Apple’s event on Tuesday both bemused and excited audiences, with some long-expected items, some slight incremental updates, and some surprises. As a team full of mobile developers and enthusiasts, we sat down (well, one of us was standing) and mulled over some questions and comments on the new products. Here’s what we came up with:

Why release a new iPad less than 6 months after releasing ‘The New iPad’?

It’s down to jacks. The iPhone 5 introduced the new Lighting connector, and people moved in droves to buy it. So, is Apple intended to expect iPhone 5 owners to buy a new iPad knowing its jack won’t play nice with their (equally) new phone? Hardly. Apple’s all about creating a friendly ecosystem across its devices, and matching connectors are a big part of it. While the incremental processor advancements to the ‘iPad with Retina display’ (as it’s now finally dubbed) aren’t going to blow anyone’s mind, not having to plug in an adaptor will.

Where does the iPad mini fit in?

It fits in your purse. Apple fans and Apple critics alike will realize the irony of this release, considering Steve Jobs’ well-known derision of a smaller-sized screen (the exact sound-bite being something along the lines that smaller screens would be ‘dead on arrival’). Whether this was a wily preemptive tactic on Jobs’ part to discourage rivals from entering a space Apple already had designs to enter, or whether it was a legitimate gut feeling from Apple’s hallowed father, we will never know for sure. In reality, the market has clearly shown that there is more than enough consumer support for a device in the 7-inch range (even though Tim Cook is still splitting hairs about that), and Apple’s decision to release the iPad Mini only makes sense. The iPad Mini solidifies its grip over a market that has proven lucrative with products like the Galaxy Tab, Nexus 7, and the Kindle Fire HD, and retain their title as kings of the tablet space. Interactively, this means one less physical restriction to people’s access – if you thought people on iPads in coffee shops were ubiquitous before, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

Remember the iMac?

If you didn’t, you do now. Apple’s flagship single-unit desktop hasn’t had its time in the spotlight for a while, thanks to Apple’s heavy focus on the ‘third screen’ market in past years. But with the new razor-thin iMac, the company is betting you’ll take notice. Have Apple re-invigorated a been-there-done-that desktop space? Technologies like the Fusion drive, which combines Flash and HDD technology in one ‘smart’ piece of storage, show a decent commitment on Apple’s part to continuing to improve the computing experience for its users. Will the sheer sex appeal of the new iMac move the needle and convince an on-the-go audience that it needs a new desktop? Time will tell, but you can bet all the hottest agencies and studios have the new iMac on their X-mas shopping list.

So, what’s the analysis?

It’s clear that Apple is making a real commitment to the multi-screen experience (so long as you’re on their products). This goes along with the ‘device-agnostic’ approach that’s so in vogue right now, especially with Millennials. Devices like the Wii U, the PlayStation Vita, the new Windows Surface tablets, are all showing that technology companies are putting a huge momentum into the get-out-of-the-audience’s-way philosophy. The deeper the penetration of technology into the consumer’s life, the deeper the potential engagement. And it’s win-win: hardware developers get to sell more units to a household, while software developers ensure that the length of interaction increases as people take their content all over the house and everywhere they go.

Thanks to our Director of Mobile, Jeff Bacon and our Sr. Product Manager, Nick Tremmaglia, for joining the chat and providing their insights.

NBC Universal selected Fuel Youth to develop an iOS App to connect with the new Snow White and the Huntsman Movie. Geared to the teen market, Fuel created an app experience that allows the user to experience the youth draining powers of Charlize Theron’s character “Queen Ravenna”. Teens simply download the iTunes App store, take a photo of themselves via their iPhone, click the transformation and share with their social networks promoting the movie.

With all the brands, press, and delegates attending and exhibiting at CES, keeping track of all the Twitter buzz can be a herculean affair.  We thought we’d help and create a tool for brands, reporters, bloggers, and consumers, making it easier to find all the brand buzz in one place–and track it visually.

TweetYouThere aggregates CES mentions from across the Twittersphere, categorizes it by brand and allows users to see the latest chatter in custom feeds by popularity, company name, and topic.

Still in beta, we’ve got big plans for the platform, ultimately growing it into a one stop destination for a number of top industry conferences.  We’ll be working with conference organizers to include delegate lists, even more party information, and advanced data parsing tools.

Head over to tweetyouthere.com to check it out and follow the latest news.  We’re also offering summaries of trends and even more info on the TweetYouThere Twitter account (@TweetYouThere)–and please keep up up to date on any bugs you find, as we’re still working on perfecting everything.

Enjoy CES!

The Zune HD has been out for a while now, but the current news is the Zune Marketplace’s addition of five free 3D titles, including our Vans SK8: Pool Service, which garnered some great reviews in the spring as its original iPhone iteration.

Hop over to Gizmodo to take a brief look at the five games available.

The new Zune HD edition of Pool Service features a number of tweaks over the original thanks to the device’s more robust processor and graphics capabilities, including a new environment, new animations and an smooth framerate of over 50 fps.  The game also takes advantage of the Zune’s custom playlists, so players can skate to their own tracks.

For some video footage of Vans, and the other titles, check out the always sharp-tongued, not-always neck-braced Blair Herter at G4tv.

If you’ve been keeping up with what’ s happening at FuelGames.com, you’ll know that our latest iPhone and iPod Touch title Lifeboat has been up on iTunes for just over a week. Call us humbly delighted, then, to have noticed a shiny feature bucket on the top left of the U.S. App Store.

If you haven’t had a chance to play the game, which is a pick-up-and-play title that has you playing god to save a boatload of passengers marooned at the hands of a drunked captain, it’s now easier than ever to pick it up while it’s still at 99 cents. You literally just have to open the appstore and click–no keyboard required.

Learn more about the game on its own custom iTunes page.

Or take a look at the gameplay trailer below: