We're keeping this one really simple, iMore Nation -- Absinthe 2.0 was released this morning and it lets you untethered jailbreak most iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads running iOS 5.1.1... So are you going to do it?

If you're already jailbroken on iOS 5 (like I am) is there anything that makes it super compelling for you to upgrade to iOS 5.1.1 and re-jailbreak? Any new features you've been lusting after for a while? Any security updates you're really concerned about?

And if you've never jailbroken before, does Absinthe's ease of use tempt you to give it a try? Have you been frustrated by anything you couldn't do in stock iOS that's making you want to pull the trigger on jailbreak?

Vote in the poll above and give me your reasons in the comments below! If you need extra help, head on over to our fabulous jailbreak forums!

I'm still undecided. I'm leaning towards my current jailbreak not being broke, so why fix it? Let me know what you're doing while I decide what I'm going to do...

Do you want Apple to simply add the extra 117 pixels to the display and let developers and apps have their way with it -- wider, bigger, fatter, longer?

Or would you want Apple to keep those extra 117 pixels for iOS 6 and introduce some fancy new widget/notification/gesture space?

Rather than repeat it all here, you can go and read Rene's monumental 4-inch iPhone breakdown, and his phenomenal 16:9 aspect ratio iPhone follow up to see what all the options look like.

Then come back here and vote up top, and tell me why you voted the way you did in the comments!

Rather than go over all the options again here, I'll point you to Rene's excellent post on the 4-inch iPhone from a few days ago. Give it a look, then come back here and vote on which 4-inch screen option you'd most like Apple to go with? 2:3 at 960x640 stretched? 2:3 at 1920x1280 stretched? 9:5 at 640 x 1136 taller? 2:3 at 1092x728 bigger? 16:9 at 1280x720 bigger and taller? 3:4 at 1024x768 bigger and taller? Or do you deeply, truly still hope Apple sticks with the 3.5-inch iPhone that brought them to the dance in the first place?

Vote up top and tell me why in the comments!

If you use Apple's Mail app, do you set up Gmail as Gmail, which is the obvious way to do it, given the giant logo label? It uses IMAP so it isn't push, but does that really matter to you? Or do you set up Gmail as Exchange ActiveSync (Google Sync) in Apple Mail instead? Does the combination of push as well as Contacts sync win you over?

What about those of you for whom Apple Mail just isn't the right solution? Do you use the Gmail.com website? It has the advantage of fast access to your mail and local storage, but because it's locked in Safari you don't get to do attachments or access your iOS Contacts, and you don't get push notifications. Do you use the Gmail app, so you can add attachments and access your Contacts? Or is the lack of background email processing just too annoying for you?

If neither Apple nor Google's apps are good enough for you, is Sparrow your go to Gmail app? It has a great interface, but like any App Store app it can't keep an internet connection open in the background, so you can't download email as it comes in -- you have to wait until you launch the app. It doesn't have push notifications yet either, and when they come, they'll require a subscription. Is it worth it?

Or do you not use Gmail at all? And if not, why not?

Give me your vote in the poll up top and your reasons why in the comments below. Here's the question again: How do you use Gmail on your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad?

But there are still some reasons people may not want to update. At least not yet. Some may be waiting to see how battery life and performance work out (it's fine, according to our readers). This is especially true for users of older devices like the iPhone 3GS.

Others might be jailbroken and be waiting on an iOS 5.1.1 untethered jailbreak before they update. If you rely on certain jailbreak features, there's no reason to lose them just for a minor bug fix or performance fix update, especially if you've been waiting on an iOS 5.1.x untethered jailbreak for your device for months already.

Still others might simply not see any compelling reason to update to iOS 5.1.1. If your device is working fine, if security patches aren't a big deal to your, and since there are no new features to be had, it may not seem worth even the small amount of effort OTA takes.

I've updated my iPad but not my iPhone. My iPhone is jailbroken so I won't be updating any time soon. Even if I wasn't jailbroken, I probably wouldn't update until Apple released a new feature I really wanted. I rely on my phone for my work, and its working, and I won't mess with a stable environment if I don't have to.

How about you? Have you updated to iOS 5.1.1 yet? If you have more than one iOS device, have you updated all of them? If you haven't updated yet, why not? Vote in the poll up top and give me all the details in the comments below!

Help Mobile Nations help you! Yes, the network behind iMore -- and all your favorite smartphone and tablet communities -- wants to get a little more insight into your phone buying habits. When the iPhone 5 hits this fall, will you be pre-ordering online or lining up at an Apple Store? Will you be getting it on-contract, or buying officially unlocked? (And if you're planning on buying something other than an iPhone, we'd love to know how you're planning on buying that too!

The survey will only take you two minutes or less, and we really appreciate your time. Thanks!

Take the Survey now!

iOS 5, the iPhone 4S and the new iPad have gotten even more heat -- no pun intended -- about battery life than previous versions of iOS and previous iOS devices. Does iOS 5.1.1 set everything right?

If you're using an older device, like the original iPad or the iPhone 3GS, was there any noticeable improvement in overall performance?

Vote in the poll up top and give the details in the comments below, and please include which device you're using, whether you did an OTA or iTunes install, and if you've had problems previously. If you're still experiencing battery life or performance issues, here's some help:

• How to fix battery life problems with iOS 5
• iPhone 4S battery life help and trouble shooting
• New iPad battery life help and troubles shooting

It has the fast app switcher, it has folders, it has notification center, it has Siri, but at its core it's still an app switcher, same as it's been since 2007 and the same as my Handspring was over a decade ago. It's a classic, but as much as everyone loves the classics, sometimes we want something new.

So what shall it be, iMore nation? Does the Home screen need a complete redesign to compete with the likes of Windows Phone, webOS, and BlackBerry 10? Does it simply need some widgets to keep pace with Android? Or does it really need nothing at all? Vote in the poll up top and let us know your more detailed thoughts in our iOS 6 Forum!

However, it still isn't very consistent -- it will read SMS but not email, it will send SMS and Email but not tweets. And while it's added Japanese to its list of supported languages, that's all its added. Still no Spanish, Italian, or Portuguese, no Mandarin Chinese, or other popular languages. Even for the languages Siri does support, it's still hit or miss at times, and while it works wonderfully for some users, it doesn't seem to work at all for others. And, of course, the new iPad didn't get Siri at all...

Apple is still focusing most of their iPhone 4S marketing on Siri, with high profile celebrity ads involving Samuel L. Jackson, Zooey Deschenel, and... Santa. And according to our own Ally Kazmucha's exclusive talk with Siri co-founder and former Apple employee, Dag Kittlaus, there's more to come.

But for now we just want to know how much you're using Siri? Do you rely on her (or him, depending on your language) all day, every day? Or do you use Siri so little you've forgotten it even exists? Vote in the poll up top and give us your honest opinion in our Siri Forum -- how much do you use Siri?

That means getting people to switch from what they're already using to Google Drive might be a hard sell. We're creatures of habit, after all, and you need to offer us significant enticement to get us to change habits).

But does Google even need us to switch? Google Drive offers 5GB of free storage, and will increasingly be integrated into the Google Services many of us use every day. Many of us simply added iCloud to our existing cloud storage usage, after all. Many could just as easily add Google Drive. iOS device data and backups, and iTunes content in iCloud, our existing file shares in Dropbox, and a bunch of Google Docs and extra backups in Google Drive... why not?

There are privacy concerns, of course. Google has struggled with some of their new product launches, and their Terms of Service have been unfortunately worded at times, and some people -- rightly or wrongly -- have grown a little suspicious of Google and their constant desire to index and monetize our lives. Nothing is ever truly free, so we'll pay one way or another. Some prefer to pay with money, others with access to data -- we all have to do what makes us comfortable.

There's also no iPhone or iPad app yet. (Really? Google takes 5 years to release it and they still couldn't get the iOS app done in time?)

So what will it be, iMore nation? Does Google Drive have a place in your cloud storage life? Will it be your one-and-only, one-of-many, or nothing at all? Or are you going to wait and see how it works before deciding? Vote in the poll up top and then give me the details in the iMore Google Forums!

If the iPhone casing gets even slightly bigger, then the battery can spread out more and maybe the next generation iPhone can be thinner and get the same or better battery life. If the iPhone 5 keeps the same overall casing size, however, something might have to give.

If you had the choice between a thinner new iPhone with shorter battery life, a same depth iPhone with the same battery life, and a slightly thicker new iPhone with longer battery life, which would you choose?

Vote in the poll up top and give me your reasons why in the comments below!

Ever since iOS 5 introduced Notification Center and the weather and stock widgets contained therein, and Siri showed off any number of clock and calendar and reminder widgets, a lot of folks have been wondering when we'll see more widespread widget support from Apple. Things like pinning widgets to the Home page or support for third parties to cook up their own widgets still just aren't there. We've been getting a wide variety of reactions to the issue in the forums, mostly stemming from concerns about battery life, but I think it's safe to say that if Apple were to ever implement a wider array of widgets, they would do it in a way that's kind to battery life. Besides, battery life is pretty good as it is; forum member redbeard points out:

If all you care about is having a phone that you only have to charge once a week you can buy a jitterbug, I'm always near a wall or a car charger, even when I'm not my 1 year, 8 month old iPhone 4 lasts all day all while running two homescreen widgets and being jailbroken.

If full Home screen widgets proved too taxing on the battery, Windows Phone is doing some neat stuff with Live Tiles that could influence iOS. Right now, we don't get much more than tomato splat noifications on app icons, but what if there was more? Maybe app icons themselves could change based on contextual information - the current level in a game you're playing, who's tagged you on Facebook, a thumbnail of a popular picture on Pinterest ... that sort of thing. The native Calendar app already does this sort of thing, so why doesn't Weather? Why don't all other apps?

