Warner Bros. has released a new iPhone and iPad app call Day after US that allows users to purchase and download episodes of Gossip Girl, The Vampire Diaries, and The Big Bang Theory the day after they air in the U.S. The episodes are downloaded directly to your devices so that you can play them back at anytime, even if you don't have an internet connection, or you can stream them instantly over Wi-Fi.

Shockingly, Day after US does not support the iPhone 5's larger display. Since all of these episodes are already available on iTunes for the same price, I don't understand why any iPhone user would feel inclined to purchase from this app instead of iTunes. Even if you plan to watch episodes on your iPad, iTunes allows much more versatility since you can also watch the TV shows on your computer or Apple TV.

Day After US does allow you to download the first episode of each series for free, so if you wanted to watch these episodes to decide if you think you'll like shows, then that's a good reason to use Day After US. You can also get a few more episodes by spamming sharing shows with your Facebook friends, so there's also that. But other than a few free episodes, I don't really see the appeal. Seeing the lack of iPhone 5 support leaves me wondering where else Warner Bros. cut corners. My reservations could be uncalled for, but this is honestly how I feel as a consumer -- I'd rather purchase from iTunes.

What about you? Have you downloaded any episodes from Day After US? Do you plan on using it regularly?

Free - Download Now

Chain3D for iPhone and iPad is a new match 3 game with a twist -- literally! The goal of this puzzle game is to remove all the colored blocks from the cube presented at the beginning of each stage. To do this, you much place the small cubes that are given to you in a manner that matches at least 3 small cubes of the same cube. If there's a match, all the cubes of the same color that are connected to the cube that you placed will be removed. Once al the blocks are removed, you progress to the next stage. As with many games of this type, Chain3D is easy to learn, but difficult to master.

Chain3D includes 4 different modes: Easy, Normal, Hardcore, and Zen. What makes each mode icreasingly difficult is that you have less time to clear the cube before losing. In Easy, you have 90 seconds, Normal gives you 60 seconds, and Hardcore only allows 10 seconds to clear the cube. Zen mode doesn't have a time limit and just allows you to progress without the pressure of having a time constraint. Zen mode is a great way to learn strategies and techniques to improving your gameplay.

I've only played Chain3D for a short while, but I like it and find it to be a fun, challenging puzzle.

Match3D is currently on sale for the weekend for the whopping price of free! If you decide to give it a try, let us know what you think!

Free - Download Now

Lanyou Shuma, one of China's largest suppliers of iPhones and iPads, were recently tried in court for evading taxes by smuggling iPhones into the country. Over the past 2 years Lanyou Shuma has managed to smuggle over $80M worth of iPhones into China. The most interesting part is that they were doing it by having what looked like typical housewives smuggle them into Hong Kong.

Half of the suspects are described as housewives who frequently travel to Hong Kong, according to another newspaper, the Southern Metropolis Daily, adding that they were paid 20 to 30 yuan in commission for each phone they brought back to the mainland.

The iPhones would be hidden under clothing or strapped to the woman in a way that would conceal them while on the flight. I don't know about you but a long flight with a bunch of iPhones strapped to your body probably isn't the most comfortable way to travel.

The main reason suppliers like Lanyou Shuma smuggle iPhones into the country is to avoid import and other kinds of taxes they would otherwise have to pay on the merchandise. A total of 26 defendants were arrested on charges of smuggling the phones into the country but it wasn't clear yet if all of them worked for the same supplier.

Taobao Marketplace, a unit of Alibaba Group, is China's largest e-commerce website with a consumer focus. An Alibaba spokeswoman confirmed the closure of Lanyou Shuma.com store but declined to elaborate, saying the company "demands merchants run their businesses in accordance with all regulations and policies".

The Chinese government has started taking the import and export of devices like the iPhone and iPad more serious over the last few years. Even individuals who have iPads and iPhones imported for personal use as opposed to business are now required to pay import tax.

Source: Reuters

Apple and Motorola Mobility, owned by Google, are seeking arbitration on part of their patent disputes. The two companies would agree to a binding arbitration in order to reach a licensing agreement over standards-essential patents. Motorola Mobility brought forward the possiblity of arbitration earlier this month. An agreemment between Apple and Motorola Mobility here could have wide-reaching implications for the global litigation between the two companies, as Susan Decker of Bloomberg reports:

The companies have been exchanging proposals on using binding arbitration to reach a licensing agreement over patents that are essential to comply with industry standards on how phones operate. Such an agreement could lead to a global settlement of all of their patent disputes, Apple said in a filing yesterday.

