iLounge

Intel and Microsoft have been working with first-tier PC vendors in an effort to develop new tablet PCs based on Windows 8, which the companies hope will drag the iPad’s global market share to below 50 percent by the middle of next year, according to a new report. Citing Taiwan-based ODMs, DigiTimes reports that 32 Windows 8 tablet PCs will be launched by HP, Dell, Lenovo, Acer, Asustek, and Toshiba by the end of 2012, with entry-level models to run under $300 and target Android tablet PCs, and models over $300 to be targeted directly at the iPad. The report claims that Microsoft will release Windows 8 for x86 platforms in September and Windows RT, a version built specifically for ARM architectures, at a later date. [via AppleInsider]

Logitech has introduced its new Ultrathin Keyboard Cover for the third-generation iPad and iPad 2. The Ultrathin Keyboard Cover is a slim aluminum cover that attaches to the iPad with a magnetic clip, and features a built-in Bluetooth keyboard with stand, support for the iPad’s magnetic sleep/wake functionality, a piano black finish, function keys for improved navigation, and a six-month battery life. Logitech’s Ultrathin Keyboard Cover is available for pre-order now and is expected to ship later this month for $100; for more information, see our First Look article.

MumboJumbo has released a new iPad hidden object game, The Midnight Mysteries: Haunted Houdini. The fourth entry in the company’s long-running Midnight Mysteries adventure game series, Haunted Houdini takes players on a mystical journey where they must help the spirit of the famed illusionists wife Bess unravel the secrets of what really led to her husband’s death. Along the way, players will discover aspects of Houdini’s life such as his obsession with debunking mediums and his passing involvement with a vindictive secret society while they solve puzzles, adapt objects into tools and consult with famous ghosts such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Howard Thurston. The game provides highly detailed visuals and sound effects along with dozens of challenging puzzles to solve, story-driven hidden object scenes and a detailed hint system. Players can choose from three game modes with different levels of difficulty for the novice and experienced player alike. The Midnight Mysteries: Haunted Houdini is available from the App Store for $7 with an optional Collector’s Edition upgrade available via in-app purchase for $3. The Collector’s Edition adds an exclusive bonus chapter and game mode along with a detailed illustrated strategy guide and additional fan content such as wallpapers and sketch art.

Wolfgang Augustin has released Reader X, a new Google Reader client for iPad users. Taking an approach somewhere between traditional list-based news readers and magazine-style content aggregators, Reader X presents the user’s Google Reader news feed in a large, wallpaper-style grid. All headlines are displayed in a single view, with each feed presented as a horizontal stripe with items ordered chronologically; users swipe horizontally to browse through items in a single feed or vertically to browse down through additional feeds in their Google Reader account.

Colour coding is used to differentiate unread, starred and read items with colour gradients used to represent the age of each item—newer items use more vibrant, saturated colours while older items are more faded. Users can display only unread or starred items with a single tap or zoom into a feed by tapping its title to present the individual feed in a scrollable grid view. Reader X also provides options for starring, saving and sharing articles via e-mail, Readability, Instapaper, Read It Later, Pinboard, Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook. Users can also use Readability and Instapaper to render web pages for quick reading on the go. Reader X requires iOS 5.0 or later and is available from the App Store for $2.

Apple and Samsung have agreed to meet for a Magistrate Judge Settlement Conference in an effort to resolve their ongoing patent disputes. FOSS Patents reports that the talks will be held in San Francisco and will include Apple CEO Tim Cook and general counsel Bruce Sewell, as well as Samsung CEO Gee-Sung Choi and Sewell’s counterpart at the South Korean company. The talks will be overseen by U.S. Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero; as noted in the report, the court can obligate the two companies to meet and talk, but can’t force a settlement.

Electric Pocket has released an update to MailTones adding push notification support for the new Sparrow e-mail client for iOS. MailTones allows users to receive customized push notifications for new e-mail messages from just about any third-party e-mail service. The iOS app is combined with an online service where users are given a customized e-mail address that they forward messages to for notification purposes. Notifications for messages forwarded to the MailTones servers are sent to the MailTones app which can be configured to play any of 60 different alert sounds based on a variety of criteria such as sender address, sending domain, subject line and recipient address. Users can also choose to set unimportant messages to silent notifications or none at all and can specify a “Do Not Disturb” time period during which no notifications are received.

Integration with the Sparrow e-mail client released last month provides a workaround for Sparrow’s current lack of direct push notification support; users can now configure MailTones to automatically launch Sparrow when a push notification is received to view the new e-mail messages. MailTones is a universal app requiring iOS 4.2 or later and is available from the App Store for $3; use of the developer’s push notification servers is included in the price of the app with no recurring fees.

