Apple Store Black Friday discounts already live… in Australia

As is its custom, the Earth continues to spin on its axis while many of us in the States are working off our turkey and stuffing comas with a solid nap/some football on TV. That means that the expected Apple Store discount offers for Black Friday are already up and running in parts of the world where Friday coincides with now.

The Apple Store Australia’s discount page gives a solid preview of what US customers should expect tomorrow: about 10% off most-wanted products like the iPad, iPod touch and MacBook Air. While these discounts are certainly welcome, you might find as-good or better deals at Amazon, MacMall or big-box retailers; you can also check in with our pals at Dealmac for the latest savings.

Happy shopping, and happy Thanksgiving!

[hat tip to Macgasm]

Apple Store Black Friday discounts already live… in Australia originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mac software deals for this Thanksgiving weekend

[Soulver page for cooking a turkey]

We’re on the lookout for great deals this Thanksgiving weekend! Mike Schramm has already put up two posts on iOS apps which are on sale, and I’ve got a few Mac software deals to tell you about.

The first one is Soulver, which is an app I’ve had my eye on since Marco Arment mentioned it on Build & Analyze. Soulver lets you do all sorts of mathematical calculations using words as well as numbers. Speaking as someone who isn’t very good with numbers, I love Soulver because it lets me calculate things the way I think. It does conversions, currencies, file sizes (bytes to gigabytes), and yes, it can even calculate tips. To really get sense of how it works, watch the video. Soulver for Mac is on sale for $12 (50% off). The iPhone version is $1 (75% off) and the iPad version is $2 (66% off). This deal is only good the 24th and 25th.

Mariner Software is offering a deal through Saturday on Paperless for Mac for $30 (40% off the usual price of $50) through their online store. Check their site for details on what scanners it works with.

DEVONtechnologies is offering 25% off their apps DEVONthink, DEVONagent, and DEVONnote. Note that this deal doesn’t start until Friday and ends Monday. These are great apps for searching for and storing information.

Marked, from our own Brett Terpstra, is on sale starting Black Friday (and going through Sunday) as well, at 50% off. It’s a terrific Markdown tool for previewing your work from any text editor.

Speaking of Brett, if you look closely you can spot him in the team picture over at the AgileBits site (he worked there once upon a time). The company is offering a 50% off discount on all its products through 11/30, including the indispensable 1Password — if you get it through the Mac App Store, you’ll be upgraded for free to the forthcoming version 4.

And, just in time for Advent, the premium version of Glo Bible is available for $35. If you order through their website they are offering a free movie on DVD, as well as 3 DVDs worth of content which allows you to use most of the Glo Bible off-line. They won’t even charge you for shipping. You can download the “lite” version of the app for free and try it out first.

Have you spotted any great Mac deals? If so, let us know in the comments!

(Just a reminder, we have comment moderation turned on to stop the flood of spam comments we were getting, so your comments might not be visible right away, especially on Thursday!)

Mac software deals for this Thanksgiving weekend originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 24 Nov 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Happy Thanksgiving from TUAW

thnksgiving

Most of our editorial staff is based in the U.S., so expect light posting today. We’ll try to write up as many deals as we can over the next few days, however, so be sure to check our Deals page. Also, be sure to check out these 5 apps for Thanksgiving. Then there’s our ongoing Holiday Gift Guide.

For all of you spending time with family, traveling or just quietly reflecting and giving thanks today, have a happy and safe Thanksgiving. We at TUAW are thankful you’re here!

Happy Thanksgiving from TUAW originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 24 Nov 2011 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daily iPhone App: Battle Nations

You may have played Z2Live’s first big freemium iOS game, Trade Nations, and the recently released Battle Nations is a sort of spiritual sequel to that one. It features the same kind of Farmville-style gameplay, so if that turns you off, you should probably just go ahead and move on (Happy Thanksgiving!). But I do have a place in my life for about one of these games at a time, and Battle Nations is a really well-done version of this kind of game, complete with a pretty interesting turn-based combat twist.

