Activator allows you to launch apps or utilities on your jailbroken iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch with a quick swipe, tap, or button press. Swipe up from the bottom of your screen to quick compose a text, double tap the status bar to bring up SBSettings, or shake your device to take a screenshot. Setting up an Activator gesture takes just a few seconds and the possibilities are endless.

Install Activator

Activator can be found in your Settings app. If you’re jailbroken, chances are you already have Activator installed whether you know it or not. Many utilities and applications in Cydia, the jailbreak app store, support it, and will install it as a pre-requisite to using the app. SBSettings, which lets you quickly toggle Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Airplane mode, among other things, is an example.

If you don’t see an Activator your Settings app, you can install it for free via Cydia.

1. Launch Cydia and tap on the **Search** tab.
2. Type in **Activator**
3. Tap on **Activator**
4. Tap the **Install** button in the upper right hand corner.

Your device will require you to re-spring (restart the Springboard, or Home screen app) after installation. Then you’re good to go.

How to configure a gesture in Activator

1. Launch the **Settings** app.
2. Tap **Activator**.
3. Choose how you want to trigger an actions.
4. Choose what you want the action to do.
5. One the supported apps show up, choose the one you want.

We typically recommend you allow Activator gestures to work from anywhere. However, you may not want this if you’re setting a gesture that slides in from the bottom or top of the screen as it can conflict with the controls of some games. There’s nothing like trying to slice in Fruit Ninja only to suddenly find yourself in a different app!

There are plenty of action options to choose from. For example, you can set up double tap on the status bar to bring up quick reply for Messages+.

Once you’re done, you’ll be able to perform any gesture you’ve specified, or call up any supported app or command on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

Under iOS 5 you can even set up Twitter gestures and other system gestures like activating Siri.

If you have any favorite or especially cool Activator gestures set ups you’d like to share, let us know in the iMore apps, hacks, and themes forum.

Additional jailbreak resources:

• Jailbreak news, guides, and how to’s
• General jailbreak help and discussion forums

With iOS 5, Apple introduced a split keyboard mode for the iPad, so we could more easily type with our thumbs when holding the iPad in both hands. If you already use the split keyboard, you know it provides one of the best touchscreen typing experiences on any tablet. But did you know Apple built in “phantom keys” to make typing with the split keyboard even faster and easier?

How to activate the split keyboard

If you’re not familiar with the split keyboard, it’s easy to enable.

1. When the keyboard is visible, tap-and-hold the Shuffle Slider button on the bottom-right hand corner of the keyboard.
2. From here, a popup menu will let you activate the split keyboard, or just slide your finger up to split the keyboard into two sections.
3. Adjust the keyboard placement to your liking.

Bonus tip: Once you get the hang of it, you can simply “pinch to zoom in” (like you would to make a photo or website bigger) to split the keyboard, and “pinch to zoom out” (like you would to make a photo or website smaller) to join the keyboard back up again.

How to use the phantom keys

It turns out, when using the split keyboard, the empty spaces on the inside edges actually function as if the missing keys were actually there. So, for example, if you want to type ‘H’ you can just tap the empty space next to ‘G’, and your iPad will subsequently output ‘H’ without actually requiring you to tap the key. (And vice-versa.)

This is a great feature for those of us who type based on muscle memory and expect keys to be where we’re used to them being. Most of us don’t have thumbs long enough to reach entirely across an iPad screen, but when we’re typing fast we’re certainly apt to reach a little, anticipating an extra key to be there.

By making “phantom keys” available, but invisible, Apple provides the best of both worlds. Our eyes see where we should be typing, but the system catches us if our thumbs inadvertently overreach themselves.

It’s thoughtful user interface design like this that’s makes typing on the iPad even faster and easier than it otherwise might be.

Check out the video above to see it in action.

• More iPad typing tips

Source: Finer Things in iOS

Do not — repeat — do NOT put WD-40 or any such substance in your iPhone or iPad — it won’t permenantly fix your Home button and may, in fact, damage it far worse. The idea that repeatedly squirting WD-40 into your iPhone or iPad Home button could fix responsiveness began floating around the internet last month and has gotten some attention — that needs to be stopped immediately. Keep in mind we’re huge fans of DIY repair here at iMore. We have a weekly column focused on DIY repair. But putting WD-40 on your iPhone is not DIY repair. It’s dangerous, particularly for iPhones and iPads that are built with moving, plastic parts.

WD-40 may be non-conductive but the solvent in it will break down plastic. Your home button is plastic as well as some of the internal parts. Your speaker assembly is plastic and sits directly below your home button. Also, WD-40 is a liquid and you’re spraying it dangerously close to where the wiring for the dock — the place you charge your iPhone or iPad — sits. The only substance that should ever be applied to an iPhone or iPad is high concentrated alcohol to remove corrosion from a logic board after it has been damaged by another liquid. None of the other components should ever come in contact with liquid. Including WD-40.

iPhone 4 home button and flex cable

To understand what causes a sticky home button you need to understand how the home button works. On an iPhone 4 there is a flex cable that connects to your dock and comes around the front. This piece has a contact on it that is connected to the home button with adhesive. When this button is depressed too many times, the contact starts to wear and get thin. Eventually this results in a “tacky” home button or clicks not registering as the contact is not thick enough to apply the correct amount of pressure to register to trigger a click. It was bad design on Apple’s part, especially after introducing the double-click to launch the Fast App Switcher in iOS 4.

iPhone 4 home button next to an iPhone 4S home button secured with rubber gasket

The iPhone 4S Home button was re-designed to fix these problems. The button is actually stuck to the main assembly with a rubber gasket. Then a bracket is put into position behind that, similar to that of the iPad 2.

Your iPhone or iPad Home button isn’t a squeaky old spring or noisy hinge that a couple of squirts of grease can easily fix. If the Home button flex cable wears down over time, nothing but replacing the Home button flex cable will solve the issue. Spraying a substance like WD-40 into your device will only make matters worse or damage other components inside your device. If you’re under warranty Apple will swap out your iPhone 4 at no cost. If you’re not, you should repair it the correct way or send it in to someone who can. Here are some good software fixes to try on your own first –

• How to troubleshoot a buggy home button
• Get around a broken home button with an Activator gesture (jailbreak)

So put the WD-40 can down and slowly back away, then tell everyone you know — including the people who post these tips — to do likewise.

Our challenge this week was to find an app that could capture a still image — a photo — while simultaneously shooting video on the iPhone. With the default camera app, you have to stop recording video, switch to still camera mode, shoot a picture, then switch back to video and start recording that. Not ideal. Neither is trying to screen capture while recording, since there are way too many controls visible, cutting into the picture.

With over half a million apps for just about everything, you’d figure there’d have to be at least one in the App Store for this. But with so many apps, it can be hard to find the one you want. That’s where we come in. We’re sorting through the App Store and we’re going to help find just exactly the app for that.

App for that: QuickPix

QuickPix does exactly what Ron is looking for. While filming a video, QuickPix has two buttons: one to stop recording, and one to take a photo. These photos are sent directly to your camera roll along with the video once you end the recording.

Some other features of QuickPick are RapidFire (2 pictures per second), QuickPic (shoot on app launch), and the ability to separately set the focus and exposure.

Now that I have discovered QuickPix, I will use it for all filming I do from now on. There have been multiple times where I had to choose between capturing video or taking photos of a special moment, but now I can do both! Thank you, Ron, for sending me on the hunt for this app!

• $1.99 – App Store link

Thanks to Ron – Ertiguy for the question. Anyone else have any App for That suggestions for Ron? Let him — and all of us — know in the comments below.

Having trouble finding what you need in the app store? Head on over to our App for That Forum and let us know what you’re looking for. The iMore community will do our best to find you just the right App for That!

Tomorrow is Super Bowl Sunday, and whether you’re cheering for the New England Patriots or the New York Giants, it’s easy to follow all the action right on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. You can stay up to date while away from home and on the road, or get all sorts of extra information while you’re watching live.

NFL Live for Verizon iPhone

If you have an iPhone on Verizon, you can take advantage of their exclusive NFL Mobile app to stream Super Bowl XLVI straight to your mobile device. It’s a universal app, though it doesn’t specifically say that live video will also be streamed to the iPad version, so if you want to be absolutely certain you see it, keep your iPhone handy. Both versions should give you the latest news, videos, as well as all the information you need to stay in the big game.

• Free – App Store link

NFL.com Super Bowl XLVI site

The NFL also has a full site up for Super Bowl 46, complete with history, events, visitors guides, live feeds, trivia, and much, much more. The mobile experience won’t quite be up to that of the desktop — which is why they made the apps — but if you want to make sure you’ve got everything covered, launch Safari on log onto NFL.com. And if you’re not on Verizon and need to watch live, you can do so from here with your Mac or Windows PC.

• Web site link

Super Bowl XLVI Guide

The official NFL Super Bowl 46 guide app will keep you up to date with maps, local happenings, and more. Whether you’ll be attending the big game in person or watching from the comfort of your home, the Super Bowl XLVI Guide is the best way to navigate through the multitude of Super Bowl events and and keep up with all the social media buzz that’s sure to be generated by millions and millions of fans.

Super Bowl XLVI Guide is compatible with the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch and is available in the App Store now.

• Free – App Store Link

Super Bowl XLVI Commemorative App for iPad

By NFL Magazine, the Super Bowl 46 commemorative app for iPad brings you the full story of how the New England Patriots and New York Giants made it to the big game, key stats, and bonus features like video, interviews, stadium shots, and more.

• $2.99 – App Store link

More Football is More

If that’s not still not enough Football for you, you can also check out our Top 5 NFL Football apps for iPhone. Whether you’re interested in play by play commentary or managing your fantasy leagues, we’ve got you covered.

Now here’s the big question — come tomorrow, who’s going to win?

Just like with the iPhone and iPad, Apple provides a way for developers to send ad-hoc versions of Mac App Store apps out for beta testing purposes. Since there are many apps out now that have iPhone and/or iPad versions as well as Mac versions, even if you’re beta testing an iOS app, you might need to know how to install the companion Mac App Store beta version, and its provisioning profile, as well. As long as you gave the developer the proper hardware UUID for your Mac, the process is fairly simple, and not dissimilar from the process of installing iOS beta software on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad.

Install the provisioning profile

1. Download the file to your Mac.
2. If the file came zipped, unzip it. (Yeah, obvious, but we try to be complete.)
3. Double click the .provisionprofile file
4. System Preferences will launch; click on Install
5. When prompted, enter your admin password
6. The provisioning file should then show up in your profiles

Install the binary

1. If you have an older version of the app already on your Mac, play it safe and trash it
2. Drag the beta app to your Application folder

That’s it. If you have any trouble — it’s a beta app, after all — check with the developer. You made need to trash some other, previously installed files, or do some other configuration first. When you do have it working, enjoy.

The Mac App Store isn’t the only way to distribute software on OS X, so many developers may never need to send UUID-locked beta builds. But if the Mac App Store is the only way the developer intends to distribute their software, this may well be the beta road they take.

• More tips and how-tos
• Mac help and discussion forum

Complete dictionary of iPhone and iPad jailbreak terminology from Absinthe to Zephyr

New to jailbreak and running across a bunch of strange looking terms and not exactly sure what they mean? Jailbreak is a unique culture among iPhone, iPod touch and iPad users that combines a lot of technical terms, like Unix commands and utilities, on one hand, and modern hacker jargon like pwn and pwnage on the other. And because jailbreak lets you add a whole new world of functionality to your iPhone, iPod touch also means you’ll be adding a bunch of new words to go along with it.

Enter this complete guide to jailbreak terms. It’s a glossary, or dictionary if your prefer, of all the most common words you’re likely to hear when looking to jailbreak your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, or once you’ve jailboken and are looking for hacks, apps, themes, utilities, tweaks, and all the other goodies that come with it. We’ve already posted our general iPad and iPhone glossary, as well as our SMS/iMessage slang glossary, and social networking slang glossary. This one is just for jailbreakers.

So, whether you’re brand new to jailbreak or a veteran who’s been jailbreaking and unlocking since the very first iPhone back in 2007, the scene moves so quickly, new code is pushed out so continuously, that’s there always something new to learn or pick up. And, frankly, keeping up with it can sometimes be overwhelming. That’s why we’re putting the bulk of the jailbreak glossary, namely the entries themselves, on the Jailbreak Forum. That’s what makes them a living, breathing document that everyone can help add to, correct, and update as time goes on. Because it’s your jailbreak dictionary, and we’re just getting it started for you.

If you’re about to jailbreak for the first time, or you’re looking for help troubleshooting common jailbreak issues, go give the jailbreak glossary a read first. It’s a great place to start. If you’ve been jailbreaking since literally day one, go give it a read and tell us what else needs to be included. We want the best resources possible.

Dive right in via the link below, and if you think we missed anything, let us know asap!

• Access the jailbreak glossary

Trying to figure out just exactly how to find your Mac UDID so you can get in on an ad-hoc Mac App Store beta? Just like with iPhone and iPad, your Mac has a UDID (technically a Hardware UUID) that developers can use to send you app builds before they become publicly available. Luckily, it’s easy to locate once you know where to look.

1. Click on the Apple logo at the top left of your Mac menu bar
2. Click on About This Mac
3. Click on More Info…
4. Click on System Report
5. Make sure Hardware is selected at the top left
6. The very last entry in the list on the right will be your Hardware UUID

Copy and paste it and mail it off to the developer, then wait for your ad-hoc app to arrive and start beta testing!

Of course, since the Mac App Store isn’t the only way to distribute software on the Mac, developers can also choose to simply send you a non Mac App Store — i.e. regular-style apps. If they’re developing specifically and only for the Mac App Store, however, this might be the way they choose to go. If it is, you’re all set!

• More tips and how-tos
• Mac help and discussion forum

Via: @lucvandal

B is for Bluetooth, a wireless technology that lets your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad talk to headsets, keyboards, speakers, computers, and other accessories

If you’re new to iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad and are wondering just what exactly Bluetooth is and what it means to you, worry not — iMore has you covered. Bluetooth is an open standard wireless communications protocol, which just means that it’s a commonly available way for devices to talk to each other, and to other electronics, without having to be plugged in together. The most common things iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad users do with Bluetooth include connecting to headsets and speakers.

Bluetooth works over short-wave radio (between 2400 and 2480 MHz if you’re techie) and has a range of about 30 feet. If you move further away than that, say leave your iPhone in your car and go into a store, you’ll lose connection.

There are several different Bluetooth profiles, each of which enables its own type of functionality. iOS doesn’t support all Bluetooth profiles, but it does support several important ones.

• HFP 1.5, the hands-free profile for connecting to hands-free headsets and speakerphones
• PBAP, the phone book access profile to allow for car kits to download contacts or display caller information (iPhone only).
• A2DP, the advanced audio distribution profile, which enables higher-quality audio, including stereo audio, to be sent to remote speakers
• AVRCP, the audio/video remote control profile, that lets pause, play, stop, next track, and previous track commands to be sent to headsets and speakers
• HID, the human interface device profile, or the protocol that connects to a wireless keyboard.
• PAN, the personal area network profile, which lets you tether to a computer and share your cellular internet connection. (Part of the Personal Hotspot system.)

Most previous iOS devices, including iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch support up to Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (enhanced data rate). EDR allows for faster data transfers, meaning smoother, better sound support and internet speeds (between 2 and 3mbps).

Bluetooth 4.0, a newer specification is supported by the iPhone 4S and will presumably be supported by future devices like the iPad 3. Bluetooth 4.0 allows for BHS (Bluetooth high speed) and BLE (Bluetooth low energy), which aim to provide better, faster data with lower battery drain.

There are very few Bluetooth 4.0 accessories available yet, for example the Find My Car Smarter. However, Bluetooth 4.0 offers the potential for more ubiquitous, persistent, and useful peripherals than ever before.

Want to know more? Check out more of our iOS A-Z words-of-the-day, or jump ahead to our complete iPhone and iPad glossary for the full on dictionary list!

• Bluetooth accessories for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad

Having speaker or cellular reception issues on your GSM/AT&T iPhone 4 and want to DIY repair it? iMore has you covered. We can guide you through the process and give you advice on where to get your parts and tools. Replacing the bottom speaker assembly or cellular antenna are both pretty straight forward repairs if you’ve got good instructions, the right tools, and quality parts.

Disclaimer: As with any repair, iMore nor PXLFIX can be held responsible for any damage you may do to your device. It’s also worth considering that opening up your device to perform any repair or modification can and will void your Apple warranty. If you don’t feel comfortable opening your device, don’t. Use extreme care and caution when performing a repair on any device.

What issues this repair will address

• Cellular reception issues – if your iPhone 4 can’t hold a cellular signal, won’t connect to 3G, or constantly says “Searching..” – you may need to replace your antenna. First try replacing your SIM or speaking with your carrier.
• Bottom speaker doesn’t work when using speakerphone or playing music

What you need for a DIY speaker or cellular antenna repair

PXLFIX recommends using only quality and genuine parts from a reputable supplier like eTech Parts. They have quality parts, tools, and much more for all your repair needs.

Please note the speaker assembly is the same across all models of iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S but the antenna will be different.

• GSM iPhone 4 (please note there ARE internal differences between the GSM and CDMA models)
• New GSM iPhone 4 speaker assembly or cellular antenna (whichever part you are replacing) – iPhone 4 speaker assembly, GSM iPhone 4 cellular antenna
• SIM removal tool (or a paper clip)
• #00 Phillips screwdriver
• Pry tool or spudger
• Security screwdriver (only if your iPhone has 5-point security screws in the dock connector)

Power off your iPhone 4

Before performing any repair, always power off your device before removing any screws or parts.

Remove the back

1. First remove the bottom 2 dock connector screws in your iPhone 4. Use either your #00 screwdriver or the five point depending on whether or not your iPhone 4 has security screws in the dock connector. Almost all newer devices will have security screws.

2. To remove the back simply slide the back upwards and lift it off gently.
3. Set the back and 2 dock connector screws aside.

Remove your SIM card

Use a SIM removal tool or a paperclip to remove your SIM card and tray. Set them aside.

Remove the battery

1. To remove the battery you’ll need to remove the #00 screw holding the battery clip in place. Remove this screw located to the bottom left of the battery.

2. The metal clip on the battery is what clips the battery to the logic board. You’ll need to pop this clip up with your plastic pry tool. Simply stick the end of your pry tool underneath the clip and gently pull upwards until it unfastens from the logic board.

3. To remove the battery, I do not recommend using the plastic pull tab. There is quite a bit of adhesive underneath the battery and the tab will normally just rip off or you can bend the battery. Instead, run your pry tool along the right side of the battery and break the adhesive that way. Once the battery is free from the adhesive, you can pull the battery out of the phone. There are no other connectors holding it in.

4. You will notice a tiny grounding clip sitting underneath where you unscrewed the battery. Set this aside for replacement during reassembly. This is a grounding clip for your antenna. Make sure you put it back in place before reconnecting your battery.

Remove the dock connector shield and disconnect the cable

1. There is a shield held on with two screws covering the dock connector cable. Remove the two screws holding it in place and set the shield and screws aside, remembering where they came from.

2. Next, use your pry tool to pry up the actual dock connector cable. Be careful as there is adhesive holding the cable in place as well. Peel back the adhesive gently to free the cable.

Remove the top logic board shield

1. There are 5 screws holding the logic board shield in place. Remove the 5 screws holding it in place. Just be sure to remember which holes they came out of as the screws are different sizes. I always keep them in order of how they came out.

2. Next you’ll need to remove the shield. There is a tiny clip built into the shield holding it in place. (Refer to the photo above.) Pop it up with your pry tool and you should be able to slide the shield up fairly easily. Just take care not to bend it or break off a clip.

Disconnect the 6 cables from the top of the logic board

1. There is only one connector holding the camera to the logic board. Remove this cable in the picture above using your pry tool. Gently lift upwards and it will pop right off.

2. Next gently lift the camera out of the device. You’ll notice there is a tiny tab that is seated underneath the LCD and digitizer cables to the right.

3. Next pop up the LCD and digitizer cables to the right of where the camera cable was connected. You pop them up in the same direction.

4. The 3 cables further to the right will need to be disconnected as well. They pop up in the opposite direction.

Remove the logic board

1. Start with the 2 screws holding the logic board down in the middle and at the bottom left. Both use your #00 Phillips screwdriver. They are the same size. The one on the right of the logic board in the middle of the device has a water sensor over it you’ll need to remove.
2. The second screw is located where the logic board meets the speaker assembly towards the bottom left of the device.

3. The third and final screw holding the logic board in is located at the top of the logic board off to the right. It is the only cross-head screw in your device. Use a small flathead screwdriver to carefully remove it.

4. You should now be able to remove your logic board. Holding it at the bottom, gently pull it upwards. I use my other hand to lift up at the top where the rear facing camera used to be.
5. Take note that there is a small rubber piece that sits at the top of the logic board. You will need this for re-assembly so make sure it doesn’t fall off. If you lose this, you could see reception issues.

Remove the speaker assembly

1. To remove the speaker assembly you have one more #00 screw to remove. It sits to the right of the speaker assembly in the bottom right hand corner of your device. Remove it.
2. The second screw holding the speaker assembly into your iPhone you’ve already removed when you removed the logic board.
3. Gently lift the speaker assembly out of your device and set it aside.

Replace the speaker assembly

If you’re replacing the speaker assembly, you’ll just need to unscrew the cellular antenna and peel back the adhesive holding it in place. There are only 2 screws holding it in place. Place the cellular antenna carefully on the new speaker assembly and follow the instruction video for reassembly below.

Replacing the cellular antenna

Remove the 2 screws holding the old assembly down and peel it off the speaker assembly. From here you can apply the new cellular antenna to the speaker assembly. Most will come with adhesive already on them and ready for installation. Be sure to put any folds or creases where necessary as some come flat and you’ll have to work it into place.

Reassemble your iPhone

Once you’ve gotten your new speaker assembly or cellular antenna reassembled using the steps above, you’ll just need to reassemble your iPhone 4. We’ve put together a reassembly video you can watch above.

And… done!

Your bottom loud speaker should now work or your cellular antenna should be back in working condition. As a side note, once replacing the cellular antenna you may have to toggle 3G on and off in certain cases.

Have you done this repair yourself? Let us know how it went! Want to know how to perform another type of iPhone repair or modification? Send me suggestions to ally.kazmucha@imore.com or leave a comment in our brand new Mod and DIY Repair Forum!

For questions or to inquire about mail-in repairs through PXLFIX, please follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or e-mail us directly! Of course, you can like us and follow us just because you think we’re cool too!

Want to jailbreak and unlock but need to know how to tell what bootrom your iPhone 3GS is running? There are two numbers in your settings that will be a dead giveaway as to what bootrom your phone has. You’ll need to know how to determine your bootrom in certain situations if you want to achieve a software unlock.

1. Open up Settings

2. Tap on General

3. Go to About
4. If you scroll down a bit you’ll see your serial number and your model number.

You can use one of these two numbers to determine if you have an older or newer bootrom.

Model number method

The easiest of the two is the model number. If your model number begins with MC, you have a newer bootrom. As you can see above, my serial starts with an MB. I have an older bootrom.

Serial number method

Another way you can check is by looking at the 4th and 5th digits of your serial number. If it is lower than around week 35, your bootrom is older. I’d say the model number method is the most efficient but you can use both to determine your bootrom version.

If you have other jailbreak questions or run into issues, check out our jailbreak and unlock forums as well!

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

How do you record the screen of your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad? That’s the question several of our readers have asked this week. Sure, you can use a fancy HDMI-out dongle and a video capture card to mirror and record your display if you have the hardware and can get it working right. But if you’re jailbroken there’s an easier way to go about recording your iPhone or iPad display.

Yes, there’s a jailbreak app for that!

Cydia, the Jailbreak app store, has a little something that should suit your screen recording needs pretty well. It’s called Display Recorder and it allows you to take screen recordings directly on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Once you’re done, you can choose to upload the screen recording to YouTube or connect over Wi-Fi and move it over to your computer.

I’ve used Display Recorder in the past for tutorials and walk-throughs. You can adjust the output quality and file type as well. The only down side I’ve found to Display Recorder is that it doesn’t record audio. I’ve always solved this problem by recording the audio with voice memos or another external microphone and editing them together in iMovie or a similar program.

