New Pokemon game comes with Apple style keyboard

Nintendo better have good lawyers. The new Pokemon game for iOS, 'Pokemon: Typing Adventure', comes bundled with a rather fetching white plastic keyboard, used to interact with the game. It looks rather nice. Problem is, it kind of reminds us of another rather nice wireless keyboard.

Ah yes.

Although to be fair, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and it's not like Apple and Ninty will be competing on the battleground anytime soon. The company has always maintained that it is not interested in mobile games, despite the fact that iOS and Android are rather quickly eating up mobile gaming sales.

As for the game itself, 'educational' game puts players' typing skills to the test as they record details of more than 400 Pokemon using the peripheral. It basically sounds like a Pokemon version of Typing Of The Dead. The keyboard is also compatible with any Bluetooth device, so if you want it could be your next Mac's best friend.

Learn With Pokemon: Typing Adventure is released for DS and 3DS on September 21.

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Gizmodo shows how an iPad mini could look

Fellow technology blog Gizmodo has commissioned some mockups of what Apple's rumoured iPad Mini could look like. As has been rumoured for a long time now, Apple will soon announce a smaller, 7.85 inch iPad in order to compete with the wave of newer, cheaper tablets such as Amazon's Kindle Fire and the Nexus 7.

The tablet is also rumoured to come with a brand new, reduced size dock connector. This would mark a major change from the current 30 pin Dock Connector, which has been a staple on Apple devices for over 10 years now, but the change would allow future device to become slimmer and less bulky.

But what would such a device look like? Well Giz has commisioned some renders from designer Nickolay Lamm. The result? Well it looks like a smaller iPad.

Check out the rest of the images below, what do you think of the rumours?

The iPad mini would be significantly smaller

Check out the new, smaller dock connector

 

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Hulu Plus has arrived on the Apple TV

American readers or IP address dodgers rejoice! Hulu+ has finally launched on the Apple TV, bringing us one miniscule step closer to the app-filled TV nirvana that we all so desperately desire.

To be fair, this announcement is actually bigger news than it may first seem. It shows that Apple is finally thawing its icy hold on content for iOS, something which it needs to do if it is to truly enter the TV market. The announcement is also notable because Hulu is another service (alongside Netlflix) which directly competes with Apple's iTunes store.

Hulu+ is a US subscription service that allows you to stream hundreds of TV shows and Movies. Who in their right mind is going to buy a season pass to rent 'Modern Family" off iTunes, when it is already rolled into the existing Hulu package? Although Apple isn't getting shafted entirely: new users will be able to subscribe to Hulu using their iTunes account, meaning Apple gets a juicy 30% cut of it all.

Commenting on their official blog, Hulu says:

Keeping up with the latest episode of Family Guy, Masterchef and New Girl on Hulu Plus just got a little easier. And my living room just got a whole lot happier.

Hulu Plus arrives on Apple TV today.

The Hulu channel should have already appeared on your Apple TV, although you may need to reboot the device.

 

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Is Apple interested in buying Pinterest clone The Fancy?

BusinessInsider is reporting that Apple has it sights set on further expansion in the social world - and is in talks currently towards acquiring The Fancy, a social commerce and sharing network.

From BI:

The objective: to secure a role for Apple in the growing e-commerce market, putting the 400 million+ users with credit cards on file with Apple's iTunes Store to work shopping - with Apple getting a cut of the action.

The Fancy has been described as an alternative to Pinterest, another sharing site which has exploded in popularity in recent months, especially in the crucially active young female sector. The site allows users to 'pin' items they find online that they would want to buy. Here's how Fancy explains itself:

Fancy is part store, blog, magazine, and wishlist. It's a place to discover great stuff, to curate a collection of things you love, to get updates on your favourite brands and stores and to share your discoveries.

Use it to create a catalog of favourite things around the web and around the world. When you find something you love somewhere on the web, Fancy it.

But what would Apple want with a company like that? Well, The Fancy has one significant advantage over Pinterest: It allows users to buy items directly from the website itself, and it is this which might appeal to Apple, who may be eyeing up a 30% cut of transactions.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has met with The Fancy CEO and Cook himself has even created an account on the website, 'Fancying' several items. I think i agree with BusinessInsider's view that the acquisition could have something to do with Apple's desire to launch a full 'iWallet'. It makes sense for the company to have a social backbone in whatever shopping experience it decides to serve up.

From BusinessInsider.

 

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BULLETIN: The iPhone is now 5 years old.

BULLETIN: It might be quite hard to believe, but Apple's iPhone has just turned 5 years old. Where were you when it was released? I can hardly beleive that just 5 years ago, almot noone had heard of Smartphones or 'apps' or 'multitouch'. Without the release of the iPhone, we would have no Android, no Windows Phone 7, no iPad, no 'apps'. In short, the whole consumer tech landscape would be vastly different. Neat huh?

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