Although the iPad Mini -- Apple's unconfirmed cheaper and smaller version of the iPad tablet -- was widely rumored to be revealed Oct. 17, with invitations supposedly coming Oct. 10, the invites never came. Now, All Things D claims the device will be unveiled Oct. 23, citing people familiar with Apple's plans.

At this point, all the info surrounding the rumored 7.85-inch device is just that -- a rumor, and that includes the date of the announcement. Plus, the October 23 is a Tuesday, and Apple has often been known to hold events on Wednesdays.

Still, the rumors swirling around the iPad mini -- if that, indeed, is its name -- have been to strong to ignore. The device is reportedl…
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Welcome to this morning's edition of "First To Know," a series in which we keep you in the know on what's happening in the digital world. Today, we're looking at three particularly interesting stories.

Kindle Paperwhite Coming to the UK Oct. 25

Amazon's latest e-reader, Kindle Paperwhite, is now available for pre-order in the UK with the shipping date of October 25. The Wi-Fi-only version costs £109, while the 3G one goes for £169.

Read our review of the Kindle Paperwhite here.

Gmail for Android is Getting Pinch-to-Zoom [REPORT]

The upcoming version of Gmail for Android is getting several nifty features, including pinch-to-zoom, as well as the ability to "swipe t…
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More About: Kindle, Office 2013, features, first to know series, gmail, mashable, paperwhite

Microsoft Office 2013 has reached the RTM (Release to Manufacturing) milestone, meaning it is ready to be shipped to manufacturers and business partners.

While that means the Office 2013 is essentially ready for the market, it won't reach the general public until sometime in the first quarter of 2013.

As far as pricing goes, this is the first version of Office that will be available via subscription. Microsoft unveiled the pricing in Sept. 2012 -- $8.33 a month or $99.95 a year.

As far as new features go, the Office 2013 is perhaps the most ambitious version of Office so far, as it takes the popular productivity package in three new directions: touch screens, social and th…
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More About: Office 2013, microsoft, trending

Scientists have finally found out how long DNA lasts in fossils. Alas, their discovery puts dreams of real life Jurassic Parks to rest for good.

As it turns out, DNA has a half-life of 521 years, according to researchers who studied fossils of extinct giant birds found in New Zealand. Previously, nobody knew exactly how long DNA lasted before decaying, which meant that technically it was possible to extract and read DNA from ancient fossils. A theory which was the premise of the movie Jurassic Park and which allegedly prompted a billionaire to try cloning a dinosaur.

SEE ALSO: Researchers Try to Turn Robots Into MacGyver [VIDEO]

"This conf…
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More About: Dinosaurs, popular science

Social media addiction: a disease likely affecting millions, but one that's hard to track because it comes in many forms. The afflicted may reveal themselves as serial likers. They may have push notifications set for the most minor of social media updates. They may self-identify as "mavens," "gurus" or "ninjas."

But regardless of their appearance, they do walk among us. Of that we can be sure.

The following infographic, which comes by way of the marketing software company Marketo, details 10 of the most common types of social media fiends.

There's "The Constant Checker," who can't go more than a few minutes without looking at his Twitter mentions or Instagram likes. There's the Kl…
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More About: Social Media, infographics

Joe Biden and Paul Ryan met for the first and only vice presidential debate of the 2012 election season on Thursday night.

The debate was heated, and the candidates' body language and facial expressions told its own story. If you missed the debate or would prefer a wrap-up on mute, we have the perfect solution.

SEE ALSO: Joe Biden's Teeth Devours Debate

Get the gist of tonight's veep showdown with a collection of the best reaction moments of the night. The smirks, the eyebrow lifts, the hand gestures: we collected them all.