So what say you? Do you want to keep the pristine icon grid, or add a bit more utility at the cost of simplicity? Or maybe Apple could come up with something wholly original that distinctly stands out from the precedent set by competitors, but meets the same demand for at-a-glance info and functions. Forum member steelew suggested that the lock screen would be a good place to put that sort of stuff, and I'm tempted to agree.

Right now we just want to get a quick sense of your satisfaction level. Six months later, are you still happy with your iPhone 4S purchase? Is the iPhone 4S still competitive or are you thinking about switching to something else? Would you recommend the iPhone 4S to a friend, family member, or co-worker looking for a new phone today?

Cast your vote in the poll above and then jump into our iPhone 4S forum and leave us your complete iPhone 4S review, six months later!

Introduced alongside iOS 5, iCloud was the subject of Steve Jobs' final keynote appearance and the way Apple finally "cut-the-cord" to iTunes and kicked off their Post-PC era. For the first time, iPhones, iPod touches and iPads could be set up, backed up and restored and updated over-the-air (OTA) without having to be plugged into a Mac or Windows PC. In fact, iCloud solved the age-old problem of getting users to backup and update in an entirely new, and even easier way. I used to be terrible when it came to backups, now they just happen. (I still don't update, however, due to jailbreak

Along with PC-free, iCloud also formalized the ability to re-download App Store apps and games, and iBookstore iBooks, and added the ability to re-download Music in the Cloud, and now TV in the Cloud and Movies in the Cloud (where they're available). If you don't mind spending an additional $24.99 a year, you can even get iTunes Match and have your entire music collection scanned and store on Apple's servers, with any low-quality songs that are available on the giant iTunes catalog replaced with Apple's higher-quality versions. Then you can re-download those from up to 10 devices on the same Apple ID as well.

Photo Stream tries to provide a seamless way to have any photo taken on your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or in iPhoto or Aperture on your Mac stored on iCloud and pushed down to every other device on your Apple ID. It works much better now that, thanks to iOS 5.1, you can delete individual photos (or photo bombs!).

Documents in the Cloud intends to replace our local files and file systems with a worry-free online repository. There, our Pages, Keynote and Numbers files just kind of hang out until we need them. Unfortunately, Apple hasn't updated iWork on the Mac to support iCloud, and it looks like we'll have to wait for OS X Mountain Lion before any of that "just-works". What I was most excited about -- the idea that my Angry Birds levels on iPhone would simply sync to my iPad so I could game interchangeably on either one -- hasn't happened yet either. Hopefully we're getting there and it's just taking a little time.

MobileMe's Mail, Contacts, and Calendars have moved over to iCloud. I don't use them, but they're free now and they seem to be quite reliable lately as well so for many people they're a good option. Find my iPhone, which lets you track down a missing or stolen device, is also part of iCloud now. It is joined by Find my Friends, which may let you track down a missing or stolen friend but is really meant as a way to keep track of family or meet up with friends, if such a thing doesn't creep you out the way it does me.

iCloud isn't even 6 months old yet, and Apple has been adding new features like TV Shows and Movies in the Cloud, and if it's as important to their future as it seems to be, no doubt that will continue. So here's where I go back to my original question -- are you using iCloud? If so, which features? Vote in the poll up top and then tell me how you're using it -- and liking or not liking it -- in the comments below. And for more, jump into our iCloud Forum and have at it!

Steve Jobs put an end to the Newton project, in part because he hated the concept of using a stylus. The original Palm Pilot was a runaway hit -- in part because of the use of the stylus and its handwriting recognition. Now, Palm is dead and Apple is ginormous and Samsung is trying to bring the stylus back with the Galaxy Note line... So, who was right?

Just as the iPad is reaching the stratosphere in usage, the stylus is making a comeback.

We ran a quick poll and the initial results were intriguing enough we wanted to get a better sense of just what was going on across all platforms and all of our mobile communities. So here's a short survey. Does the stylus inhibit or amplify your touch screen experience? Let us know!

Take the Survey!

Leanna really got into using a stylus when she did her iPad note-taking roundup. Rene uses them to draw with Procreate and Paper. I figured out I could a stylus to just kill at Draw Something.

Have you had a must-have stylus moment? Are you using a Stylus for writing, drawing, gaming, or just for getting around on your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad? If so, tell me what for in the poll and give me the details in the comments! And if you had a stylus "aha!" moment, jump into the forums and share!

Some people, really security conscious people, would probably prefer iTunes ask for a password any time it does anything, always. Better safe than sorry. Who knows who could be using your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad after all, from a friend to a colleague to a spouse to a child to a friend's colleague's spouse's child. You really want to risk $100 in Hello Kitty apps suddenly showing upon your Home screen?

Other people, really convenience-oriented people, would probably like iTunes to ask for a password as little as possible. Maybe never. If you're the only one who ever uses your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad, and it never leaves a place you control, then why should you be bothered by having to enter in a password every time an app has a minor bug fix update?

Personally, I'd like a choice (big surprise, right?) Give me a Settings option for "always ask", or "only ask for paid transactions". I don't think "never ask" is safe, so I'm fine with that not being there. What about you? How often do you think iTunes should ask for your password?

Of course, there are a few issues with the new iPad charging, namely that it takes 9 hours to fill up from scratch, but if you've still got some juice left when going to bed, charging overnight should do the trick. Keep in mind that you'll charge a lot faster using the 10W charger that came with the new iPad rather than plugging it in to your computer. Using the new iPad while it's charging isn't going to speed things up, either.

So, show of hands - is anyone consistently killing their battery in a single day? How long have you been able to go with the new iPad without charging? Most importantly, are you satisfied with the battery life? Apple managed to do a great thing by doubling the pixel density and adding 4G LTE without changing the battery life from the iPad 2, but odds are you'll be using the new iPad a little more than your old tablet.

There are several popular social networks on the web and they all have iPhone apps, and many have iPad apps (or the iPhone app can be used in 2x mode on the iPad). Which ones do you use, and if you have both and iPhone or iPod touch and an iPad, do you use them all the same on both? Are there any you prefer using on on iPhone as opposed to iPad, or vice versa? Any you use on one you don't use at all on the other?

I use Twitter almost exclusively from my iPhone and almost never from my iPad (or Mac). It just feels like something I enjoy doing while on-the-go, and my iPhone is always close at hand. The iPad is more of a relaxed reading device for me, so I can see how some might prefer browsing through Facebook there as opposed to iPhone.

I don't use Google+ much (and when I go on, I mostly only see people from Android Central or Google posting -- is that just me? -- but they haven't even made an iPad app yet so you're stuck using the iPhone app in 2x mode if you want to be able to upload anything. Same goes for Path. It's beautiful looking but it's iPhone only still. Instagram is the same way, but at least the camera-centric nature of the app makes that a little more understandable. Still, I would be nice to be able to look at all the amazing Instragrams in an official Instagram app for iPad. Does it bother you if your favorite social network is iPhone only? Or are the iPhone apps in 2x mode fine for you?

I've said many times I'm not a big social network user in general. I don't feel like I'm missing out, I feel like I'm engaging where and when it's really important to me (and not just feeding an endless stream of personal information to a giant advertising company, but I won't get into that rant again here!). Anyone else avoiding social networks as much as possible?

Vote up top to let us know which social networks you use the most, and then tell us why in the comments below, or jump into our Social Network Forum to find all the other iMore members on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and more!

The new iPads higher running temperature been confirmed by scientific testing now, and addressed in a quote from Apple, but that hasn't stopped the headlines tripping all over themselves already.

Luckily, iPads will cool down when we stop downloading or stop playing, but the dumb headlines will last forever.

In the meantime, we wanted to do our own poll of the iMore Nation and find out what our community of iOS enthusiasts thought of the issue. How hot is your iPad running? And is it too hot?

Is this just one more mainstream media attempt to get Apple into a fake-gate, or is the heat a real issue that deserves attention and will need to be further addressed?

Vote in the poll up top and let me know your thoughts in the comments, and in our new iPad forums!

Did it blow you away and make you think you were finally holding the future in your hands? Was it better than you expected your eyes not believing the quality of the Retina display or LTE speeds? Was it just what you expected, no more, no less? Did it disappoint you in some way? Or was it just simply the worst thing Apple ever spat from their cauldron?

We want to hear your take, so vote in the poll up top and then jump into our iPad forum reviews thread and give us your full take.

(Who knows, if you say something just so completely spot on, we might even have to quote you in the official iMore review!)

Now that the new third-gen iPad has hit the streets, how many of you recent owners find it heavy compared to the iPad 2? We're seeing at least a couple of people in the forums that are agreeing about the difference. Of course, if you're upgrading from the original iPad, there's going to be no contest, but it's a much closer call with the iPad 2.

The new iPad is about 51 g heavier than the iPad 2, totaling 652 g, and adds less than a millimeter in thickness (0.6 mm, to be exact) to achieve a 9.4 mm profile. Much of that growth can be attributed to the new battery which stores twice the power of the iPad 2 only to achieve the same lifespan. Of course, there's also the new Retina display which may have added a bit of thickness since the pixel connectors are now on a separate plane, but I doubt that contributed much to the weight difference. By comparison, the biggest current competition on the Android front is the Asus Transformer Prime, which manages to keep its weight down to 586 g and maintain an 8.3 mm thickness.

On paper, it doesn't look like the dimensions have changed a whole lot from the last generation, and I imagine most folks who upgraded to the new iPad from the iPad 2 will quickly forget about the weight, especially once they're distracted by what the extra RAM, pixel desnsity, and graphical processing can offer them. Still, how many of you new owners can notice the change? Do you think it will impede your usage in any way (however significant)? Speaking of weight, how about the balance? Do you find the new iPad sits in the hand as well as previous models, or has the distribution change enough for you to notice? Leave a comment here, or join the discussion in the forums!

