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Monday, November 4, 2013

iPad Air Smart Case vs. Smart Cover: Which should you get?

2013 iPad buyers guide: How to pick the perfect Smart Cover or Smart Case for your iPad Air!

Along with the brand new iPad Air, Apple has also released two different accessories designed to protect and preserve it - Smart Covers and Smart Cases. Smart Covers attach via magnets and protect only the screen. Smart Cases wrap around and protect both the back and the screen. The cover leaves more exposed, but is lighter and sleeker. The cover keeps more safe, but at the expense of added bulk. So, if you've got an iPad Air, and you're interested in one of Apple's accessories, which one should you get - Smart Cover or Smart Case?

iPad 4 Smart Cover vs. iPad Air Smart Cover

#iPad 4 Smart Cover vs. iPad Air Smart Cover

Apple has changed the way full sized Smart Covers work with the iPad Air. Previously, from the iPad 2 to the iPad 4, the full-sized iPad Smart Cover had a metal hinge that hooked onto the iPad along the long, left edge, and four folds that could be rolled up into a typing or viewing stand. With the iPad Air Smart Cover, Apple has gone the way last year's iPad mini Smart Cover. The metal hinge is now covered by the material, and the four folds have been reduced to three.

When standing, the change results in a less upright angle - the iPad Air leans back more than the iPad 4 did with its version of the Smart Cover.

The difference isn't as noticeable when in the typing position. Both the iPad Air and iPad 4 present similar angles.

The change from 4 to 3 folds is a mixed bag. It results in a simpler, pyramid structure with no overlap, but at the same time it seems a little less secure. If you're careful, the end result is the same. If you're rushed, the tri-fold can be a little more difficult to nail immediately.

The metal hinge on the original full-sized Smart Cover was nice, but it did cause scratches for some people, both on their iPad's edge, and on other gear - like laptops - they may have in the same pocket of their bag.

Overall, the iPad Air Smart Cover feels like an improvement over the original Smart Cover, but one with its fair share of caveats.

iPad Air Smart Cover vs. Smart Case

Both the Smart Cover and Smart Case are extremely well built and are lined with micro fiber to help keep your iPad Air safe and clean. The two major differences between the Smart Cover and the Smart Case are these: The Smart Cover is made of polyurethane and protects only the screen. The Smart Case is made of aniline-dyed leather and also protects the iPad Air's sides and back. The Smart Cover comes in black, pink, yellow, blue, green, and - exclusive to Apple Stores - (PRODUCT) RED. The Smart Case comes in brown, beige, black, yellow, blue, and (PRODUCT) RED.

The black, blue, yellow, and red look universally good. The beige, like with the iPhone 5s case, is too fleshy for my tastes. Brown and pink look just okay.

The viewing angles, when standing, are fairly similar between Smart Cover and Smart Case, though my Smart Cover did recline to a greater degree.

Typing angle between the iPad Air Smart Cover and Smart Case were likely similar.

The protection provided to the back of the iPad Air by the Smart Case is nice, including the embossed Apple logo which only Apple is legally allowed to put on accessories, of course.

However, the Smart Case also adds considerable bulk compared to the Smart Cover. Because it's covering both sides, it makes the overall package thicker.

The iPad Air Smart Case does feel like it fits better, both in terms of sizing and magnetic seal, than the overly floppy iPad 3/4 Smart Case Apple released in June of 2012.

But the cost of protection is inevitably size.

Who should get the iPad Air Smart Cover?

You can go completely naked for even less bulk, or use a protective film, but the Smart Cover is an excellent compromise of good looks, good protection, and good functionality. If all you want to do is protect the screen of your iPad Air, without a lot of bulk, but with something that's easily removable and has ability to stand it up for typing or viewing, and you don't care that it's polyurethane instead of leather, you want the Smart Cover.

Who should get the iPad Air Smart Case?

