With the Flipboard iPad news application only growing in popularity, the company behind the software is launching an iPhone version. The iPhone variant of Flipboard looks just like and functions almost like its larger iPad sibling but is obviously formatted for the iPhone’s much smaller display. Flipboard explains Cover Stories, Flipboard’s latest enhancement:

With Flipboard for iPhone we’re introducing Cover Stories. Think of Cover Stories as the feed to check when you’re in line at the coffee shop, commuting on the train or just hanging out at home. It contains a constantly updated selection of interesting articles and photos being shared with you right now.

Cover Stories come from all your Flipboard tiles, including social networks like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. As you add more sources to your Flipboard, their posts will begin to appear in your Cover Stories.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vfCaVzbvmVU]

Flipboard’s Cover Stories feature is currently exclusive to the iPhone and iPod touch, and an iPad version is coming at a later date. Flipboard for iPhone appears to still be propagating through iTunes, but is available for some. We have more screenshots of Flipboard for iPhone after the break. 

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Apple has pushed out a fairly major update to its iBooks application for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. The 1.5 update includes a new nighttime reading theme for a better digital reading experience in the dark. In addition, the new iBooks update adds a full-screen option – does wonders on the iPad – to focus on content and remove the tool bar, page numbers, and other distractions. The updated iBooks application also packs new “beautiful covers” for classic titles, popup footnote support, and an improved annotation system. On top of all of this, the free update includes performance and stability enhancements. (Thanks @chronic) Apple’s release notes:

iBooks 1.5 adds the following new features as well as some stability and performance improvements:

• Nighttime reading theme makes reading books in the dark easier on the eyes.
• Full-screen layout lets you focus on the words without distraction.
• iBooks now features an improved selection of fonts, including Athelas, Charter, Iowan, and Seravek.
• Beautiful new classic covers for public domain books.
• Support for pop-up footnotes, included in select iBookstore titles.
• A redesigned annotation palette makes it easier to choose a color for your highlighted text.

Apple also updated their Cards app to version 1.0.1, bringing with it improvements to the checkout process and verification of postal addresses, as well as enhancements to text entry.

Full screenshot gallery of the new iBooks update is after the break: 

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Baldwin, who among other things Tweets like crazy from his iPhone, was taken off an American Airline plane for playing addictive iPad game Words with Friends.

The “30 Rock” actor was asked to get off a New York City-bound flight for playing “Words with Friends” while the plane idled at a gate Tuesday, said Baldwin’s spokesman, Matthew Hiltzik.

“He loves `Words with Friends’ so much that he was willing to leave a plane for it,” said Hiltzik, who added that Baldwin boarded another American Airlines flight to New York.

Prediction: Words with Friends does some pretty good business this week.
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We know Apple isn’t too keen about the Chinese knockoff Apple retail stores selling real Apple products, however this knockoff unibody MacBook Air is getting painfully close to the real thing. Well, at least in terms of first impressions of the design, that is. MIC Gadget just posted a lengthy review of this $499 MacBook Air clone running Windows, which might for a second fool some into thinking it’s a genuine Apple product, but quickly shows its shortcomings upon further inspection.

Known as the AirBook, it doesn’t actually feature an aluminum construction, rather a “silver plastic unibody” with matte finish. MIC Gadget notes the faux aluminium finish is even used on the plastic interior. It comes with a 13-inch LED backlit, glossy display (1366 x 768) and measures 13.1 inches by 8.83 inches. As for thickness, the AirBook goes from 0.2 inches at its thinnest to 0.75 inches on the other end. Compare that to the 13-inch MacBook Air’s 0.11-0.68 inch height.

It obviously doesn’t have near the fit and finish of an actual MacBook Air, which is most notable looking at shots of the flimsy keyboard and display. You will, however, find a SD card slot, USB 2.0, mini-HDMI, headphone/mic jack, and a “MagSafe-like” power connector. You can check out the full review if you’re interested in seeing how the AirBook’s 1.8GHz Atom dual core processor and 4GB of RAM performed in MIC Gadget’s tests. Not so surprisingly, the genuine MacBook Air significantly outperformed the AirBook in every test. Check out the video below showing off the “design” of the AirBook:

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We already know what Intel has in store for their new Ivy Bridge desktop lineup, but now we’re getting a look into exactly what they have planned for their mobile CPU lineup as well. Documents leaked by VR-Zone indicate that Intel will do away with the Low Voltage processors rated at 25W and instead adopt Ultra Low Voltage processors rated at 17W known as as Ultra or U-series CPUs. The new standard voltage processors, known as the “M-series”, will be introduced as well and rated at 35, 45, and 55W variants.