Display Recorder is available in Cydia now and is already compatible with iOS 5.

$4.99 – Cydia Search Link

Anyone else have any App for That suggestions for screen recordings?

Having trouble finding what you need in the app store? Head on over to our App for That Forum and let us know what you’re looking for. The iMore community will do our best to find you just the right App for That!

Need help figuring out what the best apps and tweaks are for your newly jailbroken iPhone? Cydia can be overwhelming if you’re not sure where to start. Whether you’re jailbreaking to theme or add more functionality, we’ll have you on your way to becoming a jailbreak ninja in no time.

Quick toggles and gestures

Utilities like Activator and SBSettings should be at the very top of any jailbreaker’s list. Who likes to tap all the way into Settings to disable Wifi or 3G? I know I don’t when I can just use SBSettings to disable it with two taps from virtually anywhere on my iPhone.

SBSettings has a limitless amount of toggles available in Cydia and can be customized and tweaked until your heart’s content. If you want a quick toggle to turn off SMS alerts, you’ve got it. It also allows you to monitor free memory and clear it out. All with a simple swipe on your status bar.

Activator is also a staple in the jailbreak world when it comes to accessing information and applications quickly. You may already have it and not know it. A lot of jailbreak applications and utilities require it. The main function of Activator is to allow you to set gestures for different functions. For example, I double tap on my status bar and a quick reply window for BiteSMS pops up. I can set virtually any gesture I want for any application that supports Activator gestures (a lot of the popular ones do).

SBSettings and Activator are must have utilities for any jailbreaker. They’re typically the very first items I install on my jailbroken devices.

SBSettings – Free – Cydia Search Link

Activator – Free – Cydia Search Link

Notification enhancement applications

While iOS 5 added a ton of enhancements to the way notifications are handled and presented, Apple still left a lot of room for improvement. This is where apps like LockInfo and IntelliscreenX step in to give you even more control over how notifications are handled.

I’ve never been a fan of how iOS 5 discards notifications from the lockscreen immediately after unlocking. I like them to stay there until I dismiss them myself. LockInfo and IntelliscreenX both allow this behavior. You also have the ability to add widgets and other information to your lockscreen and notification center (called Infoshade in LockInfo). IntelliscreenX takes it one step further and adds a “top shelf” that allows you to add quick toggles you can access with a quick swipe down on notification center. This is a convenient place to stick SBSettings.

LockInfo also allows you to access your favorite contacts directly from the Infoshade or lockscreen. Both apps are great notification enhancers but they differ in some areas and feature sets. Choose the one that’s personally right for you. To help you decide which one may appeal to you more, you can check out our LockInfo vs IntelliscreenX comparison.

LockInfo – $7.99 w/ free trial – Cydia Search Link

IntelliscreenX – $9.99 w/ free trial – Cydia Search Link

Text message enhancements

While multitasking in iOS 4 made switching between applications a lot easier, you still have to completely exit whatever you’re doing to reply to a text message. Apps like BiteSMS and Messages+ aim to close that gap with quick reply functionality. Instead of having to exit out of an app a quick reply keyboard pops up, you type your message, away it goes, and you’re back to whatever you were doing before without interruption.

If you’ve purchased IntelliscreenX, you also get a license for Messages+ as well. While there are other quick messaging applications available in Cydia, BiteSMS and Messages+ are the best of the best. BiteSMS allows you to purchase credits as well if you don’t want to pay text messaging fees. It can add up to be a lot cheaper than text messaging plans.

BiteSMS – Free or $9.99 (ad free) – Cydia Search Link

Messages+ – $7.99 (free w/ IntelliscreenX purchase) – Cydia Search Link

Theming your iPhone

If you want to customize the look and feel of your iPhone, there are thousands of free and paid themes in Cydia. You can also choose from a few different utilities to theme. Some themes may require Winterboard while others will require Dreamboard. There are also applications like Theme It available in Cydia that aim to bring the best of the best themes straight to your iPhone all in one place.

If you don’t necessarily want an all in one theme but still want to customize to your liking, you can check out Springtomize 2. Springtomize 2 allows you to customize individual aspects of your iPhone’s overall appearance. There are tons of add-ons and built-in options to choose from. If you tend to be more picky, Springtomize 2 is probably a better bet as it offers far more control.

Winterboard – Free – Cydia Search Link

Dreamboard – Free – Cydia Search Link

Springtomize 2 (iOS 5+) – $2.99 – Cydia Search Link

Extras

If you’re looking for tweaks that just make your iPhone that much cooler when jailbroken, here’s some extra tweaks we’ve found that are just cool in general.

Cyntact

Adds contact pictures to your address book next to each contact.

$0.99 – Cydia Search Link

BlurriedNCBackground

Blurs the background of notification center. Nothing to configure and doesn’t add any additional icons.

Free – Cydia Search Link

Shrink

Change the default size of icons in your dock and on your homescreen. I find this particularly useful if you have a background you’d like to see without huge icons being in your way.

$1.49 – Cydia Search Link

Barrel

Add cool transitions when tabbing through pages on your springboard. Make your icons roll, fall away, and more.

$2.99 – Cydia Search Link

If you’ve got any cool tweaks or utilities you think beginner’s would benefit from be sure to let us know! This is just the beginning of what you can do with a jailbroken iPhone.

Additional resources:

• How-to jailbreak guides
• Jailbreak apps, hacks, and themes forum
• General jailbreak and unlock forum
• Cydia repositories list
• iMore downloads section
• Jailbreak troubleshooting guide

Tired of filling out one tedious web form after another, and wondering how to get Safari on iPhone and iPad to automatically fill them out for you? Luckily, deep within the settings of Safari there is a way to setup AutoFill, something which allows you to automatically input your personal data on sites that permit its use.

• If you haven’t already, create a contact for yourself in the Contacts app.
• Open up the Contacts app
• Select the plus sign in the top right corner

• Add in your personal information

• Hit Done
• Open up your settings app

• Tap on Safari

• Tap on AutoFill
• Toggle “Use Contact Info” to on

• Tap on My Info and select the contact you just created or the one you already had
• Now when you visit a site that needs your information, as soon as you select the first text box your keyboard will pop up and there will be an option called AutoFill

• Tap on AutoFill and Bob’s your Uncle, all your details will be automatically filled in for you

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@imore.com.

Have a shattered or unresponsive screen on your GSM iPhone 4 and need to know how to DIY repair it? If you don’t want to put out the extra cash for a new phone and feel pretty confident in your repair skills, we can walk you through how to fix your iPhone 4 on your own.

Disclaimer: As with any repair, iMore nor PXLFIX can be held responsible for any damage you may do to your device. It’s also worth considering that opening up your device to perform any repair or modification can and will void your Apple warranty. If you don’t feel comfortable opening your device, don’t. Use extreme care and caution when performing a repair on any device.

What you need for a DIY GSM iPhone 4 screen replacement

PXLFIX recommends using only quality and genuine parts from a reputable supplier like eTech Parts. They have quality parts, tools, and much more for all your repair needs.

• GSM iPhone 4 (please note there ARE internal differences between the GSM and CDMA models)
• New GSM iPhone 4 LCD & digitizer assembly – GSM iPhone 4 LCD and digitizer assembly
• SIM removal tool (or a paper clip)
• #00 Phillips screwdriver
• Pry tool or spudger (you may need a handheld razor blade as well)
• Security screwdriver (only if your iPhone has 5-point security screws in the dock connector)

Power off your iPhone 4

Before performing any repair, always power off your device before removing any screws or parts.

Remove the back

1. First remove the bottom 2 dock connector screws in your iPhone 4. Use either your #00 screwdriver or the five point depending on whether or not your iPhone 4 has security screws in the dock connector. Almost all newer devices will have security screws.

2. To remove the back simply slide the back upwards and lift it off gently.
3. Set the back and 2 dock connector screws aside.

Remove your SIM card

Use a SIM removal tool or a paperclip to remove your SIM card and tray. Set them aside.

Remove the battery

1. To remove the battery you’ll need to remove the #00 screw holding the battery clip in place. Remove this screw located to the bottom left of the battery.

2. The metal clip on the battery is what clips the battery to the logic board. You’ll need to pop this clip up with your plastic pry tool. Simply stick the end of your pry tool underneath the clip and gently pull upwards until it unfastens from the logic board.

3. To remove the battery, I do not recommend using the plastic pull tab. There is quite a bit of adhesive underneath the battery and the tab will normally just rip off or you can bend the battery. Instead, run your pry tool along the right side of the battery and break the adhesive that way. Once the battery is free from the adhesive, you can pull the battery out of the phone. There are no other connectors holding it in.

4. You will notice a tiny grounding clip sitting underneath where you unscrewed the battery. Set this aside for replacement during reassembly. This is a grounding clip for your antenna. Make sure you put it back in place before reconnecting your battery.

Remove the dock connector shield and disconnect the cable

1. There is a shield held on with two screws covering the dock connector cable. Remove the two screws holding it in place and set the shield and screws aside, remembering where they came from.

2. Next, use your pry tool to pry up the actual dock connector cable. Be careful as there is adhesive holding the cable in place as well. Peel back the adhesive gently to free the cable.

Remove the top logic board shield

1. There are 5 screws holding the logic board shield in place. Remove the 5 screws holding it in place. Just be sure to remember which holes they came out of as the screws are different sizes. I always keep them in order of how they came out.

2. Next you’ll need to remove the shield. There is a tiny clip built into the shield holding it in place. (Refer to the photo above.) Pop it up with your pry tool and you should be able to slide the shield up fairly easily. Just take care not to bend it or break off a clip.

Disconnect the 6 cables from the top of the logic board

1. There is only one connector holding the camera to the logic board. Remove this cable in the picture above using your pry tool. Gently lift upwards and it will pop right off.

2. Next gently lift the camera out of the device. You’ll notice there is a tiny tab that is seated underneath the LCD and digitizer cables to the right.

3. Next pop up the LCD and digitizer cables to the right of where the camera cable was connected. You pop them up in the same direction.

4. The 3 cables further to the right will need to be disconnected as well. They pop up in the opposite direction.

Remove the logic board

1. Start with the 2 screws holding the logic board down in the middle and at the bottom left. Both use your #00 Phillips screwdriver. They are the same size. The one on the right of the logic board in the middle of the device has a water sensor over it you’ll need to remove.
2. The second screw is located where the logic board meets the speaker assembly towards the bottom left of the device.

3. The third and final screw holding the logic board in is located at the top of the logic board off to the right. It is the only cross-head screw in your device. Use a small flathead screwdriver to carefully remove it.

4. You should now be able to remove your logic board. Holding it at the bottom, gently pull it upwards. I use my other hand to lift up at the top where the rear facing camera used to be.
5. Take note that there is a small rubber piece that sits at the top of the logic board. You will need this for re-assembly so make sure it doesn’t fall off. If you lose this, you could see reception issues.

Remove the speaker assembly

1. To remove the speaker assembly you have one more #00 screw to remove. It sits to the right of the speaker assembly in the bottom right hand corner of your device. Remove it.
2. The second screw holding the speaker assembly into your iPhone you’ve already removed when you removed the logic board.
3. Gently lift the speaker assembly out of your device and set it aside.

Remove the vibrator assembly

1. Locate your vibrator assembly in the upper right hand corner of your iPhone 4 (assuming you’re looking at it from the back).

2. It is held in with two screws. Use your #00 Phillips screwdriver and remove them. The screw on the left will be significantly longer. Just remember which screw came from where.

3. Next, gently lift the vibrator assembly out of the device.

Remove the 4 screws in each corner

There are 10 total screws that attach your iPhone 4 LCD/Digitizer assembly to your frame. The 4 in the corners will need to be completely removed. They are all #00 screws.

Loosen the remaining 6 screws

These screws run along the sides of your iPhone and also have washers on them. I find it best to just loosen them opposed to removing them completely. The washers are not fun to put back in. Loosening them will allow you to remove the LCD/Digitizer assembly just as easily. About 2 1/2 to 3 turns for each screw should loosen them up enough to continue. If you feel the washer wobbling back and forth a bit, you’ve loosened it enough.

Remove the broken LCD & digitizer assembly from your iPhone

This is where it can get a bit tricky. Your screen is held in not only with the 10 screws mentioned above but also with strong adhesive. You will need to break this adhesive in order to remove the front panel.

1. Hold your iPhone in one hand with the screen facing you. Starting in the top left hand corner, run a pry tool or razor blade in between the frame and front panel. You’ll need to pry up quite a bit in order to break the adhesive. Be careful around the front facing camera and speaker area.

2. Next move your pry tool or razor blade to the bottom of your device and do the same thing, working your way around until the adhesive is broken and the front panel starts to come off. If your screen is cracked, additional glass may break off. That’s perfectly normal.

3. To completely remove the front panel – start at the top of your iPhone and gently pull the assembly away from the frame. Be careful to allow the LCD and digitizer cables to slip through the opening in the frame without getting caught up.

Remove any left over glass or debris from the frame

Before reassembling your iPhone, you’ll need to make sure there is no glass stuck to the remaining adhesive or inside the frame. If there is it could cause damage to the new screen or you’ll be able to see it through the new assembly, which can be annoying. Just make sure you do a thorough job of picking off all the glass on and around the frame before continuing to reassembly.

Reassemble your iPhone

Once you’re sure you’ve gotten all the glass and leftover debris out of your iPhone, you’re ready for reassembly. Watch our reassembly video above or repeat all the steps above in the reverse order.

And… done!

If you followed the above steps correctly you should know have a working and non-broken iPhone 4 again. Have you done this repair yourself? Let us know how it went! Want to know how to perform another type of iPhone repair or modification? Send me suggestions to ally.kazmucha@imore.com or leave a comment in our brand new Mod and DIY Repair Forum!

For questions or to inquire about mail-in repairs through PXLFIX, please follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or e-mail us directly! Of course, you can like us and follow us just because you think we’re cool too!

A is for AirPlay, a way to share everything from your music and movies to apps and games from your iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad to your Apple TV

If you’re new to iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad and are wondering just what exactly AirPlay is and what it means to you, worry not — iMore has you covered. AirPlay is Apple’s term for their audio and video streaming technology. It’s what lets your iOS 5 device, or iTunes on Mac or Windows, beam videos over Wi-Fi to your Apple TV so you can watch movies and play games on your big screen TV, or music to your AirPort Express router, so you can listen on your higher quality speakers.

AirPlay Mirroring is a more recent addition to iOS that works with iPad 2 or iPhone 4S and lets you not only beam music or video, but entire iPhone or iPad apps. Anything from Facebook to your favorite crosswords, racing, or fighting game can be sent via Apple TV to your HDTV, with your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad remaining active as the controller. Some games, like [Real Racing 2](http://www.imore.com/tag/real-racing 2) even let you participate in multiplayer games using AirPlay, with each person using their own device to control their own car, all displayed together on the big screen TV.

AirPlay is proprietary and not an open standard, which means Apple gets to control who uses it. Several other companies have licensed AirPlay, however, and you can find a growing range of AirPlay-compatible audio equipment. There’s also some software out there that can run on your computer and tie into AirPlay, like BananaTV that lets you beam to your Mac instead of a TV.

Your iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or computer running iTunes needs to be on the same Wi-Fi network as your Apple TV, Airport Express, or other hardware for AirPlay to work, but because Wi-Fi has high bandwidth it usually makes for a solid, stable connection. It’s real time. It’s encrypted. And most of the time, it “just works”

Want to know more? Check out more of our iOS A-Z words-of-the-day, or jump ahead to our complete iPhone and iPad glossary for the full on dictionary list!

• Apple TV – Amazon link
• AirPlay compatible speakers – Amazon link

Jailbreaking your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad and need to know how to troubleshoot all those annoying little errors, bugs, and assorted problems that crop up along the way? Whether you’re having issues getting your device to jailbreak or running into problems after you’ve jailbroken, we’ve got the answers to lots of common problems.

First make sure you’re performing the process correctly. If you need a guide or tutorial, we’ve most likely got you covered.

• Guides to jailbreaking and jailbreak basics

If you know you’re performing the process correctly but you’re running into an error, we’ve got a whole list troubleshooting steps you can try and we add more to it all the time. If you find a new issue, let us know!

• How to troubleshoot common issues during the jailbreak process

If none of the guides or troubleshooting tips seem to solve your problem, you can check out our general jailbreak forums. We’ve got the answers to a variety of questions and a huge community that’s ready and willing to help you out.

• General jailbreak help forums

Kick’n Chick’nz: Medieval Karnival: A hilariously funny new game full of exciting carnival arcade style games, unique gameplay dynamics plus beautiful 3D graphics and animations. The story begins with a wee tyke named “Margie”, aye she’s a tuffy…and a spoiled one at that!

• $0.99 for iPhone – App Store link

QR Pal – QR Code Scanner and Barcode Reader: The most advanced QR Code Scanner and Barcode Reader available which enables users to scan, store, share and pay. QR Pal is the only QR Code Scanner that rewards its users for scanning and sharing with monthly cash prizes. QR Pal also includes SafeScan giving you peace of mind that your scanning is always secure. You can even compare prices of products using the in-built Barcode Reader!

• Free for iPhone – App Store link

Phase – Blinky’s Adventure: Built using the Unreal Development Kit from Epic Games, Phase – Blinky’s Adventure follows the voyage of Blinky, a robot sent to explore an unknown planet in search of a new home.

• $1.99 for iPhone and iPad – App Store link

Icon Craft: Create one-touch shortcut icons on your home screen for actions such as making a call or sending a message.

• $0.99 for iPhone – App Store link

Baby Game: Cutie Frog/Cat/Crab: A simple app that lets your child pull on a fog, cat, or crab’s eyes and lips.

• Frog, $1.99 for iPhone and iPad – App Store link
• Cat, $1.99 for iPhone and iPad – App Store link
• Crab, $1.99 for iPhone and iPad – App Store link

Any other big app or game releases or updates today?

Have an app you’d love to see featured on iMore? Email us at iosapps@imore.com, tell us about your app (include an iTunes link), and we’ll take a look.

There are hundreds of thousands of iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad apps for just about everything — so how come the one you need, the one you know just has to be there, is so hard to find? Enter TiPb’s new weekly feature where staff and readers alike sort through the App Store and help you find just the right App for That. This week, our very own Chris Oldroyd asks:

I need an app to produce passport compliant photographs for a new passport. Any ideas?

To see what we found for Chris, follow along after the break!

ID-Photo – Biometric passport/ID photos [$1.99 - App Store link] is an iPhone and iPad app for creating passport and identification photos. It knows the sizing requirements in 14 countries and will set up your photo to be printed at the legally required size.

When taking your photo, ID-Photo overlays guidelines onto the camera so that you can be certain that your photo will meet the requirement. It also lets you make adjustments to contrast, brightness, sharpening, and grayscale. Additionally, the app has a list of tips for taking your photo and examples of both acceptable and unacceptable photos.

Once your photo is prepared, it is very easy to email or print to an Airplay compatible printer. Just tell ID-Photo the paper size and it’ll take care of the rest!

Anyone else have any App for That suggestions for Chris? Let him — and all of us — know.

Having trouble finding what you need in the app store? Head on over to our App for That Forum and let us know what you’re looking for. The iMore community will do our best to find you just the right App for That!

If you’re running Windows, you can now jailbreak your iPhone 4S or iPad 2 on iOS 5.0 or iOS 5.0.1. The Dev Team has issued an update to redsn0w that adds support. This process isn’t as easy as a simple one click tool like Greenpois0n Absinthe but if you absolutely can’t wait any longer to jailbreak, we’ve got you covered.

• How to jailbreak iPhone 4S and iPad 2 on Windows (CLI method)
• Jailbreak help & discussion
• iMore software downloads page

Curious how to quickly access your Accessibility option on your brand new iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad and wondering if your Home button can help out? We all know a single press of the home button will take you back to your apps, and a double-click will launch the Fast App Switcher. But did you know you can set up a triple-click to give you quick access to Accessibility?

1. Go into Settings and then General.



2. Scroll down to Accessibility.



3. Scroll all the way to the bottom again and select Triple-Click Home



4. From here you can set it to toggle a few different options – VoiceOver, White on Black, Zoom, AssistiveTouch, or to ask you each time which of the above you want it to do.

And that’s it! Now your Accessibility options are only even a triple-click away!

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@imore.com.

You can now untethered jailbreak your iPhone 4S or iPad 2 running iOS 5.0 or iOS 5.0.1 with Greenpois0n Absinthe. It’s been a long wait and we’re all more than ready to have all our jailbreak extras back in action.

Whether you’re new to jailbreak or a veteran, we’ve got you covered in our jailbreak forums. Hit the link below for a walkthrough of how to jailbreak your iPhone 4S and iPad 2.

Forums Link: How to jailbreak iPhone 4S and iPad 2 via Greenpois0n Absinthe

Taking a trip and curious how to set your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad calendar for the proper time zone? No problem. The Calendar app allows you to change the time zone for any event or meeting with just a few taps. Instead of trying to add and subtract time from your own time zone, just set those specific events or meetings for the time zone they’re going to occur in.

Calendar will use whatever time zone your clock settings are set to by default. While this is fine in most scenarios, you also have the option of setting time zones on individual entries.

1. First pop into your calendar app and click the “+” sign in the upper right to create a new event or meeting (or edit a current one).
2. Fill out all the pertinent information for your entry.

3. Now tap into the Start & End section of the entry.
4. You’ll see an option for time zone. Tap into it.

5. Search for the city that you’re going to be in and that you want the meeting or event to go by.
6. Now just save your entry and you’re good to go.

Adding events this way will keep your calendar from getting confused when you travel through times zones. As long as you have your iPhone set to update time automatically, your calendar will change with it and you’ll be good to go!

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@imore.com.

Wondering how to save time and effort entering common information like your name, email address, or phone number? The good news is iOS 5 has a special feature called “Shortcuts” that lets you define a word or phrase to a key combination. Follow along and we will show you how easy it is to setup and how it can save you a lot of time too:-

• Go to Settings

• Click on General

• Click on Keyboard

• You will now see a predefined shortcut which is triggered by typing omw
• Click on Add New Shortcut

• Type in a username, email address or phrase you use a lot
• Now choose a letter combination to trigger the shortcut

• Hit Save and that’s stored for future use
• Add as many as you like

• When you are finished you will see a list of your shortcuts under General>Keyboard
• Now open up an app that you can type into, we will use Notes
• Type in the shortcut for one of your phrases, you will see the whole phrase open up in a bubble below

• Hit the Space Bar and the whole phrase appears

“Should I buy an iPad?” is a question we’re getting asked a lot these days at iMore, especially with the iPad 3 just around the corner. The holiday gift-giving season may have passed, but a lot of people who didn’t get an iPad are still looking at them, considering them, and wondering if they should get an iPad in general, and get an iPad 2 now or wait for an iPad 3 in specific.

Should I buy an iPad?

Apple introduced the iPad as a device that sits somewhere between smartphones like the iPhone and laptops like the MacBook. They believe the tablet form factor combined with iOS software allows the iPad to do certain things better than either the phone or laptop. These things include email and web browsing, watching movies and playing games. It’s not the phone you can easily carry in your pocket, small of screen but hugely portable. And it’s not the laptop you need to put on a table and keep plugged in, hot and noisy, and overly complex for most tasks. It’s a 9.7″ piece of glass that turns on instantly, lasts for up to 10 hrs between charges, and is easy enough for a toddler or grandparent to use, but powerful enough to delight geeks and gadget-lovers alike. Apple truly succeeded in changing the game — for the first time it’s not about specs, it’s not even about content, it’s about the experience. It’s about using it.

If Windows or Mac OS X frustrate or annoy you, and you just want something simple to use the internet and apps, you’ll like the iPad. If you want to be able to curl up on the sofa or in bed and read an ebook or watch a video, or often find yourself on a long, cramped plane or train ride and need to get work done, you’ll like the iPad. If you’re the creative type who just wants a clean canvas to record music, paint with digital bits, or map minds with your fingers, you’ll like the iPad. If for any reason a phone is just too small and a laptop is just too much of a pain, you’ll like the iPad.

