We're only about a week and a half away from the November 8 release of Angry Bird Star Wars and Rovio has released a video teaser that shows some actual gameplay footage. This video reveals that the red bird will be like Luke Skywalker and be able to tear down structures by whirling his lightsaber while colliding with them, and the pink bird will be playing the roll as Princess Leah and have the ability to call down laser fire during her descent.

Does this video make you more excited than you already were for Angry Birds Star Wars?

There's quite a bit of schadenfreude ricochetting through the Apple community (and grumbling in the Android camp) today after Google's latest phone, the Nexus 4, was announced without support for fast LTE 4G networking. That's because the iPhone 5 has support not only for LTE, but for international LTE, all wrapped up in an incredible thin, decently long-lifed package. And Android certainly is no stranger to LTE. If Apple can add it for its flagship phone, and many an Android manufacturer has LTE (like, all of them), why can't Google? It's actually more a matter of "won't," not "can't." Simply put, the Nexus 4 isn't, was never intended to be, and could never be a flagship phone.

Arguably no Nexus phone has been a "flagship" since the first one, the HTC Nexus One. The Nexus One was an Android phone from the future, with features we wouldn't see in the rest of the line, much less other platforms, for months to come. It was aspirational, as compelling in hardware as software. And Google couldn't sell it. Not to customers via its web store, and not to carriers, which already had to deal with an uncontrollable Apple and weren't about to let Google secure that kind of power.

So, instead of a Nexus Two, Google teamed with Samsung to ship the Nexus S. It wasn't an Android phone from the future by any stretch of the imagination, it was a summation of what had gone on with Android the year before. It still satisfied the demands of geeks and developers for an unlocked phone with the latest, greatest version of the Android software, but it did so safely, leaving plenty of room at the top of the hardware food chain for the next generation of carrier and manufacturer phones.

The also-by-Samsung Galaxy Nexus did likewise. It had the very best and most up-to-date version of Android software, but Its camera sucked, a GSM/LTE version never shipped, and it compromised the very nature of Nexus to get on Verizon.

The point of Nexus, at least to me, at least originally, was Android as Google intended, not only free from carrier and manufacturer shenanigans, but showing those ne'er-do-wells a better, brighter path forward. And the carriers and manufacturers killed it for that very reason.

I don't think there's an Android geek on the planet who wouldn't have rather had a fantastic camera in the Galaxy Nexus, along with every other cutting-edge bell and whistle imaginable, even if it drove up the price to something comparable with flagship phones. I don't think there's anyone reading a Mobile Nations site who wouldn't prefer a Nexus 4 with LTE. Conversely, any developer in charge of a test bed with 37 existing Android phones on it probably prays every night the next one is as cheap and dirty as possible, just to keep costs down and their business in business.

If you're walking into an Apple Store, carrier store, or electronics retailer with your eyes set on an iPhone 5, the Nexus 4 isn't meant to be on your radar. The Nexus 4 isn't aimed at the masses and isn't intended to sell in the tens of millions. It isn't allowed to be, not in scope or in strategy, much as Google might wish it. The Nexus 4, in the current incarnation of the Google Play Store, is aimed at geeks and developers as a non-flagship phone that does its best to meet both their diverging needs, while leaving plenty of room at the top for their carrier and manufacturing partners that do intend to compete with the iPhone 5.

If anyone is looking for an alternative to Apple, for an Android flagship phone with LTE and all sorts of other amenities, Samsung, HTC, LG, and their ilk will more than happily sell them, and everyone else one, by the millions, or tens of millions.

That's what the Samsung Galaxy S 3 and HTC One X and other, carrier flagships are for.

It's not, nor was it ever intended to be, what the Nexus 4 is for.

