The iMore show returns tonight to with all the iPhone 5, iPad mini, and iOS 6 talk that's unfit to print. (Which is pretty much why we just say it out loud.) Got a question you want answered? Leave it in the comments below, send it to podcast@imore.com, or tweet it to us with #imoreshow. Got it? Good! Join us LIVE at 6pm PT, 9pm ET, 2am BST. 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"!

We've had @iMore set up on App.net for a while now but this week we flipped the switch to start posting our stories there. We're using IFTTT.com to handle the posts, and it's not a great solution. Basically it checks the iMore RSS from Twitter and then copies that over to ADN. Unfortunately that includes @replies, which I'd rather it didn't. That's part of the reason we waited -- hoping that something better would come along, like the twitterfeed.com service we use for Twitter, but nothing seems to have so far. We could have kept waiting, but because two major barriers to entry dropped last week, and APN picked up steadily, it made sense to start now. We had readers there, they wanted to get iMore content there, it's our job to provide it.

We won't be abandoning @iMore on Twitter, of course. ADN is still mostly by geeks for geeks, and Twitter is still home to most of our mainstream readership. We'll just be using both. Now some of you have asked if we'll be posting the same things to APN that we post to Twitter. Yes, of course. If you're worried about that seeming duplicative, you shouldn't be.

A long time ago I asked one of the smartest and best teachers I've ever met how he got to be so smart and so good at teaching. He replied that he went back and took the same classes again and again, multiple times. I asked him why, since that seemed not only redundant but boring. He said it was because each class had different people in it, and that meant different questions were asked, and that meant different answers were given. He derived so much better, broader understanding of his subject matter by listening to different people ask different questions, that he ended up very literally lapping all of his peers.

I follow pretty much the same people on ADN as I do on Twitter and some of them post the same things on ADN as they do on Twitter, and that doesn't bother me at all. Because, despite that, it's different. Social is a complex system that depends a lot on conditions over time -- who sees and replies/repots what, when -- that two almost identical stones (posts) thrown into two almost identical rivers (timelines) still produce remarkably different ripples (conversations).

This might annoy some people, more precisely those who believe each network should be kept pristinely unique, but as any good ZEN and TECH viewer knows, expectations aren't obligations. No one has the right to tell anyone else how to post on Twitter, ADN, or anywhere else, and if they think they do they should start satiating their corrective compulsions somewhere much closer to home. Post and let post.

So, if you use both Twitter and ADN, we encourage you to follow us on both Twitter and ADN. It makes it doubly certain you won't miss anything great, and doubly likely we'll have some great conversations. And we'll keep improving the way iMore pushes to both Twitter and ADN just as much and as frequently if we can.

Here's where you can find all of iMore on ADN:

• @iMore
• @reneritchie
• @llofte (Leanna Lofte)
• @iMuggle (Ally Kazmucha)
• @joekeller
• @sethclifford

And Mobile Nations editors and podcasters on ADN:

• @MobileNations
• @AndroidCentral
• @CrackBerry
• @webOSNation
• @WPCentral
• @cbk (Kevin Michaluk)
• @philnickinson
• @kessler (Derek Kessler)
• @azeis (Adam Zeis)
• @marc

Now bring the conversation, and be sure to leave your username in the comments so @iMore can follow you back!

Passbook is helping Major League Baseball transition away from traditional physical tickets to digital ones. In in an initial test run with four teams in the final two weeks of the season, Passbook was used for 12% of electronic tickets, which account for over two thirds of all ticket sales. While the convenience of Passbook has delighted fans, it also seems to have struck a chord with the league as a whole. Though Passbook itself doesn't hold personal information, the apps that feed Passbook, in this case, the MLB iPhone app, do. Using the app, teams and parks can more specifically target advertising, or make specific offers to loyal fans. MLB Advance Media CEO Bob Bowman told MarketWatch:

"If you know someone goes to the Brewers game every time the Cardinals are in town, they may be as much a Cardinals fan as a Brewers fan – and you want to send them different types of communications," Bowman says. "Or, if you have a fan who always sits in the third tier, but goes to 20 home games – you can upgrade his ticket on the 21st game to right behind home plate." In other words, expect more emails, offers, and advertising.

Passbook has its share of problems, with a limited selection of apps that utilize it, or, in some areas, a lack of locations that accept electronic tickets and passes. However, with Passbook being used for about 8% of all MLB tickets just three weeks after launch, perhaps others will finally take a look and give Passbook and electronic ticketing a try. If users show enough demand, it might happen sooner, rather than later.

