Apple unwraps mini-iPad to take on Amazon, Google

SAN JOSE (Reuters) - Apple Inc will begin to sell an 8-inch version of the iPad on Friday to compete with Amazon.com Inc's Kindle and other smaller tablets, but it set a higher-than-expected price tag of $329 that Wall Street fears could curb demand.

The 7.9 inch "iPad mini" marks the iPhone-maker's first foray into the smaller-tablet segment. Apple hopes to beat back incursions onto its home turf of consumer electronics hardware, while safeguarding its lead in a larger tablet space - one that even deep-pocketed rivals like Samsung Electronics have found tough to penetrate.

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook and marketing chief Phil Schiller took the wraps off the new tablet, which essentially has most of the functions and features of the full-size iPad but in a smaller package.

Priced at $329 for a wi-fi only model, the iPad mini is a little costlier than some predicted, but some analysts see that as a bid to retain premium pricing levels. Others fear the gadget will lure buyers away from Apple's $499 flagship 10-inch iPad, while proving ineffective in combating the threat of Amazon's $199 Kindle Fire and Google's Nexus 7, both of which are sold at or near cost.

"Apple has always been a premium hardware manufacturer. It's basically a hardware company and they don't have Google advertising or Amazon's online store to fall back on," said Destination Wealth Management CEO Michael Yoshikami.

"But people are happy to pay a premium because it's quality hardware, and the ecosystem (of content and apps) cannot be underestimated."

JMP Securities analyst Alex Gauna said, however, "It's coming in the range that most were grumbling about and that, quite frankly, we're a little bit concerned about."

"It's a little confusing at this juncture to try and figure out how it fits into the line-up. Is it going to cannibalize the more expensive iPad?" he said.

"It is worth noting that there are zero-margin products out there competing with them now ... and that is presenting some challenges to Apple."

Frank Gillett, an analyst with Forrester who attended the event, said he was impressed with the lightness of the iPad mini, which he got a chance to play with following the event.

"Apple went for the high end of what people have been thinking of," Gillett said, adding that Amazon and Google may have to adjust their product lineups to compete with the iPad mini.

The focus on growing competition was evident as Schiller - at the iPad mini's launch event, held in San Jose's California Theatre - compared the iPad mini with Google's popular 7-inch Nexus 7 tablet, citing feature by feature why the new Apple device was superior. It is unusual for Apple to single out a specific competitor in its product launches.

"Theirs is made of plastic," Schiller said, referring to the Android tablet. "The entire Android product is thicker and heavier."

Schiller later defended Apple's pricing of the iPad mini, telling reporters he expects consumers to recognize quality and be willing to pay for it.

FASTER AND SLIMMER

In a surprise move, Apple also announced a fourth-generation full-sized iPad just six months after unveiling a third generation device to much fanfare. The latest tablet, which again sells for $499, is faster and slimmer and comes just days before Microsoft is due to show off its own "Surface" tablet.

Apple also unveiled thinner MacBook Pro laptops, including a 13-inch Retina display.

SIGHTS ON AMAZON

The iPad was launched in 2010 by late Apple visionary Steve Jobs and since then it has taken a big chunk out of PC sales, upending the industry and reinventing mobile computing with its apps-based model, often called an ecosystem.

A smaller tablet is the first device to be added to Apple's compact portfolio under Cook, who took over from Jobs just before his death a year ago.

"It's very cool," Cook said of the iPad mini. "We told you earlier this year you would see some incredible innovation from Apple across the year. We think we kept our promise."

In a rarity for a company that tightly controls events, Apple live-streamed its invitation-only presentation to Apple devices such as the iPad and Macintosh computers.

The Kindle and Nexus 7 have grabbed a chunk of the lower end of the tablet market and proved demand for a pocket-sized slate exists. Those companies' tablets - the most successful other than Apple's - have forced Apple into a space it has avoided and at times derided, analysts say.

Amazon's 7-inch Kindle Fire released last year for $199 was one of the hottest-selling holiday gadgets. It pressured Amazon's margins but potentially garnered millions of new high-spending customers for the online retailer.