Dropico has updated its Filter Mania photo filters app, making all Pro filters available for free in the latest version in celebration of the upcoming release of its next major update, Filtermania 2. Filter Mania provides an advanced collection of photo filters and allows users to combine multiple filters to create their own unique effects. Users can capture camera images directly in the app or choose existing images from the camera roll and share their creations via Instagram. The app includes twelve professional filters with more available to download and as of version 1.6 all Pro filters are available at no additional charge. The update also introduces 20 new free FilterMania 2 pre-launch filters that users can also download for a sneak preview of what’s coming in the next version. Filter Mania is available from the App Store as a free download.

Verizon Wireless today announced the latest expansion of its 4G LTE network, which will see coverage for more than two-thirds of the U.S. population when it goes live April 19. The expansion will include 27 new markets and the expansion of coverage in 44 other markets, for a total of 230 markets covered; Verizon plans to offer LTE service in more than 400 markets, covering 260 million people, by the end of the year. Apple included support for LTE data service in the third-generation iPad and is expected to include it in the next-generation iPhone.

“Verizon Wireless 4G LTE is the premier wireless data service in the nation, with more than six times the geographic coverage of our nearest competitor’s 4G LTE network and now available to more than two-thirds of the nation’s population,” said David Small, chief technical officer of Verizon Wireless. “We will continue to introduce new markets and expand covered markets to ensure even more wireless users across the United States can take advantage of the benefits that 4G LTE brings to consumers, small businesses and enterprises.”

Mophie has rolled out its new Powerstation Pro battery pack for the iPhone, iPad, iPod, and other USB-charging devices. First seen at the 2012 CES, the Powerstation Pro is water-, dust-, and sand-resistant, with a rugged aluminum and black rubber body, a 6,000 mAh battery supporting fast 2.1A charging of the iPad, LED charging indicators, and a full-size USB port for charging. Mophie’s Powerstation Pro battery pack is available now and sells for $130.

Zane Rowe, executive vice president and Chief Financial Officer for United Continental—owner of United Airlines—is leaving his position to become a vice president of sales at Apple. “We are thrilled that Zane Rowe will be joining us as one of our vice presidents of sales,” Apple spokesman Steve Dowling told AllThingsD. “He built a great team at United and we think he is going to do a fantastic job at Apple.” Rowe has served as United’s CFO since October 2010, according to the report.

Two new iPhone 4S television commercials have started to air. The commercials, which star Samuel L. Jackson and Zooey Deschanel, feature the stars using Siri to clear calendars, find out about the weather, play music, perform unit conversions, find nearby shops, and find nearby restaurants. While the commercials are shot in a style similar—albeit somewhat slower— to that of prior Siri-focused iPhone 4S commercials, they are notable for being the first Apple commercials in some time to conspicuously feature celebrities. Interestingly, it is the second time Deschanel has been featured in an iPhone commercial, as her band She & Him was featured prominently in an ad for the iPhone 3GS. Both commercials are available for viewing on YouTube or in embedded form below.

Google has released an update to Google Play Books adding several improvements for bookmarking, highlighting and annotating. Google Play Books 1.3 adds the ability to bookmark pages by tapping the top right corner, highlight text with colour and add private notes to selected text; highlights and notes also sync with Google Play web reader and Google Play Books on other iOS devices. Users can now also translate selected text into 50+ languages, look up definitions of selected words and search for text in books or on Wikipedia or Google. A choice of either grid or list view is also now available on the iPhone and iPod touch and a +1 button allows users to share book titles via Google Plus. Google Play Books is a universal app and is available from the App Store as a free download.

Sensopia has released a major update to MagicPlan adding native iPad support with a new user interface and improvements to simplify the room capture process. MagicPlan is an augmented reality iOS app designed to simplify the creation of floor plans by using the camera and gyroscope to map out and measure rooms; the user simply stands in a convenient location in the room and uses the camera to capture corners and doorway edges which are then used to calculate the dimensions of the room and generate a floor plan. The process can be repeated in several rooms to create individual plans for each room that can be connected to each other to form a complete floor plan of the property. Resulting floor plans can be exported to PDF or JPEG or published on the web as interactive floor plans.

