Native Instruments (www.native-instruments.com) has introduced a new generation of Traktor Remix Sets set up for immediate use with the latest Traktor software with Remix Deck technology. These loops and one-shot sample packs provide DJs of different musical genres with complete tracks for enhancing sets, jamming and live remixing. The Twisted Sister' Remix Set provides DJs with 64 loops and one-shot-samples divided into different sections, identified by groups, pages and colors. All pages contain the original track split into four use groups for drums (red), bass (pink), synthesizer lead (green) and sound effects/vocals (blue). While pages 1 and 2 contain the key elements of a track, pages 3 and 4 are the performance pages providing performable synths and additional vocal shots. Traktor's Remix Decks were introduced with the new version of NI's flagship DJ software Traktor PRO 2.5, which came as a free update for all existing users of Traktor PRO 2. R Each regular track deck within...

Apple and Google's Motorola Mobility division are discussing a way to resolve part of their dispute over smartphone patent, reports "Bloomberg" (http://macte.ch/hG6mM). "The companies have been exchanging proposals on using binding arbitration to reach a licensing agreement over patents that are essential to comply with industry standards on how phones operate," the article says. "Such an agreement could lead to a global settlement of all of their patent disputes, Apple said in a filing yesterday." This is part of an ongoing battle between the two companies. Apple has alleged that Motorola infringes 24 of its patents (21 of them with Android-based phones, the remaining three with set-top boxes and DVRs), while Motorola previously asserted 18 patents against a variety of Apple products (mostly but not exclusively iPhone, iPad and iPod). Litigation between the two companies has taken place in several different federal courts. On Nov. 5 a patent infringement case between Apple and...

Apple Australia has been served with a $28.5 million bill for back taxes, statements lodged with the corporate regulator in April show, according to the "Sydney Morning Herald" (http://macte.ch/khI75). Apple Australian made $4.9 billion in revenue last year through the sale of its Macs, iPads and iPhones. The bill takes its total tax tab for the year ending Sept. 24, 2011, to $94.7 million, notes the "Herald."

A judge has ruled that Samsung can add the iPhone 5 to its patent-infringement claims against Apple, and Apple can add infringement claims against the Samsung Galaxy Note, the U.S. version of the Galaxy S III and the Jelly Bean operating system, reports "Bloomberg" (http://macte.ch/Kh6Hm). However, the addition of the Jelly Bean operating system is limited to the software for Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus, U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Grewal has ruled. The decision came in a second patent lawsuit between the two mobile device giants pending in San Jose, California. In an earlier lawsuit that went to trial in July, a jury found that Samsung infringed six of seven Apple patents at issue and awarded $1.05 billion in damages. This is all part of the ongoing, global legal battle. Apple and Samsung have filed more than 30 lawsuits against each other across four continents. For example, Apple alleges that Samsung copied the slide-to-unlock technology of its iPhone and iPad devices.

In a note to clients -- as reported by "CNET" -- Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty predicts that iPad and iPhone sales will be higher than expected this quarter and into 2013. She thinks the iPhone 5 will drive more customers to upgrade this quarter and into next year. At the same time, the iPad Mini and iPad 4 will accelerate the growth of total iPad shipments, Huberty adds. Wall Street expects shipments of 46 million iPhones and 23 million iPads this quarter, followed by 43 million iPhones and 19 million iPads next quarter. But Huberty thinks the numbers will be even higher. For more info go to http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-57550189-37/iphone-ipad-sales-to-surge...

It's no surprise but AT&T, Verizon and Sprint are now offering the iPad mini -- as well as the fourth generation iPad. In case you haven't heard, the iPad mini, a completely new iPad design that's 23% thinner and 53%t lighter than the third generation iPad. It features a 7.9-inch Multi-Touch display, FaceTime HD and 5 megapixel iSight cameras, wireless performance and 10 hours of battery life.

Scosche Industries (www.scosche.com) has unveiled 5 and 12 watt Lightning wall and car chargers. The company has eliminated 10W chargers from its lineup as they don't charge the new iPad 4th generation at the fastest charging speed possible.  iPad mini users can also take advantage of the new 12W chargers from Scosche, which will power the smaller tablet in just three hours, as compared to 4.75 hours with the 5W charger included with the device, says Kas Alves, executive vice president of Scosche Industries.  The new strikeDRIVE (car) and strikeBASE (home) feature a captive (connected) Lightning cable and are available in both 5 and 12 watt models.  The similar strikeDRIVE 12w + 12w utilizes a captive cable with both a Mirco USB and Lightning tips and features a second, tablet friendly, 12w port for simultaneously charging two USB powered mobile devices. Scosche’s Pro Lightning chargers all feature dual USB ports and ship with a 3-foot charge and sync cable with both Lightning and...

