The HP TouchPad just won’t die, iTunes Match probably isn’t bringing in the dollars, and video game-themed dresses might be the fashion world’s next fad. The remainders for Thursday, December 8, 2011 are for the birds.
Report: HP’s $99 TouchPad to return again in HP eBay store (Washington Post)
The HP TouchPad is starting to give Rasputin a run for his money. HP is apparently putting yet more TouchPads up for sale on eBay this Sunday, offering refurbished units for $99 (16GB) and $149 (32GB). The sale begins at 7 p.m. Eastern, so if you want one of these suckers, set your alarm. Or, you could, you know, save that $100 for a tablet that hasn’t been discontinued. Just a thought.
iTunes Match viewed as break-even but important business for Apple (AppleInsider)
In case you thought Apple was getting rich off that $25-per-year iTunes Match fee, think again. It seems likely that the company’s operating the service at slightly above break-even, just as it does with the rest of the iTunes Store. But we know the real benefit of the service is behind the scenes, where Apple employees get to look at your library and point and laugh.
iTunes Rewind 2011 (iTunes)
Apple has posted its annual listing of what’s hot on the iTunes Store. The company’s rounded up the most popular music, movies, TV shows, apps, books, and podcasts, along with some of their own picks. I give it another two years before Apple turns this into an actual award show hosted by Ricky Gervais. (Or by our own Jason Snell and Philip Michaels, who already have the formal attire necessary.)
Wife of Rovio Exec Wears Angry Birds-Themed Evening Gown to Gala (The Hollywood Reporter)
You know, you gotta acknowledge your roots. So the fact that Teija Vesterbacka, who’s married to Rovio executive Peter Vesterbacka, showed up to a ball at the Finnish Presidential Palace in an Angry Birds-inspired dress—well, I give her props. Hopefully nobody tried to shoot her out of a slingshot.
Product News:
Printer Pro 3.0 – Readdle has updated its iOS printing utility to version 3.0, featuring a redesigned interface, performance improvements, improved printer compatibility, and compliance with iOS storage guidelines. $7 for iPad version; $5 for iPhone.
Batman Arkham City Lockdown – The caped crusader takes on a rogue’s gallery of Gotham’s biggest criminals and their henchmen in this iPhone and iPad spin-off of the popular new game. Swipe and tap your way through a variety of encounters with villains and earn power-ups along the way. $6, with three additional Batman suits available for $1 each.
Scribblenauts Remix 1.2 – Scribblenauts Remix gets an update that adds voice-recognition as an input option. The basic premise remains the same: Players guide a character through a treasure hunt, conjuring up helpful tools (“ladder”, “rope”) by typing in their names. They can also modify those nouns with adjectives, Mad-Libs style, for wacky results. With this latest update (version 1.2), players on the iPhone 4S can summon those tools (and the wacky adjectives) through voice commands (“Scribble Speak”) as well. $3.
Posterino 2.5 – Zykloid has released version 2.5 of its poster-making app, adding the ability to make personalized calendars; 12 templates are included, but you can make your own as well. In addition, the update includes a number of bug fixes and feature enhancements. Free update for Posterino 2 users; new licenses available for $20 until December 11, $30 after.
Bejeweled, Bejeweled Blitz for iOS – PopCap Games has relaunched popular time-waster Bejeweled—along with a standalone “freemium” edition of Bejeweled Blitz—for iPhone and iPod touch. The new Bejeweled (which replaces Bejeweled 2, but is officially called just-plain Bejeweled, and costs $1) features new high-res graphics, support for the Retina display, three game modes (Classic, Zen, and Diamond Mine), and achievement badges and in-game leaderboards to track your jewel-vanquishing prowess. Bejeweled Blitz (in which games are limited to 60 seconds) gets a new user interface, tutorial support, and Retina display support.