"Apple is also interested in resolving its dispute with Motorola completely and agrees that arbitration may be the best vehicle to resolve the parties' dispute," Apple said in the filing.

A settlement between Apple and Motorola may also have an effect on litigation with other companies. Apple continues to battle Samsung in many courts around the world, while Microsoft has made several complaints against Motorola. Because Motorola Mobility is owned by Google, and because of their use of FRAND patents in their litigation, the FTC staff recently recommended that the commission sue Google over antitrust violations in using these patents for litigation. If Apple and Motorola can agree to terms for these patents, then it's possible that the FTC my back down. Should an agreement be reached, it seems likely that Motorola will be able to reach a settlement with Microsoft. If that happens, hopefully this global patent war will start to cool down.

Source: Bloomberg

Since the iPhone is on-the-go as much as you are, task list apps are a natural way to stay organized. If you don't need a full on task-manager like OmniFocus, Todo, or Things, simpler task list apps are a perfect way to make sure things are getting done on time, every time. Any.DO, Clear, and Wunderlist are three of our favorite task-list apps, but which one is the best for you?

Any.DO vs. Clear vs. Wunderlist: User interface and design

Any.DO has a super clean interface that it means to allow you to add and organize tasks quickly and easily. There are two main views that Any.DO allows you to toggle between - date and folder based. The date based view will combine all your different lists to show you what needs to get done today, tomorrow, this week, and later. It will pull them according to how you added tasks to Any.DO.

Once logging into Any.DO, the default date based list view appear and you can immediately start adding tasks. Each section had a plus sign next to it that allows you to add a task quickly. To access other views, there is a pull up located along the bottom of the screen. Flick it upwards and you can switch between date and folder view as well as view a list of completed tasks. Folder view will automatically sort all your tasks by folder groupings instead of time.

Tapping on any task in Any.DO will give you a list of options that you can apply to that task. You can mark a task as important, drop it into a folder, set a reminder, add notes to it, or share it with a contact.

Any.DO's settings can be access by pulling up the bottom menu and choosing the gear icon in the lower right hand corner. From here you can edit your folders, use the Any.DO moment feature, change between a dark and a light theme, control what the badge count does, change the language, and change the speech input language. There isn't much to configure but the options you may need to change are easily accessible right within the main app settings.

Clear is a gesture based app that aims to make adding tasks lightning fast. Upon first launching clear you'll be given a brief tutorial on the gestures that are supported. You can also change the color theme of Clear to your liking as there are tons to choose from.

The main screen of clear will show your lists. Inside each list you will find your tasks. Since Clear is gesture and layer driven, you use gestures to move up or down levels. If you're on the main list screen, tapping on the list will expand it. Tapping on a list item will allow you to edit it. Tapping anywhere else on the screen brings up a space to add a new task. To move back up a level, simply swipe downwards over the list or pinch your fingers together to collapse it.

While on the main list screen, swiping down or pinching will bring you up one more level. From here you can access your lists, themes, and view more tips and tricks. The settings panel of Clear can also be accessed within the app. Here you can control badge count for all tasks or just active lists as well as turning on and off features such as iCloud sync, sounds, and vibration.

Wunderlist's interface is set up to show you lists somewhat in the form of inboxes. You can tap the pencil in the upper right hand corner to edit current lists or tap in the box above your lists in order to quickly create a new one. Tapping the edit pencil also allows you to reorder lists any way you'd like. If you want your work list above your home list, you can simply drag it in that position.

The main navigation of Wunderlist runs across the bottom of the app and consists of lists, starred items, due today, overdue, and more. More is where you can find app settings as well as other ways to sort your lists. Similar to Any.DO, Wunderlist allows you to view tasks that are associated with time. You can choose to view all tasks, tasks that are already completed, ones due tomorrow, in the next 7 days, later, and ones that have no due date.

Wunderlist allows you to star tasks that are important and they'll filter into the starred section. You can easily star any task by simply tapping on the star next to the task name. It'll automatically filter into that section of the app. To mark a task as done, just check it off by tapping on the check mark box next to its name.

There isn't a ton of customization with Wunderlist but settings does allow you to change the background image, date format, language, and set up sending tasks by email.

While Any.DO, Clear, and Wunderlist all have simple to navigate and easy to understand designs, Any.DO has most logical user interface and it's by far the easiest to use. Once you get to understand Clear and become used to the gestures, it's just as user friendly but doesn't have nearly as many options when it comes to interface as what Any.DO offers, which makes it a nice compromise.