Image courtesy of Ethan Klapper

Image courtesy of gifwich

Image courtesy of gifwich

Image courtesy of gifwich

Image courtesy …
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More About: 2012 presidential campaign, Joe Biden, Watercooler, paul ryan

The sports highlight is extremely predictable by now: an amazing play, sequence or moment is replayed from one or more angles, while a news anchor or announcer recaps what happened. Sometimes the video runs along with its original play-by-play audio, or maybe with the live radio call.

But, in the age of social media permeation and mobile video proliferation, this is no longer enough, according to UNITE, a new late-night show that airs on ESPNU. The social media-heavy show has introduced a regular installment called "social highlights," which leverage just how much video modern fans shoot on their smartphones while at the game.

The idea is simple, but pretty powerful. Footage from…
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More About: ESPN, Media, Social Media, Sports

In a quip destined to be one of the most memorable of Thursday night's vice presidential debate, Joe Biden jabbed Paul Ryan for seemingly comparing his political chops to those of the late President John F. Kennedy.

Ryan was in the process of arguing that it's possible to cut tax rates while keeping in place tax preferences for middle class Americans and growing the economy -- something he said has been done before -- when Biden cut him off.

"You can cut tax rates by 20% and still preserve these important preferences for middle class taxpayers," said Ryan, who was cut off by Biden.

"Not mathematically possible," said Biden.

"It is mathematically possible," responded Ryan. "It…
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More About: 2012 presidential campaign, Joe Biden, Politics, US, paul ryan

Sony Vaio Duo 11

The Sony Vaio Duo 11 has a folding design that puts the screen at a fixed angle in laptop mode. It's a strangely limiting choice, which also leaves no room for a touchpad.

Click here to view this gallery.

Sony is joining the Windows 8 world, upgrading its Vaio PCs to run Microsoft's new OS while throwing in a couple of surprises. Besides the unusual Tap 20 "portable" all-in-one, the new Vaio line includes a notebook/tablet hybrid and updates to existing Vaio lines.

The Vaio Duo 11, which Sony first unveiled in August, is a folding hybrid, but with an odd twist: You can only position the screen in two different ways: either flat over the keyboard or at about a 60-degree angle. That's it -- you can't position the screen at any other angle when working with the keyboard.

While the PC has some nice qualities -- including an 11.6-inch screen, an easy-to-carry weight of 2.84 pounds, and a sup…
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More About: Windows 8, laptops, sony, sony vaio, tablets

During the vice presidential debate Thursday evening, Republican Paul Ryan cited the death of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens in Libya as evidence that foreign policy is unraveling.

Joe Biden's rebuttal to Ryan caught the online audience's attention, due to his unique choice of word. "With all due respect, that's a bunch of malarkey, because not a single thing was accurate," the vice president claimed.

Sure enough, the Twitter hashtag #malarkey began to trend in the U.S. quickly after the comment.

SEE ALSO: Obama Campaign Buys Ads for 'Malarkey' Hashtag on Twitter

Most used it as humor, while others are firing back at Biden with his own outdated term. Here are a couple…
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More About: Joe Biden, paul ryan, presidential debate, u.s. politics, vice president

Give the Obama Administration points for quick thinking: The campaign bought the trending Twitter term #malarkey during the vice presidential debates on Thursday after Vice President Joe Biden used the term.

When you search the term, the following ad pops up:

This isn't the first time an advertiser has advertised a term evoked in the debates. PBS bought "Big Bird" the day after the first presidential debate after Mitt Romney mentioned the Sesame Street character.

Update: The Obama Administration has purchased other Twitter terms trending during the debate as well including "Jack Kennedy," "Afghanistan in 2014" and "#VPDebate."

Image courtesy of Flickr, RicheC

More About: Advertising, Twitter, Vice Presidential Debates

Paul Ryan attacked Joe Biden early in Thursday night's vice presidential debate for the Obama administration having initially blamed a deadly attack on a United States consolate in Benghazi, Libya on a YouTube video.