The idea is that you’re running a growing encampment of soldiers in an empire, so you need to first lay out housing and workplaces for the soldiers, and then work to make your technology better and your army bigger. The core loop of the game is earning gold and XP with farms and businesses, and then you use those resources to make your troops, which can then carry out missions and win fights for you. There’s a single-player “storyline” to play through (though you can’t really “lose” fights — you just try again until you win), and then the game is also very social, so you can start fights with friends, or give them some counterattack help if they’re getting attacked by someone else.

Battle Nations has pretty much everything you want in a casual game like this — solid graphics and sound, and a pretty strong backbone (though loading up the game when it starts can be slow, and unfortunately Z2Live uses their own sign in service rather than Game Center, which doesn’t help). My one problem with the game is that it’s a little slow: There’s a long tutorial sequence in which you’re taught how everything works, and your various tools and mechanics unlock as you level up. I also hope that there’s a market system like the one in Trade Nations that allows for trading and selling resources between friends, but if there is a market to unlock, I haven’t gotten there yet.

Still, for the low, low price of free, Battle Nations is a solid freemium empire building game that will keep you coming back at least as long as it takes to build up your camp to where you want it. It’s free on the App Store, in a universal version, right now.

Daily iPhone App: Battle Nations originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 24 Nov 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AT&T withdrawing merger application with the FCC while pursuing win with the Justice Department

AT&T apparently believes its idea to merge with T-Mobile is headed for trouble, and today the telecommunication giant announced it has withdrawn its joint application for FCC approval ahead of what was going to be a US
$39 billion dollar deal. The two companies say they are going to focus efforts on getting approval from the Justice Department for the merger, but that seems a stretch since last August the Department of Justice sued AT&T claiming the merger was anti-competitive and in violation of antitrust laws.

AT&T said it plans to book a $4 billion dollar charge in the 4th quarter in preparation for the deal failing and it having to make a large payment of up to $6 billion dollars to T-Mobile which was guaranteed to the German owned company as a break-up fee.

It’s likely that AT&T auditors are wanting AT&T to take the financial hit now, and the action that AT&T announced today is a sign the company has low confidence it can convince the FCC or the Justice Department that the deal is good for consumers. AT&T claimed the merger would create many new US jobs, while the US government claims the merger would result in a massive job loss and higher prices for cellular service.

AT&T was the first company to offer the Apple Phone. T-Mobile is now the only US carrier that does not sell it. Earlier this year both Verizon and Sprint have been able to offer the popular smartphone.

AT&T withdrawing merger application with the FCC while pursuing win with the Justice Department originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Thu, 24 Nov 2011 10:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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50 Black Friday Discounts – Everything You Need to Know

We compiled a few lists from our sister site Inspired Mag, from themacURL & TouchArcade so you don’t have to roam the web for the best Black Friday coupons, codes and discounts. Check out the mega-roundup and leave us more suggestions in the comments and we’ll update the post.

Apps

Domain Registrars

  • GoDaddy offers a coupon to register domains for only $1! Simply use the coupon code BLACKONE when checking out.

Web Hosts

  • HostGator, a major web hosting company offers a whooping 80% discount on any hosting purchase. Simply use the coupon code 80BLACKFRIDAY when you make your purchase (offer valid for Friday November 25, between 12:00am and 11:59pm Central Standard Time)
  • WPWebHost offers various discounted deals mentioned: $50 OFF to their shared hosting plan and by using the coupon code VPS50 you save 50% on the upgrade to their rockstar VPS plan

