Rokform (www.Rokform.com) has released RokBed Fuzion+ case for iPhone 4/4S. It's available in multiple colors for US$99. It offers the same durability as the original RokBed Fuzion, but with additional features and improvement, according to Rokform Vice President Jeff Whitten. Similar to Rokform's mountable RokBed v3 case, the Fuzion+ has the ability to be mounted to nearly any surface for a hands free experience with the addition of an optional magnetic mount accessory. A built-in anti-slip grip also keeps your device secure even when it's not mounted. Machined from a single billet of 6061 T-6, aircraft grade aluminum, the Fuzion+ case offers six-sided protection. It has survived drop tests equivalent to military standards, as well as being run over by a car, says Whitten.

Acase has released the Collagio, a iPhone 5 case with the added functionality of a leather wallet. It's available for US$39.99 MSRP at Amazon and at www.apluscase.com.tw/ . The Collagio’s "grab-and-go" design allows users to carry their iPhone 5, up to 3 cards and cash at the same time, eliminating the need for a wallet or purse without adding bulk, according to Tom Hsieh, sales and marketing manager of Acase. The Collagio features all the fine characteristics of designer leather goods, including soft but durable leather, premium stitching and scratch resistant finish, he adds. The Collagio also adopts the qualities of iPhone 5 cases, including a snug and slip-free fit, slightly elevated sides to prevent scratches and accessibility to all controls, buttons and camera lenses.

Griffin Technology says its Twenty is now available. It's an audio amplifier that incorporates the user's Airport Express to capture the AirPlay stream, decode it, then play lossless amplified sound through attached speakers. It's available for US$99.99 at store.griffintechnology.com/twenty-airplay-amplifier . The Twenty boasts a zero-configuration audio set-up: the user plugs the AirPort Express into a built-in power connection and mounting platform on Twenty's top panel. The Twenty then captures the AirPlay stream from iTunes and other AirPlay-enabled apps such as Pandora, Spotify, and last.fm, and sends Apple Lossless sound to the user’s speakers through its low-profile digital amplifier. The Twenty is designed to provide docking with the original Airport Express but is compatible with any digital audio source including the new Airport Express. The audio amplifier features a 2.1 channel sound system with 20 watts output per channel and supports a powered subwoofer with an...

Realore has released Jane's Hotel Mania for Mac. It is the third installment in the hit time management game series about businesswoman Jane. Here's how it's described: "The game starts when Jane offers her niece Jenny a position of a hotel manager in a family business. Jenny gladly accepts. Players' mission as Jenny is to manage hotels in different parts of the world and become a business magnate. "In Jane's Hotel Mania, there are 40 levels and 8 hidden object mini-games for players to enjoy. The action takes place in 4 hotels built in Scotland, Egypt, Monaco and Russia. Players' goal is to serve all the clients and earn a certain amount of money. With the earned revenue players can buy new furniture, decorative items and various upgrades that increase each hotel's popularity. "Players will be assisted by a maid and a porter. After each level the characters can learn new skills that make running a hotel easier and faster. Maid will clean rooms, water flowers, bring guests fluffy...

Blizzard Entertainment says StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, the first expansion to the company's real-time strategy game StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty, will be available in stores and online beginning March 12, 2013. Here's how the expansion pack is described: "Heart of the Swarm features a new campaign continuing the epic story of Sarah Kerrigan, Queen of Blades, as she gathers the remnants of the zerg Swarm and plots her revenge against the treacherous dictator of the Koprulu sector, Arcturus Mengsk. It also introduces several new multiplayer units and features that enhance the acclaimed StarCraft II online experience." StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm will be available on DVD-ROM for Mac OS X and Windows at a suggested retail price of US$39.99. The expansion will also be available digitally directly from Blizzard’s StarCraft II website (www.StarCraft2.com) at an expected price of $39.99. Blizzard is offering a Collector's Edition of Heart of the Swarm loaded with digital and...

Here are the latest updates for Mac OS X apps: Apple has posted Aperture 3.4.3, an update of its software for professional and semi-pro photographers. Available at the Mac App Store, the upgrade fixes "an issue that could cause a licensed copy of Aperture to prompt for a serial number with each launch." Zevrix Solutions (www.zevrix.com) has rolled out LinkOptimizer 4.7.8, a feature update to its workflow automation solution for Adobe InDesign. The new version lets users optimize image links in InDesign's multi-state objects. Maintain has released Cocktail 5.3.8 (Lion Edition), the latest maintenance update for users running OS X Lion 10.7. Cocktail (http://www.maintain.se/cocktail) is a general purpose utility that lets users clean, repair and optimize their Mac. Version 5.3.8 adds the ability to disable startup sound and addresses compatibility issues with USB flash drives. Ergonis Software (www.ergonis.com) has given us Typinator 5.3, a new version of their text expander. The...

