Lisa Gade of MobileTechReview.com does some of the best video reviews in the business.  I never buy a mobile device without reading her take on a product and so I certainly recommend anyone thinking of purchasing Apple's new iPad Mini do the same.  Lisa's got a long history of giving objective, accurate and in-depth reviews of both Apple and Android products so she knows of what she speaks.   So what does she think of the iPad Mini?  From stellar build quality to an unbeatable ecosystem she has no doubt that Apple will sell millions of them. 

What about that 1024 x 768 display that so many other reviewers have bashed you ask?  Well, according to Lisa the negativity is overblown.  The only people that would dare call this a 'bad' display are those that are so addicted to their Retina Display iPhones and iPads that they lose all perspective because on its own the iPad Mini's display is bright, colorful and accurate.  Is it the highest resolution out there?  No...but the compatibility with the hundreds of thousands of iPad optimized apps makes the tradeoff worth it.   Click the play button to get the full review above and for the written review you can check out Lisa's site (when she puts it up in a few days).

One of the first games I saw that made me want to buy an iPad was Asphalt 6: Adrenaline.  The idea of being able to have such an awesome driving game in a portable device like the iPad and be able to play it any time just floored me.  Once I started playing I think I must have put in 2 hours a day for a week straight...and that was just the beginning!  I wouldn't give up until I had mastered every track and maxed out the number of stars and cars on each.   So when I finally finished every last challenge...when every track had 3 stars and I had unlocked every car there was I almost felt a sense of sadness and I couldn't wait for Gameloft to come out with a new installment in the Asphalt Franchise.


Well folks I'm happy to say today is that day!  Introducing Asphalt 7:  Heat!  With more cars, more tracks, more cities and more challenges than ever!  Asphalt 7  has new cars from such manufacturers as Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin and more.  Heck you can even unlock Marty McFly's Delorean from 'Back To The Future' fame!  The graphics have been completely revamped and are better and more detailed than ever!  I find myself simply driving around sometimes just looking at the gorgeous architecture and scenery in the different cities.    The new iPad allows for an obscenely high polygon count and all kinds of awesome effects and reflections to be seen while you race.  As in previous Asphalt titles you have different modes with my favorite being 'career' mode.  You can drift, hit the 'adrenaline', take shortcuts that you discover as you race.  It's all here folks...just faster, grittier and more entertaining than ever!  It's Asphalt 7: Heat...and you download it today at iTunes or at the link below.

For many a year the most fun basketball simulation around has been 'NBA Jam' by EA sports and for good reason.  'NBA Jam' boils the game down to its more addictive and enjoyable components.  The hottest teams, your favorite players and non-stop 2 on 2 slam dunk action.  That's really what it all boils down to and add in awesome high resolution graphics, iconic 'bobble head' celebrity player mugs and the legendary 'play by play' antics and commentary from basketball commentator great Tim Kitzrow and you've got all the ingredients for one of the most successful sports video game franchises of all time.  Want to see NBA Jam in action?  We thought you might so here's a little gameplay video for your viewing pleasure.

Features
Play Now - Select a team and jump right into the ballgame.
Classic Campaign - Defeat all other teams to win the championship, and unlock legends, hidden players, and outrageous cheats.
Local Multiplayer - Go big head 2 big head against a friend via local WiFi or Bluetooth

Now the new 'NBA Jam 'on fire' edition has 3 different modes of play.  In 'Play Now' you choose any one of 30 real NBA teams to play and then just dive into the action.  In 'Classic Campaign', you participate in a full year's worth of games working your way up to the national championships.  You then have the opportunity to 'unlock' great basketball legends who can join your roster as well as outrageous cheats like the 'glass cleaner' that lets you grab 10 rebounds in one day automatically and more.  Finally, the local Multiplayer mode lets you connect via Wi-Fi or local network to play one on one competitions with your friends and relatives that also have an iPad or iPhone.    If you've been looking for a great basketball game for your iPad, this is the one to get.  As Tim Kitzrow says "Go to the hole. Go strong. Go for the monster jam. KABOOM!".   Grab it for $4.99 in the iTunes store now.