WordPress Themes

  • ThemeFuse offers 20% OFF on any of their original WordPress themes. Use the coupon THANKSGIVING in the shopping cart to get the discount. (offer valid till 30th November)
  • Photocrati reduced their price to 33% OFF their premium photography WordPress themes till Friday (No coupon codes needed)
  • Premise offers $70 OFF on the WordPress based landing pages. Use coupon code THANKS (offer valid till 28th November)
  • StudioPress offers 25% OFF to their club membership package and all their premium WordPress themes. Use discount coupon code THANKS to avail the benefit (offer valid till 28th November)
  • Colorlabs offers 24% OFF on any of their premium WordPress themes. Use Coupon 5867A (offer valid till 30th November)
  • Rockable Themes: get 60% OFF on their single or developer license. Use the coupon DEAL to get 60% OFF (Coupon expires on 28th November)
  • Gorilla Themes offer a 30% discount to their original prices for limited time only. (No coupon codes needed)
  • Solostream gives $20 OFF to their all themes and their membership. Use coupon code 2A1198 to get $20 OFF. (For limited time only)
  • Mint Themes offers a 25% OFF discount to celebrate Thanksgiving. Use coupon code THANKS to get the discount on their themes.
  • WPZOOM: 33% OFF all themes and subscriptions with code THANKSGIVING (offer vaild till Monday 28 November)
  • iThemes offers 28% OFF on their any WordPress products. Use coupon code FREESHIPPING Sales start from 12:01 AM on Friday through midnight Monday.
  • Xtreme Theme gives you 30% OFF on their core Xtreme One WordPress Framework and to all WordPress child themes. Use coupon code THANKSGIVING (offer valid till 27th November)
  • FlexiThemes offers 30% OFF to their WordPress themes. Use coupon code THANKS to get 30% OFF themes (offer valid till 28th November)
  • Organized Themes offers 35% OFF on their WordPress theme. Use the code THANKS ( Valid till 29th November)
  • ThesisAwesome offers 30% OFF to their blog friendly premium WordPress theme. Use coupon code 26EE

Gadgets

BONUS

  • MOJO themes prepared a Cyber Bundle with 15 premium items. We’re pretty sure that Horatio the Mojo Mascott has lost his mind, because that’s like $515 worth of premium themes for $29. Sign up here to be the first to find out when it goes live.
  • The App Design Vault bundle is regularly sold for $280. As a special discount for Mobile Orchard readers, you can get all themes in the bundle for only $70. (Limited time offer)

Edit

Thanksgiving app sales: More Gameloft titles, Dark Meadow, and Steam sale underway

Here are even more Thanksgiving/Black Friday app sales popping up on the App Store:

And I think that’s all … for today (isn’t that enough?!). There’s really no need to fight store lines for video games when you can get all these great titles for pennies each on the App Store. Be sure to keep an eye on our Deals category for even more deals all weekend and holiday season long!

Thanksgiving app sales: More Gameloft titles, Dark Meadow, and Steam sale underway originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 23 Nov 2011 23:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In which, I use Siri to create in-app third party commands while taking a break from cooking for Thanksgiving

Earlier today, I had a brainstorm. Maybe I was just overthinking the whole custom Siri thing for third party apps. I didn’t want to install a proxy server or jailbreak my iPhone. I just wanted to use Siri dictation to issue commands to my apps, and I wanted to do that without having to display a keyboard that took up 50% of my iPhone screen.

So I chatted with Steven Troughton Smith about overriding the keyboard by setting its inputView to a custom toolbar, and then using a button to start and stop Siri dictation. This last bit, the custom UI (sorry, but I wanted pretty) is the only “hacking” per se involved here. Instead of overwhelming the screen, he suggested I link directly to UIDictationController and tell it to start and stop dictation.

Originally, I was really aiming for doing a custom view without text at all and implementing UITextInput but apparently there’s some other protocol I’m missing, so I ended up reverting to the standard text field with the blinking cursor you see at the top of the video. I’ll figure that bit out later.

So what I do is this: I start dictation on the button press, stop it on the button release, and then catch the interpreted text and compare it against four words: up, down, left, and right. If these are found, the app runs the matching animation.

The big idea is this: instead of having Siri interpret commands and return ACE objects that match tasks I want to accomplish (my original approach), I do the text matching and interpretation myself.

In the end, the solution is both low rent and really easy to apply. You could even get this in App Store if you were willing to show the entire keyboard, and not just the start/stop button.

In which, I use Siri to create in-app third party commands while taking a break from cooking for Thanksgiving originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 23 Nov 2011 23:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Aaron Sorkin ‘strongly considering’ writing the Steve Jobs biopic

Sure, why not? Sony Pictures apparently grabbed the movie rights to Walter Isaacson’s recent Steve Jobs biography, and the studio has asked Aaron Sorkin to write the film. Sorkin said this past week in Los Angeles, that sure, he’s considering it. “Sony has asked me to write the movie and it’s something I’m strongly considering,” he said. But that doesn’t mean he’s agreed just yet: “Right now I’m just in the thinking-about-it stages. … It’s a really big movie and it’s going to be a great movie no matter who writes it.”

