Tax hike for wealthy won't kill growth: CBO

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Allowing income tax rates to rise for wealthy Americans, and maintaining rates for the less affluent, would not hurt U.S. economic growth much in 2013, the Congressional Budget Office said on Thursday, stepping into a dispute between Republicans and Democrats over how to resolve the so-called "fiscal cliff."

The report by the authoritative non-partisan arm of Congress is expected to fuel President Barack Obama's demand for higher taxes on the rich, part of his proposal to avoid the full impact of the expiring tax cuts and across-the-board spending reductions set to begin in early 2013 unless Congress acts.

Republicans argue that any tax increases would be devastating to the economy, particularly to small businesses, and to U.S. employment rates.

They have held firm to their position that none of the cuts, which originated during the administration of President George W. Bush, should be allowed to expire.

The CBO said the tax hikes for the wealthy would reduce job growth by around 200,000 jobs, much less than the 700,000 in job losses claimed by Republican Speaker of the House John A. Boehner.

Obama has also stuck to his position, with the White House reiterating on Thursday that the president sees his election victory on Tuesday as an endorsement by voters of his view on higher taxes for the affluent.

"One of the messages that was sent by the American people throughout this campaign is ... (they) clearly chose the president's view of making sure that the wealthiest Americans are asked to do a little bit more in the context of reducing our deficit in a balanced way," senior White House adviser David Plouffe said.

UNCERTAINTY SCARING MARKETS

The disagreement over the tax cuts is a major roadblock to any agreement in Congress, as it is coupled with the spending issues also on the table.

The lack of progress in ending the standoff is spooking global markets, which fell again Thursday in part because of political uncertainty in Washington.
The concern was underscored by the credit rating agency, Standard & Poor's, which said on Thursday it sees an increasing chance that the U.S. economy will go over the cliff next year. But it also said it expects policymakers will probably compromise in time to avoid that outcome.

Analysts at the agency see about a 15 percent chance that political brinkmanship will push the world's largest economy over the fiscal cliff.

With only five days remaining before the U.S. Congress begins its post-election session, top political leaders in Washington provided little new assurance Thursday that they can act in time.
In an interview with ABC Television's Diane Sawyer, Boehner repeated what he has been saying for two years: "Raising tax rates is unacceptable. ... Frankly, it couldn't even pass the House. I'm not sure it could pass the Senate," he said, according to a transcript provided by the network.
The Democratic White House did not respond publicly to an initiative launched on Wednesday by Boehner to get talks going to avoid the cliff. The president is scheduled to make a statement on the economy Friday.
In the absence of concrete developments, the CBO report became the focus of argument Thursday. Reports by the CBO are designed to assist Congress in making difficult fiscal decisions, but they are also used by partisans to bolster their own arguments.

A statement from the Republican-controlled House Ways and Means Committee said the CBO report "confirms that raising taxes on all taxpayers will result in fewer ‘help wanted' signs hanging in the windows of businesses across the country. Job creators agree, and have made it clear, that raising taxes will result in a weaker economy and fewer jobs for the millions of Americans struggling to find work."

Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen, ranking member of the House Budget Committee, said the report "underscores the need to prevent the so-called fiscal cliff from harming American families and businesses, and to instead enact a balanced, long-term deficit reduction plan."

The term "balanced" plan is the Democratic code for tax increases.

The tax cuts were enacted during the Bush administration, but were made temporary, in part to reduce the appearance of exploding the already soaring U.S. deficit over the long term.

They were extended in 2010 for two years under an agreement between Republicans and Obama, after Republicans swept the mid-term elections that year and took control of the House.

That extension is running out, just as the trigger date arrives for automatic spending cuts Congress approved in 2011 as part of a deal to avoid a default on U.S. government debt.

VARIOUS SCENARIOS

The report from CBO laid out the economic effects of a number of options that lawmakers will consider as they deal with the fiscal cliff events.

The CBO said extending all of the tax cuts would boost U.S. gross domestic product growth next year by a little less than 1.5 percentage points.

If the tax rates were extended only for individuals earning less than $200,000 and couples earnings less than $250,000, CBO said, growth would rise by 1.25 percent.

Wall Street estimates show third-quarter GDP growth was 2.8 percent. Unemployment is currently at 7.9 percent.

Eliminating the automatic spending cuts to military and domestic programs would add back 0.75 percentage points of growth, as would extending an expiring payroll tax cut and long- term unemployment benefits that are expected to end next year, the CBO said.

But the office also warned of the consequences of taking such actions without reducing deficits that have run at $1 trillion in each of the past four years.

"CBO expects that even if all of the fiscal tightening was eliminated, the economy would remain below its potential and the unemployment rate would remain higher than usual for some time," the report said.

(Additional reporting by Richard Cowan, Mark Felsenthal and Jeff Mason; Editing by Stacey Joyce, Eric Walsh and Fred Barbash)

GOP Senator Says 'Put Politics Aside' to Avoid 'Fiscal Cliff'

By David Kerley

With the "fiscal cliff" looming, there was plenty of talk today by members of both political parties of reaching a deal to avoid spending cuts and tax hikes that some economists say could plunge the country back into recession.

"We need to put politics aside. The election is over. President Obama has won," Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia said on ABC's "This Week."

But while there are signs of a way to make a deal, it's not clear that everyone is on board, even though Speaker of the House John Boehner says he will consider increasing revenues.

"The tone was good. I think the jury is still out on exactly what the substance of what he said is," Democrat Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said.

The so-called "cliff" comes on Jan. 1, when several tax cuts expire, and severe cuts to government spending are triggered. It's also been called "taxmageddon," because an average American family will see their tax bill increase $3,700 next year.

The sticking point to solve the stand-off is what the president calls a "balanced approach" of spending cuts and increased revenues. The president campaigned on, and won on, the pledge to allow the tax rates for the rich to rise, while keeping middle class tax rates where they are currently.

A leading Republican said "no" on Sunday.

"No Republican will vote for higher tax rates. We will generate revenue from eliminating deductions and loopholes," Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said on CBS' "Face the Nation."

That's the position Boehner is promoting as well.
While Obama has said he is open to "new ideas," a leading Democrat suggested closing loopholes is not enough. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington was asked on ABC's "This Week" if Democrats will allow the country to go over the cliff.

"To solve this problem, the wealthiest Americans have to pay their fair share, too," she said. "So if the Republicans will not agree with that, we will reach a point at the end of this year where all the tax cuts expire and we'll start over next year."

The two sides have a few more days to make their cases before Congressional leaders are called to the White House on Friday. That's when negotiations start in earnest and we learn if the election made a difference in relations between the two parties.

Deadly blast devastates Indianapolis neighborhood

 



By CHARLES WILSON and RICK CALLAHAN

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Splintered beams and boards on a piece of charred earth were all that remained Sunday where at least two Indianapolis homes were leveled in a blast that killed two people and rendered homes for blocks uninhabitable.

A backhoe raked through the rubble in the middle-class subdivision as clusters of firefighters and rescue workers weary from a long, chaotic day that began late the night before waited for their next assignment.

The two-story, brick-faced homes on either side of those demolished by the blast were ruins. One home's roof was gone, a blackened husk left behind. On the other side of the gap, the side of a home was sheared off. Across the street, garage doors had buckled from the heat.

It wasn't yet clear what caused the blast that shook the neighborhood at 11 p.m. Saturday. Residents described hearing a loud boom that blew out windows and collapsed ceilings. Some thought a plane had crashed or that it was an earthquake.

Alex Pflanzer, who was asleep when the nearby homes were leveled, said he heard his wife screaming and thought someone was breaking in his house. Grabbing his gun, he checked the house and saw the front door was standing open.

"I walked outside and all the houses were on fire," he said.
Pflanzer, his wife and two dogs were staying in a hotel room Sunday night. They were, however, without their cat, who refused to budge from the crawl space.
Deputy Code Enforcement Director Adam Collins said as many as 31 homes were damaged so badly that they may have to be demolished. The explosion damaged a total of 80 homes, he said. He estimated the damage at $3.6 million.

Some residents were allowed to return to their homes to retrieve a few belongings Sunday under police escort, officials said. Others whose homes weren't as badly damaged were allowed to go home, but officials said they would have to do without electricity overnight.

Officials did not identify the two people who were killed. However, a candlelight vigil was held at Greenwood's Southwest Elementary School on Sunday night for second-grade teacher Jennifer Longworth. She and her husband, John Dion Longworth, lived at a home destroyed in the blast. WTHR-TV reported that friends, family and colleagues of the teacher gathered at the school.

Deputy Fire Chief Kenny Bacon told reporters Sunday investigators haven't eliminated any possible causes for the blast. But U.S. Rep. Andre Carson, who represents the area, said he had been told a bomb or meth lab explosion had been ruled out.

Bacon said the crisis could have been much worse. "I know we're very fortunate that some of the people weren't home," he said.

Bryan and Trina McClellan were at home with their 23-year-old son, Eric, when the shock wave from the blast a block away shook their home. It knocked out the windows along one side of their house, and their first instinct was to check on their grandchildren, two toddlers who were in the basement. One held his ears and said, "Loud noise, loud noise."

Eric McClellan said he ran to the scene of the explosion and saw homes flat or nearly so.
"Somebody was trapped inside one of the houses, and the firefighters were trying to get to him. I don't know if he survived," he said, adding that firefighters ordered him to leave the area.
Once the flames were out, firefighters went through what was left of the neighborhood, one home at a time, in case people had been left behind, Fire Lt. Bonnie Hensley said. They used search lights until dawn as they peered into the ruined buildings.
Along with the two people killed, seven people were taken to a hospital with injuries, Bacon said. Everyone else was accounted for, he said.
Four of the seven who were injured had minor injuries, fire officials said.
Dan Considine, a spokesman for Citizens Energy, said the utility had not received any calls from people smelling natural gas in that area.
"Most of the time, when there's a gas leak, people smell it," he said. "But not always."

Carson said officials from the National Transportation Safety Board and the federal Department of Transportation, which have oversight over pipelines, were also sending investigators.

Dan Able, a 58-year-old state employee who lives across the street from the two homes that exploded, said his first thought was that a plane had hit his house.

The blast was "a sound I've never heard before, it was so loud," he said. His windows blew out and a bedroom ceiling collapsed on his wife, Jan. He pulled her out, and they went outside.

"Both houses across the street were on fire, basically, just rubble on fire," he said.

The Ables and about 200 other people evacuated from the neighborhood were taken to a nearby school. Some who had been sleeping arrived in their pajamas with pets they scooped up as they fled. Others had to leave their animals behind, and police said later in the day that they were trying to round up those wandering through the area and find their owners.

Most evacuees eventually left the school to stay with relatives, friends or at hotels.

The relief operation was later moved to a church just a few blocks away, where residents could find supplies including blankets, shoes, diapers, canned goods and even a teddy bear.

How to set up Time Machine in Mountain Lion

  

Leah Yamshon @leahyamshon

 

 

 

  If you value your data—whether it’s some perfect photos you took last weekend, your entire music collection on iTunes, or your draft of the next great American novel—you must stay on top of regular system backup. One of the easiest ways of doing so is to use OS X’s built-in backup program, Time Machine. Time Machine works with your Mac and an external drive to save important documents, photos, and system files regularly. Apart from keeping spares of every file, Time Machine maintains a record of how your system looked on any given day, so you can easily put everything back the way it was if something goes wrong.
OS X has included Time Machine since OS X 10.5 (Leopard). Here’s how to get set up in OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) using an external drive. For more tips on backing up your data, see "Backup basics" and "Bulletproof backups."

Step 1: Select an external drive

To ensure that you have room for multiple versions of files, select an external drive that's at least two times bigger than your Mac’s hard drive. To determine how large your Mac’s hard drive is, select it in the Finder and press Command-I. If your drive capacity is 999GB, for example, you’ll be best off with a backup drive that’s 2TB or larger.
The best type of backup drive to use depends on the type of Mac you have. If you have a Mac with Thunderbolt, select a drive that’s Thunderbolt-ready, to take advantage of its speed. The options for Macs without Thunderbolt are FireWire- and USB-compatible drives. Though USB 3.0 and FireWire provide equivalent performance, Apple’s latest MacBook Pro release lacks a FireWire port, which suggests that Apple may be phasing FireWire out of its designs. Consequently, a USB 3.0 drive may remain compatible with future Macs longer.

Step 2: Prepare your external drive

Once you have an external drive, confirm that it’s properly formatted for the Mac. If in doubt, connect the hard drive to your Mac and open OS X’s Disk Utility (in the /Applications/Utilities folder). In the left-hand column of the Disk Utility window, select the disk that you want to designate as your Time Machine backup. At the bottom of the window, you’ll see information about it. If the disk’s Format reads 'Mac OS Extended (Journaled)', you’re good to go.
If not, you'll have to reformat the drive: Click the Erase tab, choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled) from the Format pop-up menu, and click Erase.
For more information, see "How to format a hard drive."

Step 3: Get set up for your first backup

If you already know that your hard drive is compatible, just hook it up. Your Mac will recognize the added hardware, and a window will appear, asking you whether you want to use the drive to back up with Time Machine. Click Use as Backup Disk. A full system backup will begin immediately.

Normally, as long as your new external hard drive is formatted correctly,  all you have to do is plug it in to get started backing up with Time Machine.

If you don’t see this dialog box automatically, or if you’ve just reformatted your drive, click the System Preferences icon in the Dock (or select Apple menu > System Preferences). Click Time Machine and then click Select Disk. Your external drive should appear in the list. Select the disk and click Use Disk. Time Machine will begin a full system backup.

The Time Machine window gives you access to most of the program's options.

Your first full system backup will take a few hours or more, depending on the size of your Mac’s hard drive. But subsequent regular backups will take only a fraction of that time because the drive will  limit itself to updating what’s already there and saving new files. If your drive stays connected to your Mac, the scheduled hourly backups will take just seconds to complete.
By default, you’ll now see a Time Machine icon in your menu bar; it looks like a clock encircled by an arrow running counterclockwise. Click this icon to get quick access to information about your last backup and to the Time Machine preferences panel. If you don’t like it, you can prevent this icon from appearing by going to the preferences panel and unchecking the Show Time Machine in menu bar option.

Step 4: Configure and customize your backups

You can tweak several settings to optimize your Time Machine backups.
Exclude items you don’t need: If you don’t need to save some items—restaurant takeout menus in your Downloads folder, for example, or miscellaneous screenshots that live on your Desktop—you can select items to omit from your system's regular backups. Go to the Time Machine preferences pane and click Options. Then click the plus-sign (+) button under the list labeled Exclude these items from backups. From there, pick and choose the items you’d like to leave out, and click Exclude when you're finished. In the large Exclude list, you’ll see the folders or individual files that you selected. You can change your mind about these at any time by selecting a file and clicking the minus-sign (-) button.

To save space on your backup drive, exclude items you don't need to backup.

If you use an external virtual machine, such as VMware Fusion or Parallels Desktop, to run Windows on your Mac, we recommend excluding it from your Time Machine backups. Backing up your virtual machine will quickly fill up your external hard drive, as Time Machine tends to perform a full backup of virtual machines each time instead of running a simple daily update. Several user have also reported instances where Time Machine crashed a VM session when it tried to perform a backup.
Erase older backups without interruption: When your external drive gets full, Time Machine will automatically erase older backups to make room for new ones. The default setting is for the program to notify you when it has deleted an older backup, but if you don’t need this information, uncheck the box next to Notify after old backups are deleted in Time Machine's preferences.
Backup on battery power: If you’re a MacBook user, you can also choose to back up while using battery power. Go to Time Machine's preferences, click Options, and select the Back up while on battery power option. By default, Time Machine will back up only when your laptop is connected to AC power, to ensure that your MacBook stays powered during the backup process. If the battery drains completely during a backup, the backup won’t be complete and may get corrupted.

Step 5: Keep backing up

Regularly using Time Machine to back up your files is the final step. If you have a desktop Mac, leave your external drive plugged in—Time Machine will launch automatically and perform backups hourly. You can also manually start a backup by clicking the Time Machine icon in the menu bar and selecting Back Up Now.
If you don’t keep your backup drive connected to your Mac—because your system is a laptop and you’re using on the go—remember to hook it up regularly to protect your data. The Time Machine icon will display an exclamation point when you haven't run a backup for a while. Just as it did when creating your first full system backup, Time Machine will start running as soon as your drive is plugged in.

How to set up your addresses in Messages

  

Glenn Fleishman @GlennF

 

 

 

When you set up the Messages app in iOS or OS X, you must supply it with an active Apple ID. But a single Apple ID can be associated with multiple phone numbers and email addresses, and the iMessage system enables you to send and receive messages to and from any email address or iPhone number that’s associated with that ID.
That can have a lot of repercussions whether you’re setting up the Messages app in iOS (on an iPhone or other device) or in Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion. For example, on an iPhone, you could opt to receive only those iMessages that are directed at its phone number. At the same time, you could configure the Messages app on a Mac to receive iMessages at that same phone number as well as at a dozen different email addresses.

Account settings

Starting with iOS 6 and OS X 10.8.2, when you are logged in with an Apple ID and you open the settings for Messages, you’ll see a list of every email address associated with that Apple ID. If you have an iPhone or iPhones, their phone numbers can be used with any other copy of Messages logged into the same Apple ID as well—that’s how you can get iMessages sent to your phone number on your Mac.
To set up all of these options in iOS, you tap Settings > Messages > Send & Receive. On an iPhone, the phone number will be checked and grayed-out, and cannot be de-selected; you can only disable iMessage on the device. On all other devices, you see a list of phone numbers and email addresses that you’ve verified with your Apple ID. You can tap to toggle their use as destinations on that device, or tap the blue detail arrow to remove the address altogether; you can delete it from your Apple ID account, too, after you confirm that you want to do so. You add additional emails by tapping Add Another Email, then following a link embedded in an email message that will be sent to your Apple ID’s main address. This leads you the Apple ID site, where you confirm the address.
In Messages in OS X, you choose Messages > Preferences, click the Accounts button, and select the iMessage entry. Log in to the appropriate Apple ID, if it’s not already connected. A list of email addresses appears under the You Can Be Reached for Messages At label. Toggle those to be included or not. Click Add Email to follow the same path as with iOS to add another address to your Apple ID account, and thus make it available in Messages to use with iMessage.

When you change the addresses you're using for iMessages on one device, the system will let you know about it on all your others.

As of iOS 6 and Mac OS X 10.8.2, whenever you remove or add email addresses or phone numbers to Messages, or toggle an address or number off or on, every other piece of hardware associated with that Apple ID for iMessage pops up a notification informing you of the change. An alert also appears when you add an address to your Apple ID or activate iMessage on an iPhone. It can often be a case of too much information.
If you have an iPhone and your number doesn’t appear as an option to receive iMessages in OS X’s Messages program, toggle the Enable This Account checkbox. If that fails, log out of your Apple ID account (click Sign Out) and then log back in. If that fails, too, in Settings > Messages toggle iMessage from On to Off and On. Finally, one more trick: Tap Send & Receive, then tap the Apple ID button at the top, and finally tap Sign Out. Log back in, and your iPhone’s number should (at last) appear in the list of available receiving addresses in OS X’s Messages.
As I said, you can opt to receive messages at a different set of addresses on each device you use. For instance, my old .Mac @mac.com address was converted to an @me.com and now to an @icloud.com address. I don’t particularly need to use all three, so I leave everything but the @icloud.com address unchecked. You may also opt not to receive iMessages sent to an iPhone number on all of your devices, lest incoming messages light up all of your devices and your Mac at the same time.

Strategies

As for choosing which addresses to use, there are a few strategies you could follow.
First, go narrow: Choose a single address or phone number to hand out to everyone. Consolidate all your iMessage delivery from colleagues, friends, and others to a single address or phone number that you enable on every device. That can be a problem if people have multiple addresses for you, because Messages in iOS and OS X let people attempt to contact you at any email address or phone number. Further, OS X’s Messages shows a blue iMessage icon next to any email address or phone number associated with an Apple ID or iMessages account, whether it’s set to be received anywhere.