Should I buy an iPad 2 or wait for iPad 3?

iPad 3 is probably coming in March. While Apple doesn’t always stick to their yearly product cycles, they stick to them often enough that a new iPad this spring is high likelihood. With a new iPad there come new features, usually at the same price as the old iPad. In this case, with the iPad 3, we’re probably going to be seeing a double density Retina display, meaning 2048×1536 resolution in the same 9.7-inches the current iPad uses for 1024×736. So text will look sharper, more like reading ink on paper, and graphics will look crisper. The pixels will all but disappear.

It will probably also have an Apple A6 processor. Whether or not that means quad-core, it will certainly mean faster — faster rendering web pages and much faster — and hence better — graphics. It may or may not offer super fast 4G LTE connectivity, and if you live in one of the relatively few areas that have 4G LTE, that might matter to you. It could also have better cameras than the current, rather pitiful iPad 2 cameras.

So if a new iPad is only a couple of months away, is there any reason to buy an iPad 2 now? Sure, if you need it badly enough now. If you need an iPad today, this week, or this month, then get it. If your netbook broke and you need a portable PC, if you’re about to leave on a business trip or vacation and need a way to stay connected, if you’re going to move from developing iPhone apps to iPad apps, if your child or significant other really wants one for his or her birthday, if your parents are about to be grandparents and you’d give anything to be able to place FaceTime video calls to them, get an iPad now. It’s a great device, it has tons of great software, and just because a new one comes out in a few months doesn’t mean your current one will spontaneously combust. Get it, be happy, and if the new one entices you, give or sell the current one to friend or family member and make the upgrade.

If you’re still on the fence, if you’re still undecided, check out the link below and then head on over to your local Apple Store or electronics retailer and try one out. Try out the web and the apps and the games. See how it feels and how it feels to use it. Then make up your mind. Chances are that within a few minutes you’ll find out if you should buy an iPad.

• iPad 2 review
• iPad 2: Everything you need to know
• iPad 2 forums
• iPad 3 news and rumors
• iPad 3 forums

The iPhone 4 is known to have issues when it comes to the home button — all that double-clicking for multitasking seems to have come at a price! This is probably the reason they redesigned the home button assembly in the iPhone 4S. If your GSM iPhone 4 home button has become unresponsive or loose, a DIY repair is something you can perform with the right tools and about 45 minutes of your time.

Disclaimer: As with any repair, iMore nor PXLFIX can be held responsible for any damage you may do to your device. It’s also worth considering that opening up your device to perform any repair or modification can and will void your Apple warranty. If you don’t feel comfortable opening your device, don’t. Use extreme care and caution when performing a repair on any device.

What you need for a DIY GSM iPhone 4 home button replacement

PXLFIX recommends using only quality and genuine parts from a reputable supplier like eTech Parts. They have quality parts, tools, and much more for all your repair needs.

• GSM iPhone 4 (please note there ARE internal differences between the GSM and CDMA models)
• New GSM iPhone 4 home button and flex cable (while you can replace one or the other, I suggest replacing both. Most of the time the culprit is the contact on the cable, not the actual button itself.)
• GSM iPhone 4 home button (white)
• GSM iPhone 4 home button (black)
• GSM iPhone 4 flex cable
• #00 Phillips screwdriver
• Pry tool or spudger (you may need a handheld razor blade as well)
• Security screwdriver (only if your iPhone has 5-point security screws in the dock connector)

Power off your iPhone 4

Before performing any repair, always power off your device before removing any screws or parts.

Remove the back

1. First remove the bottom 2 dock connector screws in your iPhone 4. Use either your #00 screwdriver or the five point depending on whether or not your iPhone 4 has security screws in the dock connector. Almost all newer devices will have security screws.

2. To remove the back simply slide the back upwards and lift it off gently.
3. Set the back and 2 dock connector screws aside.

Remove your SIM card

Use a SIM removal tool or a paperclip to remove your SIM card and tray. Set them aside.

Remove the battery

1. To remove the battery you’ll need to remove the #00 screw holding the battery clip in place. Remove this screw located to the bottom left of the battery.

2. The metal clip on the battery is what clips the battery to the logic board. You’ll need to pop this clip up with your plastic pry tool. Simply stick the end of your pry tool underneath the clip and gently pull upwards until it unfastens from the logic board.

3. To remove the battery, I do not recommend using the plastic pull tab. There is quite a bit of adhesive underneath the battery and the tab will normally just rip off or you can bend the battery. Instead, run your pry tool along the right side of the battery and break the adhesive that way. Once the battery is free from the adhesive, you can pull the battery out of the phone. There are no other connectors holding it in.

4. You will notice a tiny grounding clip sitting underneath where you unscrewed the battery. Set this aside for replacement during reassembly. This is a grounding clip for your antenna. Make sure you put it back in place before reconnecting your battery.

Remove the dock connector shield and disconnect the cable

1. There is a shield held on with two screws covering the dock connector cable. Remove the two screws holding it in place and set the shield and screws aside, remembering where they came from.

2. Next, use your pry tool to pry up the actual dock connector cable. Be careful as there is adhesive holding the cable in place as well. Peel back the adhesive gently to free the cable.

Remove the top logic board shield

1. There are 5 screws holding the logic board shield in place. Remove the 5 screws holding it in place. Just be sure to remember which holes they came out of as the screws are different sizes. I always keep them in order of how they came out.

2. Next you’ll need to remove the shield. There is a tiny clip built into the shield holding it in place. (Refer to the photo above.) Pop it up with your pry tool and you should be able to slide the shield up fairly easily. Just take care not to bend it or break off a clip.

Disconnect the 6 cables from the top of the logic board

1. There is only one connector holding the camera to the logic board. Remove this cable in the picture above using your pry tool. Gently lift upwards and it will pop right off.

2. Next gently lift the camera out of the device. You’ll notice there is a tiny tab that is seated underneath the LCD and digitizer cables to the right.

3. Next pop up the LCD and digitizer cables to the right of where the camera cable was connected. You pop them up in the same direction.

4. The 3 cables further to the right will need to be disconnected as well. They pop up in the opposite direction.

Remove the logic board

1. Start with the 2 screws holding the logic board down in the middle and at the bottom left. Both use your #00 Phillips screwdriver. They are the same size. The one on the right of the logic board in the middle of the device has a water sensor over it you’ll need to remove.
2. The second screw is located where the logic board meets the speaker assembly towards the bottom left of the device.

3. The third and final screw holding the logic board in is located at the top of the logic board off to the right. It is the only cross-head screw in your device. Use a small flathead screwdriver to carefully remove it.

4. You should now be able to remove your logic board. Holding it at the bottom, gently pull it upwards. I use my other hand to lift up at the top where the rear facing camera used to be.
5. Take note that there is a small rubber piece that sits at the top of the logic board. You will need this for re-assembly so make sure it doesn’t fall off. If you lose this, you could see reception issues.

Remove the speaker assembly

1. To remove the speaker assembly you have one more #00 screw to remove. It sits to the right of the speaker assembly in the bottom right hand corner of your device. Remove it.
2. The second screw holding the speaker assembly into your iPhone you’ve already removed when you removed the logic board.
3. Gently lift the speaker assembly out of your device and set it aside.

Remove the vibrator assembly

1. Locate your vibrator assembly in the upper right hand corner of your iPhone 4 (assuming you’re looking at it from the back).

2. It is held in with two screws. Use your #00 Phillips screwdriver and remove them. The screw on the left will be significantly longer. Just remember which screw came from where.

3. Next, gently lift the vibrator assembly out of the device.

Remove the 4 screws in each corner

There are 10 total screws that attach your iPhone 4 LCD/Digitizer assembly to your frame. The 4 in the corners will need to be completely removed. They are all #00 screws.

Loosen the remaining 6 screws

These screws run along the sides of your iPhone and also have washers on them. I find it best to just loosen them opposed to removing them completely. The washers are not fun to put back in. Loosening them will allow you to remove the LCD/Digitizer assembly just as easily. About 2 1/2 to 3 turns for each screw should loosen them up enough to continue. If you feel the washer wobbling back and forth a bit, you’ve loosened it enough.

Remove the LCD/Digitizer assembly from your iPhone

This is where it can get a bit tricky. Your screen is held in not only with the 10 screws mentioned above but also with strong adhesive. You will need to break this adhesive in order to remove the front panel.

1. Hold your iPhone in one hand with the screen facing you. Starting in the top left hand corner, run a pry tool or razor blade in between the frame and front panel. You’ll need to pry up quite a bit in order to break the adhesive. Be careful around the front facing camera and speaker area.

2. Next move your pry tool or razor blade to the bottom of your device and do the same thing, working your way around until the adhesive is broken and the front panel starts to come off.

3. To completely remove the front panel – start at the top of your iPhone and gently pull the assembly away from the frame. Be careful to allow the LCD and digitizer cables to slip through the opening in the frame without getting caught up.

Remove the old home button and cable

1. Flip the phone back over and look by your dock connector. There is a tiny bracket that holds the home button flex cable in place. You’ll need to flip up the clip on the bracket. Be very gentle as it can break easily.
2. Next, carefully back out the cable from the bracket.
3. You can now remove the home button flex cable by pushing it through the opening in the front of the frame. The home button and the flex cable will come off in one piece.
4. If you are only replacing the cable, peel the actual home button off the old cable and apply it to the new one.

Put in the new home button and cable

1. Starting from the front of the frame you’ll need to stick the flex cable through the opening just as you had taken the other one out.
2. Next you’ll need to gently wiggle the cable connector back into the bracket and clip it back down. The bracket is very small and it may take a few tries to get the cable seated all the way in.
3. Clip the cable back down.
4. Turn your iPhone back over and make sure your home button is aligned and straight. Push it down once or twice to make sure you are getting better feedback than before. You should hear a click and it should feel springy if it is installed correctly.

Reassembly

In order to re-assemble your device, follow these instruction in the exact opposite order or watch the reassembly video below.

Tip: When reassembling your front panel, make sure the LCD and digitizer cables come through and they are both the same height. They tend to crimp up occasionally and you’ll have issues snapping them down to the logic board if they aren’t even.

And… done!

You should now have a home button that’s a lot more responsive and be ready to go!

Have you done this repair yourself? Let us know how it went! Want to know how to perform another type of iPhone repair or modification? Send me suggestions to ally.kazmucha@imore.com or leave a comment in our brand new Mod and DIY Repair Forum!

For questions or to inquire about mail-in repairs through PXLFIX, please follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or e-mail us directly! Of course, you can like us and follow us just because you think we’re cool too!

Curious how to enable iOS 5‘s Assistive Touch accessibility feature? Whether you have trouble using the physical controls on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, or the controls themselves have simply stopped working properly, Assistive Touch can give you a great, software-based alternative.

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Tap General.
3. Tap Accessibility.
4. Scroll all the way down and tap AssistiveTouch then toggle it on. (You’ll know its working, when you see a floating button appear on your screen.)

Turning on AssistiveTouch causes a semi-transparent button to appear. Tapping this button gives you access to the same functions as the hardware buttons, such as volume up or down, as well as several gesture types, like pinch to zoom. You can even set custom gestures.

BONUS: If you don’t wish to constantly have AssistiveTouch on your screen, you can set AssistiveTouch to your “Triple Click Home” function and call upon it when required.

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@imore.com.

Ever wondered whether or not you can text message multiple photos at once? The answer is yes. Sending them individually is annoying and time consuming. And why when your iPhone easily allows you to send multiple photos at once? This will not only work for text messaging but for e-mailing photos as well.

Although you can send multiple images at once there is still a few caveats that we’ve found. The first being that you can only send a certain number at once. In most instances, this seems to be five. It also may depend on the size of the photos you’re trying to send. You can also only send one video message at a time (for now anyways).

To text multiple images at once, follow these easy steps –

1. Open your Photos app and hit the arrow in the upper right hand corner.
2. Now you should see a few new options along the bottom – Share, Copy, Add To (only in iOS 5), and Delete
3. Tap on the photos you would like to SMS and then click Share. If you’re tapping on too many, the Share option will be greyed out.

4. Once you’ve tapped Share you’ll be presented with a few options. Tap Message to send them via text.

5. Your message app will automatically open. Just type in the name of the person you want to send them to and click Send.

That’s it! All your photos will be sent to the recipient. They will receive them as separate messages but this method seems to be a lot easier than tapping each photo individually.

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

New to iPhone and wondering how to change your signature to something a little more custom and personal than “Sent from my iPhone?” Luckily, it’s easy to do and it can save you a lot of time when you are writing your emails. It also will reduce the chances of making contact detail errors. Here’s how.

1. Tap on the settings application on your home screen. 2. Tap on Mail, Contacts, Calendars. 3. Scroll down to Signature. 4. Enter whatever details you would like.

Note: This signature will be on all your outgoing mail so make sure it’s appropriate for all your contents!

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

YouTube Link

If your iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS is having trouble charging, picking up a signal, or has a dead mic or speaker – replacing the dock assembly should remedy any of these problems. It can also solve issues with an unresponsive home button. A DIY dock assembly repair is an easy enough fix if you’ve got the right tools and about thirty minutes to spare.

Disclaimer: As with any repair, TiPb nor PXLFIX can be held responsible for any damage you may do to your device. It’s also worth considering that opening up your device to perform any repair or modification can and will void your Apple warranty. If you don’t feel comfortable opening your device, don’t. Use extreme care and caution when performing a repair on any device.

What replacing a dock assembly fixes

• Microphone
• Dead speaker
• Charging port
• Wifi and 3G antennas
• Unresponsive home button (This problem can be caused by two issues – the dock connector or digitizer assembly. If replacing the dock connector does not correct the issue, try replacing your digitizer assembly.)

What you need for a DIY dock assembly repair

PXLFIX recommends using only quality and genuine parts from a reputable supplier like eTech Parts. They have quality parts, tools, and much more for all your repair needs.

• A sad iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS
• A replacement dock connector assembly (while the repair is very similar for both 3G and 3GS users, the part is different so make sure you order the correct one for your device) – iPhone 3G dock assembly, iPhone 3GS dock assembly
• A #00 Phillips screwdriver
• A suction cup
• A plastic pry tool or spudger
• A SIM removal tool or paperclip

Power off your iPhone

Before performing any repair, always power off your device before removing any screws or parts.

Remove the dock connector screws

Using your #00 Phillips screwdriver, remove the 2 screws located on each side of the dock connector.

Remove the digitizer & LCD assembly

This part can be a bit tricky so please do this with extreme care so you don’t tear any cables during the process. I highly recommend using the suction cup method unless your screen is cracked above the home button for some reason and you can’t get a proper seal with the suction cup.

Suction cup method (recommended):

The easiest way to remove the digitizer assembly is by using a suction cup.

1. Position the suction cup on the screen directly above the home button.
2. Using your other hand, hold down the frame while gently pulling up on the suction cup.
3. The goal is to get the bottom of the digitizer loose. Do not pull directly up. There are 3 cables attached in the top right of your iPhone. You do not want to tear these. Just pull up until the bottom of the assembly pops out.
4. After you have the bottom up you can remove the suction cup.

Spudger/razor blade method (only use this method as a secondary method):

ONLY use this method if your screen is cracked above the home button. If this is the case, you’ll need to use a razor blade or spudger in order to remove it. And while you’re at it, replace that broken screen!

1. Starting in the bottom left hand corner, insert a plastic spudger and gently pry up. Once the first side is starting to pop up, do the same on the bottom right side.
2. Run your pry tool along the bottom of the device in order to pop up the bottom of the assembly. Take special care around the home button area.

Remove the cables that attach the digitizer assembly to the logic board:

Once you have the bottom of your digitizer assembly popped up we can remove the cables attaching it to the logic board.

1. Gently lift up your digitizer enough to have a clear view of the 3 cables in the top right of your iPhone.

2. With your plastic spudger or pry tool, you’ll need to pry up the first two cables that attach the digitizer and LCD. They should be labeled with orange stickers numbered 1 and 2. Simply pop them off the logic board gently.

3. Underneath these cables you’ll see one other labeled as cable 3. This one is a bit trickier as it is clipped down. You’ll need to gently pop up the clasp holding it into the fastener. It is a tiny white clip. Simply pop it upwards and the number 3 cable should then slide right out.

4. Remove the digitizer & LCD assembly and set it aside.

Remove your SIM card

Using your SIM tool or a paperclip, either works, remove your SIM card and tray from your device.

Unclip cables from the logic board

1. Towards the top left of the logic board, use your pry tool to pop up the two cables labeled 5 and 6.

2. Towards the bottom of the logic board, 3G owners will only see one cable to the left labeled 4. 3GS users will see two cables (one on each side of the dock connector) labeled 4 and 7. 3G users will just pop up the number 4 cable while 3GS owners will need to pop up both the number 4 and 7 cables.

Remove your logic board

1. Remove the 8 screws outlined in the video that hold the logic board in place. One of the screws is under a Do not remove sticker at the bottom right by the dock connector. Obviously you’ll have to remove the sticker to get to it.

2. Make sure you place the screws in an order you will remember. They are different sizes in some instances so you’ll need to make sure you put them back in the correct order.

3. Notice the screw holding the camera in place has a metal bracket underneath it. Just take care not to lose this as you’ll need to put it back during reassembly.

4. Gently pop your camera up with your spudger or pry tool.

5. Insert your pry tool in the space between the dock connector and logic board and gently pry upward to loosen the logic board.
6. Gently grab the bottom of the logic board and slide it out downwards to remove it.

Remove the old dock connector

3G owners

1. Remove the two screws on either side of the bottom of the dock connector.
2. To remove the dock connector gently pull it up and out.
3. Take note of how the brackets for the screws go above the screw holds in the casing. You’ll need to make sure this is how you line up the new dock connector.

3GS owners

1. Remove the two screws on either side of the bottom of the dock connector.
2. Remove the screw underneath the number 4 cable holding the dock connector into the casing.
3. To remove the dock connector gently pull it up and out.
4. Take note of how the brackets for the screws go above the screw holds in the casing. You’ll need to make sure this is how you line up the new dock connector.

And… done!

If you followed all the steps above correctly you should be able to power on your phone and be on your way! Test the dock connector out to make sure it’s fully functional by checking wifi, placing a test call, and attempting to charge it.

Have you done this repair yourself? Let us know how it went! Want to know how to perform another type of iPhone repair or modification? Send me suggestions to ally.kazmucha@imore.com or leave a comment in our brand new Mod and DIY Repair Forum!

For questions or to inquire about mail-in repairs through PXLFIX, please follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or e-mail us directly! Of course, you can like us and follow us just because you think we’re cool too!

Running low on iCloud storage and wondering how to delete old backups to reclaim some space? iCloud offers iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users a fantastic way to secure your personal data in the cloud. It makes everything a breeze if you have to restore a device or set up a new one. Just type in your iCloud details and everything magically appears just how it was before you had the problem. Of course you only get 5GB of free storage, if you need more, you have to pay each month. Whilst this is not a problem for most, if you have multiple devices linked to one iCloud account and no longer use one or more of them, the iCloud backup may be taking up valuable space. Well there is a way to delete individual device backups in iCloud all from your iOS device. Read on and we will show you how.

• Open Settings

• Scroll down to iCloud and tap on it
• Scroll down to the bottom and tap on Storage and Backup

• Here you can see the storage being used and what is available

• Click on Manage Storage

• Here you will see a list of backups being held in iCloud, as you can see I have two iPhones. I had one replaced at the Apple Store last week so no longer need this backup.
• Click on the one you want to remove from iCloud

• Click on Delete Backup

• Click on Turn Off and Delete
• That’s it, that backup has now been removed and the space reclaimed in iCloud

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

TechCrunch is helping shed light on an iMessage bug that’s causing problems for iOS users trying to send SMS messages to ex-iPhone users who have switched to another platform, such as Android.

What happens is, the iPhone attempts to send the SMS to the ex-iPhone user as an iMessage — just like it always did before the recipient switched devices. But since Android doesn’t support iMessage, the text ultimately fails.

Simple, if naive solution:

1. Don’t let your friends switch away from iPhones.

Complicated, if realistic solution:

1. Tell them to go to: https://supportprofile.apple.com/MySupportProfile.do
2. Log in with their Apple ID.
3. Click on “edit products”
4. Click on the “x” to the right of the product.
5. Click “unregister”

According to a tipster in Apple’s support forums, this should resolve the issue entirely. Unfortunately, this is just one of several iMessage related bugs we’ve been tracking lately. New service or not, Apple needs to get on top of this so users don’t have to go through steps they ought not have to go through.

Source: Apple Support Communities via TechCrunch

If you are a user of iTunes in the Cloud and only keep part of your music collection on your iOS device and all of your collection in iCloud, you may want to retrieve some extra music from iCloud or even delete some music on your device. It is all very simple to do, keep on reading and we will show you how.

How to Download Music from iCloud

• Open up your Music app

• You will see the complete list of music that is available in iCloud. If the track or album shows a cloud icon next to it, this means it is not on your device but is on iCloud
• To download the music from iCloud, select one of the tracks or albums with the iCloud icon

• You will now see the tracks with individual iCloud download labels, clicking on one will download just that track to your device

• If you want to download a whole album, scroll down and you will see a Download All button. Click on that and all the tracks will download to your device

• When it’s finished downloading, you will see that track or album no longer has the cloud icon as it is now on your device and it can be played instantly

How to delete music from device and leave it on iCloud

• Open up your Music app

• You will see the complete list of music that is available in iCloud. If the track or album shows a cloud icon next to it, this means it is not on your device but is on iCloud

• If it doesn’t have a cloud icon, it means the track is stored on your device
• To remove the track or album from your device and leave it in iCloud simply swipe right to left along the album or track

• A delete box will appear, click on it and you will see the cloud icon immediatey appear next to the track or album

• This means the album is no longer stored on your device but is available to download again from iCloud.

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

If your iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS is no longer holding a charge, and always running out of power, replacing the battery is a moderate level DIY repair. If you’ve got the right tools and parts, it shouldn’t be too difficult to swap out that old battery for a brand new one on your own. It’ll take a little bit of patience and about 30 minutes of your time.

Disclaimer: As with any repair, TiPb nor PXLFIX can be held responsible for any damage you may do to your device. It’s also worth considering that opening up your device to perform any repair or modification can and will void your Apple warranty. If you don’t feel comfortable opening your device, don’t. Use extreme care and caution when performing a repair on any device.

What you need for a DIY iPhone 3G/3GS battery swap

PXLFIX recommends using only quality and genuine parts from a reputable supplier like eTech Parts. They have quality parts, tools, and much more for all your repair needs.

• A sad iPhone 3G or 3GS
• A new battery – iPhone 3GS, iPhone 3G
• A #00 Phillips screwdriver
• A suction cup
• A pry tool or spudger
• Sim removal tool or paperclip

Power off your iPhone

Before performing any repair, always power off your device before removing any screws or parts.

Remove the dock connector screws

Using your #00 Phillips screwdriver, remove the 2 screws located on each side of the dock connector.

Remove the digitizer & LCD assembly

This part can be a bit tricky so please do this with extreme care so you don’t tear any cables during the process. I highly recommend using the suction cup method unless your screen is cracked above the home button for some reason and you can’t get a proper seal with the suction cup.

Suction cup method (recommended):

The easiest way to remove the digitizer assembly is by using a suction cup.

1. Position the suction cup on the screen directly above the home button.
2. Using your other hand, hold down the frame while gently pulling up on the suction cup.
3. The goal is to get the bottom of the digitizer loose. Do not pull directly up. There are 3 cables attached in the top right of your iPhone. You do not want to tear these. Just pull up until the bottom of the assembly pops out.
4. After you have the bottom up you can remove the suction cup.

Spudger/razor blade method (only use this method as a secondary method):

ONLY use this method if your screen is cracked above the home button. If this is the case, you’ll need to use a razor blade or spudger in order to remove it. And while you’re at it, replace that broken screen!

1. Starting in the bottom left hand corner, insert a plastic spudger and gently pry up. Once the first side is starting to pop up, do the same on the bottom right side.
2. Run your pry tool along the bottom of the device in order to pop up the bottom of the assembly. Take special care around the home button area.

Remove the cables that attach the digitizer assembly to the logic board:

Once you have the bottom of your digitizer assembly popped up we can remove the cables attaching it to the logic board.

