now lift off the back plate and set it aside. Remove the battery and grounding clip Using your #00 Phillips screwdriver, remove the two screws holding the battery in place. These screws are different lengths so make sure you remember which one goes where. The one that is slightly larger is the bottom screw. There is a tiny grounding clip underneath the battery clip where the first screw is located. Use your spudger tool or finger to remove it before prying the clip up. Many times it can go flying if you don't remove it first and then you'll have difficulty locating it so it's best to remove it first. Now use your spudger tool and at the bottom of the battery clip, gently pry upwards so the clip pops up. Move to the edge of the iPhone where the volume buttons are located and use your spudger tool to carefully pry up the battery. It is stuck down with a good amount of adhesive so be careful when prying upwards that you don't bend the battery. This is why I do not use the plastic tab that is provided. It typically rips or bends the battery. If one part is resistant move your pry tool a little further down and gently start prying it up in different places taking care not to come too close to the volume button cables towards the top. Once you've gotten the battery pulled out of the iPhone 4S we can move on to inserting the replacement battery. Remove the top logic board shields Using your #00 Phillips screwdriver, remove the four screws that hold the top silver shield in place and the one screw that holds the small black shield in place. Now use your spudger or pry tool to gently lift the silver shield out of the iPhone. Use your spudger or pry tool to lift the black shield out of the iPhone. Set both shields aside and make sure your screws are organized for reassembly later. Unclip the top logic board cables & remove the rear-facing camera Using your spudger or pry tool carefully disconnect all the cables at the top of the logic board. There are seven cables total. One of the cables lies underneath the bottom most cable so you'll need to disconnect the cable over it before folding it back and revealing the shorter cable underneath. Once you unclip the seven cables, you can lift the rear-facing camera directly out of the iPhone. It was only connected by one cable. Disconnect the dock connector Using your #00 Phillips screwdriver remove the shield that is covering the dock connector cable towards the middle left of the iPhone. Remember which screw came from where as they are different sizes. Gently lift the shield out of the iPhone and set it aside. Take your spudger tool and gently pry up the dock connector cable and peel it back as shown below. Perform this step with caution as there is adhesive on the underside of the cable. Take care not to rip the cable by pulling up to quickly. Leave the cable in this position and move on to the next section. Pry up the Wi-Fi antenna Using your spudger toolcarefully pry up the round connection for the cellular antenna. It should come up easily so pry up gently. You'll notice that it is wrapped around a metal clip. Gently unwrap it so it's sticking upwards and leave it in this position. Remove the SIM card and tray Using a SIM removal tool or a bent paper clip, eject the SIM tray and set it, and the SIM card aside. Remove the logic board Remove the three #00 Phillips screws at the top, middle, and bottom left of the logic board with your #00 Phillips screwdriver. The top screw has a piece of tape over it you'll need to peel back. After removing it you'll also notice a gold grounding clip underneath it. Make sure you don't lose it as you'll need it for reassembly. There are two more screws holding the logic board in place and you'll need to remove them with your flat head screwdriver. They are located at the top right and bottom of the logic board. Now you should be able to lift the logic board out of the iPhone. Use the area that the rear-facing camera was located and the bottom of the logic board to lift it straight out. Replace the vibrator assembly The vibrator assembly in the iPhone 4S is only held down with adhesive. Use your pry tool to gently pry it up from the mid-frame of the device. Just take care not to bend it. Next, gently lift the old vibrator assembly out of the device. Your replacement vibrator assembly should come equipped with adhesive on the bottom. Just peel off the backing and carefully replace the vibrator assembly. Be sure you line it up with the screw hold as well as straight along the bottom where the speaker housing will sit. If your new vibrator assembly didn't come with adhesive, any type of thin two sided adhesive will work. You don't need much. Just enough to keep it in place. Reassemble your iPhone 4S To reassemble your iPhone 4S you can follow all these steps in reverse order or you can watch our reassembly video guide above. We recommend using both in conjunction with each other. The reassembly video is a complete teardown from the screen down so you won't need to watch the entire thing to complete reassembly of your iPhone 4S. You'll only need to watch from about 5:35 to the end. And ...done! Now that you've completely finished reassembling your iPhone 4S you can go ahead and press the power button to turn it back on. Once it completely boots up, test the vibrator function by flipping the vibrate switch. If all went well, you should now have vibrator functionality again. If for some reason it still isn't vibrating, check to make sure the vibrator assembly is lined up correctly. We hope you don't, but if you do run