Amazon sold more than a million Kindles a week during December, paving the way for Google to try out a similarly sized small tablet.

Amazon has now launched its second-generation Kindle Fire HD, which it says is the "best-selling product across all of Amazon worldwide," based on undisclosed U.S. sales figures and international preorders.

Google's Nexus 7 tablet, built by Asian manufacturer Asustek, won top marks from reviewers and quickly ran out of stock after its July launch.

All three companies will be vying to get their devices on shopping lists during the U.S. holiday season, which traditionally starts next month.

Surveys conducted ahead of Tuesday's news suggested some consumers had hoped for a more affordable Apple mini tablet.

The "starting sweet spot" for the tablet would be in the $249-$299 range, according to a survey of more than a thousand consumers by Baird Equity Research.

PRICE IS KEY

Jobs famously derided the 7-inch screen, saying such a device should come with sandpaper so users can file down their fingers. But an internal email revealed during a patent trial showed he turned more favorable to the idea by early 2011.

Apple has sold 100 million iPads so far, with the device accounting for 26 percent of Apple's fiscal third-quarter revenue.

But analysts are concerned now about erosion of Apple's industry leading margins as it takes on the Kindle Fire. It earned gross margins of 23 percent to 32 percent on U.S. iPad sales between October 2010 and the end of March 2012, according to a July court filing by Apple.

Amazon's first Kindle Fire just about breaks even after manufacturing costs, according to IHS iSuppli estimates, and Google has said its Nexus 7 is being sold at cost.

"The pricing may limit sales. From a profitability perspective though, I think at $330 Apple is still getting adequate gross margins on the sales," said Morningstar analyst Brian Colello. "But at that price point it may limit adoption and unit volumes."

Apple's shares ended regular trading down 3.2 percent at $613.36, after gaining 4 percent on Monday in the run-up to the event.

(Additional reporting by Alistair Barr and Alexei Oreskovic, Editing by Edwin Chan, Richard Pullin, Andrew Hay and Steve Orlofsky)

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Children's Media Usage Skyrockets During Past Year [STUDY]

Good news: Your teenage sons and daughters have doubled their productivity over the last year.

[More from Mashable: Imo Is More Than Free Messaging]

No, they're not doing twice as much homework or eating double servings of vegetables. Young teenagers are, however, sending twice as many text messages on average compared with 2011.

Ofcom's latest annual report on children's media habits shows that those ages 12-15 are averaging 193 text messages each week, more than double last year's average of 91. Of that group, girls tend to send about 35% more messages than boys.

[More from Mashable: Multitasking Smartphone Case Has 7 Tools in its Small Frame]

"Children's take-up and use of different media is growing at a rapid pace, with some areas such as texting and smartphone ownership fast outstripping the general population," said Claudio Pollack, Ofcom's consumer group director.

The study also shows that the era of television's monopoly on children's attention may be waning as Internet usage equaled children's self-reported television time. Each activity garnered about 17 hours per week. The children also said it was their cellphones, not their TVs, that would miss the most if forced to give them up.

It seems children's media usage are soaring across the board. Smartphone ownership, tablet usage and social media usage have all increased prodigiously among children under 15, since 2011

What do these sharp increases mean for children in terms of fitness and education? Are you parents concerned about your children's web security? Check out the video above for more information on children's media usage as reported in the Ofcom annual report, then visit the comment section to voice your opinion on the topic.

Image courtesy of Summer Skyes 11 (OMG Ikr lol Uploaded by JohnnyMrNinja), via Wikimedia Commons

This story originally published on Mashable here.

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Facebook's mobile surprise allays growth fears

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Facebook Inc grew mobile advertising revenue several times in the third quarter, a faster-than-expected pace that helped drive shares in the world's No. 1 social network nearly 13 percent higher.

Facebook said on Tuesday that it now gets 14 percent of its advertising revenue from mobile ads, helping to reassure investors that the social network is beginning to figure out how to earn money off smartphone and tablet users.

Mobile ad revenues totaled roughly $150 million, up from an estimated $40 million to $50 million in the second quarter and almost nothing in the first.

