Looking for something to get your comic book fan for the Holidays? It's a tricky business. Comic book fans often have the stuff you'd want to give them or may not like the thing you want them to have. So it requires a very thoughtful approach. Here are some places to help you out.

Action Figure Times has listed their Top 10 Christmas gifts for action figure fans. #1? Captain Action, simply one of the greatest action figures of all time.

Forces of Geek has unleashed their Holiday Gift Guide.

And John Scalzi’s reader-driven gift guide is essential for finding stuff that’s off the beaten path.

The grand master of all holiday gift guides is, of course, Tom Spurgeon at The Comics Reporter. His is full of win.

Click to continue reading Give the Gift of Comics

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Apple released a Smart Cover accessory for the iPad mini, a smaller version of the iPad Smart Cover that costs the same $39 that the larger version costs. We thought the original model was great, and in this episode we let you know how we feel about the mini version of the display protector and tablet stand combo. We've got a few complaints about the functionality of the iPad mini Smart Cover. Check out the video for our thoughts!

Here's how to get the show:
[Download] - iPod-formatted H.264
[Download] - 720p HD
[Download] - 1080p MP4

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Time Warner CEO, Jeff Bewkes, reiterates wishful sentiments from the cable company that Apple make their own branded television set, and shake up the entire industry, when the question was asked of him at a conference.

"I hope they do," he said, "I think Apple is a great device company."

The Time Warner CEO thinks that Apple can solve the go-to-market-strategy problem with the cable/content business.

"They bring good interface and navigation skills,"

Perhaps an à la carte hardware system is already in the making at the secretive Cupertino labs. Who knows, maybe television and content executives are already privy to the details while deals are being established. Gear Live has reported that Time Warner COO, Rob Marcos, stated that the cable company would be willing to cede control of user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) as long as they can still maintain a relationship with customers.

"It's really all about maximizing the capabilities to get Time Warner customers the best possible experience."

Read More | Business Insider

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Apple could get access to an additional 33 million users as speculation circulates that T-Mobile could get the iPhone by next week. Scott Craig of Merrill Lynch is saying "speculation is heightening" as parent holder Deutsch Telecom is slated to ink a deal with Apple to bring iPhone to T-Mobile stateside. This past year, T-Mobile has been very busy making its networks iPhone-compatible to utilize HSPA+.

Perhaps this is a change of heart as just last week T-Mobile COO Jim Alling stated, "Make no mistake about it: We would love to carry the iPhone," … "However, we want the economies to be right for us." Still, it's a double edge sword not having the iPhone. "We recognize that it has been a point of churn for us".

T-Mobile would have had the iPhone last year if the U.S. Dept. of Justice hadn't opposed AT&T (T) proposed acquisition of the company on antitrust grounds. - Philip Elmer-Dewitt, CNN Money

Read More | CNN Money

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If the Surface with Windows RT isnt sporting the power and flexibility you need (check our Microsoft Surface review,) then the Surface with Windows 8 Pro would be more your jam, and Microsoft has finally announced pricing for the beefed up slate. Surface with Windows 8 Pro will be available in early 2013 (read: at least 3 months later than it should have been release) in two configurations: a 64GB standalone version priced at $899 and a 128 GB standalone version priced at $999. Both models will include a Surface pen with Palm Block technology.

What do you think? Have you been holding out for the Surface Pro? How does that price range hit you?

Read More | Microsoft Blog

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Along with arrival of iTunes 11, Apple has released version 3.0 of its popular univeral Remote app for iOS. The updates has iTunes 11 support and is said to be simpler and easier to use. Plus, Apple included a redesigned experience for the iPad version which has better search and album expanded views.  More after the break.

Click to continue reading Apple releases Remote 3.0 with iTunes 11 support

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The Xbox Community Ambassador campaign now has five more tier levels added to it, which include awards ranging from free Avatar swag to the Xbox Live gamer spotlight. The Xbox Community Ambassador program rewards Xbox Live members who assist other members through chat or the forum, acting as a reputation system that awards XP that can be redeemed.

The new tiers are listed below:

• Level 11, gold star avatar t-shirt.
• Level 12, gold star avatar hat and 10 tickets for periodic ambassador sweepstakes.
• Level 13, gamer spotlight, ilomilo on Xbox Live Arcade.
• Level 14, one month Xbox Live subscription and 10 ambassador sweepstakes tickets.
• Level 15, avatar spacesuit, 800 Microsoft Points.

If you're interested in becoming an ambassaor, you can apply here.

Read More | Xbox Community Ambassadors

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iTunes has been one of the last first-party Apple software holdouts stuck at 32-bit over the past few years. Many wondered when Apple would rewrite iTunes to the point where it would be 64-bit like just about all of Apple's other OS X apps, and that day has arrived with the release of iTunes 11. A quick check of Activity Monitor confirms it--iTunes is now a 64-bit Mac app.

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Apple's newly redesigned iTunes has finally been released after a one-month delay, for both Mac and PC. iTunes 11 sports a bevy of new music features, including a streamlined look and feel that focuses on album art when listening to music, a new bite-sized MiniPlayer, a new feature called "Up Next" that lets you manage a play queue. Outside of music, iTunes 11 brings tighter integration with iCloud, allowing you to stream your content library on your Mac or PC from iTunes in the Cloud. The iTunes Store has also been completely revamped, bringing the same look and feel that you'll find in iOS 6.

You can grab iTunes 11 now by running Software Update on your Mac or PC, or by checking the Mac App Store.

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Spain Rodriguez passed away following a lengthy illness. Spain was one of the great cartoonists to emerge from the underground comix movement of the 1960s.

He didn’t draw or write like any one else, either in underground comix or corporate mainstream comics and his work was always top-notch. I never had the pleasure of meeting him, but by all accounts, he was a good guy.

Here’s an article from The Comics Journal about his most recent work.

Art Spiegelman talks about his friendship with Spain.

And here’s his obituary from the San Francisco Chronicle.

[Artwork: Trashman by Spain Rodriguez]

Read More | Spain Rodriguez

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