There will no doubt be full on armor cases for the iPad Air, ironic as that might sound, and soon. However, if you like the Smart Cover-style magnetic closure and roll-up stand, but really don't want to risk any damage to the back of your tablet, and you like leather better than polyurethane, you want the Smart Case.

Know what you're getting?

If you've made your choice, here's where to go to buy online, including some alternatives offered by Amazon.

iPad Air Smart Cover - $39.00 - Buy now
iPad Air Smart Case - $79.00 - Buy now
Amazon iPad Air accessories

Still can't decide?

If you're really stuck between a cover and a hard case, head on over to your local Apple Store or authorize reseller and check out both in person. Also be sure to hit up the iMore iPad Accessory Forum with any questions you might have. It's filled with expert help, and the best community discussion on the net.

Once you've decided between the iPad Air Smart Cover, Smart Case, something else, or nothing at all, let me know!

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/wL7JFY830F4/story01.htm
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All You Need To Know About The All Tied Up World Series

Kolten Wong of the St. Louis Cardinals slumps as Boston Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli celebrates Sunday night. Wong was picked off at first base to end the game and the Cardinals' hopes of winning. Boston's 4-2 victory means the World Series is tied at 2-2.

Elsa/Getty Images

From 'Morning Edition': NPR's Tom Goldman reports on Sunday's World Series game

The score Sunday night was:

Which means the World Series is:

Tied at two games apiece.

The big moment Sunday:

Came in the sixth inning, when Boston outfielder Jonny Gomes hit a three-run homer.

The big mistake:

Came in the ninth inning, when St. Louis pinch runner Kolten Wong took too big a lead off first base and was picked with a throw from Boston pitcher Koji Huehara. That ended the game with the potential tying run at bat. On Twitter, Wong tells Cardinals fans that "I'm sorry ... I go out everyday playing this game as hard as I can and leaving everything on the field."

Wong's mistake means that for the second night in a row, there was (in the words of NPR's Tom Goldman) an "are you kidding me?" ending:

Saturday's game, as we reported, finished like no other World Series game ever has, apparently — with umpires saying that Boston third baseman Will Middlebrooks had obstructed St. Louis' Allen Craig on the basepath. The umps then ruled that Craig was safe at home plate, giving the Cardinals a 5-4 win.

Game 5 is tonight, starting just after 8 p.m. ET on Fox. If it's another close one with dramatics in the ninth inning, there will again be a lot of very tired fans Tuesday morning.

Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/10/28/241332410/all-you-need-to-know-about-the-all-tied-up-world-series?ft=1&f=1001
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Suspect tells police he acted alone in LAX shooting

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The gunman charged in the deadly shooting at Los Angeles International Airport lay bloodied and handcuffed on the floor of Terminal 3 after being gunned down by police, but he replied to critical questions that helped authorities lock down the scene.

Paul Ciancia, 23, was hauled away moments later on a stretcher and later heavily sedated for medical reasons, but not before he told investigators he had acted alone when he opened fire in the terminal, a law enforcement official who has been briefed on the investigation told The Associated Press on Sunday.

Ciancia, an unemployed motorcycle mechanic who recently moved to Los Angeles from the small, blue-collar town of Pennsville, N.J., also told police a friend had dropped him at LAX on Friday just moments before he shot a Transportation Security Administration officer at point-blank range and wounded three other people, including two more TSA workers.

Officials do not believe that the friend knew of the shooter's plans. Ciancia arrived at the airport in a black Hyundai and was not a ticketed passenger.

Ciancia was under 24-hour armed guard at the hospital Sunday after being shot four times, the official said. He was sedated for medical reasons, the official said, adding that one gunshot to the mouth blew a molar out of his jaw.

Ciancia is facing charges of murder of a federal officer and committing violence at an international airport. The charges could qualify him for the death penalty. It wasn't immediately clear when he would make a first court appearance given his medical condition.