Sorkin, who of course worked on Sports Night, West Wing, and last year’s The Social Network, actually seems like a fine fit for a movie about Jobs’ life — not only is he a really smart writer with a great gift for dialogue and a really world-savvy perspective, but he actually knew and was friends with Jobs himself. Sorkin’s no stranger to controversy, but it does seem like he would do Jobs’ story justice in an entertaining and powerful way. Sony is obviously still very early in the moviemaking process, so no other information about the film has been released yet, but we’ll keep an eye out.

Aaron Sorkin ‘strongly considering’ writing the Steve Jobs biopic originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 23 Nov 2011 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Inside Susan Kare’s ‘iconic’ sketchbooks

We’ve mentioned Susan Kare and her work on the site before, but it’s a story that’s always worth repeating: She’s the woman behind some of Apple’s most iconic, well, icon designs. Kare was working as a curator at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco when her friend Andy Hertzfeld asked her to think about some graphical icons to be used in a computer interface, and as you can see on this great PLoS blog post, she jumped right into the project. In these great images from her sketchbooks, you can see her working on the first proportionally spaced digital fonts used, and then progress up into bitmaps of both famous Mac icons like the Trash Can, the Cmd key, and the smiling Mac.

There are even some really great but not used icons like a symbol for “Auto Indent” that actually shows an automobile leaving an indentation in a tree. What amazing work. She has published a book of her work, and you can even get it signed if you buy it directly from her website.

Don’t forget, too, that not only was Kare designing these icons for the Mac, but this was for the first major computer graphic interface, which means many of the standard icons we know today (the little speaker for audio controls, or the hand on screen for moving things around or even clicking through Internet links, were first originated by Kare and her peers. Really amazing stuff.

[via The Mary Sue]

Inside Susan Kare’s ‘iconic’ sketchbooks originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Holiday Gift Guide: Accessories for all

Welcome to TUAW’s 2011 Holiday Gift Guide! We’re here to help you choose the best gifts this holiday season, and once you’ve received your gifts we’ll tell you what apps and accessories we think are best for your new Apple gear. Stay tuned every weekday from now until the end of the year for our picks and helpful guides and check our Gift Guide hub to see our guides as they become available. For even more holiday fun, check out sister site Engadget’s gift guide.

Let’s be honest — while you might plunk down the cash for a MacBook Air or iPad for your loved ones, you’re probably not going to go all out on a brand new device for your co-workers and acquaintances. But that doesn’t mean you can’t still support the various Macheads in your life — no matter how many Apple devices someone might have, there are many more accessories for those various devices lining the shelves at Best Buy.

Cases, plug-ins, covers, and stick-ons, oh my! Let us take you on a quick tour through the Mac accessory landscape, and help you find some really great recommendations of all different prices for all of the Apple devices in your life. Even if there isn’t a Mac fanatic around you who needs some of this stuff, no worries. Just bookmark this page, and come back after the holidays, whenever you yourself have unwrapped that big package “designed in California” that’s sitting underneath your tree this year.

The PlugBug

Perhaps the hottest Mac-cessory this year, the PlugBug turned all kinds of heads when TwelveSouth finally released it earlier this month. Yes, it’s just a charger, but no, it’s not just a charger — it’s a super useful and well-designed accessory that already works with those cords you got in the Apple box. You can charge both a MacBook (or Air or Pro) and a USB device like an iPhone or iPad from just one outlet, and all you need to pack in your bag is the usual cords and this little red adapter. It’s a great, smart device that adds just a little bit of color to an already very Apple way of thinking. ($34.99 from TwelveSouth)

The iCade

There were a few arcade cabinets for the iPad out this year, but the original iCade by ThinkGeek and Ion Audio. It originally started up as an April Fool’s joke, and then was made real: An actual miniature arcade cabinet, complete with buttons and a joystick, that you can plug your iPad in to play arcade games on. The list of compatible titles is long and growing, so anyone in the house who loves playing old-school games on the iPad will really enjoy this one.($79.99 by ThinkGeek)