There are really only three major options to choose between. First, do you get a black or white new iPad? Do you go Wi-Fi only or get AT&T or Verizon LTE iPad? Or Rogers, Bell, or Telus iPad up in Canada? And do you get the 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB iPad when it comes to storage?

We've got a full 2012 iPad buyers guide to help the undecided, but I want to know from those of you who've already made up your minds! Out of over 6000 members of the iMore nation, almost 38% of you told us you were buying the new iPad instantly while almost 8% said you were strongly considering it and almost 14% were thinking it over. That's a lot of new iPads come Friday, and I'm sure a lot of variety in choices and opinions.

Time to share -- which new iPad are you getting and why? Vote up top and leave a comment with the details below!

Is it pretty much the same as iOS 5 for you? Or did it make things worse? Is your battery draining faster, are things more buggy, is performance worse, is is camera access even more annoying now?

Bottom line, how is iOS 5 working out for you?

Give us your quick answer in the poll up top and give us the details in the comments below. Make sure to include which device you're running iOS 5.1 on, and whether you did a clean install or updated, and if you updated, whether you did it via iTunes or over-the-air (OTA) right on your device.

As part of their iPad event today, Apple announced their super sweet new iPad. While some may be lining up next week or pre-ordering today, some may prefer to go for a discounted iPad 2 or keep their existing model. We want to know what everyone in the iMore nation thinks of the new iPad. Will you be picking one up?

Just like the iPhone 4S, the new iPad looks a lot like the old iPad, only a tiny difference in the thickness and angle of the taper. Does that make you think twice about buying? Would a new casing design have made a difference? The new iPad did get an amazing Retina display, 4G LTE network option, a new Apple A5X processor, and a camera that finally doesn't suck (and actually looks pretty good).

Each change by itself could be dismissed as incremental (except that Retina display, that's just crazy cool). Taken together, they could just make the overall experience better enough that the new iPad goes from nice to have to must have, especially for geeks.

So what's your answer, iMore nation? Are you getting the new iPad or are you taking a pass? Vote up top and give me the details in the comments below!

Update: Poll closed. Wow were you split!

Apple TV 3 seems the next most likely, given how stock of existing Apple TV 2 units has all but disappeared from the shelves. Apple didn't refresh the Apple TV 2 last fall, so it's getting a little long in the tooth, and if the iPad 3 brings iTunes 1080p, certainly a 1080p Apple TV should come along for the ride.

The "And touch." part of Apple's iPad 3 event invitation has gotten hopes up for an iPod touch 5. Like the Apple TV, the iPod touch went through all of 2011 without a major refresh (all it got was a white option). A bump up in specs to match the iPhone 4S and Siri could be in the cards, or an increase in screen size to 4-inches or so could make for an even better mini-tablet without putting too much of a strain on that Retina display.

Speaking of mini tablets, those iPad mini rumors just won't die. (Even after Steve Jobs basically stomped them into paste.) While competing at the low end with the Amazon Kindle Fire just isn't Apple's style, selling tens of millions of additional iPads certainly is. Could they really be considering a 7- to 8-inch iPad? And could they be considering it for tomorrow?

Like Apple TVs, the Time Capsule internet router + hard drive combo Apple sells is also conspicuously absent from Apple Store shelves at the moment. It's nowhere near as sexy as the iOS devices, but with iCloud being the backbone of Apple's plans for the next decade, could there be a big surprise coming in the form of an all-new, all-iCloud enabled Time Capsule?

And then there's the 36- to 50-inch elephant -- or unicorn -- in the room. The long rumored Apple iTV Television. We've heard Apple's working on it in the labs, and Steve Jobs said he nailed the interface before he passed away. Then again, he also said the go-to-market strategy was unclear. Has it finally cleared up enough for Apple to release their television? If so, could it be tomorrow?

Finally, could there be any surprises? A stripped down iOS-powered Apple TV controller? An Apple designed car integration kit? An all-new, all amazing Apple boom box for the iOS generation?

For a full rundown of all the rumors, check out our complete iPad event preview and join us tomorrow at 10am PT, 1pm ET, 6pm GMT for commentary, coverage, analysis and more.

Now you know the drill! Vote up top and give me your full predictions in the comments below!

In terms of hardware, a Retina display seems like a sure thing now, right? But what about a quad-core processor? Do they need it to compete or could they stay dual-core for another generation? How about more RAM and 128GB of storage? Nice to have or must have? Do they need 4G LTE speeds? Just in the U.S. or internationally? I doubt I'll get better speakers any time soon, but what about better cameras? Is 5mp enough or do they need to go to 8pm like the iPhone? And is there any chance at all the rumor mill missed a form-factor redesign this time around?

Likewise for the iPad 3 software. Does Apple simply have to bring Siri to the iPad 3, or can they leave it exclusively for the iPhone 4S? Will 1080p support come not only to the video player but to iTunes as well? Does FaceTime on the iPad need to let us do conference calls? How about FaceTime over 3G/LTE? And which apps will get the Apple spotlight at the event? Any chance of a new version of iMovie or even Final Cut Pro X for the iPad? What about iPhoto or even Aperture on that Retina display? Could Microsoft really be on stage showing off Office for iPad? And is there any way Apple has a Home screen (Springboard) redesign ready to surprise us with, or will we have to wait on iOS 6 for something that big?

Give us your best guesses, but remember, this is not what you want in an iPad 3, but what you actually think Apple will do on March 7. Vote in the poll up top and give me the details in the comments below. Ready... Go!

The challenge was to make alerts powerful enough for advanced users while keeping them simple enough for Apple's mainstream user base. Like with folders and fast app switching, they chose to make it a hidden layer of the iPhone's interface, something that could be called up by users who know where it is, but could be just as easily ignored by users unaware or uninterested in its functionality.

And it does a pretty good job. Banners alert you to any incoming messages, far less obtrusively than the old style pop-ops (which still remain for more attention-demanding alerts like appointments and alarms). Notification Center provides you with a pull down shade listing all your recent alerts, and can do so on the Lock screen as well as in apps and on the Home screen. It also stays out of your way when you're not using it, for the most part.

But such compromise is inevitably compromised. For advanced users, there's still no quick settings access, message previews, in-app replies, or widget support beyond the built-in Weather and Stocks apps. For mainstream users, there are banners that cover their buttons and shades that drop down after inopportune swipes with long lists of messages that are difficult to dismiss. (Tiny tap targets much?)

So is it the right compromise, or just the right compromise for now? If you jailbreak is it good enough to replace IntelliscreenX or LockInfo? If you come from Android or webOS, how does it compare? If actually using Notification Center is the best way to judge the usefulness of Apple's implementation, how often do you actually find yourself using it?

Thanks: @pinhodaniel

Would it be better ways to fight scam apps so the App Store isn't littered with fakes, ripoffs, and other junk that make good apps even harder to find? Should Apple just get more reviewers and do a better job curating the App Store? How about a demo period, where we could return apps within a day, heck, even 15 minutes, of discovering we were ripped off could go a long way to taking the money -- and hence the incentive -- out of the scams. It would also probably thin out the paid crap apps as well, if less than ethical developers knew customers could return them.

Is better search the answer? Apple just bought Chomp, supposedly to improve discoverability. Do you want social sharing, so your friends and people you follow can help you find the good stuff (no Ping for apps joke, please!).

What about ways to help good developers make more money so they're encouraged to make better apps and games? Right now they have to give away upgrades for free or make a separate app and charge us again. How about paid upgrades as a fair middle ground? How about a premium section in the app store so higher production value apps and games aren't pitted again $0.99 or freemium apps in the top 10 lists?

Or do you want to go completely in the opposite direction and have Apple curate even less, so more stuff comes in, good and bad, but the choice is yours? Maybe just expand the content with an adult section for more mature titles, or a theme store where you could buy whole new looks for your iPhone or iPad?

If you had to pick one thing you'd want Apple to change about the App Store more than anything else in 2012, what would it be?

On one hand it's a bold move, dumping something everyone's familiar with for something new, which is very typically Apple. On the other hand, it's not dumping it for something really, truly new, like Palm-style inductive wireless charging.

While a lot of accessories would continue to work as long as they or Apple provided an adapter, some might not, and then you'd have to buy them again. And if you have a lot of accessories or even cables, it's either impractical to get an adapter for each one, or annoying to keep having to switch the adapter.

Rene laid out a good case for why Apple could be getting ready to pull the trigger on a smaller dock connector, so now we want to hear what you think about it. Do you want Apple to ditch the current dock? Pro or con or couldn't care less?

Apple traditionally put the iPad up for sale on Fridays, at least they have the first two years with the original iPad and iPad 2. But which Friday?

Will it be the same week as the event, only two days later on March 9? Will they need a week to coordinate, and aim for March 16? Will they want time for pre-orders and wider distribution and go on March 23? Or will they make us wait until the end of the month and hit March 30?

And will it, once again, be U.S. only at first, or will they be more aggressive, like the iPhone 4S launch, and hit more countries, faster?

Vote in the poll up top and share your predictions in the comments below!

There's no word on Siri, Apple's voice controlled assistant, for Mac yet, but then again there's no word on Siri for iPad 3 yet either.

Apple is taking their time and doing what they do best -- seeding interest and creating buzz. They're excellent at it, just look at all the coverage they're getting this morning without even holding one of their famous keynotes!

And we want to know how its working.

If you're a Mac user, is this a no-brainer, instant-update for you when it's available, or would you rather Apple kept OS X and iOS separate and distinct?

If you're a Windows user, does anything you've seen today tempt you to make the switch to Mac, or does the idea of iOS-style stuff on your desktop make you even less likely to make the change?

