Addidoku is new puzzle game that has some similarities to Sudoku, but is very different. In each level, you are presented with a several numbers set up in a broken up grid. The goal is to group up the numbers so that they add up according to the rules of the game. Each number can only be in one group and each puzzle has only one unique solution.

So what exactly are these rules? Well, in each group of numbers, all of the numbers (except for the biggest number) must add up to the biggest number. For example, the number 3, 2, 6, 1, 1 for a group because the some of 3, 2, 1 and 1 is 6. You can also pair numbers, like two 5′s, because 5 equals 5. The numbers 4, 3, 5 do not form a valid group because 4 plus 3 does not equal 5.

Only numbers that are adjacent to each other can form a group. This means that if a number is diagonal to your group or separated from your group by a space, it cannot be added to your group.

That’s it! The rules are very simple, but the levels are challenging. But even though they’re challenging, they’re completely doable which makes the game extremely addicting. Because each level can be completed in a reasonable amount of time, you are always willing to play “just one more”.

The Good

• Challenging
• Addicting
• 60 puzzles for free
• 140 additional puzzles available as in-app purchase

The Bad

• None

The Conclusion

Addidoku is such a fun and addicting puzzle game! The object is both familiar and unique at the same time. It’s also challenging — something I find essential in a good puzzle game. It took a lot of self control to pry my hands off my iPhone to write this review.

Now excuse me while I play “just one more level” of Addidoku.

Free – Download Now

Australian consumers may have been duped into thinking the new iPad would work on local LTE bands based on the 4G branding plastered on the latest iOS tablet, but Apple is standing by their usage of the term. In a statement to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission, Apple said:

The iPad with WiFi + 4G is a device which performs in accordance with the descriptor ’4G’ in terms of data transfer speed. The descriptor ’4G’ … conveys to consumers in Australia that the iPad with WiFi + 4G will deliver a superior level of service in terms of data transfer speed (consistent with accepted industry and regulatory use of that term), and not that the iPad with WiFi + 4G is compatible with any particular network technology promoted by a particular mobile service provider in Australia.

While 4G really doesn’t mean much of anything after the ITU ruled that even HSPA+ could be advertised as a next-generation wireless network, the 4G label is still really misleading. Apple has put up posters in stores effectively saying “P.S. Not actually 4G”, and even their Australian iPad site has changed the wording in line with the service providers, which is about all you could ask for. That said, it seems like this aggressive defense is only for the sake of avoiding fines for suggesting the new iPad was Australian LTE-capable in the first place.

Have any of you had to explain to your less tech-savvy friends what exactly 4G means? Do you think the marketing term is actively affecting sales?

Source: The Australian via MacWorld

The Bible is the most read book in the world, and tiny Bibles with microscopic text have always been popular because of their portability. But, now, today, thanks to ultra-portable devices like the iPhone and iPad with their awesome Retina displays, and apps like Olive Tree’s BibleReader, the Bible is more portable and easier to read than ever.

If you search for Bible in the App Store, you will be flooded with an overwhelming amount of app choices, from good to bad to just plain different. There are so many that it’s almost impossible to figure out which one to get. So I went on the hunt for the perfect Bible app. It had to gorgeously rendered, packed with features, highly customizable, and run perfectly smooth. And I kept coming back to Olive Tree’s BibleReader for iPhone and iPad.

Olive Tree BibleReader is a universal app for the iPhone and iPad, but I will be using screenshots of the iPad for this review. The iPhone version has the exact same features as the iPad version.

The integrated in-app store

Included in all of the Olive Tree Bible apps is an integrated store where you can buy more books including other version of the Bible, commentary, reference materials, devotionals, and more.

All books that you purchase will be synced to your Olive Tree account so that you can download them to another device at no additional cost or re-download them if you accidentally delete them or need to restore your iPhone or iPad.