Remember the first time you watched 'The Matrix' and were blown away by the action scenes where our heroes could fire off a dozen shots in a row or dive to safety while the world slowed down around them?   'Bullet Time' was the term coined for that effect and it was implemented for the first time in a video game called 'Max Payne' back in 2001.  (wow, how time flies).  'Max Payne' went on to be a mega-hit for RockStarGames, who before that were only known for the 'Grand Theft Auto' franchise.   Called everything from a 'comic book come alive' to an 'interactive Mickey Spillane Novel', Max Payne set the standard for neo-noir gritty realism in a third person shooter and has been copied from time and time again ever since.   But there's nothing like the original folks...and now you can play the whole classic on your iPad.


As you can see from the gameplay footage above, this game is violent.   You play DEA Agent and New York Detective Max Payne as you seek the criminals who murdered your wife and daughter three years before.  You'll have to travel through a criminal world of russian mobsters, drug dealers, prostitution corrupt cops and politicians all in your quest for vengeance...and justice.   One of the things that really sets 'Max Payne' apart from the pretenders out there is the story and the film noir look that the developers put into the game.   Voice overs tell the story as you progress and you'll also have numerous 'graphic art panels' as cut scenes that move you along in the story.   

There's definitely an 'open world' feel about the game and half the fun is exploring everything from subway tunnels and abandoned buildings to government offices and secret drug dens as you figure out more and more of the story and make progress to your goals.   The 'bullet time' effect isn't just for kicks...you'll need to use it to defeat many of the bad guys and becoming proficient at diving, jumping and shooting in slow motion is a skill you'll need to perfect in order to get very far in the game.   'Max Payne Mobile' is definitely a trip down video game history you'll want to go on.  It's only $2.99 at iTunes or at the link below.

Curious as to what iOS 6 features will work with your iPAD?  Just in time for all your questions, MacRumors has put together a handy chart to show what features of iOS 6 will work with what generation iPad.  Those who own an original first generation iPad are out of luck as iOS 6 requires an iPad 2 at the minimum to run. Now as you can see in the chart above the third generation or 'New iPad' as Apple calls it will run all the features of Apple's latest mobile OS including the Mapping Flyover and Turn-by-turn navigation, Siri, Shared Photo Stream, FaceTime over 3G/4G, VIP List, Offline Reading List, and all the other basic features such as Facebook integration, Cloud Tabs in Safari, Passport etc.   

While original iPad owners will not be able to update to iOS 6, iPad 2 owners find themselves in somewhat of a middle ground.  iOS 6 is compatible with their device for the most part...but a few features will not work, most notably Siri and FaceTime over 3g/4g.  We find it interesting that Map Flyover and Turn-by-turn do work on the iPad 2 but Siri doesn't as we'd think the former is more processor intensive than the latter...but alas...it is what it is.  So what do you think?   Are you psyched to get iOS 6 on your iPad?  What feature are you most looking forward to?

While today's World Wide Developer's Conference concentrated mostly on new Macbook hardware us iPad owners did get some major news with the release of the latest version of iOS, Version 6.  Packed with tons of new features including an all new Maps app that replaces google maps, new expanded Siri functionality, deeper Facebook integration and more.  Scott Forstall rounded up much of the new iOS 6 improvements in the following quote:

iOS 6 continues the rapid pace of innovation that is helping Apple reinvent the phone and create the iPad category, delivering the best mobile experience available on any device,” said Scott Forstall, Apple's senior vice president of iOS Software. “We can’t wait for hundreds of millions of iOS users to experience the incredible new features in iOS 6 including the new Maps app, expanded Siri support, deep Facebook integration, Shared Photo Streams and the innovative new Passbook app.

Probably the most talked about new feature was the long rumored 'Maps App' that Apple has been working on.  Featuring high resolution imaging, turn by turn navigation that is tied in with Siri and integration with Yelp as well as traffic information and notifications all integrated for a really incredible experience.  Many auto manufacturers are also working with Apple to add 'one touch' integration of Siri into their cars that will work with any iOS device.   This really could spell the end to stand-alone auto navigation systems such as TomTom and Garmin. 

Siri receives a host of additional capabilities in iOS 6 including integration with OpenTable, local movie listings, sports scores and stats, and new languages such as spanish, french and italian. 

Another long-awaited feature has to do with Facetime, Apple's video conferencing and video chat protocol.  Well I'm happy to announce that it now only works over Wi-Fi now but also through cellular connections.   That makes it much more useful as you can now contact anyone that is using an iPhone or iPad via a regular phone call now via video...not only over a Wi-fi network.  Expect this feature to really take off now that that's available.