TenOne’s Fling and Fling mini for iPad and iPhone

Again, there have been some very similar competitors pop up in this space, but when it comes to attaching a physical joystick to Apple’s touch screens, the Fling is the original and the best. It’s suprisingly simple, but feels and works great, especially on games where you’d normally use a virtual joystick, but it provides the tactile feedback that Apple’s no buttons policy just can’t match. Go ahead and buy a two-pack — you’ll need them both. (Two-pack is $29.95 for the iPad, $24.95 for the iPhone at TenOne Design)

Keyboard covers by KB Covers

Whether you’re typing on a MacBook or a wireless Apple keyboard, a good keyboard cover can keep things clean and make your keyboard last longer and work better, no matter what your fingers have been touching lately. And KB Covers are the best we’ve seen — not only are they made of a nice tough, stretchy plastic, but they’re extremely useful, providing easy visual access to custom shortcuts for almost any app or International keyboard layout you’d ever want. No matter what Mac or keyboard model you have, or what you’re doing with it (from editing in Avid to playing World of Warcraft), there’s a KB Cover for you or your gift-getter. (Various prices, at KB Covers)

The Peel

The Peel system can be complicated, so it’s not necessarily for everybody. But for just the right person on your gift list, it might be perfect. The Peel consists of both a “fruit” unit that sits on your home entertainment system and plugs into your television, and then an app that runs on your iOS device, and can be used to not only control your A/V setup, but also find various shows and things to watch according to your tastes. We didn’t think the Peel would work as your usual remote, unfortunately, but for the right gadgethead interested in using an iOS device to make their TV watching experience a little better, it would be a great gift. ($99 at Peel)

A case!

Yes, there will undoubtedly be a lot of iPhones and iPads sold this year, and odds are that everyone who gets a new one under their tree will also need to find an excellent case for it. Many times, this tends to be a very personal choice, so you might want to think twice about getting a case for some one, or at least remember to be gracious when you find out it’s not exactly what they wanted. But still, there are plenty of great cases out there, from cases that make your device look like a book, to something you can use with a little more functionality as an actual wallet. Cases can be as individual as the people who buy them, so be a little careful as to which one you pick out, but the right choice for the right person can be a terrific and memorable gift. (Various)

Remote-controlled fun

Sure, functionality can be important, but sometimes you just want to have a little bit of remote fun with your Mac. How about a remote-controlled USB missle launcher that can even be activated over the Internet? One of those Ar.Drone quadricopters that can be controlled with your iOS device? Or you can even be the first to nab a Sphero, a little remote-controlled ball that’s arriving just in time for Christmas later on this year. There’s lots of kooky fun to be had with your Apple devices — sure, it may not be too practical, but if you’ve already got all of the power Apple has put into these machines, why not put a little bit of it to work in real life? (Various)

A hard drive

Finally, we’ll leave you with a choice that’s a little more practical than those toys: Even with the advent of iCloud, the one thing any Mac user will always love getting is more hard drive space. With all of the apps coming out all of the time, and lots and lots of content being made and edited, anyone with a Mac or even an iPhone or iPad could probably use a few more gigabytes (or even terabytes) in their lives. Western Digital has released a few excellent standalone hard drives meant for Mac this year, but especially during Black Friday and the holiday season afterwards, Best Buy or any of the other big box electronics stores are usually running some great deals on external hard drives, so you can easily pick one up for around $50 or even under that some times. If you want to go a little more fancy, you can check out the Iomega Mac Companion, meant specifically to work with a Mac as a high-capacity backup drive. But whatever kind of storage you choose, there’s no question that the Mac fan in your life will appreciate the extra digital storage space.


Happy holidays! Here’s hoping you find just the right gift for the Mac lover in your life this year!

Holiday Gift Guide: Accessories for all originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 23 Nov 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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TUAW TV Live: Hot Black Friday deals, tablets on Fire

Wow, TUAW TV Live is going to be hot enough to cook a 22-lb. turkey today. I have a pile (and I mean that literally) of new goodies to show you. I have a taped interview with Dan de Granpre of DealNews.com talking about the great deals you can expect on all sorts of techie toys on Black Friday. And I’ll do a side-by-side comparison of the $199 Kindle Fire tablet with the $499 and up iPad 2. Spoiler alert — you get what you pay for.

Below, you’ll find a Ustream livestream viewer and a chat tool. The chat tool allows you to participate by asking questions or making comments.