"They sent the [United Nations] ambassador out to say that this was because of a protest and a YouTube video," said Ryan. "It took the president two weeks to admit that this was a terrorist attack. He went to the UN and in a speech to the UN he said six times that this was because of a YouTube video. If we're hit by terrorists we're going to call it for what it is: a terrorist attack."

Biden, put on the defensive, claimed the White House's initial reports regarding the…
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More About: 2012 presidential campaign, Joe Biden, Politics, US, World, YouTube, paul ryan

Joe Biden's white, pearly teeth. That's what the Internet was fixated with during the vice presidential debate on Thursday night.

Sure, what's coming out of the vice president's mouth is far more important, but something about Biden's choppers captivated the Internet. And that's no malarky.

SEE ALSO: Internet Is Pumped for Paul Ryan Workout Photos

The GIFs, jabs and parody Twitter accounts came in faster than a teenager's wisdom teeth.

Biden's teeth are so white they're voting for Romney. #VPDebate— Morgan Murphy (@morgan_murphy) October 12, 2012

Image courtesy of gifwich

#Joebidenssmileforpresident— Joe Biden's Smile (@JoeBidenSmile) October 12, …
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More About: 2012 presidential campaign, Joe Biden, Watercooler

In preparation for Thursday's vice presidential debate, fact checkers had their history books out, Martha Raddatz prepped hard-hitting questions and Twitter started the #joebidenmovies hashtag. One of those things is not like the other, but in the Internet world, putting a fun spin on a serious topic is a specialty.

If the election doesn't go Barack Obama's way, Joe Biden could have a future in Hollywood.

1. The Man Who Knew Too Little #JoeBidenMovies— Steven Crowder (@scrowder) October 11, 2012

2. #JoeBidenMovies Charlie and the Union Controlled Chocolate Factory— Jessica (@Keep_It_Real_1) October 11, 2012

3. #JoeBidenMovies How To Succeed In Government With…
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More About: 2012 presidential campaign, Watercooler, political humor

The tenth and final contestant on The Next Iron Chef's season five, which premieres Nov. 4 on TV, will be revealed at the conclusion of a web-only "Road to Redemption" tournament.

Mashable exclusively has its hands on the the first episode of that three-part web series here:

"Road to Redemption" brings back two former Iron Chef America winners (Lee Anne Wong and Madison Cowan) and two Next Iron Chef contestants (Duskie Estes and Roberto Treviño). They are battling to earn their way onto this fall's Next Iron Chef, which focuses on redemption with a cast filled with previous seasons' chefs.

Season three's Estes prepared with help from her two pre-teen girls, who created quirk…
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More About: Entertainment, Food, TV, Web Shows, food-network, social tv

Sony Tap 20

The Tap 20 is simultaneously a gigantic tablet and a (semi-)portable all-in-one PC. The 20-inch screen weighs 11.5 pounds and has a battery that lasts 3 hours.

Click here to view this gallery.

Sony new line of Windows 8 Vaio PCs predictably includes all-in-ones, notebooks and hybrids, but the scene-stealer was easily the Tap 20, which is either the biggest tablet ever made or one of the world's only portable all-in-ones.

The Tap 20 looks very sleek. The 20-inch touch-screen PC is equipped with a stand that lets the screen sit at almost any angle -- from straight up to flat. With its wireless keyboard and mouse, it looks just like an all-in-one (though it lacks an optical disc drive), and that's just how Sony expects people to use it most of the time.

It has a secret, though: a built-in battery that lets you move the Tap 20 from desktop to countertop. It's heavy -- about 11.5…
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More About: PCs, Windows 8, sony, sony vaio, tablets

Looks like Sesame Street's resident therapist is going to have a great Christmas.

More About: 2012 presidential campaign, Big Bird, Mitt Romney, comics, humor

Apple can continue selling mobile devices while the company remains mired by lawsuits with its main competitor Samsung, a Seoul court ruled Thursday.