1. Gently lift up your digitizer enough to have a clear view of the 3 cables in the top right of your iPhone.

2. With your plastic spudger or pry tool, you’ll need to pry up the first two cables that attach the digitizer and LCD. They should be labeled with orange stickers numbered 1 and 2. Simply pop them off the logic board gently.

3. Underneath these cables you’ll see one other labeled as cable 3. This one is a bit trickier as it is clipped down. You’ll need to gently pop up the clasp holding it into the fastener. It is a tiny white clip. Simply pop it upwards and the number 3 cable should then slide right out.

4. Remove the digitizer & LCD assembly and set it aside.

Remove your SIM card

Using your SIM tool or a paperclip, either works, remove your SIM card and tray from your device.

Unclip cables from the logic board

1. Towards the top left of the logic board, use your pry tool to pop up the two cables labeled 5 and 6.

2. Towards the bottom of the logic board, 3G owners will only see one cable to the left labeled 4. 3GS users will see two cables (one on each side of the dock connector) labeled 4 and 7. 3G users will just pop up the number 4 cable while 3GS owners will need to pop up both the number 4 and 7 cables.

Remove your logic board

1. Remove the 8 screws outlined in the video that hold the logic board in place. One of the screws is under a Do not remove sticker at the bottom right by the dock connector. Obviously you’ll have to remove the sticker to get to it.

2. Make sure you place the screws in an order you will remember. They are different sizes in some instances so you’ll need to make sure you put them back in the correct order.

3. Notice the screw holding the camera in place has a metal bracket underneath it. Just take care not to lose this as you’ll need to put it back during reassembly.

4. Gently pop your camera up with your spudger or pry tool.

5. Insert your pry tool in the space between the dock connector and logic board and gently pry upward to loosen the logic board.
6. Gently grab the bottom of the logic board and slide it out downwards to remove it.

Remove the old battery

There is nothing holding the battery down but adhesive. Gently use your pry tool to loosen the battery from the back of the device. Run it along the sides and gently pry up taking care not to bend or damage the battery. They are secured with quite a bit of adhesive so you may have to use a little bit of force to remove it. Just take care not to bend the casing either.

Insert the new battery

Most replacement batteries will come with adhesive already on them. Simply remove the backing from the adhesive and place the battery in the device taking care not to trap any loose cables underneath it. Push down firmly to make sure the adhesive stays in place.

Replace the logic board

1. Make sure there are no cables in the way. I typically tuck the number 4 cable into the frame (refer to video) so it does not get stuck underneath the logic board.

2. Start by positioning the top of the logic board below where the SIM tray sits and start sliding it upwards into place.
3. Once the top is in place, you can place the bottom of the logic board into its place. Just make sure no cables are stuck underneath the logic board where they should be on top.

Insert your SIM card and tray

The easiest way to make sure the logic board is in place is to replace your SIM card tray at this point. If it slides in easily, you’re right on track. Don’t force it if it doesn’t want to go in. That means you don’t have the logic board lined up correctly. Remove it and try again. The SIM tray will also help keep the logic board in place as you replace screws in the logic board.

Reposition and snap down your camera

Once the logic board is positioned right, you can reposition and snap down your camera again.

Replace the logic board screws

Replace the eight screws your removed earlier that secure the logic board. Just make sure you replace the metal clip over the camera before replacing the screw that holds it in place.

Reconnect cables to the logic board

1. Towards the top left of the logic board, reconnect the two cables labeled 5 and 6.

2. Towards the bottom of the logic board, 3G owners will only see one cable to the left labeled 4. 3GS users will see two cables (one on each side of the dock connector) labeled 4 and 7. 3G users will reconnect the number 4 cable while 3GS owners will need to reconnect both the number 4 and 7 cables.

Reassemble the digitizer

1. Begin with the number 3 cable that clips down. Getting it seated can be a bit tricky. Use a plastic spudger to guide it in the opening if needed. Then push back down the clip that holds it in place.

2. Next push down the number 1 and 2 cables onto the logic board.
3. To snap the digitizer assembly back in place, start at the top and make sure it is lined up. Once the top is pushed down and flush, snap the bottom into place on each side of the home button.
4. Replace the two dock connector screws.

And… done!

If you followed all the steps above correctly you should be able to power on your phone and be on your way! I recommend you drain the battery completely and do one full charge. You also may notice you’ll need to reset the time and date on your device. Battery pulls tend to reset the clock.

Have you done this repair yourself? Let us know how it went! Want to know how to perform another type of iPhone repair or modification? Send me suggestions to ally.kazmucha@tipb.com or leave a comment in our brand new Mod and DIY Repair Forum!

For questions or to inquire about mail-in repairs through PXLFIX, please follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or e-mail us directly! Of course, you can like us and follow us just because you think we’re cool too!

As noted by GigaOM, a lot of iPhone 4S and some iPhone 4 users are continuing to experience an issue where they cannot hear anything from the recipient on an outgoing call.

The issue in question is when the iPhone 4S (and according to some reports, the iPhone 4, too) mutes all audio on the caller’s end when placing an outgoing voice call. The person on the other end of the line can hear everything just fine, but on the caller’s end, there’s no ringing sound and no audio from a recipient speaking.

The issue has pushed the Apple Support Communities discussion thread past 110 pages with users expressing their frustration and calling for Apple to do something about it. Two of our editors, Rene and Georgia, have both had their iPhone 4 devices swapped out by Apple when the earpiece stopped providing audio (only the speaker phone would work).

It has been speculated that iOS 5.1 won’t address this issues — assuming it is addressable by software — but we’ll have to wait and see.

If you’ve had the same or a similar problem, let us know, and let us know how it’s been handled so far.

Source: Apple Support Communities via GigaOM

What better New Year’s resolution to start with than to check out all your in-app privacy settings, especially where Google, Facebook, Twitter and other social networks are concerned? We know how it goes; you get a shiny new iPhone or iPad app and you just want to use it so you log in through Twitter of Facebook or Google because it’s easy, quickly tap through all the set up pages, granting who knows what permissions and for how long, and then forget about it the moment the next shiny app comes along.

MyPermissions.org thinks you should take a few moments to review your settings, revoke or reduce access for those apps that no longer need full, free access to your personal, sometimes private data, and get 2012 off on a saner, more socially secure start.

(I just did mine and I was startled how many old apps still had access to my stuff.)

Source: MyPermission.org

Curious about how to make it easier to insert Emoji icons into a text message, email or iMessage? Switching between the normal keyboard and the Emoji keyboard, navigating to the emoticon you’re looking for, then switching back to the normal keyboard to resume typing can be tiresome. Luckily, you can use Emoji much more efficiently thanks to keyboard shortcuts in iOS 5.

Before getting started, you’ll have to enable the Emoji keyboard from within the Settings app.

1. Tap the Settings app on your Home screen
2. Tap General settings
3. Scroll down and tap Keyboard
4. Next, tap International Keyboards
5. Tap Add New Keyboard
6. Now, just scroll down a bit until you see the option for Emoji and tap it

At this point, your keyboard setup will allow you to switch over to the Emoji keyboard by tapping the small globe next to the 123 button.

All you have to do next is setup your own custom keyboard shortcuts for emoticons now that you have the Emoji keyboard enabled.

1. Tap the Settings app on your Home screen
2. Tap General settings
3. Scroll down and tap Keyboard
4. At the very bottom of the Keyboard settings pane, tap Shortcuts
5. Tap the ‘+‘ button in the upper right-hand corner
6. In the Phrase field, call up the Emoji keyboard (see above for instructions) and select your desired emoticon
7. Input the specific shortcut you’d like to use for the corresponding emoticon

That’s it! This tip saves boatloads of time when trying to input Emoji and it’s a total no-brainer with the new keyboard shortcut feature in iOS 5.

Thanks @kcmon for the tip!

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

The other day I noticed an oddity on the Home screen of my iPad 2. One of the magazines that I’m subscribed to decided to jump out of the Newsstand folder and place itself on the Home screen.

I’m not exactly sure what caused this — maybe it’s the fact that I haven’t updated this specific subscription since I first downloaded it — but for whatever reason, after I performed a normal power cycle the magazine decided to randomly plop itself smack dab in the middle of my homescreen.

At first, I attempted to move the magazine icon back into the Newsstand folder, but that didn’t work because the icon refused to enter jiggly-mode. In addition, I couldn’t delete the subscription app because tap-and-hold wasn’t working at all. Another aspect of the bug is that one of my favorite apps, Bloomberg TV+, had been removed from the Home screen completely (although it was still accesible via Spotlight search).

What’s more, after performing a full restore of iOS 5.0.1, the same exact thing happened on my iPhone 4, removing the Settings app from my iPhone Home screen not allowing it to to enter jiggly-mode in order to delete the magazine download.

Keep in mind, this bug is not incapacitating, but it is frustrating to see a big fat rectangular icon on your Home screen.

Issue

• Magazine and newspaper subscriptions from Newsstand place themselves on the Home screen after reboot or restore
• Upon attempting to remove the magazine/newspaper download, tap-and-hold as well as app deletion no longer works
• Depending on how many subscriptions have this bug, you will lose the same amount of app icons from your Home screen once the problem arises

Possible causes

• Failure to update effected subscription(s) over a certain threshold of time (unconfirmed)

Fix

• Perform an additional power cycle after you notice the issue on your iPhone or iPad, then tap-and-hold to remove the effected subscription(s)

We’ve decided to cross-post this in the TiPb bugs forum to see if anyone else might be running into the same issue. If you know of a simpler fix — or better yet, a confirmed explanation of what’s going on here — drop a comment in this post or jump into the forums to help other users who may be less fortunate if this specific fix doesn’t work out for them.

Kids have access to your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad and curious how to prevent them from deleting your App Store apps the moment you’re not looking? They’re fun and games can cause a lot of additional work for you if you’re not careful. Luckily, Apple lets you lock down app deletion.

1. Jump into the Settings app.
2. Tap General settings.
3. Next, tap Restrictions.
4. At this point, you’ll be prompted to enter your 4-digit passcode if you have one set, or create one if you don’t.
5. Scroll down and switch Deleting Apps to ‘OFF’.

That’s it! Now, if you ever hand over your iPhone to a friend or family member, they’ll have no ability to accidentally remove or delete your favorite apps from the iPhone Home screen.

**Bonus Tip: Using an older version of iOS that doesn’t provide for app deletion restriction? If you’re jailbroken check out No Uninstall in Cydia, which removes the ability to delete apps from the iPhone Home screen.

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

If you ever wondered how to share your current location or any particular location you fancy when using the Maps app, it is very easy to do. It can also be a very powerful way to help your friends find you or find a location that interests them that you want to share.

• Open the Maps app
• Let it locate you or if you want to share a different location, search for it in the top right corner search box
• Once your location is shown on the map, click on the push pin

• A box should open with a red circle on the left and a blue arrow on the right
• The circle on the left is for street view; the arrow on the right is for more information
• Click the arrow on the right, it will open an information page on the location selected

• You now have a few options, Directions to Here, Directions from Here, Add to Contacts, Share Location and Add to Bookmarks
• We want Share Location

• You then have three options, Email, Message, Tweet
• Select whichever method you want to send the location by, in this example we are using Email
• This opens up the email send box, you will see an attachment already there ending in .vcf.

• Fill in the recipients address and that’s it
• When the recipient receives the file, they can open it on their iOS device and it will show them the same info page

• The link to the map will show the exact location and from there, you can get navigation details from your current location.

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

There are hundreds of thousands of iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad apps for just about everything — so how come the one you need, the one you know just has to be there, is so hard to find? Enter TiPb’s new weekly feature where staff and readers alike sort through the App Store and help you find just the right App for That. This week, @llofte (yes, that’s me!) asks:

What app is it that I see people use with Instagram to make a collage/storyboard of more than one photo?

To see what was suggested to me, follow along after the break!

Diptic [$0.99 - App Store link] is an iPhone and iPad app for creating simple collages of your photos. The templates are designed in the shape of a square, so Diptic is commonly used in conjunction with Instagram [Free - App Store link]. In fact, Diptic has Instagram as an export option, making sharing to the photo social networking app a breeze.

Diptic comes with 21 standard layouts and is equipped with a frame slider that allows you to customize the dimensions of the inner frames. You can also adjust the colors of the borders and give them rounded corners. In addition to Instagram, you can send your collages to Camera+, Filterstorm, Dropbox, Evernote, GoodReader, Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, Posterous, or Tumblr.

Anyone else have any App for That suggestions for me? Let me — and all of us — know in the comments.

Having trouble finding what you need in the app store? Send us an email to news@tipb.com and let us know what you’re looking for, and we’ll do our best to find you just the right App for That!

YouTube Link

Replacing the rear camera in your GSM or CDMA iPhone 4 isn’t a very difficult DIY repair, as long as you have the right tools and parts. We’ll walk you through step by step and show you how to get your camera back into working order in no time. While the GSM and CDMA variants are slightly different, the guide will work for both. So grab your tools and your sad iPhone 4 and follow along!

Disclaimer: As with any repair, iMore nor PXLFIX can be held responsible for any damage you may do to your device. It’s also worth considering that opening up your device to perform any repair or modification can and will void your Apple warranty. If you don’t feel comfortable opening your device, don’t. Use extreme care and caution when performing a repair on any device.

What you need for a DIY iPhone 4 rear camera repair

PXLFIX recommends using only quality and genuine parts from a reputable supplier like eTech Parts. They have quality parts, tools, and much more for all your repair needs.

• GSM or CDMA iPhone 4
• Rear camera replacement – iPhone 4 camera
• #00 Phillips screwdriver
• Pry tool or spudger
• Security screwdriver (only if your iPhone has 5-point security screws in the dock connector)

Power off your iPhone 4

Before performing any repair, always power off your device before removing any screws or parts.

Remove the back of your iPhone

1. First remove the bottom 2 dock connector screws in your iPhone 4. Use either your #00 screwdriver or the five point depending on whether or not your iPhone 4 has security screws in the dock connector. Almost all newer devices will have security screws.

2. To remove the back simply slide the back upwards and lift it off gently.
3. Set the back and 2 dock connector screws aside.

Before we move on to actually replacing the camera. You may want to make sure your back plate is not the culprit if your camera is producing bad images. Check and make sure neither the inside or outside of the lens cover is scratches or cloudy. If it is, try taking a picture with your back cover removed. If the pictures turn out fine, you’ll just need to replace your iPhone 4 back cover. If your images are still blurry or the camera does not function at all, you’ll need to continue on to replace the actual rear camera component.

Remove the battery

1. To remove the battery you’ll need to remove the #00 screw holding the battery clip in place. Remove this screw located to the bottom left of the battery.

2. The metal clip on the battery is what clips the battery to the logic board. You’ll need to pop this clip up with your plastic pry tool. Simply stick the end of your pry tool underneath the clip and gently pull upwards until it unfastens from the logic board.

3. To remove the battery, I do not recommend using the plastic pull tab. There is quite a bit of adhesive underneath the battery and the tab will normally just rip off or you can bend the battery. Instead, run your pry tool along the right side of the battery and break the adhesive that way. Once the battery is free from the adhesive, you can pull the battery out of the phone. There are no other connectors holding it in.

4. GSM iPhone 4 users will notice a tiny grounding clip sitting underneath where you unscrewed the battery. Set this aside for replacement during reassembly. This is a grounding clip for your antenna. Make sure you put it back in place before reconnecting your battery. CDMA users will not see this as it is in a different location.

Remove the top logic board shield

1. There are 5 screws holding the logic board shield in place. Depending on whether you have a CDMA or GSM iPhone 4, your shield will look different. The process is the same though. Simply remove the 5 screws holding it in place. Just be sure to remember which holes they came out of as the screws are different sizes. I always keep them in order of how they came out.

2. Next you’ll need to remove the shield. Both models have a tiny clip built into the shield holding it in place. (Refer to the photo above.) Pop it up with your pry tool and you should be able to slide the shield up fairly easily. Just take care not to bend it or break off a clip. The Verizon variant seats into the logic board with two tiny notches underneath the camera connection. When reassembling, just line up the two notches on the shield and it will slide into place easily. For the AT&T model, just make sure the clip in the photo above is the first part you insert and it will line up nicely again.

Replace the rear camera

1. There is only one connector holding the camera to the logic board. Simply remove this cable in the picture above using your pry tool. Gently lift upwards and it will pop right off.

2. Next gently lift the camera out of the device. You’ll notice there is a tiny tab that is seated underneath the LCD and digitizer cables to the right.

3. To insert the new camera, start by sliding the tabbed part underneath the two cables and then push down gently to seat the camera. Try not to touch the lens at all.

4. Re-fasten the cable to the logic board.

And …done!

That’s it! All you’ll need to do now is reassemble your device in the reverse order and you’ll be taking pictures again in no time.

Have you done this repair yourself? Let us know how it went! Want to know how to perform another type of iPhone repair or modification? Send me suggestions to ally.kazmucha@tipb.com or leave a comment in our brand new Mod and DIY Repair Forum!

For repair questions or to inquire about mail-in repairs through PXLFIX, please follow us on Twitter or e-mail us directly!

Heard about the untethered jailbreak for the original iPad, iPhone 4, iPod touch 4, and older models running iOS 5.0.1 and curious how to use it on your own device?. This jailbreak won’t yet work with newer, Apple A5 chipset-powered devices, namely the iPhone 4S or iPad 2, but if you own anything earlier, you’re in luck.

Supported devices

• iPhone 4 (GSM & CDMA)
• iPod touch 4th generation
• iPad (orignal model)
• iPhone 3GS

What you need

• A supported device – please note this will not work for iPhone 4S or iPad 2
• A Mac or PC
• redsn0w 0.9.10b1 – Mac, Windows

Untether via the Corona Cydia package

If you’re already tethered jailbroken on iOS 5.0.1, you can untether your jailbreak using the Corona package in Cydia.

Untether via redsn0w

If for some reason you’d prefer using redsn0w to untether, you may do so. Just run the version of redsn0w linked above over your existing jailbreak. When prompted what you want to do, just uncheck Install Cydia since you already have it installed. Let redsn0w do its thing and you should be untethered when it completes.

Jailbreak your device

If you’re not jailbroken at all, perform the following steps –

1. First Launch redsn0w

2. This version and other newer versions of redsn0w should automatically detect what version of iOS you are running. No need to manually browse to a firmware file this time. Just click Jailbreak and follow the prompts.

3. Next redsn0w will prompt you to only continue when your device is powered off. If it isn’t already, power your device off while it’s connected to the computer.

4. Next you will be guided through putting your device into DFU mode. Follow the steps and redsn0w will take care of the rest.
5. After redsn0w finishes doing it’s thing, you’re done!

Common issues and how to solve them

Stuck on Apple logo or in recovery mode

Some users seem to be experiencing this issue. Performing a clean restore in iTunes and then attempting to jailbreak after a clean install should alleviate this issue.

redsn0w fails

First attempt to select a custom IPSW under Extras in redsn0w and navigate to the iOS 5.0.1 IPSW to see if this fixes the issue. If it still fails, try a clean restore in iTunes and then attempt to jailbreak again.

If you’re running into other issues, make sure to check out our jailbreak and unlock forums for further help troubleshooting common and not so common jailbreak issues.

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

New to iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad and curious how to set up a new ringtone, change a wallpaper, or arrange your app icons and folders, and otherwise personalize it and make it your own? Luckily these tasks can be completed quite simply, so let’s take a look at how they are done.

• How to change your wallpaper
• How to set a ringtone
• How to move icons
• How to create a folder

While this only covers some of the basics, it gives you a way to personalize your device and begin the process of making it your very own. Be sure to hop into the forums and show off your Home screen as well!

Little ones trying to figure out just how exactly they can track Santa on their iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad this year? Well, Google Maps and NORAD to the rescue! They’ve got Dasher and Dancer, Prancer and Vixen, Comet and Cupid, Donner and Blitzen — and Rudolf! — of course, on high density, broad-spectrum satellite surveillance and they’re tracking him down to the striped wrapping paper in his sleigh bag.

So if you want to know where Santa is just this very second, here’s all you have to do:

• Launch Google Maps
• Tap the Search box
• Type in Santa

Bonus Tip: If you click no the blue arrow at the location and click on the link, you will see a photo of the location.

That’s it! The jolly old elf is now in your scopes! So get the cookies and milk ready and make sure you’re tucked in before the chimney starts rocking,because Santa Clause is coming to town!

Source; NORAD

Curious how to set up a PIN code on your iPhone’s SIM card to prevent things like the recent issue with iMessage not de-activating on stolen iPhones? If you’re concerned about security, it’s probably something you want to do sooner rather than later.

1. Launch the Settings app
2. Scroll down and tap on Phone settings
3. Scroll down to the very bottom and tap SIM PIN
4. Switch the SIM PIN option to ‘ON’
5. Enter the default PIN set by your carrier (AT&T is 1111, if you’re on a different carrier check with them, or Google it)
6. Now, tap Change PIN.
7. Enter the current (default) SIM PIN again
8. Enter your own unique 4-digit PIN code

That’s it! Now, if your iPhone gets lost or stolen, your SIM card will remain safe and secure and the new “owner” will have zero ability to send or receive iMessages, or do anything else nefarious with your number.

NOTE: If your iPhone does get lost or stolen, PIN code lock or not, call your carrier immediately to report it stolen and get it deactivated. The PIN code is the temporary solution. The carrier raining down deactivation on their pilfering heads is the permanent one.

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

The holidays are upon us and what spreads holiday cheer more than decking out your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad with lots of holiday content? Whether it’s wallpapers, music, movies, apps, or games, it’s easy to make your favorite iOS device the center of your festivus festivities.

Holiday wallpapers

One of the nicest treats for the holidays is a seasonally stylish new wallpaper for your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. Our TiPb Forums have a great thread going to find some really nice ones, and share your own. Check it out!

• Holiday Wallpapers!

Holiday music

If you already have a ton of holiday music in your collection, why not enjoy it on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad? If it’s on CDs, just load them into your computer and rip them into iTunes. If you’ve ripped them into iTunes already, you can use Home Sharing to stream them to your device, or use iTunes sync or Wi-Fi sync to move them over. If you bought them from Apple’s iTunes Store, you can use iTunes in the Cloud to re-download them right to your device — or iTunes Match if you’ve subscribed! If you’re starting from scratch, you can check out holiday channels on apps like Slacker or just hit up iTunes and buy yourself some classics!

• iTunes holiday music

Holiday movies

Whether your favorite holiday movie is Miracle on 34th Street, Elf, or Die Hard, curling up with your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad is a great way to enjoy them. If your movie collection is scattered in a bunch of different places and formats on your PC hard-drive, you can use something like Air Video to transcode them on the fly and watch them right on your device or beam them via AriPlay to an Apple TV and your big screen television. If they’re all safe and sound in your iTunes library, again you have Home Sharing to stream them to your device, or iTunes sync or Wi-Fi sync to move them over. No holiday movies to call your own? Find some on Netflix or go straight to iTunes and check out their holiday collection.

• iTunes holiday movies

Holiday apps and games

When it comes to the holidays, you can bet your last chocolate coin there’s an app for that. In fact, there are many apps for all kinds of thats! From cards to carols, books to bells, cutting ropes to angering birds, cooking to candles, fireplaces to fun with photos, there’s a ton of stuff to keep you busy.

• App Store holiday apps and games

Your favorite holiday stuff?

If you have a favorite holiday wallpaper, music, movie, or app or game, let us know in the comments. We’d love to check them out!

Curious how to get more game ROMs on the iMame emulator for iPhone and iPad? iMame hit the App Store yesterday but didn’t exactly wow anyone with the built in content. Luckily, it’s fairly simple to add more ROMs to the emulator, including a lot of classic games if you have them handy.

1. Download iMame – App Store link
4. Download Mac or Windows PC desktop iExplorer client – Web link
5. Connect your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad to your computer via USB dock cable.
6. Start iExplorer on your PC
6. Navigate to apps/imame/documents.
7. Drag and drop zipped ROMs from your PC into iExplorer in the apps/imame/documents.

Note that only ROMs from certain ROM sets will work. Rumor has it that you need ROM set 37b5, but older sets can work. It’s hit or miss at this point.

It also supports iCade if you have one, and I found the support from the open source community was already better than Atari’s iCade support. It detects changes better, and when it connects to iCade, the on screen controls disappear. You can also customize the controls.