"This certainly dispels the most bearish view, that Facebook couldn't monetize people on phones or tablets," said Colin Sebastian, an analyst with Robert Baird & Co.

"In about a six-month period they've actually started to generate decent revenues form their mobile applications," Sebastian added, though he said Facebook still needs to show that its mobile ads can command the same rates as its traditional ads and that they can deliver results for marketers.

Mobile advertising has been among the key investor concerns hanging over Facebook, helping slash more than $40 billion off its market value since its May IPO. As its users increasingly access the social network with their smartphones, Facebook has struggled to transition its business to mobile devices.

The mobile ads helped reignite Facebook's overall advertising business during the third quarter, following several consecutive quarters of slowing revenue growth that raised questions about Facebook's long-term prospects.

Advertising revenue increased 36 percent to $1.09 billion, up from 28 percent growth in the second quarter. But revenue from its payments and other businesses increased just 13 percent to $176 million.

Mark Zuckerberg, the 28-year-old chief executive who created Facebook in his Harvard dorm room, said mobile was the "most misunderstood aspect" of the company and took issue with the "myth" that Facebook could not earn money on mobile.

"Over the long run we're going to see more monetization per time spent on mobile than on desktop," Zuckerberg said on a conference call with analysts on Tuesday.

The company's shares leapt nearly 13 percent to $21.97 in after-hours trading on Tuesday.

Facebook said it had crossed the 1 billion threshold for monthly active users by September 30, of which 604 million were mobile users, a gain of 61 percent from a year earlier.

The shift to mobile has challenged many of the Web industry's top companies. Google Inc is the No.1 provider of smartphone software with its Android operating system. But the company missed Wall Street's revenue targets in the third quarter, with some analysts blaming the shortfall on its increasing reliance on lower-priced mobile ads.

Social game maker Zynga Inc, which announced layoffs of 5 percent of its staff on Tuesday, has suffered as it struggles to translate its hit games to mobile devices and as the use of its games on Facebook's service declines.

NOT PLEASED WITH GAMING

Zynga's woes were visible in Facebook's results, with Facebook's payments revenue from the maker of Farmville down 20 percent year on year.

Zuckerberg said he was not pleased with revenue from gaming, but said that beyond Zynga - which accounts for 7 percent of Facebook's total revenue - the situation was brighter.

"The interesting thing is that the rest of the games ecosystem has actually been growing. Our monthly payments revenue from the rest of the ecosystem increased 40 percent over the past year, since payments has been adopted," he said.

Zuckerberg also said Instagram, the photo-sharing app that Facebook acquired for roughly $750 million this year, now has 100 million users, up from 27 million when Facebook bought the company.

Facebook posted a net loss of $59 million or 2 cents a share in the three months ended September 30 after booking a big provision for income taxes. Excluding share-based compensation and income tax adjustments, it earned 12 cents a share, a penny higher than the average analyst expectation.

Facebook Finance Chief David Ebersman said the company would continue to invest aggressively during the fourth quarter, though the company did not provide a specific financial outlook, in keeping with its previous practice.

Ebersman said that the total number of ads that Facebook delivered in the third quarter increased 27 percent year-on-year and that the average price per ad increased 7 percent.

Facebook's third-quarter mobile revenue marked a big jump from the second quarter, when Facebook said that it was generating more than $1 million a day from a new class of ads that appear in users' newsfeeds. Facebook said that roughly half of that revenue was from mobile ads, suggesting that mobile advertising revenue totaled $45 million in the second quarter.

Stifel Nicolaus analyst Jordan Rohan said that Facebook's mobile ad revenue was impressive, but said that Facebook needs to proceed carefully so as not to damage the user experience by overloading its service with too many ads.

And he said that Facebook's desktop PC advertising business appeared to have shrunk by about $40 million from the second quarter. Rohan said he would rather see the desktop ad business remain stable as the mobile ad business grows.