Have you used Passbook to go to one of these games? Are you a regular Passbook user, and if so, how has your overall experience been so far?

Source: MarketWatch

iOS 6 brings with it granular privacy controls so you can now fine tune exactly what built-in and App Store apps can access your location and share it on a pre-app basis. If you prefer not to have any apps accessing your location, you can disable location services altogether. If you don't want your favorite Twitter app to locate you, you can turn it off while still allowing your Weather app or the Camera access.

How to grant or deny location access the first time you launch an app

Apps have to ask you to use your location the first time you use them. If you would like the app to have access to your location, choose the OK button. If you don't want the app to use your location at anytime, tap the Don't Allow button.

If you ever need to change these settings you can do so easily.

How to enable or disable location services altogether

When you first set up iOS 6 or a new iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, you'll be asked if you want to globally enable location services. You almost always want to do that, otherwise things like Maps or turn-by-turn navigation could never work, local time and weather wouldn't function, and other services would have to be set up manually or simply not used. If for some reason you later decide you want to turn off any and all access to location, you can do so at any time.

1. Launch the Settings app from the Home screen of your iPhone or iPad.

2. Tap the Privacy tab.

3. Tap Location Services.

4. At the top there is a tick box for Location Services. Toggle it to the Off position.

Now no app or system service will be able to use your location.

How to enable or disable location services on a per-app basis

It's almost always a better idea to leave global location on and disable any apps or services you don't want to have that access. The new iOS 6 Privacy controls let you do just that on a per-app and per-service basis.

1. Launch the Settings app from the Home screen of your iPhone or iPad.

2. Tap the Privacy tab.

3. Tap Location Services.

4. Toggle the On/Off slider to the Off position for any apps or services you want to keep from accessing your location.

That's it. And if you change your mind, or you find a specific service won't work without access -- for example, Instagram won't work without access to location due to geo-coded information in your photos -- you can always return to the Privacy controls and turn the appropriate app or service back on.

Microsoft Office may finally be making its way to iOS. Yes. Again. This time the rumors come courtesy of a press release from Microsoft's Czech Republic team, as well as Microsoft product manager Petr Bobek. Tom Warren at The Verge got busy translating:

Microsoft product manager Petr Bobek has confirmed that the software maker is planning to release native iOS and Android versions of Office 2013 next year. Speaking at a press event in the Czech Republic earlier today, Bobek told Czech site IHNED that native apps will be made available from March 2013.

While Microsoft already has a number of apps for both iPhone and iPad, including OneNote and SkyDrive, most of the Office Suite has so far remained desktop-only. There have been rumors of release earlier this year, with many speculating that Office for iOS would debut with the iPad 3, but no such luck, and Microsoft denied the legitimacy of a photo of Office running on an iPad.

Many other developers on the App Store have tried to make replacements for Office, and Apple themselves have released their own iWork apps, but some consumers feel that the presence of Microsoft Office is necessary for them to consider the iPad a device on which they can work. With the launch of Windows RT, Office will finally be coming to tablets, and while Microsoft hopes for the success of Windows RT tablets, and with existing online versions of Office and Outlook, it may feel that it is prudent to put their software on devices that millions of consumers already own.

Still, how many tech companies would "announce" a major, transitional new product via the equivalent of a the deputy team dude in eastern Europe? Could you see Apple announcing Xcode for Windows via the lead designer in Latvaria? And they list Symbian as a supported operating system, which makes about as much sense as BlackBerry 7.

Either Microsoft's marketing communications are as out of whack as their branding, or somebody's going to have some explaining to do... Any bets on which one?

Source: Ihned.cz, via: The Verge

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The decision to go with aluminum in the latest iPhone 5 is now being blamed for the poor availability and shipping times. The iPhone 5 has been on sale for just over two weeks now and Apple is still quoting availability for new devices at the time of writing of 3-4 weeks. According to a report by Bloomberg, the reason for the slow availability is all down to quality control problems with the aluminum used in the banding around the iPhone 5 and the back cover.

Stricter benchmarks have hampered production of the iPhone 5's anodized aluminum housings, forcing Foxconn's Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. (2317) to idle factories, the person said. The slowdown is heightening supply concerns that have cost Apple about $60 billion in market value since the iPhone debut -- a shortcoming of the drive to imbue products with qualities that make them alluring yet more difficult to manufacture.

The scrapes, which sparked complaints with the iPhone's debut last month, are due to Apple's decision to use a type of aluminum that helps make the smartphone thinner and lighter. Senior Apple managers told executives at Foxconn near the end of September to tighten production standards, said the person, who asked not to be named because the matter was private.