If you're undecided, if you're waiting to see more, what precisely would Apple have to do to win you over to Mountain Lion?

You know the drill, vote in the poll above and give us your thoughts in the comments below!

But rumors have persisted of smaller iPads, and many professional users, especially drafters and designers, have yearned for bigger iPads. Samsung, Apple's distinguished manufacturing-partner-come-competitor offers almost every size variant imaginable, from the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note to the 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab, almost in quarter-inch increments. Both the Kindle Fire and BlackBerry PlayBook clocked in at the smaller, 7-inch form factor.

We assume the iPad 3 will stick with the 9.7-inch screen size. After all, too many options are the same as no options, and consumer choice often becomes confusion and indecision. But if Apple were to expand the iPad family, if they were to offer a single additional screen size for the iPad, if they answered all questions about software compatibility, even if it meant a third scale for apps (between iPhone and iPad, or larger than iPad), what size would you want?

If you could get a 5, 7, 8, or 12-inch iPad, which would it be and why?

Apple's own Smart Covers, those of the magnet power, are ultra slim but don't provide much protection for anything other than the screen. Are you waiting for an iPad 3 version? Or do you want something more extreme like the Otterbox Defender and Incipio Destroyer?

Maybe thinner skin cases like the Incipio Hive HoneyComb or cases that offer nice extras like the Case-Mate Pop! with a kickstand (one of my favorites -- great for watching videos!) better suit your fancy?

Some iPad cases include built-in Bluetooth keyboards, which are great for heavy-duty typists. Is that more your thing?

Will you be sticking with something even slimmer, like BodyGuardz skins, which don't stop impact but, in our torture tests stop everything from stones and nails scratching your iPad 3?

Are you more the executive type who enjoys a leather case or pouch, like the Marware or Griffin Elan, to take your iPad 3 on business trips or to meetings? Or someone who goes to the beach, on hikes, or to the pool and wants a case like the Aquapac or Overboard that can protect your iPad from water damage (or deep water or car washes, or dish washers and boat races)

Do you prefer something more unique and luxurious, like Pad & Quill or DODOCase that give you that hipster moleskin vibe, or White Diamonds that showers your iPad 3 in art and crystals?

Or will you stick with nothing at all, just the iPad 3 the way nature and Jony Ive intended?

One thing is for sure -- if history is any indicator we'll be flooded with options just as soon as the manufacturers can crank them out. So go ahead and get your vote in early. Register it in the poll up top and give us the reasons why in the comments below. And if you're not sure what kind of case you like yet, check out the links below for lots of examples!

• iMore iPad Case Store
• Amazon iPad cases

If you're looking to be picking up a new iPhone on AT&T any time soon, you'll want to note that the upgrade fee will be doubling on February 12. As the folks over at Android Central noted based on the screenshot above, the new fee will be a sizable $36.

Wireless devices today are more sophisticated than ever before. And because of that, the costs associated with upgrading to a new device have increased and is reflected in our new upgrade fee. This fee isn’t unique to AT&T and this is the first time we’re changing it in nearly 10 years.

But what does that even mean? The cost of keeping us as customers, taking our money for a new device, and charging us for ongoing service for many more months to come has... gotten higher?

There's no "upgrade fee" when we buy new televisions, new toasters, new Wi-Fi routers, new bicycles... should we go on? What beyond the price of the new phone and the monthly fees from the new contract should AT&T really need or be entitled to?

Now, a $0 iPhone 3GS is really $36. A $100 iPhone 4 is really $136.

For some, an $18 increase may not mean a whole lot but considering you're essentially doing AT&T a favor by upgrading your device and staying with them, any added cost is sure ruffle a few feathers. Now that information is out there, we'll have to wait and see if AT&T sticks to their guns or cancels their plans.

How do you feel about paying it the next time you upgrade to an iPhone 4S or iPhone 5?

Source - Android Central

It pretty much sounds like a given that we'll be getting a 2048x1536 Retina display, which means, at 9.7-inches it won't be quite as dense as the iPhone 4S but you'll likely be holding it further away from your eyes, effectively making the difference minor.

LTE 4G networking is harder to pin down. The Qualcomm chipset sounds like it's ready, but LTE simply isn't very widespread yet, and Apple has huge international sales. Apple currently offers three iPad 2 models: Wi-Fi, EVDO Rev. A, and GSM/HSPA. Could they switch to Wi-Fi, EVDO Rev A/HSPA+, and make the 3rd SKU an LTE model for carriers that support it (most importantly, Verizon?)

Quad-core Android tablets were announced earlier this year, does Apple have to meet that latest processor escalation? More cores open the door to more features, for example AirPlay uses the second core to mirror the iPad 2 display, but do we really need 4 yet? Since Apple controls both hardware and software, they can optimize the heck out of their processor and get performance that often feels better than greater spec'ed competition already.

Likewise 1GB of RAM and 128GB of NAND Flash memory storage. 1GB of RAM, especially with a Retina display, may open the door to even more spectacular gaming, especially if the GPU is also getting a boost as expected. The multitasking system could do with a healthy amount of available RAM as well. With Apple going to the iCloud it may not seem like on-device storage is as big a deal as it used to be, but with iBooks 2 making textbooks a reality, with the possibility of 1080p video support on the horizon, and with truly epic games needing a lot of storage space, it's definitely something that should be on the radar.

Almost 3 years later, and USB ports and SDHC card readers are still something we get asked about. Apple has their Camera kit dongle and that's likely all they'll ever have. Wireless is their future for files. Thunderbolt, on the other hand, would be great for moving the largest of the large files, at least until next-generation Wi-Fi is ready. But Thunderbolt is based on PCI Express architecture, the kind you find in PCs, and doesn't sound like it's iPad compatible yet.

Better cameras, however, are certainly iPad compatible. Granted, few people will be replacing tiny, pocketable point-and-shoots with iPads, but the current cameras are barely serviceable. Facetime HD up front feels like table stakes at this point, and something in the 5 to 8 megapixel range would be much better in back. If either the Retina display or LTE radio requires a bigger battery, making iPad 3 even slightly thicker, hopefully Apple has the depth to put a decent piece of glass in as well.

The iMore Nation are a demanding people and we make no apologies for that. We love our Apple devices because they're typically built beautifully and just work, and we're going to keep Apple's feet to the fire. Vote in the poll up top, and then tell us what's most important to you and why in the comments below!

There are stand-alone gadgets like Fitbit or Jawbone UP that keep track of your movement (or lack thereof!), and sleep activities, and let you enter food information. They connect to our iPhones to share data and deliver reports so we can see how we're doing and adjust according. The are also stand-alone apps that don't need extra hardware and just do similar things right on our iPhones. Both often have social network connections to, so your friends and family can see your progress, be it weight lost, distance traveled, calories burned, sleep enjoyed, or food consumed. That adds accountability and some peer pressure that could help keep you motivated and on track.

Have you tried any of them? If so, which gadgets or apps or accessories did you like best? Have you tried them but ended up not using them, or simply not tried any health and fitness apps or accessories at all? If not, why not?

Vote in the poll up top and give me all the details in the comments below, and don't forgot to jump into our new Health and Fitness Forum -- you can attain your goals and get entered into our big iPad 3 giveaway. Sweet!

iPad 3 is likely up next, and the big rumor is Retina display on the order of 2048x1536. Less certain but still desirable are quad-core chips and LTE networking. Much the same rumors apply to the iPhone 5, just replace the already-present Retina display with an oft-requested 4-inch screen. You could throw a 7-inch iPad in there for good measure to.

Is it something subtler you're waiting for, like NFC support, or something more dramatic like 3D?

Apple TV hasn't been updated in over a year, so are you really craving some 1080p or are you all about the Apple iTV televion rumors now?

Maybe it's the Mac you want -- more specifically a 15-inch MacBook Air? A redesigned Mac Pro? If you could get just one big hardware gift from Apple this year, what would it be?

Give us your vote up top and then give us the details in the comments below!

When it comes to iPad 2 cases, everyone has an opinion on which type is best -- hard, soft, waterproof, leather, or skin case

There are advantages and disadvantages to all styles of iPad 2 case. Do you value form or function? Style or security? Gloss or grip? Protection or low-profile? A lot will depend on what you do with your iPad. A construction site has different iPad case requirements than a vacation on the lake or a trip to a trade show. And now that all the basics have been covered -- how many little black iPad cases can one girl or guy own? -- manufacturers are getting more creative with materials and molding. iPad cases can now be about fashion and fun as well. Cool colors, terrific textures, and niche needs are all being covered now. And the very best iPad 2 cases bring all of that together, and more.

iPad 2 hard case: Otterbox Defender

People who love iPad cases love Otterbox. It's a perennial favorite. With triple layer protection, it's the ultimate iPad case for those who need their iPads ruggedized for work, travel, or just for kids. It even comes with a shield-like front cover that can double as a typing or movie-watching stand.

• $59.95 - iMore store link

iPad 2 soft case: Hive Honeycomb dermaSHOT Silicone

Incipio has been experimenting with new and unusual textures in their iPad 2 cases lately, and with the Incipio Hive Honeycomb dermaSHOT Silicone it's really paid off. They've added extra grip to both sides of the Hive Honeycomb to make it more comfortable to hold onto while gaming, and it manages to avoid being both slippery or tacky at the same time.

• $29.95 - iMore store link

iPad 2 waterproof cases: Overboard

Until Lifeproof comes out with an iPad 2 case, Overboard is my go-to companion for everything from baths to beaches. The Overboard not only has room for your iPad 2, but you can keep some cash or credit cards in there if you're traveling, and if you drop it in water, it'll even float.