Split screen UI

One of the really neat features of BibleReader is that you can split your screen into two panels. If you’re using BibleReader in portrait, the screen will split horizontally, and when in landscape, it will split vertically. In each panel, you can have any of the books you have in your Olive Tree Library.

Here’s a few different situations that one may find the split screen to be useful:

• While at church, your pastor has one main passage that he’s covering, but also references other verses. You can use one panel for the main passage, and the other to browse to the other verses.
• You want to compare two different versions of the Bible side-by-side — basically converting BibleReader into a parallel Bible.
• You want to read another book, like a devotional, while having your Bible open to reference at the same time. Or maybe the Bible is the main book you want open, and you want to have easy access to a reference book.

If you don’t want the split screen, you can simply slide the one you don’t want off the the screen. This is also nice in case you want the split screen, but not the entire time. You can keep your secondary book open in the second panel, but keep it hidden until the moments you need it.

You also have control of where on the screen you want the split to take place — it doesn’t have to be directly down the middle.

Navigation

It’s no secret that Bibles are huge and that people don’t typically read them from front to back like other books. Often times, someone is looking for a specific book, chapter, or even verse in the giant book, so having a good navigational system is extremely important for a Bible app — and Olive Tree has nailed it with BibleReader.

The “Go To” button at the upper-left of the screen is how you navigate to a specific section of the Bible. Tapping it will pop up a menu that lists all the books of the Bible in chronological order. You can also pull it down to discover a search field that allows you to type in the verse. It does recognize abbreviations, so, for example, “1 Cor 13:4″ will take you to 1 Corinthians 13:4. You can also choose to see the books of the Bible displayed as a grid with their abbreviations.

Another trait that most Bible’s have are superscripts that reference other relevant verses. In a printed version, you would check the bottom of the page to check the reference, then flip to the verse. With BibleReader, you simply tap the superscript and a list of all the verses associated with the nearby superscripts will appear. Tapping on one of the verse references will navigate to that verse right inside of the popup. It’s very cool. You can then either read it in the popup, or choose to have it opened in the main or split window.

Highlights, underlines, and notes

People love marking up their Bible with highlighters, underlinings, and notes — BibleReader lets you do all these things.

To select a verse, you simply tap on the verse number. Or if you want more or less than one verse, tap your finger on a word to select it, then drag the handles to extend your selection. You then see a popup of choices: copy, highlight, note, bookmark, or share. These choices are pretty self explanatory.

Highlights in BibleReader are so much cooler than with physical highlighters. You can choose for your highlights to have a traditional look, or you can customize the intensity, color, and highlighter style. For underlining, you can have the underline look like it was made with either a thin highlighter or with a pen. You can do this every time you add a highlight, or you can create your favorite looks and save them for quick access.

When you create a note, a little note icon will be placed in front of your selection as an indicator of there being a note present. Tapping the icon will popup the note.

Customizations

One of the great features of Olive Tree’s BibleReader is that its look is very customizable. The default look is very traditional and easy to read, but if you want to change the font type, size, color, or background, you can. Want the words of Jesus to be in something fun like pink or green? Not a problem!

You can set different customizations for each of the three different window types: main screen, split screen, and popup.

Which version?

Olive Tree has many different Bible versions available in the App Store and making a decision on which one to buy can be a big overwhelming if you don’t know which version you want, or if you’re interested in more than one version. The good news is that since each app allows you to sync your Olive Tree library, it ultimately doesn’t matter which one you choose.

If you are only interested in a specific version, I recommend just buying that one as it will be the quickest way to get it on your iPhone or iPad.

The most confusing part of the available apps is that it isn’t clear what the difference is between the free Bible+ version and $0.99 BibleReader version. BibleReader includes the ASV, KJV, Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary, and Jamieson, Faucett, and Brown Commentary. Bible+ comes with ASV and KJV and the Matthew Henry's concise commentary is available for free in the integrated store. The Jamieson, Faucett, and Brown Commentary is also available, but not free. So, to sum it up, the main difference is that BibleReader comes with The Jamieson, Faucett, and Brown Commentary.

