What's happening?
Brian Tong here and welcome to the Apple Byte for everything good and bad inside the World of Apple after all the holiday shopping and Cyber Monday.
So, let's get to it and it's another acquisition for Apple this week.
After the Wall Street Journal reports, Apple paid more than $200 million for Topsy, a social analytics company that holds a number of search related pants that could be implemented directly into Apple's own products like the iTunes store
or App Store.
Now, Topsy is able to mind data with its search tools from services like Twitter.
So, it could also be plugged in with Apple Apps to offer suggestions that are more relevant to what's trending as well like WCW, which stands for Women Crush Wednesday, and I'm sad I actually had to look that up.
All right, rumors keep on rolling with a 12.9-inch iPad after Chinese website Pad News reports Apple is testing five different versions of the big screen iPad.
They report that Apple may launch a version with a 2K resolution
in the first half of 2014, which is pretty much the current resolution of the current full size iPad.
Then Pad News says they will debut a 4K Ultra HD resolution model a couple months later even if Apple has never really done anything like that before with any of its product line.
So, take that story however you want.
Now the iPhone 5C may not be as top selling phone and reports say the 5S is selling two to three times more.
But according to research, Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, try say not five times really fast,
almost half of iPhone 5C buyers switched from competitor brands particularly Samsung and LG compared to 80 percent of 5s owners who upgraded from a previous iPhone model.
And in more iPhone news, tech writer Michael Andrews shared photos of what he claims is the prototype version of the iPhone 5C styled case for the iPhone 5S.
Now, this design has openings on the top and bottom unlike the fully covered 5C case and the arrangement of the dots is different as well.
There's no confirmation of Apple was planning to actually release
this 'Crocs' looking case for the 5S, and unfortunately it hasn't been confirmed if their Jibbitz Shoe Charms are compatible with it because honestly I collect those.
All right, shifting gears.
Let's check out our app of the week.
This week, the App to Get has to be Quiz Up.
This is really a fun trivia game with over 250 different topics.
It has a real sleek interface and let's be honest that background music totally chills me out.
Now you can play against your friends and really frustrate them.
-Yeah.
You suck boy.
Oh, damn it!
-And the best part of this app, it's free and forget about games like Draw Something that nobody plays anymore.
Quiz up is where it's at.
And also, I'll be a gentleman to you on Math Easy like kindergarten math.
That's right.
All those she beat me at tech.
So, yeah, they'll get the app and check out Quiz up.
And if you challenge me, I will totally kick your butt.
All right.
So, the Quick Bites Honda is integrating the iPhone with their 2014 Honda Civic touchscreen that mirrors apps from your smartphone to the display and in car audio system.
It's not a full blown implementation of iOS in the car, but it's one of the first steps.
Now, the system will also be arriving with a new 2015 Honda Fit next spring as support for some Android features will come next year.
We've also talked about iBeacons and how they can be used in retail stores.
Well, a startup called Exact Editions is now allowing newsstand publication samples to appear on
iDevices when they are near specific places.
Now the iBeacon talks to the iDevice when it's nearby and a magazine publication appears in your new standup for your to read, but then goes away once you leave its proximity.
Now, it's a cool idea and Major League Baseball is also planning to use iBeacons to enhance the experience at ballparks as well.
And if you're tried of the same old iPad cases, check out this one from Belkin with their new Lego iPad mini case for 59 bucks.
Now the backside comes with a Lego grid and all its studs analyze you to get creative or
honestly, have your kids never give you back your iPad again because they're playing the games on it and then they're building Lego castles in.
Yeah, actually this is not a good idea.
All right guys, I'm kidding.
This is really cool.
They also make them for the iPhone 5 and 5S, but you really may never see your iPad mini ever again.
All right, that's gonna do for this week's show.
Send me your live questions at the applebyte@cnet.com or tweet me @briantong and offer you the best advice possible.
I'm Brian Tong, thanks for watching.
We'll see you guys all next time for another byte of the Apple.