Facebook's third-quarter revenue of $1.26 billion was a hair above the average analyst expectation of $1.23 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

(Reporting by Alexei Oreskovic; Editing by Phil Berlowitz and Mark Bendeich)

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LG Electronics swings to Q3 profit on surprise handset result

SEOUL (Reuters) - LG Electronics Inc, the world's No.2 TV maker, swung to a third-quarter profit as its mobile phone business reported a surprise return to the black on a stronger product line-up, although its powerhouse TV division lost momentum.

July-September operating profit came in at 221 billion won ($200.3 million) from a 32 billion won loss a year ago, above a consensus forecast of 172 billion won by 13 analysts surveyed by Reuters. The result was down on a profit of 349 billion won in the previous quarter.

LG has suffered in recent years along with handset rivals such as Nokia and HTC as consumers have swarmed to Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy range in the lucrative smartphone market.

However, its handset business posted a profit of 20.5 billion won, recovering from a loss of 58.9 billion won in the previous quarter. The result marks a sharp improvement from a year ago when a 140 billion won handset loss wiped out profits from selling TVs, home appliances and air conditioners, and forced the group to sell new shares to raise funds.

The South Korean firm hopes its latest phones, such as Optimus G and Optimus Vu II packed with powerful hardware and software features, will help it gain a foothold in the high-end smartphone market.

Profit from the TV division, which competes with larger rival Samsung and Japan's Sony Corp and Sharp Corp came in flat at 88.6 billion won, after growth more than doubled in the first half of this year.

Earnings were reduced by an increase in spending on marketing as the company sought to clear inventory amid a weak global economy and stiff competition.

Shares in LG, valued at over $11 billion, rose 2 percent after the earnings announcement, versus a 0.4 percent drop in the wider market.

The stock climbed 26 percent over the past three months, buoyed by expectations for improvement in its handset business. The KOSPI gained 7 percent during the same period.

(Reporting by Miyoung Kim; Editing by Richard Pullin)

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Amazon says new $199 Kindle Fire HD is top seller

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc said on Monday that its $199 Kindle Fire HD tablet has been the best-selling product on the company's website since the gadget went on sale more than a month ago.

Amazon started selling a range of new Kindle Fires on September 6 and the company said the 7-inch HD model has out-sold all other products on Amazon worldwide since then.

Amazon did not disclose actual sales numbers, but a spokeswoman for the company said the top-seller status was based on unit sales.

Amazon Chief Executive Jeff Bezos recently told the BBC that it sells the tablets at cost, hoping to generate profits when customers use the devices to buy products and services from the company.

The announcement came as Apple Inc prepares to launch a smaller, cheaper tablet of its own on Tuesday. The device, dubbed the iPad Mini, may challenge Amazon's success at the lower end of the booming tablet market.

Meanwhile, Amazon has launched larger, more expensive Kindle Fire HD tablets, aimed at Apple's full-sized iPad, which still dominates the sector.

(Reporting by Alistair Barr; Editing by Leslie Gevirtz)

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Apple set to unwrap mini-iPad to take on Amazon, Google

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc is expected to make its biggest product move on Tuesday since debuting the iPad two years ago, launching a smaller, cheaper tablet into a market staked out by Amazon.com Inc and Google Inc.

Apple hopes to beat back their charge onto its home turf of consumer electronics hardware, while safeguarding its lead in the larger 10-inch tablet space that even deep-pocketed rivals like Samsung Electronics have found tough to penetrate.

Amazon's Kindle and Google's Nexus 7 have grabbed a chunk of the lower end of the tablet market and proved demand for a pocket-sized slate exists, helping force Apple into a space it has avoided and at times derided, analysts say.

A smaller tablet would mark the first device to be added to Apple's compact portfolio under Chief Executive Tim Cook, who took over from co-founder Steve Jobs just before his death.

"Apple sensed early that they had a real winner with the iPad and that has proven to be correct," said Lars Albright, co-founder of mobile advertising startup SessionM and a former Apple ad executive.

"They have a large market share, and to protect that market share they have got to be innovative," he said.

Apple's invitation-only event, where it is expected to unveil the tablet, gets underway at 10 am PT (1700 GMT) in San Jose.