For those working on assembly lines with enough anodized aluminum housings for production, the pressure has intensified, because the iPhone 5 is more delicate and easier to scratch during the assembly process, said five factory workers interviewed by Bloomberg News outside the Zhengzhou plant. They spoke on condition that their full names not be used.

Last week, it was rumored that a strike had taken place at Foxconn's Zhengzhou factory, the strike was supposedly called because workers were unhappy with being asked to work during holidays and overly strict demands on product quality without necessary training. Foxconn denied that the strike had ever taken place and that production was continuing as normal.

It will be interesting to see how well the iPhone 5 wears over the next few months and if it is as easy to scratch and scuff as many are claiming; if it doesn't wear well then there will be a lot of unhappy customers. Apple prides itself on producing beautifully designed products that are functional as well as highly fashionable. If the iPhone 5 looks like it's been dragged through a hedge backwards after a few months of use then this will clearly be a problem for many.

Source: Bloomberg

Letters with Pooh is an educational app for the iPhone and iPad by Disney to help kids identify and write letters of the alphabet. Your kids will join Winnie Pooh on his quest for honey by tracing letters, collecting letter balloons, finding missing letters, and more. Letters with Pooh is very interactive and even lets you personalize the experience by allowing you to record all the leters of the alphabet in your voice.

Letters with Pooh begins with a quick little backstory about how Winnie the Pooh has a rumbly in his tummy and that instead of focusing on his busy day ahead, he will first let his rumbly tummy lead the way. Each chapter will progress through Pooh's story, making the whole experience more interesting for young learners.

The first chapter teaches about the basics of tracing and has you trace simple shapes like lines and circles in a way that directly helps Winnie the Pooh during the story.

In the second chapter, Pooh needs balloons to reach a beehive for honey. To help him, you must trace letters -- each letter you trace gives Pooh another balloon. Letters with Pooh does not require you to get the tracing job perfect in order to progress which is great for early learners who will probably struggle with staying in the lines. At the end of each letter tracing, a word that starts with that letter will be said and a picture associated with that word will be displayed. You then have the option to record your own voice saying the name of the letter.

As you progress through the letters, the game will periodically check in with Winnie the Pooh to see if he needs more balloons. Each time, Pooh says he needs to get a little bit higher and is floating off the ground with a growing handful of balloons that slowly brings him higher off the ground with more balloons. Once you've successfully traced all the letters, Winnie the Pooh will get high enough to reach the honey.

In the last chapter of Letters with Pooh, Winnie the Pooh must help Tigger find the letters that have fallen out of his book, Piglet with his paint-by-letters picture, and Owl with catching letters.

As you progress through the game, you'll hear the narrator congratulate you on earning more stickers that can be used in the Stickers section of Letters with Pooh. The section is all about having fun and includes stickers for characters and letters.

The good

• Practice tracing and writing upper- and lowercase letters to help Pooh find honey
• Record all the letters of the alphabet in your own voice
• Play fun, character-driven activities that reinforce letter identification
• Create your own Winnie the Pooh scenes with interactive stickers
• Guided skill instruction for up to four players
• Comprehensive parents' section with content leveling and progress monitoring
• Whimsical Winnie the Pooh artwork
• Professional narration, music and charming sound effects
• Universal for iPhone and ipad

The bad

• If you trace letters in the "wrong" direction, it doesn't really work right
• Must lift your finger to start the next part of the letter tracing. For example, to trace the letter W, all four sections of the letter are different and if you don't lift your finger between each section, your tracing will not be registered
• iPhone version doesn't support the iPhone 5's larger display, yet

The bottom line

Letters with Pooh is an excellent alphabet learning app for iPhone and iPad. Disney did a great job with its design by making it interactive, fun, and by including the voices of the characters from Winnie the Pooh. If you have a child who's learning his/her alphabet and loves Winnie the Pooh, you can't go wrong with Letters with Pooh.

$1.99 - Download Now

Marc, Justin, and Rene discuss App.net, Netbot, the challenges facing Twitter devs, and Android and iOS interface gripes, and interview Sam Vermette of the Transit App. This is Iterate!

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Show notes

• App.net
• Netbot
• iOS gripes

Hosts

• Marc Edwards (@marcedwards) of Bjango
• Justin Marcucci (@justinmarcucci) of Nickelfish
• Rene Ritchie (@reneritchie) of iMore.com

Guest

• Sam Vermette (@samvermette) of The Transit app

Feedback

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