Apple has leased 5425 Stevens Creek Blvd. in Santa Clara, a 57,479-square-foot building, reports "Silicon Valley BizBlog" (http://macte.ch/N16OU). The building was formerly home to LiveOps, which recently moved to a 42,000-square-foot building at 555 Twin Dolphin Drive in Redwood Shores. Apple also subleased space from Roamware in Cupertino, reports "BizBlog." The two-story, 11,552 square-foot building is located at 20401 Stevens Creek Blvd. in Cupertino. Apple owned or leased 17.3 million square feet of building space as of the third quarter.

Apple is once again the most valuable retailer based on sales per square foot, more than doubling the sales of Tiffany & Co., according to new data from RetailSails (http://macte.ch/BJDoH). "Apple Stores have captured shoppers’ imaginations and dominate the competition with sales per square foot nearly more than double its closest rival," says the New York-baed research and consulting firm. The report says Apple's retail stores see US$6,050 sales per square foot. Others in the top 10 -- and their sales per square foot -- are Tiffany & Co. ($3,017), Iuluemon Athletics ($1,936), Coach ($1,871), Michael Kors ($1,431), Select Comfort ($1,314), True Religion ($1,227), Vera Bradley ($1.186), Birks & Mayors ($1,082) and Fairway Market ($1,081). "We attempted to include as many companies across the broad universe of the U.S. retail industry as possible, deriving information from sources including company press releases and presentations, conference calls and SEC filings,"...

The US mobile data market grew 3% quarter-over-quarter (Q/Q) and 17% year-over-year (Y/Y )to reach US$19.9 billion in the third quarter of 2012, according to a report published Monday by Chetan Sharma (www.chetansharma.com), an independent mobile analyst. Apple dominates both the smartphone revenues and, "more importantly just crushes the competition on device profits," according to the research group. It has only 6% of the global unit shipment share but over 70% profit share. "In tablets, Apple completely dominates the landscape in both shipments and revenue," says Chetan Sharma. "In fact, 95% of the profits in the tablet segment go to Apple with the remaining ecosystem fighting for the crumbs. Apple has the complete stronghold on the supply chain and has sucked out the oxygen from the OEM [original equipment manufacturer] world."

Apple has posted a number of new job listings indicating that the company will be opening retail stores in various locations in Brazil and Turkey, reports "MacRumors" (www.macrumors.com). The listings includes retail positions in each country, including managers, geniuses, creatives, specialists, and business-focused staff. Seventy-five percent of the 30-35 retail stores Apple plans for fiscal 2013 will be located outside the U.S.

You may have missed the recent Australian eclipse, but you can still get good pricing on Southern Stars' recent updates to their SkySafari apps for iOS, Mac OS X, and Android. SkySafari 3.5 is the only iOS astronomy app that correctly displays both solar and lunar eclipses from any place on Earth, according to Southern Stars founder Tim DeBenedictis. Now, the Plus and Pro versions of SkySafari 3.5 add a new twist, he adds. "You can now leave the surface of planet Earth, and view eclipses and other celestial events from any place in the solar system," Tim DeBenedictis says. With this new ability to fly into orbit around other objects in the Solar System, SkySafari Plus and Pro give you a unique perspective on events like this Sunday's solar eclipse, he adds. By watching an eclipse from the Moon, for instance, you can visually see where the Moon's shadow will pass across the Earth, and make your travel plans accordingly. SkySafari's new orbit feature isn't just limited to solar eclipses...

Piggybacking on the success of the miFrame Precious Metals collection, Striped Sail (http://stripedsail.com) is releasing four new frames crafted by hand in Vermont. Available today, iPad owners can frame their iPad in portrait or landscape in lacewood, mahogany or walnut. Additionally, for a modern cooler look, the company is also releasing a Curly Maple version of its miFrame photo frame dock for the iPad 2 and iPad 3. Each frame is crafted with beveled inner and outer edges and subtle crisscross patterns in each corner. The frames are made from solid hardwood for sturdiness, quality, and durability, says Justin Elkow, the miFrame lead designer. Like every other miFrame Striped Sail has released, the new product can charge iPad with its built-in dock connector in both portrait and landscape orientations and it comes with an extended 5-foot USB cable so the miFrame can be positioned in just the right place and still reach an outlet. Unique to Striped Sail's miFrame iPad dock, the...