Wall Street analysts have said for months that Apple was planning a less expensive version of the iPad to take on cheaper competing devices, a move they say might hurt its margins, but prevent its rivals from dominating an increasingly important segment.

The chief rival is Amazon, which proved a 7-inch tablet at around $200 has consumer appeal. The Kindle Fire, released last year for $199, was one of the hottest-selling holiday gadgets. It pressured Amazon's margins but gave it potentially millions of new high-spending customers.

Amazon sold more than a million Kindles a week during December, paving the way for others like Google with its Nexus 7 to try and beat Apple in a market the company created.

The Internet retailer has now put its second-generation Kindle Fire HD in the market, which it says is the "best-selling product across all of Amazon worldwide", based on undisclosed U.S. sales figures and international preorders.

Google's Nexus 7 tablet, built by Asian manufacturer Asustek, quickly ran out of stock after its July launch.

All three companies will be vying to get their devices on shopping lists during the U.S. holiday season, which traditionally starts next month.

"It's going to be the go-to holiday gift," said Michael Yoshikami, founder of Destination Wealth Management, which owns Apple shares.

PRICE IS KEY

Apple now has just one 9.7-inch iPad, starting at $499. The previous version, or iPad 2, is available for $399.

Jobs famously derided the 7-inch screen, saying such a device should come with sandpaper so users can file down their fingers. But an internal email revealed during a patent trial showed he turned more favorable to the idea by early 2011.

Apple has sold over 84 million iPads so far, with the device accounting for 26 percent of Apple's fiscal third quarter revenue. Most Wall Street analysts expect Apple's new tablet to fall between 7 inches and 8 inches in size, saying its price will be crucial to its success.

The "starting sweet spot" for the tablet would be in the $249-$299 range, according to a survey of over a thousand consumers by Baird Equity Research.

"When asked what the most they would pay for a smaller iPad was, our respondents on average said that they would pay $242 for a 7-inch iPad and $268 for an 8-inch iPad," William Power, Baird Equity Research analyst, said.

Any erosion in Apple's industry leading margins also hinges on the price tag. It earned gross margins of 23 percent to 32 percent on U.S. iPad sales between October 2010 and the end of March 2012, according to a July court filing by Apple.

Rivals haven't fared as well. Amazon's first Kindle Fire just about breaks even, according to IHS iSuppli estimates, and Google has said its Nexus 7 is being sold at cost.

Topeka Capital's Brian White argued a smaller tablet could overtake sales of the iPad in a few years. He is forecasting sales of 5 million to 7 million in the December quarter.

Apple shares rose 4 percent on Monday, buoying the benchmark S&P 500 index. While the stock is up 56 percent this year, it is currently down 10 percent from its record high of $705 on September 21, struck by concerns about iPhone-supply disruption at contract manufacturer, Foxconn Technology. Sharp criticism about errors in its Maps service also hurt.

"Apple's stock is up a ton and it is only logical that it will take a breather after a while," Yoshikami said. "I don't think there is any fundamental issue beyond that."

(Additional reporting by Edwin Chan; Editing by Richard Pullin)

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Master Face Painter and Band Collaborate on Bizarre Music Video

Donald Trump, the real estate mogul, reality TV star and de facto leader of the "birther" movement, says he is planning a "big announcement" about President Barack Obama. "I have something very, very big concerning the president of the United States," Trump told "Fox & Friends" on Monday during a phone interview. "I will be [...]

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Yahoo's new CEO Mayer takes on the mobile challenge

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Yahoo Chief Executive Marrisa Mayer promised to modernize Yahoo's websites and make them more smartphone-friendly in her debut appearance at the helm of the struggling company, faulting it for underinvesting in the "mobile wave".

Mayer, once a rising star at Google Inc who took charge at Yahoo in July, told analysts on a conference call that she wanted to focus Yahoo's efforts around the "daily habits" of users such as email, the home page, Internet search and mobile devices.

"We're committed to going back to our roots as a consumer internet company focused on user experience," the 37-year-old Mayer said on Monday, adding that "we intend to win".