• $44.95 - iMore store link

iPad 2 keyboard cases: ZAGGfolio

The ZAGGfolio is an iPad 2 case that packs in a keyboard and is best suited for road warriors, or anyone who needs to pound out some serious productivity on the go. When not in use, it protects your iPad from harm, but quickly folds out into full on work mode.

• $99.99 - ZAGG link

iPad 2 leather cases: Pad & Quill Contega

Pad & Quill's Contega case for iPad 2 takes the now familiar hipster moleskin style to a new level, incorporating a hidden pocket and cover that can fold up into a stand. It's lacquered Baltic Birch, finely bonded Italian leather, expertly handcrafted for your iPad 2.

• $109.99 - Amazon store link

iPad 2 luxury cases: White Diamonds

Okay, the White Diamond iPad cases aren't all about protection -- they're about stunning good looks. With amazing artwork and glittering Swarovski crystals, these cases are only for those who want to deck out their iPad 2 with serious bling.

• Variable - White Diamonds link

iPad 2 film cases: BodyGuardz

If you want a lot of scratch protection with as little bulk as possible, BodyGuardz for iPad 2 has you covered. Literally. We've taken nails, stones, and children to it and almost a year later, BodyGuardz have kept our iPad 2s sensationally scratch free. BodyGuardz won't stop drops or bumps, but it will kill scratches dead.

• $19.95 - iMore Store link

iPhones are on-the-go, getting things done, highly "mobile accomplisher" devices so jailbreaking for extra features and productivity makes a lot of sense. iPads tend to be feet-up, relaxing, focusing, general purpose devices, so maybe members of the iMore nation don't feel as compelled to Jailbreak?

But we want you to tell us. Now that the iPad 2 jailbreak is here, is it a must do and no need? Vote in the poll up top and give us your reasons -- pro, con, or still on the fence -- in the comments below.

For some it will be a no-brainer. The untethered jailbreak of the iPhone 4S has been their holy grail, the thing they've been waiting for, the thing that will complete them and make their iPhone 4S finally, fully functional the way an end user intends.

Others feel iOS 5 copied so many basic jailbreak features, including and especially notifications, that there's no need to bother with jailbreak anymore. Apple has you covered.

Vote in the poll up top and give us your reasons -- pro, con, or still on the fence -- in the comments below.

Some people think Apple is spearheading a new generation of in-depth, interactive, learning tools to bring textbooks and classrooms into the next generation. Others think Apple has once again created a proprietary platform to once again exert draconian control over and increase platform lock-in.

Some people think Apple has created an alternative to the expensive, outdated, antiquated books students used to have to lug around. Others think Apple sucks for not offering $12 iPads to go along with it.

We'll be back to give you our collective opinions later, but right now it's your turn, iMore Nation. What do you think of Apple's educational offerings?

While the rumors suggest no hardware, which means no iPad 3, I think many of us are holding out at least a little secret hope that Apple pulls a fast one and decides to show off just how good educational material looks on a 2048x1536 resolution Retina display. What, a girl can dream, can't she?

Fine. Back to reality. Electronic textbooks (eTextbooks? iTextbooks?) are one of the biggest rumors, thanks to Steve Jobs mentioning how ripe they were for disruption. Will they be iBooks-style ePub books? A new format? A proprietary new format? Will they be sold in an iTextbookStore, or will they be handled the way Apple is handling TV and movie content, via apps collected in a special Newsstand-style folder?

Will iTextbooks be produced exclusively by Apple and for iOS? Will traditional textbook publishers be able to participate? Will you and me? If Apple makes a publishing tool as easy to use as iWork's Pages, that might just be possible.

iTunes U is a terrific resource and certainly education-focused. Could iTunes U play a roll in Apple's announcements?

We'll find out for sure tomorrow (and make sure you join us for a special edition of iPhone and iPad Live at 10am ET and follow along for the event!), but in the meantime, what do you think? Vote in the poll above and make your best guesses in the comments below!

If you listened to Girls Gone Gadgets last night, you heard Ashley, Kim, and me debate Verizon's new $2 convenience tax -- where and when it's actually applied and how much money they stand to make from it over the course of a year. (Plus, perhaps, some mature language and impassioned ranting.) But at the end of the day it doesn't matter what anybody thinks but Verizon customers. If you're one of them, is $24 a year insignificant to you? Is it annoying but something you'll just pay attention to avoid? Or is it the last straw that drives you to another carrier? (Who might just be smart enough to phrase or hide their fees better -- cough, Sprint, cough.)

We're running a cross-site Mobile Nations poll, so vote below and give us your thoughts in the comments below.

Personally, I just switched to the Case-Mate Barely There Brushed Aluminum case and I'm loving it. Before that I was using the Draco IV and before that, the BodyGuardz Carbon Fiber.

As always, vote in the poll up top and give us the reasons why in the comments below. And if you're not sure what kind of case you like yet, check out the links below for lots of examples!

• TiPb iPhone 4S Accessory Store
• Amazon iPhone 4S Accessories

DreamBoard tried a new take on the old theming engine. aTV Flash brought Jailbreak power to the new, iOS-based Apple TV. And iUsers brought multiple accounts to the iPad.

As always, a group of very different, but very good apps and tweaks, and it's your job to pick the very best one. Vote up top and tell us why you voted they way you did in the comments! These are your awards, so get to it!

Noteshelf made our iPads useful in planning sessions. Elements made Dropbox note-taking sing.

[Orchestra To-Do] (http://www.imore.com/tag/orchestra-to-do) packed out tasks with functionality. Due made reminders quick and powerful.

Instapaper put everything we wanted to read in our pockets, but better. Screens took iOS back to our Macs.

A ton of very different apps to be sure, but all of them helped us get stuff done, and it's your job to pick the very best one.

Vote up top and tell us why you voted they way you did in the comments! These are your awards, so get to it!

Sure, that's a ton of stuff to sort through, but they're all great and you have to pick your favorite. Vote up top and tell us why you voted they way you did in the comments! These are your awards, so get to it!

DODOCase redid their classic for iPad 2. Pad & Quill took things up a notch with their Contega.

Otterbox added the Reflex to their armored offerings. BodyGuardz added the thin and strong Carbon Fiber.

Incipio kept thing sleek with the Feather Ultra-Light. Case-Mate went with a kick-stand for the Pop!

Yup, that's a lot of different kinds of cases, but to keep the number of categories sane, we had to it. They all have two things in common, however -- they're all great and you have to pick your favorite. Vote up top and tell us why you voted they way you did in the comments! These are your awards, so get to it!

Tiny Wings showed that greats looks, simple gameplay, and killer concept still make for the best iOS games. Tiny Tower showed that new time-management games could still grab attention if done with attention to detail.

SPY Mouse brought some Firemint flare to the platform puzzler. DragonVale took the farming genre back to the days of legend.

Cut the Rope: Experiments showed last year's great new games could be this years great new sequels. Minecraft meanwhile finally showed up on iOS, and while limited, it's still Minecraft on iOS.

That's a half-dozen choices across almost as many genres, but you can only pick one. Vote up top and tell us why you voted they way you did in the comments! These are your awards, so get to it!

Both Element Case and Draco Design fixed a lot of the early reception issues and created even more stunning finishes. [Pad and Quill[(http://www.imore.com/tag/pad-and-quill) scaled down their wood and leather for iPhone, while DODOCase opted for a leather sticker instead.

Otterbox got sleeker but no less well defended, while Lifeproof brought a great new product to the protective space. Case-Mate added brushed aluminum to their Barely-There, and BodyGuardz added some Carbon Fiber to the mix.

mophie kept even hard-pressed iPhone 4S batteries going, while Apple slightly tweaked their iPhone 4 bumper to fit the Verizon iPhone 4, which also enabled it to fit the iPhone 4S.

Yup, that's a lot of different kinds of cases, but to keep the number of categories sane, we had to it. They all have two things in common, however -- they're all great and you have to pick your favorite. Vote up top and tell us why you voted they way you did in the comments! These are your awards, so get to it!

Apple's iMovie video editor hit the bigger screen, launching as a universal app alongside the iPad 2. 8mm Vintage Camera brought an old school aesthetic to one of the newest shooters on the planet.

GarageBand brought Apple's multitrack music editor to iOS, complete with instruments. Djay let you mix tracks so realistically you'll think you're in an 80s breaking movie. DM1 - The Drum Machine turned your iPad into a vintage drum kit.

Yes, it's odd jumbling all these apps together, but to keep the number of categories sane, we had to it. They all have two things in common, however -- they're all great and you have to pick your favorite. Vote up top and tell us why you voted they way you did in the comments! These are your awards, so get to it!

Path also released a new version with a bold, breathtaking new user experience and slightly more picturesque and timeline based focus. Apple added yet another separate social network to their portfolio, this time Find my Friends which offers very fine grained privacy control wrapped it more stitched leather than a puffy couch. And Google got into the game in a huge way with Google+.

Twitter for iPhone shed it's Tweetie heritage and while power users howled, it just might have become more usable for the mainstream. Luckily power users had plenty of places to turn with Tweetbot offering an entirely different take, with that trademark Tapbots look and increasingly deep functionality, and Twittelator Neue offering eye-popping animation and amped up interactions.

Verbs also did the remarkable by showing how simply and elegantly instant messages could be handled on mobile.

Incredibly different, incredibly rich, it's hard to pick just nine, never mind one -- but that's your job. Vote up top and tell us why you voted they way you did in the comments! These are your awards, so get to it!

Privacy also took a swift, hard roshambo in the rights this year as everything from Apple's poorly coded location recording system to Google, Facebook, and Twitter being forced into decade, or double decade privacy oversight, to lack of disclosure surrounding Carrier IQ making headline. On the flip side, the media earned more than their usual share of fail points for once again never missing a chance to linkbait and headline grab at Apple's expense.

