Padvance Report: Atari Arcade, Samsung Mini-Tabs, and Apple Police

We've had a great week on Slide To Play-- we previewed Another World, revealed Max Payne, and reviewed Nick Chase 2 and Frogger Decades, among several others. But we've also been busy on Padvance with our coverage of tech and tablet news. Read on for the highlights.

Atari Building an iCade Competitor

If you didn't yet take the plunge on the iCade, a $99 accessory for your iPad that looks like a miniature arcade cabinet, you might want to hold out for the Atari Arcade-Duo Powered Joystick. Unlike the iCade, the Atari Arcade will plug directly into the iPad instead of using Bluetooth, but this also means you won't be able to use the iPad in landscape mode. And so far, only Atari's Greatest Hits has been announced as a compatible app, so even if the Atari Arcade is cheaper and easier to find at Wal-Mart than the iCade, it may not be a superior product. Read the article here.

Samsung Announces New Mini-Tabs

Where's the line between a big smartphone and a small tablet? Samsung is blurring the differences with their Galaxy Note (a big smartphone) and Galaxy Tab 7.7 (a small tablet), both of which are expected to launch by the end of the year. These Android devices both run blazingly fast with a 1.4 Ghz processor, and they offer handy features like an SD card slot for the Tab 7.7 and a stylus for the Note. Read the full article here.

Apple Loses Yet Another iPhone Prototype

If you missed last week's intense drama over another missing iPhone prototype, here's the backstory. It started when an iPhone 5 prototype went missing in a San Francisco bar. The SFPD showed up at the home of Sergio Calderon, where his house was searched and his family was allegedly intimidated. In a bizarre twist, it was revealed that Apple employees were actually the ones who conducted the search without identifying themselves as Apple security and not police, and the SFPD didn't properly document their involvement afterwards. Is this a brewing scandal, or just another case of corporate overreach? Read the full article here.