The new M-Series or standard voltage processors will range from 2.6GHz dual-core i5 to a 2.9Ghz quad-core i7. Most of these processors mark a significant jump over current Sandy Bridge models, and the 3820QM and 3720QM i7 CPUs a 400MHz increase in comparison to the original Sandy Bridge CPUs. These are also the processors which will most likely find their way into a MacBook Pro, opposed to the U-Series lineup (detailed below), which could replace current Sandy Bridge low voltage CPUs in devices like the MacBook Air. Before we break down the U-Series models, here’s the full M-Series lineup:

2.9GHz Core i7-3920XM “Extreme” (200MHz faster than current Core i7-2960XM)

2.7GHz Quad-Core i7-3820QM

2.6GHz Quad-Core i7-3720QM

2.9GH Dual-Core i7-3520M

2.8 GHz Core i5 3360M

2.6 GHz Core i5 3320M

As for the Ultra or U-Series product line, which will more than likely debut in MacBook Air-like devices, at launch Intel plans on making a 2GHz core i7 and a 1.8GHz core i5. The i7 will be able to turbo to 3GHz in dual core mode, while single core mode will get you 3.2GHz. The i5, on the other hand, will provide 2.6GHz in dual core mode, and 2.8GHz in single core mode. Here’s what we know about release dates, DDR3 memory support, multiple external displays, and supported graphics…

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In October, Taiwanese company Proview Electronics accused Apple of trademark infringement regarding the “iPad” moniker, with the company’s chairman promising to sue Apple for damages in both the US and China. Apple quietly purchased the global rights to the trademark, but also launched a lawsuit to gain the rights in China, which weren’t included in the agreement. Shenzhen-based Intermediate People’s Court today rejected Apple’s lawsuit to gain ownership over the Chinese trademark, according to a report from Reuters.

According to Financial Times, Proview apparently had the iPad trademark registered in several regions including the EU, South Korea, Singapore, China, Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia. The report claims the company unsuccessfully tried to market a tablet computer known as I-PAD roughly ten years ago. Although courts are said to have not yet reached a final decision on ownership, Apple has reportedly already won preliminary injunctions for the trademark in Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

In 2006 Proview agreed to sell the global iPad trademark to US-based IP Application Development (IPAD) for £35,000 ($55,104), at which time Proview didn’t know had connections to Apple. The Chinese trademarks, filed as far back as 2000, were apparently not included in that agreement, leading Apple and IP Application Development to sue Proview.

In October, Proview chairman Yang Rongshan had this to say about the case:

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Consumer Reports, a U.S. monthly influencing purchasing decisions with its reviews and comparisons of consumer products, announced today that it rated AT&T the worst among wireless operators in the United States. In a repeat of last year’s ratings, rival Verizon Wireless ranked highest. The nation’s remaining major wireless carriers – including Sprint (the only carrier offering unlimited data to iPhone customers in the U.S.) and T-Mobile USA – fared “significantly better” than beleaguered Ma Bell.

Of the four major U.S. national cell-phone standard service providers, Verizon again scored the highest in this year’s Ratings, followed closely by Sprint. Survey respondents gave very good scores to Verizon for texting and data service satisfaction, as well for staff knowledge.

It feels like 2010, all over again.

The findings are based on the newest satisfaction survey of some 60,000 Consumer Reports online subscribers with both standard and no-contract providers. Readers were polled about their service and customer support experience. Note that 18 percent of their readers, nearly one-fifth, said they don’t yet own a smart phone (but want one).

AT&T users are dissatisfied with their service, customer support and value for money.

So, who’s the happiest with their cell phone service? Surprisingly, it’s subscribers to prepaid services and customers of smaller standard-service providers rather than people with brand spanking new high-end smartphones on pricey plans. The magazine’s electronics editor Paul Reynolds explains:

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In July BBC’s iPlayer iPad app went global by adding eleven European countries to their subscription-based streaming service, and recently added Canada, Scandinavia, and Australia to top sixteen territories globally. Today the company has announced the app will be landing on iPhone and iPod touch starting Thursday, December 8 (via TNW).