MagicPlan 2.0 is now a universal app providing an HD user interface specifically adapted to the iPad along with simplified navigation for the iPhone and iPod touch with new menus, auto-save features and a new graphical user interface. The new version also improves the room capture process adding a real-time view of captured corners and doors, a grid view for capturing hidden corners and additional visual identifiers and cues to help with the capture process. Room capturing is also now done in landscape mode and the floor plan is visually drawn while capturing. The update also includes numerous other bug fixes and improvements related to account management, annotating floor plans and more. MagicPlan requires an iPhone 4/4S, fourth-generation iPod touch, iPad 2 or third-generation iPad running iOS 5.0 or later and is available from the App Store as a free download. Non-commercial use is free and includes watermarks on published and exported floor plans; payment is required for commercial use at $2 per floor plan and removes all watermarks.

Apple has released an update to its iBooks application intended to address an issue that was causing the iTunes Store sign-on prompt to appear at unexpected times for some iOS users; the somewhat random prompts were often, but not exclusively, connected to automatic downloads of new content purchased on other devices. iBooks 2.1.1 addresses this issue, noting that users will need to open iBooks at least once after downloading the update. The new version also contains some minor stability and performance improvements. iBooks 2.1.1 is available from the App Store as a free download.

Apple has updated its Cards iOS app with several new card designs. Cards allows iPhone and iPod touch users to create professionally printed physical letterpress cards from their device with custom photos and text that can then be mailed out for delivery to the recipient via the U.S. Postal Service. Cards 1.1 adds new categories for Mother’s Day and Get Well card designs along with additional card templates in existing categories such as birthday and thank you cards. The update also improves the accuracy of envelope address verification and simplifies the checkout process. Cards 1.1 requires iOS 5.0 or later and is available from the App Store as a free download. Individual cards are paid for via in-app purchase at $3 for mailing within the U.S. or $5 for international recipients.

A potential pilot of a new Apple store-within-a-store concept has been spotted at an Arkansas Walmart. IfoAppleStore reports that the new displays are inside a Walmart located just 20 minutes from the retailing giant’s headquarters, and could be a prototype for the rumored expansion of in-store Apple displays to Walmart’s warehouse chain Sam’s Club. The displays themselves feature tall, double-sided back-lit graphics promoting the iPad and the iPhone, as well as black frames and shelves, light wood tables, live display products, and under-table storage with security glass. The product displays themselves bear a great resemblance to those seen in Apple’s retail stores, albeit with more strict security measures. It is unclear when—or if—the concept will see a wider rollout across Walmart or Sam’s Club stores.

Due to a lack of white 16GB iPhone 4 replacement inventory, users of that particular handset who seek a replacement at an Apple Store Genius Bar may wind up with a free upgrade. Citing multiple sources, 9to5Mac reports that Apple has told its Genius Bars that inventory of white 16GB iPhone 4 replacements is highly constrained, and that until further notice, stores lacking proper replacement units should upgrade customers seeking a replacement to a white 16GB iPhone 4S. According to the report, the issue pertains to Apple Stores in the US and Canada; other countries or regions were not specifically mentioned.

Apple plans to launch a smaller version of the iPad in the third-quarter of this year, according to a new report. Citing Chinese-language NetEase, Kotaku reports that the device will cost anywhere from $249-$299 and that there will be six million units ready for the launch. Based on prior reports, this smaller iPad would feature a screen roughly seven inches in size—7.85 inches has been specifically mentioned—and would target the smaller tablet market, which includes devices like Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 7 and the Amazon Kindle Fire. According to the report, both Foxconn and Pegatron will be involved in making the device.

Apple this morning announced that it will launch the third-generation iPad in 12 more countries this coming Friday, April 20. The device will launch in Brunei, Croatia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Malaysia, Panama, South Korea, St Maarten, Uruguay and Venezuela this Friday. The following Friday, April 27, the device will launch in Colombia, Estonia, India, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, South Africa and Thailand.

The latest edition of iLounge Weekly, our weekly newsletter covering all things iLounge, will be arriving in subscribers’ inboxes Monday morning. iLounge Weekly is a summary of the week’s best news, reviews, and feature articles we’ve published, and it also features giveaways and accessory discount offers from various companies. There’s still plenty of time to sign up and receive this week’s edition — just use the simple form below to submit your email address, if you haven’t done so already.

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Also, don’t forget to enter our Kensington Keyfolio Expert Giveaway. In our Giveaway of the Month for April, iLounge and Kensington are giving away 10 KeyFolio Expert Multi Angle Folio & Keyboards, paired with a Virtuoso Signature Stylus and Pen. To enter, simply fill out and submit the form on the giveaway page—the giveaway will end on April 30, 2012 at 11:59PM Pacific Time. Good luck!