Rather than get into completely different businesses, Mayer said Yahoo would look to improve its performance and finding opportunities in its existing businesses, such as search which she said has "clear upside" potential.

But her top priority was to fashion a coherent strategy to manage the industry's transition to mobile devices, a fundamental shift that some of the most innovative Silicon Valley companies - from Facebook Inc to Google Inc - are struggling with.

"The mobile wave is a huge wave for us to ride," Mayer said on the conference call, adding that that the company had failed to capitalize on the shift to smartphones, underinvesting and "splintering" Yahoo's brands in its previous mobile efforts.

Mayer's comments, which she delivered along with third-quarter earnings results that beat analyst expectations, sent Yahoo shares up 4.6 percent to $16.49 in after hours trading on Monday.

"For people who weren't sure how she was going to come across on her first call, she definitely proved herself tonight," said RBC analyst Andre Sequin. "It seems like she really recognizes what the company is, where the strengths are and what the opportunities are."

Some analysts also pointed to comments about using share buybacks to distribute the gains from the sale of Yahoo shares in China's Alibaba Group, and a preference for smaller-sized acquisitions rather than blockbuster deals, as buoying investor sentiment.

Mayer, Yahoo's third CEO in about a year, arrived after a tumultuous period in the company in which former CEO Scott Thompson resigned after less than 6 months on the job over a controversy about his academic credentials. Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang had also stepped down as CEO, and an internal reorganization eliminated thousands of jobs.

Internet pioneer Yahoo, which makes most of its money from online advertising, has fallen behind more innovative rivals n recent years and missed out on the online social networking boom launched by Facebook.

Roughly 700 million users still visit a Yahoo website every month - putting it in the top ranks globally. But the amount of activity people engage in on many sites is steadily declining and its smartphone offerings are deemed lackluster.

"She handled the call very well," said Gabelli & Co analyst Brett Harriss.

"You have the tone of a professional CEO who just wants to block and tackle better and move the company forward," he said, noting that he detected echoes of Google's business approach in Mayer's comments.

SHIFTING COURSE

Mayer is expected to focus on revamping Yahoo's technology and products, shifting course from the media-centric approach embraced by her immediate predecessor, Ross Levinsohn.

Still, Mayer noted that she did not plan to exit media entirely, noting that content was part of the company's appeal and that Yahoo would continue to invest in some original programming such as videos and coverage of events such as the Olympic games and the U.S. presidential elections.

Since taking the helm, Mayer has moved quickly to build a team to assist her, shelling out rich pay packages for a new chief operating officer and chief financial officer, among others.

Mayer and Finance Chief Ken Goldman said the company was open to acquisitions to help bolster its technology and its engineering ranks. But Mayer noted that Yahoo would primarily focus on "smaller-scale" deals, noting that the vast majority of tech industry acquisitions are for less than $100 million.

Mayer also talked about working more closely with software provider and Web search partner Microsoft Corp, while employing technology to shore up Yahoo's display ads business through such features as automated buying.

A 10-year search partnership deal that Yahoo struck with Microsoft in 2009 has so far been a disappointment, with Yahoo's search advertising rates below expectations and Yahoo's market share eroding.

Search revenue in the third quarter, excluding fees paid to partner websites, rose 11 percent year-on-year to $414 million, while display advertising revenue was flat at $452 million.

Excluding a $2.8 billion gain related to the sale of Alibaba Group shares, Yahoo said it earned $177 million in income from operations and reported adjusted net earnings of 35 cents per share in the third quarter. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S were looking for adjusted EPS of 25 cents.

Mayer said that the company was likely to begin withdrawing from international businesses that failed to grow, but said a recent decision to pull out of South Korea, a market full of local rivals, was an "unusual exception."

Yahoo ended the quarter with 12,000 employees, down more than 12 percent from 13,700 a year earlier.

Net revenue, which excludes fees paid to partner websites, was $1.09 billion compared with $1.07 billion in the year ago period.

"The fact that the quarterly results didn't show any massive deterioration was a decent sign, and gives her probably more time," said Macquarie Research analyst Ben Schachter, adding that Mayer's vision was not radically different for the company.