On your Mac, you might want to omit your phone number from the list of addresses where people can reach you.

Second, go wide: Pick a common set of addresses and numbers where you can be reached. Select (iOS) or check boxes next to (OS X) all of the most common ways people reach you. This should ensure you’ll get iMessages as you need them everywhere.
Finally, go specific: Set up a different set of delivery options on each device. You might want to use your phone number only with your iPhone, and different combinations of addresses and numbers on your various other devices. You can then ask those who use iMessage to reach you to pick specific methods to find you. That can become quite complicated, but it’s always an option. The choice of phone number on an iPhone and email addresses on other devices is an easier split, of course.
(Many email services let you set up multiple addresses that point to a single account; some support the plus-sign (+) addressing scheme. The latter means you can address an email to main+extra@example.com, and it will be delivered to main@example.com but also passing along the +extra string to mail headers, where it can be used for filtering or other purposes. Thus bill+ios@example.com and bill+mac@example.com should be treated as two distinct addresses in setting up an Apple ID, but both would deliver to the same bill@example.com mailbox.)

Send from

So far, I’ve discussed the receiving end. But what about choosing an address to be used when you send an iMessage? The solution lies in a simple option: Start New Conversations From. This choice appears in the same form in both iOS and OS X. You can select among available contact methods, including a phone number connected to an iPhone and email addresses, to choose the way in which Messages handles new conversations. (This option was confusingly labeled Caller ID in iOS 5 and versions of OS X before 10.8.2.)

In Messages's Accounts preference pane, you can select the address from which you want to send messages.

You can opt to send from any address or telephone number associated with your Apple ID. Prior to iOS 6 and OS X 10.8.2, Apple used whatever you selected for this option as the return address for new conversations, but it also used it as the “snap-back-to” address if someone from whom you’d previously accepted iMessages initiated a conversation. That’s changed, thankfully: Whatever addresses you and an iMessage partner are using remain in use for the conversation. (You can click the arrow next to a contact’s name in OS X’s Messages to change the method or address for a conversation, but that’s a whole other issue.)
While managing addresses for iMessage is still sometimes confusing, it’s still more rational now that it was in earlier releases of iOS and OS X. Apple has made it more consistent and predictable to know where and how you send and receive iMessages.

 

  

Philip Michaels @PhilipMichaels

 

 

 

 

Well, that’s one less international patent dispute to have to keep track of.
Apple and HTC announced Saturday that they have buried the hatchet, legally speaking, in all of their patent disputes. The two sides inked a ten-year license agreement which covers current and future patents held by both companies. Other details of the settlement—such as how much money is changing hands—weren’t disclosed.
Both companies struck a conciliatory—and similar-sounding note—in statements posted on Apple’s website.
“We are glad to have reached a settlement with HTC,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook said. “We will continue to stay laser focused on product innovation.”
HTC’s Peter Chou also said his company was “pleased have resolved its dispute with Apple, so HTC can focus on innovation instead of litigation.”
Saturday’s settlement ends a dispute that began more than two-and-a-half years ago when Apple filed a patent infringement suit against HTC. HTC countered with its own complaint, and Apple added a complaint, and on things went until Saturday’s agreement brought the matter to a close.
HTC and Apple had been dueling over the technology behind smartphones, an increasingly popular pastime among technology companies these days. With the market for smartphones growing—it’s expected to be a $150 billion business worldwide in two years—a number of powerful players including Apple, Google, and Microsoft, are jostling for their share of sales.
By settling their patent differences, HTC and Apple avoid the high-profile legal showdown that Apple faced against electronics giant Samsung earlier this year. Apple won a $1.05 billion judgment against Samsung in the U.S.—Samsung is appealing that verdict—while both companies have scored legal victories in other countries.

 

 

Weekly Wrap: Reviewing the newest iPads, mastering software, easy backups

Lex Friedman @lexfri

 

Sandy kept us from publishing a Weekly Wrap last Saturday. But we’re back now, and our Macworld Doppler radar shows a lot of huge stories from the week gone by. It’s cloudy with a chance of MacBooks. Or more accurately, iPads and Mac minis. But MacBooks sounded better.

A closer look at new Apple hardware

We reviewed the two newest iPads in town: the fourth-generation iPad, and its little brother, the iPad mini. We like them both. We also reviewed the iPad mini Smart Cover—and we didn’t even knock it for fitting the fourth-generation iPad so poorly.
It looks like some of you bought the new iPads before our reviews ran; Apple sold 3 million of them in their first three days on sale. We’re confident that if we hadn’t liked them, you’d totally have returned yours, right? RIGHT?!
As you might expect, we podcasted about the new iPads, too.
The Macworld Lab put the Mac mini with Fusion Drive to the test. Somewhere an energy drink company marketing executive regrets never trademarking “Fusion Drive.”

Master your software

Here’s a guide to setting up your addresses in Messages. Aperture isn’t the Roach Motel: You can get your pictures back out of the software.
Our Mac 101 guide continues, and on the menu this time is … menus. Dive into the File and Edit menus. And if you find any typos in that story, feel free to file an edit.
You can rid your close-up photos of dust and scratches with Photoshop, and that story shows you how. It gives a whole new meaning to starting from scratch.
Whatever you use your Mac for, we don’t want your day-to-day data to get lost. (We do, however, relish the opportunity to use the phrase “day-to-day data.”) If you need a quick, better-than-nothing backup solution and you’ve been putting it off for too long, these backup basics can get you started. If you’re ready for more advanced backups, we offer a bulletproof approach to protecting your data, too. And if you’re relying on a Time Machine backup, here’s how to move it from one Mac to another. Unbelievably, there’s still no way to send your newfound Time Machine knowledge into the past.
Other software we looked at includes text editor Folding Text, fashion-themed role-playing game The World Ends With You, unnecessary tie-in of the month Angry Birds: Star Wars, the new-to-the-iPad accounting app FreshBooks, the new-to-the-Mac todo list app Clear, industrial-strength font management utility FontAgent Pro 5, and task management tool Organize.

Elsewhere

We looked at four kickstand cases for the iPhone 5, so if you’ve ever wanted to master such cases, that roundup should give you a leg to stand on.
We reviewed two Bluetooth speakers from Brookstone, and they’re pretty great. Give the review a read; give the speakers a listen.
You might have heard a rumor that Apple’s looking to ditch Intel processors in favor of its own hardware in future Macs. That may happen one day, but don’t expect it anytime soon.
There are, on the other hand, some things you can expect to see soon: AT&T is bringing FaceTime over cellular to more customers; and another Macworld/iWorld conference looms on the horizon.
Finally, if you’ve been wondering how you’d keep your iOS devices alive if a natural weather disaster left you without power for a week or more, wonder no longer. And since this reporter lives in New Jersey—new state motto: “Hurricanes followed by Nor’easters or your money back!”—he’s rushing to finish this edition of the Weekly Wrap before the power goes out aga-

 

Obama, Palin and Jobs join Bartlett's club

By HILLEL ITALIE




 

NEW YPRK (AP) — So much has changed since we last heard from "Bartlett's Familiar Quotations," a decade ago.

Barack Obama was a state legislator. Sarah Palin was mayor of Wasilla. Steve Jobs had just introduced a portable music player called the iPod.

And digital books were a relic from the dot-com bubble.

The 18th edition of the venerable reference work has just been released, the first for the electronic age and a chance to take in some of the new faces, events and catchphrases of the past 10 years. General editor Geoffrey O'Brien says he has expanded upon the trend set by his predecessor, Justin Kaplan, of incorporating popular culture into an anthology once known for classical citations. Shakespeare and the Bible still reign, but room also has been made for Madonna and Michael Moore, Justin Timberlake and Jon Stewart.

"I also added a great many quotes that originated in other languages. So I would say the new edition has a more international scope," says O'Brien, an author and critic and editor in chief of the Library of America, which publishes hardcover volumes of canonical American authors.

Little, Brown and Company hopes the new Bartlett's will appeal both as an old-fashioned coffee table hardcover, some 1,400 pages, and as an ultra-portable digital reference guide. Instead of releasing an e-book edition, the publisher has developed an app that does not simply replicate the printed book, but makes it ideal for digital devices and easy to share on Facebook or Twitter.

Dozens of employees spent months working on the app, according to Brian Singh, mobile analyst for Little, Brown's parent company, Hachette Book Group. Some 20,000 quotations were categorized so those looking for a quick quote — say a love poem for a wedding speech — could simply search the word "love." The app costs $3.99 and does not include any extra material, but it does have a digital feature, Quoto, which allows users to take a favorite citation, set it against a backdrop of choice and post it online.

For the hardcover, O'Brien said he removed some old poetry and forgotten phrases to make room for about 2,500 new quotes, including several from the Iraq War. Among them are President George W. Bush's call to "Bring 'em on" in response to possible uprisings from insurgents and his declaration that he was the "the decider." The Dixie Chicks' Natalie Maines is mentioned for her on-stage remark that she was "ashamed" Bush was from Texas, as is Moore's Academy Award acceptance speech when he criticized the war and called Bush a "fictitious president."

Seven Obama quotations are listed, from his campaign slogan "Yes, we can!" to his announcement that U.S. special forces had killed Osama bin Laden. Palin's entry includes the quip from her speech at the 2008 Republican convention that the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull was "lipstick." Job's dying words, "Wow, oh wow," are among four citations for the late Apple CEO, including a 1987 comment that "It's more fun to be a pirate than to join the Navy."
Others in Bartlett's for the first time: Christopher Hitchens ("Seek out argument and disputation for their own sake"); David Foster Wallace ("Make no mistake: irony tyrannizes us"), Stewart (his nightly signoff, "Here it is ... your moment of Zen"), Timberlake (his apology for Janet Jackson's "wardrobe malfunction" during the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show).
Barlett's is home to polished aphorisms and unintentional history: Bill Clinton's "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky"; Oscar winner's Sally Field's cry that "You like me!"; Obama's comments at a private fundraiser that some rural residents "cling to guns or religion." Some quotes originate from tragedy: Rodney King's plea, "Can we all get along?", as Los Angeles burned during the 1992 riots; Flight 93 passenger Todd Beamer calling out "Let's roll" as he led an uprising against Sept. 11, 2001 hijackers.
The credentials for Bartlett's are admittedly arbitrary: Space concerns, individual tastes and the uncertain definition of the word "familiar" make the book an invaluable excuse for an argument.
Larry David is in, but not Aaron Sorkin; P.J. O'Rourke, not Maureen Dowd; Jerry Seinfeld and Steve Martin, not George Carlin or Richard Pryor. The many expressions popularized on "Saturday Night Live," from "Talk amongst yourselves" to "Well, excuuuuuse me!" were not mentioned. Among novelists, Richard Powers is in, but not Jonathan Franzen; Colson Whitehead, not Michael Chabon.
"I am sure that twelve different well-informed people would come up with twelve different lists of people (and more importantly of specific quotations) left out, and I am sure some of these will be strong candidates for inclusion in the next edition," O'Brien said.

Among songwriting entries, excerpts appear from Lou Reed's lyrics for "All Tomorrow's Parties" and "Heroin," but not from the more famous "Walk On the Wild Side." The Beach Boys' "Caroline, No" gets a mention, but not such anthems as "Surfin' U.S.A." and "Good Vibrations." Kurt Cobain's entry omits "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in favor of "Stay Away" and "Serve the Servants."

For movies, two quotes are included from Robert Towne's "Chinatown" screenplay, but not the immortal closing line, "Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown." One of just two entries for Nora Ephron is "I'll have what she's having," the joke from "When Harry Met Sally ..." that is widely credited to Billy Crystal. Among the favorites left out: "Well, nobody's perfect," the kicker from "Some Like it Hot"; Arnold Schwarzenegger's "Terminator" catchphrase "I'll be back"; the courtroom explosion "You can't handle the truth!" from "A Few Good Men."

"Certain lines strike me as 'familiar for being familiar' — 'You can't handle the truth' being one of them, as I can see little originality or singularity in it," O'Brien said. "The price of compactness is a certain amount of arbitrary exclusion."

GOP showing in Calif. worries party strategists

 


By MICHAEL R. BLOOD

LOS ANGELES (AP) — If the future happens first in California, the Republican Party has a problem.

The nation's most populous state — home to 1 in 8 Americans — has entered a period of Democratic political control so far-reaching that the dwindling number of Republicans in the Legislature are in danger of becoming mere spectators at the statehouse.

Democrats hold the governorship and every other statewide office. They gained even more ground in Tuesday's elections, picking up at least three congressional seats while votes continue to be counted in two other tight races — in one upset, Democrat Raul Ruiz, a Harvard-educated physician who mobilized a district's growing swath of Hispanic voters, pushed out longtime Republican Rep. Mary Bono Mack.

The party also secured a supermajority in one, and possibly both, chambers in the Legislature.

"Republican leaders should look at California and shudder," says Steve Schmidt, who managed John McCain's 2008 campaign and anchored former Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's re-election team in 2006. "The two-party system has collapsed."

Republican voter registration has dipped so low — less than 30 percent — that the party's future state candidates will be hobbled from the start.

Republicans searching for a new direction after Mitt Romney's defeat will inevitably examine why President Barack Obama rolled up more than 70 percent of the Hispanic and Asian vote, and 9 of 10 votes among blacks, essential ingredients in his victory. Women also supported Obama over Romney nationally and in California, where they broke for the president by 27 percentage points.

There is no better place to witness how demographic shifts have shaped elections than in California, the home turf of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan that just a generation ago was a reliably Republican state in presidential contests.

A surge in immigrants transformed the state, and its voting patterns. The number of Hispanics, blacks and Asians combined has outnumbered whites since 1998 in California, and by 2020 the Hispanic population alone is expected to top that of whites. With Latinos, for example, voter surveys show they've overwhelmingly favored Democratic presidential candidates for decades. Similar shifts are taking place across the nation.

"There are demographic changes in the American electorate that we saw significantly, first, here in California and Republicans nationally are not reacting to them," said Jim Brulte, a former Republican leader in the California Senate.

"Romney overwhelmingly carried the white vote — 20 years ago, that would have meant an electoral landslide. Instead, he lost by 2 million votes" in the state, Brulte said.

Perhaps no part of the state better illustrates how Republicans surrendered ground than in Orange County, once a largely white, GOP bastion where Nixon's seaside home became known as the Western White House.

Today, whites make up a little more than 40 percent of the population, while 2 in 10 residents are Asian and about 1 in 3 is Hispanic, according to the census.
In 1980, Jimmy Carter managed to collect about a quarter of the vote against Reagan in the county. But by 1996, with the county diversifying, Bill Clinton grabbed 38 percent of the vote, and Al Gore boosted that to 40 percent in 2000. This year, Obama won 44 percent of the vote in Orange County, according to preliminary returns.
Romney "implemented a winning election strategy for 1980," University of Southern California professor Patrick James said in a statement issued by the school. "If you look at the demographics and voting proportions, the Reagan coalition would not win a majority today."

Celeste Greig, president of the conservative California Republican Assembly, said in an email to supporters Friday that the party was in need of a makeover, emphasizing Main Street over Wall Street.

"We have to admit that as a party in California, we're just plain disorganized," she wrote.

Romney bypassed California this year, waging his fight in battlegrounds such as Ohio and Florida. In claiming the biggest electoral prize in America, California's 55 electoral votes, Obama rolled up a nearly 21 percent margin. Voters also returned Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein to Washington in a landslide, after Republicans put up a virtually unknown candidate, Elizabeth Emken, an autism activist who had never held elected office.

Independents now outnumber Republicans in 13 congressional districts in California, a trend analysts predict will continue.

California counted more registered Republicans in 1988 than it does today, although the population has grown by about 10 million over that time. You'd have to go back to that year to find a Republican presidential candidate who carried the state, George H.W. Bush.

Surprisingly, Democrats continued to make gains in the state even at a time of double-digit unemployment, with polls showing that voters are unhappy with Sacramento and Washington. And it could get worse for the GOP. Republicans are trailing in two other House races in which the vote counting continues.

It remains unclear what direction Democrats, who have close ties to public employee unions, will take with their additional clout. If they achieve the supermajority in both houses of the Legislature, Democrats can pass tax increases and override gubernatorial vetoes without any Republican support.

The state is saddled with a litany of problems, including a long-running budget crisis, massive, unfunded public pension obligations, tuition increases at California universities and growing demands for water, affordable housing and energy.

Gov. Jerry Brown sounded a cautionary note this week, saying he intended to avoid spending binges.
Still, Democrats believe they have the state's demographics on their side with a message that appeals to a younger, more diverse population.
More than half the young voters in the state, ages 18 to 39, are Hispanic, according to the independent Field Poll. Thirty-five percent are Asian. If you look into a classroom in the Los Angeles area — tomorrow's voters — 3 of 4 kids are Hispanic.
The GOP retains pockets of influence regionally, including rural, inland areas.
Republican National Committee member Shawn Steel has been pushing the party to become more aggressive about recruiting Asians.
"It's not just all about the Latinos," he says.

Schmidt traces GOP troubles with Hispanics to 1994, when voters with encouragement from Republican Gov. Pete Wilson enacted Proposition 187, which prohibited illegal immigrants from using health care, education or other social services.

The law eventually was overturned, but it left lingering resentment with many Hispanics at a time when the Latino population was growing swiftly and becoming increasingly important in elections.

California "is not just a large state, population-wise, it's a trend-setting state," said Schmidt, a public relations strategist. "It could be a glimpse of the future."

Lab Tested: The Mac mini, maximized with Fusion Drive

James Galbraith @jimgalbraith

 

 

With build-to-order options, the new Mac mini makes a giant leap in performance.
The $799 standard configuration Mac mini comes with a 2.3GHz quad-core Core i7 processor, 4GB of RAM, and a 5400-rpm 1TB hard drive. We customized it to include a 2.6GHz quad-core Core i7 processor (a $100 upgrade), 16GB of RAM (another $300), and a 1TB Fusion drive (a $250 upgrade). The BTO Mac mini is $1449, but it adds up to one of the fastest Macs the Macworld Lab has ever tested.
With a Speedmark 8 score of 249, the BTO Mac mini was 52 percent faster overall than the standard configuration $799 Mac mini. The super-charged mini was faster in our processor-intensive tests: 8 percent faster in MathematicaMark and 13 percent faster in Cinebench CPU test.

2012 BTO Mac mini: Speedmark scores

	Speedmark 8 score
Mac mini/2.6GHz quad-core Core i7, 16GB RAM, 1TB Fusion Drive BTO (Late 2012)	249
Mac mini/2.3GHz Core i7 (Late 2012)	164
Mac mini/2.5GHz Core i5 (Late 2012)	131
Mac mini/2.5GHz Core i5 (Mid 2011)	120
Mac mini/2.3GHz Core i5 (Mid 2011)	100
Mac mini/2.4GHz Core 2 Duo (Mid 2010)	78
15-inch Retina MacBook Pro/2.6GHz Core i7 (Mid 2012)	275

All results are scores. Higher scores are better. Best result in bold. Reference models in italics. Macworld Lab testing by James Galbraith, Albert Filice, Kean Bartelman, and William Wang.

