(Credit: Josh Miller/CNET)

iPad Mini buyers waiting for the LTE version of the tablet will have their chance to buy a device in Sprint carrier stores beginning Friday. Sprint also will start carrying the fourth-generation iPad.

The LTE iPad Mini will be available in black and white versions, but will cost significantly more than its Wi-Fi-only sibling. The 16GB will sell for $459.99, the 32GB for $559.99, and the 64GB for $659.99.

Though Apple began taking orders for the LTE iPad Mini on November 2, it advised buyers that their devices would ship and appear in stores in two weeks. This latest announcement hits that target even if this week some early order customers received notices that their devices could arrive by Friday.

The deal is sealed -- Apple has bought 1,024 patents and patent applications from the Rockstar Consortium.

According to Business Insider, the Rockstar Consortium has been quietly passing the patents to the tech giant over the past six months.

The announcement comes via Korean news agency Yonhap News, which reported that a Korean regulator confirmed that the patents and patent applications were transferred from the consortium to Apple. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office database also confirms that the patents were transferred.

Google Maps

(Credit: Google)

Google is testing a pre-release version of its mapping service for Apple's iOS devices, according to a new report.

The Wall Street Journal says Google is "putting the finishing touches" on the software ahead of submitting it to Apple.

The line outside of Nintendo's flagship store in New York ahead of the launch of the Wii U console.

(Credit: Mark Licea/CNET)

Apple isn't the only technology company that can command a line of hard-core fans.

With the upcoming Wii U console launching on Sunday, Nintendo fans have already started to line up at the Japanese video game maker's flagship New York store in Rockefeller Center.

Apple's current set-top box.

(Credit: CNET)

Apple's plans to debut a TV set are just around the corner, according to a report.

In a note to investors today about cable technology company Arris Group, Jefferies & Co's James Kisner says the firm has heard rumblings from industry contacts that at least one major cable operator has been doing some tests to see if it can handle the extra bandwidth such a product might bring.

Maybe Darth Vader will be reincarnated.

(Credit: Neatoshop)

Ever since Disney bought Lucasfilm, the rumors surrounding a new "Star Wars" film have been flying around like a whole herd of speeder bikes through the forest of Endor. One of the latest is that Disney is looking to bring Darth Vader back from the very final-looking death he had in "Return of the Jedi."

As far as rumors go, it's harder to get more unsubstantiated than this one. The source is from British tabloid site Express.co.uk. The article quotes "industry insiders" as saying Disney plans to have Darth Vader return to play a significant role in a new trilogy.

Aaron Sorkin speaking on CBS' "Early Coffee" program in 2010.

(Credit: CBS)

That other Steve Jobs movie, currently being written by "West Wing" and "Newsroom" creator Aaron Sorkin, will apparently be told in three acts, the screenwriter said today.

In an onstage interview at the Hero Summit (relayed by tweets from the The Daily Beast), Sorkin detailed a bit of how the story would play out, saying it would take place across three, half hour scenes and behind the curtains at three of Apple's product launches for the first Macintosh computer, NeXT computer, and the iPod.

Silence, I say!

(Credit: Screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET)

There are at least a couple of different ways to motivate people into doing what you want them to do. You can offer consequences for bad behavior or rewards for good behavior. When it comes to cell phone use during movies, Cinemark is testing out a system that offers carrots rather than sticks.

CineMode is a new component to Cinemark's smartphone app for iPhone and Android. You open the app, select CineMode, follow the reminder to silence your phone, and then activate CineMode. It automatically darkens your screen. Leave it on for the duration of the film and Cinemark will send you a coupon as a reward.

Samsung's worldwide war with Apple will be one of the main focuses at the South Korean company's annual strategy meeting next month, according to a report.

Some 200 "chiefs" as well as top Samsung executives will meet in South Korea next month as part of the company's annual strategy meeting, local news outlet The Chosun Ilbo reports.

According to the report, the company plans to talk shop about its goals, which include changes to its product sales and its legal strategy with Apple.

(Credit: CNET)

Annoyed by that buzzing sound triggered by your phone's vibrate mode? Apple may one day provide a solution.

Dubbed "Vibration In Portable Devices," a patent filed today with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office details an Apple invention in which that annoying sound can be monitored and reduced.

Apple's technology would use sensors to detect the vibrations of the phone when in vibrate mode. If the sensors determine that the sound given off by the vibration exceeds a certain level, that noise is automatically toned down. The technology could also decrease the sound and even the movement of a vibrating phone when it's on top of a hard surface.