into issues with this repair, you can check out our DIY and mod forums for answers to many questions or e-mail me directly with your questions. Additional resources: How to replace a shattered or unresponsive iPhone 4S screen How to replace the battery in an iPhone 4S How to replace the dock connector in an iPhone 4S Even more DIY repair guides for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Gelaskins Now Has iPad mini Skins Available Posted: 06 Nov 2012 09:58 AM PST Gelaskins, makers of ultra-thin stylish, artistic skins for the iPad and many other devices, have now got a range of skins available for the iPad mini. When these guys say ultra-thin they really mean it – their skins are less than 1mm thick and add almost no weight at all to an iPad. For an incredibly light device like the iPad mini, that's a very welcome feature. Another big benefit of using Gelaskins is that they are quite easy to apply and remove – I know this especially because I am a clod when it comes to installing screen protectors and the like, and even am able to work with these skins with relative ease. The artwork used on Gelaskins is always gorgeous and includes many images from famous artists – and if you don't find an image you like, you can also create your own. I've often mentioned here that a Gelaskin was my favorite companion for the iPad Smart Cover, in particular the Dr. Gonzo image by Ralph Steadman. Although the skins can be used for both front and back of the iPad, I like to only use them for the back of the iPad. The new range of Gelaskins for the iPad mini go for $19.95 and you browse through the designs and check them out in detail at this Gelakins page for them. I think Dr. Gonzo or another of these skins may soon be making an appearance on my iPad mini. © patrickj for iPad Insight, 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: iPad Mini accessories, iPad mini skins Related Stories 3 Million iPads Sold in 3 Days of iPad mini and iPad 4 Launch Weekend First iPad mini TV Ad Starts Airing My Second New iPad mini in 24 Hours This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Apple, publishers, reportedly ready to settle EU ebooks probe Posted: 06 Nov 2012 09:25 AM PST Regulators in the European Union are reportedly ready to accept the offer made by Apple and four book publishers, bringing an end to an antitrust probe regarding ebook pricing. Apple and these publishers made the offer back in September, and regulators are expected to announce their acceptance of the deal next month. The deal with European regulators addresses aspects of pricing and contracts that prevent lower pricing at rival retailers. Foo Yun Chee of Reuters reports: The case underscores the battle between retailers and publishers over pricing control of e-books, which publishers hope will boost revenue and increase customers. Apple and the publishers have offered to let retailers set their own prices or discounts for a period of two years, and also to suspend "most-favored nation" contracts for five years, the sources said. Previously, publishers have sought to increase their control over ebook prices, trying to prevent retailers, like Amazon, from setting lower prices on ebooks. For a long time, Amazon ebooks usually sold at a maximum of $9.99, until publishers started demanding higher prices to increase profits. Apple's issue in this is that it had these so-called "most-favored nation" contracts with publishers, preventing publishers from negotiating lower ebook prices with other retailers. The antitrust issue here is not one of monopoly, but of collusion. Specifically, did Apple and the book publishers conspire to break Amazon's hold on ebook pricing? In Europe at least, the answer seems to be "Yes". The US Department of Justice settled a similar case with publishers last month, which resulted in publishers agreeing to pay a certain amount of credit per ebook to Amazon customers who payed higher prices for books than they would have without publishers interference. Source: Reuters

How to manage Newsstand subscriptions directly on your iPhone and iPad Posted: 06 Nov 2012 08:04 AM PST Newsstand, Apple's own subscription service for magazines and newspapers, allows you to read all your content in one place without having to mess with physical print content any longer. It's super easy to subscribe to publications but what about when you want to unsubscribe to something? You can always use iTunes on your computer to manage subscriptions but why go through all that trouble if you can unsubscribe from Newsstand content straight from your iPhone and iPad as well. Here's how. Launch Settings from the Home screen of your iPhone or iPad. Tap on iTunes & App Stores. Here you'll see your Apple ID at the very top in the form of your e-mail address. Tap on it. A pop-up will come up. Choose View Apple ID. You'll be prompted to type in your password. Type it in and then hit OK. Under the Subscriptions section, tap on Manage. You'll see a list of anything you've subscribed to that requires a yearly or monthly renewal. Find the magazine or newspaper subscription you want to renew or cancel and tap on the name. Here you'll see renewal options. You can choose to cancel auto-renewal if you haven't already or renew the subscription further. Make your choices and enter your information. Once you're done managing all your subscriptions you can simply tapDone in the upper right hand corner. That's all there is to it. Your subscription settings will be updated and become affective immediately or for your next billing cycle.