In court documents and interviews, authorities spelled out a chilling chain of events, saying Ciancia walked into the airport, pulled a .223-caliber assault rifle from his duffel bag and fired repeatedly at 39-year-old TSA officer Gerardo I. Hernandez. He turned back to see Hernandez move and returned to finish him off, according to surveillance video reviewed by investigators.

He then fired on two other uniformed TSA employees and an airline passenger, who all were wounded, as he moved methodically through the security checkpoint before airport police shot him as panicked travelers hid in stores and restaurants.

It wasn't clear why Ciancia targeted TSA officers, but what he left behind indicated he was willing to kill any of them that crossed his path, authorities revealed.

The shooter's duffel bag contained a handwritten letter signed by Ciancia stating he'd "made the conscious decision to try to kill" multiple TSA employees and that he wanted to "instill fear in their traitorous minds," FBI Agent in Charge David L. Bowdich said.

"Black, white, yellow, brown, I don't discriminate," the note read, according to a paraphrase by a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

The screed also mentioned "fiat currency" and "NWO," possible references to the New World Order, a conspiracy theory that foresees a totalitarian one-world government.

The letter also talked about "how easy it is to get a gun into the airport," the law enforcement official said.

When searched, the suspect had five 30-round magazines, and his bag contained hundreds more rounds in boxes.

U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said on CNN's State of the Union on Sunday that Ciancia's actions show how difficult it is to protect travelers at a massive airport such as LAX.

The terminals are open and easily accessible to thousands of people who arrive at large sliding glass doors via a broad ring road that fronts the facility and is designed to move people along quickly.

"It's like a shopping mall outside the perimeter, it's almost like an open shopping mall," McCaul said.

The FBI has served a search warrant on a Sun Valley residence where Ciancia lived, Ari Dekofsky, a spokeswoman for the FBI's Los Angeles field office, said Sunday. Agents are still interviewing people, she said.

Authorities believe the rifle used in the shooting was purchased in Los Angeles. Ciancia also had two additional handguns that he purchased in Los Angeles, but which weren't at the crime scene, a law enforcement official said. The official, who has been briefed on the investigation, was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity.

The purchases themselves appeared legal, although authorities were still tracing them, and it's unclear if the shooter used his own identification or someone else's, the official said.

"He didn't buy them on the street. He didn't buy them on the Internet," the official said. "He bought them from a licensed gun dealer — the rifle and the two handguns."

Hernandez, a three-year veteran of the TSA, moved to the U.S. from El Salvador at age 15, married his sweetheart, Ana, on Valentine's Day in 1998 and had two children.

The other two TSA officers wounded in the attack have been released from the hospital. On Sunday, the TSA identified them as James Speer, 54, and Tony Grigsby, 36.

Brian Ludmer, a Calabasas High School teacher, remained in fair condition at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center with a gunshot wound to the leg. Two other people suffered injuries trying to evade the gunman, but weren't shot.

The FBI was still looking into Ciancia's past, but investigators said they had not found evidence of previous crimes or any run-ins with the TSA. They said he had never applied for a job with the agency.

___

Associated Press writers Alicia Chang and Gillian Flaccus in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/gunman-told-police-acted-alone-lax-shooting-174959371.html
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Sunday, November 3, 2013

Benchmark Partner Peter Fenton On Investor Luck, Tech IPOs And More

This past week, we were lucky enough to sit down with Benchmark partner and Twitter board member Peter Fenton backstage at TechCrunch Europe to talk about his magic touch.

Of all the investors in the Valley, Fenton is one of the elite VCs who has the most number of companies that are in the process of going public or will be going public in 2014. This group includes Twitter, Zendesk, Zuora, New Relic and a number of others. We asked Fenton what his secret was in picking the companies that had the legs to be a public company.

Fenton admits that luck has an important role in some of his successes and bets. He shared that he falls in love with the companies he invests in, with the passion coming from seeing the dynamic of a mission-based company and how the employees are growing with the startup. He adds that the current dynamic in this climate is to focus on an IPO vs. an exit (M&A was more popular in the previous generation of technology companies, he says).

