Apple announces new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display

If the 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display was feeling lonely up there on its high-resolution pedestal, it needn't any longer. As expected, Apple just announced a 13-inch version to keep it company. The 2,560 x 1,600 resolution means that 13-inch screen offers a ppi of 232, marginally more than its larger brother's 226. While this might not be the primary focus of the day, it will definitely be one of the more hotly anticipated reveals from the company's San Jose event this afternoon. In the meantime, keepyour retinas locked right here for our hands on.

[Source: Engadget]

Apple unveils new version of iBooks with continuous scrolling

Apple CEO Tim Cook took to a San Jose theater stage today to unveil a new version of the company's literature-based digital storefront, iBooks. Cook says it integrates better with iCloud, allows for quote sharing on Facebook and Twitter, and has support for "over 40 languages." It'll be available today on the iOS App Store.

[Source: Engadget]

California Theatre Decorated In Anticipation of Apple's Media Event

Techie Buzz posts a gallery of photos from the California Theatre in San Jose where Apple will be hosting their Media Event. The choice of the California Theatre is a bit unusual for Apple. According to Mercury News, Apple last used this venue to introduce new iPod products back in 2004 and 2005.

[Source: MacRumors]

Getting Started With The Raspberry Pi Is Not As Easy As Pie

The super low cost computer called the Raspberry Pi is mind-blowing and awesome. As TechCrunch recently reported, the $25 to $35 mini computer on a circuit board is designed to give kids around the globe an easy way to learn computer programming. But the Raspberry Pi is not like a computer you get from Apple or pickup at the local Best Buy. It’s not as simple as plug and play. It takes a bit of extra work and time. And you need to be a hacker before you can get it working.

[Source: TechCrunch - Click here to read the full story]

BlackBerry 10: RIM To Run Developer Events In 11 Cities To Focus On Building Enterprise Apps

As it ramps up to the launch of devices running its next-gen OS in Q1 next year, RIM has announced a new series of BlackBerry developer events focused on its traditional user-base by helping enterprises and other organizations build apps for BlackBerry 10. The Blackberry 10 Jam World Tour will see day-long BB10 events held in 11 cities around the world, kicking off tomorrow in Toronto and ending on November 28 in Chicago.

[Source: TechCrunch - Click here to read the full story]

Seagate Backup Plus brings USB 3.0 speed, sociability to new Macbooks

When Seagate launched its PC/Mac Backup Plus offering that could safeguard not only your folders but your Facebook or Twitter content, too, it seemed like a nice idea. But conspicuously missing from the Mac side of that equation was a USB 3.0 port to hustle transfers along at a much less pedestrian 5 Gbps -- likely because until recently, no Macs directly supported it. Now, Seagate has launched a USB 3.0 version of the device for those shiny new Macbook Pro Retina and Air models that pack it, while offering the option to upgrade to Thunderbolt or FireWire 800 "as the need presents itself." Prices go from $110 for the 500GB model up to $180 for the 3TB version -- check the PR after the break to see the entire range.

[Source: Engadget]

Technology for gaming, from fridge-sized machines to handy apps

Gaming has always been greatly influenced by developments in technology. At first casinos, the forerunners in gaming tech, were developed as land based buildings where patrons could play their favourite games on big, clunky machines. Playing a game required both travel and time, and often a bag full of coins. The next step were gaming devices in more reasonable sizes that you could buy to use at home, computers and consoles. Later the devices became a bit more portable, but still not too impressive. Then, finally, the internet gave us online gaming sites and casinos – first accessible from the comfort of our own homes at the click of a mouse.
A bit later we could play games wherever we were, thanks to the development of truly mobile devices - who can forget the first phones with Snake? – and later mobile internet revolutionized everything. Whether you have an iPhone, a BlackBerry, or an Android smartphone, there are hundreds of different casino or other gaming apps out there ready for you to download and use to play all of your favourite games; from roulette to craps, slots to blackjack, and even poker, all the best casino games are now accessible from the palm of your hand.
With so many to choose from how do you know which app is the best? It depends on what you’re looking for. Some apps are dedicated to a particular game, such as slots or roulette. If you only want to play one particular type of game a dedicated app like this will probably provide the best experience. If, on the other hand, you’re looking for an all-round casino experience with lots of games to choose from then you need an app with broader scope; one such app is the new Mobile Casino from Gaming Club - a reputable online casino and games provider. Their app is available to download from their mobile website, and you can of course also play in your phone browser. With a reliable provider behind it this is a safe bet for a casino app that will allow you to have fun and win big whilst keeping all your financial information secure.

[guest article]

Top 5 iPad Mini Features

The popular Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 are about to enter their biggest challenge yet, the iPad Mini. Apple have sent out invitations telling people that they have “got a little more to show you” – a smaller tablet. Likely to be between seven and eight inches in length, they hope it will help capture even more of the market share.

