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Latest collection of news from a number of reliable sources.
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You have your iPad, and you've accessorized it with a Smart Cover. The Smart Cover is a must, of course, but you can get so much more out of it with a little addition. Maximize your Smart Cover's potential and get more out of your iPad with the help of Stand Clips from Smarterflo. It's on sale now in our latest Deal.
If you find the Smart Cover's options for positioning your iPad to be a bit lacking, then you absolutely need Stand Clips. These little clips started on Kickstarter and are now available to give you the ability to position your iPad exactly how you need it to be. They slide up and down on your Smart Cover to easily allow you to change positions and optimize your iPad usage.
The Stand Clips from Smarterflo usually retail for $20. If you head to our Deals tab now, you can get 15% off that price. That means you'll score a set of Stand Clips in the color of your choice (clear, black, or dark grey) for just $14.99. That's a deal you can't pass up so grab it today!
Apple's anticipated reveals of new iPad hardware may only be a couple of months weeks away (unless they shock us all and reveal them at WWDC), and it looks like they're trying to move as much of the old stock as they can. That's good news if you've been looking for a comparatively low-cost iPad directly from the source, as Apple today announced discounts of 15 to 17 percent for refurbished iPad 4 units and iPad Minis for the Apple Store.
The discounts for the iPad 4 units might be just enough to win you over if you've been holding out on buying one of the new devices since their release last October. With Apple's new promotion, you can acquire a refurbished 16GB iPad 4 with WiFi for $419, down from its original refurbished price of $499. Meanwhile, the 64GB iPad 4 is available for $689, a significant departure from its $829 retail price.
If you're looking for low-cost options, you can't go wrong with the refurbished 16GB WiFi-only iPad Mini, which is now priced at $279. Until recently, refurbished versions of the unit sold for $299, down from a new iPad Mini's shelf price of $329. If you're looking for a good deal on the high end, you can snag a 64GB refurbished iPad Mini with both WiFi and a 3G plan for $549, down $110 from the price of a new one.
Impressive numbers, but as 9to5 Toys reports, it's possible to find better deals elsewhere. If you head to Wal-Mart, apparently, you can acquire a 16GB iPad Mini with WiFi for a mere $250, with free in-store pickup or a $5 shipping charge. According to 9to5, that's the lowest price ever reported for a refurbished iPad Mini from a reputable seller. Even more impressively, Wal-Mart's also selling brand new 64GB iPad Minis with WiFi for a low $450.
Follow this article's author, Leif Johnson, on Twitter.
Some new devices out there in the wild and if you're a gamer this week was like early Christmas to you. As we gear up for WWDC, the rumor mill is about to kick in with more "news" about everyone's favorite fruit-based tech company and they're be more tech to go around than you can stand. And Apple puts the kibosh on some iOS-powered hook ups. So let's see what the old news bag has for us this week.
It's been six years since we first laid eyes on Apple's iconic vision for the smartphone home screen, and after dozens of iterations and imitations, it looks like it's all about to change. With the public unveiling of iOS 7 just around the corner, we thought we'd make a list of all the things that we hope to see unveiled at WWDC. We're pretty sure we left no stone unturned, but if we forgot anything, feel free to let us know in the comments below.
Google Translate lands in Chrome 28 beta for Android.
(Credit: Google)Not only is Google Translate not dead, its powers of mildly accurate, often-amusing, and on-the-fly translations are in the process of being gifted to Chrome 28 Beta for Android.
If you load a foreign language Web site in the beta, which landed in the Google Play Store on Thursday, a bar will appear at the bottom of the screen with a button to translate the site. Tap the button, and voila! It will appear in a different language.
The accuracy of the translation is another issue. However, Google spokeswoman Roya Soleimani said, "Google Translate works through statistical machine translation. We have 71 languages now, and while there will always be varying levels of accuracy, if you have a good translation, it's better than no translation."
She added, "The team is working on improvements all the time."
And adventurous beta testers can now check a new graph under "Settings, Bandwidth Management" of their data compression bandwidth savings, if they've enabled that feature.
Th... [Read more]
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Holiday weekends usually mean long car rides and time with your family. Distract the kids in the backseat and make music when you're hanging out and do both on the cheap with this week's holiday batch of deals.
Destination: Treasure Island HD
The sequel to Treasure Island has you, Jim Hawkins, seeking out more buried treasure, but this one will only cost you one gold coin.
Jules Verne's Return to Mysterious Island - Deluxe Edition
Since we're talking island trips for only one dollar, pick up Jules Verne's Return to Mysterious Island - Deluxe Edition and find the hidden objects.
Nightfall
A totally different kind of adventure finds you fighting of hordes of bloodthirsty vampires, but still, just one buck puts the adventure in your hands.
The DAILY MONSTER Monster Maker
It's monsters, but a completely different, fun kind, and these monsters are yours to make for free.
Jetpack Junkie
Feel the thrill of jetting around and feel the zero-gravity pull of a no-cost app purchase. Heck yeah!
