The best damn podcast in the world returns LIVE tonight and we'll be talking all about the rumored iPad mini, the rumored iPhone 5, and the rumored... rumors. All that, and more micro-dock, iOS 6, and Apple talk than you can shake an accelerometer at. Also: your questions answered!

So join Rene, Georgia, and Seth, and the best looking, absolutely most charming chat room in mobile, LIVE tonight at 6pm PDT, 9pm EDT, 2am BST for all the action.

Seriously. Set an alarm. Bookmark this page. Be here.

Want to go full screen? Head to iMore.com/live. Want to watch via iPhone or iPad? Grab the Ustream app and search for "mobilenations"!

Verizon announced today that they will be flipping the 4G LTE switch tomorrow, August 16th, in 34 new markets while expanding coverage across 38 others. To Verizons credit, their 4G LTE rollout now covers more than 75 percent of the U.S. population making their grand total of areas covered beyond 370 markets.

That's great news for LTE iPad owners who'll now enjoy faster, better download speeds in quite a few new areas plus, it should certainly help Verizon push some iPhone 5 devices that are rumored to have LTE as well. Looking for the full list to see if your area is covered? You'll find it below.

New  Markets

• Hot Springs, Ark.
• Redding, Calif.
• Valdosta and Waycross, Ga.
• Centralia and Danville, Ill.
• Parsons, Salina and Topeka, Kan.
• Alexandria and Monroe, La.
• Pittsfield, Mass.
• Battle Creek and Muskegon, Mich.
• Mankato and Worthington, Minn.
• Joplin and Sedalia, Mo.
• Bismarck, Grand Forks and Minot, N.D.
• Chillicothe, Ohio; Reading, Pa.
• Aberdeen, S.D.
• Laredo, Odessa and Texarkana, Texas
• Brattleboro and White River Junction, Vt.
• Charlottesville, Va.
• Longview, Wash.
• Eau Claire, La Crosse and Manitowoc, Wis.

Expanded Markets

• Los Angeles and Santa Barbara/Santa Maria, Calif.
• Orlando, Fla.
• Macon/Warner Robins, Ga.
• Bloomington, Champaign/Urbana, Decatur/Effingham and Springfield, Ill.
• Elkhart, Ind.
• Des Moines, Iowa City and Sioux City, Iowa
• Dodge City, Garden City and Great Bend, Kan.
• Lexington and Louisville, Ky.
• New Orleans, La.
• Boston, Mass.
• Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.
• Missoula, Mont.
• Las Vegas, Nev.
• Manchester/Nashua, N.H.
• Las Cruces, N.M.
• New York, N.Y.
• Cincinnati, Ohio Greenville/Spartanburg, S.C.
• Sioux Falls, S.D.
• Chattanooga, Tenn.
• Salt Lake City/Ogden, Utah
• Roanoke, Va.
• Charleston, W.Va
• Green Bay, Wis. 
• Additional areas include: Little Rock, Ark., expanding into Batesville, Ark.; Tallahassee, Fla., expanding into Thomasville, Ga.; Burley, Idaho, expanding into Twin Falls, Idaho; Chicago, Ill., expanding into DeKalb, Ill.; and Cedar City, Utah, expanding into St. George, Utah.

Source: Verizon

We've seen tons of part leaks in regards to the next generation iPhone over the last few weeks, but very few when it comes to the iPad mini, and next to nothing about what might be going on inside it. With the iPhone reportedly set for introduction on September 12, and release on September 21, production is likely sufficiently ramped up to make parts leaks more likely. While the iPad mini might also be on track for the same introduction day, we don't know when it will ship yet, so there may simply not be as many parts yet to leak. However, a new part discovered by Nowhereelse.fr could give us our very first look at the internals of the iPad mini.

Here's the alleged part:

Taking a look, this part contains connectors for the headphone jack, dock connector, and Home button contact. You can see that, when put next to what could possibly be the new iPhone's dock connector, the part is much too large to be part of an iPhone or iPod touch assembly.

While we've managed to put together mockups of what we think the new iPad mini will look like, we don't yet have any idea on what type of hardware it will be running. All other things being equal, it could be similar to the iPad 2, the new iPad, the iPod touch, or some mix in between. While this component doesn't give us much to go off, it does give us a couple hints at how it may be laid out.