Any.DO vs. Clear vs. Wunderlist: Creating lists and tasks

To create a list or task in Any.DO you can either manually enter it or just pull down to use the voice input feature. This is something that's unique to Any.DO and adds a lot of value for users who quickly need to input something without interrupting their workflow. Swipe down from the main screen and tap on the microphone icon. Say what you need the app to add and then tap the checkmark to input it.

Any.DO will try and autocomplete tasks you are inputting by offering suggestions. They're based on places around you and on tasks you've previously entered into the app. It makes adding tasks a lot less painful than manually typing them.

Sorting tasks in Any.DO is easy and can be done within just a few taps. A swipe up from the bottom of the screen lets you order tasks by time or by folder. If you want to see a quick view of what you have to do you can tap into settings and view Any.DO moment which gives you a glimpse of what you need to do today. You can then quickly set reminders for things you have do or move them to a later time. It's a great feature but something that's rather hidden in settings. It'd be nice to see this feature pulled into the main menu for quicker access.

Clear uses multiple layers within the app and each layer houses lists and tasks. Tapping anywhere on the screen inside of a list brings up a slot to enter a new task. Just type in data and hit return on your keyboard and it adds it to your task list. From there you can pinch to close lists or swipe upwards in order to close a list and view your main list. Swiping upwards one more time brings you to the main menu that houses settings and themes.

To mark a task as done you can swipe to the right and it will be marked as complete. Swiping to the left on a task will delete it from your list. You'll notice that completed tasks will show up at the bottom with a line through them. To clear them from your list completely you can pull up on the task list and release and it will clear away old tasks that were marked as complete. While Clear doesn't have very many options for organizing and sorting, if you're looking for a simple task list that just works, it does that wonderfully and beautifully.

Wunderlist is a nice compromise between Any.DO and Clear. Task entry is simply and only ever a few clicks away. When on the main task list screen you can quickly add a new list or tap into any existing list and start typing a task into the task box above your list.

Aside from adding general tasks to lists the starred section easily shows you important tasks as a simple glance. When in settings you can view all options for time based tasks and how you want to view them. While Any.DO makes this feature apparent in their main menu, Wunderlist has chosen to put it in settings. I'm not sure this makes sense to me and many users may not think to open settings in order to sort tasks. While it's a wonderful feature to have, it should be presented in a way that makes it easier for users to find.

If you need to create lists, tasks, and organize them quickly and efficiently, Any.DO is a happy medium between Wunderlist and Clear that allows you to organize just as fast as you enter. While Clear allows for the quickest entry, Any.DO's navigation will make more sense to many.

Any.DO vs. Clear vs. Wunderlist: Task reminders and notifications

Any.DO, Clear, and Wunderlist all offer push notifications for reminders. What is really comes down to is how customizable they are. Any.DO by default will show a badge for any tasks that are due today. You can easily change this in settings to cater to certain lists or any tasks you'd like the badge to represent. Any.DO will also send you push notifications for any task you've set a reminder for. To set a reminder you can tap on the task name and then choose the reminder icon and set a time you'd like to be reminded. It's easy to access from any task and fast, which is what most users want.

Clear allows you to change badges in two forms, for the last active list or for all tasks. This means that you can have badges represent all the tasks currently listed in Clear or you can choose to have it only represent the last list you accessed before you closed out the app. There is no option to configure only certain lists or tasks due today since clear doesn't allow you to set times for tasks. This also means there are no push notifications inside Clear. You'll see a badge but that's it.

Wunderlist by default will show a badge for any tasks that are overdue. To my knowledge there isn't a way to change this within settings. As far as notifications go, you can set reminders for any task you'd like. After creating a task you can tap into it and choose a due date or set a reminder. Wunderlist will then send you a push notification at the designated time you specified.

If you need push notifications that are customizable as well as a badge count that's just as flexible, Any.DO is the only option since Clear lacks push notification support and Wunderlist doesn't allow you to customize badge counts.

Any.DO vs. Clear vs. Wunderlist: Syncing lists and tasks

Any.DO uses its own native sync option. You can either create an account by signing up for an Any.DO account or by signing in with Facebook. Once you've set up an account, there is nothing to configure, it just works. Any device you've got Any.DO installed on will sync seamlessly.

Clear now supports iCloud and once it's enabled within settings, all your tasks will automatically sync between iPhone, iPad, Mac, or any other device you've got Clear set up on.

Wunderlist supports native syncing through their own login service. Just like Any.DO, once you've signed in there's absolutely nothing to configure. If you sign into your Wunderlist account on the web or on any other device that Wunderlist supports, your items will be there.