Angry Birds Space
Of course, it's not a holiday weekend without those darn Angry Birds getting a price cut. Now you toss those boids for free whether you do it on your iPhone or on your iPad.
The Sims 3
Another big player in the holiday price cut is Electronic Arts who are having tons of apps on sale (55 of them for a buck a piece) including their Sims franchise, like one dollar for The Sims 3.
The Sims™ Medieval
Or for the same price go medieval on their butts. One dollar.
SimCity™ Deluxe for iPad
Go big with SimCity™ Deluxe for iPad and do it for one dollar.
Freshbox
It's not a game, but then neither is food spoilage. Let your phone keep track of when things are going to go bad and never throw out rotten fruits and veggies again. Theoretically. It's free to try, so give it a whirl.
Songwriter's Pad™
If holiday weekends inspire your songwriting side, then Songwriter's Pad™ is the way to go with rhyming dictionaries, backbeats, and more idea generators than you can shake a Fender at. Just $1.99 for the iPad version and $0.99 for the iPhone one and you get syncing action.
Nota
You're more of a piano player and want tools indispensable for that? Well, then Nota for iPhone and Nota for iPad, both just one dollar, are here to help with chords and scale browsers and more.
The Jelly Bean has been spilled again.
(Credit: Louis Gray)After failing to appear at Google I/O, evidence that Android 4.3 is forthcoming soon has been leaking out slowly. Now, the first photos of the next sweet iteration of the mobile OS running on a device have been spotted. It looks to be a new flavor of Jelly Bean rather than the whole slice of Key Lime Pie.
Photos that appear to show a Nexus 4 running Android 4.3 at the 2013 Thailand Mobile Expo have surfaced on the xdadevelopers forum, home to many an Android leak, hack, and more.
Related stories
- Android 4.3 pops up ahead of Google I/O
- New Google Nexus phone to replace de-stocked Nexus 4?
- Is this LG Nexus 5 leak the future? Or fantasy?
The few photos don't... [Read more]
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SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Automattic, the company that operates blogging service WordPress.com, announced a $50 million investment from hedge fund and private-equity investor Tiger Global on Friday.
(Reuters) - Google Inc intends to finance, build and help operate wireless networks from sub-Saharan Africa to Southeast Asia, hoping to connect a billion or so people in emerging countries to the Internet, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
(Credit: Screenshot by Nicole Cozma/CNET)
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- Learn a new language with Babbel mobile
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- Use Mokriya Craigslist app on Android for Craigslist alerts
Rosetta Stone touts itself as one of the fastest and easiest ways to learn a new language. However, its learning system also carries a rather steep price tag: $300-$500 for the complete set. Of course this price is without any specials/discounts the company may be running at any given time. Still, if you're going to spend that kind of money on a language course, you might want to try it first.
The Rosetta Stone Web site offers a free demo of its software. Though, if you're thinking of learning in your free time, you might consider using the Android version of the app. Using the mobile app means that you can make use of those extra minutes when you're traveling via public transportation or waiting in a doctor's office. Fortunately, you can test-drive the Android app, too.
Downl... [Read more]
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SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Automattic, the company that operates blogging service WordPress.com, announced a $50 million investment from hedge fund Tiger Global on Friday.
Those of you eyeing an iPad Mini or fourth-generation iPad can now save a bit more money on refurbished models courtesy of Apple.
As of Friday, Apple is offering 15 percent to 17 percent discounts on all flavors of refurbished units of the iPad Mini and the iPad 4.
The 16GB Wi-Fi-only iPad Mini is selling for $279, 15 percent off the usual price. The 32GB Wi-Fi Mini is available for $359, 16 percent off the full price. And the 64GB Wi-Fi Mini can be had for $439, 17 percent off the regular price.
The 16GB Wi-Fi version of the fourth-gen iPad is going for $419, a 16 percent discount. The 32GB Wi-Fi model is on sale for $499, also 16 percent off the usual price. And the 64GB Wi-Fi edition is selling for $579, a hefty 17 percent cut in price.
Apple fully tests and certifies all of its refurbished products. Equipped with a new battery and outer shell, the units come with a one-year warranty.
(Via MacRumors)
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LOS ANGELES/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc has submitted a formal proposal to buy Hulu, joining a growing list of bidders for the video service owned by News Corp and Walt Disney Co, two sources with knowledge of the bid told Reuters on Friday.
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Automattic, the company that operates blogging service WordPress, announced a $50 million investment from hedge fund Tiger Global on Friday.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc has submitted a formal proposal to buy Hulu, joining a growing list of bidders for the video service owned by News Corp and Walt Disney Co, two sources with knowledge of the bid told Reuters on Friday.
iPhone and iPad owners can now use Verizon Cloud to back up key information from their devices.
The cloud-based system debuted late last month for Verizon subscribers using specific Android devices. But as of yesterday, an app is now available for iOS users.