The other difference is, of course, what it will be named on your Home screen. For example, since I purchased NIV BibleReader, the icon on my Home screen is called NIV BR.

The fact that there are so many apps is confusing and overwhelming. If you’re at a loss, I recommend just downloading the free version and browsing the in-app store for what you want to purchase.

The Good

• Content is stored locally to your iPhone or iPad, so an internet connection is not required
• Highly customizable
• Lots of highlighter and underlining options
• Two pane UI is very convenient.
• Keep notes and customizations synced between devices
• Universal for iPhone and iPad

The Bad

• Too many apps to choose from. Would be less confusing for users if there was only one app.

The Conclusion

Olive Tree’s BibleReader is a fantastic Bible for your iPhone and iPad. The Bible has always been one of those books that I wanted to continue to read in print because of how much marking-up I like to do and I always thought it felt more personal. Since discovering BibleReader, it’s the only Bible I ever read. I even bring my iPad to church and make notes and highlights into the app while my pastor gives his sermon. And not to brag or anything, but I can also navigate to verses faster than anyone else with BibleReader on my iPad.

Bible+, Free – Download Now

BibleReader, $0.99 – Download Now

NIV BibleReader, $9.99 – Download Now

All Olive Tree Bible Apps – App Store dev page

Share your favorite iPhone or iPad accessory on Pinterest for your chance to win!

The iMore Accessory Store has added a handy new “Pin it” feature, so you can share your favorite iPhone and iPad accessories quickly and easily on everyone’s favorite new social pinboard, Pinterest. To test it out, have some fun, and frankly — give the awesome members of the iMore nation some free stuff! — we’re going to hold a “pin it to win it!” contest.

It’s simple to enter.

1. Head on over to store.imore.com
2. Find the accessory you love most
3. Hit the Pin it button and share it to Pinterest

That’s it! We’ll pick a few of you and give you whatever you pinned — cases, charges, headsets, helicopters, whatever!

And if you want to make extra sure we find you — and you can find and share with each other — swap your Pinterest ID in our Social Network Forum!

So what are you waiting for! Get with the pinning so you can get with the winning! Enter now!

Five regional U.S. carriers are launching the iPhone 4S today, including nTelos out of Waynesboro, Virginia, Appalachian Wireless covering east Kentucky, Alaska Communications and GCL up north, and Cellcom, handling northeastern Wisconsin.  Handset prices are consistent: $150 for the 16 GB iPhone 4S, $250 for 32 GB, and $350 for 64 GB. Plans vary of course, ranging for $60 to $100 monthly depending on what you’re looking for.

Seeing as we aren’t expecting a new iPhone until the fall, it isn’t quite too late for American carriers to begin offering the iPhone 4S, which originally launched last October. Both our iMore and Mobile Nations editors, and our iMore community forums think the iPhone 4S is holding up extremely well, and still once of the best buys in mobile. That means folks serviced by regional carrier will probably be perfectly happy with the iPhone 4S.

Has anybody been waiting for one of these local carriers to start offering the iPhone 4S? Is coverage from these guys adequate for what you need? Let us know in our U.S. regional carrier forum!

Source: 9to5 Mac

As expected, the third wave of Retina-grade new iPads are hitting international markets today, including South Korea, Brunei, Croatia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Malaysia, Panama, St Maarten, Uruguay and Venezuela. The last batch was on March 23, which covered most of Europe, while the initial rollout included select major markets in North America, Europe, and Asia. The final wave will be next week, April 27, when the new iPad hits Colombia, Estonia, India, Israel, Latvia, Lithuania, Montenegro, South Africa and Thailand.