If you’re driving somewhere and would like to watch TUAW TV Live while you’re stuck in traffic, please don’t — keep your eyes on the road! However, if someone else is doing the driving, you can watch the show on your iPhone and join the chat by downloading the free Ustream App. It’s a universal app and is wonderful on an iPad, both for viewing and participating in the chat.

We’ll start at about 5 PM ET, so if you’re seeing a prerecorded show, be sure to refresh your browser until you see the live stream. For those of you who are not able to join us for the live edition, you’ll be able to view it later this evening on our TUAW Video YouTube channel and as part of the TUAW TV Live podcast viewable in iTunes or on any of your Apple devices.

TUAW TV Live: Hot Black Friday deals, tablets on Fire originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kindle Fire vs iPad: How to decide

If there’s any real comparison to be made between Apples and orange, it’s the iPad and Kindle Fire use cases. After having spent a couple of weeks with Kindle, there’s much to be said for the device. I’m quite fond of mine, frankly. But to paraphrase the late Sen. Bentsen, I know iPad, I served with iPad, and the Kindle Fire is not the iPad.

As we enter into the holiday shopping season, a lot of people are asking me: should I buy a Kindle Fire or an iPad? Here’s a run-down to help explain how you can make that choice, and you can also watch TUAW TV Live at 5 PM ET today (or later when the video is embedded) to see Steve Sande and me talk about this very topic.

At just under $200, the Kindle Fire offers many of the same surface features the iPad does: a small mobile device powered by a touch screen interface. However, the Kindle Fire functions primarily as an Amazon multimedia consumption device.

An accessory to the Amazon Prime service, the Fire offers a huge library of streaming movies and TV shows, tight integration with your Amazon Cloud music account and your Kindle ebook library. If you are a big Amazon customer and you subscribe to Prime, you’ll love the way you can seamlessly access this media.

The Fire’s wins include its size, portability, low cost factor, and streaming media integration. I can easily put my Fire in my purse (not my backpack, my purse) and pull it out to read books using a significantly bigger screen than my iPhone.

The drawbacks are these. First, there’s no 3G on offer for the Fire. You can only consume streaming TV and movies when you’re located at a Wi-Fi hotspot. Although you can purchase and download video, music, apps, and books the Fire goes “network dark” (so to speak), away from those hotspots you can only enjoy the material stored locally on the device.

Second, the apps and book reader are acceptable but they are not compelling reasons to purchase the device. The apps aren’t as good as those you find on the iPhone or iPad, and the book reader isn’t as good as the eInk rendering you get on traditional Kindles. The screen is shiny, no getting around that.

That eInk and size factor is the big win for traditional Kindles. If you want to read books outside with a screen that remains readable despite sun glare, you’re not going to do better than a standard Kindle. What you don’t get includes apps, video, full web browsing and so forth, items brought to the table by the Kindle Fire.

Then there’s the iPad. The most expensive of this bunch, it does everything well but it does it with a shiny screen and a larger form factor. My knee jerk response when it comes to the iPad is this: if you don’t have one and you don’t know why you need one, just go and buy one. In a couple of weeks, you’ll know why this is the best mobile device in your life ever. (You’ll want to pick up an iPhone a few weeks after that. The iPad is a gateway drug.)

The iPad excels at many things: movie watching, game playing, book reading, checking in at work, editing documents, downloading apps, etc. If the current iPad 2 entry price is too high for you, go ahead and buy a second-hand original iPad for about the same cost as a Kindle Fire.

That doesn’t mean I don’t recommend the original or Fire Kindles. I do. Their price points are insanely good, and the hardware fits well into your life for either book reading (eInk) or Prime customer enhancement (Fire). If you’re parenting a bookworm, consider a traditional Kindle. If you want to watch streaming videos at the gym (with local Wi-Fi), pick up a Fire.

What I’m saying though, is neither one replaces the iPad — and neither should. Life with both iPad and Kindle is great if you can swing the costs.

Kindle Fire vs iPad: How to decide originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Daily Update for November 23, 2011

It’s the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You’ll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what’s happening in the Apple world.

You can listen to today’s Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here.

No Flash? Click here to listen.

Daily Update for November 23, 2011 originally appeared on TUAW – The Unofficial Apple Weblog on Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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