In a note to clients -- as reported by "CNNMoney (tech.fortune.cnn.com) CLSA's Avi Silver tries to calm nervous Apple investors in the wake of the stock's 22.4% drop since it topped US$705 in intraday trading on Sept. 21. The analyst says the stock is "poised to rebound." "We believe Apple's fundamentals are intact," he says, adding that the stock's miserable performance over the past seven weeks creates a "buying opportunity."

Japanese designer Ayano Kimura has launched the Luminous Collection by Ayano for the iPhone 5. The line combines the functionality of a wallet with the style and portability of a clutch. Each wallet clutch in the Luminous Collection is specifically designed to hold the iPhone 5 and features a direct opening in front of the camera for picture taking without having to remove the phone from the case. The wallet clutch includes pockets for credit cards, ID and cash, as well as a removable and convertible strap allowing the case to be carried as a wristlet, clutch or mini purse. The Luminous Collection is crafted from water-resistant snake-print material and comes in five colors, including gold with gold hardware, gun metal with matching hardware, black with gold hardware, black with gun metal hardware and metallic pink with gold hardware. A snap closure provides access to contents and the iPhone 5. The Luminous Collection wallet clutch is available now at www.bling-my-thing.com for US$59...

Here are the latest updates for Mac OS X apps: iwascoding (www.iwascoding.com) has announced GarageSale 6.5, a free update for its eBay listing application for the Mac. The upgrade uploads larger images to eBay's and iwascoding's image servers. Reggie Ashworth has released AppDelete 4.0.4 (www.reggieashworth.com/appdelete), an update to his application deletion utility. The upgrade sports a new user interface and workflow. Toolsfactory software has rolled out rubiTrack 3.0.2 (http://www.rubitrack.com), an update of the GPS enabled activity tracking software. The upgrade now displays icons for custom activity types in the sidebar and adds a map style option to choose between plastic and flat track drawing. Maxum has served up a new version of Rumpus (www.maxum.com/Rumpus/), software for running your own FTP and Web file transfer server. Version 7.2.8 adds drop shipment and file request history logs. Thinking Code Software has cooked up Dejumble 2.3 (www.dejumble.com), an update of...

Apple has been ordered by the UK Sanctions Court to pay Samsung's legal fees after the company was found to have not complied with a previous determination demanding a notice be posted to its website saying the South Korean company didn't infringe on the iPad's design, reports "Groklaw" (http://macte.ch/HkOWK). In October, as ordered by a U.K. judge, Apple updated its UK website saying that Samsung didn't infringe on its patented iPad design. Apple also included the judge's determination that Samsung devices are "not as cool," as well as three paragraphs of non-compliant text between the ordered material's two paragraphs. The UK Court wasn't impressed and Apple was ordered to rewrite and repost the notice. The court also found Apple's compliance with the order regarding newspapers and magazines "lackadaisical at best." 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...

Samsung has raised the price of mobile processor supplied to Apple by 20% recently, reports "MarketWatch" (http://macte.ch/Ru2mW), quoting an unnamed "person familiar with negotiations between the two tech giants." "Samsung Electronics recently asked Apple for a significant price raise in (the mobile processor known as) application processor," the person was quoted as saying. "Apple first disapproved it, but finding no replacement supplier, it accepted the (increase.)" According "MarketWatch," Apple buys all APs used for production of iPhone and iPad from Samsung with the volume estimated to be 130 million units last year and more than 200 million units this year. Samsung has a contract to supply APs to Apple until 2014, the report adds.

XwaveSoft has ntroduces Cloud Outliner 1.0 for Mac OS X, the Mac version of their cross-platform tool that enables the creation and sharing of outlines between Macs, iOS devices, and Evernote accounts. An outline is the most efficient and simple method of organizing any information, according to the folks at XwaveSoft. With OPML import/export and plain text and PDF export, Cloud Outliner is designed for organizing and sharing information of every kind. Offering unfettered access to outline creation and editing, the app supports a host of sharing options. First, the app offers auto-sync between iDevices and computers via iCloud. Second, the app supports auto-sync with Evernote, the multimedia note-taking app that has achieved the status of an industry standard. Third, the app allows export of outlines in plain text, PDF, or OPML formats. Finally, users can import formatted outlines from other apps via OPML import. Cloud Outliner requires Mac OS X 10.7 or later. It costs US$9.99 and is...