Netflix decided to take one the most successful, most loved brands in modern media and jack up the prices without proper PR, then split the company into Qwikster, then not split the company, then... we got lost. Instead of making streaming more solid and reliable -- and available internationally -- they spun in circles. Twitter likewise decided that poor communications, creating unease and distrust among developers, the #dickbar, and now the #dickapp re-design, and generally putting their user base last is something they're now big enough not to have to care about.

And then there were the patent problems -- Apple and Android makers suing each other, Lodsys suing independent developers, and generally everyone taking the tools of innovation and wielding them for consternation.

Vote up top and tell us why you voted they way you did in the comments! These are your awards, so get to it!

• See all 2011 TiPb Readers' Choice Award polls

While some carriers in some countries allow for free tethering on the more expensive data plans, many countries, including the US do not. That means those carriers make extra money charging for tethering plans, and apps like Netshare and iTether threaten that extra money (or double-dipping, as you may wish to call it.)

I don't know if Apple has carrier agreements in place to prevent tethering apps and protect revenue streams, the way they once did to prevent VoIP over 3G, but should that really be the users problem? Should it be Apple's to police? If you get a tethering app and stay beneath your data cap, shouldn't that be between you and your carrier? And if you're on an unlimited plan, aren't they already sending nastygrams if you go over a certain amount anyway?

TiPb Nation, what do you think? Should Apple allow tethering apps in the App Store?

AT&T still offers the fastest data speeds, with HSPA 14.4. Verizon claims the best network coverage. Sprint is the only major carrier still offering unlimited data to new iPhone owners. C-Spire is the only small carrier to pick up the iPhone 4S to date. T-Mobile... you have to work for it and it's EDGE only, but that means you must really love them to stick with them!

But now that you have a choice, TiPb Nation, we'd like to know who you chose and why? Was it speed? Was it coverage? Was it data? Was it customer service? And did you switch from a different carrier to get iPhone 4S on your current carrier? As always, vote in the poll up top and give me the details in the comments below!

Have you gone (or stayed) all in on any one approach? Do you mix and match, for example use iCloud for personal information but still connect to iTunes for big files like movies? If you have a family and are managing iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads for spouses and kids, do you sync them all the same or does it vary? Do your kids games pop up on your work iPhone thanks to automatic downloads, or do their iPods get stale because it's become too much of a chore to keep everyone updated?

How is sync working for you in iOS 5? Does it "just work" or is it more complicated and confusing now than ever? Vote in the poll up top and let me know the details in the comments!

And how's everything else working for you? Any bugs under 5.0.1 you didn't have before the update?

• How to fix battery life problems with iOS 5 or iPhone 4S
• Need extra help? Try our iOS 5 Forum!

Do you have just one main account? Do you have separate accounts, and/or use separate services for work and for personal use? Do you have multiple accounts for a bunch of different stuff? Do you forward most or all of them to the same place? Do you even setup all your email accounts on your iPhone or do you leave some off? Would you recommend what you're using to a friend, or something else?

How are you handling email on your iPhone? Vote in the poll up top and then give me the details in the comments below!

It lets us more nicely organize those newspaper and magazine apps, and we get to see front page or cover art rather than the app icon, but the apps themselves are still a crapshoot when it comes to quality and design. iBooks are pretty unified -- I buy a book and I know how to navigate through it and easily read it, and I know if I put it down on my iPad when I leave home, I can open it up and keep going from the same place when I open it again on my iPhone at work. If I want to read my Trashy Gossip Mag, no such luck.

With Newsstand we sometimes get straight exports from the magazine or newspaper themselves, almost like PDF printouts, ads and all, with little in the way of iOS specific features and nothing that takes advantage of the technology literally at our fingertips. Other times we get more immersive experiences with sound, movies, and easy sharing if we so choose.

And the subscription options are all over the place, but mostly they still don't match up with traditional options. Why can't we, universally, buy an issue for the same or cheaper cover price, or subscribe for the same or cheaper yearly option? If I can get one issue of Trashy Gossip Mag for $5 and 12 for $20, shouldn't we have the same option on iPad?

Should Apple create a proper iNews apps like iBooks with standardized pricing and presentation? Should they go back to just apps, on their own? Or is Newsstand the answer?

Vote in the poll up top and let me know where you stand on everything from pricing to ads to the quality of the content itself in comments!

While we know it isn't going to happen, it is still fun to dream, so the question arises - would you like to have the option to download other keyboard options for iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, like you can for Android? The iPhone keyboard is really good and a lot of people seem to type rather well on it, but wouldn't it be nice to have the option to change it? To have something like Swype or Swiftkey as an option? Or to get them in pink or yellow, or themed after your favorite band or video game or TV show if you wanted? Wouldn't it also be nice to have a custom layout, or different spacing?

Are you happy that there's only one keyboard to rule them all on iOS devices, or do you wish Apple would let you change them up? Vote in the poll up top and let us know why you feel the way you do in the comments!

In an ideal world you iCloud mail will show up everywhere, all at once, with perfect push notifications, your calendars would just work, even when shared, and your contacts would all be related so you could tell your special someone you're running late... again. Your Documents in the Cloud would all be up to date, available at the touch of any app that can edit them, and your iTunes in the Cloud would let you re-download any song or TV show as easily as you always could apps. Your backups and restores would work flawlessly, and your Photo Stream would actually let you delete unwanted pictures. If you had to use Find my iPhone, it would send a locator immediately and you'd never have to wait a day to discover you left it in your other pants pocket. And we'd all have iTunes Match.

In the often more brutal real world, however, you mail might not be pushing, your documents might be disappearing, your songs not all showing up, your Photo Stream causing you grief, and Find my iPhone doing anything but. (Grrrr.)

So you tell us TiPb Nation, what are your experiences with iCloud so far? Is it a game changer or just MobileMe part deux? Vote up top and give me the glorious -- or gory! -- details in the comments below!

Is it the best phone you've ever owned? Is it just a decent upgrade? Is it about the same as your previous phone? Or are you already regretting the decision to buy?

We've already told you what we think about the iPhone 4S, now it's your turn TiPb Nation. Vote in the poll up top and give me the details in the comments below!

Now a new phone, especially one that talks back to you, is so fun to use that we might not get back down to every day levels for a while still. But if you're not talking to Siri every minute, if you set up as new rather than restoring from backup, if you're not lighting up all the new location-based Reminders and Find my Friends, and your Notification Center isn't set to the full fire hose, how do you think battery life compares to your previous phone?

Is it great, gets through the day, no problems whatsoever? Is it about the same? Is it so bad you've stopped using Siri, turned off location services, disabled push notifications, and gone to commiserate with your Android wielding friends?

Vote up top and give us the details, including anything that's helped you improve battery life, in the comments below!

Vote in the poll up top and then give us the great -- or gory -- details in the comments below. If you are having problems, let us know how you've tried to trouble shoot: clean install (not from backup), remove and re-add push accounts, delete and re-download notification and location happy apps, turn off Ping (always a good idea), turn of location Reminders, restart a lot -- what's worked and what hasn't?

Vote in the poll and then please share your thoughts as to why in the comments below!

In a few hours Apple will hold their Let's Talk iPhone event and we'll have our answers. Right now, there's still time for some last minute speculative fun. So put your cards on the table and vote for what you think Apple will announce (not what you want -- that's all glowing Apple logos and voice activation -- but what you realistically think Apple will show off). Then jump in the comments and give me the details so come this afternoon we can see who got the closest!

I've been hoping for option 1, a real, redesigned iPhone 5 since about a minute after I saw the back glass of iPhone 4. Jeremy on the other hand keeps bringing me down by saying "you get iPhone 4S!".

But is faster, maybe thinner and lighter enough for you? Or will it take a substantial redesign for you to upgrade your iPhone again? If you don't get it this generation, will you hold onto what you have and wait for the next or, horror of horrors, start looking at something else? I know Rene loves the iPhone 4 design and I'm sure many others do as well. Sure it has been on the market for 15 months already, but iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS kept the same design on the market for 24 months (closer to 40 if you count the iPhone 3GS 8GB that's still being sold today!)

What do you think, TiPb Nation -- Would you be less likely to get iPhone 5 if there's no new design?

What's the main reason you Jailbreak your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad? Is it for themes, so you can change up the whole look and feel of your device? Is it to unlock so you can run it on T-Mobile or travel internationally? Is it convenience, so SBSettings and BiteSMS can keep you going faster? Is t coolness, so you can show your friends the icons rolling around your screen or how you can turn your device off like an old TV? Is it Tethering, because you feel like you've already paid your carrier once for that data? Is it functionality, because you want your screen projected or recorded?

Maybe it's all or most of the above, but if you had to pick just one Jailbreak feature that's most important to you, what would it be?

What's you main iOS device, your daily driver, your gateway to the App Store? No doubt many of you have an iPhone, but which one? Those who don't, did you go for iPod touch or iPad, and which model? Even if you have one of everything, which is your most used, your favorite, the one you simply couldn't do without?

We already know a lot of you are just waiting for iPhone 5 to update, but now we want to know what you're going to be updating from. And yes, it's not multiple choice, you're going to have to pick a side!

Vote in the poll up top and give me the details, why you use one more than the others, in the comments.

What's the next iOS device you plan on buying? I'm guessing a lot of the TiPb Nation is waiting for the iPhone 5, but is anyone going to skip it and hold out for the iPhone 6? Maybe you hope that Apple discounts the existing iPhone 4 like usual, or puts out a budget iPhone nano instead?

The iPad 3 sounds like it's not coming this fall after all, but are you planning to get it shows up this spring? Or does a new iPod touch 5 fit your needs better?