But it was the Fusion Drive that really kicked the BTO Mac mini into overdrive. The standard configuration $799 Mac mini with its 5400-rpm hard drive took more than three times as long to complete our copy file and uncompress file tests as the Fusion Drive did in the BTO Mac mini. The BTO Mac mini’s PCMark productivity test score (using VMWare Fusion) was three times higher than the high-end standard configuration’s score.
I’ll dig deeper into the Fusion Drive in my next article, but in brief, Fusion Drive is Apple’s answer to the high-price-per-gigabyte problem of solid-state drives. SSDs are fast as all get out, but they have very limited capacity and they cost a lot more than traditional drives. Fusion Drive gives you the best of both worlds by bringing together a separate 120GB SSD and 1TB hard drive and presenting them to both the user and applications as a single drive. (A Fusion Drive is not Apple’s special implementation of a hybrid drive, which houses a SSD and a hard drive in one mechanism.) Data is written to the SSD first, so the idea is that you get SSD speeds but with the capacity of standard hard drives. As you can see, our benchmark tests bear that out.
The BTO Mac mini’s combination of extra RAM, a speedy SSD, and a quad-core Core i7 processor was so good, its performance earned a Speedmark 8 score just below the 15-inch Retina MacBook Pros. That makes sense, seeing how the high-end 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro has the same 2.6GHz quad-core Core i7 processor as the BTO Mac mini and uses flash storage instead of standard rotational hard drives.
The scores would’ve been even higher had Apple offered a discreet graphics upgrade alternative to the capable—if somewhat lackluster—Intel HD 4000 integrated graphics. The BTO Mac mini failed to beat the 2011 high-end Mac mini in Portal 2 and Cinebench Open GL tests. And the Mac mini’s GPU was totally overwhelmed by the graphics performance of the 15-inch Retina display MacBook Pros and their discreet nVidia GeForce GT 650M graphics with 1GB of dedicated GDDR5 memory. Cinebench Open GL tests on the 15-inch 2.6GHz Core i7 Retina MacBook Pro with 500GB flash storage and 8GB of RAM were 70 percent faster than the BTO Mac mini. The Retina MacBook Pro’s Portal 2 tests displayed twice as many frames per second.
The BTO Mac mini was actually faster than the Retina MacBook Pro in a few tests, like the iPhoto, iMovie, and Aperture import tests. But file copy and file uncompress tests were a bit faster on the Retina MacBook Pro with its “pure” flash storage than on the Mac mini’s Fusion Drive.
We have more Fusion Drive benchmarks and articles in the works. Stay tuned.

2012 BTO Mac mini: Individual application scores

	Duplicate 2GB Folder	Compress 6GB Folder	Uncompress 6GB Folder
Mac mini/2.6GHz quad-core Core i7, 16GB RAM, 1TB Fusion Drive BTO (Late 2012)	41.1	283.1	42.5
Mac mini/2.3GHz Core i7 (Late 2012)	138	323	130.5
Mac mini/2.5GHz Core i5 (Late 2012)	149.3	345.1	144.9
Mac mini/2.5GHz Core i5 (Mid 2011)	246.9	359.7	230.6
Mac mini/2.3GHz Core i5 (Mid 2011)	234.7	390.7	228.7
Mac mini/2.4GHz Core 2 Duo (Mid 2010)	278.8	524.1	216.6
15-inch Retina MacBook Pro/2.6GHz Core i7 (Mid 2012)	37.7	286.8	41.2

Results are in seconds. Lower results are better. Best result in bold. Reference models in italics.

2012 BTO Mac mini: Individual application scores

	Import iMovie Archive	iMovie Share to iTunes	HandBrake Encode
Mac mini/2.6GHz quad-core Core i7, 16GB RAM, 1TB Fusion Drive BTO (Late 2012)	43.3	55.9	103.3
Mac mini/2.3GHz Core i7 (Late 2012)	69.6	64.4	119
Mac mini/2.5GHz Core i5 (Late 2012)	106.7	76.1	147.7
Mac mini/2.5GHz Core i5 (Mid 2011)	121.3	71.7	156
Mac mini/2.3GHz Core i5 (Mid 2011)	129.1	80.3	166.3
Mac mini/2.4GHz Core 2 Duo (Mid 2010)	114.7	185.2	164
15-inch Retina MacBook Pro/2.6GHz Core i7 (Mid 2012)	45.1	59.3	81.3

Results are in seconds. Lower results are better. Best result in bold. Reference models in italics.

2012 BTO Mac mini: Individual application scores

	iPhoto Import	Aperture Import	Photoshop CS5 Action
Mac mini/2.6GHz quad-core Core i7, 16GB RAM, 1TB Fusion Drive BTO (Late 2012)	42.8	50.9	89
Mac mini/2.3GHz Core i7 (Late 2012)	97.2	75.4	126
Mac mini/2.5GHz Core i5 (Late 2012)	114.8	86	145
Mac mini/2.5GHz Core i5 (Mid 2011)	153.6	102.8	161.7
Mac mini/2.3GHz Core i5 (Mid 2011)	158.4	141.3	233.7
Mac mini/2.4GHz Core 2 Duo (Mid 2010)	207.7	202.1	419.3
15-inch Retina MacBook Pro/2.6GHz Core i7 (Mid 2012)	46.1	51.4	89.3

Results are in seconds. Lower results are better. Best result in bold. Reference models in italics.

2012 BTO Mac mini: Individual application scores

	iTunes Encode	Cinebench CPU	VMware PCMark	Mathe- maticaMark 8
Mac mini/2.6GHz quad-core Core i7, 16GB RAM, 1TB Fusion Drive BTO (Late 2012)	91	63.3	3974	1.97
Mac mini/2.3GHz Core i7 (Late 2012)	100.7	73	1347.7	1.82
Mac mini/2.5GHz Core i5 (Late 2012)	113.7	148	1052.7	1.06
Mac mini/2.5GHz Core i5 (Mid 2011)	115	154	1045.7	1.02
Mac mini/2.3GHz Core i5 (Mid 2011)	123.7	186.3	855	1
Mac mini/2.4GHz Core 2 Duo (Mid 2010)	161.7	309.7	707.7	0.7
15-inch Retina MacBook Pro/2.6GHz Core i7 (Mid 2012)	90.7	64.7	4184	2.0

iTunes and Cinebench CPU results are in seconds, (lower results are better). VMware PCMark and MathematicaMark 8 are scores (higher results are better). Best result in bold. Reference models in italics.

2012 BTO Mac minis: Graphics tests

	Cinebench OpenGL	Portal 2
Mac mini/2.6GHz quad-core Core i7, 16GB RAM, 1TB Fusion Drive BTO (Late 2012)	23.1	60.6
Mac mini/2.3GHz Core i7 (Late 2012)	22	57.2
Mac mini/2.5GHz Core i5 (Late 2012)	18.6	52
Mac mini/2.5GHz Core i5 (Mid 2011)	23.9	70.7
Mac mini/2.3GHz Core i5 (Mid 2011)	11.6	40.8
Mac mini/2.4GHz Core 2 Duo (Mid 2010)	12.7	38.4
15-inch Retina MacBook Pro/2.6GHz Core i7 (Mid 2012)	24	70.7

Results are in frames per second. Higher results are better. Best result in bold. Reference models in italics.

Updated 11/9/12 at 10 a.m. PT to correct the amount of RAM in the BTO Mac mini. It was customized with 16GB or RAM, not 8GB. Also adjusted the final price of the BTO Mac mini, which is $1449.