The location of the headphone jack in proximity to the dock connector is interesting. If this is actually a legitimate part, it may mean the headphone jack will be moved from its current location at the top of the iPad to the bottom. This lines up with the existing iPod touch placement, and reports of the next generation iPhone featuring a headphone jack at the bottom. That would add congruence across all of Apple's mobile product lineup.

More obviously, the micro dock connector also makes an appearance as expected. iMore originally learned about Apple ditching the traditional 30-pin back in February back in February, and more recently, and that Apple would soon follow suit with the rest of their iOS line of products.

The only thing that's a little baffling about the dock connector is that there are reports of it having 10 pins as opposed to the 8 or 9 we would expect. Whether this will be for some other kind of connection source that could make an appearance in the new iPad mini or it's not a final prototype isn't certain.

Other than that, I'd say this could be our first look at an internal component of the iPad mini or at the very least, an earlier component that was used in a prototype of that device.

Source: Nowhereelse.fr

Lately on iMore, and other websites, there has been a lot of discussion around the idea of Apple selling a lower cost tablet. So I thought it would be worth writing about this topic from the perspective of an Apple investor. Is a cheaper tablet a good idea? Is it necessary?

Absent an official Apple press release, we don't actually know with 100% certainty that this will happen, but for the sake of argument let's say it does. To me, the idea of a smaller iPad makes a lot of sense. I have an iPad and two BlackBerry PlayBooks in my house. Every one of these three tablets gets plenty of use, and I can see the use cases for large and small.

Besides that, Apple has a long history of successfully carrying multiple sizes. Just look at the MacBook Pro and Macbook Air lines. You have 11-, 13-, and 15-inches options (and until a couple of months ago, 17-inches as well). I've always said that tablets can come in multiple sizes. Once you pick an aspect ratio (whether it be 16:9 or 4:3, or something else), the size should just be an option. It has been this way in the TV industry forever. Why are tablets any different?

If you buy my argument that size is simply an option, why would a slightly smaller iPad deserve a significantly smaller price? How can Apple price a 7-inch iPad at $199 or $249 while asking the much larger price of $499 for the regular (new) iPad?

It's probably not fair to compare the new iPad to an iPad mini either. If Apple uses the same resolution of the iPad 2 and similar spec'd components, then we should compare an iPad mini against a $399 iPad 2. But still, half the price for slightly smaller? What will this do to the company?

Let's take a look at current iPad gross margins. Reuters reported on evidence coming out of the Apple vs. Samsung court case, saying:

Between October 2010 and the end of March 2012, Apple had gross margins of 23 to 32 percent on its U.S. iPad sales, which generated revenue of more than $13 billion for Apple, the filing said. Apple does not typically disclose profit margins on individual products.

Is this data actually accurate? I'm not convinced. Even at the 32% level, I have a hard time believing a $499 iPad costs Apple as much as $378 to manufacture, which is what the cost needs to be for a 32% margin. iSupply pegs the bill of materials + manufacturing on an iPad 3 16GB at $316.05, and an iPad 2 16GB at $240.10. Who knows how Apple defines gross margin in court statements. Separately, UBM TechInsights says Apple actually earns a margin of about 53% on the iPad 2.

That sure sounds more like the Apple I know. Premium prices, premium margins. But still, they do sell lower end products such as the iPod touch. Currently an 8 GB model of the iPod Touch sells for $199, and production cost is estimated to be around $150. That makes for a +30% margin on Apple's lowest cost iOS device.

A $200 iPad Mini, to me, seems completely out of the question. Why in the world would Apple launch an iPad 2 quality product at an iPod touch price? Normally, within Apple, portability has been marketed as a feature, not a cost-saver.

If Apple was to sell an iPad at sub 30% margins, I think the stock would take a deep nosedive. There's just no good reason for Apple to make such a move right now.

Perhaps months ago, when the Amazon Kindle Fire was released (sold at essentially zero margin, for $199) and the Google Nexus 7 was on the horizon (also sold at essentially zero margin for $199), Apple may have considered defensive moves to capture market share and keep the competitors out. But today? It doesn't seem necessary at all. Even in China, Apple has institutional investors who would sell en masse. Wall Street would start puking out the stock. It's really as simple as that.

Wall Street already understands perfectly well that the iPad has much lower margins than the iPhone. But Apple is still a company with 72.7% market share for tablets in China. Price is not limiting Apple's market share, clearly.

