A lot of companies dedicate their time and resources to protecting our treasured gadgets, and while there are countless different types available, Twelve South offer something quite unique. The company's BookBook cases not only protect your gadget from the everyday wear and tear, but also look distinctly like old books. Not only does this offer a vintage finesse rarely witnessed in this field, but it actually prevents would-be thieves from spotting your expensive device. Having released the BookBook for iPhone 5 a short while ago, Twelve South has come through with another for the iPad mini, and it looks just as good as the device itself!
It may be one of Apple's newest product lines that has only been publicly available for a matter of weeks, but that hasn't stopped the rumors about the potential specifications of the second-generation iPad mini from circulating extremely early. Reports from hit-and-miss rumor site DigiTimes are suggesting that Apple already has one eye on the future of the new mini iPad and could potentially have plans to introduce a higher-resolution display to the mid-range tablet as well as making changes to the standard sized iPad to make it lighter.
2012 is drawing to a close, and among the bunch of round-up posts we're going to be seeing throughout the blogosphere, Apple has piped up prematurely with its annual Best Of list. Every year, the Cupertino company hand-picks its favorite apps of the year alongside the bestsellers, and with hundreds of thousands of new entries every year, it can be easy to miss some of the very best. Here, we run through each and every one.
The Instant Video app from Amazon released earlier this year for those on iPad, but today, the service reaches out to those running an iPhone or iPod touch thanks to an update. With the larger Cupertino iOS devices unarguably superior when it comes to watching streaming content, it's only natural Amazon felt it best to launch the iPad version first, but now, the app has been made universal; details after the break.
Jaws definitely dropped when Apple launched the first iOS 6 beta with no Google Maps support, but we have moved on since then through the Mapgate scandal and now we have the official launch of Google Maps for iOS through the App Store, that comes with a reported admission from within Google that this latest launch for Apple devices provides a better experience than its Android based counterpart.
The wait is over. Months after Google Maps found itself unceremoniously kicked off of iOS 6 devices, Google's mapping software is back with a vengeance.
If you're a regular follower of our coverage here at Redmond Pie, there's a pretty good chance you're into your jailbreaks. As most of you will probably be aware, progress on an iOS 6 untethered jailbreak has been steady, but trying at times, and although the usual dev suspects have been plugging away, Apple's robust security enhancements have made things just that little bit trickier than ever before. So you can imagine our amazement when a group by the name of "Dream JB" took the scene by storm by not only claiming to have found an iOS 6 untether, but set a date for its release. Unfortunately, like most things that seem too good to be true, it would appear this is nothing more than the elaborate ploy of a hoaxer, with various established and credible modders and developers having already stepped out to refute the very notion of "Dream JB."
In a move almost contemporaneous with Instagram's significant update for iOS, Twitter has announced its intention to integrate photo filtering into its iOS and Android apps. Instagram's effortless application of a varied range of filters have made it a huge hit with point-and-shoot photographers, and it's a hit Twitter simply cannot miss.
The notion of Microsoft bringing its Office productivity suite to iOS has been long-standing, and while the Redmond-based company has, typically, revealed little with regards to its plans (if any), the release of OneNote for iPad earlier this year certainly seemed indicative of things to come. The Verge then waded into the argument in November by showing off some leaked images indicated Office could release for iOS early next year under a freemium model. Today, references to a slew of potential Office for iOS apps have surfaced on the software maker's support site, and although the product tags depicted look to have been applied somewhat hurriedly, the spot is as strong an indicator as we've seen that Microsoft is plotting to release Office for iOS.
There is no denying that music plays an extremely important part in a lot of people's lives and is something that is only made better and enhanced by the fact that most of us carry around a mobile smartphone in our pockets that is capable to playing music wherever we are. The iOS App Store is already home to a large number of music based applications, but for those that are a little tired of listening to the same playlist on their device or continuously skipping between the same few tracks then the Figure universal iOS app could provide the perfect solution.