UPDATE: As noted in the comments, you don’t need iExplorer app on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. You just need the Mac or Windows client. I’ve updated the steps to remove that reference.

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

With iOS 5 it’s not uncommon to sometimes see the label under many apps, including Facebook, sometimes change to read “Cleaning…” This is a feature of iOS 5 that Apple hasn’t really explained, so it’s caused a lot of you to write in an ask about it. Here’s the deal…

Basically, that’s iOS 5 deleting cache and temporary files so that when iCloud or iTunes does a backup of your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, that backup is smaller and faster.

Since adding iCloud and Wi-Fi sync options, it’s become important to keep app data as clean as possible, so backups are as efficient as possible, so we’re not left waiting around for minutes or hours getting as frustrated as possible.

And yes, this is the same reason that, under the original iOS 5.0, apps like Instapaper would sometimes lose all your locally cached articles. (Since fixed with the addition of a third storage option between documents and cache, one that’s not cleaned but also not backed up.)

So, if you see “Cleaning…” pop up under Facebook or any of your other apps, don’t worry. That’s just iOS 5 keeping your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad as lean and mean as possible.

Today’s Google Voice app update seems to have — wait for it — actually broken the ability for users to place calls with their Google Voice number.

When attempting to make a call it appears as though it is connecting like normal, but if you look at a caller ID it will show you your actual cell phone number, not your Google Voice number.

Hopefully Google will fix this will all due haste. In the meantime, let us know if you’re experiencing the problem, and if anything has helped you remedy it.

If you are like me and spent hours ensuring your album and track artwork is all in order in iTunes only to find that when you subscribed to iTunes Match it all went haywire, you are not alone. I signed up for iTunes Match last week when the international launch went live. I uploaded all of my music only to find that the album artwork showed up fine in album view but only the first track of each album showed any artwork, all of the other tracks had missing artwork.

Well the good news is that there is a very easy way to get it back. It can be a little time consuming but it’s worth it if you just hate to see that musical note and grey background instead of your artwork. A word of warning, this can take a while if you have a lot of content.

• Open up your music application
• Select the Album you want to recover the artwork for

• Click on the first song, it should start to play and if it’s like mine the first track will have artwork

• Click on the next track button on the bottom right and it will skip to the next track
• Here you will see the problem with no artwork shown

• When this track starts to play, you will notice that the receiving data spinning wheel will appear next to your carrier name and 3G or WiFi icon. This tells you that the it is receiving data and that just happens to be the album artwork.
• It doesn’t appear while the track is playing,  you have to skip forward then back, then you will see that the second track now has album artwork
• The best way to make sure all the tracks on that album get artwork is to just skip through each of the tracks. When the spinning wheel disappears, you should now have artwork for all the tracks in that album.

Every one of my albums was like this after uploading to iTunes Match, I did this for them all and now my artwork is perfect. It definitely is a pain and takes a long time to do but worth it if you must have your artwork all in order. Hopefully Apple will address this issue in a future update but until then, give this a try and let us know if it works for you.

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

Ally’s new series of weekly iPhone and iPad mods and repairs inspired me to try and see how well a total beginner like myself could tackle her projects. So, playing n00b to her ninja, the first thing I thought I’d try was a simple backplate swap.

And the folks at unyousual.net were kind of enough to supply me with a custom backplate to get me going. I picked the classic 6-colors Apple logo on a nice, dark wood textured background, uploaded it to their site, submitted it, then waited by the mailbox for it to arrive.

Swapping out the backplate was a little nerve-wracking, I’m not even going to lie. My iPhone 4 is out of warranty, so that wasn’t a concern. Seeing everything open, with the battery and components exposed, took a few deep breaths to get used to.

unyousual.net provided both types of screwdrivers, both regular and pentalobe, and they were magnetized so I didn’t have to worry about losing the screws — at least as much as I might have otherwise. Once the screws were out, swapping the backplate was quick and easy. Slide the original one out, slide the new one in, refasten the screws.

The results were super sweet too. The new custom backplate looks stunning — so stunning I had to immediately protect it from those around me who tried to make off with it!

If you’re at all interested in mods for your iPhone, a backplate swap is a really nice, simple way to get started. Just pick up your own custom kit from unyousual.net and give it a try!

Giveaway

The awesome team over at unyousual.net are giving our equally awesome readers a chance to win one of five (5!) free custom iPhone backplates! Here’s what you need to do to enter:

1. Go to unyousual.net and upload the custom picture you want to use.
2. Take a screen capture or picture of your custom backplate and
3. Post the screenshot in the official contest thread
4. We’ll pick 5 (five!) of you and unyousual.net will send you your backplate!

What are you waiting for? Enter now!

• Official custom iPhone backplate mod giveaway entry thread

Multiple users who’ve had their iPhones stolen are reporting that iMessage is still linked to their stolen device even after they’ve conducted a remote wipe, deactivated their iPhone with the carrier, and even changed their Apple ID password. This means that whomever steals or buys a stolen iPhone may have the ability to iMessage from the original owners account, pretty much impersonating them.

Although Apple has yet to comment on the situation, Ars Technica was able to get iOS security expert Jonathan Zdziarski to chime in on his thoughts of why this may be occurring.

“iMessage registers with the subscriber’s phone number from the SIM, so let’s say you restore the phone, it will still read the phone number from the SIM. I suppose if you change the SIM out after the phone has been configured, the old number might be cached somewhere either on the phone or on Apple’s servers with the UDID of the phone.”

In short, Apple needs to fix this, and quick.

Source: Ars Technica

If the vibrate function of AT&T/GSM iPhone 4 isn’t working or is very faint, you may need a new vibrator assembly. If you’re out of warranty but have just a little bit of ninja skill, it’s a very cheap and easy repair to perform yourself.

It’s worth noting that this guide is only valid for the AT&T or other GSM variant of the iPhone 4. The iPhone 4S and Verizon/CDMA iPhone 4 are very similar internally but very different from the GSM variant of the original iPhone 4. So if your iPhone 4 is not AT&T/GSM, proceed no further young Jedi!

Disclaimer: As with any repair, iMore nor PXLFIX can be held responsible for any damage you may do to your device. It’s also worth considering that opening up your device to perform any repair or modification can and will void your Apple warranty. If you don’t feel comfortable opening your device, don’t. Use extreme care and caution when performing a repair on any device.

What you need for a DIY vibrator assembly repair

PXLFIX recommends using only quality and genuine parts from a reputable supplier like eTech Parts. They have quality parts, tools, and much more for all your repair needs.

• A GSM iPhone 4
• Replacement vibrator assembly – GSM iPhone 4 vibrator assembly
• #00 Phillips screwdriver
• Security screwdriver (only if your iPhone has the security screws in the dock connector)

Power off your iPhone 4

You should always power off your device before performing any type of internal repair work. Simply hold down your top power button and Slide to power off.

Remove the back of your iPhone 4

1. First remove the bottom 2 dock connector screws in your iPhone 4. Use either your #00 screwdriver or the five point depending on whether or not your iPhone 4 has security screws in the dock connector. Almost all newer devices will have security screws.

2. To remove the back simply slide the back upwards and lift it off gently.
3. Set the back and 2 dock connector screws aside.

Replace the vibrator assembly

1. Locate your vibrator assembly in the upper right hand corner of your iPhone 4 (assuming you’re looking at it from the back).

2. It is held in with two screws. Use your #00 Phillips screwdriver and remove them. The screw on the left will be significantly longer. Just remember which screw came from where.

3. Next, gently lift the old vibrator assembly out of the device.

4. Place the new one in carefully and replace the two screws that hold it in place.

Reassemble your iPhone

All you need to do now is replace the back on your iPhone 4 and put the two dock connector screws back in.

And …done!

That’s all there is to it! Have you done this repair yourself? Let us know how it went! Want to know how to perform another type of iPhone repair or modification? Send me suggestions to ally.kazmucha@tipb.com or leave a comment in our brand new Mod and DIY Repair Forum!

For repair questions or to inquire about mail-in repairs through PXLFIX, follow us on Twitter or e-mail us directly!

Brand new to iPhone and wondering how to set a contact as a “favorite” for speed dialing? It’s easy to do, places them in a neat and easy to access list, and setting it up is quite simple. Best of all, once you’re done, so are your days of scrolling through your full contact list trying to find that one name you need when you really, really need it.

Already know how to add a favorite? Save this link for family and friends and we’ll spare you the tech support time!

Here’s how it’s done:

1. Launch the phone application and click on favorites in the lower left corner.

2. Tap the + button in the top right.

3. Find the contact you wish to add as a favorite and tap on their name.

4. Select the information you wish to favorite (phone number, email, FaceTime, etc)

5. That’s it! From now on the contact willl now appear as a favorite so all you have to do is tap on that and it will call them or compose a new message if you wish.

Pretty simple to set up, and easy to add to or remove at any time. Give it a try and let us know how it works for you.

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

Watching iPad Live, iPhone Live, or any of the other Mobile Nations Podcasts on your iPhone or iPad is kinda cool, but what’s really cool is watching them on your big screen TV. Luckily, with just an Apple TV, an app, and a few taps, it’s easy to do. Here’s how:

1. Grab the Ustream app for your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad
2. Wait for one of our shows to begin and search for MobileNations in the Ustream app
3. Hit the AirPlay button and beam it straight to your AppleTV

That’s it! Crack open a spicy drink, grab a tasty snack, and enjoy! We’ll see you on the big shows!

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

It’s the last minute and you forgot a gift for that special iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad lover in your life. Here are your choices: a) crash through the upstairs window, drive roll through the flowerbed, hotfoot it to the car, screech out the driveway, hit up the QuickyMart of air fresheners and chocoblocks; or b) check out the list below, tap a few links, type a few words, sit back and wait for the smiles.

Netflix, Hulu Plus, Slacker and other subscription

The real gift that keeps on giving, whether it’s audio or video, a subscription can keep your special someone entertained throughout the year.

• Netflix
• Hulu Plus
• Slacker Personal Radio

iTunes, App Store, iBooks gifts and gift certificates

If they’ve got all the iOS devices they need, and it’s too late to look into accessories, worry not — content is king of the last minute gifts. Your special someone can never have too many apps, games, music, movies, TV shows, or books to enjoy.

You can either gift them yourself (here are a ton of gift recommendations and best app picks), or better still — get them a gift certificate so they can pick their own treats.

• iTunes gift certificates

Amazon gift certificates

Amazon has a ton of digital content all there own, but they also have old school media — paper books, plastic CDs and Blu-Rays, games that come on cartridges… Gift certificates let them pick just exactly the goods — real or virtual — they want, and Amazon will deliver it straight to their door or their device.

• Amazon gift certificates

Your last minute gift ideas?

Did we miss any amazing last minute gift ideas? Not that you’ve ever forgotten that special occasion, of course, but if… a friend of yours, let’s say, has had any strokes of gifting genius, please share in the comments!

Going on vacation or just to someplace new and curious how to print out Maps driving directions so you can keep a hard copy handy? While the built-in iOS Maps app lacks turn by turn navigation, it does give you a visual map of your route and a list of directions. If you’re driving through an area with dodgy data service, or you’re just old school and want a physical copy, it’s easy to print out that list of directions. They can then be handed to your passenger without the need for them to have your iPhone in their hand and it saves your battery life too.

• First of all, you must have a printer that supports AirPrint
• Open your Maps application and enter your start and end positions

• Press the Route button
• The route will then be calculated and displayed graphically

• Tap on the curled up map options icon in the bottom right corner of the screen

• Select Print

• Select your printer
• Select the number of copies you want

• Hit Print

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

Curious how to set up the new accessibility feature in iOS 5, namely the custom vibration patterns? Custom vibrations patterns let you set up uniquely identifiable series for contacts in your address book — a handy feature to say the least!

Turning custom vibration patterns on

To get started, you’ll first need to turn on custom vibrations from the accessibility settings:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap ‘General’.
3. Scroll down to the bottom and select ‘Accessibility’.
4. Set the Custom Vibrations option to ‘ON’.

Now that custom vibrations is enabled you’ll be able to record your own custom vibration pattern. Follow these quick steps to record your own vibration, or just check out the video at the top of this post.

Recording your custom vibration pattern

1. From the Settings app, tap ‘Sounds’.
2. Scroll down to the very bottom and tap ‘Vibration’.
3. Under the ‘Custom’ section, tap ‘Create New Vibration’.

At this point you’ll be presented with a recording screen asking you to tap anywhere in order to begin recording you custom vibration pattern. Custom vibrations have a maximum duration of 10 seconds, but you can simply tap ‘Stop’ when you’re done recording your own vibration if you want something short and sweet.

Now just hit ‘Save’ and you’ll be asked to name your new vibration pattern. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be taken back to the Vibration settings pane with your new pattern automatically selected as your custom vibration.

Setting up your contacts

You can even set custom vibration patterns for individual contacts!

1. Launch Phone or Contacts
2. Select your desired contact,
3. Tap ‘Edit’ and scroll down until you see the vibration option.

All contacts will be set to the default vibration you’ve selected from the settings app, but you can manually select your newly-created vibration pattern for any contact this way. You can also set a specific contact to only ring instead of vibrating at all.

That’s it! Although Apple supplies you with five built-in vibrations, it’s great that they’ve given users the ability to set their own custom vibration patterns in iOS 5. As always, let us know if we missed anything in the comments below, and enjoy your new custom vibration patterns!

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

If redsn0w isn’t doing it for you, and you’re a Mac user, you may be wondering how to Jailbreak iOS 5.0 and iOS 5.0.1 using Ac1dSn0w. Ac1dSn0w is a newly released jailbreak tool that’ll allow you to tethered Jailbreak most iOS devices (unfortunately, still not iPhone 4S or iPad 2). It’s also a fairly straight forward process.

Currently supported devices

• iPhone 3G/3GS
• iPhone 4
• iPod Touch 4th generation
• iPad 1

What you need

• One of the supported devices listed above
• A Mac running either OS X Lion or OS X Snow Leopard
• Ac1dSn0w – Download here

Jailbreak your device

1. Once you’ve downloaded Ac1dSn0w, open it.
2. Next connect your device to your Mac and power it off.

3. If you’ve already gotten your device in DFU (device firmware update) mode, just click Jailbreak. If you don’t, tick the checkmark box that says Show Assistant and a prompt will come up that will help walk you through putting your device in DFU mode.
4. Once your device is in DFU mode, hit the Jailbreak button on the main screen of Ac1dSn0w.
5. Let Ac1dSn0w do its thing.

Perform a tethered boot

1. After you jailbreak the phone will reboot which will require you to perform a tethered boot. Use the assistant in Ac1dSn0w to put your phone back in DFU mode.
2. This time instead of clicking Jailbreak, you’ll click on Tethered Boot.

You’ll need to perform a tethered boot anytime your phone is completely turned off. You can still install applications that require the springboard to restart as that won’t require a tethered boot. The only time you’ll need to tethered boot is if your phone dies completely or you turn it off.

While this program will do the same thing as programs like RedSn0w, feel free to use whatever program you find the easiest. If you do happen to try out Ac1dSn0w, let us know how it went. And if you run into issues or have questions, check out our TiPb jailbreak and unlock forums.

Shattered the glass on your iPhone 3G or 3GS, or have a touchscreen that has stopped responding, and wondering how easy a screen replacement is to DIY? Well, you’re in luck — a screen replacement is a relatively easy repair to perform. You’ll just need a few tools and a new digitizer assembly to make your broken iPhone 3G or 3GS good as new! This repair can also fix an unresponsive home button as well.

Disclaimer: As with any repair, iMore nor PXLFIX can be held responsible for any damage you may do to your device. It’s also worth considering that opening up your device to perform any repair or modification can and will void your Apple warranty. If you don’t feel comfortable opening your device, don’t. Never use any type of conductive tool to pry or lift cables. Always use a plastic pry tool or spudger. And of course, make sure your device is powered off before beginning any repair work.

What you’ll need

PXLFIX recommends using only quality and genuine parts from a reputable supplier like eTech Parts. They have the proper parts and tools for all your repair needs.

• A broken iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS
• A new digitizer assembly (while the steps for this repair are the same for both phone models, the part is different so make sure you order the correct assembly for your device) – iPhone 3GS digitizer assembly, iPhone 3G digitizer assembly
• A #00 Phillips screwdriver
• A suction cup
• A plastic pry tool or spudger
• A metal spudger/spatula or razor blade (you’ll only need this if the suction cup method won’t work depending on where the glass is cracked)

Power off your phone

First things first, power off your device. Hold down the power button and slide to power off. Once the device is completely off, move on to the next step.

Remove the dock connector screws

Using your #00 Phillips screwdriver, remove the 2 screws located on each side of the dock connector.

Remove the old digitizer assembly

This part can be a bit tricky so please do this with extreme care so you don’t tear any cables during the process.

Suction cup method (recommended):

The easiest way to remove the old digitizer is by using a suction cup to pull up the old screen.

1. Position the suction cup on the screen directly above the home button.
2. Using your other hand, hold down the frame while gently pulling up on the suction cup.
3. The goal is to get the bottom of the digitizer loose. Do not pull directly up. There are 3 cables attached in the top right of your iPhone. You do not want to tear these. Just pull up until the bottom of the assembly pops out.
4. After you have the bottom up you can remove the suction cup.

Spudger/razor blade method (only use this method as a secondary method):

If your screen is cracked above the home button, a suction cup may not create a seal strong enough for you to pull the digitizer up. If this is the case, you’ll need to use a razor blade or spudger in order to remove it.

1. Starting in the bottom left hand corner, insert a plastic spudger and gently pry up. Once the first side is starting to pop up, do the same on the bottom right side.
2. Run your pry tool along the bottom of the device in order to pop up the bottom of the assembly. Take special care around the home button area.

Remove the cables that attach the digitizer assembly to the logic board:

Once you have the bottom of your digitizer assembly popped up we can remove the cables attaching it to the logic board.

1. Gently lift up your digitizer enough to have a clear view of the 3 cables in the top right of your iPhone.

2. With your plastic spudger or pry tool, you’ll need to pry up the first two cables that attach the digitizer and LCD. They should be labeled with orange stickers numbered 1 and 2. Simply pop them off the logic board gently.

3. Underneath these cables you’ll see one other labeled as cable 3. This one is a bit trickier as it is clipped down. You’ll need to gently pop up the clasp holding it into the fastener. It is a tiny white clip. Simply pop it upwards and the number 3 cable should then slide right out.

4. Remove the digitizer assembly and set it aside for LCD removal.

Remove the LCD from the old assembly and place it in the new assembly

1. There are 6 screws holding the LCD in place. They are all the same size. Three on the left side of the frame, 2 on the right side of the frame, and 1 on the top right holding down the induction flex. Remove all 6 screws with your #00 Phillips screwdriver and set them aside.

2. Next use your pry tool to slowly work the LCD out of the old assembly on the left and right sides. It should come out fairly easily. Just take special care not to scratch it while removing it. The LCD and back plate will remove in one piece as they are glued together.

3. Re-position the LCD and frame in the new assembly and replace all 6 screws in the new assembly. Make sure to remove any protection film on the inside of the new assembly before putting in the LCD. This is also a good time to check for dust between the LCD and new digitizer. I use air duster when necessary to make sure none gets stuck on the inside of the device.

Reassemble the digitizer

1. Begin with the number 3 cable that clips down. Getting it seated can be a bit tricky. Use a plastic spudger to guide it in the opening if needed. Then push back down the clip that holds it in place.

2. Next push down the number 1 and 2 cables onto the logic board.
3. To snap the new digitizer assembly back in place, start at the top and make sure it is lined up. Once the top is pushed down and flush, snap the bottom into place on each side of the home button.
4. Replace the two dock connector screws.

And… done!

That’s it! You now have a brand new digitizer on your iPhone 3G or 3GS! Turn your iPhone back on and test the digitizer. If the touchscreen is unresponsive, remove the digitizer again and verify that the number 2 cable is pushed down all the way onto the logic board and seated correctly. Also test your proximity sensor while making a call and make sure it is functioning properly.

Have you done this repair yourself? Let us know how it went! Want to know how to perform another type of iPhone repair or modification? Send me suggestions to ally.kazmucha@tipb.com or leave a comment in our brand new Mod and DIY Repair Forum!

For questions or to inquire about mail-in repairs through PXLFIX, please follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook or e-mail us directly! Of course, you can like us and follow us just because you think we’re cool too!

iPhone or iPad feeling kind of sluggish or an app freezing up on you and wondering how to manually force-quit multitasking apps to free up memory? iOS 5 does a great job automatically pausing or killing background tasks, but once and a while a big game, rogue process, or similar situation can drain resources or tie up memory. Luckily, iOS 5 makes it easy to quit these apps any time you like.

1. Double click the Home button to bring up the multitasking Fast App Switcher.
2. Touch-and-hold an app to put it into ‘jiggly mode’.
3. Tap the red minus-sign icon that appears at the top left corner of the app.
4. Watch the app close and disappear from the Fast App Switcher.
5. Hit the Home button again to exit jiggly mode.
6. Hit the Home button one more time to return to your Home Screen.

That’s it! Next time you notice you’re iPhone or iPad is acting strangely or running slower than normal, just close a few of the apps you have running in the background. Problem solved!

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

Have a loved one on your holiday shopping list who’s going to take their iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad on a special trip? Not sure exactly what to gift them? Not a problem, TiPb has you covered! From the traveler off to fun in the sun, to the family going home for the holidays, to the couple going out on the town, here are some of our favorite device, accessory, and app picks for the business user in your life!

Don’t need anything for a travel? Check out the recommendations anyway, something great might still catch your eye. If not, no worries, check out one of our other 2011 holiday gift guides!

Dream hardware for dream getaways

The perfect gift can make for the perfect trip. traveling can be stressful enough, but if your traveler has the right stuff, it can make not only the destination that much more enjoyable, but the journey as well.

iOS devices

An iPad to plan and book their excursions from the couch, and iPhone to manage their lists and flights on the go, iPod touches to keep the kids busy in the backseat, an Apple TV to hook up at the cabin, an iPod nano to rock out on the slopes. No matter where you’re going or what you’re going to do, there’s an iOS device that can make it more fun and more enjoyable for your traveler.

Not sure which one you should get? Not a problem! Start here:

• iOS device gift guide

Chargers

While there are more places to charge up and top off than ever, from coffee shops to airports, the truth is your traveler will be busy, stressed, and the last thing they need is to run out of power when they need it most. Whether it’s the kids in the carseats or spouses on the plane, every trip is better with a spare charger.

• Qmadix Dual Mobile Charging Kit for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch lets you charge two iOS devices — even the power-hungry iPad! — at the same time. If you’re going on a long family trip, or even an extended drive for the holidays, this can make all the difference between peacefully playing children and happily tapping significant others, and the agony and pain of bored passengers with dead devices turning their angry gazes in your direction.
• mophie juicepack offers the lighter, more colorful “air” model or the heftier but more powerful “plus” model. The air will recharge your iPhone to roughly 70%, the plus to almost full. Whether your business user values light weight portability or big battery power, the mophie juice pack is a must-have for anyone who is away from a wall outlet for long periods of time.
• Keychain Charge and Sync Cable for iPod & iPhone is perfect for those who need to travel ultralight but still want a backup to keep themselves charged when they get there. Let’s face it, away from home is the last place you want to be caught without a cable.

Cases

No matter where they’re going or what they’re doing there’s no such things as too much protection for their iPhone or iPad.

• Overboard for iPhone or iPad are waterproof cases perfect for everything from the beach to the slopes to the white waters to the hot tubs. Whether they’ll need to keep their devices safe from snow, sand, or suds, give them one of these.
• Otterbox for iPhone or iPad is for those who need superior protection, be it light but still sturdy or total armor. To survive a hike or to survive the kids, Otterbox is the way to go.
• iPhone wallet cases are a great idea for travelers who want to travel light. They let you keep your iPhone safe and take a few bills or credit cards along for the ride. There are also a wide variety of looks, from old fashioned to modern, guys to girls.

Extras

• Headsets will be worth their weight in gold if you’re traveler wants their music with them on the slopes or on the beach, or if the kids will be gaming on the plane or in the back seats.
• Car kits if you’re traveler’s are hitting the road, there’s nothing better than a good car mount and a great speakerphone.
• SCOTTEVEST has pockets and more pockets for all their documents, gear, electronics, and accessories. It’s like having an extra travel bag that keeps them warm at the same time!