Apple announced today that Scott Forstall, senior vice-president of iOS, and John Browett, recent SVP of retail, are leaving the company. Forstall, who came to Apple from NeXT when Steve Jobs returned to the company, will stay on until next year as an advisor to Tim Cook. John Browett sounds like he's leaving far more immediately. Jony Ive, Eddy Cue, Craig Federighi, and Bob Manfield will be divvying up a lot of their duties. Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, said in the press release:

We are in one of the most prolific periods of innovation and new products in Apple's history. The amazing products that we've introduced in September and October, iPhone 5, iOS 6, iPad mini, iPad, iMac, MacBook Pro, iPod touch, iPod nano and many of our applications, could only have been created at Apple and are the direct result of our relentless focus on tightly integrating world-class hardware, software and services.

While it's impossible to separate fact from fiction from simple politicking, Forstall had reportedly been a strong personality at Apple, and was rumored to have been butting heads with Jony Ive, among others, over the direction of Apple design. He was also in charge of the troubled launches of both Siri, which suffered repeated network and reliability problems, and iOS 6 maps, whose geographical data issues turned into a public relations problem for Apple. The press release certainly reads more as a welcome for Ive in his new roll than anything resembling a grateful farewell to Forstall for his work to date.

Jony Ive, longtime SVP of Industrial Design, will take over Human Interface across Apple.

His incredible design aesthetic has been the driving force behind the look and feel of Apple's products for more than a decade.

Eddy Cue, promoted to SVP of Internet and Services following the ill-fated MobileMe launch, which take on Siri and Maps.

This organization has overseen major successes such as the iTunes Store, the App Store, the iBookstore and iCloud. This group has an excellent track record of building and strengthening Apple's online services to meet and exceed the high expectations of our customers.

Craig Federighi, who took over OS X following the departure of Bertrand Serlet, will also take on iOS.

Apple has the most advanced mobile and desktop operating systems, and this move brings together the OS teams to make it even easier to deliver the best technology and user experience innovations to both platforms.

Bob Mansfield, who left his post as SVP of Hardware Engineering, only to return as SVP of [nothing specified] will now lead a new group called Technologies.

[Technologies combines] all of Apple's wireless teams across the company in one organization, fostering innovation in this area at an even higher level. This organization will also include the semiconductor teams, who have ambitious plans for the future.

Apple will conduct a search to replace Browett as the head of retail. Browett was the subject of controversy recently when cuts to Apple store staff and rumored shifts in priority led to some embarrassing publicity and backpedaling.

[In] the interim, the Retail team will report directly to Tim Cook. Apple's Retail organization has an incredibly strong network of leaders at the store and regional level who will continue the excellent work that has been done over the past decade to revolutionize retailing with unique, innovative services for customers.

Source: Apple PR

After an innumerable amount of teases, both from Microsoft and their manufacturing partners, Windows Phone 8 has finally, officially, been launched at a special event today and our Mobile Nations sibling site WPCentral is all over all it.

Daniel Rubino has a full Windows Phone 8 review up for your comparative pleasure, and he's unsurprisingly positive about Microsoft's latest smartphone OS:

For current Windows Phone users, Windows Phone 8 is a major step in the right direction. It continues to fill in gaps, expand functionality and create some new areas. The new hardware abilities make what was already a fast OS even more horsepower and you can feel it when doing everyday tasks. Combined with the new bold phones designed by HTC and Nokia, Windows Phone 8 has the best chance ever to succeed. Let's see what happens.

And Alex Dobie has an HTC 8X review up, at least in preliminary hardware form, to round things out.

By any standard, HTC's Windows Phone 8X is a stunning piece of technology. There's no shortage of plastic smartphones out there, but this is plastic done right. HTC's combined leading smartphone internals with a minimalist design and triple-A build quality, and it should come as no surprise that the result is a worthy signature handset for Windows Phone 8.

My own opinions of Windows Phone haven't changed much if at all with the new version. Microsoft's Windows Phone team deserves an incredible amount of credit for making a modern, elegant, beautiful new mobile operating system -- one that's since dragged the entire, entrenched company into the future with it. But Microsoft's management has stuck so solidly, stupidly, to Windows that they've cut the legs out from under it at every turn.