"It's about can Marissa and team execute and that's what it's been about for the past few management teams," he said.

(Additional reporting by Gerry Shih; Editing by Andre Grenon and Richard Pullin)

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Presidential campaigns hit Colorado hard this week

COLORADO SPRINGS — On the eve of the start of early voting at polling places in Colorado, Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan told a crowd of close to 1,000 Sunday that the election could hinge on the state.

"Please remember, Colorado, you can decide," a hoarse-voiced Ryan said, giving a nod to the state's status as one of the few toss-ups in the election. "You have within the palm of your voting hand the ability to shape the future for this country and your kids."

Ryan's remarks, inside an airplane hangar at the Colorado Springs airport, fired the metaphorical starting gun on a four-day presidential-campaign scramble across the state. Between Sunday and Wednesday, members of the GOP or Democratic tickets will hold six campaign events in all four of the state's quadrants.

On Monday, Ryan is scheduled to hit a trifecta of rallies in Pueblo West, Durango and Grand Junction before heading back to the Front Range. On Tuesday, he and GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney will hold a moonlit rally at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, in what could be a capstone to their campaign in Colorado. There are whispers in the campaign about high-profile musical acts appearing alongside the Republican candidates. The campaign expects the event to fill the more than 9,000-seat amphitheater.

On Wednesday, President Barack Obama will have a dramatic photo op of his own, holding a rally in Denver's City Park with the downtown skyline as a backdrop.

The reason for the burst of interest is early voting in Colorado, which is now in full swing. Mail-in ballots started going out to voters last Monday — roughly 70 percent of Colorado's active voters are permanent mail-in voters. Meanwhile, early voting at polling places begins on Monday. All told, the majority of Colorado voters are expected to cast a ballot before Election Day even arrives.

That means, after months of persuading and motivating and rallying, both campaigns are now hoping to begin banking their votes.

Following separate Monday press events promoting early voting, Gov. John Hickenlooper and U.S. Senators Mark Udall and Michael Bennet will cast their ballots at early voting locations. In a campaign stop in Greeley last week, Vice President Joe Biden also urged voters to cast a ballot early.

Though the Republicans did not make such an implicit push at Sunday's Ryan rally, the urgency of the campaign hung over the crowd.

"We have 15 days," University of Colorado Regent Kyle Hybl told the crowd at the Colorado Springs rally Sunday evening. "In this 15 days is the destiny of our country and what sort of institution we leave to our children and our grandchildren."

Ryan's speech hit on familiar themes to Colorado voters now accustomed to campaign appearances and ads. He said, if elected, he and Romney would reduce the deficit and balance the federal budget. He spoke about strengthening the armed forces, a popular promise in military-rich Colorado Springs. And he talked about boosting domestic energy production.

"This is about more than just jobs," he said. "This is about the kind of country we're going to leave our kids."

And, he made clear where he and Romney believe voters should lay their frustrations with Washington.

"If he can't change Washington," Ryan said of Obama, as the crowd cheered in approval, "then I say we change presidents."

Copyright 2012 The Denver Post. All rights reserved.

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Searchers find body of missing Leadville fisherman in Turquoise Lake

Searchers have found the body of a man who disappeared while fishing at Turquoise Lake on Saturday, according to the Lake County Sheriff's Office.

Anthony Pacheco, 55, of Leadville, left his home at about 8 a.m. with his dog to go fishing on the lake, said Lisa Burke, a Sheriff's spokeswoman. "I understand it was very windy," on the lake.

His family reported him missing at 10:57 p.m. when he didn't return home Saturday. Lake County Search and Rescue personnel were then contacted and were on scene at 1:09 a.m.

Searchers earlier found a capsized flat-bottom boat on the lake.

The dog has been found alive and searchers also found two oars on an island in the lake near Leadville. They haven't confirmed that the oars belong to Pacheco.

Search and rescue units from Lake County and the Summit County Sheriff's office have been involved in the search.

Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671, tmcghee@denverpost.com or twitter.com/dpmcghee

Copyright 2012 The Denver Post. All rights reserved.

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