Terrific apps for travelers

While wrapping paper is nice, nothing is faster to buy or easier to ship than software. Whether you load it up for them on their brand new device, or send it half way across the world, it’ll always get there on time and ready to use.

• How to gift iPhone and iPad apps

Travel games: Uno

Uno is the classic Italian card game all dressed up for the iPhone. You can play on your own, with your family — which is especially great on your TV via AirPlay! — or online against players of similar skill level. It’s everything you love about the original, all packaged up for your iPhone.

• $0.99 – App Store link

Also check out:

• Catan is a great version of a great strategy game. $4.99 – App Store link
• Words with Friends isn’t Scrabble but it is an all out, all online spelling war. $0.99 – App Store link
• Carcassone is a beautiful rendition of the medieval strategy game. $9.99 – App Store link
• Poker by Zynga let’s you get your Texus Hold’em on your iPhone. Free – App Store link

Location apps: NAVIGON

If your traveler is taking the long road to their holiday getaway, give them full fledged turn-by-turn driving directions on their iPhone so you can keep your eyes where they belong — on the road. NAVIGON provides on-board maps which means it keeps working in areas where there’s no data coverage. You can buy regional, country, or continents at a time, and there are also options for live traffic updates, parking directions, and enhanced panoramic views of the surroundings.

• Varies – App Store link

Also check out:

• Foursquare lets you “check in” to locations, keep track of your and your friends’ locations, and earn points for being there. Free – App Store link
• Yelp provides restaurant, gas station, bar, and pretty much any type of business location and recommendations. Free – App Store link
• Find my iPhone is Apple’s way for iCloud to help you locate, lock, and even wipe a missing or stolen iPhone. Free – App Store link
• Waze is a free, crowd-sourced, and highly social travel and nav app. Free – App Store link

Photo apps: Instagram

Instagram is the current king of iPhone photography apps, and it took the crown through a brilliant combination of easy-to-apply filters and super simple social sharing. The latest version not only adds even more filters, but all tilt-shift effects. Whether your traveler wants to quickly share great looking snap shots to Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr, Foursquare, or Posterous, Instagram has them covered. In style.

• Free – App Store link

Also check out:

• Photogene2 is a photography powerhouse, with full featured editing, sharing, and much more. $1.99 – App Store link
• Camera+ is jam packed with features and filters to make their photos shine. $0.99 – App Store link
• Hipstamatic to bring that terrific toy camera look to their shots. [$0.99 - App Store link]
• Flickr for iPhone lets them store and share all the shots you take. [Free - App Store link]

Your picks?

You’re a part of Team TiPb too! Have any accessories you think business users would love to get for the holidays? Make sure to let us know what your picks are as well!

Seen those funky little QR (quick response) bar codes floating around and wondering how to scan them on your iPhone or iPad? QR codes are used to store useful information like web URLs, contact cards, e-mail addresses, etc… While QR reading isn’t built into iOS, there are, of course, apps for that.

1. First you’ll need to get an app that reads QR codes. There are tons in the App Store. Some are free and some are paid. In this example, we are using a free app called [RL Classic](http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=xhX*vKggN*k&subid=&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=3909&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Frl-classic%2Fid312720263%3Fmt%3D8) by Occipital. Others include [QR scanner](http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=xhX*vKggN*k&subid=&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=3909&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Fqr-scanner%2Fid377643590%3Fmt%3D8) or [QR reader](http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=xhX*vKggN*k&subid=&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=3909&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple.com%2Fus%2Fapp%2Fqr-reader-for-iphone%2Fid368494609%3Fmt%3D8) and tons to choose from will come up. Take your pick and download one.

2. Next you’ll need to find a nifty code to scan and open the app. It should pull up something just like above where you can scan a code using your camera app. Apps like RL Classic don’t require you to take a physical picture – simply center the QR code in between the bars and it should pick up on it.

3. Next you’ll get some type of prompt showing you the information in the QR code. In this example it’s a web URL. I can just tap to visit the URL or cancel and it will save it to my history.

That’s it! You can now scan all those handy QR codes you see floating around in magazines, books, stores, and more.

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

Trying to figure out how to watch high quality YouTube videos when you’re on 3G? The iPhone is a great device for watching videos on YouTube. However, if you’re on the go, the built-in YouTube app reduces the quality of the video to save data.

One common way of bypassing this quality-reduction is by jailbreaking and using an app like My3G, but what if you’re not on #teamjaibreak? Luckily, there’s a work around that works on any iPhone, and all it requires is the stock Safari web browser.

1. Open Safari
2. Navigate to m.youtube.com
3. Find the video you want to watch
4. Select “HQ”
5. Tap the thumbnail
6. Watch YouTube in its HQ glory.

Bonus: You can add the web app to your homescreen to replace the default YouTube app by pressing the +, and then “add to homescreen”

Tips of the day will range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

Have an out of warranty AT&T or Verizon iPhone 4 that’s can’t seem to hold a charge and wondering how to replace the battery DIY (do it yourself) style? Changing out batteries is a service we provide at PXLFIX on a regular basis, but it’s actually a pretty simple repair and something most people with just a bit of technical know-how can perform.

Disclaimer: As with any repair, iMore nor PXLFIX can be held responsible for any damage you may do to your device. It’s also worth considering that opening up your device to perform any repair or modification can and will void your Apple warranty. If you don’t feel comfortable opening your device, don’t. With this specific repair, please take care not to puncture or bend the battery in any way as it could be a potential fire hazard. Use extreme care and caution when performing a repair on any device.

What You need for a DIY battery swap

PXLFIX recommends using only quality and genuine parts from a reputable supplier like eTech Parts. They have the parts, tools, and all your other repair needs.

• A sad iPhone 4
• A new iPhone 4 battery – GSM iPhone 4 battery, CDMA iPhone 4 battery
• A #00 Phillips screwdriver
• A mini 5-point screwdriver (you’ll only need this if you have five point screws in your dock connector instead of standard #00 Phillips screws)
• A plastic pry tool

How to remove the back of your iPhone 4

1. First remove the bottom 2 dock connector screens in your iPhone 4. Use either your #00 screwdriver or the five point depending on whether or not your iPhone 4 has security screws in the dock connector. Almost all newer devices will have security screws.
2. To remove the back simply slide the back upwards and lift it off gently.
3. Set the back and 2 dock connector screws aside.

How to remove the old battery of your iPhone 4

1. To remove the old battery you’ll need to remove the #00 screw holding the battery clip in place. Remove this screw located to the bottom left of the battery.

2. The metal clip on the battery is what clips the battery to the logic board. You’ll need to pop this clip up with your plastic pry tool. Simply stick the end of your pry tool underneath the clip and gently pull upwards until it unfastens from the logic board.

3. To remove the battery, I do not recommend using the plastic pull tab. There is quite a bit of adhesive underneath the battery and the tab will normally just rip off or you can bend the battery. Instead, run your pry tool along the right side of the battery and break the adhesive that way. Once the battery is free from the adhesive, you can pull the old battery out of the phone. There are no other connectors holding it in.

4. As a side note, there is a tiny grounding clip that sits right where you unscrewed your battery from. Do NOT lose this clip. It grounds your wifi antenna. You will need to make sure it is in place before installing the new battery.

How to install a new battery in your iPhone 4

1. Make sure your wifi grounding clip is in place. It should be lined up with your #00 screw hole for your battery. It goes under your battery clip.
2. Once your grounding clip is lined up you can snap your new battery in place. Just line up the clip on the battery to where it gets seated on the logic board and snap it down. You should hear it click into place.
3. Set the new battery in place and line it up.
4. Replace the #00 screw that holds the battery and grounding clip in place.

How to put the back cover back on your iPhone 4

1. Place your iPhone 4 back cover back on by lining up the clips and sliding it down into place. It should fall directly into the track. It should be easy to slide it into place.
2. Put the two dock connector screws back in.

And… done!

That’s it. You now have a new battery in your iPhone 4! Have you done this repair yourself? Let us know how it went! Want to know how to perform another type of iPhone repair or modification? Send me suggestions to ally.kazmucha@tipb.com or leave a comment in our brand new Mod and DIY Repair Forum!

For repair questions or to inquire about mail-in repairs through PXLFIX, please follow us on Twitter or e-mail us directly!

Annoyed that, by default, Notification Center seems to display alerts by some sort of weird app association method and wondering how to get them to follow a more sensible order? If you want to change this to sort your notifications by time of arrival, then there is a very easy way to do it.

• Swipe down on your home screen and take a look at how your notifications look now

• You can see that the times are all over the place and not in any sort of order
• To change the sort order by time descending, first go to Settings
• Tap on Notifications
• Tap on By Time under the Sort Apps heading

• That’s it, all your notifications will now be in order of the time they came in, with the latest at the top of he list!

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

There are hundreds of thousands of iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad apps for just about everything — so how come the one you need, the one you know just has to be there, is so hard to find? Enter TiPb’s new weekly feature where staff and readers alike sort through the App Store and help you find just the right App for That. This week, @Bitterblade asks:

I want a twitter app that syncs unread tweets between my iPhone and iPad.

We’re going to switch things up a little this time, and instead of recommending a specific app, we’re going to take a look at a service that can be used between multiple apps. To find out what it is, follow along after the break!

Tweet Marker is a web service that marks your last read tweet. As long as you have the service set up on at least two different Twitter clients, you can freely jump between the two apps without losing place of which Tweet you read last. Just enable the feature in the apps’ settings, and you’re good to go!

Here is a list of Twitter apps that support Tweet Marker:

• Tweetbot (iPhone) [$2.99 - App Store link]
• Twitterrific (iPhone, iPad) [Free - App Store link]
• Tweetings
  • (iPhone) [$2.99 - App Store link]
  • (iPad) [$3.99 - App Store link]
• Tweet Speaker (iPhone) [$0.99 - App Store link]
• Twittelator Neue (iPhone) [$1.99 - App Store link]
• Tweet Library (iPad) [$9.99 - App Store link]
• Tweetlogix (iPhone) [$1.99 - App Store link]

Bonus: Twitterrific also has a Mac version [$4.99 - Mac App Store link] that supports Tweet Marker. The Chrome extension WebMarker does as well.

Anyone else have any App for That suggestions for @Bitterblade? Let him — and all of us — know.

Having trouble finding what you need in the app store? Head on over to our App for That Forum and let us know what you’re looking for. The TiPb community will do our best to find you just the right App for That!

New to iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad and heard about Jailbreak, but not sure if it’s for you, and how to get started if it is? No problem, TiPb’s here to help! Jailbreak lets you change the look of your entire iPhone, put extra icons in the dock, reply to SMS or iMessage without leaving a game, preview events from the lock screen, toggle settings with a swipe, and much, much more. Compiled here is a master list of basic Jailbreak terms, tools, apps, tweaks, themes, and utilities, and a break down the pros and cons, so you’ll know if you’re comfortable taking the plunge.

Already a Jailbreak wizard? Save this link as a handy reference to shoot friends and family who are just getting started.

Note: If you need extra help or want to get into more advanced areas of Jailbreak, check out:

• Jailbreak Forums
• Jailbreak Apps, Hacks, and Themes Forum
• Jailbreak Dev Forum

Common ways to Jailbreak

There are usually several ways to jailbreak depending exactly when a new version of iOS is released, when a new exploit is found, and when new jailbreaks are released. Some are one-button easy, others command-line complicated. Here are the latest and the simplest. We’ll continue to update this page and our main jailbreak page whenever new jailbreak tools are released or updated.

If you’re not sure which tool you’d need, here’s how to find out which iOS software and iPhone modem firmware you’re running.

iOS 5 & 5.0.1 (GSM/CDMA) Jailbreak (tethered)

• How to Jailbreak iOS 5 & 5.0.1 via RedSn0w (does not work on iPad 2 or iPhone 4S)

iOS 4.3.3 (AT&T/GSM) Jailbreak (untethered)

• How to Jailbreak iOS 4.3.3 via JailbreakMe (including iPad 2)
• How to Jailbreak iOS 4.3.3 with redsn0w

iOS 4.2.6 (Verizon) Jailbreak (untethered)

• How to jailbreak iOS 4.2.6 on your Verizon iPhone 4 with Greenpois0n

Common Jailbreak Terms

Jailbreak

The most obvious of all terms, but yet the most confused. Jailbreak comes from “breaking open” the root “jail” that Apple uses to secure iOS against running unsigned — aka unapproved by Apple — code. (You might have heard this called “rooting” on other platforms.) While Apple does this for security reasons, so bad guys can’t put viruses and malware on iOS, it also prevents good guys from making some incredibly useful but currently frowned upon features — like ssh access, shortcuts, themes, side-loading, and much more.

Jailbreaking applies to iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad, and at its core is about control and customization, letting you do what you want with the device you purchased.

Tethered vs. Untethered

Two common terms you’ll see associated with Jailbreak are Tethered and Untethered. These refer to whether or not you need to connect your Jailbroken iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad to your PC over USB in order to reboot it.

An Untethered Jailbreak can be rebooted any time, anywhere, without having to connect to your PC. It works just like a non-Jailbroken device.

A Tethered Jailbreak needs to be plugged into your PC over USB, and you typically need to re-run your Jailbreak utility — like redsn0w — and choose the “reboot” option to restart your device.

Rebooting a Tethered Jailbreak without plugging into your PC could result in your device not restarting, or restarting but with no access to Cydia, or other side effects.

An Untethered Jailbreak is typically harder to develop and takes longer to release than a Tethered Jailbreak, so Untethered Jailbreaks are often only available for older versions of iOS while Tethered Jailbreaks get updated more quickly.

For example, iOS 5 can currently only be Jailbroken with a Tether.

Unlocking

If you bought your iPhone from a carrier like AT&T, or at a subsidized (on-contract) price, it will almost certainly be SIM-locked to that carrier. That means, for example, you can’t take out your AT&T SIM and put in a T-Mobile SIM if you want to change plans, or put in a Rogers or Vodafone SIM if you’re traveling.

While you can buy SIM-unlocked iPhones directly from Apple in many countries, and some carriers will unlock an iPhone for you after a certain period of time or for a certain amount of money, many won’t, including AT&T. So, unlocking is a Jailbreak method of removing the carrier SIM-lock so you can use your iPhone on the network or networks of your choosing.

The unlock process can change from firmware to firmware but typically, you’ll need to jailbreak your phone and then install a program via Cydia like ultrasn0w or yellowsn0w, which will then unlock your iPhone.

Note: There are also other ways to unlock such as the Gevey SIM but they’re typically frowned upon considering you’ve got to dial an emergency number for the process to work.

Cydia

Apple has the App Store, jailbreakers have Cydia in addition to Apple’s App Store. (If you want to be technical, Jailbreak had Installer even before Apple had the App Store.) Because Cydia isn’t run by Apple, Cydia apps don’t have to be approved by Apple and you can find all sorts of highly useful themes, utilities, tweaks and other software in Cydia you simply can’t find anywhere else.

Cydia works with repos, or repositories. These are simply the sources for the software files that Cydia lets you install. ModMyi and BigBoss are two of the largest. They are already added when you install Cydia. You are always welcome to add custom repos if you choose, however, you really want to stick to well known, trusted sources. Just because good guy developers are making great software for Jailbreak, doesn’t mean a bad guy won’t try to sneak in something you don’t want.

Recovery Mode and DFU Mode

There are two “modes” you might have to enter in order to Jailbreak your iPhone, iPod touch or iPad — Recovery Mode and Device Firmware Update (DFU) mode. While they may seem similar, there are some differences.

If your screen shows a “Connect to iTunes” logo with a “Slide for Emergency” control, that’s Recovery Mode. If you only see a “Connect to iTunes” (no “Slide for Emergency” control), or more commonly, a black screen, you are in DFU mode.

The main difference between these two modes is what they will and won’t bypass for installs. Recovery mode will implement iBoot (basically a portion of the bootloader than runs an integrity check) which will not allow you to downgrade your device’s current version of iOS.

DFU mode will still talk to iTunes but it bypasses iBoot which will then allow you to downgrade firmware. Most jailbreaks will require DFU mode for these reasons.

• How to put your iPhone or iPad into DFU mode

SHSH Blobs

Signature HaSH or SHSH* blobs are the signature system Apple has created to verify iOS firmware for authentication. Apple uses them to prevent iTunes from restoring older versions of iOS to iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. For example, a short time after iOS x.1 is released, Apple will stop signing iOS x.0 and you’ll no longer be able to restore that version to your device.

This is important because iOS x.0 might have a Jailbreak and iOS x.1. might not yet have been Jailbroken (or may be a tethered vs. untethered Jailbreak. So, if you upgrade you could lose your Jailbreak, your untether, etc.

SHSH blobs save you from this headache. It will basically give iTunes a fake authentication, which in turn, makes iTunes think your restore has been verified.

Cydia will save SHSH blobs for you but occasionally their servers get flooded and they disable it for a period of time. If that happens, you can use TinyUmbrella as well. I highly recommend saving your blobs early on in case you ever find yourself in this predicament.

• How to save SHSH blobs via TinyUmbrella.

Baseband

The baseband is essentially the part of your iPhone that controls the antenna. This has everything to do with your service and signal. This is why most unlockers have to be extremely careful when upgrading. If the baseband changes, it can permanently keep them from achieving an unlock again. This is the main reason most unlockers tend to favor PwnageTool. It creates a custom firmware bundle for you to upgrade to that doesn’t upgrade the baseband, only the main OS. If you are running on the same carrier you bought your iPhone from and don’t care about unlocking, the baseband it typically less of a concern. Wifi and Bluetooth don’t run on the baseband either, so iPod touch or wi-fi only iPad owners typically don’t have concerns when it comes to new baseband versions.

Springboard and Re-Spring

On a computer you have a desktop, on an iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad you have a Springboard. That’s the technical name of the iOS Home Screen system, and it’s basically the interface you constantly interact with. Another term you’ll come in contact with is respringing.

Which leads us to Re-Spring, or the process of restarting the Springboard. Some jailbreak apps you install will require you to do this. All changes in the appearance of your phone via Winterboard (explained below) will require a respring as well. It’s nothing more than refreshing your desktop on a computer.

Popular Jailbreak Utilities

Winterboard or Dreamboard

A lot of people jailbreak for the ability to change the look — aka theme — of their device. Enter Winterboard and the newly released Dreamboard. Both are free downloads in Cydia. When you install a Winterboard theme, all the components will show up in Winterboard. Depending upon how a theme developer decided to bundle their theme, you may have only one package in Winterboard, or you may have several. I personally prefer when developers separate theme elements.

Since Winterboard works as a hierarchy, I can select a theme and if I don’t like the sounds, I can download a sound pack I “do” like and apply that in Winterboard. The key is to move it above the main theme so it overrides the sounds I don’t want. I highly suggest jailbreakers become very familiar and comfortable with Winterboard. If you do, there is no limit to what you can do to your phone and you’ll be able to tweak and customize even the littlest details of your springboard.

Dreamboard is a relatively new tweak to the jailbreak scene but one I’ve already decided to include it on my must have iOS 5 jailbreak list . It gives you even more theming ability straight from the device. Swap out icons, customize your theme, and simply apply it. Even though it’s in its early stages, it shows a lot of promise so far.

SBSettings

SBSettings is a free utility that allows you to add quick toggles that will drop down onto your springboard. There are also several plug-ins and themes you can download for SBSettings as well. It’ll also allow you to hide icons you don’t want or use. This is especially useful for hiding stock apps you can’t uninstall. I hide the default weather and stock apps among others that are simply wasting space on my springboard. You’ll also be able to more closely keep tabs on your memory and running processes. This was extremely useful before multitasking. It’s still useful today for freeing up memory and seeing what may be eating through battery or slowing your phone down.

Notification Replacement Apps

Even though iOS 5 introduced Notification Center, some users may still feel there’s a lot to be desired when it comes to customizing their notification preferences. Jailbreak developers have stepped up once again to provide other options such as IntelliscreenX. Developers such as Intelliborn and David Ashman (creator of LockInfo]) have frequently stepped in to fill the gaps. I think jailbreak tweaks and customizations for Notification Center will just get better and better.

SMS Apps and Add-Ons

There are many apps that improve SMS capabilities as well. Again, iOS has come a long way in terms of how messages are handled but I’m still waiting for that magic quick reply button to appear as a stock option. Until then, apps like BiteSMS have kept me content. There are other options like TLert available via Cydia as well. Before iOS offered a default option for custom text tones, BiteSMS was reason alone for me to jailbreak.

MyWi

Many users are left bitter when certain carriers want to charge them an additional fee just for the privilege of tethering. MyWi is a wonderful little app and in my opinion, a major reason to jailbreak on its own. MyWi alllows you to create a wifi hotspot with your iPhone.

If you aren’t to keen on paying tethering fees every month to your carrier for the same bits and bytes of data, MyWi may be a better solution. Just keep in mind a lot of carriers are cracking down on unauthorized tethering. This isn’t a viable solution for heavy data users but if you only need the ability here and there, this is a good option if you jailbreak.

Jailbreak next steps

Once you’re comfortable with the basics, you can start jumping into the Jailbreak deep end. Here are the best places to start.

• Everything Jailbreak
• Jailbreak Forums
• Jailbreak Apps, Hacks, and Themes Forum
• Jailbreak Dev Forum

As always, if you guys think of anything awesome you think should be on this list, shoot me an e-mail to ally.kazmucha@tipb.com or post it in the comments below!

Curious how to turn-off the GPS geo-location information your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad can store in the photos you take? Geo-location can be a handy feature to keep track of where you took travel photos, but it can also raise privacy concerns, especially if you ever lose your iOS device, or someone decides to start tracking you — or your child — via pictures posted online.

iOS will ask you to opt-in to the location for the Camera app the first time you launch it, but if you later change your mind, it’s simple to opt-out of and turn off.

1. Launch Settings
2. Tap Location services
3. Toggle Camera to OFF

If you’ve already taken photos with your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad and want to share them but are worried that they might contain location information, you can quickly and easily wipe them clean before posting.

1. Launch Photos
2. Find the picture you want to share
3. Take a screen shot of the photo (here’s how).
4. Go to the screen shot
5. Share the screen shot instead.

Screen shots on an iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, and iPod touch 4 are 960×480, and on iPad are 1024×768, plenty big enough for Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Path, or whatever social network you’re using. That way, when and if you choose to share the image, you’re not also sharing the GPS coordinates of where you — and your family — are.

There’s no reason to be paranoid, but there’s no reason to be reckless either. Information is power and with power comes responsibility. (For more on why, see this excellent article by David Barnard of App Cubby.(

Surf safe.

If you’ve updated your iPhone 3GS to iOS 5 or 5.0.1 and lost your unlock we can help you get it back. The actual jailbreak will be tethered but you’ll still be able to unlock and continue using your device in the mean time until an untethered jailbreak solution is released. iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S users should steer clear of this as it will not work.

Devices supported

• iPhone 3GS

What you’ll need

• RedSn0w 0.9.9b5 or later, we recommend the most current version which is RedSn0w 0.9.9b8 – Mac Link, Windows Link
• A working SIM card (doesn’t matter what carrier as long as it’s activated and working)

Jailbreak with RedSn0w and Install the iPad baseband

You’ll follow the same steps are you would to jailbreak via Redsn0w except for one difference. Instead of just checking Install Cydia you’ll need to check off Install iPad baseband. RedSn0w will warn you that this can not be undone. Agree and continue the jailbreak process.

Boot Tethered

After jailbreaking you’ll need to perform one tethered boot before unlocking. Simply launch RedSn0w again and click Extras. Check the box for Just boot tethered right now. You’ll be walked through DFU mode and your phone should reboot.

Install UltraSn0w

After your phone reboots you’ll need to perform the following steps to unlock it:

Known Issues

A few users have seen issues where their phone will not obtain service after using ultrasn0w on iOS 5 or iOS 5.0.1. If you have this issue, launch RedSn0w once more and choose jailbreak again. Instead of going through the whole process this time, you only want to check Deactivate. Do one more tethered boot and you should be good to go!

If you need more help, visit our TiPb jailbreak & unlock forums for answers to many common questions and to ask your own!