President Worldwide Networks and Global BCC iPlayer, Jana Bennett, took the stage at this morning’s keynote:

“This platform extension shows how Global iPlayer isn’t just about moving TV to tablet devices, it’s also about a mobile strategy – about truly getting TV everywhere in a way that it hasn’t been before. We also want the global BBC iPlayer to be truly representative of the whole gamut of British creative output, to represent everything that is great about British content – not just the Best of British TV but the Best of British Culture.”

Bennett also unveiled a selection of new content to be made available through the app in 2012 including programming from DRG such as Peep Show, Black Books, Shameless, Father Ted, and Green Wing. They are also planning on adding new “Music” and “Arts and Culture” genre categories as well as selected speech programs from BBC radio. To wrap up the keynote, Bennett also noted some stats about the app:

–35% of viewers watch more than one show per visit, an average of 75% of subscribers use the app every single day, and 25% continue browsing programs after watching a show.

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Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs biography has surfaced as the top-selling book on Amazon.com, per the online retailer’s Best Seller in Books for 2011 listing. Mind you, we’re talking about best-sellers for the whole 2011 here. Remember, Isaacson’s book has been selling for two months barely. The bio was released on October 23, a little over two weeks following Steve Jobs’s passing on October 5. It’s available as a digital download in Amazon’s Kindle Store and Apple’s iBookstore, and in hard cover form at bookstores worldwide.

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Amazon, the online shopping juggernaut, just announced that it will ‘incentivize’ shoppers in physical retail stores to buy products on the Amazon.com instead by shaving an additional five percent off of qualifying products. The company urged customers to download their updated Price Check app so they could price check items as they stroll down the store aisles this coming Saturday, December 10:

Customers that use Price Check by Amazon (available on iPhone or Android) on December 10th to price check while shopping in physical retail stores will get an additional discount of 5% (up to $5) off Amazon’s price on up to three qualifying products in the eligible categories, including electronics, toys, music, sporting goods and DVDs.

This is the first time ever that Amazon will be giving shoppers an added incentive while in a physical retail store. It’s also the first time that Amazon has directly gone after brick and mortar retailers who have much higher overhead costs and must additionally charge sales tax in more places. So if you thought about buying the Steve Jobs hard cover at your local book shop, you may wanna order it on the Amazon.com shopping site instead. Speaking of which, Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs biography is now a best-selling book on Amazon.

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Google today updated its Shopper app for iPhone with the ability to browse nearby offers provided by the Google Offers local deals service, which is available only in select U.S. cities. What’s more, you can purchase deals (discounted up to 50 percent) and subscribe to offers for your city, both from within the app. Google Shopper is a free download for iPhone and iPod touch from the App Store. The Shopper app launched on iPhone in February, enabling users to scan product bar codes or search for product information using voice or text. The app serves local and online prices, reviews, specifications, videos, and more. Google also issued an update to its Google+ native client for iOS yesterday, adding full resolution photo uploads, search and photos +1s.

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Apple and five major e-book publishers are being probed by the European Commission over worries that the parties have colluded to restrict competition in the market for e-books, reports Associated Press. The Commission issued the following statement:

The Commission will in particular investigate whether these publishing groups and Apple have engaged in illegal agreements or practices that would have the object or the effect of restricting competition in the EU or in the EEA. The Commission is also examining the character and terms of the agency agreements entered into by the above named five publishers and retailers for the sale of e-books. The Commission has concerns, that these practices may breach EU antitrust rules that prohibit cartels and restrictive business practices (Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union – TFEU). The duration of antitrust investigations depends on a number of factors, including the complexity of each case, the extent to which the undertakings concerned cooperate with the Commission and the exercise of the rights of defense.

Adamant to determine whether e-book publishers worked to fix prices, the Commission said it will be taking a closer look at the agreements between Apple and e-book retailers that define the retailer’s cut of the profit, price points and other business terms. Earlier this year in March, the Commission conducted a raid of the offices of several e-book publishers. Apple, as you know, operates iBookstore that sells e-books for iOS devices and keeps 30 percent of the proceeds to itself.

The five e-book publishers being scrutinized: Hachette Livre, a unit of France’s Lagardere Publishingl; Harper Collins, owned by Rupert Murdoch’s U.S.-based News Corp.; CBS Corp.’s Simon & Schuster; Penguin, owned by U.K. publishing house Pearson Group; and Germany’s Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holzbrinck.

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