Again, call it Xphone, put Halo on it alongside Office, and it's got an incredible shot at success. Leave it as it is, stuck with the Windows brand, caught be carrier must-carry iOS and carrier want-to-carry Android, and it'll be an incredible battle to even get to 3rd place, despite BlackBerry remaining in free fall.

Check out WPCentral's complete coverage for more videos and analysis.

• Windows Phone 8 launch coverage

In addition to the new Nexus 4 smartphone, which we've already put up against the iPhone 5, Google and Samsung have announced the brand new Nexus 10 big boy tablet now as well. So experience vs. ecosystem, integrated vs. licenses, yadda vs. yadda, we're stacking that up against Apple's just-announced iPad 4 to get a sense of where exactly the different platforms are going, and what they're needing, hardware-wise.

And, of course, we brought the Microsoft Surface and BlackBerry Playbook along for the ride.

Check the specs up top, then hit the link below for our Mobile Nations sibling site, Android Central's, complete Nexus 10 coverage.

• Nexus 10 superpage
• iPad 4 superpage

Google and LG have just announced their all-new Android 4.2 flagship phone, the Nexus 4 and it's a doozy. We all know Apple and the iPhone 5 are more about experience and ecosystem than speeds and feeds, but that doesn't mean we're not still curious how exactly those specs stack up. After all, specs are the engine that drive the experience, and while Apple's end-to-end integration lets them get better results with less horsepower, it's still fun to see what Android manufacturers are able to cram into their devices.

We also tossed in a couple other Android flagship devices, including the ubiquitous Samsung Galaxy S3 and stellar HTC One X as well as the also upcoming Windows 8 Phone, the Nokia Lumia 920.

So check out the chart up top, and if you want to know more about the Nexus 4, our Mobile Nations sibling site, Android Central, has you coved:

• Nexus 4 superpage
• iPhone 5 superpage

The Pentagon will start issuing iPhones and Android devices, in addition to BlackBerrys, to its employees and military personnel. The Department of Defense will build out their system to prepare for 162,000 devices with the ability to accommodate up to 8 million phones and tablets should the need arise. RIM's BlackBerry devices have long been used by the federal government, but as the use of iOS and Android devices rise, the Pentagon is looking to diversify, though they have no plans of dropping BlackBerry device support. The Washington Post reports:

The Pentagon wants to allow employees to access its network with a broader range of mobile devices so it can "take advantage of the increasing wireless capabilities that exist and that are developing in the marketplace," according to the contracting document.

While the Defense Department is not insisting that contractors propose systems that can manage RIM devices, it "desires" a system that can also handle BlackBerrys, the document stated.

RIM claims that its devices were left off of the requirements list because a BlackBerry system is already in place to manage those devices, and therefore a new system is not needed for BlackBerrys. However, there is no question that this move is not good for RIM. Given a capacity for 8 million devices, the Pentagon will be prepared for its employees to switch to iOS and Android from BlackBerry when the system comes online. While RIM claims that its share among federal employees is growing, this is probably due more to the shrinking number of employees in the federal government than higher adoption rates of BlackBerrys. After all, the BlackBerry has been the dominant device family in government for a long time, and employees might not wish to switch to a new device after using the same one for so long. We will get a better picture of RIM's place in government as agencies open up device use. The Pentagon's program will begin sometime after the contract is awarded in April 2013.

Source: The Washington Post

Both push notifications and search have come to Tapbots' popular app.net (ADN) client, Netbot, thanks to today's version 1.1. Update. While push notifications was likely the last big missing piece on many people's ADN puzzles -- our own Netbot review included -- both new features nicely round out what was already one of the best clients on any platform.

For any Tweetbot user, the push notification implementation will be immediately familiar. Simply tap the account button at the top left, tap Accounts & Settings, tap Settings at the bottom of the screen, tap your username under Account Settings, tap Notifications, and then you can toggle on or off Mentions, Reposts, Stars, and Follows, as well as test the system.