Update: Some users are pointing out that using RedSn0w 0.9.9b8 is breaking GPS functionality again but using RedSn0w 0.9.9b7 doesn’t. So if you’re having that issue, try using the beta 7 version instead. Thanks to all that tipped this!

iOS 5 on the iPhone has Carrier IQ-style diagnostic information sharing turned off by default, but as part of the on-device setup process, asks you if you’d be willing to opt-in and share the data with Apple. If you did that, or aren’t sure what you did, but now want to make sure you’re opted out of anything even remotely Carrier IQ-esque, here’s how to do that.

1. Launch Settings
2. Tap General
3. Tap About
4. Scroll down and tap on Diagnostics & Usage
5. Tap Don’t Send

That’s it, you’re done. If you’re curious what kind of data is being stored locally on your device, whether or not you choose to share it with Apple, tap on Diagnostic & Usage Data.

Mine contains a bunch of crash logs from AirVideo, a ton of low memory reports, some weirdness from Messages, Mail, and Twitter, and some games.

Either way, while it currently looks like Apple does include Carrier IQ in iOS, it seems they aren’t polling very deeply, and what data they are collecting is opt-in instead of opt-out (which is great) and can easily be turned off entirely via the steps above.

If you have any other privacy, security, or tips in general, let us now!

If you’re currently running iOS 5.0.1, you can jailbreak via RedSn0w 0.9.9b8. This one is also tethered like the previous beta versions of RedSn0w for iOS 5. It’s also worth noting that unlockers should stay away from this one unless they’re okay with being tethered. iPhone 4 users should stay away from any newer stock iOS firmware versions altogether in order to preserve their baseband.

Be advised that not all jailbreak apps and tweaks have been updated to support iOS 5 yet. If you’re alright with running tethered and don’t mind a few bugs here and there, follow along for a quick walkthrough.

If you’ve used RedSn0w before, you’ll be right at home. It’s not too much different than jailbreaking any other firmware version you may have used it for previously.

Devices Supported

• iPod touch 3G
• iPod touch 4G
• iPad 1
• iPhone3GS
• iPhone 4 (GSM)
• iPhone 4 (CDMA)

And I can’t say this enough times, if your device is not listed above, please do not attempt to jailbreak any device but the ones listed above. iPad 2 and iPhone 4S users will have to sit this one out.

What you need

• iOS 5.0.1 installed on your device
• RedSn0w 0.9.9b8 – Mac Link, Windows Link

1. First Launch RedSn0w

2. This version and other newer versions of RedSn0w should automatically detect what version of iOS you are running. No need to manually browse to a firmware file this time. Just click Jailbreak and follow the prompts.

3. Next RedSn0w will prompt you to only continue when your device is powered off. If it isn’t already, power your device off while it’s connected to the computer.

4. Next you will be guided through putting your device into DFU mode. Follow the steps and RedSn0w will take care of the rest.
5. If you’re on 5.0.1, you will need to manually navigate to an iOS 5.0 firmware file (not 5.0.1). RedSn0w will fail to identify the build on iOS 5.0.1. So do this when RedSn0w fails just like you had to with all other previous versions that didn’t automatically detect an IPSW. Just navigate to an iOS 5.0 file for your device instead of 5.0.1.
   Update: You can use redsn0w 0.9.9b9b for native iOS 5.0.1 support now and not have to point to a 5.0 IPSW. Download links for the newer version of redsn0w are here: Mac, Windows
6. After RedSn0w finishes doing it’s thing, you’re done!

7. Next you may need to perform a tethered boot. If you do, simply open RedSn0w again and click Extras and then Just Boot
8. Your phone will perform a tethered boot and you should be good to go!

RedSn0w has also thrown in a little bonus for Windows users. You can copy the redsnow.exe file to your desktop or anywhere you like and rename it something like justboot.exe. As long as you have the word “boot” in the file name you can just double click that file to perform a quick tethered boot with RedSn0w.

That’s it boys and girls. If you need any help, be sure to check out our TiPb jailbreak forums. Until next time, happy jailbreaking!

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

Thinking about getting your child an iPad or iPod touch and wondering how to safely give them limited email access on iOS? Email is a handy way to share things like pictures they’ve taken with the Camera app. I’ve chosen to use Hotmail (Windows Live) for my kids because of the level of parental control they provide. Here’s how I’ve set things up.

1. Go to live.com to begin
2. Click the Sign Up button.
3. Use a random assortment of letters and numbers to create a username only you (the parent) can relate back to your child.
4. Create a strong password that only you (the parent) knows.
5. Use your (the parents) email address as the alternate.
6. Leave everything else as non-identifiable as possible.
7. Click on Profile > Privacy Settings > Advanced
8. Turn all privacy options to the maximum (most stringent) possible.
9. Go to the Options dropdown and choose More Options
10. Select Exclusive, so everything is sent to Junk except for safe senders. Click Save.
11. Go to Safe and Blocked senders, click on Safe Senders.
12. Add only the people you absolutely trust to the Safe Senders list (mom, dad, perhaps siblings or grandparents), click Add to List for each one.
13. Send an email via the web interface, just to prove you aren’t a bot

Once this is setup, you can add the email account to your child’s iPod touch or iPad. I also recommend adding it to your own iPhone or iOS device so you can monitor what’s being sent and received and adjust (or shut down) accordingly.

You can also go to Settings, General, Restrictions on your child’s iOS device and toggle Allow Changes: Accounts: to “Don’t Allow Changes” to prevent anything from being altered.

It’s not perfect, and if your children are really young you may want to forgo email entirely. But if you want to slowly get them used to using email, and you want to do it as safely and securely as the technology allows, this is the best setup I’ve found to date.

If anyone else has any better or alternate ideas, please share them in the comments!

Google is collecting information from Wi-Fi access points from all over the world  to enable it to speed up location services. Unfortunately it is gathering this information and maybe more, without the consent of the owners of the access point.

What’s more, Google is not only gathering data from public Wi-Fi access points but also from home and business users too. If you value your privacy, there is a way to stop Google recording your Wi-Fi access point’s location information. It’s reasonably straight forward to implement.

• Log in to your routers home page; usually this is done via an IP address similar to 192.168.0.1 if you don’t know, consult your router instruction manual
• Once you are logged in, go to the routers Wireless Settings

• Find the name or SSID of your Wi-Fi access point

• Add _nomap to the end o the the SSID

• Make sure to Apply or Save the changes
• That’s it, Google will no longer have your Wi-Fi router in its database.

Source: Google via Android Central

Geeks are really difficult to buy for. They know everything. They have everything. Every iPhone case, every iPad stand, one of each color for every model ever released. So unlike our other 2011 holiday gift guides that focus on awesome gifts to make your iPhone or iPad better, this one is branching out — this one covers everything not iPhone or iPad! (Well, not everything, but a lot of really cool, really awesome stuff we think your geeks will really love!)

UPDATE: Some of this stuff is currently on Black Friday sale! If you’ve been thinking about getting a great gift for your geek, check them out today and you’ll likely save a few bucks!

Boon Glo Nightlight with Portable Balls

For the little geeks who never want you to turn out the lights when they go to bed, now they can take the lights with them to bed. For parents, the lights will fade slowly over a 30 min. period, letting your little ones drift off to sleep. For kids — listen carefully — monsters are deathly afraid of glowing orb lights!

• Get Boon Glo Nightlight with Portable Balls on Amazon.com

The 24-105mm Travel Coffee Mug

They love photography. They love coffee. What’s not to love about a hot beverage holder that looks just like a lens? And if this size doesn’t suit you, there are a bunch of other sizes, up to full thermoses. Just remember — drink them, don’t shoot with them!

• Get 24-105mm Travel Coffee Mug on Amazon.com

Air Swimmers Remote Controlled Flying Shark

It’s a balloon, it’s a shark, it’s remote controlled. What could be cooler than that? Just imagine it moving slowly, soundlessly down the hallway, around the corner. Cue the Jaws theme. Coming up from behind the sofa… Eyes black as coal.

Yeah, I think you’re going to need a bigger living room!

• Get Air Swimmers Remote Controlled Flying Shark at Amazon.com

Star Wars R2-D2 Trashcan

“Ooteenee!” Apparently that’s Jawa for “hey, flip the lid on that astromech so I can toss out this Bantha poodoo!” But honestly, what’s cuter than your very own R2-D2 trashcan? Not even a C3-PO coat rack to equal this for sheer geek chic, especially the mini desktop version. If you want it, though, I’d suggest getting it soon… before Jabba the Lucas dubs a dumb voice on to him. “Noooooooo!”

• Get Star Wars R2-D2 Trashcan at ThinkGeek.com

Electronic Firefly in a Jar

No, it’s not a real insect, and no, it’s not Captain Malcolm Reynolds and crew all vacuum sealed for your viewing pleasure in a Candor bottle, but it is faux geek goram glorious none-the-less. I got one of these for an office warming present and everyone asks about it. One of the best gifts in the ‘verse.

• get Electronic Firefly in a Jar at ThinkGeek.com

Stylin Online t-shirts

These are shirts that even Sheldon would love. From comic books to movies and TV shows, there are more fabulous t-shirts here than you could shake a bazinga at!

• Get t-shirts at Styling Online

Gift Certificates

If your special geek truly has everything, there’s still the one thing they can always use more off — MONEY! But since money isn’t that festive, you can “wrap it up” in a handy gift card for their favorite retailer and let them choose their own perfect geek-gift!

• Get iTunes gift certificates
• Get Amazon gift certificates

Your picks?

Remember, you’re part of Team TiPb too, so if you’ve already picked the perfect gift for your iPhone or iPad geek, or have the perfect idea for one, let us know in comments!

Wondering how to quickly and easily add icons to your Home Screen that will take you to frequently used Settings like Brightness, Bluetooth, or Wi-Fi? Developer Jeff Broderick has created profiles that do just that!

Follow along to learn how to get them!

1. From your iPhone, visit brdrck.me/settings/
2. Tap the setting you wish you add to your homescreen
3. If there is more than one icon option, tap the one you wish to have. Then tap Install [setting] Shortcut.
4. This will open the Install Profile Page. Tap Install.
5. A popup will appear warning you the the profile is unsigned. If you’re ok with that (we are!), tap Install Now.
6. When the profile is done installing, tap Done.
7. This will bring you back to brdrck’s website.
8. Tap the home button to find the icon on your home page.

Now when you tap on your new icon, you will see a quick flash of brdrck’s website before being taken to that specific setting in the Settings app.

Personally, I only installed the Brightness setting and have that sitting on my first page. I’ve been dying for quick access to my Brightness slider for many years. If you want all of the shortcuts, you may want to add them all to a folder on your first page for quick access.

Bonus Tip: If you desire more than these 11 settings, check out godlaya. The website is mostly in German, but you can install a bundle of 23 settings profiles in English.

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

Ever found the perfect iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad app for the perfect person and wondered how you could just buy it and give it to them, right then and there? Whether it’s for the holidays, a birthday, or just because, Apple makes it easy to gift apps right from inside the App Store.

Gift an app from an iPhone, iPod touch or iPad

If you have an iOS device, you can gift apps right from within the App Store.

1. Launch the App Store app
2. Browse to app you wish to gift
3. Scroll to the bottom and tap Gift This App
4. A screen summarizing the app will appear. Tap Next.
5. Fill out the form and tap Next
6. Review the information and tap Buy Gift
7. If you’d like to gift the app again, tap Gift Again; otherwise, tap Done.

Gift an app from iTunes on Windows or Mac

If you don’t have an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, you can gift apps right from iTunes on your desktop!

1. Open iTunes on your computer
2. Browse to the app you wish gift
3. Click the arrow next to the app’s price
4. Click Gift This App
5. Fill out the form and click Continue
6. If everything on the summary screen is correct, click Buy Gift

International gifting

If you have a U.S. iTunes account, you can only gift apps to other people with U.S. App Store accounts (or U.K. to U.K., or Canada to Canada, etc.). You can’t gift internationally. If you really want to buy an app for someone who uses a different regional iTunes Store, you’ll need to send them cash via PayPal or something similar, along with a note telling them to use it to buy the app you picked out for them.

There you have it! Now you’re all set to buy iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad apps for your family and friends!

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

The iPhone, iPad and  iPod touch are pretty much the perfect mobile gaming platform and chances are you might be shopping for someone who just loves their iOS gaming. So what to get them? Luckily, there are lots and lots of gifts for gamers to choose from! Here are a few of my favorites, both for the hottest hardware and greatest games!

Don’t need anything for a gamer? Check out the recommendations anyway, something great might still catch your eye. If not, no worries, check out one of our other 2011 holiday gift guides!

iOS device gifts

Does you gamer in your life not have an iPhone, Pod touch or iPad yet? Not sure which one you should get? Not a problem! Start here:

• iOS device gift guide

Accessory gifts

If your gamer already has their device, there are some great accessories out there to help them take their gaming to another level.

iCade

The iCade is a magical gift for the retro gamer. The iCade arcade cabinet is an accessory for your iPad which turns it into a retro arcade machine complete with joystick, six buttons and a glowing coin slot.

More and more games are being released that work with the iCade; including the Atari’s Greatest Hits app. The iCade is designed to work with the iPad and iPad 2.

The iPad slots into the arcade cabinet and the controls are done over Bluetooth. Buying a gamer one of these should keep them happy not just over the holiday period but for the rest of their life too!

• Get iCade at ThinkGeek.com

Fling and Fling Mini

What if you are watching your favorite gamer and they are constantly struggling with their game and can’t achieve even the simplest tasks due to their finger and thumb fumblings on the shiny iPhone or iPad touchscreen? Fear not, there is a solution for that too, Ten One Design have come up with a well designed joystick for the iPad and a mini version for the iPhone and iPod touch too. Called the “Fling”, it sticks to your screen with some small suction cups and claims to offer a console type gaming experience.

As you control a game with Fling, it pushes gently back towards the center position.  This haptic feedback guides and stabilizes your gameplay, making every action more accurate. Any gamer would love to get their hands on one of these, me included!

• Get Fling and Fling mini at Amazon.com

mophie juice pack plus

It is pointless having the latest games and accessories for your iPhone if the battery on your device is not up to the task. Thankfully we have just the thing to buy for the gamer to keep their iPhone fully charged and ready to play.

The mophie juice pack is a hard shell case which fits the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Built into the case is a 2000 mAh capacity battery. mophie claims that the juice pack plus will double your iPhone’s battery life which gives you double the time to play your favorite games.

The mophie juice pack is the ideal gift for the iPhone gamer, it not only protects your iPhone but also doubles its battery life, a perfect gaming combination!

• Get mophie juice pack plus on store.tipb.com

Motorola MOTOROKR S10HD Bluetooth Stereo Headphones

It’s a classic story, they love to game, you’d dearly love some peace and quiet. Luckily, there’s a gift that can keep on giving to the both of you — stereo headphones! They get deep base and immersive sound, and the freedom of a cable-free experience, and you get blissful, well deserved silence.

While there are a ton of headphones to choose from, wire and unwired alike, the MOTOROKR looks and sounds great, and has just a touch of that futuristic feel to it.

• Get the Motorola MOTOROKR S10HD Bluetooth Stereo Headphones on store.tipb.com

App gifts

What better gift for a gamer than more great games to play? The App Store is chock full of them, and iTunes allows you to gift them straight to your special gamer. (If you’re not sure how, here’s quick guide to gifting apps)

First person shooter (FPS) games: Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation

Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation is the ultimate First Person Shooter for the iOS platform. If you want to treat the gamer in your life with a great game then this may be the one to go for. You can play a solo mission with over 13 different levels each with fantastic graphics and enemy AI.

Modern Combat 3: Fallen Nation also offers a highly polished online multiplayer game experience. You can battle up to twelve players in six maps with seven different modes of play. A word of warning, you can accelerate your gaming abilities in this game via in app purchase of weapons and health kits; some find this an unfair advantage!

It is also a universal binary so this particular game will look stunning on your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

• $6.99 – App Store link

Also check out:

• Dead Space is a gorgeous, terrifying shooter set in the depth of space. $6.99 – App Store link
• N.O.V.A. 2 is the closest thing to HALO on the iPhone. $6.99 – App Store link
• RAGE HD comes from John Carmack and while it’s on rails, it’s also off the hook. $1.99 – App Store link
• Call of Duty: Zombies is all the undead you can empty a clip at. $4.99 App Store link

Arcade games: Real Racing 2

If the gamer on your gift hit list is into driving games then they don’t get any better than Firemint’s Real Racing 2. Real Racing 2 lets you take the wheel of 30 officially licensed cars and each has its own characteristics too. You can race against 16 other cars all at the same time.

Real Racing 2 also offers 15 locations to race in with over 40 miles of highly detailed race tracks, speedways and city center circuits. You can also choose to race in the daytime, twilight hours or evening.

If you are lucky enough to own an iPhone 4S or iPad 2 and an Apple TV (Black) you can even play wirelessly on your HDTV. Friends can join in too with split screen multiplayer and Party Play.

• $9.99 – App Store link

Also check out:

• Infinity Blade brings the Epic Unreal 3 engine to iOS. ‘Nuff said. $2.99 – App Store link]
• Street Fighter IV Volt puts the classic fighter in the palm of your hands. $0.99 – App Store link
• Extraction: Project Outbreak is a fresh take on the top-down 3D shooter. $0.99 – App Store Link
• Atari’s Greatest Hits brings the oldest of old school to your brand new advice. Free – App Store link

Casual Games: Amazing Breaker

Amazing Breaker is a game for the more casual gamer. It involves ice sculptures; you remember them, popular at high class parties but nowhere else. Anyway, the aim of the game is to destroy the ice sculptures with bombs, and try not to leave any shards of ice behind.

Amazing Breaker is a highly addictive puzzle game with over 80 levels to keep you busy. Designed for the Retina display, it offers high resolution graphics, easy to learn game play and Game Center achievements. The bombs you use to destroy the ice sculptures come in many different flavors too with Spike Bombs, Ghost Bombs, Helicopter Bombs and even Split Bombs. The game is a lot of fun and once you start it, you will struggle to put it down. A great gift for the gamer in your life!

• $0.99 – App Store link]

Also check out:

• Catan is a great version of a great strategy game. $4.99 – App Store link
• Words with Friends isn’t Scrabble but it is an all out, all online spelling war. $0.99 – App Store link
• Carcassone is a beautiful rendition of the medieval strategy game. $9.99 – App Store link
• Poker by Zynga let’s you get your Texus Hold’em on your iPhone. Free – App Store link

More great games for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad

Every day, TiPb covers the best new games and best new game updates, so if you’re looking for more great game gift ideas, check out our gaming section! Likewise, the iTunes App Store has a games section with lots of great choices.

• TiPb Games
• iTunes App Store games

And if you’re still not sure what to get, consider an iTunes Gift Card, that way the special gamer in your life can pick their very own gift!

• Get iTunes Gift Cards

Your picks?

Remember, you’re part of Team TiPb too, so if you’ve already picked the perfect gift for your iPhone or iPad gamer, or have the perfect idea for one, let us know in comments!

Need a fast way to find out about birthdays? Not a problem. With the iPhone 4S you can avoid faking a distraction, jumping out the window, racing to the car, and slamming down on the accelerator, Homer Simpson-style, because you forgot that special someone’s special day. Assuming you have the birthday recorder in your calendar, all you have to do is ask Sir.

1. Hold down the Home button until Siri pops up
2. Ask Siri “When is [name's] birthday”
3. Wait for Siri to answer

Name’s can include your own (“my”), proper names (“Phil Nickinson’s”), or relationships (“my wife’s”), provided they’ve been added to the contact.

Now if only Siri would let us create Reminders based on birthdays, we may never be forced onto the couch again!

Thanks: Mia Nickinson

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

The biggest gift of the year, as far as TiPb is concerned, is a brand new iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or Apple TV. But with so many iOS devices on the wish list this year, how do you know which one to get and for whom? Well sit back, relax, and let us do the heavy gift lifting for you this year — with our 2011 holiday guides!

And hey — if you already have all the iOS devices you need, no worries! We have a full slate of 2011 gift guides coming your way!

iPhone

The iPhone was the first and in many ways remains Apple’s flagship iOS device. It’s highly portable, always connected, has the best design, fit and finish in the business, and the largest app and game catalog on the planet. It manages to be both easy to use and accessible to first time smartphone users and powerful and productive for power users alike.

The iPhone 4S has a dual-core processor, making it the fastest iPhone ever, along with a startlingly good looking 960×640 Retina display that looks more like paper than pixels. It’s 8mp camera and 1080p video camera are good enough to be on a point-and-shoot, and it includes Siri, the world’s first intelligent assistant that keeps track of your appointments, reminds you of your tasks, sends you mail and messages, and does a host of other tasks with charm and wit straight out of a Pixar cartoon.

It does require a carrier contract with a voice and data plan, however, which isn’t insignificant, and if you’re not buying with a subsidy, the initial price can be quite high. Apple also only makes one kind of iPhone, so anyone looking for a bigger screen, a keyboard, or anything other than an iPhone needs to look elsewhere.

iPhone 4S comes in black or white, 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB, and is available on AT&T and GSM carriers, as well as Verizon and Sprint in the US. While the iPhone itself is the same, they’re typically locked to a specific carrier and can’t be switched between them. Apple has also kept last year’s iPhone 4, and the 2009 iPhone 3GS around at reduced prices. If saving money up front is important, check them out as well.

• Full iPhone 4S review
• iPhone 4S buyers guide
• Get an iPhone 4S from Apple, local carriers, and electronics stores

iPod touch

The iPod touch might seem like an iPhone without the phone, and there’s a lot of truth to that. You can get 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB storage options, just like the iPhone, and now you can get it in black or white, just like the iPhone as well. It can run the same apps and games as the iPhone, including the built in ones like Mail and Safari, read the same eBooks, show the same TV, movies, and videos, and play the same music.

But that “without the phone” part is important. It’s significantly cheaper — don’t look at the iPhones subsidizes carrier price, count in the 2 years of voice and data plan and it can be a couple thousand dollars cheaper. It does use slightly lower end parts to keep the price tag low, like a screen that’s still a 960×480 Retina display, but doesn’t have the same fancy inter-plane switching (IPS) technology built in. But it’s also thinner. Almost impossibly thinner.

The iPod touch is perfect for people who want access to the App Store and iTunes Store, and all the great content that comes with it, as well as apps for everything from Netflix to Kindle, but don’t want or need a phone and phone contract. That includes kids (Nintendo and Sony are hurting for a reason), people who already have a phone but want an iOS device, and people who want a light, highly portable, multifunction device for the living room, travel, etc.

• Full iPod touch review
• Get an iPod touch on Amazon.com

Alternatives: Amazon Kindle

iPad

When Apple introduced the iPad, some people knocked it saying it was “just a big iPhone” — turns out that’s exactly what it was and why it’s been so successful. While it does pretty much everything an iPod touch can do — or an iPhone except for the phone part — and runs all iPhone apps, it also runs tens of thousands of iPad specific apps, custom built for the bigger, more expansive 9.7-inch screen.

For email, web browsing, eBook reading, and gaming it can be a much easier, more immersive experience, though the size makes it better suited to feet-up, at rest use rather than feet-down, on the go use. The size also makes it heavier than an iPod touch, and you can’t just throw it in a pocket and be on your way.

But oh, when you’re sitting down. Everything from curling up with a great movie to controlling your server over remote desktop from poolside to playing a first person shooter on the plane to building a presentation at the coffee shop, it’s a fully mainstream computer appliance in your lap.

Just like the iPhone and iPod touch, it comes in black and white, in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB versions. Unlike the iPod touch, in addition to the Wi-Fi version, there’s also a 3G-enabled model that works on either AT&T and international GSM carriers, and a CDMA version on Verizon.

For people new to computers, for kids or seniors more comfortable with the bigger screen, for those who need more than a small mobile screen but nothing as complex as a laptop, the iPad is an excellent choice.

• Full iPad 2 review
• iPad buyers guide
• Get an iPad on Amazon.com

iPod nano

Although the iPod nano looks like an iOS device — especially with the 2011 software update — it doesn’t really run iOS and can’t run App Store apps and games. It can play iTunes music, however, as well as FM radio and several other handy, ultra-portable things like a pedometer.