My take is, we will see a smaller iPad. Reporting by iMore and others has pretty much confirmed this. But nobody seems to be as sure about the price point. I think Apple has already established market share leadership with the iPad and doesn't need to cut prices significantly. I would be shocked if an iPad Mini hits the market at $299 or below. But at the $299 or above price point I think Apple can still earn reasonable margins, while opening up the market to much larger volume, and further cementing its market share lead.

Pinterest lovers rejoice! The Pinterest app has gone universal and is now available on both the iPhone and iPad. It features a gorgeous design with an easy-to-access side panel. Pinterest for iPad allows you to view your pinboards, pin your inspirations, browse by category, follows new boards, and more.

When viewing your following tab, the pins of the people you follow are displayed in a stylish collage format similar to the web version of Pinterest. Each pin displays a photo, the description, and the "pinned by", "via", and "onto" information. Tapping on the pin will display it nice and big in a popup that allows you to repin, like, share to Facebook and Twitter, and leave a comment. Tapping on the big photo will open up it's associated web page or article in a built-in browser.

From the side panel, you can access the built-in web browser, all of the available categories, and your profile page.

When Pinterest was first released for the iPhone, I was not impressed. It had poor performance and was not a joy to use. I have the opposite impression of Pinterest for iPad. It is very well done, has an intuitive interface, and runs great. My Pinterest activity has great declined in the past few months, but with Pinterest for iPad, I expect I'll be using Pinterest much more often.

Free - Download Now

If you're running OS X Mountain Lion on your Mac there's a feature you should know about called -- Gatekeeper. The primary function of Gatekeeper is to prevent malware like viruses and trojan horses from getting their hacking hooks into your Mac. Gatekeeper does this, by default, by only allowing apps that are downloaded from the Mac App Store or from "identified and trusted developers" be opened.

But what if you know the app you're trying to open is safe even, though the developer didn't or couldn't get a trusted certificate from Apple? (For example, Jailbreak software). There are a few ways to bypass Gatekeeper if you run into this issue. Follow along and we'll show you how.

How to bypass Gatekeeper on a case-by-case basis

This is the method we recommend using. It gives you Gatekeeper's full security, but the flexibility to open occasional unsigned apps when you know and trust them.

If you attempt to open an app you downloaded from a source other than the Mac App Store, and get the popup below, you'll need to override Gatekeeper in order to open it. As always, make sure you know where the app came from before overriding Gatekeeper.

Instead of double-clicking on the app in question to open it, here's what you do:

1. Ctrl+click or right click on the app and select Open from the contextual menu.

2. This time you'll see the popup below instead of a message saying the app can't be opened at all.

3. Click Open if you're sure that the app is from a trusted source.

The app will open and you'll be able to use it normally now. You may get one more popup from time to time verifying that you're sure, but you can confirm them as well, as needed.

How to change Gatekeeper settings to allow or disallow unidentified apps

We DO NOT recommend this approach for anyone who doesn't constantly and consistently need to open non-Mac App Store, non-signed apps. In other words, if you do this, you're someone who knowingly gives up the protection of Gatekeeper because your work or other activities require it, and you know full well what you're doing.

Consider yourself warned. Again.

1. Launch System Preferences and click on it.

2. From here click on the Privacy & Security icon in the top row.

3. The General tab is where we want to be.
4. If everything is grayed out, click on the lock in the bottom left hand corner and type in your administrator password. This will allow you to make changes to your settings.

5. We recommend using the middle setting which is Mac App Store and Identified Developers. You can also choose between Mac App Store Only for tighter security or Anywhere which will allow any app to be opened regardless of the source or developer.

6. Once you've made your changes you can go ahead and exit out of System Preferences altogether.

The bottom line

Again recommend using the first option (contextual menu "Open" command) and leaving Gatekeeper on one of the first two settings as opposed to allowing apps from anywhere to be opened and run on your Mac. This will help prevent any malware or malicious apps from doing any damage to your Mac.

If you have other OS X questions or need help with features like Gatekeeper, make sure you check out or OS X forums as well!

It's time to announce this week's photo contest -- Shadows! For many photos, shadows are a curse and photographers do everything in their power to avoid harsh shadows. But for other photos, it's the shadows that really make the photographs and add drama and mood to the pictures. This is what we want to see this week -- get creative with shadows!

The prize: Glif tripod mount and stand!