Apple has been beating Samsung on their Korean home turf with the iPad 2 alone, so it’s a safe assumption that the new iPad will further cement iOS dominance there. I have the sneaking suspicion that  the new iPad will do equally well elsewhere in the world. I feel a little bad for those who have had to wait so long to get their mitts on one, but no doubt the wait is creating a fair bit of excitement for launch day. Any international readers out there really itching to get a new iPad? Have any of you resorted to ordering one from abroad?

If you get your new iPad today, jump into our iPad 3 Forum and give us your review!

For today only, the iMore Store has the Ballistic Shell Gel (SG) Series Case for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 on sale for only $17.95! Get them before they’re gone!

• Get the Ballistic Shell Gel (SG) Series Case for iPhone 4S, iPhone 4 now!

The Ballistic SG Series case for the iPhone 4S, AT&T iPhone 4, or Verizon iPhone 4 offers three layers of protection.

The first and outermost layer is made of soft TPU which will help absorb the shock of a drop. In addition, this first layer is co-molded onto layer number two, which is made of a tough impact resistant polycarbonate.

Last but not least, the third layer, which is the inner-most layer, is made of a soft silicone. This layer also includes Ballistic corners, which means all four corner have extra shock absorption where you need it the most.

Features:

• 3-layers of protection
• Soft TPU skin
• Impact resistant polycarbonate
• Ballistic corners for ultimate drop protection

Apple’s next generation iPhone is rumored to use a new display panel technology that could make the device not only thinner but lighter too. The panel technology which is called in-cell touch is currently being rolled out by Sharp and Toshiba. The rumors come from sources in Apple’s current supply chain.

An improvement in yield rates of the in-cell touch panels at Sharp and TMD has persuaded Apple to choose to cooperate with Japan-based panel makers, the sources noted. The adoption of the in-cell touch panels, if realized, will also have a significant impact on the operations of Apple’s current touch panel suppliers TPK Holdings and Wintek, which are specialized in the production of glass on glass touch solutions currently, said the sources.

Current iPhone capacitive screens require a touchscreen to be fitted outside of the LCD, this means an additional layer of sensing glass which of course increases the thickness but also adds an extra step in the lamination process. Should Apple choose to use this new in-cell technology, it would offer better yield rates, reduced manufacturig costs as well as slimmer and lighter devices.

Source: Digitimes, AUO

NoiseHush stereo headphones feature neodymium magnet drivers and advanced engineering to deliver a great audio experience whether used with your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. I’m going to review a couple of their models, starting with the NoiseHush NX26 Hi-Fi stereo headphones.

The NoiseHush NX26 headphones are for high-performance audio that promise deep bass, low distortion and a wide dynamic range. They eliminate noise, making sure no matter what you’re listening to, music or video or someone else at the end of a call, you’re not distracted by a lot of external chatter. They have an adjustable headband and an over-the-ear design that delivers good sound and strong bass. The microphone also claims to be acoustically tuned to filter out external noise so the people you’re talking to hear you, and not the racket around you.

While the NoiseHush NX26 are a lot of headphone to love — they’re big, really big — but being over-the-ear lets them deliver really rich, really clean sound. They don’t fit as tightly as some other headphones, however, so if you’re seriously getting your headbang on, you’ll need to be careful so you don’t know yourself out. (Kidding!)

I use similarly sized headphones for podcasting on a regular basis, so for around the house it really doesn’t bother me. I wouldn’t use them to go jogging or in the gym, but if I really wanted to enjoy my favorite music or a movie with amazing sound design, these would be the headphones Id’ use.

The good

• Over-the-ear design is comfortable
• Sound quality is excellent

The bad

• Loose fitting
• Large

The conclusion

The NoiseHush NX26 are good headphones for the price. The size and design won’t appeal to everyone — these aren’t your Apple earbuds, and thank goodness for that! — but for those who like the form factor, they’ll appeal a lot. Combining long-wearing comfort with excellent sound quality the NoiseHush NX26 are an excellent pair of headphone to keep at home for the stuff you want to listen to most.

$69.95 – Buy now