Already 70% of the April to June quarter was controlled by Apple but the popular one hand tablets still hold some value to the company. Steve Jobs had questioned the idea of a smaller iPad, but with more and more people taking up mobile phone recycling or enjoying a product you can hold in one hand there is a gap there for them. Let’s take a look at the likely features:

• Retina display – This newer iPad will have a smaller and super-sharp screen to enjoy. This needs to be done thanks to newer versions of their competitor tablets having impressive resolutions.
• Smaller screen – Of course, it’s a mini but even still, the 7.85-inch screen that it is likely to be might be bigger than their rivals but it is a refreshing size compared to the 9.7-inch iPad.
• Younger market – Maybe not a great feature for a lot of users, smaller tablets are great for children. Parents like cheaper devices that are easier to look after, and this will fit the void.
• Camera – The casing components doing the rounds so far show that there will be a rear camera on the mini. This will be without flash and the resolution is unknown but we can go by history. First iPhone camera – awful, first iPod camera – rubbish, don’t hold your breath.
• Battery – A leaked photo has shown that the iPad mini is likely to have a battery that is three times more powerful than the iPhone 5. This means that it will be between the new iPhone and new iPad in battery life, a very useful place to be by all accounts.

Before the product is actually launched it can be hard to distinguish what will be the top features. But, with mobile phone recycling on the rise and tablets likely to get better specs and battery it is a step that Apple needs to take. Their halo effect on products will mean that this is useful for market share, especially as the iPod seems to be getting phased out.

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Top 5 iPad Mini Features

The popular Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 are about to enter their biggest challenge yet, the iPad Mini. Apple have sent out invitations telling people that they have “got a little more to show you” – a smaller tablet. Likely to be between seven and eight inches in length, they hope it will help capture even more of the market share.

Already 70% of the April to June quarter was controlled by Apple but the popular one hand tablets still hold some value to the company. Steve Jobs had questioned the idea of a smaller iPad, but with more and more people taking up mobile phone recycling or enjoying a product you can hold in one hand there is a gap there for them. Let’s take a look at the likely features:

• Retina display – This newer iPad will have a smaller and super-sharp screen to enjoy. This needs to be done thanks to newer versions of their competitor tablets having impressive resolutions.
• Smaller screen – Of course, it’s a mini but even still, the 7.85-inch screen that it is likely to be might be bigger than their rivals but it is a refreshing size compared to the 9.7-inch iPad.
• Younger market – Maybe not a great feature for a lot of users, smaller tablets are great for children. Parents like cheaper devices that are easier to look after, and this will fit the void.
• Camera – The casing components doing the rounds so far show that there will be a rear camera on the mini. This will be without flash and the resolution is unknown but we can go by history. First iPhone camera – awful, first iPod camera – rubbish, don’t hold your breath.
• Battery – A leaked photo has shown that the iPad mini is likely to have a battery that is three times more powerful than the iPhone 5. This means that it will be between the new iPhone and new iPad in battery life, a very useful place to be by all accounts.

Before the product is actually launched it can be hard to distinguish what will be the top features. But, with mobile phone recycling on the rise and tablets likely to get better specs and battery it is a step that Apple needs to take. Their halo effect on products will mean that this is useful for market share, especially as the iPod seems to be getting phased out.

Apple loses appeal over tablets in UK courtroom, must publicly apologize to Samsung

Apple and Samsung’s legal fight continued on the world stage this morning, where the Britain Court of Appeal upheld a previous ruling that Samsung’s Galaxy Tab does not infringe on the iPad’s patents because it is not “as cool.” Reuters reported that after losing the appeal this morning, Apple has been instructed by the court to apologize to Samsung by running ads on its website and in newspapers saying Samsung did not infringe on patents in at least Arial 14 font.

[Source: 9to5Mac - Click here to read the full story]

Apple is doubling its built-to-order RAM configurations for new Mac minis, and likely iMacs

Apple will double its current built-to-order RAM configurations for the upcoming Mac minis, and perhaps the new iMacs according to sources familiar with the upcoming product releases. The current version of the iMac includes four RAM slots, and Apple’s top RAM configuration is four 4GB chips for a total of 16GB of RAM. The new iMac, however, will be sold with an options for 16GB of RAM across two chips (2 X 8GB) of RAM. Assuming that the new iMac retains 4 slots, users will be able to buy up to 32GB of iMac RAM from Apple. However, if not, it is still notable that Apple will be selling iMac RAM in pieces of 8GB chips for the first time. Up until this point, you could buy and use 8GB RAM chips from third parties for both the Mac mini and iMac.

[Source: 9to5Mac - Click here to read the full story]

iTunes leaks mention of iBooks 3.0 ahead of next week’s Apple media event

Apple’s iTunes Store has leaked a mention of iBooks 3.0 ahead of Apple’s October 23rd media event. This media event will discuss a smaller iPad, which will likely be education oriented. French site iGen first discovered the listing, and The Next Web snapped the above screenshot in the French iTunes Store. The current version of iBooks is iBooks 2.0, which was announced earlier this year with digital textbook support.

[Source: 9to5Mac]