The brightest spot in the overall worldwide hardcopy peripherals (HCP) market during the third quarter of 2012 (3Q12) was wireless devices, with its showing of 2% year-over-year growth in a challenging economic environment. According to the International Data Corporation (www.idc.com), total worldwide hardcopy unit shipments declined 12.7% year-over-year to nearly 27.4 million units, the fourth consecutive quarterly decline. Despite a contraction of 15% year over year, inkjet remains the dominant technology with 16.7 million units shipped and a 61% share of the total HCP market in 3Q12. The wireless inkjet segment in mature markets continued to exhibit growth, resulting in 1% year-over-year gain in the third quarter of 2012. Laser declined 8% year over year in 3Q12 to 9.6 million units resulting in a 35% share of the total HCP market. The wireless laser segment experienced year-over-year growth of 9% and 22%, respectively, in the emerging and mature markets. The monochrome laser...

Penclic says its Mini Keyboard, which is Mac compatible, was designed with women in mind. Injuries caused by prolonged and repetitive use of computer keyboards and mice are very real and widely recognized health problems. Perhaps lesser known, is that women are three times more likely than men to develop and suffer such injuries, according to physiotherapist Marianne Ahlberg. A chief reason for this is poorly designed computer peripherals, unsuitable for most women users, she adds. "The design of today’s peripheral computer devices is not entirely optimal for women," says Ahlberg "Keyboards are generally made too wide, requiring women to work outside the span of their shoulders, while most computer mice add unnecessary muscle strain due to their weight.” Enter the Penclic Mini Keyboard, whose design incorporates the science community’s latest findings about gender-specific aspects of computer work to provide a keyboard that works just as well for women as for men. The narrowed down...

Flipboard introduces a new way to browse books. Launching with sections about books, readers can browse through literature, cookbooks, travel guides and other categories, and easily buy titles directly from the iBookstore. The new sections give readers a fun new way to discover interesting and exciting books by simply flipping through catalog-like pages full of books, says Christina Mace-Turner, head of publisher partnerships at Flipboard. The book sections are now available in 10 countries. There are 25 customized and localized sections for the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Italy, and Spain. Sections range from Fiction & Literature, Biographies & Memoirs, Business books, Cookbooks, Travel and more. Each title includes the publisher's description and a link to the book's page on the iBookstore so when readers discover interesting books, they can buy them on iOS and add them to their iBooks Library on iPad, iPad...

Connected devices score high rates of ad recall and response among users, with one-third of U.S. tablet owners and 40% of U.S. smartphone owners recalling an in-app ad shown on their device, according to Parks Associates (www.parksassociates.com). "Over 50% of U.S. broadband households now own at least one Internet-enabled CE device, and tablet ownership grew by 146% in the first three quarters of 2012," says senior research analyst at the research group. "These devices offer a significant opportunity, in an increasingly fragmented media environment, for advertisers to form and maintain meaningful connections with consumers." According toParks Associates data: ° 51% of U.S. broadband households own at least one Internet-enabled CE device. ° 25% of U.S. broadband households own a smart TV set. ° Smart TV and connected game console in-app ad awareness is low compared to smartphone and tablet ads, but these users are more likely to respond. One-fourth of smart TV users recall an in-app...

Here are the latest updates for Mac OS X apps: Microsoft has posted Office for Mac software updates for both the 2011 and 2008 versions of the software The updates are highly recommended, as they fix "extremely important" functionality issues and improve overall security. The 2011 and 2008 updates are available as free downloads from Microsoft Support (support.microsoft.com). Blackmagic Design (www.blackmagicdesign.com) has announced HyperDeck 3.6, an update to its solid state disk (SSD) recorder. The upgrade adds support for Apple ProRes 422 (HQ) into HyperDeck Shuttle 2, plus new closed caption support for all HyperDeck models. CS Odessa says its ConceptDraw product line (www.conceptdraw.com) now includes Skype integration. Ivideon (www.ivdeon.com) has given us Ivideon Server 3.0, now providing Mac users access to the free, international, cloud-based, video-surveillance web service: Ivideon Cloud. Compatible with most webcams and IP cameras, users can sign up for a free, private...