According to Netbot developer Paul Haddad, Tapbots didn't include the same Sleep Options found in Tweetbot because iOS 6's new Do Not Disturb mode handles that at the system level now. Also, there's no way to restrict Mentions to just those from people you follow, since ADN doesn't offer that option yet.

Search also functions exactly as any Tweetbot user would expect, with the ability to find posts with, users with, or go to a specific username.

Great additions to a great client. If you like Tweetbot, you'll like Netbot, so whether you're migrating to ADN or just doubling up on your micro-posts, there's no longer any reason not to check it out.

Netbot 1.1 is a free update for existing users.

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Rene Ritchie and special guest Jim Dalrymple of The Loop talk Apple's October event, including the new 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro, Mac mini, iMac, iPad 4, and iPad mini. This is the iMore show.

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Guests

• Jim Dalrymple (@jdalrymple) of The Loop

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• Rene Ritchie (@reneritchie)

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You can reach all of us on Twitter @iMore, or you can email us at podcast@imore.com or just leave us a comment below.

For all our podcasts -- audio and video -- including the iMore show, ZEN and TECH, Iterate, and more, see MobileNations.com/shows

Apple appears to have sold out of their initial iPad mini pre-order stock, with their latest, smallest tablet no longer available with immediate shipping from Apple.com. The iPad mini W-Fii became available for pre-order on Friday, October 26, and while the white version seemed almost immediately supply constrained, the black version seemed in plentiful supply until today.

No press release from Apple yet, and while 3 days may not be iPhone instant-fast, or even traditionally iPad fast, but for the small tablet category, on the heels of 2 other major tablet releases from Apple this year -- iPad 3 and iPad 4 -- it's still impressive.

iPad orders are now shipping in 1 week. So, if you absolutely want either of Apple's latest tablets this Friday, you'll now have to brave the lineups.

See ya there.

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World renowned electronics manufacturer Philips has announced today that it will be exclusively launching its "Hue" web-enabled lighting system through the Apple Store starting from tomorrow. The new system from Philips offers energy saving LED lights that can replace your existing bulbs and they can then be controlled from your iPhone or iPad.

Building on its innovation capabilities, today Philips unveils hue, the world's smartest web-enabled LED home lighting system. Philips hue signals a new era in home lighting both in the way we think about and experience light in our homes. It allows you to create and control the light using your smartphone or tablet. Bringing endless possibilities to help you get creative and help you personalize your lighting to suit yours and your family's lifestyle, Philips hue is available exclusively from Apple stores from 30th October. A starter pack includes three bulbs that simply screw into your existing lamps, and a bridge that you plug into your home Wi-Fi router. Simply download the hue app to start experiencing light in a completely new way.

Once you have your system installed you can fire up the iPhone or iPad app and customize the lighting in your home to your hearts content. You can change the color of the light, control and monitor lighting of your home from anywhere in the world, set up timers and even use light as your wake up call.

The Philips Hue certainly looks like a very nice way to add some home lighting automation to your home. If you want to get hold of some, you can buy them exclusively through the Apple Store starting October 30th. They will come in a starter kit which includes three bulbs and the interface that needs to be connected to your home router; this starter kit will cost $199. Once you have the starter kit, you can add in extra bulbs at a cost of $59 per bulb. The system can currently support a maximum of 50 bulbs.

Can you see yourself fitting this sort of lighting automation system in your home?

Source: Philips

hue - Master Video from Philips Color Kinetics on Vimeo.

As I began to explore in the iPad mini vs. Nexus 7 and Kindle Fire HD screen size and screen density article, there's a serious discussion to be had about the tradeoffs between the various small form-factor tablets. Amazon.com's front page iPad mini vs. Kindle Fire HD ad is not rising to that level of discussion. Since they're a competitor, that's to be expected. It's also to be corrected.

So, Amazon, you're welcome.

Tonight the iMore show special edition is on a special night, with a special guest -- Jim Dalrymple of The Loop, at a special time, to discuss a special event.

Join us LIVE at 6:00pm PT, 9:00pm ET, 2:00am BST. Set an alarm. Bookmark this page. Be here.