Facebook integration will be nearly ubiquitous with the ability to post from virtually any app, the ability to add contacts between Facebook and iOS apps and a host of new APIs that developers will be able to use for future apps that will tie Facebook into your iOS experience. 

Notifications are an area that many have wanted improved and Apple is introducing a revamped notification system featuring a 'Do No Disturb' scheduled mode to select when you don't want to be bothered plus a host of great notification options. 

Next up is the 'Shared Photo Stream' which allows you to share photos between iOS devices as well as selected family and friends.  Finally Passport is a new app that consolidates all your electronic payment information into one place with a ton of partners that makes paying 'cashless' a real reality.  From Starbucks to Fandango to United Airlines and various stores, all your information as well as purchase history and preferences can be stored to make purchasing as easy as everything else you do with an Apple product.

You can see the entire WWDC 2012 conference at the video link below including all the news about iOS 6 for your iPad. We'll be looking at some of these features more closely in the coming days but in the meantime what do you think?  Let us know your opinion on the new iOS 6 in the comments!

For all those that grew up in the 70's and 80's there was nothing quite like 'Mad Magazine'.   With its acerbic wit, cartoon lampoons of real life events, iconic Spy Vs. Spy battles and 'Alfred E. Neuman' mascot, Mad Magazine gave a generation comic relief way before 'The Onion' or The Simpsons' were even a glimmer in their creator's minds.  Just looking at Alfred E. Neuman's broken smile reminds me of camp summers and lazy afternoons flipping through Mad's classic artwork and political and life askew humor.  Well it's been a long time coming but we're happy to announce that starting April 1st you'll be able to download a dedicated Mad Magazine App.

The 'Mad Magazine App' will include interactive versions of all current issues, access to a library of back issues as well as books, animated covers and the magazine's legendary 'fold-in' pages where what you see at first leads to an ironic twist when the pages are folded and lined up just so.  You'll also get promo videos from the hit cartoon show of the same name as well as a link to the Mad 'blog'.  In addition there will be special features such a special 'classic fold-in' from past issues.  You'll even be able to 'pop-up' Sergio Aragones popular 'Mad Marginals'. 

"With this app we've taken everything that MAD readers like in the print magazine, and added entertaining digital design and fun interactivity," stated Hank Kanalz, senior vice president of digital, DC Entertainment. "The app also creates a one-stop destination for all things MAD, from TV to the magazine to the blog."

Current issues of Mad's interactive addition will cost $4.99 and past issues will be $1.99.    You can also get a digital subscription of only $9.99 for a year's worth of digital issues which seems like a bargain to us.   We'll definitely be getting that.  We'll post the link for the Mad Magazine App tomorrow as soon as it comes live on the iTunes App Store.

One of the iPad 3 quirks that has come to light recently is that the device apparently shows itself as 100% charged when in fact it is not or more accurately...'before it really is'.   Upon perusing the tech blogosphere and reading up on the issue there seem to be two theories as to why this is taking place.   Apple itself has chimed in to say that iOS constantly charges and recharges to maintain a full charge but this clearly does not answer all the questions.   On ZDNET, tech maven Ina Fried discusses how if she uses the iPad 3 when the device first says it is fully charged she gets 10.4 hours of use but if charged all night long...way past to when the iPad 3 says it is fully charged...then the device actually lasts for 11.6 hours, a full 1.2 hours longer.   

Some techies have postulated that this 'false 100%' reading might be a way for Apple to prolong the battery life of the iPad.   Since Lithium batteries such as are in the iPad 3 tend to last longer when they are not repeated charged to 100%, some have thought this might be a way of prolonging battery life.   If this is the case one would think Apple would come out and list it as a 'feature'.  Alas...they have not.  Another possibility is that that perhaps there is some inconsistency between batteries in different iPad 3s depending on the vendor of the battery.   By giving a 10 hour operating time officially it gives them some room to maneuver in case some find their batteries last longer or shorter than others but still above the advertised 10 hour mark.  Alas...we may never have a definitive answer but just keep in mind that if you charge your iPad 3 for longer than the battery meter says 100% you can get a possible hour or more of operating time from your battery pack.  Good to know...if still a bit confusing.