 

Bugs & Fixes: Workarounds for two preference bugs

Apple tends to underplay any admission of bugs in its software. It doesn’t even like to use the word “bug.” Rather, it refers to fixing “issues.” For example, in its support article on OS X Mountain Lion v10.8.2 Update Apple notes that “an issue in which Keychain may not be accessible” has been resolved. As in this case, such admissions typically do not get posted until after Apple has released the update that fixes the bug.
However, as I initially covered back in 2008, a scrutiny of Apple’s support articles can reveal information about bugs that Apple is currently working to resolve. You’ll know you found one of these bug reports if the article concludes with the sentence “This document will be updated as more information becomes available.” These articles provide Apple’s current recommended work-around for the unresolved bug; the promised “more information” will likely be a future update that eradicates the problem altogether.
After a brief search, I found two recent examples of these type of articles.

System Preferences stops responding after viewing Desktop & Screen Saver pane

The first Apple article reveals that “System Preferences may stop responding if you select an iPhoto Event that is no longer available in iPhoto as the source for your desktop picture.”
The recommended temporary solution requires force-quitting System Preferences and selecting a different valid iPhoto event. Presumably, in a forthcoming OS X update, either unavailable events will no longer show up or their selection will no longer cause System Preferences to stop responding.

Login window partially appears, cursor movement redraws screen

Another Apple article notes that “if you are logged out of your account while the display is sleeping,” the login window may have an odd and unwelcome appearance (see image at top). This may make it difficult to access the text box for entering your password. To avoid this, Apple recommends setting your “Security & Privacy” and “Energy Saver” System Preferences so that it’s no longer possible for an automatic logout to occur while the Mac is asleep. Alternatively, if you don’t require an automatic logout, you can simply disable the option altogether—via the setting in the Advanced section of Security & Privacy.
Again, a future update should permanently fix the problem—so that the display oddity no longer occurs under any circumstances.

The Week in iPad Cases: Sparkles

 

With some nasty weather and a presidential election under our belt, it's time for another look at what's new in the world of protective accessories for your iPad. As you might expect, manufacturers are focusing on the iPad mini, but that doesn't mean that full-size iPad owners have been forgotten.

BoxWave's Glamour and Glitz

BoxWave: The Glamour and Glitz (iPad mini; $20) is a snap-on back case designed to protect the back and sides of your iPad mini while providing a splash of colour and fashion thanks to rows of sparkling, embedded gemstones. The case features all the appropriate openings to ensure that you enjoy unfettered access to all ports and cameras, and it comes in pink, purple, black, or blue. As an added bonus, it will probably keep you safe, too, if you happen to walk next to a busy road at night.

Hard Candy's Candy Convertible

Hard Candy: The Candy Convertible (iPad mini; $45) combines a convenient folio design with a beautiful, faux-nubuck material that looks and feels great without harming animals. The case can be used to prop up your table for viewing and typing in landscape mode, features all the appropriate openings to keep cameras and ports readily accessible, and is available in black or red.

Luma13's LumaGuard

Luma13: The LumaGuard (iPad mini; $24 to $34) is a premium, protective film designed to cover the back of your iPad mini with a layer of soft PVC film that helps protect against bumps and scratches. The film is shaped so that it won’t interfere with any of the iPad mini’s functionality, and it will even play nice alongside Apple’s Smart Cover, as well as with most form-fitting cases. The LumaGuard comes in clear, black, blue, red, white, or reflective aluminium white.

M-Edge's Incline 360

M-Edge: The Incline 360 (iPad mini; $45) is a portfolio-style case made of microfiber leather with a microsuede interior that keeps your tablet safe during transport. A special microsuction cup keeps the cover in place when not in use. The Incline 360 is available in pink or red. If you like the idea of microfiber leather but prefer a sturdier construction, the Profile (iPad mini; $40) is a minimalist case whose core is made from ultrastrong fiberglass.
The Latitude 360 (iPad mini; $35) is a zippered sleeve made of heavy ballistic nylon, available in either black or blue. Its 360-degree-rotation feature allows you to prop up your iPad mini for viewing in several landscape- and portrait-orientation positions. If nylon is not your thing, the Hampton 360 (iPad mini; $40) uses a similar design but with a microfiber-leather exterior.

Orbino's Padova Mini

Orbino: The Padova Mini (iPad mini; $209 to $689) is handmade from premium, handstitched leather to fit your iPad mini like a tanned glove. It features a brushed-metal button and a front cover that’s compatible with the iPad mini’s magnetic sleep/wake feature; the case can be propped up for viewing in both landscape and portrait orientations thanks to its special removable typing stand. In addition to standard calfskin, brown, pecan, or deep-red bark-tanned leather, the case also comes in a variety of exotic skins, such as crocodile and ostrich, available in multiple colors.

Padacs's Enduro Mini

Padacs: The Enduro Mini (iPad mini; $60) is a redesign of Padacs’s Enduro for the full-size iPad. Like its bigger sibling, the Enduro Mini incorporates a rechargeable battery that boosts your iPad mini’s internal battery charge by 125 percent while adding minimal bulk and weight. The case can also be used to prop up your tablet for viewing in landscape orientation. It comes in black, blue, or pink PU leather designed specifically to minimize slipping and to improve your grip.

Pyle's Universal Waterproof Sport Case

Pyle: The Universal Waterproof Sport Case (iPad 2, 3, and 4; $50) is unlikely to win a prize for inventive naming, but it could well be all that’s standing between your iPad and an unfortunate meeting with the infamous dihydrogen monoxide. The case is designed to be waterproof up to thirty-three feet, and it even features a special headphone-jack attachment for listening to music without having to open the case. Naturally, the case also protects your tablet from dust and sand—making it the perfect companion by the pool or at the beach.

Studio Proper's Clumsy Case

Studio Proper: The Clumsy Case (iPad 2, 3, and 4; $40) is built for tiny hands and their destructive power, with generous padding that keeps your iPad safe and sound during even the roughest tumbles. It works as a convenient stand for watching cartoons and movies, and its keeps the iPad’s headphone jack, cameras, buttons, and ports easily accessible. The Clumsy Case comes in candy red, apple green, or sky blue.

XtremeMac's ThinFolio

XtremeMac: The Vintage Sleeve (iPad mini; $33) is designed to keep your iPad mini safe during transport. It features a heavyweight, retro-canvas look with faux-leather straps that hold the carrying case closed and offer a connection point for a shoulder strap or for a carabiner that connects to a larger carrier.
The Micro Folio (iPad mini; $43) is a premium folio case with a built-in stand for viewing or typing in landscape orientation. It’s compatible with the iPad mini’s magnetic sleep/wake function and comes in licorice black, bubble gum pink, peacock blue, coconut white, cherry bomb red, or grape jelly. For a different twist on the same idea, the ThinFolio (iPad mini; $38) is a one-piece, folio-style case available in carbon-fiber and leather finishes.