We're way overdue for some "iTV" news, so here goes: in a note to clients -- as reported by "Barron's" (http://macte.ch/r8zLg) -- Jefferies & Co. analyst James Kisner says it appears that an Apple-branded HDTV is "imminent." "Our discussions with industry contacts suggest that at least one major N. American MSO is working to estimate how much additional capacity may be needed for a new Apple device on their broadband data network," he says in the note to clients [our] estimates assume an actual Television product (not a 'puck' like the current Apple TV)"

In a note to clients the Cowen & Company analyst firm says the iPad mimi "creates more demand than it cannibalizes" and that over 50% of those planning to buy one are first-time tablet purchasers. Cowen and Co. recently conducted a survey of 1,225 U.S. adults on their upcoming tablet buying preferences. According to "All Things Digital" () just 12% of respondents said that they would buy an iPad mini within the next 18 months. Out of that group, just 16.6% said that they were buying the tablet to replace it with another tablet. What's more, 29% of respondents said that the tablet they were replacing was an iPad. Given that, Cowen & Co. analyst Matthew Hoffman says the "iPad mini creates more demand than it cannibalizes."

Worldwide sales of mobile phones to end users reached almost 428 million units in the third quarter of 2012, a 3.1% decline from the third quarter of 2011, according to Gartner (www.gartner.com). Smartphone sales accounted for 39.6% of total mobile phone sales, as smartphone sales increased 46.9% from the third quarter of 2011.  The smartphone market was dominated by Apple and Samsung. “Both vendors together controlled 46.5% of smartphone market "leaving a handful of vendors fighting over a distant third spot," says Anshul Gupta, principal research analyst at Gartner. Samsung’s mobile phones sales continued to accelerate, totaling almost 98 million units in the third quarter of 2012, up 18.6% year-on-year. Samsung further widened the gap with Apple in the smartphone market, selling 55 million smartphones in the third quarter of 2012. It commanded 32.5% of the global smartphone market in the quarter. Still, Apple’s sales to end users totaled 23.6 million units in the third quarter of...

WaterField Designs (www.sfbags.com) has introduced the CitySlicker for the Apple iPad mini and the 4th generation iPad. It costs US$89 and $99, respectively. The ballistic nylon and leather CitySlicker cushions the iPad with three layers of protection and includes slim stretch pockets to hold accessories. You can add optional D-rings and a strap to covert the case into a minimalist shoulder bag. The CitySlicker for iPad is available in a choice of six leather flap colors: black, chocolate, grizzly, nubock and peruvian.

Mujio (www.mujjo.com) has released the MacBook Pro Retina 13-inch Sleeve. The brown case sells for approximately US$76. This snug tailored, hand-crafted sleeve combines minimalism with long lasting elegant accents, according to the folks at Muijo. The leather flap, with one button on the right, provides a simple closure and keeps your device secure. The snap and rivets are lined to keep your MacBook from touching anything but soft, thick wool felt. The smart storage compartment allows you to store documents, earplugs and more. The sleeve is a combination of 100% wool felt and high quality leather. Wool felt is a sustainable and renewable material, offering strength while remaining a soft touch, according to Mujio. The flap is made out of 100% vegetable-tanned leather and is hand-dyed using environmentally friendly dyes. The felt can be cleaned; a special treatment provides anti-peeling properties and makes the sleeve water repellent.

iBattz (http://augustusenterprises.com) has introduced their lineup of battery cases designed to ensure iPhone 4/4S users will never run out of juice.  The three battery case options titled Vogue, Armor and Classic offer protection and charging. The US$89.90 Mojo Vogue battery case is available in six designer colors and 12 combinations featuring changeable back covers. The Vogue provides protection from knocks, drops and vibrations and includes a second battery. The $99.90 Armor protects your iPhone from life’s drops, dust, splashes and shocks. It's designed for outdoor enthusiasts, students and anyone that needs a rugged battery case. The cases are available in grey and black both with a protective silicone sleeve to seal all ports. The case also has an exchangeable bumper and back cover. The $49.90 Mojo Classic removable battery case, available in both black and white, is designed to extend battery life and complement the minimalistic design of the iPhone 4/4S. The lightweight...

eMedia Music has announced the North American release of EarMaster Pro 6 through its partnership with EarMaster ApS of Denmark. The new version adds new features to the ear-training program, as well as brand new activities such as real-time sight-singing exercises and singing back melodies by ear. EarMaster Pro 6 has been designed for all musicians and singers at any level. It includes over 2,000 new lessons available through two courses: a standard course (all styles) and a Jazz course (with swing rhythms and jazz chords). The activities included in EarMaster Pro 6 are designed to enable both trained and untrained musicians to practice their abilities to identify by ear, transcribe, sight-read and play back intervals, chords, scales, rhythms and melodies. Most of the new features and improvements the new version are user requests that the company received from users from around the world, from musicians of all levels, to leading music schools such as Berklee College of Music where...