Owners of Samsung's Galaxy S4 and HTC's Droid DNA can also now access Verizon Cloud through its Android app via Google Play. Verizon provides a full list of compatible devices via the Check your Device button on its Verizon Cloud Web site.
Before you can tap into the app, you first need to sign up for Verizon Cloud access at the Web site. You can choose among four different plans: 500MB for free, 25GB for $2.99 per month, 75GB for $5.99 per month, or 125GB for $9.99 per month.
After your account is active, you can trigger the app on your device. Verizon Cloud offers Verizon customers their own private online storage with several features.
You can bac... [Read more]
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In the shadow of the dearly departed Skyview Drive-In Theater, Santa Cruz's weekend flea market was another bit of my youth's paradise. Between all of the horrendous and delicious fried foods, and the empty promises of a vegetable chopper destined to make your life more convenient, the true prize would always lay between plastic, cardboard and twist-ties. Some would call them Hero Rangers, Adventure Turtles, or even Chopper Rats from Pluto, but despite their off-paint jobsm they often could provide as much enjoyment as their copy-written cousins. Knock-offs are what make budget-conscious world go round, and the iOS eco-system is hardly different.
The tattered remains of a Changetron. Photo courtesy of Cody Swanson.
Determining what a quality derivative work in the iOS store is can be a challenge-- let's face it, there are only so many Zombie Mine Auto-Runner Social Networks we can all handle. However, every once in a while a game can wear its influences on its sleeve and be surprising. Bombcats is an Angry Birds inspired active puzzle game that requires you to fling explosive felines to rescue miniature explosive kittens from cage orbs. Isn't the internet wonderful? The gameplay is certainly familiar, but fortunately the physics feel right, and the felines are adorable.
Click here to download Bombcats from iTunes.
Antithetically, sometimes the copycat can surpass the original concept. No one would dispute that Airbnb is now the king of the short-term private rental services. Was it a case of being at the right place at the right time? Probably, but veteran rental service HomeAway has taken the torch right back, and provided even better refinement of amenity searches. With a database that spans a longer period of time than their upstart competitors, this is a case where going with the original smooth can prove beneficial-- even if their app is totally a knock-off.
Click here to download HomeAway Vacation Rentals from iTunes. 
Always curious is the case of an industry where many competing services can co-exist and all thrive. In the world of online food delivery there are a number of services out there, and while each of them provides a wrinkle of their own, they cover relatively the same ground. While Seamless has the longest history and the biggest foothold in many cities, Eat24 happens to be my personal favorite. Between their tireless weekly promotions, ribald attitude, the handsome app, and their lightning-fast customer service, it's hard not to side with San Bruno-based company. Whoever writes their copy and runs their social networking also happens to be a comedic genius.
Click here to download Eat24 from iTunes.
Do you have any suggestions for some of the great copycats of the App Store? Be a true "Hero-Man of the Spider" and reply in the comments, tweet me @Octillus, or drop a line at nycardarelli@gmail.com.
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Amazon is once again shaking up traditional publishing models. This time, it's giving fans a chance to add their own personal touches to their favorite fiction - and get paid in the process.
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc is in talks to buy Waze, an Israeli mapping start-up that has held discussions with several large technology companies, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday.
One of the most amazing things about the App Store's offerings is the fact that you get so much punch for relatively few bucks; so when a drum app shows up that costs a whopping $49.99, it’s hard to think that it’s truly better than 10 existing $4.99 drum apps combined. While Different Drummer does indeed offer a unique take on the process of laying down a beat, it’s a bit rich at the current price, which is a pity – there's some real innovation to be found here.
Different Drummer really lives up to its name: It’s a drummer, alright, but it’s radically different from any other iOS beat machine – or most plugins we’ve ever run into on the desktop. This is not the kind of instrument that’s going to be of much use in recreating a realistic acoustic drum kit, nor is it the type of thing that’s designed to let you quickly get from the beat in your head to something that everyone else can hear. This is about experimentation, knob spinning, and sonic exploration. And in this sense, it's a lot of fun.
You start by choosing from one of eight different instrument tracks – think of each one as part of a drum kit – and turning each one on, which creates a visual track reference in the realtime grid display that dominates the top portion of the screen. There's a decent selection of sampled sounds for each drum part, from snares and cymbals to bass drums and tablas, and you can also paste in your own sounds to create custom drums.
Unlike a typical grid-based drum machine, the actual drum “hits” are programmed by a somewhat complex and dynamic set of modulators, and this is where Different Drummer becomes a bit hard to tame. It’s fun for whipping up wild, bizarre rhythms and drones, with some really deep programming options, but it’s an approach that makes it tough to design a beat with the results already in mind. That said, there is also nothing quite like it in the iOS world, but the price is a real sticking point – and it started out at the rather outrageous $300! Considering the price decline to date, maybe waiting a bit longer isn't such a bad idea.
The bottom line. Different Drummer would be an amazing addition to your iPad music rack at a more accessible price, but at $50, it's simply too steep.