What if Apple finally makes a real iOS powered iPod nano, one that works amazingly well as a watch and shows all your notifications? Anyone else besides me really want one? And if they finally let Apple TV go a full 1080p, would that be on your shopping list?

Let me know what you plan on buying in the poll below, and give me the reasons why -- or better yet, why not! -- in the comments below!

webOS users: Now that HP has decided to bloody well abandon Palm Pre, Veer and TouchPad users and put the whole future of your fav platform in doubt, are you planning on giving iPhone and iPad a look? Are you shopping around? Or are you holding to hope that some knight in shining hardware swoops out of this darkest night to rescue your beloved webOS and give it the chance it so truly deserves?

While we could never replace your admittedly sweet cards and synergy, and we may not be as tweakable as Android, as fresh as Windows Phone, or have a slider like BlackBerry, iOS is elegant, well designed, has more apps than anyone could use in a lifetime, the best web browser in the business, is relentless updated by Apple (witness iOS 5 -- with unobtrusive notifications! -- coming the fall!), and has an awesome Jailbreak community for everything else.

Also, the TiPb Nation rocks! (I'm just saying...)

Let me know which way you're leaning in the poll up top and lets talk about it in the comments below. If you need extra help, make sure you jump over to our iPhone and iPad Forums, you might just find some old friends from PreCentral.net waiting to reconnect!

Simple question: is your iPhone home button still working as it should? Ever since iOS 4 and the reassignment of double click to the fast app switcher, it seems like we're click, click, clicking the home button more than ever, and that seems to be creating problems more and more often.

A lot of you have written in, or posted in our iPhone Forum to tell us your home button is causing you problems, and even more of you are hitting our how-to fix home button problems, and how to use Activator to get around home button problems daily tips in search of solutions. Even our illustrious editor, Rene, had to get his original iPhone 4 swapped out at the Apple Store because the home button was causing him grief.

Apple has been experimenting with multitasking gestures for iPad, and we've even seen rumors that they'll do away with the home button completely.

Is you home button not working the way it should? Is it a hardware problem that's just not registering clicks, or a software issue that's misreading the number of clicks? Let us know in the poll above and then give us the details in the comments!

Holy heck! Waking up to the news of Google buying Motorola Mobility just shows you how fast our industry is moving and changing. But what does it mean for Apple, iPhone and iPad? Will Google really continue to run Motorola "as is" without much change, and Droids and Xooms will just come out again as they came out before? Or will Google start to copy the Apple model more and give Motorola exclusive Nexus handsets with much better, and even more competitive integration? Or will HTC, Samsung, and other Android OEMs feel screwed by this whole deal and start looking more seriously at Windows Phone or maybe even webOS, resulting in less choice for consumers on the Android side?

What do you think, TiPb Nation? Will Motorola for one welcome their new overlords and remain status quo, or is this the beginning of a new galactic order when it comes to iPhone and iPad competition? Vote in the poll above and give me your analysis in the comments below!

It's almost back to school time, TiPb Nation, and that means we're getting back to business bringing you more of what you love about iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple TV. But my question is, what exactly do you want more of?

When you hit TiPb, what do you want to see first and foremost, and what do you want to more keep up with more casually? We know everyone has different tastes and opinions, but this time it's okay to be selfish. This time it's just about YOU.

What do you want from TiPb this fall?

Facebook is the most popular app on the iPhone and we've often said Twitter and iOS go together like chocolate and peanut butter. But social networks rise and fall. Remember MySpace, Jaiku, Buzz... Friendster? And hey, how about Google+ now that it's expanding beyond the techie early adopters, or LinkedIn which seems to always hover neither here nor there.

Which social networks do you use regularly? Let us know in the poll up top and give us the details, including which one(s) you prefer, how often you use them, -- and your profile link(s) if you feel especially social about it -- in the comments below.

Following months of rumors and tons of hype, Spotify finally made it's US debut last week and... we're curious as to whether or not you've switched to using it for most of your mobile music fix? Given that iPhone users could already choose between Pandora, Slacker, rdio, Napster, Rhapsody, and pretty much everything except Zune Pass (come on Microsoft!), not to mention Amazon Cloud Player, Google Music Beta, and iTunes sync (and soon, iTunes Match), there's some strong, established competition for Spotify to contend to.

If you did switch, why? If you didn't, why not? What's most important to you in a streaming music service? That they offer tons of tracks, that they let you upload your own, rare music, that they offer streaming or subscriptions, that they have playlists or genius/recommendation engines?

Bottom line, have you switched to Spotify or are you using something else? Vote in the poll up top and give us the details in the comments below!

If you're in the US and you subscribe to Netflix, we'd like to know how you feel about the new pricing they announced yesterday? If you're only into streaming, not much has changed. If you want unlimited DVDs as well, however, you need to cough up an extra $6 a month.

Maybe DVDs are a relic to you, or a bag of hurt, and you haven't watched optical media in years. Hey, iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and Apple TV don't support them anyway! Maybe, however, since Hollywood still can't get their digital release act together, they're a beloved part of your home theater experience.

Or maybe it's not about whether or not you watch or want DVDs, but about how Netflix is treating you as a customer that matters? No doubt shipping all those envelopes around the country is getting more and more expensive, but are you perceiving increased value for the increased costs on your end? Or do you feel like you're being weened off the old era before the new one is really ready to replace it?

Are you peeved enough to take your streaming elsewhere? To get your DVDs from a competitor? Or are you going off DVDs altogether?

Vote up top, and let us know how you really feel -- and what you think Netflix should do about it -- in the comments.

Can you not wait for Apple to release a second, Retina Display equipped iPad 3 (or iPad 2 HD/Pro/Plus) this year, or does the mere thought of it fill you with unbridled geek rage? The rumors keep getting stronger, and TiPb and many others have heard that Apple is seriously considering adding a new iPad to the already chock-a-block fall lineup.

If you just paid $500-$900 for an iPad 2, it's understandable that that would set you off. You wanted top of the line for 2011 and you expected your investment to be top of the line until at least next spring. How could Apple try and obsolete your beautiful new iPad 2 just 6 months out of the gate?

Some of you might look at your iPad 2 and really be annoyed by the lack of Retina Display, and want Apple to address that asap, damn the costs. Or maybe you skipped iPad 2 because it wasn't a big enough bump and have been waiting to go Retina for a while already, and the sooner the better. Hey, maybe you haven't even gotten on the iPad train yet and this is the model you've been holding out for, and now is not a problem.

Apple has already sold over 20 million plus iPads and while that's a good chunk of potential upgrades, they likely have their eyes set on a much bigger prize -- the over 100 million iPhone uses who don't have iPads yet, and beyond them, the hundreds of millions of consumers who don't have any iOS devices at all yet.

Apple has us, understands we'll upgrade when and if we can, but it wants them. Would a more expensive iPad be the way to increase their already market leading share of the tablet market? Maybe a little. The bigger share will be, of course, at the lower end of the market -- a place Apple has eschewed in the past for everything but iPods. But an iPad Pro to fit the MacBook Pro square in the product matrix is interesting... if the standard iPad 2 gets a price drop to better address the lower end at the same time...

Either way, how do you feel about Apple potentially releasing a second iPad this year?

Now that Apple is finally selling the unlocked iPhone 4 in the US, will you be buying one? If so, is it the lack of a contract, the easy SIM-swapping when traveling, or some other reason that makes it compelling? (Like scalping them overseas, maybe? You can tell me!) Or with iPhone 5 just around the corner, is there no way you're dropping $650-$750 on a 12 month old iPhone 4 at this point? Are you undecided, or decidedly no?

Both Rene and I bought unlocked iPhone 4s when they were first released in Canada, and while it was nice not to have to sign or renew a contract, the lack of subsidy made it really expensive. If I had to do it over again, I might just take the subsidy and save myself some cash.

Vote in the poll up top and let me know what you think in the comments!

With rumors of iPhone 5 potentially adding a third US carrier, would you rather that carrier be T-Mobile or Sprint?

T-Mobile is GSM like AT&T but would require different, AWS bands for 3G. They also offer "4G" over HSPA+, which iPhone 5 just might support. However, AT&T is trying to buy them, so they might get the iPhone that way sooner or later. Sprint is CDMA like Verizon but would need access to their network. They also offer "4G" over Wimax, which Apple will probably never support because LTE will be a much bigger, more global technology. (See our wireless networking glossary for what all those letters mean.)

If you could have only one for iPhone 5, T-Mobile or Sprint, which would it be?

So will you still Jailbreak now that Apple has included notifications, lock screen info, and so many other features into iOS 5? Granted most of them don't do as much as their Jailbreak counterparts, but you aren't required to Jailbreak to use them either.

Are you a hardcore Jailbreaker and you're going to do it no matter what? Are you taking a more wait-and-see attitude? Or has Apple finally done enough to convert you from #TeamJailbreak to #TeamPure?

Vote in the poll up top and give me your reasons in the comments below!

After what seems like a years of speculation and months of rumors, Apple has finally shown us iCloud with sync, photo stream, iTunes Match, untethered activation, and... what do you think? Is it the perfect solution you've been waiting for, or did Apple once again prove they don't get the 'net?

How does it compare to Amazon and Google's offerings for the stuff you want to do?

Did they have you at "iCloud", will you try it out and see if they can win you over, or was it DOA to you?

Vote in the poll and let me know what you really think in the comments!

So now that you've gotten your first taste of IOS 5 - notifications, iMessage, and so much more -- what do you think? Did it blow you away, make you mostly happy, leave you wanting more, or just tick you off?

This is it, Apple's mobile OS for 2011 and a good part of 2012. Is it enough to keep up with Google's upcoming Android Ice Cream Sandwich (love their names!), HP webOS 2 and 3.0, Windows Phone Mango (not sure about their names yet!), and BlackBerry's new QNX platform?