Here are the latest updates for Mac OS X apps: Tension Software (www.pomola.com) has revved Password Repository, software for managing all your passwords and all the related data in a safe way, to version 3. The upgrade adds a "Push&Pull" feature, a more modern layout, a new import module, a new export module and more. Noise Industries (www.noiseindustries.com) has tweaked FxFactory to version 4.0. It's the first version of the visual effects software that supports Adobe Premiere Pro. Smile (www.smilesoftware.com) has released TextExpander 4.0.3, an update to its typing shortcut tool. The update fixes an issue with the TextExpander icon appearing twice in the Dock on restart. The update also adds the command "expand" to the AppleScript vocabulary, allowing scripts to trigger expansion of a snippet. MacXDVD Software (www.macxdvd.com) says its MacX DVD Ripper Pro has been updated to be fully compatible with iPad mini, so that you can rip and convert DVDs for the new Apple tablet....

WaterField Designs (www.sfbags.com) has introduced the CitySlicker for the Apple iPad mini and the 4th generation iPad. It costs US$89 and $99, respectively. The ballistic nylon and leather CitySlicker cushions the iPad with three layers of protection and includes slim stretch pockets to hold accessories. You can add optional D-rings and a strap to covert the case into a minimalist shoulder bag. The CitySlicker for iPad is available in a choice of six leather flap colors: black, chocolate, grizzly, nubock and peruvian. Matrix Logic releases Mac client for OpenText eDOCS system  Matrix Logic Corp (www.matrix-logic.com) -- a long-time OpenText partner and integrator of Enterprise Content Management (ECM) solutions for law firms, corporate legal departments, government agencies and private businesses -- has released Share, a full Mac client for OpenText eDOCS systems. Share by Matrix Logic provides Mac users with a DMS client that has complete access to an organization's eDOCS system...

A new report from the Gartner Research Group (www.gartner.com), as reported by "AppleInsider" (www.appleinsider.com), says that iPhone accounted for 5.5% of all mobile phone sales in the third quarter of 2012, making Apple the third-largest handset maker in the world. Worldwide sales of mobile phones to end users reached almost 428 million units in the third quarter of 2012, says Gartner. Overall mobile phone sales were down 3.1%, but smartphone sales were up 47% year-over-year.

Apple has appealed an $83,600 judgement in China over pirated versions of an encyclopedia sold on the Apple App Store. According to "electronista" (www.electronista.com), Apple claims that it's not responsible for the development of the content, nor did it deliberately engage in copyright violation. The appeal declares that the court's ruling on the complaint was faulty, and added that the $84,000 fine was excessive and incorrectly applied. In September a Chinese court ruled in favor of the Encyclopedia of China Publishing House in its suit against Apple that claimed the U.S. company was liable for the sale of unauthorized digital copies of its encyclopedia found on the Apple App Store. First filed in 2010, the suit claimed apps being sold through the store contained pirated versions of the copy-written encyclopedia. Apple argued that it had no involvement in the development of the third-party apps; however, the court ruled the company was responsible as it both approved and...

Apple doesn't consider its MacBook Air as an "ultrabook," but that hasn't stopped it from topping the "ultrabook competitive assessment" from ABI Research (www.abirsearch.com). Apple’s leading position in the mobile computing market is reflected in its average score for innovation and implementation which was 84.7 out of a possible 100, says the research group. Lenovo placed in second position and Samsung in third spot with respective scores of 77.5 and 74.4. Even though Apple ranks at the top overall, both Lenovo and Asus beat Apple in the innovation segment, according to ABI Research. There is no one section in which Lenovo scores outstanding marks; nevertheless, the company scores consistently across all categories, never dropping below 65%. The ultrabook competitive assessment" evaluated the vendors' leading devices on form factor and weight (portability), features and performance, new product launches, product portfolio, price and value proposition, emphasis on vendor’s ultrabook...