Need an iPad mini Case that Costs More than a Ferrari? Here’s One Posted: 06 Nov 2012 08:23 AM PST Great news for new iPad mini owners here. I'm sure many of you who have just bought an iPad mini may be looking round for good cases to use with it. Maybe looking for just the right sort of case to spend $700,000 on. Yup, no typos in that number on the line above – that is Seven Hundred Thousand Dollars. For an iPad mini case. Seven hundred grand for a case for a $300 device. Lets not rush to judgment on this one though. Here's why we need this: Why not up the wow factor and make a real statement with an iPad Mini encrusted in glistening sapphires and diamonds?! With The Natural Sapphire Company's statement-making sapphire and diamond case, consumers can leave the clutch at home and make the iPad Mini their accessory of choice. I have to agree that showing off a seven hundred thousand dollar case for an iPad mini definitely makes a statement – just not sure it's the sort of statement implied above. The Natural Sapphire Company are apparently also the makers of a $100,00 case for the iPhone 5 – though at that sort of knock-down price I guess that's part of their costume jewelry line or something. Here's my favorite line from the press release for the $700K iPad mini case: So, what will be the cost of this incredible accessory, this stunning accoutrement, this lavish symbol of distinction? Just $700,000 or 3 easy installments of $233,333.33!!! Yowza. You don't have to come up with the whole $700K at once. Just 3 easy installments of over two hundred grand. Heck, I may order a couple for holiday gifts. © patrickj for iPad Insight, 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: iPad accessories Related Stories iPad mini Accessories: New Portenzo Line of Cases, Including the Composition Case iPad Mini Smart Covers Priced at $39 Apple's New 12W Adapter Will Charge New iPads More Quickly This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Nokia's new Lumia 820 and 920 go cheap to compete against iPhone on AT&T Posted: 06 Nov 2012 07:57 AM PST Nokia and AT&T have announced that the new Lumia 820 and the Lumia 920 will be available for $49 and $99 respectively when they launch this Friday. That puts the more modest Lumia 820 smack in the middle of the free iPhone 4 and $99 iPhone 4S, and the flagship Lumia 920 at exactly the same price point as the iPhone 4S, Apple's year old phone, and fully $100 cheaper than the $299 price for Apple's flagship iPhone 5 with a similar 32GB of storage. Daniel Rubino from WPCentral has all your info: There is little doubt in our mind that AT&T is making the Lumia 920 the best option with heavy subsidies. Coming in with 32GB of memory, the Lumia 920 is significantly cheaper than the same offering of the iPhone 5 with comparable memory ($299). Throw in a free wireless charging pad and for $99, users are getting a very good bargain for what is arguably one of the most powerful devices on the market today. Undercutting Apple on price is nothing new. AT&T and Nokia launched the previous generation Lumia 900 for $99 as well and, sadly, it ended up being barely a blip on the radar. The problem with Windows Phone has never been price. It's been a) Microsoft not wanting to market it as something better than the incredibly bad Windows Phone brand, b) carrier reps not wanting to push it over Android, and c) customers not wanting to buy it over iPhone. Right now, I'm not sure a free price point would move substantially more units of the much larger, heavier, thicker, far better camera equipped, but still very app-contrained Windows Phones. That's why it remains flabbergasting to me that, even with Halo 4 launching this week, Microsoft still couldn't pull the trigger on Xphone Halo Edition. They couldn't figure out a single way to leverage any of the Halo 4 hype for their mobile platform. Imagine the phone-branded equivalent to this sitting on shelves between Android and iPhone (or the empty spot where sold-out units would have been.) Source: WPCentral