Check out the video above for more.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/4NQTKHR8Eoc/
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Obama: Vote for McAuliffe is vote for progress

ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — President Barack Obama is telling Virginians to choose progress by voting for Democrat Terry McAuliffe in Tuesday's election for governor.

Obama spoke at a rally for McAuliffe in Arlington, just outside the nation's capital, in the final days of a bitter campaign for governor.

Obama painted Republican Ken Cuccinelli as beholden to an extreme tea party ideology that, according to the president, shut down the government and hurt Virginians.

Obama said McAuliffe knows how to push though obstacles and cares deeply about equality. The president urged McAuliffe's backers not to get complacent at the end of the race.

Cuccinelli is telling his supporters that Obama's visit highlights McAuliffe's support for Obama's unpopular health care law.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-vote-mcauliffe-vote-progress-195901014--election.html
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Militant's death brings little joy in Pakistan

FILE - In this file image taken on Oct. 4, 2009, Pakistan's new Taliban leader Hakimullah Mehsud, center, operates light machine gun with his comrades in Sararogha in Pakistani tribal area of South Waziristan along Afghanistan border. Intelligence officials said Friday, Nov. 1, 2013 that the leader of the Pakistani Taliban Hakimullah Mehsud was one of three people killed in a U.S. drone strike. (AP Photo/Ishtiaq Mahsud, File)

FILE - In this file photo taken Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009, new Pakistani Taliban chief Hakimullah Mehsud, left, is seen with his comrade Waliur Rehman, front center, during his meeting with media in Sararogha of Pakistani tribal area of South Waziristan along the Afghanistan border. Intelligence officials said Friday, Nov. 1, 2013 that the leader of the Pakistani Taliban Hakimullah Mehsud was one of three people killed in a U.S. drone strike. (AP Photo/Ishtiaq Mehsud, File)

Pakistani men, who were displaced with their families from Pakistan's tribal areas due to fighting between the Taliban and the army, sit on a roadside on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2013. The Pakistani Taliban confirmed the death of their leader, Hakimullah Mehsud, in a U.S. drone strike Saturday, a day after he was killed, as the group's leadership council met to begin the process of choosing a successor. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

A Pakistani child, who was displaced with their family from Pakistan's tribal areas due to fighting between the Taliban and the army, plays on a wooden cart left in an alley of a poor neighborhood on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2013. The Pakistani Taliban confirmed the death of their leader, Hakimullah Mehsud, in a U.S. drone strike Saturday, a day after he was killed, as the group's leadership council met to begin the process of choosing a successor. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

An elderly Pakistani man, who was displaced with his family from Pakistan's tribal areas due to fighting between the Taliban and the army, wraps himself with a shawl while sitting outside a mosque on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2013. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Pakistani Taliban leader killed in a recent U.S. drone strike was behind hotel bombings, assaults on political rallies, beheadings of policemen and suicide attacks on soldiers. But his death elicited little joy in the country where he wreaked most of his havoc and instead stirred widespread anger and suspicion.

At the time of Friday's strike targeting Hakimullah Mehsud, the Pakistani government was engaged in efforts to negotiate a peace deal with militants. Frustrated at years of military campaigns that have failed to end the bloodshed, many Pakistanis had high hopes for this latest peace effort and blame the U.S. for fouling it up.

Mehsud "should have been given the chance to negotiate, and now the consequences have to be borne by Pakistan, not the U.S.," said Syed Ahmed, a small business owner in the southern port city of Karachi.

Also contributing to the anger are fears of a bloody backlash, plus a web of complex conspiracy theories, including the idea that militants such as Mehsud are American or Indian pawns intent on weakening Pakistan.

For years, Pakistan has been fighting militants in the tribal areas that border neighboring Afghanistan, with thousands of civilians and security forces dying in bombings and shootings at the hands of militants.

