iPad gathers magic

12 million players around the world have enjoyed, collecting and building decks of Magic: The Gathering card game for almost two decades now. Expert board game designer Richard Garfield first unleashed the addictive game in 1993 and since that time it’s popularity has not waned, in the real world.

Now the virtual world (which has seen some M:TG titles in the past) is about to get a card-based shot in the arm anew with the release of Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 on a variety of platforms including an edition for Apple’s iPad.

Wizards of the Coast has unleashed Magic: The Gathering - Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 on iPad for the first time, along with Xbox LIVE Arcade, PC/Steam and PlayStation Network.* Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 is the first major release from Magic: The Gathering this winter, kicking off the Magic 2013 campaign that entices players to “Face A Greater Challenge” against the ultimate evil mastermind of the Multiverse, dragon Planeswalker Nicol Bolas!


Beginning today, Duels 2013 players will get the first look at approximately 100 cards that will be featured in the Magic 2013 Core Set launching July 13, 2012. In addition, with the purchase of Duels 2013, players receive a code to redeem an exclusive six-card booster pack - including a platform-specific promo card - at participating Wizards Play Network hobby stores.


“Today kicks off our summer-long Magic 2013 experience, and we couldn’t be more excited,” said Elaine Chase, Brand Director of Magic: The Gathering at Wizards of the Coast. “Whether you're new to Magic or just starting out, the integration between Duels 2013 and the Magic 2013 Core Set represents a seamless way for players to experience Magic however and wherever they want.”


Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 is the latest edition of the award-winning video game title, which was recently named one of PC Gamer’s Top 100 Games of All Time, and number four on the list of The 15 Best Games For Your Laptop.

This article comes from: http://www.itwire.com/your-it-news/entertainment/55369-ipad-gathers-magic

Filemaker’s Bento 4 for iPad is da bomb

Filemaker has previously pitched Bento — whether for Macintosh, iPhone or iPad — as personal information manager aimed at students and home users. It was a database utility for dealing with lists and simple, flat spreadsheet data. However, the capability, usability and functionality inBento 4 for iPad is now so greatly expanded, that the company is pitching it to small business owners, knowledge workers, freelancers, contractors and consultants.

Users of the Mac version of Bento will be familiar with Bento 4 for iPad. Previously, Bento for iPad offered a frustratingly limited list-style view of Library data. It was a very stripped-down version of the Mac program. Its usefulness was still great, but with the increasing power of the iPad and especially its larger screen, the iPad software was more than a bit of a letdown. No longer.

Now there are four views of data: a Form View similar in functionality to the Mac version, the Table View that is really a spreadsheet view, the Split View that combines the spreadsheet and the form, and the Full Screen View that shows a sidebar of Libraries, similar to the Mac version. In addition to the usual data types, the app supports many different data elements including multimedia files, predetermined choices, GPS locations, ratings (stars) and many more.

Bento 4 for iPad supports the creation of new databases as well as the customization of forms and projects. It’s easy to add fields, reorder and sort lists, and add calculation formulas. Many commands take advantage of the iPad’s tap interface and users can click on a field or a header and then be presented with the iPad-standard GUI element for popup commands — Filemaker calls these Heads Up Displays. So, if you click on a column header, it will show a bar of commands such as sort, rename, delete or hide.

he new business audience will definitely appreciate that Version 4 can create encrypted fields. Windows users can easily share libraries by emailing them in .CSV format from within Bento (Mac users can use this function too, but I suggest getting Bento for Mac instead).

However, I don’t know that I’m sold on the Record Slider interface. But it is the iPad way.The app comes with 40 Retina display-ready themes to customize the many built-in project templates. And Filemaker offers easy access to the Bento Template Exchange that sports a wide range of professionally-designed and user-submitted templates.

Of course, Bento 4 for iPad can be synchronized with Bento for Mac (Version 4.1, a free update). The syncing is still over Wifi.Bento 4 for iPad is priced at $4.99 until July 31, the company said and $9.99 afterwards. There’s a $29.99 deal on for Bento 4.1 for Mac also until July 31, a $20 discount.


This article comes from:http://www.zdnet.com/blog/apple/filemakers-bento-4-for-ipad-is-da-bomb/13144

Apple's iPhone dominates mobile ad impressions in Q1

Apple's iPhone is, by far, the most dominant device in the mobile ad market, according to new data from Millennial Media's Mobile Mix report.

The iPhone accounted for 15 percent of all mobile phone impressions hitting Millennial Media's ad network during the first quarter. RIM's BlackBerry Curve and Motorola's Droid Razr trailed far behind with 4.4 percent and 4 percent of all impressions, respectively. The Samsung Droid Charge and the BlackBerry Torch rounded out the top five with 3.4 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively.

Millennial Media's data is taken from the company's mobile advertising and data platform. According to the firm, its data is collected from "tens of billions of monthly ad requests." The company tallied 300 million monthly unique users during the first quarter, and had over 7,000 devices hit its network. More than 10,000 campaigns are currently in action on its platform.
Apple's many products, including the iPad and iPhone, were hitting Millennial Media's network hard last quarter. In fact, Apple's mobile lineup accounted for 28.3 percent of all ad impressions last quarter. The company's chief rival, Samsung, came in second place with 18.25 percent market share. HTC and Motorola trailed far behind with 11.3 percent and 10.6 percent of all impressions, respectively.


Despite Apple's obvious lead in the first quarter, the company's iOS platform can't quite keep up to Google's Android. According to Millennial Media, 49 percent of all impressions came from Android-based devices last quarter, compared with 33 percent for iOS. RIM's BlackBerry operating system came in third place with 14 percent of all impressions.

"In the past year, Android has steadily increased their market share, currently accounting for 15 of the Top 20 Mobile Phones in Q1 2012, up from 10 devices in the Top 20 ranking a year ago," Millennial Media wrote today in its report. "Android has gained market share in the tablet marketplace as well, growing from having no tablets on the top mobile device list to having two tablets -- the Samsung Galaxy Tab and the Amazon Kindle Fire -- ranking in the top 20 devices on our platform in Q1."

Millennial Media also forecast tablet shipment growth over the coming years. The company predicts that 106 million tablets will hit store shelves worldwide this year, and 198 million by 2016.

This article comes from:http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57440726-37/apples-iphone-dominates-mobile-ad-impressions-in-q1/?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-Apple