An August ruling found both companies infringing on each other's patents and a stay was placed on Apple iPad and iPhone sales. While an appeal from Apple continues through the court system, a South Korean judge passed the ruling that would lift the stay for now, allowing Apple to continue selling the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad 1 and iPad 2.

SEE ALSO: Apple vs. Samsung Verdict Is In: Apple Wins

The two companies continue battling over patent usage on four continents and hold the majority of the sm…
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More About: Galaxy, apple, ipad, iphone, patent lawsuit theater, patents, samsung

After analyzing the Twitter profiles of 36 million users who have generated more than 28 billion tweets (that's 794 tweets per person in three years on average), Beevolve's social analytics research reveals user follower bases directly correlate with how much they tweet.

A Twitter user who has written 1 to 1000 tweets has an average of 51 to 100 followers, whereas users who have tweeted more than 10,000 times tend to be followed by 1,001 to 5000 individuals. It's estimated that a person with more than 15,000 tweets has between 100,001 to 1 million followers.

Beevolve's report called "An Exhaustive Study of Twitter Users Around the World" takes a…
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More About: Mobile, Social Media, Twitter, research, study

1. "Obama, upon learning that Biden had spent the first two years of the administration thinking the head in the background was the real president."

Caption: Conor Lastowka Photo: White House

Click here to view this gallery.

The Vice President of the United States: a lofty title, but in the eyes of some, little more than a sidekick in a silk tie. The Barney Rubble or Barney Fife of Washington D.C., if you will.

Something about the office of the veep makes tossing humorous jabs a little easier to swing. From dueling womanizer Aaron Burr to Dan "Potatoe" Quayle, the VP has a long history of playing bullseye for critics and comedians. In the spirit of vice presidential quips, we asked some of our favorite joke slingers to supply captions for photographs of current vice president, Joe Biden.

SEE ALSO: Internet Is Pumped for Paul Ryan Workout Photos

Flip through the gallery above for 18 of our favorites.…
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More About: Joe Biden, Watercooler, humor

PBS executive editor and debate moderator Jim Lehrer has taken a lot of criticism for his performance during last week's first presidential debate. The consensus was that Lehrer allowed the candidates to talk too much, didn't cut them off when time limits expired and that he didn't make the debaters follow the rules.

But what if Lehrer had been more decisive, more strong-willed -- more of a badass?

Watch This Hilarious Bad Lip Reading of the First Presidential Debate [VIDEO]

Thanks to YouTube and a bit of masterful editing, we have our answer.

Watch the video above to see how badass Jim Lehrer could have been in last week's debate.

More About: U.S. presidential election, US politics, Watercooler, barack obama, presidential debates

Joe Biden and Paul Ryan will meet one another in Danville, Ky., Thursday at 9 p.m. ET for the first and only vice presidential debate of the 2012 election. Mashable readers will be able to watch the entire debate right here: We'll have an embedded stream of the action along with a live blog including a panel of policy experts, socially savvy meme-hunters and Mashable staff.

We'll bring you the best of both worlds: top-notch commentary and analysis along with the best viral content that's popping up during the debate. We're happy to have reader comments as well, but we're pre-moderating them, so please be patient if they don't appear automatically.

Our panelists include: Willia…
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More About: 2012 presidential campaign, Joe Biden, US politics, paul ryan, trending

With 432 million views since its July 15 release, "Gangnam Style" has catapulted well into YouTube's list of 30 most-viewed videos. Psy's Korean electronica dance hit cracked the top 10 this week at number nine.

The clip previously broke the Guinness World Record for most YouTube "Likes."

A month ago, when talent manager Scooter Braun had signed Psy to the same record label as fellow viral sensation Carly Rae Jepsen, "Gangnam Style" had been watched 105 million times.

The 327 million additional views since the beginning of September have spawned partially because of parodies and Psy's TV appearances on Saturday Night Live, Today, Ellen and the MTV Video Music Awards.

SEE AL…
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More About: Entertainment, Music, Viral, YouTube, celebrities, gangnam style, music videos, psy, viral videos

Shutterstock, an online marketplace for stock photos, went public on Thursday and enjoyed a strong first day of trading.

The company priced its IPO at $17 a share and saw the stock rise more than 30% in trading before closing the day at $21.66, a gain of 27.4%. Shutterstock was expected to IPO for $13-$15 a share.

Shutterstock is one of only a couple Internet startups to go public following the fallout from Facebook's rocky IPO in May. Trulia, a real estate listings website, went public last month and is currently up more than 35% since its IPO. Both Trulia and Shutterstock were significantly smaller IPOs, raising $76.5 million and $102 million, respectively, compared to Facebook,…
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More About: Photos, ipo, shutterstock, stocks

Good color is commonplace in a computer monitor, but the 27-inch Samsung Series 9 monitor aims higher than that. Just how great is it?

More About: Computer Monitors, Samsung Series 9, reviews

Viral content holds the Internet together -- that much is clear. But exactly how that content spreads isn't so cut and dry.

Facebook teamed up with design firm Stamen and actor-turned-social-media-star George Takei to see, share by share, just how photos go viral.

Here's how it worked: Takei shared a few photos on his Facebook page. Stamen took the shared data from his photos and converted it into a series of interactive graphics, which Facebook published this morning.

SEE ALSO: How George Takei Went From Star Trek to Social Media

The graphics are two colors, one for each gender. Each streak, then, represents someone re-sharing an image.…
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More About: Facebook, Newsy, videos, viral photos

Images courtesy of Nightmares Fear Factory

Click here to view this gallery.

One of the best parts of Halloween is willingly putting yourself through sheer terror by going through some sort of haunted house or scary hayride.

Why do we subject ourselves to extreme levels of fear? For entertainment, of course. But while thrill-seekers are having fun getting the pants scared off of themselves, they're providing others with an unsuspecting amount of joy.

SEE ALSO: Creepy Thriller Features Your Facebook Friends

If you're too chicken to brave a haunted attraction this year, you can still get into the spooked out spirit at other attendees' expense. At the Nightmares Fear Factory in Canada, a hidden camera captures one of the scariest moments in the attraction. Put…
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More About: GIFs, Halloween, Watercooler, humor

1. Steve Jobs

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With the rise of the Internet, people started creating avatars -- fictional alter egos that allowed people to hide their real identities or simply create a different one. Facebook has almost killed the avatar, but some still feel the need to create an alternative personality.

That's what pushed a 33-year-old Italian art director to become Dito Von Tease and start creating portraits of famous people on finger tips. Yes, you read that right. On his blog called Ditology, Dito -- who doesn't want to reveal his real name -- takes a picture of his finger and creates portraits of celebrities, historical figures or fictional characters with the help of Photoshop.

Dito -- which means finger in…
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More About: Watercooler, art, gallery

Sometimes it can seem impossible to reconcile opposites. In the United States, the presidential election is rapidly approaching, and the two candidates are doing their best to define the opposition. But some contrasts are slightly more organic than political affiliation. When we think of the classic examples of opposites, we probably recall black and white, night and day or youth and age. In addition to creating conflict, opposites can also create balance.

This week for the Mashable Photo Challenge, we want you to send us the most compelling images of opposites that you've seen. Did you notice a contradiction on your morning commute and manage to snap a shot with your phone? Or maybe…
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More About: Mashable Photo Challenge, Photos

You know this isn't how the football coach from Ravenna High School in Ohio drew up his team's game-winning play against nearby Field High. But, hey, you can't quibble with the results.

In fact, our decidedly un-expert analysis says this is probably the most amazing game-winning high school football play of all time.

Falling down with less than a minute on the clock, Ravenna's quarterback blindly flings the ball backwards over his head.

Then... well, just watch the video that was recently uploaded to YouTube. You won't regret it.

More About: Sports, Watercooler, viral videos