As far as syncing services are concerned, all three clients have excellent syncing support and no matter which you choose, you'll have no issues accessing your data across several devices. Tie.

Any.DO vs. Clear vs. Wunderlist: Cross-platform support

Any.DO has support for iPhone, Android, and a Chrome browser extension with a native web version coming soon. I've been using the Chrome extension for a few days now and haven't had any problems. The only think I did notice is that syncing runs behind a few minutes but other than that, it works seamlessly with the iPhone app. There currently isn't a native iPad version so if you need iPad support, Any.DO may not be your best option.

Clear is available in the App Store for iPhone and in the Mac App Store. There isn't any native iPad or Android support so when it comes to syncing across platforms or to the iPad, it carries about the same support as Any.DO but instead of browser extensions, there is a native app for Mac users.

Wunderlist has been around for quite some time and supports quite a few platforms including iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, and PC. If you have a tendency to jump between platforms and need a task list system that can go with you, Wunderlist is it and has the best support of all three options.

Any.DO vs. Clear vs. Wunderlist: Pricing

Any.DO is available for free in both the App Store for iPhone and the Android Marketplace. The browser extension for Chrome is also free. Wunderlist is also a free option across all platforms and with the list of support you have, you really can't beat it.

Clear is the only option that is a paid option. The iPhone version of Clear is currently available in the App Store for $1.99 while its Mac counterpart will run you $9.99 in the Mac App Store. If you love gestures and want an app that takes full advantage of them, Clear is it and it's well worth the price if you need a quick and efficient task manager.

If price is a deciding factor, Wunderlist has the best support and with a free price tag, there's no competition.

Any.DO vs. Clear vs. Wunderlist: The bottom line

Any.DO, Clear, and Wunderlist all have great options when it comes to syncing and work well to keep you organized and on task. It comes down to how you need to organize your tasks and whether or not notifications matter to you.

While Wunderlist has the best cross-platform support, the interface is not as simple as either Clear or Any.DO. It also feels dated as it hasn't seen a complete app overhaul since iOS 4. I'd only recommend Wunderlist over Clear and Any.DO if you really need that cross-platform support.

For most, it will come down to choosing between Clear and Any.DO. If push notifications and organizing lists by time are must haves for you, look no further any Any.DO. It'll do everything you need and probably more. If you prefer a native Mac app and a beautiful simplistic interface that's gesture driven, Clear is where it's at.

Any.DO - Free - Download Now

Clear - $1.99 - Download Now

Wunderlist - Free - Download Now

Now that the iPad mini has been available for a while, we're starting to see some interesting industry research headlines pop up, based on consumer surveys. Earlier this week, Cowen and Co. made headlines with one particular study that I wanted to bring up for discussion.

Cowen's study, which is outlined in detail over at AllThingsD, involves 1,225 US adults who were surveyed on buying intentions. 12 percent plan to buy an iPad mini in the next 18 months.

What's more, over half of the people planning to buy an iPad mini said it would be their first tablet. Only 16.6% said they intended to use the iPad mini to replace another device, and among that small crowd, only 29% said they'd be replacing an iPad (My guess: likely many of them are original iPads).

Do the math. Of those planning to buy an iPad Mini, only 5% claim to be replacing an iPad. So the vast majority, and I do mean vast, are buying an iPad mini either as their first ever tablet, to replace another brand of tablet, or as could be the case in many families, to grow their tablet collection.

This hardly looks like a case of self-cannibalization to me. Even if it were, I still think it would be the right move for Apple. Better to cannibalize your own product than have someone else do it. But in this case, Apple seems set to grow tablet sales significantly without giving up too many of its full-size iPad customers.

I read this study as a very bullish indicator for Apple. Remember that Wall Street generally freaks out on gross margin declines. If Apple trades one iPad customer for an iPad Mini buyer, which generates less margin, profitability declines. I've argued strongly that overall growth in unit volume will more than offset the losses, meaning that profitability will go up despite margin going down. Wall Street focuses on the headline news of lower margins, and the stock tanks. That's part of the reason Apple stock has declined recently.

But it looks like we're hardly seeing any cannibalization. So instead of Apple having to trade one product sale for another, they're keeping most of their full size iPad sales and stacking iPad mini profits on top. This is excellent news. Yes, margins will still drop. That's what happens when product mix shifts with a lower cost product. But profits will grow, which is what investors ultimately care about.