River of News Google Reader RSS App Is Now a Free App Posted: 06 Nov 2012 07:48 AM PST River of News, one of my favorite RSS reader apps for the iPad, has now become a free app. It is now called River of News Free for Google Reader RSS, and is available now as a free, ad-supported app. I've always enjoyed River of News because its interface is very similar to Google Reader itself, but presented more attractively on the iPad. Or, as the App Store page for the app puts it: ▶ I love Google Reader! Does River of News work like the web site? Absolutely, but better. This is the only iPad app that lets you simply scroll through the full articles, one after the other. You don't have to keep opening and closing windows. And, of course, articles get marked as read when you scroll past them. And, unlike the Google Reader web site, River of News is gorgeous and optimized for the iPad. Here's the feature list for this new free version of the app: ● Always in sync with Google Reader ● Continuous scrolling list of articles ● Swipe sideways between feeds ● Mark as read while you scroll ● Double tap to jump to the next article ● Typography optimized for reading ● 6 fonts and 4 sizes. Choose what is comfortable for your eyes. ● Sort by newest, oldest, or magic ● Pinch to zoom images. Tap and hold to save to them. ● One step sharing with configurable gestures I've installed River of News Free this morning and had a quick look around. It shows banner ads down at the bottom of the main feeds screen and some smaller banners at the end of individual post items. In this free version you can't share articles to social networks or other services like Pocket or Instapaper. Other than that, it's the same River of News I've always known and enjoyed. You can get rid of the ads and enable sharing features with an In-App purchase of $2.99 Here's an App Store link for River of News Free. © patrickj for iPad Insight, 2012. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: iPad Apps Related Stories Facebook for iPad and iOS Updated Notable New iPad Apps: NBA Game Time for iPad 2012-13 Price Drops: Disp Recorder iPad Screen Recording App On Sale at 50% Off This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Deal of the Day: 60% off the Cruzerlite SPI-Force Case for iPhone 5 Posted: 06 Nov 2012 07:23 AM PST Today Only: Buy the Cruzerlite SPI-Force Case for iPhone 5 and save $14.95! The Spi-Force Case is made from shock absorbent and scratch resistant thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and polycarbonate. This slim-fitting case provides great protection from day to day use and accidental bumps and spills. The sleek, light-weight design of the case fully wraps around your iPhone 5 while also raising the front of the phone to protect the screen while face down. Features a fold-out kickstand and comes in a variety of colors. List Price: $24.95     Today Only: $10.00 Learn More and Buy Now Never miss a deal. Sign up for Daily Deal alerts!

U.S. election day straw poll Posted: 06 Nov 2012 06:33 AM PST I'm Canadian, so I care about the U.S. election only in so far as which candidate is less likely to invade us for our rich, tasty maple syrup reserves, and more likely to keep sending us movies, TV shows, and video games, all now the property of Disney Corp. Yet I understand a lot of you are U.S. citizens and care very much about the next 4 years of leadership in your country. So -- GET OUT AND VOTE. Then, once you're done, come on back to iMore and we'll return to arguing about things from which there's never respite -- Apple vs. Google. iPhone vs. iPad. Marvel vs. DC. Coke vs. Pepsi. Star Wars vs. Star Trek. The Beatles vs. Elvis. Tastes great vs. less filling. Jackie Chan vs. Bruce Lee. Boxers vs. briefs. Cases vs. naked. Patents vs. no patents. Sparrow vs. Mailplane. 5 Guys vs. In-and-Out. East coast vs. West siyeeeeeeed. And shaved vs. unshaved (hey, it's MOvember!) Because remember folks, we're all in this together. We all have to make this work.

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