In addition to a thumbs up from the iMore crew and all of us yelling about how great of a photo star you are, the winner of this week's photography contest will receive a Glif tripod mount and stand!

The rules

The rules of entry are very simple. The photo must have been taken with an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch (we'll check the EXIF data of the original file to verify) and any edits must have been done with an iPhone or iPad app. No Photoshop CS6! If you have external lens accessories you are more than welcome to use them. You can submit as many photos as you'd like, but remember, this is a contest, so make sure you submit your best work!

Resources

Now, before you run off to take your photo, remember that it's not technical skill alone that will claim this prize. Even if you're not the best photographer (yet!), a great eye and a great subject can still get you the win.

However, a little help can never hurt, so make sure you check out these articles from our iPhone photography series for some tips.

• How to take great looking portraits with your iPhone
• How to make your iPhone photography more striking with the "rule of thirds"
• How to make your iPhone photographs more powerful with negative space
• How to take amazing macros with your iPhone

How to submit

Submitting your photos is easy. just head over to the iMore Photography Forum and post your photos to the official contest thread. Don't forget to state which apps, if any, you used to edit your photo!

That's it! Now go out and shoot!

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You may recall the Pebble E-Paper watch that launched on Kickstarter earlier this year and managed to get over $10 million worth of pledges. Well the guys have released an update on its progress along with a demonstration of the user interface that you can expect to see if you were one of the successful backers.

The Pebble watch will have full connectivity with your iPhone via Bluetooth and will allow you to do things like play music, see message notifications, read emails and it even tells you the time too. The watch was originally slated for release in September but that has now slipped; at this time there is no official shipping date for the Pebble although it is still expected to be this year.

Planning and scheduling a major manufacturing project is complex. We're working hard to complete the interconnected tasks that make up the production process. For me and the hardware engineers on the project, a large percentage of our time is spent exchanging complex spreadsheets filled with components specs by email, Skyping about the dimensions of minute hardware requirements and IMing our manufacturing team and factory. Not super exciting. That's why we've decided to share the more interesting stuff (photos, video and more!) in updates.

The new video shows a prototype Pebble connected to a large board that demonstrates the watch output on a computer screen. The video also shows a watch face on an actual iPhone so you can see what to expect on the display of your watch. At this stage, it is hard to believe that it can all shrink down into a watch sized casing and do everything that has been promised; Pebble still has lots of work to do.

If it does meet all of its expectations, the Pebble watch could be the accessory to own due to its excellent integration with your iPhone and the strong demand for the product. Apple already has the iPod nano that can be worn as a watch however there is no Bluetooth and no way to connect it to your iPhone. If Apple does decide to update the iPod nano this year and add in this sort of functionality then Pebble would have some serious competition on its hands.

Would you be interested in owning a smart watch that can give you quick access to SMS messages, email and other notifications?

Source: Kickstarter

UI preview with Martijn from Pebble Technology on Vimeo.

So we thanks to a trio of reports from across the Apple-net tonight, we might just have some idea of what the iPad mini will look like. Nothing is confirmed until Apple shows it off on stage, of course, but if we're going to speculate we might as well do it right and ask you, the iMore nation, just what you think about this supposed iPad mini design?

If it's in between a 9.7 inch iPad and an iPod touch, does it make sense it's proportionately narrower than the current iPad but wider than the touch? And that the bezel isn't as wide as the current iPad, but still wider than the iPod touch? How about it being as thin as the iPod touch? Is there such a thing as too thin?

You know the drill -- vote in the poll up top and then give me your insight in the comments below. iMore nation, is this the iPad mini you're looking for?

Leo Laporte and Andy Ihnatko were gracious enough to invite me back on to MacBreak Weekly today to talk Swedish blog screw job to Mac blogs, iPhone rumors, Apple versus Samsung, and more.

Check out the video above, or for more streaming and download options, audio and video, hit the link below.

Show: MacBreak Weekly 312

James Haefner is an iPad app filled with the photography of the professional car photographer from Detroit with the same name. James partnered up with Rocket Garden Labs to bring this selection of his portfolio to the iPad ranging from classic Corvettes to today's luxury vehicles.

You can browse James Haefner photos at your convenience or just let it run as a slideshow. Each photo is displayed in a professional portfolio format, allowing you to see how James displays his work to art directors and prospective clients.