Another study also made headlines today. Not so much about the iPad mini specifically, but Windows 7 customers being hesitant to adopt Windows 8. You can read about this study, by anti-virus maker Avast, in USA Today. It seems that 16% of US Windows users plan to buy a new computer shortly. The survey was worded in such a way that an iPad counts as a computer. So check out the results: 68% plan to buy a Windows 8 device. 30% plan to buy an iPad and 12% plan to buy a Mac.

That's 42%, a pretty big chunk of the US market, who plans to buy Apple products. This doesn't bode well for Microsoft.

Together, these two studies are very bullish for Apple. The tablet market is still early into its growth phase, and iOS is sitting pretty to capture many multiples of market share compared to what Apple accomplished with MacOS over the last decade.

Tablets will eventually outsell desktops and notebooks combined. They'll be used in all sorts of markets. They'll get Apple to the next level of profitability.

Been waiting for AT&T LTE to light up on your iPhone 5 or cellular-equipped iPad? Well, as part of AT&T's announced $14 billion network build-out over the next three years, a bunch of new places just went live:

• Mobile, Ala.
• Jonesboro, Ark.
• Pensacola, Fla.
• South Bend and Mishawaka, Ind.
• Saratoga/Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
• Columbus, Ohio
• Toledo, Ohio
• Eugene, Ore.
• Corvallis, Ore.
• Portland, Ore.
• Greenville, S.C.
• Columbia, S.C.
• Charleston, S.C.
• El Paso, Texas

Today's launch comes on the heels of other cities going live this week, including:

• Minneapolis/St. Paul
• Provo-Orem, Utah
• Denver
• Anne Arundel County in Maryland
• Daytona Beach
• York, Penn.
• Tacoma, Wash.
• Milwaukee, Wis.
• Louisville, Ken.

That's on top of AT&T's expanded LTE coverage in Fairfield County, Conn., as well as downriver Wayne and Monroe near Detroit. AT&T says its LTE coverage has doubled in 2012 and is now in 103 markets, with more to come this year.

If you just got AT&T LTE on your iPhone, do us a favor - Go through a Speedtest.net screenshot in our iPhone 5 Forum, would you?

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The Wi-Fi + Cellular versions of the iPad mini and iPad 4, which include LTE, are available for purchase at Apple, AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and other U.S. retail stores from today. Quantities are likely very limited, so if you want one, you will have to be quick.

Here's what AT&T's Glenn Lurie, president, Emerging Enterprises and Partnerships, is saying:

"Our customers are increasingly connecting their devices to the mobile internet and our new Mobile Share plans allow them to add a tablet for just 10 dollars a month. We're thrilled to offer iPad mini to our customers on the nation's largest 4G network.

Here's Sprint's Fared Adib, senior vice president, Product Development:

"iPad mini and the fourth generation iPad, combined with Sprint's 4G LTE network and our aggressively priced rate plans, offer customers an outstanding tablet experience. Sprint doesn't put its customers on shared pricing plans like some carriers. With Sprint you get the best pricing for all the data you need without the worry of overages."

Verizon doesn't seem to have made an announcement yet, but the new iPads are showing up on their site, and should be in their stores.

LTE versions of the iPad 4 (iPad with Retina display) and iPad mini are starting to arrive at pre-order customers' homes around the US as well however outside of the U.S. it's not such good news; most other areas are still seeing delivery dates of late November.

If you are after an LTE version of the iPad or iPad mini, and you live in the U.S., add running to your local store to list of available options. And if you manage to score one, make sure to let us know!

Source: AT&T, Sprint

The popular music and video machine for iPad, vjay by algoriddim, has made it's way to the iPhone bringing all the same great features to the smaller device. With vjay, you can mix and scratch your favorite music videos from iTunes or combine songs from your music library with personal videos into a killer audio visual experience. You can then share your creations to a Facebook and YouTube.

vjay lets you use all the media stored on your iPhone, including videos, music, and footage from your Camera Roll. It also comes pre-loaded with a few few music videos and high-quality footage. Additionally, vjay features stunning audio and visual effects including looping tools, visual transitions, and real-time video scratch.

In addition to using media stored on your iPhone, vjay also lets you use the built-in camera of the Phone to record video and add them to your mixes on the fly.

With the touch of a button, vjay lets you save your mashups to the iPhone in real-time and share with friends. You can also plug your iPad into a TV or stream your videos wirelessly to an Apple TV. You can also browse for music videos on the iTunes store from directly within the app.

In celebration of vjay's release on the iPhone, both the iPhone and iPad versions are on sale. If you pick this one up, we would love to see the awesome videos you create, so please share them with us in the iMore videography forum!

$0.99 for iPhone - Download Now

$4.99 for iPad - Download Now