Is it enough to keep you on Apple, or to win you over to iPhone and iPad for the first time? And why?

Vote in the poll up top and give me the details in the comments below!

What's your absolute favorite device for browsing the web -- iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or your Mac or Windows PC? I'm a little torn myself.

The iPhone is great when I'm out and about and have no other options, but it's small and doesn't support Flash, and it's not a fast experience.

iPad is big and beautiful and I love it for reading and relaxing but it also doesn't support Flash and I can't type on it as fast as I need to for things like blogging here on TiPb.

My 11-inch MacBook Air is portable but not really mobile, so I don't have it always when I need it, but when I do it can handle every kind of web page imaginable and has a keyboard so I can easily whip up posts like this.

(We have an iMac in the house, but I almost never use it.)

If you had to pick one -- if you were stranded on Internet Survivor Island and could have only a single device with you for browsing the web -- what would it be, iPhone, iPad, or PC?

Vote up in the poll and tell me why in the comments! I'll reveal my answer on the next podcast!

While the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad come with built in, Apple made Gmail, Maps, and YouTube native apps, Google also provides Google made Gmail, Maps, and YouTube web apps. Apple native apps gain all the benefits of being part of the OS, including attachments, uploads, contact integration, etc. but Google updates their web apps quickly, gives you labels, stars, and ties them into the rest of your Google info, and keeps the experience the same regardless of the device you're using.

Do you have a preference? Do you prefer Apple's design and the unique iOS look and feel of Mail, Maps, and YouTube, or you prefer the Google vibe and want everything to look like the web regardless of where you're accessing it from?

Apple vs. Google. Native vs. Web.

Vote in the poll and give me the details in the comments!

With your iPhone, do you mostly type with the keyboard in portrait mode or portrait rotation? Apple added landscape keyboard system wide in iOS 3 because they said users kept asking for it. I never use it though. On the iPhone, I'm strictly a portrait typist.

In portrait mode, I can easily reach both sides of the keyboard with either thumb, or just hold my iPhone 4 in one hand and quickly tap away with the other. And it just feels like more of the screen is left uncovered that way. We talked about it on the last podcast an Rene, Chad, Seth, Leanna, and Andrew were pretty much all in agreement -- portrait was the way to go.

Several people in the chat disagreed though. They liked the wider, roomier landscape keyboard, especially for composing longer emails or notes. Some also liked that they could hold their iPhone two handed in landscape mode and tap away with both thumbs. Even though the remaining screen was shorter, they liked that it was wider.

So which type of typist are you? Landscape, keyboard, or is it complicated? Let me know in the poll up top and give me the details in comments!

Once again drawing inspiration from Chad and Rene making fun of me on iPhone Live! we're polling the TiPb nation to find out if you buy or download your apps and games directly on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, or if you prefer getting them via iTunes on your Mac or Windows PC and syncing over, or if you go both ways?

I don't think I've ever bought or downloaded an app on iTunes. I always get them right on my iPhone or iPad. My iPhone is with me all the time so it's just easier that way and I'm usually with my iPad when I see a great new app or hot new game I want to try, so I just grab it right away.

What would be really sweet would be if I could buy an iPad app on my iPhone and have it pushed right to my iPad next time I unlock it (or vice versa).

Let us know how you get your apps in the poll above and then tell us how you'd prefer to get them in the comments!

Which version of iOS are you currently running? Apple released iOS 4.3.3/4.2.8 last week so we figured we'd see how many of you in the TiPb nation updated your primary device, be it an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad to the latest and greatest?

Did you rush out an update immediately? Did you wait until you next needed to sync with iTunes and it reminded you? Did you wait for the Jailbreak before updating? Or did you not update at all?

Since you all listen to our iPhone Live and iPad Live podcasts (right?!) you know I haven't updated yet and probably won't until I find a bug or see a feature that really encourages me to do it. (Hey, I don't even update my apps, remember!)

If you have multiple iOS devices, just vote based on the one you use most and either way, give us all the juicy details in the comments!

Are you getting a white iPhone 4? If rumors are to be be believed, tomorrow is the day you can finally get your hands on the very nearly mythic device. Almost 10 months after Apple announced it at WWDC 2010, it should be going on sale at Apple Stores, Best Buy, and a variety of carrier stores world wide.

Have you waited this long to update? Will you be swapping your nearly identical black iPhone 4 for white? Or do you have absolutely no interest at all in this and just want Apple to get on with iPhone 5 already?

Vote in the poll and give us the details in the comments!

Do you sync your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch email, contacts and calendars from Mail or Outlook via iTunes or have you moved to the MobileMe, Google, Yahoo!, or Microsoft cloud? For many people, especially in business, Outlook is life but connecting a cable and launching iTunes isn't a very convenient way to stay current. MobileMe had a rocky start but has been stable for a while now, and rumors persist that Apple is about to re-invent it (especially now that the $99 box is almost impossible to find). Google is huge with geeks but does things in its own way and provides little to no support when things go wrong. Yahoo! was once a power house but now you almost never hear about them anymore. Meanwhile Exchange is huge in enterprise and Hotmail has become Microsoft Live Mail and is finally playing nicer with iOS thanks to ActiveSync.

When it comes to files there are even more choices. You can still sync via iTunes to apps that support it, or you can use Apple's iDisk, Google Docs, Dropbox, Box.net, SugarSync, or a number of options from Microsoft including Skydrive and SharePoint (though you seldom see any of them when it comes to iOS.)

Have you standardized on a single solution or do you use more than one? For example, do you use different accounts or even services for home, work, school, private info, etc.?

Vote in the polls and let us know the details in the comments?

Our newest jailbreak ninja, Cody, recently let you know how to untethered jailbreak iOS 4.3.1 via redsn0w but since then, how has it been? I personally haven't had time to upgrade to iOS 4.3.1 and re-jailbreak. Cody however has voiced that he has had a lot more springboard crashes than he did under the previous iOS 4.2.1 greenpois0n jailbreak.

Most jailbreakers are aware that not all apps are compatible with a new jailbreak, so outside of those causing issues, are any of you experiencing issues? Cody and a couple readers have wrote in to let me know that they've experienced some safe mode crashes and reboots under iOS 4.3.1.

If you have issues, let us know in the the poll and/or in the comments as well as checking out our TiPb jailbreak forums to see what issues other members are experiencing and if they've found any ways around them.

The iOS 4.3.1 untethered Jailbreak for iPhone, iPod touch, and original iPad is here -- and our awesome new Jailbreak writer, Cody, has already got your full how to guide posted, so check it out! My questions is -- are you going to pull the trigger and Jailbreak your iPhone, iPod touch, and/or original iPad? All of them? Some or none of them?

I currently Jailbreak my iPhone and Apple TV but not my iPad, though when the iPad 2 Jailbreak hits I may be tempted to try it out. I know Rene Jailbreaks his phone but not iPad, while Ally #TeamJailbreaks everything including her kitchen appliances and Chad and Leanna are #TeamPure for life.

Where do you fit in? Vote in the poll (please pick an answer for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad!) and then tell us the whys -- or why nots -- in the comments below!

Now that Amazon has Cloud Drive and Cloud Player up and running alongside their music and movie service, anyone thinking about switching over from iTunes? Despite constant rumors Apple hasn't yet announced their own digital locker or cloud streaming service, perhaps because they're still trying to negotiate licenses with the record labels. Amazon did it without licenses (which kind of impressed us!). They also often have lower prices than iTunes, though iTunes still has the edge on ease of use.

So what do you say, have you switched from iTunes to Amazon? Are you considering it? And if so, what does Apple have to do to hold on to you?

iPad 2 launched one week ago today in the US and we know a lot of your TiPb readers snatched them up -- so how is it working out for you? Like it or love it? Frustrated or failed by it? Minor upgrade or major revelation?

We've given you our iPad 2 review and now we want to hear from you! Vote in the pole above and give us your take in the comments below!

As predicted, Apple released iPad 2 last week... pretty much as predicted. There really were no surprises -- no Retina Display, no Thunderbolt or USB or SD port, no LTE or WiMax or HSPA+ radio, no 128GB of storage, no big photon camera or 3D display, no kickstand or cappuccino maker... Okay, I'm joking about some of those. Maybe.

But which one of those omissions irk you the most? What feature do you really wish Apple had added to iPad 2?

Vote in the poll above and let us know the details of your antici-pointment in the comments below!

You've watched the keynote, you've read our coverage, you've learned when and how you can get an iPad 2, so all that's left is for us to ask -- are you getting one?! If so, are you getting black or white? If 3G, are you getting AT&T/GSM or Verizon?

Vote in the poll above and then give us the details (like 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB, etc.) and the reasons in the comments below!

So now that anyone and everyone can order a Verizon iPhone online... shall it be yours today? Would you rather wait and line up at the Apple Store tomorrow for the full iPhone experience? Did you already get a Verizon iPhone on pre-order or are you waiting for the Verizon iPhone 5? Could you be AT&T iPhone for life, or just not interested at all?

Give us your vote in the poll above and then share all the details in the comments below!

The Verizon iPhone will ship with Wi-Fi personal hotspot and iOS 4.3 looks like it will bring it to everyone -- but will you use it? And more important how much are you willing to pay for the privilege?

Verizon provides it free on some devices but charges for it on others and they haven't released any official pricing for iPhone 4 yet. AT&T charges for tethering and makes you switch to one of their new, limited data plans so if you're grandfathered into unlimited it could be a deal breaker. On the other hand it will let you ditch your Mi-Fi if you've been using one of those as well as an iPhone.

How important in Wi-Fi personal hotspot to you and how much would you pay for it? Vote in the poll up top and let us know the details in the comments below!