Mehsud, who had a reputation as an especially ruthless warrior, was the leader of the Pakistani Taliban, or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, as it calls itself. The TTP is an umbrella group encompassing militant organizations across the tribal areas. It has called for the overthrow of the Pakistani government, the implementation of hard-line Islamic law and an end to cooperation with the Americans in Afghanistan.

In many ways, people across Pakistan are echoing what they are hearing from politicians and top government officials. During a news conference Saturday, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan lashed out repeatedly at the U.S., which he said was trying to scuttle peace talks.

Imran Khan, the former cricket star who now leads a key opposition party, threatened to close NATO supply lines in retaliation for the drone attack.

The U.S. and Pakistan are wary allies in the war against militancy. Suspicion in Pakistan against America runs deep, fueled by a perception that Pakistan's militancy problems were foisted on it by the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, which pushed militants into the tribal areas of northwestern Pakistan. Many Pakistanis question why Pakistan, a predominantly Muslim country, is at war with other Muslims and its own citizens.

Amir Sultan, a salesman at a garment business in Islamabad, said whenever Pakistan starts efforts to make peace with the Taliban, America sabotages it.

"It is an American agenda to destroy Pakistan," he said. "It is in America's interest to pit Muslim against Muslims."

There is also suspicion that the U.S. and neighboring India — a longtime enemy — are directly promoting and funding militants as a way to weaken the country. In the eastern city of Lahore, where that feeling is especially prevalent, lawyer Masood Wattoo blamed the U.S. and India for a recent string of bombings in the northwest, including a suicide attack on a church full of worshippers.

"It was the handiwork of America and India," he said.

In the southern port city of Karachi, Ahmad Jan suspected the U.S. and India were behind at least some of the militant groups operating across Pakistan.

"The TTP is a terrorist organization. Whoever challenges the writ of the state can't be our friends, but obviously they have the support of our enemies," he said.

Commanders from the group have been meeting to choose a successor to Mehsud, but no decision has been officially announced.

Mehsud's death has roused fears of a backlash of bombings and shootings. The militant group has already vowed to take revenge as it did after its deputy was killed in May in another drone strike.

In the northwestern city of Peshawar, which has taken the brunt of many attacks, anxiety about another wave of violence has been palpable.

"We fear more bloodshed and more destruction because these people can't attack America or shoot the drones down. Therefore only we, the poor Pakistanis, have to face the revenge, even though we had nothing to do with this," said Muhammad Tahir, a university student.

"Hakimullah's death," he added, "will make the situation more difficult for us."

___

Associated Press writers Asif Shahzad in Islamabad, Riaz Khan in Peshawar, Adil Jawad in Karachi and Zaheer Babar in Lahore contributed to this report.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-11-03-AS-Pakistan-Militancy/id-ace338c3aa534b2e8467cd7510f2f706
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Khloe Kardashian Wishes Kendall Jenner a Happy 18th Birthday

The Kardashian clan sticks together, no matter what they go through. A hurting Khloe Kardashian celebrated her sister Kendall Jenner's 18th birthday on Sunday (November 3), offering her little sis heartfelt best wishes.

The 29-year-old "Keeping up with the Kardashians" starlet spoke to her sister on Twitter, writing, “Happy birthday Kendall!!!!! 18 years ago my life was changed forever because of you!”

"The joy and peace you bring to so many lives are just a few of the rare gifts your spirit possess," she continued. "I couldn’t be prouder of the woman you are becoming."

Khloe concluded her message, "Happy birthday to my best friend, my roommate, my puppy sister, my heart ❤. Sisters by blood, best friends by choice."

The elder Kardashian also included a fun and loving collage of the sisters growing up together.

Source: http://celebrity-gossip.net/khloe-kardashian/khloe-kardashian-wishes-kendall-jenner-happy-18th-birthday-954617
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