It's very rare to discover an app with professional art and photography at this level for free, so what's the catch? In this case, it's the partnership with Rocket Garden Labs and them using James Haefner's app as an example of what can be created with Foliobook, an iPad app for designing iPad-specific portfolios. James Haefner's app was created with Foliobook on an iPad 1. It's very impressive to say the least. As a photographer, I will definitely be taking a closer look at Foliobook now.

If you love cars, James Haefner's app is simply a must! If after browsing through the photos you're tempted to take some photos of your own car, make sure you take a look at our guide on how to take spectacular photos of your car with your iPhone!

James Haefner - free - Download Now

Foliobook - $12.99 - Download Now

iMore previously reported that Apple would be releasing an iPad mini in October for around $200-$250, and that it would be announced at the iPhone 5 event on September 12. At the time we heard that it looked and worked like the 9.7-inch iPad, only smaller. That maked sense both from a financial and interface perspective. However, unlike the next iPhone whose parts leaks have given us an idea of just what it might look like, the exact design of the 7-inch iPad has been much more mysterious. Earlier tonight, however, Seth Weintraub from 9to5Mac posted a mockup of the iPad mini showing a narrower profile with a much thinner size bezel than the 9.7-inch iPad.

Based on several sources, I believe that design to be an accurate representation of what the iPad mini will look like. In addition, it's my understanding that it will be the exact same thinness as the iPod touch, which is substantially thinner than the 9.7-inch iPad. The quick mockup above shows what I believe are accurate proportions for the iPad mini compared to the 9.7-inch iPad and the current generation iPod touch 4.

Looking at it, the iPad mini may not seem radically smaller than the 9.7-inch iPad. And that's the point. It's not supposed to be a major compromise in screen size or usability. It is, however, thinner and lighter enough to make a substantial difference. Holding it with one hand will be easier, and holding it for prolonged periods of time will be much easier.

It's those two elements, the lightness at that size, that allows for the smaller bezel -- just like the iPod touch's thinness and lightness allows for even less size bezel. (Obviously the top and bottom bezel aren't as radically thin, due to the components that need to be placed there, like the Home button.)

Most importantly, this isn't a big iPod touch.

The Google Nexus 7 is arguably closer to a big iPod touch than this device. The Nexus 7, in part, scales up smartphone interface elements and apps. The iPad mini runs the iPad version of iOS and scales it down. The iPad mini is an iPad, and that makes a tremendous difference. That allows it to run that higher class of apps that Steve Jobs talked about.

This is a full on iPad, just smaller and lighter.

Likewise, the iPad mini not intended to woo away people who might currently be buying a Google Nexus 7 or Amazon Kindle Fire -- not to be a jerk, but that's not a significant market for Apple. While Apple might want to nip those devices in the bud now, as opposed to when they hit their second or third generation and become truly competitive, it seems like the primary consideration right now is a far more massive market, a hundreds of millions of devices sold market:

People who haven't yet bought an iPad because it was too big or too expensive, but would buy it if was lighter and cheaper.

At around $200-$250, thin, and very light, Apple will lower the barrier of entry and once again greatly expand the reach of iOS. While that might cannibalize the existing iPad market, Apple has repeatedly shown a willingness to do just that -- they'd much rather cannibalize themselves than let a competitor do it. The iPod mini, iPod nano, and even 11-inch MacBook Air are prime examples.

The iPad mini should hit the shelves in time for the holidays. And it should sell like hotcakes.

Note: For some of the discussion behind all of this, check out the Branch M.G. Siegler hosted last night with me, Seth Weintraub, Mark Gurman, Matthew Panzarino, Jim Dalyrymple, and several others.

Update 1: John Gruber of Daring Fireball has weighed in, adding:

The iPad Mini, based on my best guess hunch dimensions of 200 × 135 x 7.2 mm = 193,680 cubic mm. Divide and you get 78 percent. The Nexus 7 weighs 340 grams, so, let's guess that the iPad Mini will weigh just 265 grams.

For comparison, the WiFi-only iPad (3) weighs 652 grams, and the Amazon Kindle 3G with keyboard weighs about 247 grams. So a sub-300-gram smaller iPad would be pretty light.

Update 2: Here's another quick mockup, this time giving a rough example of how thin the iPad mini will be, and how that compares not only with existing iOS devices, but the Google Nexus 7 and Amazon Kindle Fire as well.