It’s not as expensive as a full iOS device, however, and clips easily to your clothes to take with you on everything from a walk to a workout at the gym. It can also be worn as a watch, thanks to a variety of accessory makers, and Apple has recently added a bunch of great new clock faces for just that, including Micky Mouse!

• Full iPod nano review
• Get an iPod nano on Amazon

Apple TV

Apple TV is perfect for anyone who has a large iTunes library, and/or an iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad and wants an easy way to get all their TV, movies, music, and even apps and games onto their big screen HDTV. You can easily stream anything from iTunes and most everything from your iOS devices to an Apple TV over Wi-Fi. Start watching a show or playing a game on your iPhone, come home, hit the AirPlay button and keep watching or playing right on your television. It really is just that easy.

Even if you don’t have iTunes or an iOS device, Apple TV is an incredibly simple way to watch YouTube, Vimeo, Netflix, and iTunes rentals on your television.

• Full Apple TV review
• Get an Apple TV on Amazon.com

Alternatives: Roku Player, Boxee Box

Curious how to change the amount of lines shown on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch email preview? If you get a lot of email, it is really handy to see a preview  of the first few lines to know if it is important enough to read and deal with. If you’re concerned about privacy, you may prefer to display nothing at all. Out of the box, the iPhone and iPad only show the first two lines of text from an email but that can be changed to show much more, or nothing at all.

• Click on Settings
• Click on Mail, Contacts and Calendar

• Scroll down to Preview
• Click on Preview
• You will now see a screen that lists the number of lines of text you will see in an email preview

• If it is set on two lines, this is how it will look

• Change the setting to your preferred amount of lines, four in this example
• When set at four lines, you can now see much more of the email message without opening it.

That is all there is to it, simple but a very handy tweak.

Daily Tipsrange from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

Just a heads up — if you send a contact via your iPhone 4S‘ built in sharing feature, you also share everything in that contact, including relationships set up by Siri. For many this may not be a big deal, but if you value your privacy or you don’t particularly want or need a business partner, for example, knowing who your mom is or that playful nickname you have for your girlfriend, you might want to think twice before sharing an entire contact card in the future.

Perhaps Apple could constrain card sharing to common fields in a future iOS update. The odds of me actually wanting to share every detail in a card with someone is virtually nil, especially compared to the odds of me just wanting to share the basic details like email, phone, and address.

There are hundreds of thousands of iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad apps for just about everything — so how come the one you need, the one you know just has to be there, is so hard to find? Enter TiPb’s new weekly feature where staff and readers alike sort through the App Store and help you find just the right App for That. This week, douglaswilson asks:

I am looking for a basic schedule making app and do not see anything close to what i am looking for. All I want is a basic weekly schedule with days of the week across the top and employees down the left side. I tried to make my own using the numbers app but there doesn’t seem to be a way to save the document without the numbers so you don’t have to recreate the document every week. Any suggestions? Thanks!

First of all, if Douglas wants to continue using Numbers [$9.99 - App Store link], he can! Numbers has the ability to duplicate documents, so he can create a spreadsheet with just the names and days of the week filled out and keep that one as his base document. Then from the documents page, he can create a duplicate before performing any edits.

Or he can get an app designed specifically for creating schedules! To see what we found for Douglas, follow along after the break!

Shifty for iPad [$9.99 - App Store link] is a scheduling app for small businesses and individuals. After entering in all the information that rarely changes, like employee names, shift patterns, and duties, the act of creating schedules is just a matter of dragging and dropping. Shifty will also display the number of billable hours (accounting for breaks). Once the schedule is complete, you can email it to your staff.

Check out Shifty’s YouTube page to see Shifty in action. Nervous about spending $9.99 on an app the may or may not meet your needs? There is also a free version [App Store link] available with less options than the paid version.

Anyone else have any App for That suggestions for Douglas? Let him — and all of us — know.

Having trouble finding what you need in the app store? Head on over to our App for That forum and let us know what you’re looking for. The TiPb community will do our best to find you just the right App for That!

MacWorld‘s Jason Snell has written up a quick way to force your local Windows or Mac iTunes library to upgrade all your songs to the 256kbps iTunes Match versions. If you’re still syncing your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad to iTunes via USB or via the new Wi-Fi sync, it’s a quick way to get them on your device(s) as well.

While iTunes Match makes the — often higher quality — tracks available in iCloud, it keeps the local — often lower quality — track on your actual drive until you tell it otherwise. If you have thousands of tracks, that could be a long process.

Snell’s tip involves creating a Smart Playlist or two and having the courage to delete all your local versions, trusting iCloud will replace them. If that doesn’t scare you off, hit the link below and get your upgrade going fast.

Source: MacWorld

New to iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch and curious how to set up Notification Center’s Lock Screen and privacy options? To help you juggle the opposing demands of convenience and security, Apple has provided several options for each app. This gives you some granular control over how much — or how little — glance-able information your notifications show you.

How Lock Screen info works

• If it’s a single notification, you get a single popup.
• If it’s multiple notifications, you get a stacked list view.
• If it’s a single notification but there have been previous unread notifications, you get a single popup but can view the complete list by swiping down from the time/date bar (a small gripper icon indicates when this is possible.)
• If it’s a notification along with a secondary action, for example Snooze for an alarm notification, a secondary button will also appear for that action.

You can also optionally make the LED flash go off, or set a sound/vibration as well for a Lock Screen or any notification.

Slide the icon for any notification — just like Slide to Unlock — to go directly to the app. (Sliding the icon, or sliding to unlock, clears all Lock Screen notifications.)

Lock Screen info and privacy settings

Note: Not all apps have all the options listed below.

1. The Show Preview toggle is for privacy advocates. By turning this off, you’ll no longer see a preview of the notification (which can include who sent email, tweets, iMessages, etc. and even some or all of the content). Instead, you’ll simply be alerted of a new notification waiting.
2. A Repeat Alert option lets you tell iOS to continue alerting you of the notification at two minute intervals. If you’re trying to be discreet, this can be a big problem. If you’re trying to make sure you don’t miss anything, it can be a life saver. You can set it to repeat the alert up to ten times.
3. View in Lock Screen is either your best friend or your worst nightmare. It shows your notifications even when your iPhone is asleep and locked, turning on the screen and showing you — and anyone nearby — everything coming your way. Turn this on if you don’t want to have to unlock your iPhone to see your alerts. Turn this off if you want to keep things on the low down.

Let us know how these tips worked out for you, and if you have any questions, ask them in the comments below!

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

Like to go to sleep listening to your iPhone’s Music app and curious how to get it to “sleep” after a set period of time? One of the most annoying things is waking up a few hours later and it is still playing. Especially true if you are listening to an Audio Book and have to scrub back through hours of audio to find where you stopped listening.

Luckily you can set your iPod to stop playing after a set amount of time. It is really easy to do and we will show you how.

• Open up your Clock app on the home screen

• Select the Timer

• Set the amount of time you want the Music app to play for
• Click on the When Timer Ends button
• Scroll down to Sleep iPod

• Click on Set
• Start the Timer

• Fire up the Music app, lie back, relax and enjoy
• After the timer runs down, the Music app will stop

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

So you’ve subscribed to iTunes Match and now you want to know how to set up your iPhone or iPad to use it? No problem, it’ just a few ticks and taps and you’ll be on your way to iCloud music goodness!

1. First you’ll need to jump into Settings and Music from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch.

2. You should see a new setting at the top for iTunes Match. Simply enable it. It will ask you to confirm as well.

3. Your device will now start to match your library in the background. You can also choose to show music on your device that you have the ability to download but don’t currently have on your device. I have this turned off but you can enable it if you’d like it to show up in your library.

That’s pretty much it! You’re now set up on iTunes Match. If you run into problems or issues during the process check out our TiPb Forums for answers to commonly asked questions as well as to ask new ones!

• iTunes Match Forum thread

After updating to iOS 5.0.1 via iTunes and rebooting, I found all the App Store apps installed on my iPhone were suddenly waiting to download and install. That’s right. All of them. Just “Waiting”. Unable to launch.

I tried force-quitting the App Store app. I tried rebooting. I tried resetting. I logged into and out of the App Store app. I checked if there were any iTunes Store downloads, like podcasts, that might have gotten “stuck” (there weren’t). I checked if any large apps like Navigon were slowly — very slowly — downloading (they didn’t appear to be.) I tried re-syncing with iTunes on my desktop (the apps came back, still waiting).

I could still download new apps and those worked fine. They actually downloaded quickly, installed completely, and launched properly.

With 5 pages of apps, it’s going to be a pain to delete them all and re-download them all one by one, but it’s about the only option I have left right now.

Problem

• All App Store apps show as “waiting” to download and install and can’t be launched

Possible solutions

• Stop any iTunes Store downloads that might have gotten stuck
• Delete any big apps that might be clogging the install problem
• Manually delete and re-install all App Store apps.

Note: Like I said, the first two didn’t work for me but they were offered as potential fixes on Apple’s discussion forums, so if you have the same or a similar problem, give them a try before you escalate to the last one.

If anyone else has figured out a better solution, let me know in comments!

New to iPhone, iPad touch, or iPad and curious how to set up one of Apple’s new, free iCloud accounts? Not only is iCloud great for email, calendar, and contacts, it also lets you backup your important settings and information. Luckily, creating a new iCloud account is a very simple process.

• Open Settings from your home screen
• Click on Mail, Contacts, Calendars

• Click on Add Account…
• Select iCloud at the top of the list

• Click on Get a Free Apple ID

• Enter your location
• Enter your date of birth

• A new window will now open asking you to use an existing email address or get a free @me.com address

• Select get a free @me.com email address

• Fill in all your details and select next
• Accept the iCloud terms and conditions

• That’s it done, you now have a new iCloud account all set up and ready to go on your iOS 5 device!

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

Since Apple just recently launched their iTunes Match service for users in the United States, you might be curious how to subscribe? Luckily, subscribing to iTunes Match is just about as easy as making an App Store or iTunes music purchase. Once you’re all paid up — it’s $24.99 a year — and set up, you’ll be able to access an online version of your iTunes library via iCloud from devices such as your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and AppleTV without physically having a computer to stream from.

1. First launch iTunes on your computer and make sure you are running iTunes version 10.5.1 or higher.

2. Next you should see an iTunes Match section under Store in the left hand pane. Select it. (If you don’t see this, you can alternately go to the iTunes Store homepage and select iTunes Match from the Quick Links section on the right. This option was missing for me at first and then magically appeared… weird.)

3. Next you’ll need to click Subscribe to iTunes Match for $24.99. You’ll be asked to input your iTunes password. (You’ll only see the not taking subscriptions message when the servers are slammed. If you get this, just try subscribing later.)

4. Next click iTunes Match in the sidebar just like you did to purchase it and you should now see an option to add your computer. Do so by clicking the Add this Computer button.

5. iTunes will begin Step 1: Gathering information about your iTunes library. In this step Apple scans all your songs to see what’s in your library.
6. In Step 2: Matching your music to songs in the iTunes Store, Apple compares your library to the massive iTunes Catalog. Anything that already exists in the iTunes Catalog is immediately made available to you in standard iTunes format — 256Kbps AAC with metadata and album art.
8. Step 3: Uploading artwork and remaining songs takes any other music in your library — anything Apple couldn’t match with the iTunes Catalog — and uploads it to Apple’s servers so it will still be available to you from the cloud (albeit in its original format, if that format was worse than iTunes standard.)
9. That’s it, you’re all set up.

Troubleshooting iTunes Match

A few things you’ll want to pay special attention to:

• iTunes Match can only handle 25,000 songs. If your library is bigger than that, iTunes will refuse to match it. About all you can do right now is create a new iTunes library on the same computer with a subset of your songs — no more than 25,000 — and use that library to set up iTunes Match. (Just make sure you don’t copy your music into new folders, leave it in its existing folders or you’ll waste a lot of disk space.)
• iTunes Match isn’t currently doing a great job actually matching a lot of songs. It could be an issue with metadata, if the song information is really different between the iTunes Catalog copy and your local copy. You could try updating the metadata on your local copies before going through iTunes Match, but it can take a lot of time and results may still vary. (Anything iTunes doesn’t match gets uploaded to Apple’s servers, so you still have access to it, but in its original form, not the iTunes Catalog copy in 256Kbps AAC with “official” metadata)

That’s it! iTunes Match should be happily processing, matching, and uploading your library. In the meantime, let us know how the setup went for you, and if you have any issues, jump into our iTunes Match Forum and get some help!

• iTunes Match Forum thread

There are hundreds of thousands of iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad apps for just about everything — so how come the one you need, the one you know just has to be there, is so hard to find? Enter TiPb’s new weekly feature where staff and readers alike sort through the App Store and help you find just the right App for That. This week, tedwang asks:

I’m kind of shocked I haven’t found an app that can add captions to photos. Actually I’m surprised that Apple’s own photo app doesn’t do this. I don’t mean a caption ON the photo — more in the metadata. This is so I can keep track of what I’m taking a photo of. And I don’t want to have to share it on Facebook or Twitter to caption the photo.

What tedwang is specifically looking for, is a way to edit the IPTC info on a photo. To see what we found for him, follow along after the break!

One of the many features of Photogene² [$0.99 - App Store link] is to edit the IPTC data on photos.

IPTC stands for International Press Telecommunications Council and was originally developed for media to quickly exchange information about news items like photos. Some of the info that can be stored in the IPTC is author information, title, caption, and copyright.

Photogene² makes editing this info a breeze. With an upgrade to Pro, you can even create IPTC sets to streamline the process.

Anyone else have any App for That suggestions for tedwang? Let him — and all of us — know.

Having trouble finding what you need in the app store? Head on over to our App for That Forum and let us know what you’re looking for. The TiPb community will do our best to find you just the right App for That!

On the current version of Facebook for iPhone and iPad, whenever I tap on a picture someone uploaded, it either brings up a totally different picture, or when I flip over to comments, they don’t match the comments that go with that specific picture. It’s incredibly annoying if you want to comment on a picture and can’t even get the correct one to pull up.

If you use Facebook for iPhone or iPad you’re probably aware that it doesn’t come without a bug or two. This one we’ve had several readers report and it’s something I’ve experienced myself since the newer revamped version of Facebook was released.

The only workaround I’ve found is to actually go in and open the album the picture is in and click on the picture in the grid of photos. That typically tends to load the correct image and bypass the issue.

Problem

• Facebook shows the wrong picture
• Facebook shows the wrong comments for a picture

Workaround

• Go to the photo album and select the picture that way.

Hopefully Facebook fixes this asap. Any of you experiencing this bug as well? Any other Facebook bugs?

New to iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch and iOS 5 and wondering how to configure Notification Center so you get the alerts you need but not the interruptions you don’t? Luckily, you can choose between 3 different alert styles, from in-your-face popups to subtle banners to none at all. Follow along and we’ll show you how!

Popup Alerts

Popup alerts are the old style iOS notifications of the pass, a big box that leaps out at you and won’t do anything else until you either cancel it or act on it. While old school, these types of alerts still have their place for anything your really don’t want to miss — alarms, calendar appointments, reminders, etc. If you want to be absolutely, positively certain you see something, set notifications to a popup alert.

Banners

Banners briefly roll down from the top of the screen. If you don’t want to be bothered by a notification, you simply ignore the banner and go about your business, dismiss the banner by flicking it away, or just wait a couple of seconds and it will roll back up and disappear all on its own. Because they’re subtle, they’re best used for things that are nice-to-known but not incredibly urgent — personal email, social network messages, news alerts, etc. If it’s not critical but you are curious, set notification to banners.

None

If you set a notification to none, you won’t get an alert at all. No popup, no banner, no nothing. Because you won’t be alerted, this is best for apps that you want to keep around but don’t want to know about unless you specifically open them — games you play infrequently, social apps you seldom visit, apps you only use when traveling, etc. If it’s more interruption than notification, set it to none.

Configuring alert styles

Apple has included deep granular controls in the Notification Center, so configuring it can seem like a daunting task for new users. It’s really simple, however, so just follow these quick steps to help you configure Notification Center in iOS 5:

1. Open the Settings app from the iPhone home screen.
2. Tap the ‘Notifications’ settings pane.
3. Tap the name of the app you want to configure the alert style for.
4. Choose popup alerts, banner alerts, or no alerts.

Bonus tip: Sounds

In addition to the three notification types listed above, you often also have the option to set a sound and/or vibration alert for a notification. Again, if the notification is really important to you — SMS/MMS/iMessage, Twitter DM or Facebook message, work email, etc. you may want to hear and feel when it comes in.

Otherwise, you can turn sound off and enjoy a slightly more peaceful existence.

1. Launch Settings
2. Scroll down and tap Sound
3. Choose the app you want to set the Sound for

That’s it, you’re ready to stay informed but not overwhelmed! We’ll be back with more Notification Center tips shortly but in the meantime if you have any advice on keeping alerts under control, let us know in comments!

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com.

Curious how to setup notifications in iOS 5? With all the various banners and popups, badges and sounds, widgets and lock screen options, it can be a little tricky for first-time users, but worry not — we have you covered! First up, here’s how the new Weather and Stock widgets work!

Stock widget

The Stock widget pulls stock information directly from the native Stocks app in iOS 5. By turning the Stock widget to ‘On’ you’ll see a scrolling ticker displaying your favorite stocks. If you want to change the stocks that are displayed in the Stock widget, just follow these quick steps:

1. Open the Stocks app from the iPhone home screen, or tap the Stock widget in Notification Center.
2. Tap the ‘i’ information button in the lower right-hand corner.
3. Tap the + button in the upper left-hand corner to add a new stock. You can search for stocks by stock ticker or company name.
4. Tap Done to finish.

Now, the stock that you’ve just added to the Stocks app will show up in the scrolling Stock widget within Notification Center!

Weather widget

Apple also included a weather widget that displays current weather information as well as a full five-day forecast. Just swipe to the left or right to reveal the five-day forecast. The weather widget pulls information from Yahoo! Weather locations stored in the native Weather app in iOS 5. In order to add or change weather locations, follow these steps:

1. Open the Weather app from the iPhone home screen, or tap the Weather widget in Notification Center.
2. Tap the ‘i’ information button in the lower right-hand corner.
3. From here, you have the option to either use Local Weather (pulled from location services) or add a location manually. For instructions sake, we’ll add a new location. To add a new location, tap the + button in the upper left-hand corner.
4. Search by City, State or ZIP and input your preferred location.

Now the location you’ve manually setup will be displayed in the Weather widget. If you have more than one location in the Weather app, the Weather widget will only display the 1st location. If you have no manual locations set and have the Local Weather feature on, you’ll only see the temperature relative to your geographic location (make sure you have Location Services turned on!)

There you have it, how to configure your Notification Center widgets. We’ll cover the other elements, like Mail and Messages notifications, Lock Screen info, etc. next time. Meanwhile, if you have any favorite Notification Center tips, let us know in comments!

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

Curious how to update to iOS 5.0.1 — or any future iOS update — over-the-air (OTA) directly on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch? Yes, Apple finally pulled the big switch in the cloud and you can go from one software version to the next, OTA and in-place faster than any iTunes restore past. We’ll show you how, after the break!

Initiating an OTA update for iOS is really easy. You might see a red notification badge on your Settings app to alert you to an update, or get a popup notification telling you it’s ready to install, but you can always check on your own, at any time.

1. Launch the Settings app
2. Tap General
3. Tap Software Update
4. If there’s nothing new, you’ll be told just so. Otherwise, you’ll be presented with all the details about the update.
5. Tap Download and Install
6. Agree to the Terms and Conditions
7. IMPORTANT! If you’re low on juice, make sure you plug in! You don’t want your battery to die mid-update!
8. Watch the progress bar! (This part depends on the speed and quality of connection. Don’t be alarmed if it takes a long time, speeds up or slows down, or appears to jump around — be patient.)
9. Once it’s finished downloading, you’ll be prompted to instal (and restart) your device. If you don’t explicitly hit Later or Install within a few seconds, it will install on your behalf.
10. Agree to the Terms and Conditions yet again.
11. Apple will verify the install.
12. That’s it!

Not only does iOS 5 update OTA, it updates in place using bit-differential (delta) files, so you should get a faster, much more efficient process. For example, there’s no need to restore from backup afterwards or re-download your stuff.

Seriously, once the download finishes it’s amazing quick and smooth. Apple may not have invented OTA updates (Chris swears BlackBerry has had them for ages, and Nokia likely invented them in 1812…) but if this is any indication, they’re doing them right.

bamf-hacker in our iPhone 4S Forum wrote up a quick but smart tip on how to use Siri to access Bluetooth and other Setting with only… the power of your voice.

All you need to do is create a contact and in the Web site field put the code for the system preference. for example.

Contact name is Bluetooth and the Web address is prefs:root=General&path=Bluetooth

Then activate Siri and say “Bluetooth” the contact card will open with a clickable link right to the Bluetooth settings.

It’s not the much-sought-after “Siri, turn off Bluetooth” feature we’ve all been hoping for, but it’s better than the nothing we have now.

bamf-hacker has also posted the URL schemes for other popular Settings, so hit the link below and get the details!

Source: bamf-hacker from the TiPb iPhone 4S Forums

Courtesy of The Early Edition developer Nick Takayama, here’s how to setup a shared Reminders list for shopping, and keep it updated via Siri. Hey, relationships are hard enough, so easy, fun, and geeky ways to reduce the friction are always appreciated.

The Setup

1. Get an iPhone 4S
2. Create iCloud account for you and your significant other (or whomever you want to share the list with)
3. Create an iCloud synced Reminders list called Shopping
4. Go to iCloud.com and, in the Calendar, share that Shopping list with your significant other’s iCloud account

The Use

1. Tell Siri to “add donuts to shopping list” (or add whatever you want on the list!)
2. That’s it!

Adding donuts (or whatever) to your Shopping list automagically shares it to your significant other’s list, and checking it off on your list automagically checks it of on the shared list, and Siri makes it super easy to keep adding more stuff as it occurs to you. Sure there are a bunch of apps for that, but if you want Siri to do it for you, this is how to do it for now.

Source: @ntakayama

Wondering how to us iOS 5‘s new AE/AF lock to stop your iPhone’s auto-focus from wrecking your perfectly set up shot? Fret no more! With iOS 5, locking exposure and focus couldn’t be easier, and after applying the lock, you can even recompose your shot without the camera kicking in the auto-focus.

Here’s how!

1. Launch the camera app and get your subject in the frame
2. Tap the object/person you want to focus on and hold your finger on the screen for a few seconds
3. Release your finger after the blue focus square pulsates
4. The square will disappear and AE/AF Lock will appear at the bottom of the screen
5. Perfect your composure and snap the photo!

The times I find this feature most helpful is when taking photos of my daughter or dogs, because anytime they move, the camera wants to refocus – even if it’s just a head turn. I’ve lost a countless number of shots because of this. Now I just trigger the AE/AF lock and snap away!

Let us know how this tip worked out for you, and if you have any questions, ask them in the comments below!

Daily Tips range from beginner-level 101 to advanced-level ninjary. If you already know this tip, keep the link handy as a quick way to help a friend. If you have a tip of your own you’d like to suggest, add them to the comments or send them in to dailytips@tipb.com. (If it’s especially awesome and previously unknown to us, we’ll even give ya a reward…)

Just hear about Google+ Pages for brands and businesses and want to know how to set up one of your very own — just like TiPb’s done? Google makes it stone stump simple to do, so launch your favorite web browser, get a beverage ready, and follow along.

1. Log in to your Google+ account
2. Head on over to http://plus.google.com/pages/create
3. Choose the type of brand or business page you want to setup – Local Business or Place, Product or Brand, Company, Institution, or Organization, Arts, Entertainment, or Sports, and Other.
4. Each type has many sub-types so read carefully and choose the one that applies best.
5. Fill in the name, website address, and agree to the terms of service.
6. Choose a profile picture for your page and use the draggable handles to crop it just the way you want.
7. Give you Page a tagline. Something short and snappy that conveys what it is and piques interest.
8. Share your new Page with your personal account’s circles, if you want.
9. Start a conversation on your new page, connect it up to your website, and tell the world about it!
10. And… you’re not done. Creating a Google+ Page is just the first step. Now you have to share, hang out, and get all social with it!

Have you created a Google+ Page for your business or brand? Tell us about it in the comments and let us know if you have any tips on getting the most out of them!