In a note to clients -- as reported by "MacNN" (www.macnn.com) -- Needham & Company analyst Charlie Wolf says Apple Store revenues haven't kept pace with the growth in Apple's overall business, but that's because there are an increasing number of places to buy Apple products. Over the past 10 years, Apple retail stores have grown sales at an average annual rate of 18% and Mac sales have managed an average of 12.2% annual growth,. Also, the retail stores continue to show strong growth despite the stagnant economy.

 Wolf says same-store sales grew 5.4% in the fiscal fourth quarter, which was up from 3.2% in the June quarter. Non-Mac same-store revenues increased to 13.1% in the same period, up from 10.8% in June.

OtterBox (www.otterbox.com) has released Defender Series cases (US$69.95) for the new iPad mini. A built-in screen protector, sturdy polycarbonate shell and shock-absorbing silicone keep the iPad mini safe from bumps, drops and shock, says OtterBox President and CEO Brian Thomas. Silicone plugs round out the outer layer, keeping dust and dirt at bay, yet allowing foraccess to the charging port, headphone jack and silence switch. A removable screen shield keeps the Multi-Touch display safe. It doubles as a viewing stand for efficient typing and web browsing.

Synium Software welcomes two new products in its portfolio: Logoist and TerraRay. Previously introduced by AvisNocturna Sofware, both Mac OS X apps are now sold and developed at Synium Software. Logoist comes with templates, clip arts and effects for creating logos and other pieces of artwork. TerraRay is a 3D terrain rendering app. Currently, Logoist can be purchased for a discounted launch price of US$19.99 instead of the regular price of $39.99. TerraRay sells for a special introduction price of $9.99 instead of the normal $19.99 Both are available in Mac App Store and Synium Web Store (www.syniumsoftware.com/).

Virtual Programming has released Hearts of Iron III: Their Finest Hour, a new downloadable expansion pack for the World War II-era grand strategy game, Hearts of Iron III. It’s now available for download from Deliver2Mac.com for US$19.99. Here's how the expansion pack is described: "Hearts of Iron III delivers an unparalleled turn-based strategy game experience for the Mac, designed by enthusiasts of World War II history. Move forces across land, air and sea as you seek victory in the most devastating war the world has known. The game focuses on on the military, political, economic and diplomatic interactions worldwide from 1936 – 1948. Its astonishing level of detail is balanced by a command system that affords a unique degree of flexibility, so you can control as much or as little as you want."

Here are the latest updates for Mac OS X apps: Apple has released MacBook Air and MacBook Pro Update 2.0, a software update that Apple recommends for, "all Mac notebooks introduced in June 2012." It's available via the Software Updates component of Mac OS X's System Preferences app. InfoLogic has rolled out MathMagic Personal Edition 8.2 (www.mathmagic.com), an update to their multi-purpose mathematical equation editor. The upgrade adds support for Apple's Gatekeeper, WolframAlpha computation and the ability to search for equations and questions, reversed Radical Signs for Arabic right-to-left writing countries, and other improvements. Zykloid Software has updated Posterino (http://zykloid.com/posterino), its "life poster" composing application, to version 2.5. The image browser no longer displays a bunch of iPhoto Events at the top of the iPhoto albums tree (iPhoto 9.4+). All events are again part of the "Events" sub-album-tree. Flexibits has cooked up Fantastica (http://flexibits....

Here are the latest bits of news involving the never-ending Apple-Samsung legal battle. "Magistrate Judge Paul Grewal of the US District Court of the Northern District of California ordered Samsung to pay $21,554 in legal fees to Apple, and Apple to pay $160,069 to Samsung over discovery violations in the smartphone patent suit concluded in August." -- "electronista" (http://macte.ch/Jn5Jp) "A UK judge has slammed Apple’s “lack of integrity” over the way it has conducted itself after it was ordered to place a notice on its website informing users that Samsung was found not guilty of design patent infringement." -- "V3" (http://macte.ch/TvFyN) "A foreman at the centre of the landmark Apple versus Samsung trial could soon be called back and quizzed about whether he 'concealed information.' The trial earlier this year left Samsung facing record damages of more than $1 billion for patent and design infringement relating to Apple’s iPhones and tablets.But now district judge Lucy Koh has...